Getting Started with Elementary Homeschool Education

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Getting started with elementary homeschool educationWelcome to Life Skills 101 with Lisa Nehring, where we will shed light on important issues affecting parents and their children. In today’s episode, we’re going to chat about launching your homeschool in the elementary year. Learn about getting started with elementary homeschool education. Let’s listen in…

Thank you to our sponsor, True North Homeschool Academy.

Getting Started with Elementary (Homeschool) Education

Podcast Show Notes

Podcast Name: LifeSkills101

Episode Title: Getting Started with Elementary Education in Your Homeschool

Podcast Network: Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network

Host: Lisa Nehring

Episode Summary:

In this episode of LifeSkills101 on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network, [Host Name] dives into the exciting world of homeschooling with a focus on elementary education. Whether you’re a seasoned homeschooling parent looking to refresh your approach or a newcomer to homeschooling, this episode is packed with valuable tips and insights to get you started on the right foot.

Episode Highlights:

 

Understanding the Foundations of Homeschooling Elementary Education

Lia Nehring begins the episode by providing an overview of the essential components of elementary education in a homeschool setting. Listeners will gain insights into the importance of early learning, building a curriculum, and setting achievable goals for their child’s development.

Choosing the Right Curriculum

Selecting a curriculum tailored to your child’s needs and interests can be a daunting task. Lisa offers guidance on choosing a curriculum that aligns with your homeschooling philosophy, teaching style, and your child’s individual learning preferences.

Creating a Homeschooling Schedule and Routine

Establishing a well-structured schedule and routine is crucial for an effective homeschooling experience. Lisa shares practical tips on designing a flexible yet consistent daily routine that balances academic studies with other life skills and activities.

Addressing Socialization and Extracurricular Activities

The social aspect of homeschooling is often a concern for parents. Lisa explores strategies to ensure adequate socialization opportunities for homeschooled children and the importance of extracurricular activities in their overall development.

Integrating Life Skills into Elementary Education

Beyond academics, homeschooling provides an excellent platform to instill valuable life skills. Lisa discusses the integration of life skills into daily lessons, empowering children to become self-sufficient, responsible, and adaptable individuals.

Overcoming Challenges and Celebrating Successes

Homeschooling can present its share of challenges. Lisa addresses common hurdles that parents may face during their homeschooling journey and offers encouragement to celebrate both big and small successes along the way.

It’s a Wrap | Elementary Education in Your Homeschool

Whether you’re considering homeschooling your elementary-aged child or are already a homeschooling pro, this episode of LifeSkills101 on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network is filled with practical advice, inspiration, and reassurance. Remember that homeschooling is a unique opportunity to provide a tailored education, fostering a love for learning and life skills that will benefit your child for years to come.

*Disclaimer:* The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. Listeners are encouraged to research and seek professional advice to make informed decisions about homeschooling based on their specific circumstances and location.

*Note:* Lisa Nehring may mention additional resources and links during the episode. Check the show notes on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network website for any related links and further reading recommendations. Happy homeschooling!

 


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We love coming alongside fellow homeschoolers to offer encouragement and support! Let us know how we can support YOU!

 

Back to School Replay – Homeschool Children Across The Ages

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Bigs, Littles, and Middles - us how we homeschool children across the ages

Jamie, Arlene, and I had so much fun recording our podcast for last week, we decided to keep the party going and record a second one. At every conference people ask us how we homeschool children across the ages. We figured it might be something the podcast world would want us to talk about as well, so we did.

Every homeschooling family is unique. Some people homeschool year round, some 3 days a week, some 8-12 everyday. It is hard to tell others exactly HOW to homeschool, but we all agreed on the following for those homeschooling different ages at the same time.

 

  1. Find the rhythm for YOUR family, don’t compare.
  2. Make sure your youngest gets some quality time by creating an engaging environment for them.
  3. Partner children up to work together. For example, while you are working with the middle child, have the oldest and youngest work together. While you work with the oldest, have the middle and youngest work together, etc…
  4. Don’t be afraid to seek the help of tutors, enroll some children in a hybrid, or partner up with other homeschooling families to meet the needs of your children.
  5. Take advantage of early mornings and naptime. Be willing to change your schedule and remember this is just a season. Flexibility is KEY.

 

You’ve got this!

Find a way to #sayyes today.


Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!

Developing Language Skills in your Young Learner

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

LCP Ep 13: Developing Language Skills in your Young Learner

 

Developing Language Skills in your Young Learner podcast #homeschool #homeschooling #languageskills #languagearts #reading #writing #preschool #elementary #literarycafepodcast #drseuss #rhyming #rhythm #repetitionThe time to start reading and developing language skills in your young learner is now.

Reading at least 15 minutes per day from the time your child is an infant and even through high school will not only promote a bond with your child and an enjoyment in reading, but help develop vocabulary, reading, and writing skills.

Visit Katie’s website for more fun ideas and tips to use in your homeschool at Katie’s Homeschool Cottage  or her Facebook Group.

Join Katie Glennon as she shares step by step how to easily develop language skills in your young learner with practical tips, resources, and book and activity ideas that help you get started right away.

Show Notes

Developing Language Skills in your Young Learner

If you suspect your child is experiencing language or processing issues, you may want to check out Dianne Craft’s articles and materials at diannecraft.org. I used quite a few of her materials, articles, and her Brain Integration Therapy guide.

Book Title Suggestions for Rhyme, Rhythm and Repetition

Start with simple Dr. Seuss Books – Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss’s ABC’s, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Then longer Dr. Seuss Books – Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham

Sheep in a Jeep

Sheep Go to Sleep

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?

Assorted Poetry Books – The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, The 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury

Reading Activity Suggestions

Start with nursery rhymes and finger and hand motions while you recite them together.

As you read together, point to each word as you read it aloud.

Point to the pictures on the page and comment and ask questions about them. (Depending on the age of your child, you can ask them a question about what a picture is or a color in the picture.) As they get older or more familiar with the book, you can ask more complex questions. (Visit Using Higher Order Thinking Skills in your Reading to gain ideas in asking questions and developing thinking skills.)

Repeat reading the same books (as long as your child shows interest in it) for at least 15 minutes per day.

Use your child’s finger to point at the words as you say them and allow them to turn the page if they want.

Take turns reading sentences or pages so that your child doesn’t feel overwhelmed by reading too much at one time. (For practical and fun ways to engage reluctant readers, visit Ultimate List of Fun Ways to Engage your Reluctant Reader.)

Put magnetic letters on the refrigerator for play opportunities.

Have a letter of the day or week and let your child tell you whenever they see that letter during the day.

Depending on what kind of learner you have, you could try different kinds of activities to learn the alphabet

Songs, chants and books read aloud (audio books) for auditory learners

Use pictures of the alphabet that have animals or pictures within the letters so that the learner can make connections or stories to help them remember the letters for visual learners.

For tactile or kinesthetic learner –
Cut letters out of sand paper and trace the letters with their fingers.
Trace letters of the alphabet in the sand or shaving cream or finger paint.
Trace letters in the air using whole arm movements and paint letters on the driveway with water and a paint brush.
Form letters with your whole body or out of play dough or pipe cleaners.

For rhyming books or poetry –

Read a line with a rhyming word at the end and stop reading once you get to the rhyming word and let your child say the rhyming word.
Copy down the poem and leave a space at the end of the line for the rhyming word and let your child fill in the blank.

For Sight Words –

Copy sight words down on index cards to make flash cards. (If your child has a difficult time reading a part of the word, write that part of the word in a different color.) (Go to www.sightwords.com for lists of words and activity suggestions.)
Copy word family words down on index cards to make flash cards and write the word family sound in a different color.
Make duplicate copies of these words for games – Go Fish, Old Maid, Memory or Concentration Matching Game.

For Writing Activity Suggestions

Have your child paint or draw a picture on the top half of a page of paper. Then have your child tell you in a sentence what the picture is about. Write down what your child says underneath the picture as he/she says it so they can connect what they are saying to what you are writing down.

As your child gets older begin the practice of having them retell parts of stories back to you or short stories back to you. Then have them practice writing down one sentence at a time (even if they are using inventive or “creative” spelling) until they can write down more than one sentence, building up to multiple sentences. They can then draw a picture about what they just wrote about.

For detailed steps and more ways to help your struggling or early writer, visit Teaching your Struggling Writer How to Write.)

Be sure to comment in the Comments box any ideas you’d like to share about developing language skills that your family has found helpful! Or, if you found any ideas here helpful or have any questions! I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for visiting!

Make sure you download our podcast at iTunes or subscribe to the Literary Cafe Podcast by clicking on the Android or RSS feed buttons below the recording on this page! And make sure you share this page with other homeschoolers with middle and high schoolers and are wondering how to get started writing in these grade levels!

 

Developing Language Skills in your Young Learner podcast #homeschool #homeschooling #languageskills #languagearts #reading #writing #preschool #elementary #literarycafepodcast #drseuss #rhyming #rhythm #repetition

 

 

What to Include in your Elementary Language Arts Study

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

LCP Ep 4: What to Include in your Elementary Language Arts Study

 

Join Katie at the Literary Cafe Podcast to learn about What to Include in your Elementary Language Arts Study #homeschool #homeschooling #language arts #elementary school

How are you going to homeschool Language Arts with your elementary aged children? Does the idea of teaching your child to read or write stress you out? Do you wonder if  you are teaching everything you need to during the elementary school years for what is called “Language Arts”? And how are you going to cover everything plus other subjects during the day?

Visit Katie’s website for more fun ideas and tips to use in your homeschool at Katie’s Homeschool Cottage or her Facebook Group.

Join Katie Glennon as she discusses what skills and concepts you should include in your Language Arts study during the elementary school years. Listen for practical tips and suggested curriculum and resources to help you and your learners use your time efficiently, effectively, and economically in teaching and learning Language Arts in your homeschool. She will also give you fun learning ideas to address learners in your home with different learning styles.

The Five Areas of Language Arts you should include in the Elementary School Years

What to Include in your Elementary Language Arts Study  (Printable for you to download)

Reading

Use a Phonics based program or curriculum that starts with letters and moves to vowel sounds and vowel combinations, then moves to consonant blends. These programs will also include when to introduce specific sight words.

Use a multisensory approach to be able to address all learning styles and multiple learners in your family. At early ages, it may be difficult to determine your child’s learning style. Not only use different ways to look at words and hear the sounds for your visual and auditory learners, but address your kinesthetic learners with assorted hands-on activities.d

Suggested Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum – Reading

Foundations – Logic of English (K-1)

Hooked on Phonics (K-2)

Bob Books – Early Readers to Supplement your programs

Explode the Code (K-4)

Phonics Pathways (K-2)

McRuffy Language Arts (K-4)

All About Reading (K-4)

Reading for Grades 3-4 – After Phonics and Developing Fluency

After your child is ready to move on from learning to read to reading larger chunks of material and has begun to develop fluency, you will want to introduce other reading skills such as comprehension and higher order thinking skill questions and other skills.

These skills include –

  • recalling detail
  • making inferences and predictions
  • using context clues
  • identifying main ideas
  • learning the elements of a story – plot, conflict, setting, characters, point of view, theme
  • literary devices and writing techniques such as similes and metaphors
  • Introduce the study of vocabulary and vocabulary skills

We used a combination of novels and study guides; an anthology for other forms of writing such as essays, speeches, poetry, short stories, and plays; and reading novels or “living books” aloud together that were tied to our history or social studies.

Suggested Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum – Reading for Grades 3-4

Bob Jones University – Book Links

Total Language Plus 

Progeny Press

Mosdos Press Literature Anthologies

Handwriting

Along with learning to identify and make the sounds of letters and able to read simple words, you will want to eventually include handwriting those letters and words. Before you begin handwriting, you will want to make sure your learner has the fine motor skills to hold the pencil and make the formation of the letters.

You can develop fine motor skills by using safety scissors and tracing lines and assorted shapes with a pencil. You can also practice using the pincers with tweezers or play (larger-size) tweezers to pick up objects including pony beads and doing sorting activities.

Start with cursive or D’Nealian cursive instead of manuscript or printing. This is easier for early writers because their hands and arms do not leave the paper and it is a more continuous and smooth motion. They do not have to worry about picking up the pencil and where to place it to continue to draw each letter.

You can make your own handwriting worksheets to go along with your Phonics program and spelling lists.

https://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

Spelling

Spelling as a subject should be closely related to what your child is learning or has learned with their Phonics program. If you tie the learning of word families from the Phonics program to handwriting and spelling with the same word lists, you have taken three parts of your Language Arts programs and have effectively and efficiently tied them together with meaningful learning.

Use a program that is based on Phonics and word families in the same word lists. This makes the words and lessons more meaningful and easier to master.

Suggested Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum – Spelling

Building Spelling Skills by Christian Liberty Press

All About Spelling

Vocabulary – Grades 3-4

Use the vocabulary words from the novels and anthology you are reading. Separate vocabulary workbooks can be dry and boring and not very effective. Using vocabulary from the context of novels and reading from an anthology give the vocabulary words meaning and a foundation for your learners to understand and remember those words. I have found this a more effective and better use of learning time.

Writing and Composition

We began writing sentences when my littles were learning to read. I had them draw a picture from something we read aloud and they would dictate to me a sentence telling me what that picture was about. I would write it down as they said it so they would see the connection between their words and my writing.

We moved on from there to continuing our read aloud time and we used a Charlotte Mason technique of “narration” where my children would retell a chapter of something we just read or a short story like a fable, folktale, or fairytale. This required them to organize their thoughts in their heads before they retold the story and while they were telling me the story. These are important skills a writer should have before they write their thoughts on paper.

This retelling is easier to use in starting to write something on paper instead of having to come up with their own story and content. They can concentrate on writing a summary of what they have heard. I would have my little guys draw a scene from what we read and tell me a sentence about that picture. I would then have them write a sentence, one word at a time, from what they just told me. Any misspelled words (usually two at a time) would then become part of that week’s spelling list. Soon my guys would be writing two sentences and by the end of the year an entire page of sentences using this retelling technique.

We used several resources to build on adding details to these sentences and then moved onto the proper paragraph format.

Suggested Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum – Writing and Composition

Write a Super Sentence by Evan Moor

Paragraph Writing by Evan Moor

Writing Fabulous Sentences and Paragraphs

Here is a bundle of notebooking pages that we used for our written narration that I mentioned in the podcast to develop our writing skills. There is a set for different subject areas that we used to either make our own books or put into a 3 ring binder to put together a notebook of our writing and what we learned in that subject that year.

Make Your Own ABC Book Notebooking Pages Bundle Set

Be sure to comment in the Comments box any ideas you’d like to share that your family has used in your Language Arts or any of these ideas from this podcast you found helpful! I would love to hear from you! Thanks for visiting! Come back and visit the Literary Cafe Podcast for July’s topic when we discuss what to include in your study of language arts in your homeschool for your middle and high school learners!

Make sure you subscribe to the Literary Cafe Podcast at iTunes so you don’t miss an episode or by clicking on the Android or RSS feed buttons below the recording on this page!

Join Katie at the Literary Cafe Podcast to learn about What to Include in your Elementary Language Arts Study #homeschool #homeschooling #language arts #elementary school

Visit Katie’s website for more fun ideas and tips to use in your homeschool at Katie’s Homeschool Cottage.


Special Thanks to Our Network Sponsor – Well Planned Gal

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Bigs, Middles, and Littles – Homeschool Children Across The Ages

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Bigs, Littles, and Middles - us how we homeschool children across the ages

Jamie, Arlene, and I had so much fun recording our podcast for last week, we decided to keep the party going and record a second one. At every conference people ask us how we homeschool children across the ages. We figured it might be something the podcast world would want us to talk about as well, so we did.

Every homeschooling family is unique. Some people homeschool year round, some 3 days a week, some 8-12 everyday. It is hard to tell others exactly HOW to homeschool, but we all agreed on the following for those homeschooling different ages at the same time.

  1. Find the rhythm for YOUR family, don’t compare.
  2. Make sure your youngest gets some quality time by creating an engaging environment for them.
  3. Partner children up to work together. For example, while you are working with the middle child, have the oldest and youngest work together. While you work with the oldest, have the middle and youngest work together, etc…
  4. Don’t be afraid to seek the help of tutors, enroll some children in a hybrid, or partner up with other homeschooling families to meet the needs of your children.
  5. Take advantage of early mornings and naptime. Be willing to change your schedule and remember this is just a season. Flexibility is KEY.

 

 

You’ve got this!

Find a way to #sayyes today.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!!

Thank you to The Homegrown Preschooler for sponsoring this Podcast! Check out the blog post Kathy mentioned, Farmhouse Schoolhouse, to read more about A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at

The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, THEREALKATHYLEE.