photo courtesy rick

TED talks are very popular, and with good reason. If you aren’t aware of TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) then visit their archives for public speakers and topics that run the gamut. They are interesting to watch, especially when looking with a speaker’s eye. Older kids and high schoolers can glean a lot from a TED talk. Things to watch for: the choice and use of visuals, the length, the manner of speaking. YouTube is another place for tons of terrific videos of speakers on any subject you can think of.

To gain public experience, there are opportunities everywhere. Home, church, clubs, nursing homes, teams–there are lots of places to get in some speaking times. Maybe you could head over to the local retirement home or homeless shelter. Or create a video on a topic you enjoy and teach someone something. Create a need and fill it with a speech.

What do you want to talk about? Maybe a poetry reading, an original story or reciting memory work. Almost anything you can think of would make a good topic. Sermons and great speeches from the past are great practice for unsure speakers.

Even speaking at home can be helpful for shy speakers. An audience that is familiar, loving and supportive can go a long way to boosting the confidence of a kid who is apprehensive about public speaking. If it would help, practice with an audience of stuffed animals.

I hope you’ll give your kids many opportunities to speak publicly. It’s a necessary skill that will take them far in life.

photo courtesy the_toe_stubber

My friend Renae had a post the other day about saving art work and of course a quandary like that just gets my mind going. I have to write a post when I started a mental list of some potential ideas for you to consider. Keep in mind these are the keepers, the best stuff. You don’t have to keep it all, just keep the stuff worth saving and happily toss the rest when the kids aren’t looking.

• Laminate them. Punch holes in the corners and connect them with jump rings to make a curtain of art for a wall or a room divider or to cover a window.
• Laminate them to use as placemats.
• scan for use as a screensaver.
• Use them as wallpaper. Arrange them corner to corner like bricks and attach to the wall with sticky tack. When you want to change it up, just pull them down.
• Mount a piece on heavy cardboard with glue and cut into puzzle pieces. before you cut, make sure to scan it to make putting the puzzle back together a lot easier. Mail it to a relative or friend.
• Make a scrapbook. Google that if you need to know.
• Affix a weighted string to the ceiling and hang art on the string with clips or two magnets stuck together.
• Mail them to your relatives.
• Cut them up for collage or other projects.
• Recycle them. Use a different medium to add to it, trade pictures with siblings and add to the picture.
• Enter them in a contest.
• Use them as story book illustrations.
• Scan them and make T-shirts.
• Use them as story prompts.
• Trade art with another family. Take turns guessing the subject of the piece.
• Hold an art show. Display your art all over the house and invite friends and family. Serve simple snacks and have a short discussion on art appreciation or how to study a painting.
• Scan and print on fabric for use as pillows, quilt squares, tote bags or clothing.
• For 3-D things, take pictures of them. And for smaller things a high shelf or curio cabinet can be a nice place to showcase the best of the best.

1. Use it to document things you can’t put in a book. Plays, 3D projects, songs, events of all kinds. These are life and these are the stuff homeschooling is made of. Get it all!
2. When doing a project, take pictures of options. Then you can see all options at once and make better decisions. For example, a collage or a layout can be difficult to work out because you can’t remember what you liked best. Capture it and you can choose your favorite with ease.
3. Don’t have a scanner? Take photos of notebook work. You can keep a digital copy of their best work in case something should happen.
4. Take pictures of things that don’t keep, like clouds or leaves. None of the mess, and you have exactly the photo you need.
5. Journal your life for relatives.
6. Use it as an opportunity for the kids to learn photography. Maybe they can turn it into a business.
7. Use it to take custom pictures for activities like bingo and flashcards.
8. Take pictures of the family for a one-of-a-kind picture book for baby.
9. Use pictures as story starters to strengthen writing skills.
10. Have a digital scavenger hunt. List things they must find and capture with the camera. First to get back with all of them wins.
11. Let siblings take pictures of one another to practice being the director and taking direction.
12. Use it to snap pictures of your homeschool inventory for insurance.
13. With iron-on transfer paper available at your local discount store you can make cool tees for your homeschool outings. These make great gifts too.
14. Make a video or take pictures of how to get to your house for visiting friends.
15. Use the photos to make gifts for birthdays and Christmas. Calendars and such are always big hits.

Have another idea? Leave a comment!