You can always learn more.

Does your child ever act like he already knows everything? Sometimes we all do, and it’s important to remember that we can learn something new every day. Try these out with your favorite “know-it-all”.

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
116 years

2) Which country makes Panama hats?
Ecuador

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?
Sheep and Horses

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
November

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
Squirrel Fur

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
Dogs

7) What was King George VI's first name?
Albert

8) What color is a purple finch?
Crimson

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
New Zealand

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
Orange, Of Course!

The lesson to be learned is that we should all look beyond the obvious. If we challenge ourselves to do this, our children will be challenged as well. Isn’t it good to know that we never have to stop learning?

Homeschool Lesson Planners

I have found a website that has a large selection of FREE homeschool planning pages in PDF format for you to prints. There are: school calendars, attendance forms, grade forms, transcripts, reading records, unit study planners, lesson plan templates, and more. Check out this valuable website for organizational ideas and time savers- www.DonnaYoung.org

Family Game Time!

Many parents associate learning with work, but did you know that learning can also be FUN? Some of the best memories with my children include family game night. One night a week we play board games together. Each child takes a turn choosing a game. The television is turned off, the housework is pushed aside, and my husband and I give our three sons our undivided attention.

These are great gift ideas for Christmas and birthdays. There are many board games available, but here are some of my family's favorites:

• Hi Ho! Cherry-O, Connect Four, and Chutes and Ladders- counting skills for little ones
• Candy Land- color recognition for little ones
• Letter Getter and Scrabble Junior- phonics, spelling, and vocabulary
• Monopoly Junior, Pay Day, and The Game of Life- money skills
• Battleship- coordinate points for graphing
• Sorry, Trouble, Clue, Memory, Yahtzee, Uno, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, Chess, Mancala, Apples to Apples, and card games- critical thinking skills

You may already have many of these games but never realized your child was learning educational skills while playing them. Your child will also be learning how to follow rules, take turns, encourage one another, and have a positive attitude.
Make sure to visit www.FamilyGameCoach.com for the home field advantage in teaching your child academics, creativity, and healthy competition by using their Game Plan.
You can even create your own board games to review skills your child is learning at school. CLICK HERE for some templates.
Enjoy your time together!

Do your household materials measure up?

Roxann Camel is an elementary science specialist. With 17 years of classroom experience, she currently teaches science to students in grades K-5th and conducts many science workshops for both teachers and parents.

Roxann recently shared with me that measurement is the weakest area across the United States in mathematics and science. She recommends all parents have certain materials available in their home to help their children excel in these subject areas. Using these materials at home with your child will make measurement real and concrete. Without any previous practice using these tools, the concepts behind them will be abstract and very difficult to understand. If your child only uses them in the classroom, that is not enough practice. Children benefit from working with their hands and most importantly, talking about what they're doing with their hands.

• Pan balance with weights in grams
• Graduated cylinders in milliliters - 50 ML and 100 ML
• Thermometers with Fahrenheit and Celsius
• Measuring cups with ounces, milliliters, and cups
• Measuring spoons in teaspoons and Tablespoons
• Eye droppers
• Magnifying glass
• Tweezers
• Measuring Tape with centimeters and millimeters
• Ruler with centimeters and millimeters

Make sure to have these materials accessible to your child, and incorporate the use of them into your family routine to ensure your child's success in measurement.

Have fun with science!

Splash some color into your child's day!

I have always encouraged my children to color because it is an excellent way to strengthen fine motor skills. After years of occasionally eating out with my family, I realized that most restaurants tend to throw away the crayons that were given to my children as soon as we would leave the table. I started to put the crayons into my purse, and a collection soon began to grow.

I would empty most of the crayons into my children's school box, and I would leave a few in my purse for places that did not have crayons available. My children's school box is now overflowing with crayons, and I rarely have to buy replacements because the primary colors that get worn out the fastest are usually the same colors that are given away at restaurants.

A great way to recycle old and broken crayon pieces is to peel off any paper from them and put them inside small paper cups in a muffin pan. Bake at 250 degrees for just a few minutes until melted. Take them out, let them cool, and peel the paper cup away. Children love making crayon rubbings with these homemade crayons. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Use Mad Libs to practice the parts of speech.

Do you remember doing Mad Libs as a child?  I LOVED completing them with mys sisters and friends. We would laugh so hard at our silly stories.

Mad Libs are word games that create a new story by changing a few selected words in the story. For years, parents, teachers, and homeschoolers have used these FUN word games to teach children grammar, sentence structure, parts of speech, and even vocabulary. Here is website that offers FREE Mad Libs that your child can complete on your computer- www.itsamadlibsworld.com

Here is an example of what the child will fill out. How fun!

Sometimes we pull out a Mad Libs from our glove compartment in our car to complete on long road trips or when we are waiting in traffic. We like to read and laugh at my family's hilarious creations.

Enjoy making writing FUN,

Homeschooling with TLC gets a makeover!

UPDATE:

Homeschooling with TLC in the Elementary Grades was revised in March 2013.

The new title is now How to Teach Your Child.

Choosing your curriculum is important. Knowing how to effectively teach it is the key to success. How to Teach Your Child addresses one of the most common concerns homeschool moms have- How do I teach my child? Tamara L. Chilver reveals the tools of the trade while providing parents with simple teaching methods that actively engage children in the learning process. 

*Do you desire to add some spark to your lessons?

*Are you sometimes confused on how to teach your curriculum?

*Are you or your child experiencing burnout and would like to learn tips to jumpstart your existing curriculum?

*Do you want to learn tips to simplify learning and shorten your school day?

*Would you like to learn how to save hundreds of dollars while homeschooling by using items that you may already have in your home?

Then check out this is a one-of-a-kind book that's filled with FUN and creative teaching tips! 

Tamara L. Chilver is an elementary teacher, tutor, home educator, speaker, television contributor, and author. Tamara is passionate about equipping parents with the tools they need for their children to succeed. Her approach empowers parents with confidence.
Download it on your Kindle HERE. 

If you do not have a Kindle but would still like to read it, no worries. You can download the FREE Kindle reading app and enjoy the book on your phone, tablet, or even computer. {Click Here} for the FREE app.
~Reviews~

After being a schoolteacher for over six years and a homeschool mom for almost eleven years, I pretty much thought I had the education thing down pat. I've read about, heard about, seen, or tried many, many different kinds of curriculum and resources. And I've read countless how-to-books on the subject of home education over the years. So what more was there for this veteran homeschool mom of six to discover? The answer to that somewhat silly question arrived in my mailbox packaged in a small envelope. But that little package contained big ideas in the form of the book, How to Teach Your Child, by Tamara L. Chilver. Tamara has had years of experience as an elementary teacher, curriculum coordinator, homeschool evaluator, private tutor, and of course, a homeschool mom. She is also the author of Tutoring Your Elementary Child With TLC and founder of Teaching With TLC Ministries. How to Teach Your Child is a practical, concise guide in an easy-to-read format that is chockfull of ideas, advice, resources, suggestions for scheduling, tips, and techniques that are sure to help new homeschooling parents down the path into the (sometimes seemingly overwhelming) world of home education. But Tamara has also included activities and creative teaching strategies that will inspire and re-motivate even those who've been homeschooling for years. Many of the ideas presented in the book would be ideal to supplement any chosen curriculum. So be sure to check out this book for learning the basics...or for just putting a little more fun, creativity, and sparkle into your homeschool days! 

--Amy O' Quinn- The Old Schoolhouse

How to Teach Your Child is an excellent book for those needing some practical advice on choosing curriculum and enhancing lesson plans. Tamara Chilver will cheer you with her enthusiasm and inspire you with her useful teaching suggestions. She has loaded this book with lots of information. This is not just a how to get started book - she has drawn upon her years as both a public elementary teacher and home educator and poured out her knowledge on how to teach your children effectively. This book is fresh, fun to read, and will provide you with a heap of "golden" teaching nuggets for the elementary grades. You'll find recommended websites and curriculum titles, and an appendix that includes a list of all the Newberry and Caldecott Medal winners. The author's friendly tone and no-nonsense approach made this guide easy to read and even more realistic to implement. She is not overly wordy nor does she saturate you with too much information - this paperback at just over 100 pages by no means ever felt thin. If you are in anyway frustrated with how things are going in your homeschool, don't pull your hair out - get this book. I mentor a lot of newbies in my homeschool circle, and you can bet I'm going to be recommending this resource to them.

--Kathy Davis- Homeschoolbuzz.com

As a homeschooling mom of two, I was thrilled to read this book. I am always looking for fresh ways to add life to our homeschooling day. There's only so much bookwork they can do before their eyes glaze over and they slip into a coma of boredom. How to Teach Your Child is designed to remove some of the mystery from homeschooling while giving parents the tools to make homeschooling educational and meaningful. This book has already become dog-eared on my shelf because of the practical tips that I can apply easily. It's like sitting down and talking with someone who's a little further down the journey and building my own ideas from her experience. And best of all, it's a fun, easy read with fantastic cartoons about homeschooling sprinkled throughout.

--Cara Putnam- Mary Pride's Practical Homeschooling