Hiatus

Obviously I haven't been around much lately.

I blog about life, but sometimes life gets in the way of blogging.  The past few months have been tumultuous and eventful.  We made a major move, and I've had a lot of work changes.  I'm now accepting some tutoring students again, and I'm teaching at community college.  I'm really enjoying teaching adults and being in a college setting.

So I'm sorry that I've been to busy to blog.  The good news is that I am teaching (not to mention all of the amazing educational experiences we've had with our kids that I haven't gotten around to writing about yet).    Hopefully I'll get some good posts up soon with all of the lesson plans and activities that I've been working on.

Happy learning everybody.

The Romsey Show

the Romsey Show 2011

Who said that the best place to learn is a classroom?
Hands-on learning should be taking place all over all the time.  When you think about it, almost any activity can be educational, especially with primary school aged children.

We recently had a great time going to the Romsey Show as a family.  My daughters LOVED it, and they learned a lot too.  Farmers were there with all kinds of livestock, and there were also workers from a bat hospital, otter sanctuary, falconry group, and other animal-related groups.  We were able to get really close to the animals, and my girls had a chance to talk to some of the workers about them (in addition to asking us questions).  They learned a lot about animals, agriculture, the local food industry, and the environment (especially environmental issues that impact local wildlife).  If we had just told them the information at home, they'd probably have promptly lost interest.  Since we actually saw the animals, they'll be talking about this day out and the things they learned for months.

To find out more about our visit to the Romsey Show, click here.

The New Forest Reptile Centre & Reptile Trail Hike

I find that when I'm travelling, I always visit the local attractions and museums.  Yet we often neglect the sites that are closer to home.  It's amazing the resources that we often have nearby if we are willing to look for and appreciate them.  We recently went to an exhibit on the Romans at a small local museum.  Since it was only a small museum, it had never particularly caught my interest before.  However, it was the perfect size for my kids to be able to enjoy.  They kept interest throughout the whole museum and were particularly interested in the Romans display (it had a lot of hands-on activities for kids as well as artifacts and information).

Another nearby education attraction that we just went to for the first time was the New Forest Reptile Centre.  Again it was only a small centre, but my kids were very excited about it.  They learned about different local wildlife species and about the local environment.  They learned a lot and had fun.

For more about our visit to the New Forest Reptile Centre, click here.

No matter where you live, make the most of your local museums and other educational sites.

How to Help Your Kindergartner With Their Homework

As a parent with a child in Year R (the British equivalent of kindergarten), I know that homework can start young.  My daughter is learning to read.  She comes home with reading books and activities that we are expected to do with her at home (and a homework form we have to fill out).

Even the brightest children and best parents can find it hard at times to be motivated to do homework together.  Here are some ideas that have worked for my family.  Click here for ideas on how to help your kindergartner with their homework. 

Please let me know if you have any other good ideas for helping your kids (especially kindergartners) with their homework.