Comments on: Unboxing Munchkin Education

By: Janel

Janel — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:01:44 +0000

You all rock! Those are excellent resources. Thanks so much!!

By: Monroe on a Budget » Plan to homeschool? Here’s some links

Monroe on a Budget » Plan to homeschool? Here’s some links — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:19:48 +0000

[...] at Frugal Hacks recently posted some of her tips at Unboxing Munchkin Education, and several of her readers have chimed in with their favorite homeschooling web [...]

By: Dialectically_Yours

Dialectically_Yours — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:20:13 +0000

It took going 0ut to run errands last night to remember this tip: Keep a basket (the size of a shoe box) in the car at all times, and keep ‘edutainment’ type things in it along with a big box of baby wipes. When the boys were younger, it held: a deck of playing cards, a deck of numeral-only cards, a couple of eggs of silly putty ALSO sealed in snack bags, and a snack bag of odd crayons, with another full of homemade chalk. A pad of manila paper and a spiral notebook, both bought at the dollar store finished it out.

We could either pass time in the car using crayons and the paper to play games like Dots or tic-tac-toe (they quickly preferred the 4X grid for that!) OR we could take the basket with us to the park or into the office to wait for a doctor’s appointment. Crayon rubbings, even if it’s only the “Pay here” mounted plate next to the receptionist window,absolutely FASCINATED my kids as they learned letters and early reading. Chalk was messsier and tended to stay outside, but I’ve never had anyone argue with us if the kids drew a hopscotch path (usually just numbers) on the sidewalk. Baby wipes take care of most of the chalk if you’re worried about leaving a mess.

Now that the boys are teens, the basket still has baby wipes for cleanups, a cheap spiral notebook and handful of pens, a deck of cards (they play gin or cribbage most now) and a labeled notebook for each boy.

By: Dee Ann

Dee Ann — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:13:07 +0000

Wow! The resources listed in the above comments are fantastic. I agree with Lisa the librarian who says,”people who read to their children and to themselves are our favorite patrons.”
The web is a great resource but nothing beats snuggling on the couch with your child and a good book.As a former preschool teacher and homeschool mom I have found that children’s literature opens the door to a marvelous array of learning. If you visit your local library for materials then you have a free source of curriculum. My website Wondersome StoryTime http://www.wondersomestorytime.com features a new book on each post and activities that enhance the learning aspects of the story. There are so many ways that you can develop unit learning from Children’s lit. I’d love input for books to use and activities to try.

By: Dialectically_Yours

Dialectically_Yours — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:32:48 +0000

If you have a community college in your area, BROWSE THEIR BOOKSTORE and check out the textbooks. Give yourself at least the afternoon to do this, and *really* check out the books. I think of it as a semi-annual “personal curriculum fair”. Let’s be honest; many, many community college classes are remediating things students SHOULD have learned in high schoool, so it’s a very effective resource for middle school or high school students, OR for someone tackling a new subject who needs/wants a gentler learning curve (say, macroeconomics or non-Roman characterset languages).

Copy the ISBN for five or six books you think are THE BEST. Not the best in the subject, the BEST in the bookstore. Then look for these *BY* ISBN at the most comprehensive site I’ve ever found for price matching: GOOGLE. Type in “ISBN” with a space and either the 9 or 13 digit code. EVERY site offering the book will be listed, USUALLY along with price. Shop away!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:04:25 +0000

Expand your small library! See if any other local libraries extend borrowing privliges to you! Also, use “Interlibrary Loan” to get things from any library. Sometimes libraries charge a small fee for this, but you can often get DVDs, music and even artwork in addition to just books.
FYI–I’m a librarian in real life! We LOVE patrons who are interested in anything other than looking for a potential Russian bride via internet! People who read to their kids or read to themselves usually top our lists of Favorite Patrons!

By: Trixie

Trixie — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:15:26 +0000

Great post! I love the idea of your kids learning all about digital editing at the tv studio. Who would’ve thought?! Learning comes in so many shapes and sizes today.

Take Care,

Trixie

By: Dialectically_Yours

Dialectically_Yours — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:02:16 +0000

Don’ forget YOUR OWN education! I pick something every semester to learn alongside the kids, ofen WITH them. There are a HUGE number of podcasts on any subject you can imagine. Search for things you’re all interested in, especially language-learning podcasts.

The best resource I have for my own studies and my older son’s is MIT’s OpenCourseware. Give yourself time to really browse this site- it’s AMAZING what’s available! http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

By: Dialectically_Yours

Dialectically_Yours — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:53:04 +0000

A non-computer freebie! Check your local area for a “Family Resource and Referral Center”. They’re geared toward early-childhood care, but tend to promote preschool heavily… HOWEVER, they also have a library of Allison die cuts *specifically* aimed toward early ed and preschools. I used them from the moment I found out about them, and STILL do! Bring your own paper, OR a sheet of magnet, OR felt (even more options, but ask the clerks for advice before using ‘odd’ materials like new Contact paper with the backing on it)… It took only a few minutes to punch out items needed for a preschool/early reader game which would keep my youngest “doing school” with his brother. Check your local scrapbooking stores for the same kind of resources. For the cost of a pad of construction paper at the dollar store, I’ve made HUNDREDS of small games (matching, sequencing, letters, numbers, concentration games and more). Specifically for a small, 2″ magnetic alphabet, look at the scrapbooking shops near you, and save those silly free magnets, covering the WHOLE magnet with a patterned Contact paper (scraps from another project in my case). It only takes a few to amass quite a printer’s tray!

By: Dialectically_Yours

Dialectically_Yours — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:39:16 +0000

http://jmemorize.org/
-This isn’t a library. It’s a program I use daily, the kids use daily— I could probaby talk hubby into using it for quizzing himself on TCIP protocols. FREE, java-based, small footprint progam quizzes you on cards you create using a time algorithm you can adjust. The kids use it for German, Esperanto, Art History questions, multiplication facts and more. REALLY love this and personally have mastered fifty to a hundred Welsh words per week *easily* because of the Leitner timing system.

For those with kids who need manipulatives for math, try
http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/outsidesite.cgi?external=http://mason.gmu.edu/~mmankus/Handson/manipulatives.htm&original=http://www.proteacher.com/100033.shtml&title=Hand-Made%20Manipulative%20Instructions

(pattern blocks, attribute blocks, Cuisinaire rods, and GRAPH PAPER we love!

http://donnayoung.org/
-TONS of printable organizers for homeschoolers, in many styles. TONS of manipulatives and other resources. (I submitted the templates for the Geosafari Laptop to make your own cards, specifically to return some of the value I’ve gotten from the site.)