Homeschooling With R.I.C Publications

R.I.C Publications is an Australian owned and operated publisher of workbooks and teacher supplies. They have sent me a small selection of books in order for our family to make some use of and share our thoughts on them with you.

*I received the following books from RIC Publications to review them, all opinions expressed are purely my own and those of my children.*

The first book I'm sharing is one for the Early Primary Years. It is a magazine for teachers in fact, "Class Ideas", this particular edition has a focus on Civics & Citizenship, along with various other topics.

I do really like how they have included a huge list of ideas to cover the topic of Civics & Citizenship across all of the subject areas, there are a great deal of ideas here.

There are several reproducible worksheets with a focus on developing knowledge and understanding  about what it means to be a good citizen. I really like the magazine includes an extensive picture book list to go along with the overall theme.

I was also sent the ANZAC DAY  - Honouring Our Heritage Workbook. What a shame it was just a couple of days too late for us to make much use out of this year. It includes maps, reading passages, cloze activities and hands on activities.

I've had several thoughts about next years ANZAC Day unit already, now that my kids have a good grasping of this time period so I will be sure to share details of how we are using this workbook along with our ANZAC studies next year.

Next up, Democracy - Power To The People. This topic has been on my mind for awhile now and I know that this particular book will definitely get a good workout. Not only does it cover democracy in Australia, but also topics such as The United Nations, Amnesty International and Ghandi. This unit may not be as boring as I had first thought it would be!

Again they have included a massive array of ideas for hands on cross curricular activities, this part of the book is a real treasure as it will absolutely help in making the unit come alive!

We are currently working our way through an Australian History Unit with our small family co-op and have decided that a unit on Democracy will flow on nicely from that. Therefore it may be a little while before I can share a full review of this item with you.

Finally, the Awesome Art and Craft books. I had to hunt my daughter down so I could photograph these. She's been looking through them non stop since they arrived here on our doorstep.

So far I very much like what I see. Full colour photographs with detailed step by step instructions on a huge variety of art and crafts. Stay tuned, as I'm sure I will sharing creations from these very soon!

Did you know that you can view inside every single workbook that RIC Publications has in their catalogue. I absolutely love this about their website, it is such a great feature and one I wish more curriculum suppliers would utilise.

Happy Homeschooling,
Kylie

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Fast & Simple Game To Improve Your Homeschool Day

Having one of those days?

Let's face it we all do!

You know the type of days I'm talking about.

Nothing is going to plan.

Not one person is co operating.

The school morning is quickly going to the pot.

You're about to pull your hair out, or worse let out a scream!

Or possibly for you, it's locking yourself in the bathroom and having a good cry.

Let me tell you I have been there on more than one occasion and I am quite certain I will be back there again sometime in the future.

However I did stumble on to one so very simple stress reliever and mood enhancer that works for each and every one of us.

And all you need is a simple balloon. Yes that's it a balloon. I now try to always keep a pack on hand.

When you feel as though your morning is beginning to spin out of control, but you don't really have the time or want to send everyone off outside.

Call a time out!

But not one where everyone gets sent off to their bedrooms for being "bad little children".

It's a time out for connecting or rather a time in!

Because there is no such thing as "bad little children". Clearly if the school morning is out of control there is something else going on. By creating a 'time in' environment you may just be able to get to the bottom of their troubles.

Grab a balloon, blow it up and play, "Keep The Balloon In The Air".

Within literally two minutes we are all laughing, smiling, hugging, yahooing and cheering each other on to keep that balloon in the air.

Having reconnected we are all so much brighter and fresher to tackle the mornings work ahead.

It really is that simple.

So add a bag of balloons to your grocery list for the next time you are having one of those mornings.

Do you have a go to, quick and easy 'pick me up' game or activity that you use to get your homeschool mornings back on track?

Happy Homeschooling,
Kylie

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A Peek At Our Week - Collage Friday - May 2015

It's been several weeks since my last weekly wrap up style post so I figured it was time to share again what our weeks are looking like during this current season, with a collage Friday.

It is a busy one, right now and at times even quite frantic, but it is also a season that is brimming with co-operative learning, building relationships and setting wonderful foundations for the future.

Monday's we spend a quiet few hours in the morning at home, ensuring we are ready for our upcoming week. At the moment I am needing to spend quite a bit of my weekend in teacher planning mode and whilst I always need a break at the end of each term, I do really enjoy planning lessons, activities and excursions.

This includes an hour or so with our regular morning basket/table time routine, whilst it changes with the seasons the essence of it always remains the same. A space to come together, read, chat, draw, paint and connect.

From there everyone moves off for a couple of hours of individual work. I begin with the youngest child with some one on one time and then move to each of the children spending time with them on their current work.

Our afternoons right now are spent with a few other local families for piano and art lessons.

We've cut back this year on our after school extra curricular activities so that means Monday evenings are nice and quiet.

Tuesday's is our small family co-op days. These are such a blessing to our family and have been growing with importance and work covered consistently. We have a great team of parents that all work together very well to provide this 'micro-schooling experience' for our children.

Co-op days see us working through roughly 80 - 90% of any subject area that isn't under the umbrella of the three R's, although we cover a little of those at times too!

Currently our Tuesday's look a little like this - For the Primary Aged group, Geography Activities (mapping etc), Around The World Cultural travels, A Literature Unit, Australian History. For the High School aged group, Geography, Mind Mapping Activities, Creative Writing, Australian History.

Tuesday evenings are free also from after school activities.

Wednesday's we are back to a quiet morning, which generally flow in a similar manner to Monday mornings.

We then grab a quick bite to eat and head out the door to our local Community Gardens, where we have been meeting with homeschool families.

Wednesday evenings see my eldest off to his local Drama class. This term he has also enrolled in the musical so he has a double lesson on a Wednesday night. My middle child is also participating in the Musical so she attends that component of the lessons.

Thursday's is co-op day again. Topics/subjects currently on a Thursday are - For the Primary Aged group, Chemistry, Games Hour, Nature Study & Art Techniques. For the High School Aged group, Chemistry, Creative Writing, Nature Journals, Art Techniques

Thursday evenings are a tad chaotic for me as I spend a large portion of my night driving kids here there and everywhere! My youngest has his Drama class up first, then my middle child has hers and in between that I need to get my eldest off to his Emergency Service Cadets program and of course pick them all up when they are done. Thursday nights are fun I tell you!!!!

Friday's phew, did you make it? Do you need a nap like I do come Friday? The morning's are slow and easy. We always start our morning basket gathering very late on a Friday, we all need some of that downtime.

Those mornings, once we do get started are simply another Monday morning routine, with a few hours in the afternoon to do whatever we wish. On quiet days at home and especially now that the weather has finally cooled we try to get out for a stroll and a bike ride.

Friday afternoon's all three of them are enjoying Gymnastics. Whilst they are in class I often head off to do a spot of grocery shopping.

That there is pretty much our current week in a nutshell. Yes it's busy, but we love it and it so full of amazing opportunities and in a few short weeks the majority of the busyness will die down to next to nothing and we will have weeks at a time to spend leisurely at home. It's all about seasons and their ebb and flow, we very simply embrace the one in which we are currently in.

Thanks for joining us for a peek inside our week. I do share more behind the scene snaps over at Instagram, see you there!

Happy Homeschooling,
Kylie

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Oh So Simple Bird Feeder

We've been meeting at our local Community Gardens with a small group of nearby homeschooling families, for fun, friendship and simple activities revolving around the theme of 'gardens'.

Yesterday everyone made Pine Cone Bird Feeders, so simple and certainly not a new idea.

What You Need:

• Pine cones

• String or Twine

• Peanut Butter

• Rolled Oats

• Bird Seed

What To Do:

• Tie String to Pine cone so it can hang from a tree

• Mix equal parts Peanut Butter and Rolled Oats

• Coat the pine cone with the mixture, ensuring it gets pushed right into the cone (careful of the spiky bits!)

• Once coated, roll the pine cone in the bird seed

Show off your work!

Hang on a tree and wait for the birds to come!

Happy Homeschooling,
Kylie

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