Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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Middle School Homeschool

3 Tips for Raising Homeschooled Middle School Book Lovers

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

With one foot in the elementary grades and high school on the horizon, homeschooling middle school is a challenge. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

Add in a struggling middle school reader and it seems it is almost impossible to prepare them for the reading load of the upper grades.

Today, I want to share 3 tips for raising homeschooled middle school book lovers that have worked for me.

3 Tips for Raising Homeschooled Middle School Book Lovers @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I was sponsored by Read Brightly and Random House and I was paid for my time. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off.  ALL opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. And I have the choice of whom I partner with because I feel it may be beneficial to my followers. Read my full disclosure here.

Raising a Brood of Book Lovers – Not A Better Job Ever

Hopefully, one of these tips will click with your middleschooler.

Let them lounge in picture books.

There is no rush to get to greater and better novels that come in high school.

Picture books have a way of massaging the imagination. A reluctant reader may need more help visualizing the plot or characters. Associating a picture with a concept builds a love of reading.

Unexpected Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Middleschooler

It is not only beneficial for your child to continue to hear you read aloud to them in the middle school years, but it can help to identify any potential problems.

I have one son that took me a while longer to figure out why he struggled with reading.

I noticed that when he read on his own he wasn’t that enthusiastic. I thought maybe it was his choices of books that didn’t motivate him and I gave him guidance on books that piqued his interest as boy.

However, each day as I got ready to read aloud to him, he just breathed in every word I was reading. He literally begged me to ready two or three more chapters.

Soon, I found out that he was a strong auditory learner.

Knowing this, I have been able to feed his love for reading by not only reading aloud to him but helping to him find suitable audio books.

By mixing in reading aloud, audio books and having him read on his own, I have been able to lead him down the road to a lifelong reader.

Create a Reading Routine – Don’t Crowd it Out with Boring Worksheets

Middle school kids have a new found taste for freedom and with that comes learning how to create a reading routine.

They don’t have it down yet, which means you have to help them. The way I help my sons find time for reading is by not demanding that each book have an overwhelming amount of activities, if any, to accompany it.

Reading is about – reading. It’s about finding time to dive into a book without worrying about reading comprehension, boring worksheets or book reports.

Though I am concerned with my boys analyzing what they read, dissecting every book they want to read reduces reading to one boring project after another. Then we wonder why kids don’t like to read.

Check out my article What Makes Reading Painful for Homeschooled Kids. Let Go of Busy Work to Raise Lifelong Readers.

Let middle school kids be kids a bit longer, but especially let them find their reading groove while they are still in middle school.

(post updated because the giveaway has closed)

Hugs and love ya,

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5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids

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

I have 5 free and fun hands on science activities for homeschooled kids.

About this time of the year when fall and winter start setting in, I always like to share some freebies that give me a quick and free (always nice) way to change my pace.

Okay, okay, you know I love freebies and I always store them and organize them so I can share with you too.

5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids

With all the wonderful free educational things online sometimes it can take long to sift through the ones not worth messing with and the ones that can add enrichment to your day.

So I have done that for you today.

Since they are free too, they are great options to even just drop what you’re doing and switch gears.

Change is good and when change in curriculum is free, it’s pretty sweet.

Remember, download each guide and keep it because all the downloads are just full of fun things and ideas to do.

Besides, some of the freebies go away after a time.

So today, I have 5 free and fun science activities for homeschooled kids.

Okay, maybe I have a bit more as I started collecting.

5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids
5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids

1.Alaska Songbird Institute has a Creamer’s Field Student Activity Book. Free 28 page download.

This is a fun way to learn about birds with the little guys and for the kids that like to color.

Though it’s a guide for that area, it has several different birds in it like geese, ducks, birds of prey, cranes, chickadees and sparrows.

Each page has a color number code so you know what color to color the bird.

Just print off the guide, do with your children and enjoy.

5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids
5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids

2.This guide has already been archived so you want to be sure  to download it.

This next free 23 page .pdf download is intended to be used in a nature reserve, but it has so many excellent pages.

From habitats, to bird beak matching to dormouse and bird identification sheets, it is full of activities.

You can even scoot out doors to see if you can find some of these shrubs and trees in your area.

MORE FOURTH GRADE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

It has a sheet for a newt lifecycle, hummingbird moth lifecycle and a bramble lifecycle.

From beginning to end, it’s a cool  download full of helpful and interesting tidbits.

5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids
5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids

3. Another favorite of mine is the New England Aquarium site.

Winter would not be complete without talking about penguins.

I have used the Penguin Teacher Guide and love it.

Why create any extra printables when they are all there for free and nice?

It includes information on the various penguin species, penguin anatomy, behavior, habitats and conservation.

5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids
5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids

4. The next freebies come from the Boston Harbor area.

Activities are for upper elementary to middle school age.

It has a lot of background information and a couple of ideas for hands on activities if you are studying about tides and plankton.

It has information about the rocky and sandy shores, tidal mudflats, salt marshes — and the creatures such as harbor porpoises and seals, fish and waterfowl, mussels and kelp that inhabit them — that are accessible from Boston Harbor, or any New England coastal area. 

5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids
5 FREE and FUN Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids

5. Next are SEVERAL pdfs on this page from the Florida Sea Grant program.

There are about three .pdf downloads of plant name cards for studying about beach plant life and one about Coastal Plants.

They would go well in a pocket on a lapbook or a notebooking page.

5 FUN and FREE Hands-on Science Activities for Homeschooled Kids @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

There is third grade curriculum about manatees and fourth grade curriculum about whales and dolphin.

I also love the 21 free food web cards on the Estuary Food Web Activity .

We haven’t done the edible estuary that is for grades K to Gray, (love) but we are eyeballing that one.

Grab the beach coloring book and the beach scavenger too off that page.

Also, there is a free curriculum about sea turtles for middle and high school.

Grab ’em and enjoy.

Also check out 50 Keep Me Homeschooling During the Long Cold Winter Days.
Middle School Homeschool Science 50 Free Spring Activities.
Easy Hands-On Science: Label the Atom Playdough Activity.

Hugs and love ya,

3 Reasons Hands-on Geography is Important in Middle and High School Homeschool

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

It’s easy enough to understand the importance of hands-on geography in the younger years, but it is equally important to understand why hands-on geography is important in middle and high school. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school and how to homeschool high school page for more fun tips. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

Having one child who rolls his eyes at the mere mention of hands-on and prefers taking a hands-off approach and another child who fails to comprehend anything unless it’s hands-on, I want to share tips on why it’s important to keep homeschool geography hands-on.

3 Reasons Hands-on Geography is Important in Middle and High School Homeschool @ Tiina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Hands-on geography requires participation or collaboration.

The tendency when teaching this age group is to assign a boring text, drill and kill and then move on.

Geography is a subject that is fascinating because it is not only about describing the earth, but it includes pictures, maps, diagrams and it includes a description of life here on earth.

It is a subject that is overflowing with possibilities because to some extent it also includes man’s interaction with the resources of the earth.

With all of these facets to study about geography, collaboration gives the middle and high school student the teaching reins.

Hands-on geography requires active and not passive participation or studying in isolation.

My sons have taken the teaching reins as we have studied North Star Geography.  That is one reason too why we didn’t just crack open the curriculum and study the first page.

When my boys studied together, they skipped around to hone in on a part of geography that interested them first.

Guess what? You can do this when studying geography because geography covers so many topics.  You can have several trails in geography and decide which topics interests you.

homeschool high schoolgeography north star geography @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Contrary to what some people may think, hands-on learning shifts the focus of learning to the responsibility of your child.

Middle and high school years are about teaching them more independence and project learning is one of the best ways to do that.

That is one reason we use North Star Geography because it has projects that foster independent learning skills.

Geography Bundle

I will continue to use North Star Geography, which is for middle and high school kids, with Tiny now that Mr. Awesome 2015 is about ready to graduate.

Our middle and high school students just don’t know geography.

Just because a child is in middle or high school doesn’t mean his learning style has changed.  We are in a visual world and visual learners are valued now more than ever.

Too, the conventional method of throwing a map to outline at the student and a textbook to read is not working.  More and more students, including homeschoolers are graduating with little to no knowledge of geography.

Visual learners who learn best through hands-on still need projects and activities at the high school level. Rote memorization does not work for all kids.  We need to abandon the notion that hands-on geography is not for mature learners.

We want to avoid turning out middle and high school students who are geography illiterate and conventional methods are not working.  Returning to what did work in the elementary grades which was hands-on learning without doing babyish projects is key to helping our upper grade kids make meaningful connections.

Hands-on geography instills a greater awareness and fellow feeling for other cultures and historical activities.

When we studied about the American Civil War, geography took on another whole meaning when we tied it to our family roots where our ancestors fought in the battles.

It is one thing to read about history and geography in a dry text book and another to visit the physical area and walk the grounds.

Connecting geography with a physical location helps a middle and high school student to develop higher critical thinking skills.

For example, after studying together and creating maps of the battlefields during the American Civil War it lead to discussions about whether or not man learned anything about history from that bloody war?

At the high school level, my boys have formed strong opinions about the war and I am able to pass on our family values.  If they studied this in isolation, they might not have reached some of the same conclusions.

Middle and high school should be a time for activities and projects that are selective and purposeful.

It’s true that many times I didn’t insist that my son who preferred a hands-off approach to join us, however, many times I did insist and not give him a choice.

Our high school kids still need guidance, direction and interaction with us. They are preparing for adulthood, which means they are not ready yet.

I am so grateful that North Star Geography sees the value of hands-on learning in the upper grades and I will continue to use it with Tiny for the next couple of years.

When I asked both of my oldest sons what they remembered about geography, it never was about a book, but it is always about a hands-on project we worked on together.

Also, you may like to read:

Hugs and love ya,

30+ Summer Activities for Middle School Kids

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

Summertime is not just for young children. These 30 summer activities for middle school kids will not only keep them engaged, but it allows them to burn some of the energy they have in reserve during the long year of schooling. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

I have gathered up 30 ideas and I’m hoping one of them will inspire you and your kids to savor the moments of homeschooling middle school. They go by fast.

30 Summer Activities for Middle School Kids
  • Play games. My bunch still loves games like Checkers and Life and any type of card game.
  • Try a new sport. Though my boys love traditional sports, they have been trying ping pong lately.
  • Take a craft class together. My friend Cynthia and her son did a pottery class together.

Summer Activities for Middle School

  • Take up singing. Don’t worry if you can’t carry a note. I bought a karaoke machine before we left the states and we loved practicing our singing at the house.
  • Check out some summer classes at the museum or zoo.
  • Create a summer reading list together. Give your children more latitude in deciding what they want to read. Everyone needs to read books that are just for sheer joy.
  • Volunteer at a pet shelter. If you have an animal lover and they are a bit mature, pet shelters are always looking for responsible volunteers.
  • Take up baking. Most kids this age either love to cook or bake.  Chocolate chip cookies are a great motivator with my boys in learning how to bake.

Homeschooling Middle School Kids

  • Ice skating. My boys love to iceskate in the summer when the days are hot. It also burns off excess energy. I love the quiet and calm at home when we come back because they are too tired to start any sibling rivalry.
  • Take them to a homeschool convention.  You know they don’t just sell curriculum there. My boys picked out hands-on science projects and crafts they liked to do. It can also be an opportunity for them to look at curriculum they will be using in the upper grades.
Middle School Kids can create a terrarium @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
  • Swimming. No need to say more.
  • Take up dance classes. Normally in summer the classes are smaller and I find that students get more attention. If you live in place where it’s so hot that you can’t get outdoors for part of the day, an inside activity is a cool relief. We loved the classes offered by Arthur Murray studios.

Summer Learning Ideas for Teens

  • Learn programming. Tiny actually has an interest in this and we might give this a try this summer.
  • Mentoring. Is your child a care giver? Then he or she might enjoy looking at summer programs where they can mentor.
  • Gardening or even container gardening. How long has it been since you made a terrarium?
The Basement Workshop Store

Don’t forget summer is a great time to do a living book and hands-on science exploring about plants, fruits and nuts!

Our Journey Westward

I love these series of books because you can use them for grades K – 8.

“The NaturExplorers series was written with 1st-8th graders in mind.

 All of the activities in the studies are very adaptable for all ages, though, and specific ideas are included for incorporating your older and younger students.”

Our Journey Westward
  • Learn to make jewelry. I did this when I was in middle school. Nowadays, any Hobby Lobby or craft store carries beginner supplies.
  • Learn to work with leather. Leather can be expensive, so start with those cheaper chamois wash cloths they sell at Walmart to dry your car with and make a pouch, shirt or choker from it. These fun leather crafts are a fun way to begin learning about working with leather.
  • Go to free concerts. We use to live close to a major college and they had free concerts outside with a variety of musicals from classical to modern that my boys enjoyed going to.

  • Try a new water sports like whitewater rafting. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you have a water lover he or she may enjoy taking lessons.
  • Check out you library summer reading program.

Summer Fun for Teens

  • Take up a summer job. Some jobs like a babysitter, dog walker and pet setting services just require a mature young person.
  • Make a lava lamp. Beckons me to my childhood.
  • Learn to sew. I sewed my first pillow in middle school. It’s a shame that skill didn’t stick with me until today.
  • Learn to Cook.
  • Take an online class. You’ll love this fun Poetry and a Movie. Click here for Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved).
  • Interview a grandparent. This year we have had both sets of grandparents real ill. We are making a chart of questions that Tiny has been wondering about their life and when we return to the states, he will be interviewing them.
Middle School Kids Can Learn Photography @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
  • Take an elective class for high school now. There is no need to wait until high school to take an elective they might be interested in. Too, by taking a class during the summer, they can take their time and it still goes on their high school transcript when they enter the high school years. Look at A to Z List: Middle and High School Homeschool Electives.
  • Learn photography. My niece took up some basic photography during her summer years. Most classes for beginners don’t require any fancy equipment in the beginning. It is a great way to see if a passion turns into a profession as they grow older.

Fun Learning Ideas for Summer

  • Art lessons for the art lover. Sometimes we just don’t have time to get it all in during the school year and taking up art during the summer keeps it fun instead of “school”.
  • Take up reenacting. My sister and her daughters would do history like this during the summer. Living history, hands down beats a dry textbook.
  • Head to the beach. I remember my summer times at the beach roasting corn and marshmallows. Nothing means summer more than spending a day and evening at the beach.

More Summer Homeschool Ideas

    Those ideas are just some of the things we have done and pop into my head.

    30 Summer Activities for Middle School Kids

    What about you? What are your favorite activities to do during summer time for middle school kids?

    You’ll love these other ideas:

    30 Summer Activities for Middle School Kids @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    Mini Volcano Book and Label Layers of Earth Mini Book

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

    We are finally getting caught up on our Earth’s Structure lapbook.

    So today, I am sharing two more minibooks that go in our latest lapbook.

    They are the mini volcano book and label layers of earth mini book.

    What is a Volcano

    Earth's Layers

    Free Homeschool Lapbook – Earth’s Structure

    Also, I am using the free Focus on Earth Science textbook

    Unit Three: Plate Tectonics and Earth’s Structure and Unit Four: The Shape of Earth’s Surface are the chapters that I hone in on to prepare these minibooks and they are the ones your child will need to focus on when researching to find the answers to the minibooks.

    Additionally, like most of my minibooks, I give you some facts that you can add to the minibook or like I mentioned, you can add your own from your research.

    The volcano is a simple fold minibook and the label earth’s layer book is an open faced page.

    Minibooks/Topics in the Earth Science Lapbook

    • Why Are Beaches Sandy
    • Summer Beaches Versus Winter Beaches
    • What is a Natural Hazard
    • Energy Sources for Natural Hazards
    • Features of Rivers & Streams
    • Plate Tectonics trifold book
    • Earth Structure Lapbook Cover
    • What is a Volcano
    • Earth Layers Book
    • Extreme Winds
    Free Earth Science Lapbook & Unit Study Ideas

    Next, add some more of these earth science activities.

    Earth Science Hands-on Activities

    How to Get the Free Earth Structures Lapbook

    Now, how to grab the free printable. It’s a subscriber freebie.

    When you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

     1) Sign up on my email list to follow me and get this freebie and many others.
     2) Grab the printable.
    3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you.

    You’ll love these other earth science activities!

    Finally, check out:

    Middle School Homeschool Science 50 Free Spring Activities

    Free Middle School Science Curriculum and Magazine

    Mini Volcano Book and Earth's Layers Mini Book @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus