(on) The Road (to becoming a) Scholar: Gone Fishin'

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Gone Fishin'

My 6 year old has a way of keeping me on my toes. He does not want to do school anymore because it's "no fun." So, it was time to get creative.
He got a cheap dollar store fishing pole with a magnet for a hook from his sister for Christmas. Inspiration!
I got out his flashcards and had HIM put paper clips on each. (Great skill for developing fine motor skills.) Before hie could completely finish, enter two year old. She found the fishing pole and WOULD NOT give it back. She had "gone fishin'" for his flashcards. He was LIVID. The scene he created was loud.
The result of the ruckus? Enter four year old. "I want to fish, too" he declared.
I ran out to the garage and grabbed the two kiddy fishing poles we had. I cut the hooks and managed to tie slip knots on the line. I added a couple of magnets to the lines.
Four year old and six year old now were putting paper clips on Disney Princess Math flashcards for the two year old. She switched to fishing for princesses instead of reading words.
Four year old and six year old casted and fished for reading words, with four year old trying to say the letter names or sounds and six year old reading the words. Two year old was still picking up princesses.
In the end I used:

3 fishing poles (kiddie or play type with magnets on the line)
box of paper clips
flashcards

Result: three happy kids under 7, fine motor skill activity, gross motor activity (fishing), reading, letter recognition and PRINCESS recognition (don't all two year old girls need that?) :-)
What have you done for fun lately? Leave some creative ideas here. Help us all out.

1 comment:

RealMom4Life said...: That sounds like such fun. I'll be checking back for more ideas.

Re-enacting our history with Playmobil characters and a large map on the floor.

This one isn't so creative but my 4,6,8, and 10 year old love it. www.readingeggs.com This is exactly what my 6 year old said on Sunday. "Mom, can I do my reading eggs? I know it's not a school day but I really like it and it's more like a game to me."; January 19, 2012 at 12:08 AM

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The Road Scholar

Cathie and her husband are blessed with six children and have home educated them since 2003. Before children, Cathie developed curricula and taught classes for adults around the world on a variety of topics in the computer industry at the corporate and technical school level. She loves to develop curricula, teach homeschool co-op classes and organize book clubs. For five years, she held board positions on a large homeschool support group such as general coordinator, membership coordinator and advisory member.

Workshops, Presentations and Seminars

To arrange a presentation for your homeschool group or convention contact me here.

Topics:

Beginning Homeschooling - Beyond the Basics

Are you new to homeschooling? Where do you start? How do you ensure a very good (not just adequate) homeschooling experience, especially in that important first year? This practical how-to session will help you determine the appropriate first steps on your homeschooling adventure. We'll talk about picking a curriculum, scheduling and strategies for developing an independent child as well as strengthening your family and social relationships.

Get Your Game On!
Using EASY, Almost No-Fuss Games to Help Keep Learning Fun

Kids love games and so much is gained by playing games: learning to taking turns, good sportsmanship, patience and development of relationships. By using games, we can tailor to the needs of the child - not just academically, but socially, too. Come join in the fun yourself and learn how easy it is to put together games for your children—and you don't have to be creative to do it, either! Besides learning how, you will walk away with instructions, tips and resources to make your own games at home.

How to Get Your Kids to See the Light (or Feel it or Hear it)!

Teaching different learning modalities requires different tactics. Learn how to determine which modality your child uses and find ways to present material so that it sticks the first time, especially if it is different than your own learning modality.

This Old Schoolhouse

The school marms and school masters of yesteryear taught several children at different levels and formed many of our favorite American heroes. We will look back at how those school marms ran their one room schools and take some tips on making our school days more successful. We’ll talk about schedules, curriculum, discipline, independence, character development and motivation for the one room school in your home.

Socrates Meets Homeschool Mom

If Socrates could teach you one thing, it would be to use his method (the Socratic Method) for literary analysis. This presentation addresses the fundamentals of literary interpretation from within the accessible world of children’s literature, so even young students can easily identify the language of literary analysis. As they mature they will readily spot these fundamentals in more difficult works, enriching both their understanding of the literature and their appreciation for the author’s handiwork. Learn the aspects of literary analysis and how to help kids appreciate and find the meaning in all the great books they read.

The Motivation Myth

What do sticker charts, time-outs and spelling bees have in common? They are examples of “Carrots and Sticks.” Over the last 40 years, study after study has shown that "Carrots and Sticks" don't work for long term motivation, especially when thought is required in the process. How are you motivating and inspiring your kids to study, do chores and reach goals? Learn about what truly motivates kids, how to mentor them and help them become successful in their endeavors. I will dispel the myths and reveal truths about human motivation and mindset. And here’s a hint. It’s you, not them. I hope you will join me to find out what that means.