John Taylor Gatto...

Several years ago,  Mr. Gatto (a former public school teacher) had been voted as New York City's Teacher of the Year.

Readers from 87 countries have viewed my blog...

Wow!  Readers from 87 countries have viewed my blog since I began posting in June of 2011.  Readers from several of them seem to be repeat viewers.  I would love to hear from you; all of you, including those from the U.S.  I would love to hear your own homeschooling ideas.  If you don't yet homeschool, but are considering it, then I'd like to hear from you, too!

The Number "4" and Shapes...

This week week we are learning the number 4 - how to recognize it, write it, and count objects to 4.  We are also learning to recognize the shapes that have 4 sides and 4 corners / angles, as well as learning to draw them.  

The visual aids are hand-made from construction paper and laminated.  Self-stick magnets were attached to the back for display on my magnetic wipe-off white board.  The number 4 is a painted wooden magnet that I purchased.

Stenciling using various mediums...

The stenciling at the top was done using magic markers.  The one at the bottom was done by "dabbing" with paint using a round, thickly bristled paint brush.  The painted stenciling has some texture, so the student can not only see the difference between the two, but can actually feel the difference as well.  

Christopher Columbus (craft project)...

This "Christopher Columbus Character"  (with moveable arms and legs)  pattern can be obtained free from  www.superteacherworksheets.com .  I added the "Cc" for Christopher Columbus 1492.  I will be using this as a visual aid for our phonics lesson on Monday, Oct. 08, 2012, as well as for our history lesson.  My grandson will make one of his own as a craft project to reinforce the lessons.

John Taylor Gatto...

A new use for my "Time-Out" chair...

Plato...

"...knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.  Therefore, do not use compulsion, but let early education be a sort of amusement;  you will then be better able to discover the child's natural bent."

Numbers / File Folder Book

We use stickers (placed in the box) to show "how many" the number indicates.

Alphabet Book / Three-Ring Binder

Pictures to color can be found on the internet.  For example, enter into your search engine: anteater coloring picture.  Preschool writing paper can also be copied from internet sources.  Place each completed page in clear, three-ring binder pockets.  

Harriet Tubman

"A a" is for "antlers" (craft project)...

 

 

Theme of the lesson:  "A a" is for "antlers" (Phonics - short "a" sound)

 

Animals having antlers:  deer, caribou (and their habitats - forests, the Arctic tundra); differences between deer and caribou; the difference between antlers and horns - and some animals with horns such as the musk ox and bulls (Science)

 

The Appalachian Mountains, Alaska, Northern Canada - find on a globe and discuss the climate (Geography)

 

My almost 4 year old grandson observed that antlers "look like a tree" without leaves, so we went out to our back yard and found some branches to use for our deer craft project.  For the background, we used the cardboard tray from a 24 pk. case of bottled water (recycling).

 

This project is now hanging on our classroom wall.

 



Beatrix Potter...

"Hands On" Educational Field Trip at one of our state parks...

At the mastodon exhibit which included fossils.

Handling animal pelts which included bear, beaver, fox, dear, coyote, and raccoon.

Assisting the "colonial life" actor crush the flax to expose the fibers for making linen.

Learning about the water cycle.

Playing the fiddle.

An outdoor oven.

Inside a "blockhouse" where weary travelers of the 18th century would stay.

My grandson also was able to grind corn using a hand-held grinding stone, and see a live vulture up close while its handler educated the public about its habitat, diet, etc.

Homeschooling is a way of life; a culture all its own...

My Home...

There's no better place to live than where I live right now!

The great Appalachian Mountains / The mountains of Appalachia

(proper pronunciation:  ap-uh-lat-chuh)  Say it fast, and you've got it.  No long "a" sound and no "sh" sound! (No matter what tv news broadcasters say!  I  was born and raised here, so seeing as how I'm a native, I ought to know!  lol!)

September / Back-to-School Bulletin Board

The leaves are some that we gathered from our neighborhood last fall and then laminated.

The pictures of children doing the various activities and the "fall" picture are from the internet.

The "September" visual aid is from Answers in Genesis Preschool Curriculum (I think!)

Praying Mantis...

We (I) caught this live praying mantis for my grandson to study.  He thought it was awesome!  Last year, we caught a live bumble bee and a live katydid.

(Public) School is NOT Life in the "Real World"...

...It is the institutionalization of our children!