Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone!  I hope that you can all enjoy the season and the spirit of goodwill present at this time of year.  I'm really looking forward to taking some time off to enjoy with my family.

Click here for some entertainment and education resources about Christmas for primary school age children.

An Apology & A Link

First of all, I want to apologize to all of you.  I know that I haven't been updating this site very often lately.  Unfortunately, with many demands on my time, this is the thing that has been neglected.  I am tutoring less and writing more this year, and so I simply haven't had as many new lesson plans and resources to post.  Please be patient with me and check back periodically, though, as I'm not giving up on School Without School yet.  Posts are just a bit more spread apart.  There will still be some fantastic homeschooling resources here, and I'll try to be more diligent after Christmas.

Although I am generally tutoring less, I do teach a weekly Sunday School class at my church.  We have been covering the Old Testament this year, and will start studying the New Testament in the new year.  If you are interested in any teaching resources for Sunday School or Bible Study, then click here for my blog with those lesson plans and other resources.

My New Website

I've kept several blogs for a long time, and written for numerous websites, but I've never had my own website.  Now I finally have a professional website up and running.  If you've heard me talk about writing and tutoring, this site will explain it all.  Also, if you need a writer or a tutor, this is the place to look.  Please have a look at my new site, Keri Withington.  If you feel really generous, it would be super if you would share the link with your friends/colleagues.  Thank you!

To visit my new website, click here.

Free Maths Resources on the Internet

Creating your own exercise sheets, quizzes, and tests in math can take a lot of time.  It is really helpful to sometimes use tests created by someone else.  This both saves you time, and also is beneficial to the pupil because it helps them to solve different types of problems or recognize different approaches to similar types of problems. 

Here are two resources that I have used with Year 9 (9th grade) students and found helpful.

"Year 9 Half Yearly Exam Revision-Algebra" This site offers a practice exam focusing on 9th grade level algebra.  This is supposed to be a mid-year assesment, and is really useful for gauging a student's strengths and weaknesses as they study algebra.

"KS3 Bitesize: Maths" This site is an amazing and easy to use resource.  It reviews everything covered in Key Stage 3 Maths (grades 7-9).  There are review sections teaching/reviewing the principle, activities to practice them, and then short tests.

I found both of these sites really helpful, so I hope you will too.

Picture Book Recommendation: Spot, by Eric Hill

If you have a toddler or a child learning to read, the "Spot" books by Eric Hill are fantastic.  These picture books have simple stories and cute pictures (often with flaps to lift).  These are really great and interactive for babies and toddlers.  They're also a good first reader for children first learning to read on their own.  The simple vocabulary and short sentences make it a good choice for early readers.

To find out more about the Spot books by Eric Hill, click here.

Homeschool Share: A Fantastic Resource

If you are homeschooling, you know that it can be difficult to constantly come up with new ideas to make your teaching interesting.  There is a website that can help.  Homeschool Share is a great website and an invaluable resource for homeschooling parents.  Basically, it's a forum for homeschoolers.  There are a ton of free resources with different study units appropriate for different ages (particularly for preschoolers and elementary school, or infants school).  Parents can contribute high quality units that they have created, so their collection is constantly growing.  If you homeschool, I highly recommend checking this site.

To visit Homeschool Share, click here.

Creative Writing Classes at Furzey Gardens

the Lake at Furzey Gardens, August 2010

I am a firm believer in community education programmes and have had some great experiences with it.  I'm particularly excited about the new classes starting at Furzey Gardens.  Furzey Gardens are a beautiful and unique garden in the New Forest in Southern England.  This autumn they are starting to host some creative writing classes.  These will combine a great feeling of community, a fantastic learning and networking opportunity for writers, and an unparalleled setting.  The first workshop is on the 15th of October, 2010.

If you're interested (or know someone who might be), please contact Furzey Gardens.