Homeschool Moms - Listen to Your Learner

The first thing I tell new homeschool moms is to embrace the love of learning!  Be open to learning and exploring topics that interest your child.  

First, start with conversation.  Ask your child what interests him most.  Perhaps it is a particular sports car or maybe a certain sport intrigues him.  Or, of course, it could be SQUIRRELS.   

Well, that was what Derek said at the beginning of his fourth grade year.  And, so, squirrels became our THEME.  We stayed on this topic for three weeks!  Who knew there was so much to learn about these little mammals?

All of my lesson planning centered on the theme of squirrels from that point forward.  Sure, we kept moving along in our math textbook, but I even incorporated some "fun" math to tie in with our squirrel lessons.    

READING (30 minutes a day) - Books from the library (fictional and non-fiction), Ranger Rick magazine, Discovery Education, BrainPop, and other various internet support sites.  
WRITING (15-20 minutes a day)- We added words to our spelling dictionary, we took notes on index cards, and the project learning culminated with an expository essay.  
MATH (30-40 minutes a day)  - Graphing.  We gathered information on all things squirrels.  Later, we sorted our information.  We used the information to create bar graphs, circle graphs, and line graphs.
SCIENCE (30 minutes a day) - Life science, of course!  External and internal parts of a squirrel: respiratory, digestive, and circulatory system.   Habitat and biomes also made it into the lesson plans.  Derek created an interactive notebook with drawing, sketches, definitions, and more questions.  
SOCIAL STUDIES/HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY (30 minutes a day) - We located the five continents where squirrels inhabit.  We looked at the terrain and resources available to these little critters.  We read, discussed, and wrote about various cultures and their interactions with squirrels.  
VAPA (Once or twice a week.) - Tying in science, Derek learned to accurately sketch and draw a squirrel.  

My point is simple.  If you can entice your young learner to want to learn, you are more than half way there.  Consider all the possibilities and work together to make your homeschooling memories true treasures.  

Need a good lesson plan book?  The Ultimate Homeschool Planner (Orange Edition)