Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

Welcome

Must-Have Best Homeschooling Materials for The New Homeschooler

| Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Before curriculum, there are homeschooling materials, especially for the new homeschooler that are essential must-haves to consider. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips! You’ll love tips on my page Free Boot Camp for new homeschoolers.

This list is for any type of homeschooler even if you’re deciding what kind of homeschool family you want to be.

Must-Have Best Homeschooling Materials for The New Homeschooler

For example, there is Charlotte Mason, unschoolers, unit study families, eclectic, classic with every subject laid out in a box, or anywhere in between.

Beyond the basics, I like materials that can be used for more than one year by different ages and for more than one purpose.

 I like to get the most bang for my buck, don’t you?

Not included in the list are copious amounts of coffee, bubble baths, and chocolate but they are also helpful.

Additionally, I could continue adding to this list for ages, art supplies, science tools, sewing machines, items for organizing, and others but that is for another post another time.

I wanted to narrow it down to the very basics.

So, we are going to start with the basic must-haves.

And if you already have some of these you are ahead of the game and ready to round out your list with some other useful items on the bonus list that I still consider important for a basic homeschooling foundation.

Must-Haves for New Homeschoolers

Next, besides the materials I list below, here are a few more essential things.

  • Library card. While I do spend plenty on books sometimes if it is a book that you will use just once it is smart to just borrow it from the library, my sagging shelves are always grateful.If you do not already have one head straight to your local library and get everybody a card to check out books for fun and learning. Most libraries offer extras now too like checking out toys, instruments, DVDs, CDs, video games, and other items.
  • Memberships to zoos and museums are a huge part of learning for any age.
  • Annual passes to state parks and national parks.
  • YMCA pass if you have a location near you because some do a homeschooling class.
Must-Have Best Homeschooling Materials for The New Homeschooler

More Homeschooling Materials Resources

Must-Have Best Homeschooling Materials for The New Homeschooler

Now, look at some of our favorite homeschooling materials for the new homeschooler.

Homeschooling Materials for The New Homeschooler

Grab some of these resources for new homeschoolers and homeschooling materials.

Ancient Greece Unit Study Play Stomachion Like Archimedes {Explore Geometry}

| 9 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We are picking up on our Ancient Greece unit study. Studying Archimedes stomachion, we added a bit of geometry. Also, you’ll love my two Ancient Greece Lapbooks. Go here to Fun Ancient Greece Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook and Free Awesome Ancient Greece Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Activities to grab both free lapbooks.

Ancient Greece Unit Study Play Stomachion Like Archimedes {Explore Geometry}

So, we have the book, TOOLS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS: A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece (Build It Yourself), which is fantastic for hands-on ideas.

So Tiny picked out another activity from this book, which is playing Stomachion.

The book brought out that some called the game loculus Archimedius (Archimedes’ box).

First, look at some of these other books about Ancient Greece we loved.

Books about Greece for Ancient Greece

8 Living History Books about Ancient Greece

You'll love this roundup of living history books about Ancient Greece.

Hands On Math

It just requires a few things and instead of printing off the puzzle pieces, Tiny decide to do it himself.

Stomachion 1 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

So this is what we started off with, but like normal, we change it a bit as we went along.

  • 12 inch square poster board
  • ruler
  • pencil
  • sharpie
  • scissors
  • markers or map pencils.

We started off using the Prismacolor Colored Pencils, but decided we would go with our professional art markers because Tiny could color the puzzle pieces faster and they were brighter too.

Either set would be okay for this project.

Ancient Greece Unit Study Play Stomachion Like Archimedes {Explore Geometry}

So he began by making 1 inch grids on his poster board page.

Ancient Greece Unit Study Play Stomachion Like Archimedes {Explore Geometry}

Then he copied the pieces following the coordinates on the picture out of the book TOOLS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS: A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece (Build It Yourself) and suppose to have ended up with 14 pieces.

Ancient Greece Unit Study Hands On Activity

He caught his mistake (he only has 13 shown) after I took the picture, but too he is doing more of his own self-checking instead of me supervising so closely.

Ancient Greece Unit Study Play Stomachion Like Archimedes {Explore Geometry}

So here he corrected his mistake by coloring the piece black.

Here is the 14 piece puzzle after he colored each piece.

Then he cut out each piece.

Ancient Greece Unit Study Play Stomachion Like Archimedes {Explore Geometry}
Archimedes Stomachion an Elephant @ Tina’ s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

He started playing with the shapes and made an elephant.

Isn’t this just the coolest?

Of course, his pieces are off a bit in size proportion, but then again this was a lesson too in measuring accurately and taking your time, but I wanted it fun for him too.

Ancient Greece Unit Study Play Stomachion Like Archimedes {Explore Geometry}
Archimedes Stomachion a Hummingbird @ Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Then next, he made this. Is it a hummingbird or is it a diving duck?

Uhmm, well Tiny said hummingbird, so I’ll go with that.

Point is, Tiny is having lots of fun playing with these puzzle pieces and exploring geometry like Archimedes did.

He has made a few more pictures, but this baby is not as easy as it looks to build.

Unlike the squares and triangles he did in grade school, they shapes are more challenging.

He is loving exploring about Ancient Greece this this fun math activity! Have you tried this before?

More Hands-on Ancient Greece Activities for Kids

Ancient Greece Unit Study. Try Archimedes game stomachion to explore geometry@ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Don’t Forget Follow My Ancient Greece Pinterest Board

Follow Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s board Ancient Greece on Pinterest.

6 Boy Approved Books Which Spark the Love of Reading

| 5 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have six boy approved books today. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips.

Not wanting my boys to be among the boys-who-hate-to-read statistics, it was a challenge in the beginning to keep my boys’ enjoying reading.

I had a LOT to learn about how boys learn.

Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I’m hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys.

3 Boy Mom Reading Tips

Now that I have lifelong adult son readers, I know you’ll benefit from these three simple, easy, and tried and true reading tips.

1. Quit thinking like female teachers.

I know, it sounds crazy because homeschool stats reveal that a majority of the teaching is done by moms.

It’s hard to not think like a woman when you are one.

Where am I going with this?

The point is we add to our son’s dislike for reading when we try to use the books we loved as a girl to spark a boy’s interest.

My boys didn’t connect with a lot of the books I loved as a girl.

When I started homeschooling, I felt like I had a diversified reading diet growing up, but it didn’t include a lot of topics boys liked.

6 Boy Approved Books Which SPARK the Love of Reading!! Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I'm hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys. CLICK here to look at this short but TRIED and TRUE List!!

Sure, some of the books were the same ones I loved like Where the Red Fern Grows and The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.

But I had to expand what I thought were appropriate topics to read about.

2. The Hero or Heroine Matters.

Although boys love to get lost in a world of fiction too, relating to the hero matters.

It’s hard for boys who are struggling to read to relate to a sentimental girl.

At the time my first son was struggling with a love of reading, unless the girl was mischievous or a tomboy, it wasn’t easy for my boys to understand the sentiment.

Too, a lot of boys, including mine, develop slower.

Their maturity rate is different than girls.

They don’t necessarily see themselves in a place through the eyes of the character, so you have to be sure they do.

Instead of trying to read between the lines, my boys needed to understand the why of a point directly.

Finding a solution to the problem was more paramount than understanding exactly how a character felt.

A story line with male role models no matter the age was a good starting point in helping my sons identify with people who are like them.

3. Boys LOVE Pictures.

Boys are not ready to move away from pictures as fast as girls may be.

Realizing that significant fact, I was so grateful for the Great Illustrated Classics series.

True, some of the pictures are not like the comic books that boys love, but pictures are still pictures to boys.

The size of the print mattered to my first reader too.

The bigger the better in the beginning.

Until he felt comfortable and was hooked on reading, we just kept on reading most of the books from the Great Illustrated Classics series.

I never worried whether the books were abridged or unabridged until I hooked my reader.

Out of all the books I used for my boys to hook them on reading they narrowed down their favorites to these 6 choices to nurture a love for reading.

  1. Where the Red Fern Grows
  2. The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (Great Illustrated Classics)
  3. Invisible Man (Great Illustrated Classics)
  4. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
  5. Shiloh
  6. Stone Fox

One or more of these books or series should give your boys a taste of boy approved books, but more important they’ll nurture a love of reading.

A book list doesn’t have to be long to work; the book list needs to be focused on what boys can relate to.

I’ll be sharing more book lists that have worked for us through the years.

Does your son have a favorite book or series that worked to fan that tiny ember to a raging love for reading?

6 Boy Approved Books Which SPARK the Love of Reading!! Sharing these 6 boy approved books which spark the love of learning, I'm hoping that one or more of them will flame that ember to read in your boys. CLICK here to look at this short but TRIED and TRUE List!!

You’ll love these other tips:

P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

| Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today’s P is for pineapple craft is a fantastic simple idea for summer that can double as home decor to give your space a tropical fun vibe. Also, I have more alphabet letter fun on my page How to Homeschool Preschool.

Besides, handprint crafts are a wonderful way to preserve those tiny hands.

Before you know it, those hands grow into large ones that reach for the car keys and shy away from having their palms slathered in paint.

P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

You can create today’s craft on sturdy paper or even on a canvas to create a sturdier art piece.

Even though it’s summer, you can still have lots of fun learning with your preschooler and incorporate the summer theme at the same time.

They will never know all the “juicy tidbits” they are learning about science, geography, math, and more.

It will seem like child’s play.

Next, look at more phonics or letter activities for your little learner.

More How to Homeschool Preschool Letter of the Week Activities

P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

Next, look at some fun facts about pineapples.

Facts About Pineapples

First, just a few important things about this tasty fruit:

  • Pineapples belong to the family Bromeliaceae, the only edible fruit of its kind.
  • Their scientific name of Ananas comosus means” excellent fruit” (agreed).
  • They were found in the West Indies by Christopher Columbus. And now can be found all over the world in tropical locations. 
  • They are grown from cuttings, not seeds.
  • Each pineapple plant only produces one pineapple at a time.

Additionally, look at ideas for teaching phonics.

P is for Pineapple Craft Phonics Tips

  • As you are creating your pineapple handprint craft repeat the P sound often to help reinforce it in your child’s mind.
  • Grab any letter tiles or alphabetic magnets that you have in the letter P and point as you say the letter and its sound.
  • Hide letter tiles or pieces of paper with a P drawn on it around the room and have your child find them, identifying what it is each time they find one.
  • If your child is at the stage for writing you can make P’s lightly with a pencil and have them trace over them with a highlighter or crayon to practice.
  • Use pineapple as a starting point, what other words make that sound as well? Pinecone is an easy transition, but also look at the supplies you are using today- paint, pencil, paper. Have your child call out words and write them on a piece of paper for them to look at as they list them.
P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

Also, look at these hands-on ideas for learning about pineapples.

10 Pineapple Hands-On Activities

  1. Research where the most pineapples are produced, the big 3 countries are Indonesia, the Philippines, and Costa Rica. Hawaii is also known for pineapples. Locate these places on a map.
  2. Middle school students don’t have to miss out on the summer themed fun, check out my Fun Pineapple Candle For Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers
  3. Grab some fresh pineapple from the store and a can as well, taste test each and compare flavor and quality. Encourage your child to use descriptive words like sweet, juicy,sour, etc..
  4. Cut off the pineapple top and plant in soil, this one’s an investment in time but in 18 months or so you can be harvesting your own fresh pineapple.
  5. Put their afternoon snack in a pineapple boat! To do this all you have to do is cut off the bottom of the pineapple when you’re chopping it up for snack time, hollow it out and use it for an ice cream treat or fruit salad.
  6. Learn About Fruits Around the World Fun With Food Activities
  7. Measure a pineapple from base to the tip of the crown, then use a flexible measuring tape to measure its circumference, weigh on a scale if you have one.
  8. Make a Pineapple Volcano, eruptions are always a hit with the preschool bunch!
  9. Try pineapple lacing for an easy way to work on fine motor skills. 
  10. Here is another idea for older kids so that they can join in on the fun too, make a Pineapple Sorbet using just two ingredients, including fresh pineapple.

Handprint Pineapple Craft

You will need:

  • Green craft paint
  • Yellow craft paint
  • Paint brushes
  • Black marker
  • Sturdy paper or canvas
P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

First, lightly draw a pineapple shape on your sturdy card stock, we are going for the general idea here, not perfection.

P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

Then erase it until you can just barely see the outline. This is just to give your child a rough shape to follow.

P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

Dip a thumb or finger into the yellow paint and add dots all over within the circle including the outline. Set aside to dry.

P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

Once the yellow has dried completely you can erase some of the visible pencil lines if you like.

Paint the entire hand green and have them press it onto the top of the pineapple firmly, repeat  two or three more times to get a full pineapple top.

Let the picture dry and don’t forget to write P is for the pineapple at the bottom to help your child make the connection that letters make words and words tell us what something is.

P Is For Pineapple Craft | How To Make A Fun Handprint Pineapple

12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled

| Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Finding the best books for beginner readers was at the top of my list when I sat my first homeschooled grad on my lap at 3 years old to teach him to read. Also, look at my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum for more tips.

Equally important was learning the other skills I needed as the homeschool educator to teach him to read.

Like many educators who have their first budding reader I too was overly worried about the process.

First, look at some of these tips for teaching beginning readers which have worked for me through my many years of homeschooling.

12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled

Books for Beginner Readers

  • Trust that the process is natural. Unless your child has special needs or a disability to hamper learning how to read, he will learn to read. What I’m saying is that children learning to read are learning with every breath they take. Seizing their love of learning in their organic environment (your home and your lap) is where the seed is planted.
  • In addition, I didn’t realize the value of my habit of reading aloud to my first reader and reading silently. The point is from the beginning I was placing not just a high value on the skill of reading, but a love for it. Although you may not think so now, teaching a child a child to read can be quite easy compared to teaching him to be a lifelong reader. Lifelong readers model what they see.
  • Next, like a lot of new homeschool educators, I concentrated on intensity instead of consistency. That was a mistake and I almost gave up homeschooling. So the power of little and often cements a pattern for how your child learns to read. Short fun spurts throughout the day teaching your child to read is how to make true progress.

Timeless Tips for Beginner Readers

Picture Books Library Lists

Second, remember that while you’re teaching your child to read, he will need direct phonics instructions.

Not only are you training his eyes to read or decipher (decoding), but you’re training his ears to hear sounds (encoding).

On top of that, remember to look at the BIGGER picture as you embark on your journey to teaching your child to read.

Direct phonics will help your child to decode words, and training his ear to distinguish between sounds and writing the correct symbol for that sound is encoding.

The Power of Little and Often

What I’m saying is that you want to pair a phonics program along with teaching your child to read.

Look at some of these helps:

All About Reading

In addition, you also want plenty of time reading aloud to your child which doesn’t include direct instruction.

You constantly want to reaffirm that reading is enjoyable, meaningful, and should be pain free. Keeping that warm and fuzzy feeling for reading is essential.

Books that Help Kids Learn to Read

So read below about books which make it easier for teaching beginner readers being homeschooled.

12 Books For Beginner Readers

I know some of these books will work for you because they have worked for homeschool families for years.

Our needs at home vary because we want to teach phonics, love of reading, and sight words all in a natural way.

More Tips for Beginner Readers

12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled

Other Tips or Books for Beginner Readers

Our tools and books we choose should help us to nurture lifelong readers so I know you’ll love these.

Do you have other favorite new reader series?

You’ll love these other tips which work solidly for me through the years for beginner readers.