Magnets

At the moment I'm using the Forces part of "Bite-Size Physics" with the boys. Today's lesson had something that everyone could enjoy - making magnets.

You just have to stroke an iron nail with a magnet, making sure to always go the same direction, until the nail becomes a magnet. In the picture the paperclip is magnetically attached to the nail. After that we dropped the nails on the paving outside to demagnetise them. Everyone had a go at this. The girls enjoyed the experiments and the boys learnt about the science behind it.

Alhamdulillah, it was great to have something for everyone!

The differences

These are the types of books that both girls are selecting from the library at the moment, amongst others. They are both slim paperbacks. I read them aloud to U and Ia reads them herself. A book like the one in the top picture is a quick read for Ia, but she enjoys reading something easy with cute pictures. She also chooses longer chapter books, which she reads one chapter at a time. With the sort of book pictured above she'll happily read through two or three at one go, maashAllah.
The book in the picture below is one she is reading aloud to me at the moment. It is a comfortable level for her. I tend to alternate the levels, letting her read one at comfort level, then another with a little bit more challenge, then back to comfort again. She usually has at least two books on the go, one she reads to me, the other by herself. She usually chooses the titles from the library herself, but some I keep for her to read aloud. She also enjoys non-fiction books about animals.

The thing is that having this type of book around is a novelty for me. The boys seem to have missed out this stage altogether and gone straight from learning to read to reading books designed more for the stage above.

It just goes to show how each child learns in their own way, even when you start them off in the same way, maashAllah.

Easy to do science

Today we have been rubbing electrons on and off things. Learning about electrical charges.

After being rubbed on hair the balloon attracts the strip of paper.

Same thing with the scarf and the shirt.

No SATs here!

I heard on the radio this morning that some head teachers would be boycotting SAT tests for 11 year olds today on the grounds that the tests narrow the curriculum, cause stress and produce "teach to the test" style lessons.
Had my sons been in school it would have been their turn to sit those tests today too.
But, no SATs here......wooohooo!
Alhamdulillah.

The changing map of Europe

In our geography session today the boys were answering some questions on the Balkan region from "The Trail Guide to World Geography". They used the Times atlas (on the right) to help with some of the answers. While we were looking at that map I thought about getting out my old school atlas and comparing the two. I asked them to look to see if they could find any differences between the two political maps of Europe.

The old map has Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, East and West Germany and the Soviet Union, whilst the new one, of course, has many more independent countries in these areas. After noticing this we briefly discussed why these changes have occured in Europe, and went online to look up a little of the history.

Friction and Caterpillars

Today we have been doing some friction related experiments. Above we were comparing how much force is needed to begin to drag a heavy book across a variety of surfaces. Below we were seeing how far the ramp needed to be lifted before the shoe started slipping. This was done with lots of different shoes and slippers.

Also, this morning we followed in the footsteps of other home educators and received our caterpillars, which we hope, inshAllah, will develop into Painted Lady butterflies. For the last two years we have grown triops. On first inspection it seems that caterpillars are even more low maintenance, alhamdulillah!

As they get older does HE get harder or easier?

I have been thinking about this question recently.
In some ways I am finding HE with the boys is getting easier, alhamdulillah. Although the subject material is getting more complex the style of delivery is getting more straightforward. Also, of course, we are all getting more experienced at this home ed project, and I suppose that helps!
With the younger ones there are a lot of challenges in terms of finding the right mix of resources. They need lots of short activities to teach ideas in a variety of ways. Also at the beginning you are only just starting to find out about your child's learning style and preferences, and it will take time to understand and adapt your approach accordingly.
Younger ones also need to have their love of learning fostered and basic skills such as reading and numeracy need to be aquired as joyfully as possible and in such a way as they form a firm, confident foundation for building further learning. This poses plenty of challenges!
As the boys get older I feel that I, and they, understand their learning style better. This makes it easier to choose resources which match their needs. I don't find myself searching around for which books to use anything like as much as I used to, as now the path seems clearer, alhamdulillah. Also by this age the boys can explain their own opinions on learning and we can discuss what we are doing, alhamdulillah. Younger ones tend to be swayed by how they are feeling about something on theday you ask them, whereas older ones can take a longer term view.
Just a few thoughts!