Catching Up at the Pond: a homeschool ponding adventure with wildlife observations, reflection questions, and hands-on pond study activities. Find out more! If you’d like to know more about why we decided to do a year long pond study, this is the post for you! Catching Up at the Pond I know, I don’t mean to……
Category: Homeschooling
American Folk Museum {A Homeschool Field Trip}
The post describes a homeschooling visit to the American Folk Museum in Northern Ireland, divided into three parts: the Irish side, the emigrant ship, and the American side. The museum provides immersive experiences about immigration, pioneer life, and the challenges faced by families. Activities enhance learning, connecting historical lessons with practical skills.
Using a Foreign Number System (Base 4)
This session centered on using a base-4 number system to enhance children’s understanding of mathematical concepts and flexibility. Through hands-on activities, the children engaged with different number systems, working collaboratively to solve problems. Despite challenges, the experience fostered both mathematical skills and teamwork, emphasizing the value of exploratory learning in a creative environment.
A Pond Comparison Study at Lough Fey
In Week 28 of the One Year Pond Study, instead of their usual village pond, families explored Lough Fey in Northern Ireland, conducting a pond comparison study. They observed significant differences in plant life and water sources between the small village pond and the vast lough, enhancing their understanding of ecosystems.
Precious Moments # 7
The author reflects on a rejuvenating holiday in Northern Ireland with family, highlighting the joy of disconnecting from work and embracing quality time with loved ones. After two weeks of relaxation and reconnection, including special moments with cousins, they return home refreshed and eager for the upcoming year of homeschooling, grateful for the experience.
Studying Dante’s Divine Comedy (Medieval Unit Study)
I know I’ve said it before, but I truly love our literature studies. There is something quite magical about gathering together, opening a great book, and allowing words written centuries ago to come alive in our home. Over the years we have explored many classic works together, but this term we decided to take on something……
Reflections of a Prairie Summer Homeschool
The post reflects on a successful summer of homeschooling centered around the theme of Prairie Living. The children engaged in hands-on historical activities, learning various practical skills while enjoying the process. Although they faced some challenges, such as limited social opportunities, the overall experience was fulfilling, leaving lasting memories and a desire for future projects.
Create Your Own Number and Place Value System
Inviting children to create their own number and place value systems fosters a deep understanding of math concepts. This hands-on activity reduces math anxiety by demystifying numbers, showing that they are flexible tools for representing values. As children design, test, and reflect on their systems, their confidence and conceptual grasp of mathematics significantly improve.
Reflections on Our Pond Study
This week marks the six-month milestone of a year-long pond study, emphasizing a shift from structured lessons to simply enjoying nature. The experience has taught valuable lessons about consistency, observation, and fostering a relationship with nature, ultimately deepening joy and engagement in the learning process while appreciating the pond’s evolving beauty.
Little House on the Prairie Party
After ten weeks studying “Little House on the Prairie,” a combined birthday and celebration party was held. The event featured homemade decorations, simple pioneer-themed food, and engaging hands-on activities representing pioneer life. This memorable conclusion reinforced learning, fostered family traditions, and emphasized the importance of community and gratitude in children’s education.
Introducing Place Value: Hands On Maths and Living Maths
There is a difference between doing maths… and truly understanding it. This week we began by Introducing Place Value in our homeschool using a far more hands on maths approach than I had before. The girls confidently insisted they understood. And to be fair, they can usually complete long addition, subtraction and multiplication correctly. But every so often, everything……
Summer Nighttime Pond Visit: One Year Pond Study
As part of our One Year Pond Study, we returned to the pond this week for Our Summer Nighttime Pond Visit and, well… you couldn’t actually see anything. It was dark. Truly pitch black. I know, not the most inspiring opening image for a blog post. But what we couldn’t see with our eyes made us notice so……
The First Four Years
During the penultimate week of a Little House on the Prairie unit study, the family focused on reading The First Four Years, which portrays Laura and Almanzo Wilder’s challenging early marriage. The narrative explores themes of hardship and perseverance, paralleling the family’s summer activities and emphasizing the lessons learned through practical experiences of self-sufficiency and resilience.
Atmospheric Changes at the Pond
This week’s pond study revealed significant atmospheric changes, showcasing a sense of desolation as water levels dropped, exposing rubbish and muddy banks. Observations of wildlife, such as subdued mallards and a solitary Canada goose, prompted discussions about nature’s cycles and the importance of empathy. The experience highlighted the value of attentive, hands-on learning in understanding ecological transitions.
What’s the Point of Maths?
The post discusses the benefits of “Living Maths,” a hands-on approach to learning mathematics that emphasizes understanding patterns in real-life situations over traditional curriculum methods. The author shares their experience of moving away from formal teaching, leading to newfound confidence and engagement in their children’s mathematical abilities.