Unit 1 Curriculum: How it Began (1860-1861) I’ll be honest – I am not a history buff and I am definitely terrible at history. Growing up in public school, my history consisted of 20 minutes a week tops for history vocab words and few lectures. I don’t know if I ever truly learned about the history of my own country. But creating this curriculum for our almost highschooler was eye-opening. Who would’ve thought that I would learn more about history…
How can you teach all grades in one day easily and with organization? A friend of mine with four children recently asked me about the ideas I might have for homeschooling so many different levels in one day. And I realized that yes, those of us with multiple children are bound to encounter seasons of life when our children are all at very different levels. And it can get a little overwhelming sometimes. Right now my friend has an early…
Printmaking, pop art color lithographs and soup cans. Many pop art projects for any age depending on what challenge level you wish to undertake. After reviewing many books about Warhol and his pop art, I decided to get ambitious and try “Kitchen Lithographs” by using everyday household items to create the common prints that Warhol made. While intentions were good and materials were decent, the result was more challenging than I expected. This is an art project for older students….
Get home ec cooking in your homeschool everyday… Whether intentional or unintentional is a great skill for anyone in any generation! For our family, cooking is a necessity. Three growing teen boys who are “starving” all the time, we have to cook and cook creatively. Otherwise, we’d be broke. Oh wait, we are. Never have I believed the sentiment more: “eating us out of house and home.” Whether you have a large family like us or a small one, cooking…
Loot, Betray, Repeat playing Plunder board game that has tactical thrills and is a tactile joy. Plunder is a beautifully designed strategy-based, nautical-themed board game where players command pirate ships in a race to dominate the seas. The objective is to be the first to collect 10 Plunder Points by expanding territories, upgrading ships, and engaging in battles. Gameplay Overview: How to Play: Setting up this fun board is half the adventure. If you’re looking for a board game that…
A fun and intriguing board game with cards, resources and building. Set up a colorful board filled with options for gathering resources, cards for bonuses and more. Be careful to build your castle before the invasion! Choose your region (with you be the North men or the vikings?) Then start your castle of wood and begin to upgrade. But beware! At the end of every round – after you have made your selections for that round, you will be attacked!…
A study in Self-Image, Symbolism, and Innovation in Early Northern Renaissance Art – with Van Eyck’s Red Turban Few portraits in Western art history are as quietly compelling—and curiously witty—as Jan van Eyck’s Man in a Red Turban. Painted in 1433, this striking image of a man with a piercing gaze and boldly wrapped headwear has fascinated scholars and art lovers alike for centuries. But beyond its technical brilliance lies something deeper: a subtle interplay of humor, self-awareness, and personal…
Home Ec Recipes for Every Age: Simple and Fun Cooking recipes together is a quick go-to home ec task that can be informal and fun. Whether you are making a snack or cooking a whole meal together, there are endless learning opportunities that your child probably won’t even realize! Here are some quick things your child can learn while they are cooking/baking with you: Recipes for Your Little Homeschooler While these recipes may be challenging for a little child to…
Enjoy this messy and simple splatter art project with Jackson Pollock – the master of the mess. Where spontaneity meets color. Best to choose a nice sunny day outside or a basement with tile that can be washed off. This gets messy! Materials: The Lesson: At the end when most of the paint was gone and everyone was a mess, my creative middle child mixed the remaining globs of paint on the plate and “dumped” or “poured” the paint in…
Exploring the mystery, muse, and meaning behind Vermeer’s iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring painting. Johannes Vermeer was born in 1632 in Delft, Netherlands, during the Dutch Golden Age. He was the son of a silk weaver and art dealer. He lived a middle-class life. Little is known about how Vermeer began painting. He had no formal training and did not apprentice anywhere. Some experts believe he traveled to Italy and France to study, but nothing is recorded. He merely…