Picture Pie: Fractions, Art and Fun!

One of our favorite picture books related to fractions is Picture Pie by Ed Emberley.

Learners often use fractions and dread in the same sentence. 

It doesn't have to be so.

Picture Pie by Ed Emberley allows fractions and fun to partner for intentional learning and retention. 

My children found the circle cutter in the scrapbooking cabinet, the one that hadn't been opened for quite some time. One child carried the circle cutter. Another carried twelve bright-colored sheets of construction paper. Each raced to the kitchen table, inspired by Ed Emberley's book. 

Within minutes, piles of rainbow-colored circles grew on the table. Elmer's glue flowed, spurted, then sputtered from orange tops as contents were drained. 

The results. Folds. Fractions. Art. 

Mastered. 

What we did?

• Read the explanations and looked at Ed Emberley's collage work.

• I explained fractions are parts of a whole. The bottom number is the denominator. It tells how many total parts are in the whole. The top number is the numerator. It represents a specific part of the whole.

• Each child selected one paper circle from the circle piles and followed directions to fold the circle in half—two equal parts. Together, we unfolded and cut along the fold line. I had each child write the fraction 1/2 on each semicircle.

• I encouraged the learners to select more paper circles to fold and cut into two equal parts. I demonstrated how each half circle could be folded in half again, making four equal parts. I labeled each part with the fraction 1/4.

• I allowed time for experimental folding, cutting and creating. WOW! Creative. Fraction. Fun.

• One child suggested using printed papers and aluminum foil.

• At the end of the afternoon, I offered our magnetic circle set, demonstrating equivalent fractions by laying pieces on top of one another. For example, I modeled how two 1/4 pieces fit on top of one 1/2 piece with no edges extending over, making the statement 2/4 = 1/2.

My learners not only understood fractional parts and equivalent fractions, they applied what they learned to create amazing art--an all-around WIN WIN WIN for fraction, fun and art. And we learned together!

Intentional. Real. Relational.

Summer Adventure Must Haves

I love summer! 

My children love the adventurous, uninterrupted play summer brings. 

Over the years we have accumulated a plethora of adventure must haves, tools and resources which purposefully foster curiosity and enhance discovery and wonder. 

Though some of our resources are specific to summer, most are used and loved year-round. 

What are the Bastian adventure favorites? 

• Brock Magiscope. This is by far our number ONE favorite. This amazing tool is easy-to-use and portable for on-site pond, beach or forest adventures. Its sturdy build makes it a useful tool for all ages (yes, parents too!). 
• Magnifying glass. Though  we LOVE our Magiscope, there is something about adventuring with a good old fashion magnifying glass. Perhaps it's the "fits in a pocket" feel. Small wonders for small hands. 

• Sand bucket. Sand buckets make perfect adventure companions for beach and shore experiences. Buckets help us collect shells, bring home tadpoles and minnows or carry water to and fro across the backyard. We purpose to have buckets of every size, some for little learners and others for big helpers.
• Sieve. Sieving sand fosters curiosity while building motor skills. The back and forth movements of shoulders and wrists are essential components for preschool and little learner developmental milestones. Great tool for the mind and body.
• Shovel. My boys loved digging. Like many boys, their dream was to dig a hole through the center of the Earth. Indeed, they tried! Eventually, Mike and I provided a specific area for the boys to dig, a place where they could dream, dig together and build motor skills.
• Bug catcher or habitat. Children love critters. Critters provide opportunities for observation and study. We have collected a variety of aquariums, screen-topped carriers, clear plastic habitats and containers in order to be prepared for impromptu safe care and release of any small creatures that perk curiosity.  Hand-held, portable carriers are our favorites. 
• Butterfly nets. Another handy tool for young adventurers, our butterfly net has been used for grasshoppers, crickets, lizards and tadpoles. 
• Field guides. We have a variety of field guides ready for immediate and on-site study. Having the guides handy offers opportunity for in-depth, intrinsically-motivated learning. 
• Nature journal, pocket notebook or sketch pad. Explorers take notes of their discoveries. Our children have enjoyed drawing their favorite finds. We have used everything from a simple notebook and colored pencils to detailed nature journals. Having a means by which to record or draw interesting finds has not only enhanced our study but provided engaging contents for our portfolios. 

• Water. Explorers need water. Discuss how water will be accessible on the pending adventure: canteen, water bottle, garden hose.  
• Sun hat, sun screen. Protecting oneself from heat-related illness is essential while on an adventure, especially in the middle of summer. Have conversations about how to stay safe while exploring and adventuring. 

These are our favorite adventure tools and resources. 

We would love to hear about your favorites in the comments. 

Happy Adventuring!

Summer Reading List

Summer’s here!

Vacations. Mission trips. Summer evenings reading on the couch.

Summer brings new opportunities, needed refreshment and necessary refueling...and the TIME to do such.

Family members looking for summer reads?

Our summer reading list continues to grow, some titles added this month, others compiled over the years. My lists have been published magazines, state newsletters, Appendix D of  You HAVE to Read This One: Raising a Contagious Reader and Celebrate High School (high school lists categorized American, British, world and ancient).

Parents often ask, "How do we chose books?" 

Choosing a book depends upon many factors, some unique to an individual or circumstances, however the most universal depend upon 

• a student’s reading ability, age and maturity

• a family’s values and worldview

• a whether a book is to be read aloud or read independently.

All these factors, or a combination of these factors, help determine what titles may be appropriate for your children. 

Summer picture books for little learners

• Arnosky, Jim, All About Turtles

• Arnosky, Jim, Deer at the Brook

• Berkes, Marianne, Over in the Ocean in the Coral Reef

• Carle, Eric, A House for Hermit Crab

• Carle, Eric, Mister Seahorse

• Carle, Eric, Slowly, Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth

• Gibbons, Gail, Ducks

• Gibbons, Gail, The Berry Book

• Krauss, Ruth, The Carrot Seed

• Lionni, Leo, Swimmy

• McCloskey, Robert, Blueberries for Sal

• McCloskey, Robert, Lentil

• McCloskey, Robert, Make Way for Ducklings

• Zion, Gene, Harry by the Sea

Chapter books for middle elementary to middle school readers

The spectrum of age and maturity of students in grades four through eight is great. As a guide, selections marked (2-4) may be considered acceptable read-aloud titles for grades 2-4. I have marked titles considered more difficult—by vocabulary, sentence structure or content— with (M). Parents may decide to wait until grades 7-8 to introduce these books. As always, if in doubt, read the book first.

• Alcott, Louisa May, Little Women (M)

• Bagnold, Enid, National Velvet

• Barrie, J. M., Peter Pan

• Baum, L. Frank, The Wizard of Oz

• Beechick, Ruth, Adam and His Kin

• Brink, Carol Ryrie, Caddie Woodlawn

• Bulla, Clyde Robert, A Lion to Guard Us (M)

• Carroll, Lewis, Alice in Wonderland (M)

• Crane, Stephen, The Red Badge of Courage (M)

• D'Angeli, Marguette, The Door in the Wall

• Dalgliesh, Alice, The Courage of Sarah Noble (2-4)

• duBois, William Pene, The Twenty-One Balloons (M)

• Edmunds, Walter D, The Matchlock Gun (2-4)

• Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremain (M)

• Fritz, Jean, The Cabin Faced West (2-4)

• George, Jean Craighead, My Side of the Mountain

• Green, Roger Lancelyn, The Tale of Troy (M)

• Henty, G. A., For the Temple (M)

• Latham, Jean Lee, Carry on Mr. Bowditch (M)

• Lenski, Lois, Strawberry Girl (2-4)

• Norton, Mary, The Borrowers (2-4)

• Sheldon, George, The Cricket in Times Square

• Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's Travels (M)

• White, E. B., Stuart Little

Summer reads for high school young adults

A comprehensive list is included in Celebrate High School.

• Aristolte, Complete Works

• Austin, Jane, Pride and Prejudice

• Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre

• Chaucer, Geoffrey, The Canterbury Tales

• Chesterton, G. K., Favorite Father Brown Stories

• Cierco, Orations

• Cooper, James Fenimore, The Last of the Mohicans

• de Tocqueville, Alexis, Democracy in America

• Dickens, Charles, The Tale of Two Cities

• Faulkner, William, The Sound and the Fury

• Foxe, John, The Book of Martyrs

• Graves, Robert, Claudius, the God

• Green, Roger Lancelyn, Tales of Ancient Egypt

• Hamilton, Edith, Mythology

• Hemmingway, Ernest, Farewell to Arms

• Homer, The Odyssey

• Hurston, Zora Neale, Their Eyes Were Watching God

• Keller, Helen, The Story of My Life

• Lewis, C. S., The Screwtape Letters

• Mc Cullough, John Adams

• Plato, The Republic

• Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan, The Yearling

• Scott, Sir Walter, Ivanhoe

• Shakespeare, William, Julius Casear

• Steinbeck, John, The Grapes of Wrath

• Stevenson, Robert Lewis, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

• Thoreau, Henry David, Walden

• Verne, Jules, Journey to the Center of the Earth

• Virgil, The Aeneid

• Washington, Booker T., Up from Slavery

Happy summer reading!

STEM Made SIMPLE at Home

The house was a buzz; the hum of learning.

Thirty minutes later we had two experimental cable cars made from Polydron Revolution, complete with a make-shift pulley system on a spare piece of rope from the "junk" box. 

The wonder and excitement of trial and error, learning from mistakes and purposing to make it better. Patience and perseverance necessary. Collaboration and deferment to another's idea. 

Determination rewarded.

Confidence. 

I can create. I can learn. I can ask questions. 

Indeed, thirty minutes mattered, and made a difference. 

Owl Pellets and a Magiscope = SIMPLE Discovery Science

Owl Pellets from Carolina Biological Supply Company

Disposable gloves, a paper plate and tweezers.

Our Magiscope.

Opened windows to small wonders.

We invited another family to join us for discovery fun! Children standing around the kitchen table. Quiet mostly, with an ah-ha here and there. They were engaged, learning. 

An dissection lab we found online guided us through some thought-provoking steps. 

Did we have feather, fur or both? 

Our Magiscope helped us take a closer look. 

A few extra online resources helped us answer all our curiosities, and more! 

Older learners benefited from other resources. 

More to Playing Store

"Let's play store!"

There is much more to playing store than meets the eye. 

In fact, as a struggling learner, I believe playing store--adding customer orders and writing receipts--saved my declining math and spelling skills while building my learning confidence. As a mom, I have observed my children build the same skills behind their cashier stands and in their make-shift restaurants. 

Playing store is an essential developmental milestone, academically and socially. Playing store provides valuable educational entertainment. 

I remember, fondly, my pretend store years. Every day after school, I spent the afternoon at the neighbor's house until my mom arrived home from work. My friend and I would spend all afternoon in the basement, playing. The basement was alive with learning. In one corner stood three tall metal cabinets packed with craft supplies: old jars, paper, stickers, glitter, colored pasta, craft feathers, beads, and GLUE...lots of glue. Oh, and PAINT! Along end wall, all twenty to thirty feet of wall, was THE STORE! My friend's mom saved and cleaned EVERY box, plastic container and bottle she emptied from her kitchen--especially the ones loved most by children: Lucky Charms, Jell-O pudding, Tastykakes, soda. When the recyclables were cleaned, they were placed in THE STORE. There was a cereal section, a dessert section, a dairy section. Oh, and there was THE CASH REGISTER--an old adding machine with a roll of register tape a mile long. The store was a child's dream! We spent hours playing in the basement. 

When my oldest showed interest in "playing store" I began saving boxes and containers. I purchases garage sale price tags and we made an OPEN sign. The boxes lined the wall of my kitchen and provided hours of play...and much more!

Yes, the box shelf grew and grew, spilling over into the living room. Visitors were understanding, almost envious. They wanted to play, too! 

Today's the day. Save that box. Wash out the plastic container. There's learning in those recycles. And, there is so much more to playing store!

To cultivate the interest in playing store, gather

• coins- real will provide opportunity for responsibility
• paper money
• receipt book
• garage sale price tags
• We're Open sign- with analog clock with movable hands to practice time telling
• adding machine or cash register
• extra paper for menus and handcrafted paper pretend food
• clean recycles materials- drink holders, washed cups and plastics from food vendors and retailers
• aprons
• chef hat

Playing store creates opportunity to

• write numbers- numerals and decimals
• associate numerals with values
• apply number concepts
• add money values (decimals)- coins and bills
• practice math vocabulary
• use shapes and symbols
• practice language and communication skills
• read and spell high frequency vocabulary
• write with purpose- menus, orders and receipts
• repurpose recyclable materials
• collaborate with playmates regarding rules of play and responsibility

There is much more to playing store than meets the eye. Yes, there is the potential for recyclables to take over a corner of a kitchen or develop into a basement marketplace, maybe even make a mess of a living area. However, the rewards of the store playing season are indeed life-impacting. The mind will imagine. The feelings toward learning, brighten. Conversational skills will develop.

Celebrate the learning!

Indeed, when the cardboard boxes and plastics finally end up in the recycling bin, children will have been encouraged and empowered. And that is definitely worth a season of box and container collecting. 

30 Ways to Celebrate

We love to celebrate. Celebration is double the fun when shared with a friend or family member. 

Make a someone's day, today. Celebrate an accomplishment, a milestone. Celebrate TODAY!

Reading Comprehension Made SIMPLE

Reading comprehension is one of those skills which can cause gray hairs!

Many parents struggle to teach, reinforce and foster this skill. 

Just as many children struggle with the skill, too!

We are not alone. We are all in this together. 

Over my almost thirty years of working with children, my own and others, I've rejoiced in light bulb moments when a strategy works. And, I've helped parents find alternative solutions, often individualizing teaching methods.

What has worked?

Some families find one strategy works. Others need more than one option. Still others cycle in and out of several. The key is to use what works for YOUR family!

Find something the child enjoys. Every child (yes, every child!) has an interest. Something engaging. Something the child will not put down. Grasshoppers? Recipes? Catapults? Military strategy? There is always an interest though it may take a bit of effort to find it. When it's found? GLORY!

Read together. I know a mom who instituted an "everybody reads at 10:30 am" policy. In other words, at 10:30 each person found something they enjoyed, found a comfy place, and read. Starting with 15 minutes, she gradually increased the time. Why? Because the children asked for the time to be increased. You know the "Mom, I want to keep reading!" exhortation. To get to that moment she had to allow the kids' cookbook, the Boy's Life catalog and the recent subscription to Highlights to come to reading time. And, mom? She enjoyed her current read. Reading time quickly became a favorite time time of day. All reading, all together. 

Draw a picture. Creative children love to create. Why not try building reading comprehension with the innate desire to create. Suggestions to draw a picture of a character, the setting or an exciting event in the chapter is an open invitation to design and color something visually pleasing. Draw a picture might also mean choosing reading material which fosters creativity, perhaps a how-to book, for example, how-to sketch barns. The child logs his or her reading time by learning sketching techniques and then applies what was read (comprehension and application) to create a piece of art. 

Read aloud. I know this takes time (I'm a mom of full days, too) however, the time and effort of reading something engaging (perhaps slightly above the child's ability) can build vocabulary and knowledge of language structure. Even a short time each day can pay off great dividends. 

Some of our favorite family read alouds are:

• A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
• Helen Keller's Teacher by Margaret Davidson (as well as her other amazing titles)
• George Cohan: Boy Theater Genius by Gertrude Hecker Winders (and other Childhood of Famous American titles)

Take turns. Mix it up. You read a sentence, I read a sentence builds to I read a paragraph, you read a paragraph. Then one day, the learner takes of and reads the whole chapter, independently. This is an important strategy for emerging readers building fluency. We have found Step-up books and Discovery Biographies by Garrard Publishing  are perfect for this purpose. 

Give content. Often, today's book content is shallow, less engaging than the choices of days gone by. When we began purchasing vintage books, books penned in the 1950s and 1960s, our children read more often and more widely. Why? Real-life dilemmas and adventures--generally of lesser known people and events--intrigued my readers. There were problems to solve. History-changing events in which to be invited. For example, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Captain Ted W. Larson (Doolittle Raid pilot) from the Landmark book series pulled my readers into the plot almost immediately. We were with the fliers in training, incident and aftermath of the raid. Yes, there was mention of injuries, blood and bombing but courage, perseverance, real-life challenge (not fabricated and artificial) enveloped every page. 

NOTE: This book is one of the more graphic of the Landmark series and we chose wait until late middle school to introduce the content. Parents should read the content prior to making the decision to offer this book to their children. Not all Landmark books are as graphic. 

Practice and apply comprehension strategies. There are six components to comprehension: connection, visualization, question, inference, analysis and synthesis. All play an important role in the ability to comprehend written material and as such children must be given the opportunity to use, apply and master each component. 

What if my child just doesn't like to read?

Some don't. Although most will with something of interest. If there is a continuous aversion to reading, even with something of interest, consider whether a physical reason may be causing a learning challenge. For example, if the eyes don't converge on a page of written material, reading will be difficult and hence not enjoyable--because it's hard, if not impossible. Learning challenges are not always obvious and should be considered a possibility when children have an aversion to reading. 

Reading comprehension can be as SIMPLE as enjoying a read aloud and discussing what was heard. On the other hand, several methods might be needed. Whatever the situation, building reading comprehension doesn't have to bring fit-induced gray hairs and is worth the effort.

Making Multiplication Mastery SIMPLE

There are some questions I am asked frequently. This one is no different. Comes often.

"How do you get children to master multiplication facts?"

The question is usually followed by a great sigh of,  "I've tried everything." 

Multiplication is a common frustration for parents. Mike and I hear concerns at evaluation time. I read worries on Facebook. Parents inquire while visiting my booth at conventions. And, I find the question in my inbox.

And, we are walking the journey with you!

We have personally faced this problem, several times.

Others have, too. YOU are not alone!

Developmentally, children must understand the concept of multiplication before they will understand what the symbolic (the number and signs) equation means. After understanding the concept and hence what the symbolic equation represents, children can begin mastering the facts.  In other words, children must understand the language " ____ groups of ______" and the corresponding numerals before mastery will make sense (unless, of course, the goal is to simply master the facts).

Based on our experience and the experiences of those whom we have coached through the process, the answer to the question about mastering multiplication depends on the child. In other words, every child has a unique developmental time table and there is no one right answer as to how to master facts (there are however, many opinions). In addition, some who once mastered the facts forget over a year's time and need review.

Though we all hope for an easy answer, one that works for every child, over time. It's just not so. 

At least it hasn't been for us or the folks we know. 

Thankfully, however there are many options and ideas from which to choose when working with children to master facts.

Start with the concept. Go back and review it when needed whether several times in a lesson, several times a year or once every year. The learner must innately understand (even see a picture in the mind, for visual learners). Remember, the wording to internalize is "(a number) groups of (a number)".  For example, a dozen eggs can be 2 groups of 6 OR 6 groups of 2. 

Draw a picture. Drawing a picture is a great help, especially for visual learners, though it can be beneficial for other learners as well. 

Find it in life. Look for examples of multiplication in real life where math can be taken off the page and made relevant, meaningful. This is especially important for kinesthetic learners. Examples are a box of 16 crayons divided in 2 rows, 3 four-legged animals, 2 tricycles, etc. This strategy was helpful for all of our children.

Make a visual or model. Outlining arrays (rows and columns of squares) on a piece of graph paper, drawing a picture for a math problem in a lesson, counting objects to represent an equation, really anything a child can relate to and then save as a picture in the mind. 

Skip Counting. In our twenty-one years of home education experience (as well as experience with hundreds of homeschoolers through mentoring and annual evaluations), skip counting does not always equate to understanding the concept multiplication. The child must be able to have the memory and the processing abilities to convert and apply the information. Skip counting worked for one of our learners.

Turn Math into an Art Project. For our creative learner who likes to cut and paste, math is palatable when accompanied by color and flare. Last Thanksgiving we enjoyed making multiplication turkeys. Placing the 8 facts on colored feathers not only added festivity to our day but allowed quick access to troublesome, hard to remember facts. Picture Pie by Ed Emberley provides creative ideas to explore and understand fractions.

Read about Math. We have had great success finding math-related books in the non-fiction section of the library. In fact, I have shown my children where the math books are shelved to give them greater independence as they dig deeper into math concepts introduced at home or in their math program.

Triangle Flash Cards. For one of our learners loved this idea, probably because it presented as more of a game than flash cards. Regardless, we were pleased with the results. Sherri Seligson explains her version of DIY Triangle Flash Cards on her blog, Just Extraordinary. 

Whole Equation, Including the Answer. "Are you kidding me?" That was my reaction to this method. For some learners we know, writing the fact (the whole equation factors and product) on flash cards and then verbalizing the equation aloud was the only technique which yielded mastery.This approached worked for one of our learners. 

No matter which strategy or technique you choose, there is an easy, natural sequence which helps learners feel successful, almost immediately. Mastering the facts in this order is helpful in terms of ease and building confidence: 1s (and number times one remains the same), 2s, 3s, 5s (perfectly illustrated with nickels), 4s, 10s (pull out the dimes), 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s.  

For example, if using flashcards with answers (full equation), write all the 2s on 3x5 cards. Mix up the cards. Set a timer for two minutes. have the child go through the stack verbalizing the full equation on the card and moving the card to the back of the stack. Repeat through the deck until the timer rings. Repeat the activity once or twice a day for one week. To evaluate whether mastery is emerging, give an oral drill. If all the facts were mastered, move to the next fact grouping. 

Check-Off List. Using a check off list, learners can cross out mastered facts. A dry erase check off list has worked well in our home. Once we practice drilling the facts with verbal and visual cues (using cards mentioned above) twice or three times a day for several days, we do an oral drill. Sometimes we do this while driving to a field trip or while enjoying shade outside under a tree. If the leaner knows the answer to the fact I give, we exchange high fives (if I am not driving!) and I tell the child they can cross the fact off the list. If we drill in the car, we high five and mark off facts when we arrive home. Checking off facts is always a CELEBRATION! 

I must add, I was not a fan of flash cards UNTIL I had a child who could only learn multiplication with this strategy. Though I was hesitant, I wanted my child to learn as desired. And, at the child's request, I tried and was pleasantly surprised. We did, however have to review for several years.

You may be on the mountain (as it seems) to mastery. Take courage! You are not alone. 

We are walking the journey together.

Preschool to high school and every stage in between.

"Let Me Do It!" - Little Learners Become Independent

Little learners are industrious! They can accomplish much in a short time: unloading cabinets. emptying bags of flour for "snow", unwinding tape rolls. Their industry may not be what we define as true betterment. 

However, in those tough to see times, it is important to understand a little learner's definition of industry is key to developing independence.

Given a task, an important one, one they care about, they will accomplish much and feel incredibly empowered, eager for the next "job".

Mr. Red, the fish we inherited from great-grandma, needed a clean bowl. The water had become a science culture--I am sure, though I didn't test it. Poor Mr. Red!

Sick children needed care. Mr. Red had to wait.

I moved the fish bowl to the kitchen counter, near the sink, grabbed an extra large coffee cup from the cabinet, scooped Mr. Red into the cup, and within seconds our little learner "wanted to help".

"Let me do it, too!"

What toddler doesn't like to play in water?

Mr. Red was swimming happily in the coffee cup I placed out of reach. I dumped the yucky water in the sink, poured and rinsed the ornamental  rocks. Chair pushed to the sink, a smiling eager and confident helper turned on the tap and began cleaning rocks. One squirt of soap. Two squirts of soap. Fine motor muscles were getting a work out. Three squirts, four.  

Thirty minutes later, my assistant had cleaned every rock and placed them back in the bowl. She beamed with pride. She had contributed to the care for our beloved Mr. Red--her pet!

A first step of responsibility. A first step toward independence. 

My little learner knew she could be a productive, contributing member of the family, accomplishing tasks of importance. Her smile spanned ear to ear, dimples dotting each corner, for the next several hours. 

Little learners wants to contribute, to serve, to care. In doing so, each time they take another step toward independence, they catch another glimpse of a much bigger picture, one much bigger than oneself. 

What started as "let me do it!" ended with

"I like being a part of a family!"

You may have little learners, or not so littles, eager to contribute, eager to work alongside. 

How can your child contribute?

How can he or she make a difference and catch a glimpse of a greater community?

Imagine the possibilities!

• help organize the pantry, cylinder cans on one shelf, rectangular boxes on another. 
• water the plants, inside or out, with a pump spray bottle (great for fine motor skills)
• fold washcloths in half and half again
• match socks
• sort laundry
• organize the plastic container cabinet
• feed pets (with supervision)
• sort coins- pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters
• roll coins (get paper rolls at the bank)
• collect the newspaper from the end of the driveway
• carry a neighbor's garbage cans to their designated area
• fill ice cube trays with fresh water
• make sandwiches (spreading is a great skill)
• peel carrots or wash potatoes (with supervision)
• empty bathroom trash cans into the larger garbage can
• carry hangers to the laundry room
• make cookies (with supervision)
• help put seeds in seed beds
• refill bird feeders
• help wash the car (and clean out the inside)
• put library books in the bag to go to the library

Embrace the industrious little learner at your feet! His or her inquisitive energy can be productive, taking one step closer to responsibility and independence. 

Cultivate, then celebrate, the milestone--together! 

Want to learn more about little learners? Join me at my Teaching Preschoolers and Little Learners workshop at FPEA 2016!

Delighted to Be a Speaker at FPEA 2016

I am thrilled to be back at FPEA again this year. New workshops. New insight. New stories and practical helps to equip and encourage at every stage of the home education journey, preschool through high school.

Come see me at my workshops! I'm walking the journey with YOU!

Friday 10:30am

7. Celebrate Simple! Intentional Home Education

The simple teaches the profound. Cheryl shares stories and offers insight from her 21 years of homeschooling eight children — the everyday teachable moments, the simple yet ingenious ideas, the interest-driven learning — the things her graduated and grown young adults say mattered most. Learning together, building family relationships, is priceless. It's simple and worthy of celebration!

Friday 3:55pm

68. Happy (High School Paper) Trails to You!

High school is not a one-size-fits-all experience. It is a time to refine the skills needed to polish a student's God-given gifts and talents. But what does that look like on paper? How do you tailor courses which will prepare your child for what God has planned for their future? Cheryl walks parents through answers to these questions.

Saturday 1:45pm

129. Celebrate Middle School: Fostering Ingenuity

Middle schoolers will surprise you! When they do, be ready to foster ingenuity, seize opportunities and think outside the box. The middle school years, ripe with potential to impact entrepreneurial ventures, employment or college/career paths, can also be conflicting for parents and children. In this workshop, Cheryl offers practical tips from experiences as a homeschool mom and a wife of a 27-year middle school educator.

Saturday 3:55pm

153. Teaching Precious Preschoolers and Little Learners

Young children have an insatiable curiosity to learn and a natural desire to work alongside people they love most. How do we utilize these innate qualities to maximize their learning potential at home? Drawing from 28 years of experience of teaching early learners, Cheryl challenges attendees to look beyond societal and educational pressures to the emotional and developmental needs of young children. 

Read Aloud to Foster Counting Skills

Counting books cycle in our home; about every four years over the past two plus decades as little learners grow and start their quest to conquer the concepts and skills involved in counting. 

Noticing some of our favorites are disappearing from the library shelves, intentionality finds me adding to our home library so we don't lose our loves. 

How Many Snails? Rich, bold vibrant colors invite little learners to jump in and count! Though counting is the main skill reinforced, attributes, following directions, and processing fair well, too. One of our favorites! Author: Paul Giganti, Jr. 

M&M Counting Book. The familiar candies on the front draw readers to the content. Once opened, this book teaches counting through 12, counting sets, and beginning addition and subtraction. Author: Barbara Barbieri McGrath

Counting is for the Birds. The rhyming text makes this brilliantly illustrated counting-to-twenty book an all-time favorite of ours. Author: Frank Mazzola, Jr.

Cardinal Numbers: An Ohio Counting Book. Counting 1-14 with beautiful illustrations and real-world word problems on the last pages, this book is one of many in the Sleeping Bear Press series. A favorite for older children, too, as side bars on each page offer additional opportunities for curious learners. Author: Marcia Schonberg

Great Estimations. An intriguing look at estimating as an advanced counting technique. Great photography, fun examples, and helpful hints for counting objects in large numbers. Great for older learners, too! Author: Bruce Goldstone.

The Coin Counting Book. Counting takes another journey into the world of coin recognition and value. Great for beginner coin counters who have a piggy bank of coins waiting to be counted.  Another of our favorites due to the interest most kids have in money. Author: Rozanne Lanczank Williams.

Eating Pairs: Counting Fruits and Vegetables by Two. Reading and learning odds and evens go hand-in-hand with this unique counting book. We love that the numbers are written down the side bar of each page, begging for us to count along...again! Author: Sarah L. Schuette.

10 Little Rubber Ducks. Fictionalized counting story of a real-life event presented alongside the classic Eric Carle collage art. Bright illustrations and a intriguing story line. Great addition to the home library, for sure! Author: Eric Carle.

Large Print for the WIN!

"Mom, look what I found!"

In front of my face--so close I had to back up for my eyes to refocus--a familiar cover. Laura smiled contently at her beloved rag doll. I instantly knew the exhilaration of my young reader. I felt the same way forty years ago!

"Mom, I was looking for another Little House book and found this!"

A 8 1/2 x 11 hardcover large print version of a book loved for generations. 

Large print books serve well. Though often considered solely for readers who are visually impaired, large print books hold great promise for building reading interest and fluency.

Consider large print books for

• Early Emergent Readers. When reading aloud to early emergent readers--knows some letters, understands writing has meaning and therefore uses scribbles to create a "message", recognizes high frequency words in the environment--large print books provide big inviting font and extra line space for running a finger under words while reading (another important skill for emergent readers). Early emergent readers often find larger illustrations more appealing, too.
• Emergent Readers. Using an engaging large  print chapter book as a read aloud offers more print per page and  introduces complex sentence structures to budding readers, building auditory skills (when heard during read aloud) and creating templates for growing language development. The large print warmly invited my reader to a familiar prairie setting with characters she had come to love.  Another WIN!  
• Early Fluent Readers. Readers at this stage rely less on colorful illustrations (yet the still welcome a few), appreciate descriptive, new vocabulary and delight in varied sentence structure. These readers often look for books with more text on a page, hence the larger print provides the illusion of more words without compromising eyes to fine print. Large print chapter books, especially classics like the Little House series, offer all this and more. 
• Fluent Readers. When a younger child becomes a fluent reader desiring richer vocabulary, complex action-packed plots, and greater character development,  he or she is often faced with chapter books in fine font and void of illustration. Not so with large print editions. Large print editions offer all the story elements young fluent readers crave in a font which is easier on young eyes.

My young budding fluent reader appreciates the large font and over-sized illustrations of this large print edition of Little House in the Big Woods. All 8 1/2 x 11 --2 1/2 inches thick--has become a fast, clutched-to-the-chest friend, a welcomed companion for one building independent fluency. Since being discovered on the library shelf, the book has rode in the car for errands, traveled to Grandma's house, and helped pass time at an appointment. And perhaps the most precious gift this new friend has given is the nightly you-read-to-me-I-read-to-you moments on the couch: a team effort of enjoyment.

Large print for the reading WIN! 

A New Year to Create, Cultivate and Celebrate

How will you be intentional to create, cultivate and celebrate in your home?

Perhaps...

• Organize an art corner where ingenious minds can create.
• Refresh art supplies. Introduce a new medium.
• Bind last year's art masterpieces creating a portfolio to celebrate progress and change. 

• Offer new tools to cultivate life learning --protractors, microscopes, compasses, templates, 3-hole punches, staplers, balance scales
• Use New Year savings offered by digital scrapbook companies to create a family memory book where accomplishments and memorable favorites can be celebrated...TOGETHER!
• Provide blank books to budding authors and illustrators. Cultivate the need to create! 
• Say "yes" to requests for household trinkets and treasures. They may just be the next patent in the making. 

• Purchase a personal bookcase to fit bedside the contagious reader. 
• Read to the emergent reader eager to build fluency. Celebrate the sentence read and the chapter completed!
• Post a black-out list where newly mastered multiplication facts can be crossed off.
• Champion ideas and celebrate milestones. 

"Let's Get the Microscope!"

"Mom, look what I found!"

"Let's get the microscope!"

"Let's see what else we can find!"

"These are so cool!"

"Let's put these in baggies to save with the rest of our specimens."

(Interject mom: "Let the rolly polly go outside!")

High school student enters the conversation.

"Hey, I just studied feathers in biology! I wonder if you can see the hooks?"

Littles, curious, wonder. 

"Let's see!"

"Wow!"

"Get the camera! I bet we can take a picture of this!"

And so goes the morning of learning. 

Three littles, one microscope + a high schooler + a camera = wonder, curiosity and learning.

Clay Day

At a local craft store, my girls cashed in on a 40% off coupon, wrapped their arms around seven pounds of clay and hurried home to the kitchen table. Clay creations came alive. Our table was covered in gray dust. We used several resources to learn more. One, Fun with Modeling Clay, was penned by one of our favorite children's author illustrators, Barbara Reid. Barbara wrote Two by Two which she illustrated with clay figures. Creative and intriguing to my children. 

Later, our oldest daughter made some cooked play dough, a huge hit with the little learners in our home. She used the crumbled water-stained recipe card* I used when I taught preschool. Gathering ingredients, she measured each and combined in a medium cooking pot, cooking on medium heat until the dough formed a ball. 

.

Playdough

1 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

1 c. water

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp. cream of tartar

*The old recipe was hand-written on a piece of scrap paper and given to me by a mentor teacher. No idea where the teacher found it.

Digging Deeper

On our clay day we spent several hours working with clay, experimenting with techniques, watching online tutorials, reading author websites, measuring ingredients for the homemade clay, following directions, calculating cost of clay per pound based on what we paid, and working alongside siblings collaborating while sharing and taking turns with tools. Much was accomplished with just seven pounds of clay!

As a family, we enjoy learning about the lives and hobbies of the authors we read. We always read the About the Author and connect with any links they provide. If we desire to dig deeper, we search for the author website online. These learning trails often offer opportunities to learn geography, history, and science. 

Who's the Author? A Compilation of Children's Author and Illustrator Websites

Pulling one last copy of my now out-of-print Check These Out, I reminisced about the contents, feeling sad the content is no longer available.

The unit study needs a face lift. Check These Out will get the revision in due time. 

Until then, I will be compiling  author and illustrator websites for the authors studied in Check These Out, here.

I know many of my readers access these sites as they introduce their children to the people behind the picture and chapter books so well-loved. Every story written carries the fingerprints of the author. Hence, our family enjoys learning about the people and experiences which influence our  favorite literary treasures. 

For example, did you know E. B. White, author of the beloved Charlotte's Web, lived on a farm? He did!  And, Robert McCloskey, author of Lentil, played the harmonica. Interestingly, the main character, Lentil, played the harmonica. 

Robert McCloskey

Virginia Lee Burton

Patricia Polacco

Jean Craighead George

Beatrix Potter

Cathryn Falwell

Denise Fleming

Lois Ehlert

Eric Carle

Jim Arnosky

Dr, Seuss

Jerry Pinkney

Author autobiographies and biographies are two additional means of learning about an author. Watch this book trailer for In the Words of E. B. White.

Benjamin West Mini Study

Celebrate the simple in learning from an intriguing read.

It's been a few years and a few children ago that we read Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry (yes, the author who wrote the beloved Misty of Chincoteague, another classic worthy of the read). The book introduced us to the Father of American Painting, an artist of whom we were unfamiliar.

Recently, the youngers were introduced to Benjamin and the olders were reacquainted while reading Benjamin West: Gifted Young Painter by Dorothea J. Snow, a biography from the Childhood of Famous Americans series. We were all intrigued, just as we were years ago at our first introduction.

Little known facts we learned:

• Benjamin wrestled with how his God-given talent could possibly be woven with his Quaker faith, giving his family and his church a new perspective to consider.
• Benjamin was creative and industrious, making the best of what he had, from colored clay (insert science study here) to using his cat's fur to make paintbrushes (there is a character lesson of truth telling here but I won't spoil the story).
• Benjamin was a court painter for King George III.
• Benjamin taught famous painters Gilbert Stuart (think famous portrait painter of George Washington) and John Trumbull (think Declaration of Independence)

Interesting new vocabulary we learned from our reading journey through Benjamin West: Gifted Young Painter .

• Satchel
• Provost
• Ramshackle
• Aghast
• Daub
• Folly
• Hautboy
• Chortled
• Nape
• Comely

We finished the COFA biography today. As I read the last word of the book, a little perked up, interested:

"We have to find out more!"

Yes, we can. And so can you!

Look up these painters in your favorite set of encyclopedia (yes, they still exist), explore Google images, and watch a few You Tube videos.

We:

• Analyzed several paintings from each of the artists, beginning with Benjamin West's mentioned in the COFA biography: William Penn's Treaty with the Indians and The Death of  General Wolfe. A discussion ensued regarding how artists depict history in their work and whether or not the history is accurate.
• Learned of the friendship between Benjamin West and Benjamin Franklin and then studied the the significance of Benjamin Franklin Drawing Lighting from the Sky. A great lesson in history and art appreciation.                  

A good story sparks an interest.

"Mommy, Benjamin influenced many artists. May we find out more about those artists?"

• Charles Willson Peale
• Gilbert Stuart
• John Trumbull
• Thomas Sully
• Samuel F. B. Morse

A spark ignites an interest, lights a new fire.

More to do:

• Differentiate between portrait and self-portrait. Paint or draw your self-portrait.
• Create a time line of the American history occurring at the time Benjamin West and the other painters were painting. What events were taking place? Did the painters have anything in common?
• Talk about other events in American history happening about the same time.
• If you had the opportunity to meet Benjamin West, Gilbert Stuart or John Turnbull, what questions would you ask them about their work or the time in which they lived?
• Learn about the Quaker faith and how it is similar or different from the faith of your family.
• Read Barbara Brenner's The Boy Who Loved to Draw, biography of Benjamin West. If reading more than one book about Benjamin West, discuss how the books are similar or different. Compare facts in each work.

A spark ignites an interest,lights a new fire.

That's the ever giving blessing of cultivating a love of learning.

"It's All Yours!" : A Money Counting Life Lesson

"Mom, Josh gave us all the money he found in his car. And, he said we could have it if we could count it!"

There's power in words. 

Twenty-six years ago, a four-year-old, math-savvy preschooler cleaned great-grandpa's pockets. 

"Josh, if you can count it, you can have it!" Great-grandpa quipped. Little did he know his pockets would be empty when he left the family Christmas Eve gathering.

Josh counted every coin and left $6.72 richer.

Even more important, a relationship spanned and deeped across three generations. Josh made a connection. The words—the challenge—fueled the learning.

Would he really give all he had? 

A challenge and some change made an impact. And, it repeated itself.

"Mom, Josh gave us all the money he found in his car. And, he said we could have it if we could count it!"

I inquired.

"What?"

"Josh gave us all the money he found in his car and we are counting it. If we count it, we can keep it."

I heard correctly and immediately remembered the similar day, Christmas Eve long ago.

Dimes, in piles of ten, for 100. Pennies in piles of ten for ten. Methodically organized for a simple LAST count. 

$34.15

"Mom, is he serious?"

"There's $34.15 here!"

"Did he know how much was here?"

I bet he did.

Josh wasn't worried.

He gave, but he also inspired. His heart for the relationship—his memory of what had been given him—extended to give another GIFT!

I was thankful for the counting practice, but honestly, what made my heart swell was what the girls experienced.

Someone freely gave to them, not worried about the amount. Just gave. 

"It's all yours!"  meant much more than a pile of change. 

Will they pose the same challenge one day?

I bet they will! 

Multiplication Turkeys

Multiplication can be tough. In fact, I get frequent inquiries requesting fresh methods and fun ways  to teach, learn and memorize the facts often associated with, "I had such trouble with these when I was in school." 

This week one of my little learners was laboring over the "harder facts". As we worked together it became evident she needed work on most of her 7s. 

She had an idea! Having seen a counting turkey online, she felt it could be modified "to be more colorful, more helpful."

Love their creative, problem solving minds. 

"Let's take a paper plate and fold it in half. Then, you know all that colored paper out on the art shelf? I will cut colored feathers out of paper. Then, on each feather could you write the facts for 7s? I will put a craft stick on the bottom so I can hold it like a puppet. Then, I can hold it up and read the facts over and over. I will learn them that way!"

Going on her lead, I gave her the high five and she was off to create, and master!

And she did!

Every day she held up the Times Table Turkey (sometimes a catchy name is all little learners need to be encouraged!), set the timer for two minutes and said the 7s aloud. There was visual and auditory reinforcement to her learning.  

Have younger learners excited and eager to have a learning turkey, too?

We did! Littlest learner colored her turkey plate and made a face on the head. She wanted numbers 1-10. Another learner decided to count by 500s! In the end, three learners, three turkeys! Learning together, and excited!

The Times Table Turkey had multiplied from just learning facts to solving problems, sharing ideas and sibling relationship building.

Mastered? Yes, and much more!