Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

Tina Robertson

Day 30 Homeschool Expectations and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

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

Day 30 is homeschool expectations of the free 31 Day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers.

Reflecting on what you have accomplished and your homeschool expectations your first year.

And reflecting on your first day of school will keep you planning forward.

Looking back is key to being able to plot your course the next year or even the next day.

Day 30 Homeschool Expectations and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

Making mistakes is part of homeschooling, learning from them is key to making homeschool fit your family.

Though I want you to take many points away from this boot camp, one point that is especially important to remember is to adjust your expectations to survival mode the first year.

Homeschool Expectations

Goals kick start your journey and you want to see them as guideposts for the E N T I R E journey and not to be accomplish all in your first year.

If you have taken time to learn homeschool lingo, track your week, practice dividing out a book into manageable lesson plans each day and determine what home education will mean for your family, you have accomplished quite a bit.

The average new homeschooler who starts her school year only thinking about nothing else, but curriculum choices can be detrimental.

Now is the time to figure out where you will have time for yourself in the day, what kind of support you want from your husband and when you will take time for physical refreshment and spiritual nourishment.

Don’t start school and then just “plug in” everything else wherever.

Plan your day by “zones” in bigger chunks. For example, mark 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. on your calendar as school.

That means no phone calls answered, no door answering and no cleaning.

As your children get older, they can do some school by themselves at the table or school room while you sneak away for 10 minutes to change out the wash. Many times now my morning is very free because my sons grow more and more independent.

Look at your progress as a journey, measuring year to year and not day to day.

For example, if one year you got caught up on science, then use the next year to bring history to the front burner and cover less science.

How to Measure Progress and Homeschool Expectations

One year you may add another family member to your family and feel you are behind. You are not, it is just life. Catch up the next year.

Measuring progress by longer periods and not just your 1st year is key to being successful.

If I could have this next point bleed through the pages of this post, I would. I have been called dramatic on a few occasions, but here is my pleading point: Do not measure progress by THIS year only.

It takes almost a year or more to finally pull away from the public school mentality.

Explaining this point, one remark I consistently get each year among my new homeschooling parents is: “I’ll give this a year”. Wow. What pressure a family has just put on itself.

Each family member feels pressure to perform successfully for the first year.

An example I like to use to illustrate how short sighted this statement could be is comparing it to your first year as a new parent of your first born.

Mr.Senior 2013 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool plus

(Mr. Senior 2013. Yes, then I was  less “round” than I am today, but more exhausted.)

I know that over parenting was involved with me and hubby. We use to say that one small baby can wear out two parents and two sets of grandparents.

If I had judged having more children on what I did that first year of parenting by over rocking, over coddling and over worrying, I may not have had any more children.

The truth of it is that sleepless nights, extra reading about how to care for newborns and asking questions of veteran parents enabled me to join the ranks of millions of other capable parents. 

Your first year homeschooling will be your certification to joining the thousands of successful homeschool parents.

New to Homeschooling Start with the Basics

1 – 7 Start with the Homeschool Basics

8-14 Homeschool Organization 101 for Beginners

15 – 21 Best tips for New Homeschoolers Choosing Curriculum

22- 28 Homeschool Preschoolers, Highschoolers, Resistant Learners, Homeschool Mom Burnout

29-31 Homeschool Expectations, Free Resources and Tips

Looking back to see what you did your first year will help you to look forward and to not measure success by only your first year.

Day 30 Homeschool Expectations and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

Homeschooling truly begins when you stretch forward.

{31 Day Boot Camp For New Homeschoolers}

6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

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

When and where was Daniel Boone born is an important part of American history. And you’ll love my unit study and other ideas on my page Daniel Boone – North American Explorer.

And when American explorers and pioneers first arrived to new land, one of the first things they had to do was build a house.

In areas where there were plenty of trees, they would build log cabins.

6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

Long before contractors and blueprints people needed to build functional housing that would protect them from the elements, animals, and other dangers.

They had to do it without the aid of lumber mills. There was no cutting of smooth even boards and no place for nails.

Even once lumber mills, and railways were established to make getting goods easier as people pushed westward these things were impossible to come by.

American explorers like Daniel Boone built their sturdy homes by literally stacking tree trunks one on top of another and overlapping the logs at the corners.

First, before we learn more about the pioneer cabins, look at some of these facts about Daniel Boone’s early life.

6 When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born Facts

  1. Boone is most known for his connection to Kentucky. But did you know that he was born and grew up in eastern Pennsylvania?
  2. On November 2, 1734, frontiersman, Daniel Boone was born.
  3. As a boy, Boone did not attend much school.
  4. Boone was born in eastern Pennsylvania. He spent much of his childhood hunting and farming along with his father and brothers.
  5. He was the sixth of eleven children born to a Quaker family.
  6. His family farm has been preserved as the Daniel Boone Homestead.

The original log cabin that his father built is no longer standing. However, the cellar is a piece of the original homestead.

You can still visit the last standing Daniel Boone cabin built by him in 1795 in Carlisle Kentucky where he lived with his wife and 10 children until he moved westward to Missouri.

In addition, I’ve rounded up some fun books and resources when you’re studying about Daniel Boone.

10 Resources for A Daniel Boone Unit Study

Whether you want to add a hands-on unit study or are looking for a few resources, you'll love one of these.

Facts About Pennsylvania

  • In 1681 William Penn, and Englishman and a member of a Christian group called the Quakers, founded the British colony of Pennsylvania
  • The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia in 1776.
  • Philadelphia was once the capital city of the United States.
  • Besides Daniel Boone other famous Pennsylvanians include the patriot and inventor Benjamin Franklin, painter Mary Cassatt, author Louisa May Alcott, marine biologist, writer, and conservationist Rachel Carson, and inventor Robert Fulton.
  • Pennsylvania became the second state on December 12, 1787.

Also, you can add some facts about Pennsylvania.

Geography of Pennsylvania

If you're learning about Pennsylvania or the geography of the states, add these books to your study.

Then, here are more Daniel Boone North American Explorer ideas.

Daniel Boone North American Explorer Activities

6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

Finally, make this edible log cabin.

How to Make an Edible Log Cabin

You can make your edible log cabin on a smaller scale with little pretzel sticks.

However, we found it harder to use them.

You will need:

  • Pretzel rods
  • Frosting
  • Graham crackers or peanut butter bars
  • Ziploc bag
6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

Directions:

You can do your frosting one of two ways.

Either just spread it into place with a spatula or scoop it out of the container and place in a ziploc bag.

Snip off a small piece of the corner and use it like an icing bag and tip.

Add frosting to the bottom of two pretzel rods to help “glue” them into place on whatever plate you are using.

Place them parallel to each other just a little smaller than the length of a pretzel rod.

You can lay one on top to measure the distance.

6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

You will want to break pretzels in half to use on one side to create a doorway. Then an even smaller piece on the other side.

Begin adding frosting to the top of each “log”.

Alternate both sides in one direction and then both sides in the opposite direction.

Add frosting as needed.

6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

Use a knife to cut off a little indention on each end near the tip.

This is much like pioneers would have to create a notch in the logs for a more secure fit.

6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

Continue layering the logs to build it up to desired height.

To create the roof with a little pitch, put two pretzel rods across the center.

Then stack two more on top with frosting.

6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

Pull apart the layers of the peanut butter bars.

Or use graham crackers to “glue” the roof in place by putting frosting on the underside of each end.

Also, you can also use them to create a solid door.

Here is a close up of the final roof.

You can add additional decoration if you like with additional cookies or candy.

6 Facts About When And Where Was Daniel Boone Born And Edible Log Cabin

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

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

I have some unit study ideas for a dragon unit study and a salt dough dragon craft. Also, check out The Race Against Time Geronimo Stilton Activity Craft Fun Dragon Eggs and my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

Salt dough is a wonderful medium to work in.

It is inexpensive and you usually have all the ingredients on hand.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

And it can be used in a variety of ways.

Today we are going to soar into the mystical world of dragons by creating a salt dough dragon in honor of January 16th, National Appreciate a Dragon Day.

Dragons have been the subject of many stories, tapestries, paintings, and statues.

They have been the stuff of legends, something to be hunted but also admired.

And they can be winged or not, scaly, have no legs, two, or four. They can fly, have large teeth and claws.

Dragon Hands-on Ideas

Before we get started on our salt dough dragon here are some more hands-on activities for dragons.

And I have included a few for knights and medieval times as well since they all go hand in hand.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

Also, I’ve rounded up some great books for your study of dragons.

Books About Dragons

If you have a child of any age who is fascinated by the beauty, power, and mystery of dragons here are a few books they will love to have.

6 Fun Dragon Unit Study Resources

Whether you're wanting an idea or two enhance your dragon unit study or just want a fun lead into a fairy tale or medieval times, grab one or two of these resources.

Finally, let’s make this fun salt dough dragon.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

This is the type of art project that really needs nothing but your imagination to fly so I will just give you the basic instructions for salt dough and molding.

The rest is up to you and your creativity.

Your dragon can be sleeping, sitting, or reared back ready to battle a knight.

And you can create a dragon that is an adorable baby or a fierce fighter with wings and fire coming out of his mouth.

How to Make Salt Dough Dragon

You will need:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup table salt
  • ½ to ¾ cup of water
  • Food coloring
  • Craft paints
  • Glitter
  • Paintbrushes
  • Tools- skewers, wooden craft sticks, rollers, etc..

Directions:

Start by stirring flour and salt together until well combined.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

Add water slowly, mixing it thoroughly until the dough is the consistency of bread dough.

You don’t want it too sticky or too dry and crumbly.

Remember it’s easier to add a little more water than to keep going back with flour.

Knead the dough with your hand to get a good feel for the texture.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

Once your dough is mixed and if you want to give your dragon a base color knead in your desired food coloring at this point.

Or you can opt to completely paint by hand.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

Begin molding your dragon into shape.

We found it easier to construct the body, head, limbs, and tails separately then press them together well.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

Experiment with various tools to create eyes, scales, and other details.

Wooden skewers and craft sticks are very easy to work with. You can also add beads to create scales and eyes.

To create a winged dragon, roll dough out to about ¼” thickness and cut a wing using a craft stick or knife.

Lay it on top of another piece of rolled out dough and use it as a template to cut out the second wing to match.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

Give the wings a little shaping with your fingers so they are not so angular.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

When you are satisfied with your creation, place it on a baking sheet in an oven that has been preheated to 200°F.

Fun Dragon Craft

The thicker your dragon is, the longer it will take to completely dry out.

You can also air dry but with the thickness of a sculpture you might find that it begins to grow mold before it dries out thoroughly.

The oven method helps eliminate that worry. 

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

Turn your sculpture a few times in the oven throughout baking time, it could be anywhere from 1 hour to much longer depending on the size.

If your dragon is taking more than a few hours to dry lightly tent it with foil to prevent browning.

Once your sculpture has cooled you can paint the details like the eyes, put a little paint on the scales and wipe off to accentuate them.

Allow your paint to dry and your dragon is ready to fight the fiercest knight or perhaps take a nap in his favorite cave.

Fun Dragon Unit Study Ideas and Salt Dough Dragon Craft

What Are The 5 Learning Styles to Know to Form a Powerful Homeschool Foundation

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

What are the 5 learning styles to know to form a powerful homeschool foundation? After 20+ years of homeschooling, I want you to be in the know. You’ll love the other tips I have on my page homeschool learning styles.

Too, although there are more learning styles than 5, it’s important to know what are the ones most popular.

They are popular because the learning styles align with the goals each homeschool family has set.

What Are The 5 Learning Styles to Know to Form a Powerful Homeschool Foundation

You’ll want to know the different learning styles so you can match them to the personality of your different children.

In addition, there is no need to have to learn educationalese or jargon to understand what are the 5 learning styles.

But, first, here are some books you’ll want to add to your library to understand how to form a strong homeschool foundation.

Homeschool Learning Personality Books and How Tos of Homeschooling

Homeschool Learning Style and Personality Book Helps and How to of Homeschooling

Arming yourself with more information as to how children learn and how to teach them best should be part of every homeschool library.

Our goal in homeschooling is to be the best teacher and learn how OUR kids learn best and not every child or grade level.

Next, look at these questions which it make easier to sort out learning styles.

3 Questions about Homeschool Learning Styles

Determine what your children like and don’t like and then you can see ways to teach that fits their learning style.

1. Does my child learn best by hands-on, auditory, or workbook?

For example, if you have a child that learns best by hands-on, should you waste your time looking JUST at workbooks?

Next, what is your idea of success in homeschool is another one to think about.

2. How Will I Define Success for my homeschooled child?

For instance, do you think completing workbooks equates to master?

Or, do you feel open-ended learning without a clear cut answer is better?

Then again, do you want to combine the two types of approaches.

Finally, what subjects do you consider more important to the success of your child?

3. Which subjects are more important to your family?

To illustrate, some families are more sports minded, some natured minded and yet others academic minded.

Different learning styles puts emphasis on some subjects above others.

You’ll want to know what is important to you so you can make an informed choice.

Why Your Child’s Learning Personality is Important

Because teaching styles are only part of choosing curriculum easily, I’ve included a link to my online course Identifying Your Homeschooled Childs Learning Personality.

How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child? Determining the best learning style approach is much easier when you know about homeschool learning styles. A learning style is not something I thought about when I started homeschooling or even when my kids were struggling. However, had I taken time to learn what is the best learning style for each of my children, I would have saved myself unnecessary stress.

YOU WILL LEARN:

  • How to understand the way your child prefers to learn so that you can teach him in a way that he enjoys learning;
  • How to pinpoint your child’s learning personality;
  • A starting point in understanding (barring any special learning challenges or disabilities) and accepting your child’s preferred way of taking in information;
  • Understanding when the learning personality emerges; and
  • Teaching tips for each learning personality to stop the head-butting.

Too, don’t forget to grab my book above chock full of teaching tips.

What Are The 5 Learning Styles to Know to Form a Powerful Homeschool Foundation

Then look at some of these other helpful tips on homeschool learning style resources.

Other Homeschool Learning Style Resources

Finally, look the different homeschool learning styles.

What Are The 5 Learning Styles

Look below at the 5 learning styles or homeschool approaches.

1. Unit Study Approach for Families Who Want Free Exploration

2. Workbook Approach for Families Who Want Memory Work and Workbooks

3. Classical Approach for Families Who Put Emphasis on Learning from Ancient Minds of the Past

4. Charlotte Mason Approach for Families Who Nurture a Love of Nature and Living Books

5. Unschooling Approach for Families Who Want Child-Led Learning Without Bounds

Tapping into the way a child prefers to learn is essential to success.

Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle

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

If you’re doing rock activities for kindergarten, you’ll love this easy edible rock cycle. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

Hands-on activities are one of the best ways to teach a new concept, especially if you can add in the delicious aspect of eating your project.

This edible rock cycle is a great addition to your list of rock activities for kindergarten to teach it in a simple and fun way.

Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle

Books, video, and hands-on experiences looking at rocks themselves will go a long way in teaching your child about geology, the rock cycle, rock types, and more.

Then add some fun rock vocabulary.

Rock Cycle Vocabulary

  • Geologist (Answer: Someone who studies what the Earth is made of and how it was formed)
  • Rock (Answer: A rock is a solid that is made up of a bunch of different minerals)
  • Rock Cycle (Answer: The processes in which the three main rock types: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary transform from one type into another)
  • Sedimentary Rocks (Answer: Rocks formed from years of sediment compacting together and becoming hard, this can be grains of sand, mud, pebbles, minerals, fossils or plants)
  • Metamorphic Rocks (Answer: A rock formed from great heat and pressure inside the earth’s crust
  • Igneous Rocks (Answer: A rock formed through the cooling of magma or lava)

Also, look at some of these fun books.

6 Rock Unit Study Books & Fun Resources

Whatever grade you're teaching, you'll love adding one of these books or resources to your day.

Geology Movies for Kindergarten

Next, you’ll love this roundup of fun geology movies.

10 Geology Videos for Young Kids

Fine one or two movies about geology to add to your day or unit study.

Also, look at these other tips and kindergarten homeschool curriculum below.

Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum And Crafts

In addition, I have some rock resources for your older kids.

Besides, you want to teach all of your kids when you’re learning a topic.

Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle

Rock Activities for Older Kids

First, look at my free Earth Science lapbook.

Furthermore, add these other resources:

Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle

Finally, let’s make this edible rock cycle.

You will need:

  • Chocolate morsels
  • Butterscotch morsels
  • White chocolate
  • Cookies
  • Grater
  • 3 bowls
  • Microwave

Directions:

First, crumble cookies and grate white chocolate block.

This is a great opportunity to introduce erosion, weathering from wind and rain, and how it turns larger rocks into sediment or the small bits.

Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle

In 3 bowls place a little of each type of morsel as well as crumbled cookies and grated chocolate.

For the first bowl have your child press down with their fingers to compact all the small bits together to create a larger piece. This is how sedimentary rocks are formed.

Place the next bowl into the microwave for 30 second increments just until it begins to melt.

Use the back of a spoon sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to press it all together. Allow to cool and harden.

This demonstrates how metamorphic rocks are formed through heat and pressure.

Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle

To demonstrate how igneous rocks are formed, take the third bowl and melt until completely liquid in the microwave.

Then place in the refrigerator to harden completely.

Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle

Write the 3 rock types on a piece of paper and label each of your types in the rock cycle.

Now you can enjoy taste testing each of the different rock types in the rock cycle.

Science has never tasted so good.

Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle