Literature is such a powerful learning tool, especially for project-based, child-led learning. However, many of us approach learning assessment through quizzes and discussions. What if we found unusual, more creative ways to engage learners with literature? Christina Pilkington of the fabulous Interest-Led learning blog, shares some great but non-traditional techniques and resources for exploring literature. [...]
Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Ten Unusual Ways to Explore Literature
Posted by ginac on August 10th, 2011
Posted in Activities, Books, Language Arts, Reading 
Tags: child-led learning, Eclectic Homeschooling, Literature, Unit Study, Unschooling 
2 Comments »Young Author Contest (YACK) from Eifrig Publishing
Posted by ginac on July 25th, 2011
Eifrig Publishing wants to encourage young authors and they’re hosting a writing event to highlight the work of young creatives. The lucky winners of YACK (Young Authors – Creative Kids) will have their books published as a paperback book with all proceeds going to a charity or non-profit of the child’s choice. We can’t think of [...]
Free Online Latin Texts
Posted by ginac on July 24th, 2011
To scholars, Latin is a “dead” language. No native speakers exist in today’s world. To us, Latin is very much alive. In fact, Italian, Spanish, and French are largely Latin-based. The English language borrows many of its words from Latin. Additionally, Latin is used extensively in science, law, medicine, and even the arts. We can’t [...]
Posted in Books, Languages, Online Tools Tags: back to school, ebooks, google books, kindle, language, latin, text books Comments OffLong Live Harry Potter
Posted by ginac on July 8th, 2011
Even though the last Harry Potter movie is complete, there’s still plenty of life left in the Harry Potter world. So, for all of the folks who are mourning the completion of the final Harry Potter movie, here are some ideas for getting more mileage out of the tremendous body of work currently available. First [...]
Posted in Activities, Books, Post Thumbnail, Reading Tags: Harry Potter, Harry Potter universe, Hogwarts, J.K. Rowling, List of Harry Potter characters, Universal Studios Comments OffAdventure Books for Summer Reading
Posted by ginac on May 18th, 2011
Embrace summer’s care free, have-fun atmosphere with some great reads. Remember, summer learning is extra fun because it’s less structured than traditional, structured learning. Books (e-books or print) offer an inexpensive escape to far off places, times past, or to fantastical worlds. Don’t forget to let your young readers have a say in selecting their [...]
Turn That Nintendo DS into an E-Book Reader!
Posted by ginac on June 10th, 2010
If your homeschooler already owns a Nintendo DS, he or she already has an e-book reader. According to the Nintendo website, a tiny Nintendo DS game card containing 100 classic books is all you need. You hold the DS just as you would a traditional book and can turn the ‘page’ with the touch of [...]
10 Reasons Why Your Homeschooler Needs an iPod Touch
Posted by ginac on December 20th, 2009
10. Get Comfortable with the Future. The Device uses natural finger gestures and a virtual keyboard — future devices are sure to adapt and refine this interface. Everything from e-book readers to the desktop and laptop computers may soon be touch screen and keyboard-less. 9. Experiment with Voice Applications. Record voice memos, poetry reading, interviews, [...]
Homeschoolers: Eccentric, Eclectic or Just in Our Element?
Posted by ginac on December 2nd, 2009
Sir Ken Robinson, a renowned thinker on education and creativity, recently wrote a book aptly entitled The Element. The book is filled with stories of amazing and now very famous and successful people who were ‘tossed aside’ by traditional educational institutions. These ‘slackers’ found their true gift or ‘element’ in life from non-traditional avenues (outside [...]
The Microscope Book
Posted by ginac on November 15th, 2009
We recently discovered a great microscope companion book, perfect for the beginning science buff. This book has many fun and easy activities, but the best thing about the book is its explanation of how and why. Additionally, it offers really useful practical tips on improvising when you don’t have all of the tools. For [...]
Free Software For Schools E-Book
Posted by ginac on May 4th, 2009
I am a huge fan of open source products, and find many compete quite favorably with commercial offerings. Because open source software is either inexpensive or free, students can obtain multitudes of new tools that they otherwise could not afford. To my delight, I recently discovered a free e-book entitled Free Software for Schools by [...]
