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Hi Stephanie:
Happy to help! Remember: our curriculum is charter school-approved, and – when paired with your related reading recommendations and free play outdoors – is everything your child will need to transition back into public school when your year is through!
However: if you’re curious about supplementary options, I highly recommend both (a) our free workshop here: othergoose.com/workshop, (b) the “Curriculum Myth” video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHl4j0gnkM4 and (c) Cathy Duffy’s complete homeschool curriculum review — I found my copy at our local library! https://amzn.to/33cEr7C
Here to assist!
Hi Rebecca:
I’ve so been there! I’ve loved meeting and connecting with local groups like Wild + Free (https://www.bewildandfree.org/about-groups), but mostly I’ve found the best success visiting the library in the middle of a school day. 90% of the kids you’ll see there are homeschooled, and are almost always up for an afternoon meet-up at the park to play. :)
Oh hooray – thanks for sharing, Jennifer! (I’m also way less likely to do something if it’s not a major mess! Love the shaving cream addition!) :)
My kids spotted these at a friend’s house and fell in LOVE:
https://amzn.to/3eAB0cUThese options look great, too!
https://amzn.to/30czJDO
https://amzn.to/3j5fvVfOh Deborah, I couldn’t love this more! Well done taking the time to slow down and invite your sweet girl into a new moment!
Hi Allison:
I love this idea! I have a few thoughts on the subject, but of course, every learner is vastly different! Above all, you know best when it comes to your littles. Would love to hear what’s worked best in everyone else’s homes, as well!
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Before I share an image of a finished creation/project, I like to ask myself: What’s my #1 goal?
If my goal is to spark creativity, exploration, or discovery, I’d keep it open-ended and NOT show a picture of the “finished product.” Because the goal isn’t to “finish” or “re-create,” the process can be more easily stretched into different directions by simply providing materials and a simple prompt, e.g. “Today we’re making sculptures! We have a hole punch, cardboard, scissors, clay, paint, markers, and skewers! I’m going to make mine vertically like this. What are you planning for yours?” Sometimes, kids can encounter creativity paralysis/perfectionism if the goal is to follow a template for something that already exists.
However, if my goal is to teach following directions (equally important!) to reach a clearly-defined result, I’d certainly offer visual cues, examples, or learning aids, e.g. “Today we’re going to make oatmeal! Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the recipe. When we’re finished, it will look similar to this and will be ready to enjoy!”
So, for example, in the case of the umbrella challenge, the goal wasn’t merely for our kids to design a successful prototype of an umbrella on the first go-around. The goal was simply to prompt their mind to think about different materials, resistances, and the temporary vs. permanent effects of water. If the umbrella failed on every try, that’s pure learning! They encountered a variety of materials that weren’t water-resistant, which is just as more valuable as encountering one material that is. I think – had we shown a finished product of something that “worked,” they would have nailed it on the first try and not discovered 10+ other materials that didn’t work for this scenario (but would have worked great for another use!).
With all that said, I ALWAYS love the idea of learners sharing finished work with others to spark new ideas and concepts. We’re actually working on a photo upload feature in the Notebook (more to come on that front!), but until feasible, we LOVE sharing your kids’ work over in our Instagram stories. Simply tag/mention us so we can pass along to the rest of the community!
I hope this is helpful, Allison! Keep up the fantastic work!
e.Hi Adriana:
Great question! I heard from a member last week who adapted her leaf boat lesson to a bathtub race! They piled in a few floatable objects and took bets on which would make it to the other side quickest in a “rainstorm” (i.e. a blast from the showerhead!). It’s become a new post-shampoo tradition for her! :)
We’ve also hopped on a Zoom call for a drumming lesson with a family friend, and had grandparents read their favorite books over Facetime!
And I’m always game for brainstorming lesson adaptations if you need any creative ideas for your own unique circumstance. Email me anytime! erin@othergoose.com
I’d also add that it’s 100% OK to release the pressure to complete your lessons on the precise week they’re offered. The reason we archive them in your progress report is for you to revisit again and again as many times as you’d like in the future, and also to set the expectation that learning is an ongoing process! There are many times that life just gets in the way, and – when it comes to education – there’s no such thing as getting behind.
Keep up the great work, Adriana! We’re cheering you on!
I AM LOVING THESE IDEAS!
Kit – your warm boiled eggs with dipped cumin and salt sound like a game-changer. Keeping that one in my back pocket for tomorrow AM! :)
Oh Lauren: we are so, so sorry for your losses. I know it doesn’t get any easier as time passes, just different. Sending warm blessings to you and your family.
xoxo,
erinHi Deb:
This is such a great question! I remember reading in Jim Trelease’s book (The Read-Aloud Handbook) about a teacher who noticed an interesting phenomenon in her preschool classroom. The kids had MASSIVE attention spans and long periods of non-interruption when they were playing pretend phones (i.e. “Just a minute, I have to make a phone call!”) but when it came to read-alouds and storytime, they interrupted or wandered off in just a few short minutes. Her deduction: the less direct experience, the shorter the attention span. In other words, these kids saw their parents on the phone more than with an open book (not a judgment call, just a reality for this specific set).
His advice was to consider every read-aloud as a practice session to strengthen the experience, thus the attention span. When the attention span stops, stop the book temporarily and come back to it later in the day, i.e. “Who remembers what the lion was doing where we left off this morning?” Short and sweet, short and sweet, short and sweet. This solves two problems (1) it offers more practice/experience as our kids adjust to longer titles, and (2) it keeps younger children from interrupting, knowing it won’t be long before they can ask a question or share a thought!
Lastly, narration might be a helpful method to incorporate after each reading session, even if it’s just a few minutes at a time!:
Let us know how it goes – cheering you on!
xoxoHi Deb:
Happy to help! Depending on the specific age of your child, I’d make 2 different charts: one for how far, and one for how fast! You’d then create 2 columns: 1 for each object (cotton ball, matchbox car, marble, etc) and in the column next to it, you’ll track how far each object measured after just 1 blow. (For the “how fast” chart, you can have a starting line and a finish line and track how quickly each object reached the finish line.) If your little isn’t a writer, he/she can illustrate each object for you in the first column. Fun all around!