Teaching Stars
Classically homeschooling three daughters with a dash of whatever strikes our fancy.
About Kristen & her Blog
What advice would you give to a mom who is considering homeschooling her child?
What's one homeschooling challenge you've faced, and what solutions did you find?
Kristen's Answers
What's a good way to motivate and support children who are struggling to learn a certain school subject?
Kristen
As a homeschooling mom to three daughters who each have their very own distinct learning style, I am constantly on the lookout for ways of supporting and fostering a love of learning. Whenever I see one of my children struggling I look for a way to incorporate what they already know into the equation. Usually by being able to draw upon previous knowledge with which they are already comfortable we can bridge the gap to learning the new material. For example when my oldest daughter was learning to write I had the hardest time getting her to concentrate on correctly writing her letters. It wasn't until I incorporated her passion for dinosaurs in the equation that I was able to get her to focus. She was much more willing to take her time and focus on writing an "A" for an apatosaurus than she was just copying letters from a random workbook. And the *single most important followup* to any lesson is to incorporate what they learn into how they play. By encouraging your children to play with their new knowledge you increase their level of retainment and actively promote further curiosity.Please share a link to a photo of your child's funniest drawing.
Kristen
My 3 year old drew a portrait of me one day without any prompting. She said she drew me as a pretty princess with PINK hair because even though I don't have pink hair right now, I would "look love-a-lee" if I ever did grow some that color. http://www.teachingstars.com/2012/05/09/wordless-wednesday-may-9-2012/Can you recommend a children's book or series that's great for summer reading? Please include the ages it's appropriate for.
Kristen
My girls (ages 2, 4, and 6) fell in love with the stories of Tum Tum and Nutmeg. You can read my review of the series here http://www.teachingstars.com/2012/04/24/tum-tum-and-nutmeg/What's a great finger food that your kids love? Please include a link.
Kristen
My girls love when I make peanut butter and jelly sushi rolls. They either eat them with their fingers or practice their chopstick skills. http://www.teachingstars.com/2011/07/18/pbj-sushi-rolls/What's one of the worst messes your child has made? Please share a link to a photo if you have one.
Kristen
Well, luckily this "mess" was pretty tame by most toddler standards. But one day my older two children were having a sleepover with their grandparents while I had some quality alone time with my youngest. I had left her in the living room while I went to my bedroom to change when, out of the stillness, I heard the sounds of hundreds of PINGS echoing across our wood floor. Lyra had found a large bag of Reese's Pieces and had picked them up with the opening pointed down. When they started to spill and echo loudly against the floor she panicked and ran screaming around the house holding the back upside down THE ENTIRE TIME. By the time I got to her my house was littered with hundreds of chocolate peanut butter landmines. I still find an occasional one to this very day. http://www.teachingstars.com/2012/03/04/under-construction/How do you store your child's toys? Please include a link to a photo if you have one.
Kristen
We made a DIY Stuffed Animal Storage to keep our three girls' stuffed animals under control! http://www.teachingstars.com/2012/02/03/storing-all-those-stuffed-animals/How do you keep stuffed animals under control? Do you corall them in a net, arrange them on shelves, periodically get rid of the unloved ones? Please include a picture of your solution.
Kristen
My hubby created this fun little DIY after showing him the stuffed animal zoo. This was his cheaper version. http://www.teachingstars.com/2012/02/03/storing-all-those-stuffed-animals/|
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