Homeschooling Resource: PBS & PBS KIDS, free website resources at-a-glance

The following are PBS links that I've explored to get additional homeschooling ideas for my son. Of course, I've had to modify some of the activities to truly meet his needs. Nevertheless, I'm confident that you will be pleased with what you find.

PBS's trusted content reaches all of America's children - a diverse and growing audience. Because kids, parents, caregivers and educators access media in different ways with different needs, PBS offers a variety of resources online and over-the-air.

To further your child's development and encourage their growth through exploration and discovery in a safe environment, check out www.PBS.org.

PBS KIDS, URL: www.pbskids.org (2-5 year olds)
PBS KIDS GO!, URL: www.pbskidsgo.org (6-9 year olds)

The above websites offer access to all of PBS's children's series and Web-only games, activities, resources and streaming video, covering all curriculum areas with quick links to Parents and Teachers sections for each program.








PBS Parents, URL: www.pbs.org/parents

PBS Parents features extensive information about children's development from birth through the school years, as well as educational resources and activities for children to help get them ready for school.









PBS Teachers, URL: www.pbs.org/teachers

PBS Teachers is designed for PreK-12 educators and includes more than 9,000 local and national standards-based teaching activities, lesson plans, blogs, on-demand video assets and interactive games and simulations.







PBS TeacherLine, URL: www.pbs.org/teacherline

PBS TeacherLine offers PreK-12 teachers quality, affordable, and accessible professional development courses. It offers courses in critical curriculum areas, including reading, mathematics, science, instructional technology, curriculum mapping, and instructional strategies.


VISIT PBS GUAM AT www.pbsguam.org TO LEARN MORE!

Source: PBS Guam

Pacific Mathematics Activities

My son completed a wonderful mathematics activity on Map/Distance/Time/Measurement/Estimation, Word Problems. As part of this activity, he used estimation strategies and problem solving. He explored the concept of time and made decisions with justification of his reasoning. He was able to make connections between problems.

In particular, here's an excerpt from the novel used as part of this activity: "Tomi left his house as soon as it was light and when the curfew was lifted. It took him less than an hour to walk to the harbor from his house. From the harbor, Sand Island was less than a 1/4 miles. When Tomi was apprehended, he said he lived about 3 to 4 miles from the harbor. It was already pass curfew time..."

Here is the procedure my son engaged in:
-Go on a fun journey and locate the distance from Pearl Harbor to Sand Island.
-Note down the distance and time.
-Estimate the location of Tomi's house
-Discuss the scenario of Tomi's journey and generate 2 addition/subtraction word problems.

Overall, this was an engaging activity and shows how integrating literature with mathematics can do wonders!

IRA Resource for Homeschooling

As I mentioned previously, the Guam Council of the International Reading Association helps educators and parents alike discover the wonder and the worlds to be found in books. Guam IRA is a professional organization for individuals who are genuinely concerned with the development of reading programs for children and adults. It is a group of people who work together to improve literacy and reading instruction in Guam and Micronesia.

Click on the image below to view the Guam IRA February 2010 Newsletter, which I'm sure many homeschoolers will appreciate. If you are unable to view the newsletter, visit Guam IRA's website at http://iraguam.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Homeschool Assignment Submission

My son is enjoying reading "Under the Blood Red Sun." He has much to say as part of his refelection and discussion. But before I share his activities, here's a snippet of what he wrote regarding his assignment on "Avatar":

"After watching Avatar I thought that it sent out a message, one that tells you to take another look at the world you live in and the environment that surrounds you on a daily basis. The love that the Na’vi have for the value of nature makes me wonder
about the nature on Earth. Day by day we destroy the most beautiful areas on Earth just to fit the needs of modern society, which has its benefits and cons. I feel that since we are people that populate this world, we should do more to help protect the nature from fading
away before Earth turns into another Mars."

The aformentioned ties in with different disciplines, such language arts, reading, mathematics, science, and social studies! I am delighted wlth his thought-reflective submission!

Homeschool Interdisciplinary Unit: Under the Blood Red Sun

As part of our Interdisciplinary Unit instruction, my son will read Under the Blood Red Sun. Over the course of our instruction, he will engage in various content-area activities for this unit. In the meantime, here's the synopsis for this culturally-relevant story.

Under the Blood Red Sun Synopsis
Copyright 1994 by Graham Salisbury
Winner of the Scott O’Dell award for historical fiction

Tomi was born in Hawaii. His grandfather and parents were born in Japan and came to America to escape poverty. "This is a good place," says Papa, a fisherman, and Tomi knows he is right.

World War II seems far away from Tomi and his friends, even though the harbor is full of warships. They're busy playing ball on their eighth-grade team, The Rats.

The Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up. Tomi's father and grandfather are arrested. Taken away. Tomi must be the man of his family and help his mother and little sister survive. It's a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn't change: the loyalty of Tomi's buddies, The Rats.

Guam IRA Resourceful for Homeschooling

There's no doubt that the Guam Council of the International Reading Association helps educators and parents alike discover the wonder and the worlds to be found in books. Guam IRA is a professional organization for individuals who are genuinely concerned with the development of reading programs for children and adults. It is a group of people who work together to improve literacy and reading instruction in Guam and Micronesia.

Homeschoolers should definitely consider using the Guam IRA as a resource like I do. I found various books for all my kids. In particular, we have used some of the books for the homeschooling of my oldest son. Thank you Guam IRA for being there for us!

Click on the image below to view the Guam IRA January 2010 Newsletter. If you are unable to view the newsletter, visit its website at http://iraguam.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Why Homeschooling?

"Why homeschooling?" some may ask. It's very simple. It's one way to truly meet the needs of your child, especially if they have certain conditions like my oldest son. My only daughter remains in the traditional school setting, and she enjoys it, so we've opted to let her stay where she is comfortable. My youngest son will soon be attending grade school, so I'm hopeful he'll enjoy the traditional school setting as well. If his needs are not met, we will consider homeschooling for him, but for now our decision is to have him attend school.

My oldest son is immersed in various content areas, and I usually integrate literacy in each of the subjects, so that he is motivated to read. It certainly helps that I'm an educator. Homeschooling takes dedication and time and sometimes we go beyond the required 3 hours a day, if necessary, so you can imagine that I often have a very long day, since I also teach part-time at the university on certain days! Nevertheless, I'm glad that there is an option for those children who have certain needs like my son. He is learning so much, and we don't have to worry about his absences when his eczema acts up, because he is already at school - our "homeschool" setting! I wish the very best for other homeschoolers, and I encourage you to continue to strive for the best, because focus and dedication are certainly requisites for what we do as homeschool parents!