A Better Way to Homeschool https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com What if we focus on character Sat, 14 Jan 2017 17:15:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/cropped-ABW-Apple_Heart-Image-32x32.png A Better Way to Homeschool https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com 32 32 Projects Don’t Have To Be Fancy! https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/projects-dont-have-to-be-fancy.html https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/projects-dont-have-to-be-fancy.html#comments Fri, 20 Sep 2013 03:07:00 +0000 https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/projects-dont-have-to-be-fancy/

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]]> I am so thankful that homeschooling projects do not have to be planned or fancy to have their full impact on my kids learning. Aren’t you glad too?

Shaduf Royalty Free Stock ImagesThe boys were reading a chapter in Story of the World: Ancient Times and simply could not describe to me how a shaduf would work after reading the selection. They each read it. I reread it. I read it again. Somehow their brains could not picture this ancient irrigation tool.

Solution:
Impromptu Science, Physics, History Hands-on Learning Experience

Materials:

  • 2 sticks at least 4 feet long 
  • A Bucket of water
  • A ziplock bag
  • some kind of weight (they chose a shopping bag with pool balls)
  • some string

Directions:
“Boys, here are the basic elements for making a shaduf. Figure out how to put them together in a way that allows you to fill the baggie with water from the bucket and then swing the arm around to water your make-believe garden.”

Results:

Dipping bag into the water
 
 Swinging the water around to reach the “garden”.
 
“Crops” being watered.
 
Here’s a (windy) explanation of what they learned, narrated by the youngest.
 
 

Sometimes less is more in homeschooling.

 
I had a whole afternoon of schooly looking activities planned for the boys. Instead, they were able to use critical thinking to solve a problem, build with their hands, and play in the water for over an hour. They learned more in this activity than I had planned for them to accomplish, even though we have nothing on paper to show for it.
 
 Aint Homeskoolin” Grate? (Yes, I misspelled on purpose. Sometimes you just have to jump out of the box!)

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