Posts Tagged ‘education’
The importance of play in education
“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.” ~ Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)
Play is a large part of the day for preschool and kindergarten children. Concepts are learned and encouraged through various forms of play, various types of toys and games as well as crafts and activities. But usually, the play stops there.
But play is important in the higher grades as well. With play a child can develop social skills, physical skills, language, literacy and conversation skills, exercise their imagination and master life situations. By taking playtime away from older students, we limit them from growing to their full potential.
Certain toys and games are great playthings to enhance learning. Many educational games are also meant for older children. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have them do a sit down game. There are various group games that can be played to allow students to learn about money, trade, social situations, survival skills an more. Games like Pictionary or Scattegories are also great fun with educational value. You can even modify the games to fit into a certain subject of study or even modify them in difficulty. My kids loved Constructionary which was like Pictionary but instead of drawing the clue, you build it from Lego! Think of the creativity that could flourish from games like this.
Bingo is another game that can be modified for different subjects or degree of difficulty. For younger children it is more of a matching game, but for older students it can be more of a challenge if you use words to match rather than pictures, or words in a different language. Math bingo can include addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Step outside of the box when instilling play into education. Tossing a ball around can evoke some great imaginative storytelling. One person starts the story then the ball is tossed to someone else who then adds on to the story, then tosses the ball again and so on. Older children enjoy dress-up as well so acting out a story or situation has some great play value. Sometimes, being someone else (in costume) allows them to say things they may not have said and therefore help bring them out of their shell. Living museums help tell the story of their time period through costumed interpreters. Students can learn history through costume as well. Challenge them to make their own costume then allow them to do a presentation about their time period.
Science is a great subject to allow play in. I was teaching the Scouts about Newton’s Three Laws of Motion one night. We used a slingshot flying monkey, some wind up cars and some paper airplanes. It was amazing how well they picked up the concepts! What sinks and what floats can be a messy but fun lesson as can various chemistry experiments that are simple and fun.
The idea is that education is more than just what you read in a book. It is what you experience, what you create and how you interpret it. By adding play into the equation a student can get a more in-depth feel for the subject. They will also get more enjoyment out of learning and be inspired to learn some more!
Sandra Wilson
owner and operator of
Home Education Resource Emporium where Education + Fun = #1
The Titanic’s Maiden Voyage
When the Titanic began her first voyage at 12:00 noon on April 10, 1912, there were 2227 men, women and children aboard. Many of the passengers were rich and famous but there was also over 700 immigrants traveling to a new land. On April 14, the Titanic was traveling full steam ahead in the North Atlantic. The weather was clear and cool however the wireless operator began to receive messages warning of icebergs ahead. Over the next few hours, a total of six messages came for other ships. The captain of the Titanic, E.J. Smith received some of these messages, but not all. There was no set system for passing messages from the operator to the crew and to the captain so, no one person saw all of the messages. The captain asked the men on lookout to watch for icebergs, but these men had no binoculars with them so they could only scan the waters with their eyes.What Grade are you in?
That is a question that always stumped my homeschooled children because we didn’t follow grade levels, we followed their learning level. Many of us have experienced in our lives that different topics have a greater interest, or make more sense to us than others and therefore we may be better at it than something else.
I remember when I was in grade 6 and would participate in my cousin’s grade 9 spelling drills. I always scored higher than he did but when it came to math, I couldn’t keep up with the kids in my class. Unfortunately, since I was in the public school system I was given grade 6 English (in which I excelled and sometimes got bored with) and grade 6 math (which I barely passed). Since I knew that my level of learning differed with each subject I expected the same from my children. Sure enough, one excels in English but not math while the other is completely opposite with math being the stronger subject.
And so, if the child is excelling in English should I stiffle the flow by only allowing him to study at the grade level his age is meant to be at? If he is struggling in math do I keep pushing him forward in that level, or should I lower the level a little to give him a chance to understand. I chose to homeschool so that I could offer my children an education that I felt they deserved. Therefore, I chose not to follow grade levels but instead, to offer them each subject at a level that they could understand and learn from.
By offering lessons geared to the learning level of the child, they are encouraged to learn rather than being frustrated with learning. They are inspired to excel and proud of their accomplishments. They succeed at their own level, which is what is best for them!
Anyone with more than one child can compare and contrast their children. They may have similar mannerisms yet opposing interests and sometimes you may wonder how two could have sprung from the same womb! Children are different, they have different interests, different focuses and different learning styles. So too, must the teaching style for them be different.
My first child was pretty easy to homeschool. He was a book kid, loved worksheets and would sit for hours working on a project. My second child is not as keen of a reader, would prefer not to have to write and won’t sit for hours to do anything. These differences are not a variance in intelligence, just in how and what they learn.
With both children, one of the main things I did was teach what interested them. My eldest son studied Medieval history at least five times. Each time had a different focus, an increased measure of learning and new projects to work on. The younger son enjoyed Medieval History as long as he was reading about knights, catapults and the siege of a castle, but really only wanted to study it once. And so, while one child created graphs about the plague, the other crafted medieval weapons from cardboard, tinfoil and duct tape. Since each activity was premised with a discussion or reading about the time period the history lesson was still being taught, just in different styles.
The older child struggled a bit with math, but when lessons involved money, things made sense! And so, many math lessons allowed counting, converting and problem solving with money. The youngest struggled with geography but enjoyed cooking. So, we travelled the world learning about common foods and recipes found in the various countries.
Free yourself from the “typical” school regime, especially with a more active, reluctant student. Create lessons through field trips, music, crafts, athletics and unit studies that fill the needs of each student. This encourages them to learn because they enjoy the subject, and the manner with which it is taught!
The Importance of Education – Home or School
Educational importance before the industrial revolution was tied to:
1) learning,
2) preparation for wise leadership and personal achievement,
3) opening your mind to new ideas.
These are the requirements we can assume from all education. If these steps are not being achieved than a change in how children are taught is required.
When a child does not want a particular food then we suggest they just try a bit to taste it before they decide. So can be said for educational subjects. Instead of assuming a child won’t like a subject, or need a subject, we should let them try it – he/she may just like it.
I have always wondered how we can determine the career that will carry us through our life with only a few courses of introduction. I was very excited about studying Archaeology, then I took the first course and found that the preliminary work, gridding and such was not something I would enjoy doing endlessly. But I went in with an open mind, and learned that that was not the path for me.
I am not a fan of the variety of requirements needed in order to receive enough credits for a high school diploma. Something from this group, two from that group etc. Although it offers choice to the student, it also limits choices and opportunities for them to excel at the subjects they enjoy the most. Often, courses that are not suited to the student, but are required for a diploma can discourage learning and create avoidance of that class, or school all together. As a homeschooler, I have been able to offer my children a variety of lessons, determined the ones that are not suitable, and finish them up early so as not to prolong the agony of an unwanted subject.
Students with choice, variety and the ability to switch out of a lesson that is not working for them are learning, opening their mind to new ideas and preparing the best base for personal achievement. Fulfilling all steps in the importance of education helps fulfill the student as well!
A Lesson to Remember
This came to me in an email this morning and I thought it was worth repeating!
A lesson that should be taught in all schools . . And colleges Back in September, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks. ‘Ms.. Cothren, where’re our desks?’ She replied, ‘You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.’ They thought, ‘Well, maybe it’s our grades.’ ‘No,’ she said. ‘Maybe it’s our behavior.’ She told them, ‘No, it’s not even your behavior.’ And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren’s classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, ‘Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.’ At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) War Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall… By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.. Martha said, ‘You didn’t earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it’s up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don’t ever forget it.’ By the way, this is a true story.
Thank you Martha for showing us all how to make freedom an important lesson!
Sneak Peek – Soldiers Through Time unit study
Education with a BANG suggests that when teaching active boys, incorporate a subject they love and develop it into a lesson that will help them learn the basics.
The Soldiers Through Time unit study has 7 modules – each module covers soldiers in one particular time period.
Each module can be downloaded separately so you can enhance you unit of study.
Here is what is being said about this exclusive unit study!
The American Civil War
When the Kansas territory had the opportunity to join the Union as either a free state (no slavery) or a slave state many people from both sides of the debate rushed to Kansas to try to influence the vote. As a result there were violent clashes.
Then, when Abraham Lincoln, who was against slavery, won the election in November 1860 making him president of the Union, the southern states decided they no longer wanted to be part of the Union. A month after the election South Carolina seceded (broke away from the Union). Soon after Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana. Georgia and Texas also split from the Union. These colonies formed their own country – The Confederate States of America. Eventually they were joined by Virginia (eastern half), Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky.
On the next page – colour the map of the United States to show the Confederate States (red) and the Union States (blue)
Explorers made great discoveries – So can you!
Christopher Columbus took a risk and found the “New World”. Magellan took a risk and did not fall off the end of the Earth but went all the way around it. These explorers dreamed up an idea, followed it through and became great explorers.
Homeschoolers can be explorers too. Although there are the basic subjects to build a foundation like English and Math, home educators can explore other subjects of interest and curiosity and add them to their lesson plans. School curriculum does not cover espionage but homeschoolers can. Explore the world of spies learning geography, history, science and more. What about herbology? The study of plants used as medicine is another interesting yet not required course to study.
It is important to explore many subjects and interests in order for your child to make an informed decision on what they may want to pursue as a career. It is also more interesting for the child to discover topics that they are curious about.
Bringing up a family should be an adventure, not an anxious discipline in which everybody is constantly graded for performance.
– Milton R. Saperstein
Explore the world, one subject at a time and increase the education of your child while also satisfying their curiosity!
Sneak Peek: History of Fashion Through Textiles
History of Fashion Through Textiles is a 4 module unit study covering cotton, silk, wool and flax. It describes the process from raw material to cloth, including the history of the use of the cloth. Activities within the unit study include math, history, science, art and more making it a cross-curricular unit of study.
Here is a sneak peek:
Module 3: Cotton
Back to School Tips – Start with the Basics
What I really enjoy about homeschooling is being able to provide a huge variety of topics for my kids (and myself) to learn about. We are not limited to the specific recommended courses but instead, we can explore our interests, our wonders and even some off-beat ideas.
Of course, without the basics, none of this exploration is possible. The basics meaning, reading, spelling, writing and math. A strong foundation in these subjects will allow children to explore anything they want.
Recently, I had a chance to explore the ClickN SPELL program from ClickN KIDS. This program is an entertaining online program to help kids with spelling. It features the ability to set up a number of children and various learning levels. Each child can follow up to 100 lessons. Each lesson provides new words to learn through repetition. The spelling lesson will also increase typing skills as the child types in each spelling word. There is amazing encouragement as the child progresses and in each lesson the words get progressively more difficult. Each lesson ends with a practice round which reviews the words learned with a little mini-test. The results are then given in a report that can be viewed on the screen, printed and emailed to the parent. The cartoon cat that helps the child through each lesson adds some fun to spelling drills.
ClickN KIDS also has ClickN READ Phonics program to help a child learn to read. The programs provide some entertainment along with lessons and represents a “video game” idea which is sure to attract children to play!