Special Connection Homeschool

My Gess loves expressing herself artistically but due to her special needs she needs some extra guidance and help in doing so.  Since I am not an artist or creative in that way I also need some guidance. When I had a chance to review Draw to Learn by Notgrass Company I knew we found a great solution. Draw to Learn is a homeschool art curriculum and a Bible study all in one!  Gess and I both love studying the Bible but adding the aspect of art into it was definitely a new concept for me.  However, after watching how it works my husband and I have attempted our hand at it too.  For the purpose of my review I was given the Draw to Learn Proverbs Book in paper back and the digital version of Draw to Learn - Psalms, Proverbs, Paul, Acts and Jesus .  In the first few pages of the book they share their philosophy behind the study and then give suggestions for drawing the pictures.  These are the only real art instruction that you have, but it is enough ...

Yesterday I talked about Why Hands-on Learning is Important .  Today I want to share some ways that you can take a lesson and add some hands-on elements to it.  This will make the lesson more interesting and aid in your child's retention of the material. Manipulatives, such as blocks are a great way to get your hands-on something.  Handwriting Without Tears uses blocks to teach how to write letters.   They also use chalkboards, sponges, and play dough as well.  You can also teach a child by having them write in sand, salt, or other textures to feel the writing process. Memorizing Scripture and other facts is easier with motions.  Gess learned this large passage of Scripture with the aid of motions to help her remember the words. Another activity that works well is matching words to definitions or pictures.  We learned  The 10 Commandments by matching the image with the name.  You can do this with spelling and vocabular...

I think one of the fundamental keys to learning is to involve as many of the senses as possible.  However, hands-on learning is more than just adding the sense of touch to a lesson.  It's about turning a lesson into an experience.  You are more likely to remember something when you experience it.  That is why field trips are so important.  My daughter learned more about the Civil War in one afternoon at Civil War Days then she did studying about it.  Seeing President Lincoln in person was much more memorable than reading an old book. Think about it in this context.  You probably know several recipes by heart.  Which ones do you remember the most, ones you have cooked several times or ones you have only read about? The recipes you know by heart are most likely the ones you have cooked yourself.  You have measured them out, felt them come together, smelled their aroma and tasted their flavors. A road trip is somewhat simil...

The Bible Study Guide for All Ages is a Bible study curriculum for use at church or home to help engage every age group in the same lesson.  Using this program you will go through the entire Bible in 416 lessons.  If you use them weekly for church or school it will take 8 years to complete or you can use them more often to finish more quickly.  For the purpose of my review I received the Intermediate Level Student Pages and the Bible Book Summary Cards . I love the concept behind the program as it makes it nice for large families or a church as a whole to be studying the same thing, yet at their own level.  I love when the entire family is engaged in the study of God's Word together.  The lessons we have completed were well done and solid Scripturally.  I love that it has you read the passage from your bible and then discuss it.  I like that much better than a narration of the text. Bible Study Guide for All Ages is not affiliated with ...

Squidoo has Free Printable Board Game Templates .  They have a variety to choose from.  You can get boards that look like Monopoly, Checkers and others as well as ones that aren't geared towards any specific game.  These are a great way to make up your own version of these games with easier rules for younger kids or children with special needs.  Of course you can also make up your own game to go with them.  There are many great things you can do with them.  Click on the template below to download some.  Have fun!

The Old Schoolhouse Expo is a great opportunity to attend a homeschool convention from the comfort of your own home!  I have missed going to my favorite homeschool convention for the last several years because it is the same week as our state wide Special Olympics competition.  Even when I do go I have the expense of fuel and/or lodging costs because the nearest convention is at least 2 hours away.  That is one reason I am really looking forward to the Schoolhouse Expo which will won't cost me any travel expenses at all! The Schoolhouse Expo - Homeschooling With Heart  will run August 19-23 from 1:00pm to 8:00pm EST.  They have an amazing list of 30 speakers including Ray Comfort, Andrew Pudewa, Todd Wilson and Dean Butler (yes Almonzo from Little House on the Prairie). The cost is $24 and gives you access to all seminars right from where you are. You can visit the website to learn more and purchase your ticket .  You could also try to win one for ...

When we go to the library I find that Gess rents more educational DVDs than she does entertaining movies.  She seems to enjoy learning about new things so when I had the opportunity to review The Fascinating World of Mammals DVD by BrainFood Learning I figured it would be something she would enjoy. The Fascinating World of Mammals uses a mixture of beautiful images and video footage of mammals in their natural habitat while explaining certain facts, key points and vocabulary words for each mammal. The Fascinating World of Mammals is a 52 minute DVD in which they say "children of all ages can benefit from the videos."  While that is probably true I would recommend it for preschool up to around age 10.  However, the vocabulary words on the video are pretty tough so there is something for older students as well I just don't know if they would enjoy watching it as much as the younger children will. The first segment defines what a mammal is and uses exampl...