One of my goals in homeschooling is to make it fun!
A way I have found to do that is to have a fun closet. As I read blogs or shop, if I notice something that looks fun AND educational, I buy it.
There are a few guidelines:
- You had to have finished yesterday’s school work.
- You have to finish up with mom first.
- It has to stay in the school room.
I occasionally let someone take something out of the school cabinet (as we call it) and take it downstairs. The big sister, who is helping the little siblings, is responsible for gathering it all up and returning it neatly to the cabinet.
The bottom shelf is mostly stuff Jerusha can play with.
Also in our cabinet are the math manipulatives we use such as scales, counting bears, and linking cubes.
The cabinet is kept locked, except during the morning school hours when I am in the school room. That ensures that no one is getting things out of the cabinet.
There are a few reasons for this:
- It keeps the cabinet organized and neat.
- It keeps the items in better condition.
- It keeps everything fresh and new; both in quality and to the person using it.
Some of the things I have bought:
- Fat straws placed in an empty creamer container
- Puzzles of every shape and size and sound (yes, we have noisy puzzles)
- Educational games like National Geographic, Memory and Slamwich
- Felt boards and white boards
- Every conceivable type of tanagram you can imagine
- Bean bags with letters on them
- Every conceivable type of bead
- Marbles
But really I’m not limited to any specific thing. I just fill it up with stuff they will enjoy doing and that will help to keep them motivated. I try to make it educational…and pretty much anything can be!
Additionally, on Friday once we finish up the weeks’ work, they get to play on the Ipad. We aren’t a big computer game family, so this is a HUGE treat. I am always looking for free or low-cost educational, or just plain fun apps for them.
And that’s one of the ways I am able to keep everyone focused and to add fun to our school day.
If you click on the picture you can see it bigger. Please feel free to ask about specific items in the closet and a review of it.
How do you make your kids’ days more fun? Whether they are in public school or homeschool, I’d love to hear.
One day Asa brought a bunch of the “fat straws” to the park. We came across a bunch of monkeys and he started throwing the straws at/to them hoping they would play with them.
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Not a homeschooler here but I admire what you are doing and it sounds like your kids enjoy it too. I taught high school math and just retired recently. Always tried to make the kids feel important and that they mattered to me. Maybe not so much fun at that age…although there was plenty of laughter….but they all felt good about their achievements.
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July 18th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
@Sandra, you sound like the kind of teacher kids love! Thanks for leaving a comment.
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My preschoolers are OBSESSED with sorting things. Anything. I have tupperware things of bottle caps, wine bottle corks (both thanks to hobby shops and eBay), uncut keys, blank CDs, pieces of fabric (stolen from my quilter mama =D), scraps of yarn (I’m a knitter), pop can tabs, can and jar labels, markers, lids from markers, lids from any conceivable container. Currently, the faves are wine bottle corks, bottle caps, and uncut keys. I also get extra squares of fabric from my mom and have the felt board out, then the kiddos can make their own quilt squares and draw a picture of them (usually also read a book about quilts). It also seems like the pocket chart makes anything fun. And those silly stands that you can buy for $70??? Um, no. Go to a hardware store, buy PVC pipes and joints, and commission your husband for an afternoon. Then go and buy some shower curtain hooks, and you have your own pocket chart stand for less than $5. Some of the preschoolers like level A books out that they can “read” which they think is amazing. Also, if you search online, you can make your own word searches and crossword puzzles, etc. Good stuff, all for the cost of the paper and ink. Your older kids might enjoy Wordle (Wordle ideas: http://www.ideastoinspire.co.uk/wordle.htm), Tagxedo, Pixton, Kerpoof Studio, storybird, soundation, Lunapic, or picnik. Honestly, I love getting the kids into any technology, because I think it’s super important, and these sites are all web 2.0, so they’re more interactive, and can make them more social in nature. Sorry for the absolute NOVEL, I should have my own blog! ;-)
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July 18th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
@Nikki, I want some bottle caps or gambling chips. Can’t seem to find them.
Sounds like you should. LOL Thanks. These are some great ideas.
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