Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Honest. Quirky. Real. Practical tips, candid reviews, and stereotype-smashing humor for homeschooling families.

Honest. Quirky. Real. Practical tips, candid reviews, and stereotype-smashing humor for homeschooling families.

February 2019 Writing Prompt Calendar {FREE PRINTABLE}

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Use these free printable writing prompts to get your kids writing every day. Plus, pick up tips for building confident writers.

Written by Adrienne Bolton of The Mommy Mess.

I remember when my oldest was in fourth grade. He was still going to public school then (his last year there). At that time, fourth grade was typically the year the schools in our state pushed hard on writing skills to prepare the students for the writing portion of the state standardized test. Yuck. I know.

My son used to get so stressed when it came to writing.

free printable writing prompts

He’d clam up, panic, and just sit there staring at the paper with his pencil in his sweaty little fourth-grade hand. His scores were always crazy amazing when it came to those stupid tests, but when it was time for the essay portion? He flopped. I remember him getting some ridiculous low score because his page was virtually blank when he finally turned it in — poor kid. The writing process was always so hard for him.

That was the year we pulled him out of public school, and I never shared his scores with him when they came in the mail that summer because, one, I didn’t care about them and, two, I knew he’d be so bummed. He cared so much about test scores and the like. We all did back then — silly us. [Read more…]

January 2019 Writing Prompt Calendar {Free Printable}

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Is one of your goals to include more writing in your homeschool this year? Check out our free monthly writing prompts! We’ve got an idea for every day this month.

Written by Adrienne Bolton of The Mommy Mess.

Hi, friends! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Can you believe it’s time to put 2018 behind us and step into the new year? What are some of your homeschooling goals for 2019?

We want to help you meet them! I have a few goals in mind, but there’s one, in particular, I’m excited about because it involves YOU!

Do you struggle to get your kids writing? I know I do. What do you say we do something about that this year?

January monthly writing prompts

Introducing …

Monthly Writing Prompts for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Oh yes, we did! We even got fancy and made a printable calendar for you, too! [Read more…]

When Your Reader Struggles: What May Be Missing

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Between the tears and the slipping progress in schoolwork, you know he’s struggling. But why? The first step in helping your child overcome his struggles is figuring out what’s causing them.

lindamood-bell academy help for reading challenges

Perhaps he is struggling with a more challenging curriculum this year. Do you notice patterns of difficulty?

You may see:

  • struggle with reading words in context (trouble sounding out unfamiliar words)
  • problems remembering what the student read or heard
  • new or increased difficulty spelling with longer, multi-syllable words
  • declining math skills when presented with more complex concepts

Possible Causes of Learning and Reading Challenges

Reading and spelling challenges could result from weak symbol imagery. This weakness affects a student’s ability to visualize letters and sounds within words. It also causes difficulty mastering sight words, reading fluently, and spelling.

Weak concept imagery causes students to get only part of the information they read or hear. This weakness can result in reading, language comprehension, or math struggles. It also interferes with reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing. Sometimes it affects affect math skills because students fail to grasp basic concepts.

Without a solid foundation of symbol and concept imagery, students may develop coping mechanisms. Kids often memorize facts instead of building their reasoning and problem-solving skills. Developing strong symbol and concept imagery are vital to reading, comprehension, and math skills.

Solutions for Learning and Reading Challenges

One solution for learning struggles is getting your child evaluated to find the cause of the difficulties. Evaluation can provide valuable insight. Once they identify the area of weakness, parents and students can work on solutions. Lindamood-Bell’s programs develop the foundational skills that support reading, comprehension, and math. By strengthening these areas, you provide your child with the tools she needs to overcome her academic troubles.

lindamood-bell academy help for reading challenges

At Lindamood-Bell Academy, we offer in-person or online instruction. We work with students to develop the imagery-language foundation for success in language processing. This foundation is essential for success in all curriculum.

We combine instructional expertise with a full curriculum to develop the sensory-cognitive foundation and apply it to academic content. Parents and students can expect the same quality online. Our students do not work alone. Our Academy is successful when traditional approaches are not, even with students with a diagnosis such as dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, or general learning challenges.

Lindamood-Bell Academy operates in 60+ permanent Learning Centers located throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.

Make sure you are giving your child a strong foundation for language processing and academic success. Find out if Lindamood-Bell Academy is the right fit for your student!

For more information on Lindamood-Bell Academy, call 800-300-1818 or visit us at www.LindamoodBellAcademy.com.

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8 Movies Based on Books for Halloween {+Free Printable}

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Written by Tara Mitchell of Homeschool Preschool.

Whether your kids prefer a scary or not-so-scary Halloween celebration, these movies based on books for Halloween are sure to be a hit with your children this fall! From classics to modern tales and preschool to teens, we’ve got you covered with this round-up of Halloween books and movies.

There are a few activities we do every year around Halloween. One favorite tradition is watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown when it airs on TV. This year, we ditched the cable so we’ll be renting it on Amazon, but it’s a tradition my daughter, now 15, insists we uphold year after year.

8 Movies Based on Books for Halloween

This year, though, I’m excited to add a few new movies to our celebrations.

If you want to squeeze a little school from your Halloween fun, download this free Halloween-themed books and movies Venn diagram to compare and contrast book and film versions.

Movies Based on Books for Halloween

Pro tip: Use the books for read-alouds this fall, and save the movies for a fun-filled family movie night complete with Halloween-themed treats.

Coraline

In my round-up of movies based on books for tweens, I noted that my daughter and I discovered that Coraline the movie was based on Coraline the book long after we watched the movie. We loved both! It’s a captivating, spooky tale for Halloween.

I recommend this movie for older kids and tweens. Besides the spooky factor, it deals with some heavy topics to which younger kids may be sensitive.

The Witches

A young boy loves to listen to his grandmother’s tales about witches – the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth. Nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with some witches as they plot to rid the world of children!

With a mixture of suspense and silliness, The Witches book is an excellent addition to your read-aloud list while you save The Witches movie for family movie night. I recommend both for older children since younger kids may find them too intense.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

You man not think of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a Halloween tale, but I like to read it around the holiday since it’s full of candy!

As far as movies go, I prefer the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie with Gene Wilder. But, kids might enjoy the Johnny Depp’s version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory better since it’s more modern.

8 Movies Based on Books for Halloween

Harry Potter

I held out for so long on the Harry Potter series. When they first came out, I wasn’t interested in them at all. But, I set a goal to read them all this year. Once I started them, I plowed through them for in a couple of months.

After reading the books, I watched all of the Harry Potter movies. (Well except the last one, because I didn’t want the series to end.) They make the perfect set of movies and books for October!

Be warned that both the movies and the books get quite a bit darker as the series goes on. If you have younger children, you may want to preview the series first.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a great movie for Halloween or Christmas. Or both if you’re a movie buff. Jack Skellington is a favorite at our house! As with many of the movies I’ve mentioned, younger kids might be scared of the Halloween monsters so preview the movie or watch with your child.

I later learned that did not know that the movie is based on a poem that Tim Burton wrote. The artwork in the book version of The Nightmare Before Christmas consists of his original drawings of Jack Skellington and friends.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

This title is for the little ones – or the young at heart! As I mentioned, my 15-year-old still begs to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown every year when it airs on TV. This year, I’m looking forward to continuing the tradition with my grandson.

Who can resist waiting with Linus in the pumpkin patch, watching Charlie Brown say “I got a rock”, or the moment when Snoopy touches Lucy’s lips in the apple bobbing bucket?

We’ll also be adding the picture book version of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown to our book collection this Halloween.

Goosebumps

I remember reading Goosebumps books back when I was in middle school. They’ve been around for a while. Kids today love them, too. They’re just suspenseful enough to keep older kids’ interest without giving them nightmares.

I have not seen the Goosebumps movie, but it’s got good reviews. Many state that the movie isn’t super scary and that even younger, elementary-aged kids enjoyed the film. As always, though, if you have sensitive kids or those who might scare easily, preview it.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a classic short story by Washington Irving. It’s perfect for Halloween time. There are several different movie versions of the story including a Disney cartoon, The Adventures of Ichabod, and a full-length movie, Sleepy Hollow, featuring Johnny Depp.

Choose the one that best fits your child’s age range.

I always recommend reading the book or story before watching the movie. This can lead to some lively discussions if your kids enjoy comparing the two versions as much as mine do. Give them a little school credit by having your kids record the similarities and differences on this Halloween-themed books and movies Venn diagram.

What are some of your family’s favorite Halloween books or movies? 

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Using Mini-offices in Your Homeschool

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When my kids were little, mini-offices were all the rage in homeschools and classrooms. A while back, I referred to them in a blog post and was surprised to learn that there are people who have never heard of a mini-office.

I’m not going to lie. It made me feel a little old.

So, I decided that I needed to fix that. I mean, people not knowing about mini-offices. I don’t think there’s much I can do about getting old.

Using Mini-offices in Your Homeschool

What Are Mini-Offices?

Mini-offices are really similar to anchor charts that are all the rage now (with the hip young parents – I didn’t know what they were until last week). A mini-office is two or more file folders glued or stapled together and filled with helpful tips, reference charts, and resources for students.

A mini-office helps a student focus on the task at hand, and the resources inside allow him to work more independently than he might otherwise be able to on his own. He’s got a quick reference for things like the spelling of common words or place value.

Old-school mini-offices are also beneficial to homeschooled kids who often school at the dining room table with several siblings. Because the file folders stand up, they give students some personal space and limit the distraction siblings may cause.

How to Create a Mini-Office

I based the original mini-offices that I created for Josh and Megan on the writing center Brianna used. All you need to create a mini-office is:

  • two or more file folders (I like using the brightly colored ones)
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Printables
homeschool mini-offices

First, lay the two folders flat so that the right side of the first folder overlaps the left side of the second, creating three sections. Glue the overlapped sections together. (You can also staple them or use packing tape.)

The two overlapped parts form the middle of the mini-office. You may need to trim the file folder tabs so that the office will close flat.

homeschool mini-offices

Next, cut out a variety of charts, tables, and resources for whatever your kids are working on. My kids had a writing mini-office and a math mini-office.

Types of Mini-Offices

When the kids were younger, one of my big goals was to avoid invented spelling in their writing. No, there’s nothing inherently wrong with invented spelling, but because Josh has dyslexia, when he was little it was easy to get a misspelling stuck in his head.

So, their writing mini-office had a word wall and other spelling resources, along with writing resources such as a 5W’s hand so that they could remember to include who, what, where, when, and why.

writing mini-office

A math mini-office might consist of:

  • a 100 number chart
  • a multiplication or addition table
  • ordinal numbers
  • colors
  • months and days
  • coin values
  • shapes
math mini-office

It might also include a map of the United States just because I thought it was nifty.

Mini-offices aren’t necessarily just for young children either. An older student might appreciate a file folder with reference tools such as:

  • mathematical order of operations
  • formulas for finding an area, perimeter, or slope
  • Periodic Table of Elements
  • Classification chart
  • Strong verbs

Math Mini-Office Resources

Look for resources for your mini-offices wherever you find your favorite printables, such as Teachers Pay Teachers or Mama’s Learning Corner.

writing mini-office

Two great sites for mini-office printables are Teaching Heart (warning: the site is old school – it’s my original spot for printables) and Jessica Meacham’s Mini Offices (also an original, but the site has been updated).

math mini-office

For specific printables that I used, other than Teaching Heart and Jessica Meacham, check out these resources:

Using Mini-offices in Your Homeschool

Come on, y’all. Bring back mini-offices! I hope your kids love them as much as mine did. The mini-offices are something that Josh and Megan both remember.

Have you ever used mini-offices before? If so, are you old like me? {grin}

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