5 Days of Eclectic Homeschool Day 2

In our eclectic homeschool, one of the ways I encourage my childrens' interests, yet have them enthusiastically working is through lapbooking.  Many of you may already be familiar with lapbooks, but perhaps have been hesitant to introduce them into your homeschool or classroom.  Even back when I was the director of a Montessori school, I did a workshop introducing the teachers to lapbooking and they were able to successfully implement them with their students, even as young as 4 years old!

Lapbooking is a means of hands-on learning.  We all know the benefits of hands-on learning.  Students learn and retain the most information when they actually are engaged physically with the learning and "do" something, rather than just passively sitting and hearing or reading about it.

The lapbook itself is assembled with file folders and there is always a section to lift or fold. (kids just love manipulating them!) The topics can be as varied and diverse as the students making them. Different templates are utilized (booklets, wheels, cards, etc.) to include important information about the topic the student is learning about.  Lapbooking is active learning.  The student is cutting, pasting, researching, DOING.  They love it and the results are always impressive.

Age is never a factor.  In fact, when Kiddo #3 was in kindergarten, he made one on addition facts.  His favorite by far is the one he made on elephants.  Kiddo #2 has made one on 'Creatures of the Deep' and American Football  and Kiddo #1's favorite just happens to be the one on Aviation.  Some of Kiddo #4's lapbooks have included pigs, a Little House on the Prairie book synopsis and most recently, one on butterflies.  As you can see, they are available in every level of difficulty, from the most simple to the most advanced.

There are companies that produce lapbooking kits and have everything right there for you-- the information, the book suggestions and all of the templates and cut-outs to include in the lapbook.  Such include Hands of a Child, A Journey through Learning,  Lapbooks for Catholics and CurrClick.  They sell these materials for a fee and you can find the lapbooks available for grades preschool through 12th grade.

Some of the ones from these companies that we have used include:

There are also free lapbooks available online in literally dozens of topics and grade levels.  Such websites include Free Lapbooks at Homeschool Share, which has over 500 free lapbooks on every topic you can possibly imagine,  Homeschool Helper Online and Lapbook Lessons.

For Day 1, 'What is an Eclectic Homeschool' click here.

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- August 6

Welcome to another week of recipe sharing!  I look forward each week to seeing what delicious ideas everyone has to linkup.

On Monday afternoon, the ripe bananas were calling my name, so I decided to make some banana bread.  Of course, the kids voted for the chocolate chip variety.  :-)  I use whole wheat flour in addition to the regular flour to add some color and nutritional value.

Lisa's Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1/2 cup sugar

4 ounces butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose)

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Cream butter and sugars.  Add bananas and mix well.  Add egg and vanilla.  When thoroughly blended, add dry ingredients.

For one large loaf-

Bake covered for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 30-40 more minutes until a toothpick comes out clean

For muffins-

Bake 20-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

For mini loaves-

Bake 20 minutes covered plus 20-25 minutes uncovered until a toothpick comes out clean

Enjoy!  They literally get gobbled up in minutes here!  :-)

Today's features:

Chicken Roll-Ups @ Takes of a Pee Dee Mama

Fresh Cherry Muffins @ Super Mommy to the Rescue

Trail Cookies @ Homemaker's Heart

Vanilla Peach Butter @ Pary Moppins

Skinny Peanut Butter Cups @ The Sunny Patch

Linking up with the Gathering Spot, Kids in the Kitchen, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Mighty Arrows,Addicted to Recipes, Homemaking Wednesdays, Living Well Wednesday,NOBH, Judy H-J's Thoughts, Wisdom Wednesday , Favorite Things, Modest Mom, Full Plate Thursday and Melt in your Mouth Monday and Show Off Friday and Tuesday's Table and Look What We Did and Titus 2sday,  Mom's Monday Mingle, Monday Mingle, Crafty Spices, Better Mom,Create with Joy, Thursday's Treasures, Tasty Thursdays and Wonderful Food Wednesday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks and Tuesday How to Party and the Tried and True Recipe Party and Kids and Mom in the Kitchen and Family Fun Friday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop andAll My Bloggy Friends and Hearts for Home Blog Hop and Foodie Friends Friday and Family Fun Friday and TGIF Linky Party and Food on Friday and Hip Homeschool Moms, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

TOS Review- Brainfood Learning

Today, I am reviewing the DVD "The Fascinating World of Mammals" by BrainFood Learning.

I will preface any remarks with the fact that we are animal lovers in this household and jumped at the chance to review this program.  My husband is lovingly nicknamed "Postman Doolittle," as he literally has neighborhood cats and dogs follow him for love and treats.  We are one of those families that takes in caterpillars so they can safely make their chrysalis.  We spoil our cats rotten.  My middle son wants to be a veterinarian.  This review was offered with us in mind, lol!  :-)

This DVD was a delightful and educational introduction to mammals.  It was engaging and informative and fun to watch.  All of my children watched it, even the older ones and it kept their attention.  I learned SO much watching it along with them.  I had no idea that a giraffe was a ruminant and that you can tell the sex of the animal by looking at its horns!  How about the fact that elephants shake their trunks the way we shake hands and that dolphins have their ears inside their heads.  I didn't know that, either.  :-)

I love that the company was started by a couple who had difficulty finding entertaining and educational videos for their children, so they decided to make them themselves. 

The DVD menu has several options: play all, individual mammals and review.  If 'play all' is selected, there is a general introduction and then descriptions and facts about mammals.  After this portion, the viewer is treated to amazing facts about individual mammals, including giraffes, elephants, dolphins, bats, lions and chimpanzees.  If you choose an individual mammal from the menu, it will bypss the introductory information.  Each animal's segment is comprised of both video and still image photography that are both absolutely beautiful.

There are also lesson plans available under the curriculum tab on the website that include teaching ideas and worksheets that correspond to the video.  :-) 

There are vocabulary and scientific words introduced after each animal, and multi-level "quizzing" at the end of the program.  The flashcards would be appropriate for a younger child.  Kiddo #3 enjoyed the vocabulary quiz and was so very proud that he knew all 11 terms!  :-)

The recommended age for the video is 3-11, but the older children and I enjoyed it just as much!  I would truly say it is for all ages.  It is available for $14.99.  There are also videos available on birds and insects, which some of my colleagues have reviewed.  By clicking on the icon below, you can read reviews on all 3 products.  

Since two of my children completed their Apologia Zoology 3 this year, the video was especially applicable as a enriching review of what they had learned.  They are already asking me to purchase the one on birds, as we are set to begin the Zoology 1 book soon!

Click below for a preview!  :-)

5 Days of Eclectic Homeschool Day 1

What is an eclectic homeschool?  Well, I guess that depends on who you ask.  I can certainly tell you what it isn't.  Eclectic homeschool is NOT school in a box.  It is NOT a one-size fits all curriculum.  I sincerely believe that approach doesn't work in a school building, so it wouldn't be something I would want to do with my children at home.

Every child is a distinct and unique individual.  With that uniqueness and individuality comes strengths and weaknesses unlike ANY other child.  If we, from the day of our child's birth, tell them that they are "special," and in Mr. Rogers' words, "there is no one quite like you," how can we expect every one of them to use the same exact materials, be on the same academic or interest level of every other child?  It is artificial, contrived and has failed.  Just look at the statistics.  Even with all of the money that has been poured into the educational system, it continues to decline each year.

So, in our eclectic homeschool, I cater to each child's individual strengths and interests.  Kiddo #1, for example, lives and breathes aviation.  This kid could make a working and flying airplane out of a cardboard box. (yes, he has indeed done that, just look at the photos below!)  So, when it comes time for writing (which this hands-on kid does not like, let me tell you!), I encourage him to write about aviation.  He is not thrilled about writing as it is, why would I want to force him to write about a subject that he has absolutely no interest in whatsoever?  Where is the learning in that situation?  He would do it because he is a good, obedient kid, but there would be NO real learning involved.  That is where I think schools and education have failed our children the most.  Their creativity needs to be fostered, their imaginations sparked.  Real, true learning will take place when a child WANTS to delve into something deeper.  So, with that thought in mind, I let him choose a topic in aviation that he wants to learn more about.  He will enthusiastically do the research and since it is relevant to him, he will remember and want to learn more and more about it.  And, I the research paper gets written.  So, he is learning the basics of self-expression while absorbing so much more about a subject he loves and one that will probably be his life-long interest, career and passion. Wow, what a concept!  ;-)

In this 5-day series, that many other bloggers are participating in, as well, on topics of THEIR choice (hooray!), I will look into and give some examples of what we do in our homeschool that encourage my children's interests and abilities and help them become better students, citizens and Christians.  It may be time consuming, but nothing of worth is ever easy!

Day 2- Lapbooking
Day 3- Field Trips
Day 4- Physical Activity
Day 5- Giving Service

Back to Homeschool Giveaway- Kindle Fire HD and more!

*This post may contain affiliate links.

I'm joining with 10 other bloggers and 3 homeschool companies to give you the opportunity to win some terrific prizes to celebrate the start of the new homeschool year.

The GRAND PRIZE is a Kindle Fire 7" HD Tablet! 

And because we couldn't possibly have a Back to Homeschool giveaway without some homeschool curriculum and encouragement, a second reader will win this awesome prize package, a $284 value! 

MapTrek: World + U.S.A. Hardcover Atlas + Outline Maps on CD-ROM ($55)

Philosophy Adventure -- Pre-Socratics Complete Collection with Resource CD ($89.95)

One-Year Membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com ($139)

Schoolhouse Library ($25)

31 Days of Encouragement for the Homeschool Mom 

Please stop by to visit the contributors to this giveaway: 

Adventures with Jude

Ben and Me

Bow of Bronze

Crystal Starr

Grace Tells Another Story

His Mercy Is New

Home School Adventure Co.

Home to 4 Kiddos

Knowledge Quest Maps

Lextin Academy

My Joy-Filled Life

Raising Sticky Hands to Heaven

Royal Little Lambs

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Now it's time to enter! Use the Rafflecopter below. All entries will be verified. Contest is open to U.S. Residents, age 18 and older. Other Terms and Conditions noted in the Rafflecopter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!  Wish I could enter!  :-)  Be sure to watch the blog next week for the HUGE blog hop hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  For 5 days, 90 bloggers will be sharing on every topic imaginable to educate and encourage you.  I'll be sharing 5 Days of Eclectic Homeschool.  Hope you'll stop by.  If you subscribe to the blog, every day's segment will be delivered right to your email box!

Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up August 2

It's August!  :-)

Last Sunday, hubby, the older boys and I got to go to the Philadelphia Eagles first open Training Camp at Lincoln Financial Field.  It was a great experience and the boys just loved it.  I shared more photos and wrote about it here.

On Monday, Kiddo #4 started her last week at the camp at her former preschool.  This week's theme was "Music."  They listened to music samples from a different decade each day, made crafts and enjoyed some tasty snacks (like a banana split on 1950s day!)  They even made pet rocks when they listened to music from the 80s (guess I somehow missed that fad, lol!)  They all wore the tie-dye shirts they made on the last day of camp.  It was a fun few weeks.

The boys found ways to continue to be helpful

and entertaining (Kiddo #3 made his own "Jungle Book" movie.  He recorded the entire audio of the film and made his own power point animations, including both clips from the movie and homemade ones (with stuffed animals and other figures from home).  It was so creative and so well done!  His sister even made a custom invitation for the special event.  :-)

This week's "Try a New Recipe Tuesday" is still open and there are some pretty awesome recipes that have been shared.  You can see them all and my Chocolate Chip Muffins here.  They are a BIG hit in my house and don't last very long.  They are made with whole wheat flour, so they are definitely a low-guilt type of snack.  :-)

On Friday, my dad and I took the kids over to his church's huge property again.  It is so peaceful and quiet and spacious!  The kiddos rode their bikes, ran across the entire football field and had a frisbee toss.  They are going to sleep well after that workout!  :-)

Tomorrow is our 17th wedding anniversary.  Wow.  17 years.  

After hubby is done work, we are hoping to go out to dinner and a movie together.  :-)  Hopefully I'll have some photos to share next week.

Speaking of next week, starting on Monday, I am participating with 90 other bloggers in the "5 days of" series.  There will be 450 posts on so many wonderful and diverse topics.  I hope you will enjoy not only reading mine, but many of the others, as well.  My topic is "5 Days of Eclectic Homeschool."

Have a wonderful weekend!  God bless!  :-)

Linking up today with:  Homeschool Mother's Journal, Weekly Wrap-Up, NOBH, Show-Off Friday, Learn and Link and It's a Wrap, Friendship Friday and Friday Connection and Family Fun Friday and T.G.I.F. Linky Party