The premise is simple:

1. take a sheet of paper and fold in half.
2. Fill the pages with all sorts of interesting things.
3. Give it to your kids to read.

I made a little title that fit our family and set about filling it with jokes, extended family trivia, menus, weather, encouraging words and something exciting that was coming up for each of  the kids that we could all get excited about (or maybe an acknowledgement of some success).

They love to read it while they eat their breakfast. They feel grown up and they love to read about themselves and their family. It has opened up some great conversations too.

I don’t make one every day because I don’t have the time for that. I probably make one every week or so. It’s not fancy. I make one and copy it on the copier so there’s not a lot of color. It’s hand drawn with love and they never complain that it’s too homemade.

Why do it? It’s another way to connect with your kids. And my kids write for the paper too, so it strengthens their writing skills. And I can add “don’t forget” things, so they don’t get another nag session from me. They learn things about their extended family with my trivia and I feed their souls with poetry and their spirits with Scripture.

You’ll be surprised how much you cna fit into this little newspaper. If you make one, please take a picture and share the response in the comments below.

photo courtesy liza31337

Fake It. Each person has a turn being the Word Master. Read the word, but not the definition, aloud. All other players make up a definition for that word and everyone writes theirs down. The Word Master reads all the definitions aloud, including the real definition. Everyone votes on which they think is real. Each vote for your definition earns a point.

Charades. Choose a word from the dictionary at random. Act it out.

Random Poetry. Give the kids a set of two numbers. The first one is a page number and the second is a word number on that page. Give a list of 10 or so sets of numbers and have them write all the words down. Then have them assemble the words in a poem. They key is they must use all the words.

Guess the Word. Read the definition and offer multiple choice answers. Three points for first right guess, two for two tries and one for three. First one to 20 points wins.

Scavenger Hunt. Have them look for words in the dictionary like “a word with three syllables” “The word that comes after homogenous” or “A word from a latin root” first one to finish wins.

Dictionary Drill. You need more than one of the same dictionary for this one. Each kid has a dictionary closed in their hands. When you give the word, they look it up. First one to find and correctly read the definition wins that  round.

Definition Scramble. Put the words on index cards and the definitions on separate cards. Spread them out on the floor and have the kids jump on the cards from the definition to the answer.

Dictionary Twist-up. Write your chosen words on a plastic tablecloth from the dollar store (write each word in three different places). Write the definitions on index cards. Use a die to decide which body part to use. (1 is left leg, two is right leg, three is left arm, four is right arm, five is your choice, six is roll again). Roll the dice and then read the definition aloud. The players must put the arm or leg on the word that was defined.

courtesy the_toe_stubber

If you are an artist, musician writer, entrepeneur or general creative type and you homeschool, I want to talk to you. If would like to participate in a new ebook, please contact me at anna at annahawthorne dot com. Don’t miss this opportunity!

one page book (8 pages)

one page meandering book (16 pages)

another option for a mini book

For more book fun, check this site or this one. You’ll have enough ideas to outlast your kids’ education!

TEST, v.t. To compare with a standard; to try; to prove the truth or genuineness of any thing by experiment or by some fixed principle or standard; as, to test the soundness of a principle; to test the validity of an argument.             (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

Testing is something I believe in. As a Christian and believer in God’s word, I take examples and commands seriously. God says to test Him (Mal. 3:10), test spirits (1 Jn. 4:1) and to test our faith (2 Cor. 13:5). According to Webster’s definition, I have a standard, a fixed principle (God’s Word, the principles of the subject, the rudiments) that I am to judge my children against. It is my right and responsibility to make sure they are adequately mastering the principles I am trying to teach them.

Evaluating your kid’s proficiency can be a “testy” subject among home educators. To formally test or not to test? There are valid reasons on both sides of this issue. Whether you are a tester who is tired of the routine or a non-tester who may be thinking of an occasional assessment, these out-of-the-box ideas may get you thinking about testing in a different light.

• Have them write and act out a play demonstrating understanding of concepts.
• They can explain what they have learned to a grandparent or friend.
• Older students can write (and grade) and essay test for you to take on what they have been learning.
• Make an art project illustrating principles and ideas of the subjects.
• Make a board game with ideas they have learned.
• Put the questions on index cards spread on the floor. Let them jump from card to card to answer the questions.
• Write a newspaper article or newscast. This is great practice for fact-filled learning.
• If you need a traditional test, let them verbalize the answers instead of writing them. Younger students think much faster than they can write, so verbal tests can ease their testing anxiety.

Any of these activities can give you a great idea of how much they have learned without traditional paper and pencil testing. You may do many of these things now and not think of them as evaluation tools. Next time you need to test, try one of these and see if your kids don’t ask you to test more often!

Making Books with Children

MakingBooks blog

Let’s Make Books

Make Your Own Books

Bookbinding Tutorials (many of these are for older kids and adults)

Creating books is also a great way to apply skills like math and art techniques. They encourage fine motor skills with binding and writing.

Do you make books? Care to share photos? How have handmade books added to your homeschool education?

In case you find yourself in a rut, here is a list of creative expression. You can also download the 25 creative notebooking ideas here.

1. paper folding
2. portraits
3. write a story and illustrate it
4. collage
5. mosaic with construction paper or magazine pictures
6. drawings
7. cut outs
8. silhouettes
9. rubber stamping
10. stickers to add to a picture or draw around
11. photographs
12. coloring pages
13. printable fonts that can be colored
14. pockets to put things in
15. door or flaps to hide things
16. pop-ups
17. paintings
18. rubbings or impressions
19. CD recordings of kid’s voice, documents, music, video, etc.
20. fold out pages for long projects
21. sew paper
22. create an award
23. cut words and letters from newspapers or magazines
24. create a small book and place in a pocket on a page
25. paper weaving

If you want to add to the list please leave a comment.