Middle School Archives - Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Explore the World (and Learn Coding!)

August 16, 2019 By Kris Bales

Kids can explore world cultures, hone their writing skills, and learn to code with The Adventurous Mailbox! Learn more with this Adventurous Mailbox review.

Thanks to the Internet and the fact that it’s available 24/7 on devices small enough to fit in our pockets, our big wide world has evolved into a pretty small space. That fact has its pros and cons. One of the cons is that thanks to an emerging world culture, we’re at risk of losing touch with the rich diversity of individual cultures.

The Adventurous Mailbox hopes to change that by exploring the beauty of a variety of countries’ cultures through exciting books and activities. Along the way, kids ages 8-12 will learn the basics of coding, hone their writing skills, and learn about the history, geography, and folklore of the countries they visit.

What Is The Adventurous Mailbox?

The Adventurous Mailbox is an exciting book series and accompanying website that explores world cultures through the eyes of Crameye. Crameye is a young kid from Taiwan who goes on some pretty crazy adventures with his best friend, Neva. Oh, and there’s also Crameye’s kid sister, Buster, and Neva’s little sister, Thor. [Read more…]

13 Hands-On Activities for Kids That Will Make Learning Fun

November 13, 2018 By Kris Bales

Hands-on activities for kids and teens make learning memorable and fun. Try these 13 hands-on learning activities that are versatile enough for any subject.

I still feel guilty. I carefully constructed my see-saw and placed the bucket of plastic army men on one end. Now, I was ready to jump on the other end and watch the bucket spin through the air, army men nestled safely inside, and land a few feet away just like the scenes in cartoons.

Except cartoons defy the laws of physics and gravity. Buckets of plastic army men in kindergarten classrooms do not.

I wish I could remember the name of the little boy I let take the fall for me. I’d apologize for high-tailing it in the other direction while our teacher scolded him for raining plastic army men all over the classroom.

Forever emblazed in my mind, that memory embodies hands-on learning at its finest. (Expect for my innocent classmate.) Activities that engage the body and mind enhance learning and retention. The best hands-on learning activities for kids are open-ended, versatile, and easily adaptable for all ages.

The following activities will work for any age and nearly any subject whether you’re looking for hands-on activities for middle school and high school students or ideas for your elementary kids.

Versatile Hands-on Activities for Kids

1. Build a Map

Increase understanding and help kids visualize history and geography with a 3-D map. Building maps helps kids understand things like why Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt appear mislabeled on a flat map.

Maps help them see the role that geography plays in wars, culture, and civilization. Try some of our favorite hands-on activities with maps such as:

2. Make Costumes

Kids love costumes, simple or elaborate. I’m no seamstress, so when my kids were little, we assembled store-bought costumes or simple, DIY options.

Sewing your own costumes provides hands-on learning for math skills as your child measures, figures out how much material she’ll need, and cuts out the pattern. Don’t forget to count this as home ec time!

3. Put on a Play or Puppet Show

From writing the script to building the set, kids practice a variety of skills as they prepare a puppet show or play. They learn dialogue, descriptive writing, oral communication, art, creativity, and more.

Performing the play and acting out the scenes they create, reinforces students’ understanding of the people, places, and events they’re studying.

4. Create a Presentation

Oral presentations make a fantastic alternative to written assessments. Preparing the presentation provides an opportunity for kids to review. Presenting it showcases what they learned (and may highlight areas you need to go over again).

Students can assemble an oral presentation with or without a presentation board, or they can try their hand at PowerPoint, a slideshow, or photo journaling.

5. Make a Paper Mâchè Model

Easily add hands-on learning to subjects like history, science, or geography with paper mache models. Build a model of the earth or even the whole solar system.

Way back in the day, my oldest created a paper mache Leaning Tower of Pisa when we studied Italy. I remember my cousin making a model of the Liberty Bell when he was a kid. There are so many creative possibilities!

Think about science models, historic landmarks, or replicas of key elements from a novel for a literature course.

6. Prepare a Themed Dinner

You probably first think of history or geography when considering a themed dinner, but with a little creativity, meals could represent concepts from science, math and other subjects.

Fix pizza and a round cookie cake when studying circumference. Make a pie for Pi Day. Bake an apple pie when you study Issac Newton.

7. Do a Paper Bag Book Report

Toss boring written book reports and try a paper bag book report instead. Kids start with a paper bag and add items that represent some aspect of the book (or a person’s life, a time in history, or an invention). Then, they pull out the items, one by one, and recap the highlights of the book as they explain the significance of each.

8. Make a Lapbook or Notebook

One popular, hands-on method of showcasing what kids have learned is assembling a lapbook. You can make your own lapbooks or try a variety of ready-made lapbook sets.

If your kids aren’t fans of lapbooking (mine aren’t), let them make a story notebook or notebooking instead.

9. Build a Diorama or Model

My kids used to love building dioramas for different biomes (like the ocean or dessert), but you can adapt these little shoebox models for many different purposes.

If dioramas aren’t your thing, try other model options like a construction paper representation of Earth’s layers, a shoebox lid Roman road replica, or an edible cell model. Just don’t drop it!

10. Create Art

Your kid doesn’t have to be an artist, and his projects don’t have to be elaborate. Encourage him to choose something that represents some aspect of the topic he’s studying. He might try a collage of vertebrates if studying mammals or a painting of sea creatures for marine biology.

Kids can make their own cave paintings on paper bags. Let them create a mixed media masterpiece depicting a historical event or famous person or try their hand at sculpting with clay.

11. Write an ABC Book

Don’t skip this idea just because you have high school students! ABC books make a versatile tool for all ages. Use blank board books or homemade books to create an ABC story on any topic. The older your student, the more detail you can require for the book.

Your student can create a math ABC book – A is for angle, B is for base, and C is for circumference.

Try geography – A is for archipelago, B is for beach, and C is for canal.

The possibilities for ABC book topics are endless!

12. Play Games

Games make a fun, low-key way to learn new topics or review concepts. Bingo, matching, memory, or fishing are some of my favorite, easily adaptable, DIY games for almost any subject.

For fishing, tie a magnet to a dowel rod with a piece of twine. Then, put paper clips on index-card “fish” or cut fun fish shapes from construction paper. When kids catch the fish, they have to read or define the word, explain the concept, or answer a question based on what you wrote on the card.

You can also use your imagination, a pack of index cards, and the board from most board games to create your own homemade learning games. Jeopardy is a fantastic game for teens and tweens or try Periodic Table Battleship.

13. Take a Field Trip

We’ve done everything from caves (for geology) to a replica of one of Columbus’ ships (history) to an emergency room (health and safety). We’ve even done an official (as opposed to a homeschool stereotype) field trip to a grocery store.

Heading out to see the things you’ve been studying in person is one of the best hands-on learning activities around. Simple, stress-free homeschool field trip planning tips make a group outing a breeze. Try my field trip ideas for middle school and high school students or get some fantastic field trip ideas for preschoolers.

Hands-on activities for kids and teens make learning fun and memorable – plastic army men and 5-year-old innocent bystanders not required.https://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/encounter-with-a-homeschooler/

What are some versatile hands-on activities that you and your kids enjoy?

Like these ideas? Discover more in my subscriber exclusive, Hands-On Learning, a 54-page e-book with 10 hands-on activities featuring full-color step-by-step tutorials. It’s free for subscribers!

When Your Struggling Learner Refuses to Try

September 13, 2018 By Shawna Wingert

Written by Shawna Wingert of Not the Former Things.

If I had saved all the pencils my sons have snapped in half over the past nine years of homeschooling, I am certain I could build a small cabin in woods with them.

(Both of my boys have a habit of blaming the pencil for their learning struggles.)

Although they are very different learners, both struggle with coping, staying calm and remaining engaged when our schooling gets tough. The truth is, much of the time, and for a variety of reasons, they simply refuse to try.

Nothing makes me more frustrated as a homeschooling mom than when my struggling learner refuses to try.

When Your Struggling Learner Refuses to Try

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This year, I am committed to easing the stress of this resistance. For all of us!

When my oldest son was in public school, much of our life revolved around him refusing to leave the house or get out of the car in the morning to even go to school. And then there was the repeated refusal to complete homework at night.

The seemingly constant resistance was a nightmare and one of the main reasons we decided to homeschool in the first place. But as time has gone on, some of the same issues have resurfaced.

The balking when the books come out.

The shrug when asked by his doctor if he likes being homeschooled.

The pile of broken pencils.

Because I want our learning to be as joyful as possible, and because we typically follow a more interest-led, project-based style of schooling, decreasing this resistance has become a top priority – especially as my boys head into middle school and high school this year.

When Your Struggling Learner Refuses To Try

The best way to address a refusal to try and to engage in learning is to try to understand what is causing it. In my experience, there are five key reasons my sons might resist learning.

1. It’s Boring

How many times have I heard this? If what I am hoping we will study is too easy or just plain dull, it will almost always cause a bit of resistance. I am not sure I blame them.

2. It’s Difficult

If the information is way beyond their grasp and understanding, or if they forgot some of the foundational pieces necessary for learning a new concept (this is an issue particularly with math), my boys will more than likely just refuse to try. It’s not an ideal response, but it is the reality.

3. Rigid Thinking

Rigid thinking is a substantial factor in my oldest son’s success or refusal when it comes to learning. If he perceives something as unnecessary and/or idiotic (his word), he will flat out refuse to spend his time on it. This rigid thinking is part of his learning differences. It is also part of his teenager-ness.

4. Anxiety and/or Fear of Failure

If my youngest is feeling anxious about the learning (or anything else), lessons quickly become strenuous. Sometimes, this is only because he is afraid he will fail and feel discouraged about his learning struggles. Sometimes, the anxiety comes up independent of what we are learning and derails him. Either way, anxiety is a powerful factor in a child’s refusal to learn and try.

If you suspect that your child may have a learning disability, try the free, online learning disabilities test from Lexercise.

5. Physical Concerns

If my children are hungry, sleep deprived or haven’t been outside for fresh air in a while, learning becomes so much more difficult. I understand. When I have had four cups of coffee but forgot to eat breakfast, I start to give up on our learning too.

How To Respond When Your Child Refuses To Try

Now that we have discussed some key factors as to why our children refuse to try, I want to share a little bit about what helps my family get back on track when one more of my kiddos is resistant to learning.

Start Small

Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to take a few steps back. When I notice increased refusals, meltdowns, and overall negativity associated with our learning, my first response is to slow things down. Reviewing past topics to ensure retention serves to increase my children’s confidence in their own abilities. It also lessens the fear of failure and subsequent anxiety.

In the same way, I also shorten lessons, keeping them to about 15-20 minutes max. I try to make it feel as effortless as possible initially until my sons show signs of feeling more equipped to move forward.

Discuss The Value

For my oldest, this is essential. Because he will absolutely refuse to learn something he does not see as valuable, I find the best way to get him back on track is to help him understand why we are studying a particular topic. For example, he struggles to see how he will ever need math in life. He has a calculator on his phone and that is quite enough as far as he is concerned. Once we looked at the requirements for high school graduation in our state, however, he saw the value in his continued practice and learning. He may not enjoy it all the time, but he doesn’t totally refuse either.

Ask For Input

This is one of the best suggestions I have for helping the child who is refusing to learn. I ask him either what he would like to learn (if the current topic is one I am willing to let go) or how he would like to learn it. For example, my youngest struggles with writing but loves creating stories. He suggested that he make up stories and tell me what to write for our creative writing program. I happily accepted the position of scribe.

Take A Break

There are days when it just isn’t working. Rather than force it, sometimes the best response to my sons’ resistance is to take a break. Depending on the day, this might mean a quick trip to grab lunch outside the house, listening to an audiobook in the car, and calling it a day. Other days, it might mean going for a swim in our pool and then getting back to work. It’s effective, and I find that my children are less likely to resist when they have had a chance to breathe and refuel a bit.

All children will, at one point or another, for one reason or another, refuse to try. It is a part of learning their own capabilities and the march towards independence and adulthood. While it can be difficult in the moment, please, let me encourage you, one day, week, or even month does not define an entire homeschool education.

When our children refuse to try, what better place to learn how to manage and cope than at home, with a teacher who loves them!

What works for you when your child refuses to try?

Tips for Allowing Homeschooled Teens to Make Their Own Schedules

July 30, 2018 By Kris Bales

It can be scary allowing your homeschooled teens to make their own schedules. I mean, are they really responsible enough to get the work done? As frightening as turning over the reins can be, it’s important that teens learn time management and develop self-motivation.

This post is sponsored by A Plan in Place. I received monetary compensation for administering the giveaway. The opinions expressed are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

Try these tips for allowing homeschooled teens to make their own schedules and make sure they actually get stuff done.

1. Set guidelines.

First, it’s important that you set guidelines with your teen. It’s okay to be flexible with them, though. Discuss potential guidelines with your teen until you hash out the schedule that is in the sweet spot of the Venn diagram labeled, “What my teen wants,” “What I want,” and “What we both can live with.”

For example, you may agree to your teen working during set times each day, giving him the freedom to choose what assignments to complete during that time. Or, you may be okay with him setting his own hours as long as he finishes all his schoolwork by Friday.

2. Discuss scheduling methods.

There are many effective scheduling methods. Talk about the different ways your teen might want to schedule her daily work. Block scheduling often works great for subjects like history and science, but not so great for math and literature. Well, unless your teen is a bookworm like I was. In that case, block scheduling may be perfect for lit class.

Loop scheduling is another option for subjects that your teen may not need to do every day. Some people work with the Pomodoro method, while others like bullet journaling.

Discuss potential guidelines with your teen until you hash out the schedule that is in the sweet spot of the Venn diagram labeled, “What my teen wants,” “What I want,” and “What we both can live with.”

It may take some experimenting to find the scheduling method – or combination of methods – that works best for your teen. It’s okay to go through a little trial and error. Just make sure that she’s not getting too far off-track while experimenting.

And, remember that the method that works best for her may be the one that would drive you batty. That’s okay, too, as long as it works for her.

3. Use a planner.

Get your teen a planner. (We love the customizable planners from A Plan in Place!) Your teen can write out his schedule for the week either on Monday morning before he gets started for the week or on Friday afternoon while thoughts from the current week are still fresh.

List any regularly-scheduled times for extracurricular activities or outside classes. If your teen has a part-time job, have her add her work schedule it to the planner. Teach her to add appointments and commitments as she makes them.

Show your teen how to break down and plan out long-term assignments such as research papers or reading assignments, and add due dates to her planner.

4. Put accountability checks in place.

Put an accountability plan in place to ensure that teens are completing assignments. You want to give your teen some freedom to grow his personal sense of accountability and deal with the consequences of not following through. However, you also don’t want to let him get so far behind that it’s overwhelming.

Have a meeting once a week (or daily, depending on how responsible your teen is) either at the beginning of the week or the end to make sure your teen is staying on track and to answer questions or provide feedback.

Make sure your teen brings her planner to the daily or weekly meeting so you can go over it together and offer guidance for potential problem areas.

5. Enforce Deadlines.

Okay, I admitted this is a problem area for me, but we’re not doing our teens any favors by not enforcing deadlines. Yes, there is a time for leniency. However, it’s not every week with every assignment.

Discuss the consequences of missed deadlines with your teen, and get his input. Teens can be surprisingly reasonable with suggesting consequences when you talk about them ahead of time. I mean, they probably aren’t going to recommend staying home on a Friday night to finish schoolwork when it’s Friday night, and they’re behind. However, they may admit that’s a reasonable consequence when the threat isn’t imminent.

Agreeing on the results of missed deadlines ahead of time, lets you avoid feeling like an ogre when enforcing them. Instead, your teen just deals with the repercussions of not meeting expectations as he will in college or on the job.

Does your teen set his or her own schedule? What tips would you add?

Our Favorite Planner for Homeschooled Teens’ Schedules

If you’ve got a teen who is ready to start taking charge of his schedule, check out the planners from A Plan in Place. They have fully customizable (even the covers!) planners for students all the way from preschool through high school. They also have customizable planners for homeschool moms. We’ve used their planners for years. We love the flexibility of designing pages specifically for the classes the kids are taking each year.

All the images in this post are from Megan’s high school planner for the upcoming school year.

From now until August 6, 2018, you can save 20% on your purchase from A Plan in Place using coupon code WUHS20%.

Parenting Tweens (And Homeschooling Them) Without Losing Your Mind

May 22, 2018 By Erin Vincent

Written by Erin Vincent of Nourishing My Scholars.

Pre-teens, or tweens, are at an age when hormones start to kick in and emotions commence running rampant. This is the beginning stages of puberty, folks, and BOY! is it a wild ride.

Some days you’ll even think you’re losing your mind, but I’m learning some truths about for navigating this transitional and emotional stage in life.

Parenting Tweens (And Homeschooling Them) Without Losing Your Mind

Tweens are looking to be more independent and begin to question everything!

Especially their parents. Ask me how I know.

The thing is, I’m okay with the questions to an extent. Questions are how we learn, right?

I’m even down with a bit of negotiating. After all, negotiations allow my kiddo to feel like he has some say and control over what’s going on in his life.

“Why yes, you may forgo all other subjects in lieu of only reading today, but only if you double up on all said subjects tomorrow. Do we have a deal?”

Homeschooling has its advantages.

Sleep, Because They Are Growing

Wardrobe mix-ups and other fashion faux pas happen all the time around here.

Life’s too short for matching socks, but there was that unfortunate incident where my skinny jeans ended up being put away in his closet by mistake.

My son came out wearing them with a concerned look on his face. “Mom! Somethings not quite right with my pants…”

Let’s just say that lady’s jeans really do look odd on an eleven-year-old boy.

The point is, our kiddos are growing a ton! So much so that my son can fit into my clothes. YIKES! These kids seem to be in a constant state of high water pants and siestas. Seriously, I think this man-child is sleeping more now than he ever has. Ever!

Most days he doesn’t rise until 9 or 10 am. It’s not unheard of for him to be found dozing around 2 pm.

So, do you know what I do? I let him sleep!

When he gets his sleep, we have a 50% better chance of a less tumultuous day!

Notice I said 50%, not 100% and I mentioned LESS tumultuous, not NONE.

Conversations, Listening, and Not Taking Things Personally

It’s HARD not to take things personally, momma. I know. I’m right there with you. Many a day I have found myself with head in hands crying behind the locked bathroom door.

Parenting tweens is not for the faint of heart.

Who is this Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde that’s suddenly inhabiting our home? One moment he is that sweet and thoughtful little boy I remember from days gone by. Other times, and without seemingly any provocation, doors are slamming and angry outbursts ensue.

Emotional rollercoaster, party of two.

Do you ever get the feeling that they are arguing just to argue?

Other times they come to you with intensely deep concerns about friendships, feelings, or endless talk about their favorite video game.

We have had some amazingly meaningful conversations after the outburst is over and both parties have had a chance to collect themselves. It’s important to go back and talk about behaviors and reactions – how to navigate them, what’s appropriate, what’s normal, and how our choices affect others.

Listen, listen, listen! Truly hear them. We want our kids to feel that they can come and talk to us about anything. No matter how uncomfortable it makes you, remember they WILL find someone to talk to. Wouldn’t you rather that someone be you?

Listen with your ears and breathe through your mouth at least until you have multiple conversations on showering and deodorant.

Folks, puberty hormones are tough on our kiddos and their mommas.

The Body Book For Boys and The Boy’s Body Book: Everything You Need to Know for Growing Up YOU! have been wonderful resources for our son.

For young girls, you may want to check out The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls or The Feelings Book: The Care and Keeping of Your Emotions.

Moody Eye Rolls, Attitudes, and Melting Your Heart

Just because your tween gives you the deep breaths of frustration, their moods change with the tides, and their attitudes are in a constant state of flux doesn’t mean you aren’t doing a pretty fantastic job at this parenting gig. This stage won’t last.

When you see your mini man-child shaking the hands of senior residents and engaging them in conversation about their lives at the retirement home, your heart will melt.

When he offers to play his guitar for them just to make them smile your heart may do a backflip.

Watching him read aloud a Princess storybook to a little sister with a tummy ache to make her feel better will make your heart do a summersault.

You’ll get this inkling that maybe, just maybe, amidst all of the chaos of puberty and homeschooling, you might be doing something right.

Look at the Big Picture

Parenting tweens is setting the stage for parenting teens. Yet, pre-teens still haven’t left the entirety of childhood behind. Thank goodness.

The end goal is for these future members of society to be mature, independent learners and thinkers who can make wise decisions while showing love and kindness to others.

We can try to guide our kids by being there for them, having conversations about what they’re going through, helping to develop their empathy while providing resources to answer any questions they may have.

Also, be kind to you. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

None of us are perfect, and neither are our kids. This stage of life is a learning experience for everyone.

Are your kids starting to go through puberty? How are you handling it?

What Is The Adventurous Mailbox?

Versatile Hands-on Activities for Kids

1. Build a Map

2. Make Costumes

3. Put on a Play or Puppet Show

4. Create a Presentation

5. Make a Paper Mâchè Model

6. Prepare a Themed Dinner

7. Do a Paper Bag Book Report

8. Make a Lapbook or Notebook

9. Build a Diorama or Model

10. Create Art

11. Write an ABC Book

12. Play Games

13. Take a Field Trip

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When Your Struggling Learner Refuses To Try

1. It’s Boring

2. It’s Difficult

3. Rigid Thinking

4. Anxiety and/or Fear of Failure

5. Physical Concerns

How To Respond When Your Child Refuses To Try

Start Small

Discuss The Value

Ask For Input

Take A Break

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1. Set guidelines.

2. Discuss scheduling methods.

3. Use a planner.

4. Put accountability checks in place.

5. Enforce Deadlines.

Our Favorite Planner for Homeschooled Teens’ Schedules

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Sleep, Because They Are Growing

Conversations, Listening, and Not Taking Things Personally

Moody Eye Rolls, Attitudes, and Melting Your Heart

Look at the Big Picture

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