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| Date: From: Subject: | 11/12/2009 4:23:00 PM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru the Early Years Newsletter |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru the Early Years Newsletter November 2009--Homeschool Fun and Games ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ AClassicalEducation.com ]---------------------------------------- A webstore that will eliminate the work of assembling your curriculum! Shop Classical Education materials organized by stage and subject. 100's of resources available in history, language arts, science, latin, music, art, and more. Quick. Smart. Great Prices. http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?ID=189 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends, As the days get chillier, your children may spend more time indoors. You can make the most of all this togetherness with some fun and games designed to build family relationships while reinforcing skills. Games promote family bonding while building math, language, and thinking skills. Game play reinforces both character and curriculum by encouraging children to take turns, follow directions, think strategically, and recall information learned or skills developed. Play a variety of games Encourage children to play a variety of games, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7187 both cooperative and competitive. Cooperative games give the students a common goal, while competitive games are opportunities to learn good sportsmanship. While skills-based games stretch a child academically or logically, chance-based games level the playing field when children of varying ages or ability levels are playing together. Some traditional children's games are geared to the younger set http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7188 or may be adapted for play by older siblings with their preschool http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7189 or primary siblings. While online http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7190 or computer games can spark interest or review concepts, this month we'll focus on concrete, "in-house" games. Make games part of the lesson plan Even the most reluctant or distracted learner can usually be motivated by games. Carol Barnier, in The Big WHAT NOW Book of Learning Styles, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7191 shares this insight: "Time Spent Doing Math: Typical Child--20 minutes; My Child Usually--3 hours; My Child with a Game--30 minutes." Her book is chock-full of creative, game-style ideas that are helpful for all types of children, but especially the non-traditional learner. File folder games http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7192 and other educational games http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7193 can be integrated into the learning day; if you use workboxes, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7194 these activities can go straight into their boxes. Or you can block out time for games in their lesson plan books. You could have a math games http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7195 day one day a week, or incorporate some vocabulary-based games for language arts. Your kids may have so much fun learning, you'll make games part of their everyday routine! Don't limit yourself to only "educational" games Board games http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7196 such as Yahtzee, True Math, Set, 24, and Number Jumbler are some obvious math choices, but any game that incorporates money or points can reinforce math skills. Language games--including Scrabble, Guggenheim, Taboo, Balderdash, Scattergories, and Password--reinforce vocabulary as well as thinking skills. Brainteaser games such as Set and Mindtrap encourage logic and strategy. Puzzle books, hidden pictures, and I Spy encourage critical thinking and observation. Jigsaw puzzles aid in visual discrimination for beginning readers; for example, a child who can discern the slight variances in puzzle shapes will be more likely to recognize the differences between a b and a d or a p and a q. Puzzles can also encourage patience, cooperation, problem solving, and art appreciation. My girls spent hours together constructing a 3D puzzle of the U.S. Capitol building http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7197 . Trivia games can be useful for reviewing facts such as dates, titles, biographical info, Bible information, and more. When choosing trivia games, be sure to consider the ages and abilities of the players. If they are likely to become a bit too competitive or unevenly matched, team play can be an option. Scavenger hunts http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7198 or treasure hunts are fun for the older children to design for their younger siblings. Clues can be riddles to solve or codes to decipher, or simply directions to follow. Guess Who?, Battleship, Clue, and Risk encourage critical thinking and strategy, while more active games like Twister, Pictionary, Cranium, Charades, and Guesstures can get the muscles and imaginations going (as well as the laughter!). Pencil-and-paper games such as hangman, word searches, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7199 crossword puzzles, complete-the-square, tic-tac-toe, Guggenheim, and Mad Libs can occupy hands and minds on errand days and holiday trips. Cards for Uno, Old Maid, Go Fish, and War http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7200 also travel well. Family fun night There are games designed specifically for family interaction: Imaginiff and the Ungame encourage sharing of opinions, thoughts, and laughter. Jeff Myers developed The Story Game from a card deck he wrote for his own family gatherings. Several years ago, Todd Wilson created To Bethlehem http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7201 for his own family, to allow him to interact with his kids, laugh and act goofy, and help them focus on the real meaning of Christmas. So plan to bake a homemade pizza http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7202 or other family favorite, maybe pop some popcorn, and gather around the table for a game night http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7203 that the whole family will anticipate all week. Blessings to you and your family, Vicki Vicki Bentley HSLDA Early Years coordinator http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7204 "There are many kinds of success in life worth having. It is exceedingly interesting and attractive to be a successful business man, or railroad man, or farmer, or a President, or a ranchman, or the colonel of a fighting regiment, or to kill grizzly bears and lions. But for unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison." --Theodore Roosevelt, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7205 Autobiography, 1913 http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7206 More ideas, if you are "game": Have a family game night* http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7207 in place of your regular monthly homeschool meeting. Start a weekly or monthly game club in your area, using chess or other board games. Design your own http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7208 board games or card packs. * The Story Game is not currently available for retail sale but may be found in the used market. Vicki's Upcoming Speaking Engagements January 2010 21 Annandale homeschoolers (Capital Baptist co-op) 29-30 Leadership Symposium and Mid-Year Conference- AFHE, Phoenix AZ http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7209 March 26-27 Nevada regional homeschool conferences (Carson City, Las Vegas) April 9 HSLDA High School Symposium 15-17 Minnesota Assoc. of Christian Home Educators convention http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7210 23-24 MassHOPE (Massachusetts) state convention http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7226 26 Leesburg area homeschoolers May 27-29 North Carolina Home Educators state convention (www.NCHE.com) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7211 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Web links are provided as a sampling of resources available. Although we screen links for suitability, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of all information on external sites. Inclusion or exclusion should not necessarily be construed to be an HSLDA endorsement or censorship of any resource or site. Parents are encouraged to use discernment in selecting websites and materials appropriate for their families. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How long are you in for? Some families are facing what seems like a lifelong commitment to homeschooling, with children at both ends of the spectrum -- some graduating and some just reaching school age. If you're going to be "in" for a while, consider a lifetime membership with HSLDA. It's a good deal for families with more than 10 years of homeschooling ahead. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1936 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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