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  • Home
  • Raising Outdoor Kids
    • Featured

      100+ Must-Read Nature Books for Kids of…

      February 19, 2019

      Crafting

      Printable Valentine Flower Seed Packets for Kids

      January 26, 2019

      Featured

      Positive Ways to Talk to Kids About…

      January 13, 2019

      Featured

      30+ Inspirational Parenting Books for Raising Outdoor…

      December 27, 2018

      Featured

      5 Reasons Kids Should Play Outside in…

      December 13, 2018

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      5 Must-Do Fall Activities that Will Get…

      October 3, 2018

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      7 Special Ways to Celebrate the Autumn…

      September 10, 2018

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      Hello Summer! Why I’m Not Making a…

      June 24, 2018

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      How to Nurture Your Young Budding Naturalist: Books,…

      May 15, 2018

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      Make Family Camping Way More Fun –…

      May 1, 2018

  • My Nature Adventure Journal
  • Printables
  • Canadian Adventures
    • All Alberta British Columbia Lower Mainland Northern Interior Okanagan
      British Columbia

      Hiking and Camping with Kids at Kokanee…

      July 30, 2018

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      December 1, 2017

      British Columbia

      Family-Friendly Adventures on BC’s Sunshine Coast

      November 8, 2017

      British Columbia

      A National Park Reserve in the South…

      November 3, 2017

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      November 1, 2017

      Okanagan

      Hiking Spion Kop with Kids in Lake…

      October 10, 2017

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      September 28, 2017

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      August 30, 2017

      Alberta

      Rock Climbing with Kids in Jasper National…

      August 8, 2017

      Alberta

      Family Adventures in Jasper National Park: 10…

      July 26, 2017

      Alberta

      Shaw’s Point Resort

      August 6, 2015

      Alberta

      Apiaries in Northern Alberta

      August 5, 2015

      Alberta

      St. Isidore, Alberta

      August 4, 2015

      Alberta

      The Hoodoos

      July 29, 2015

      Alberta

      Royal Tyrrell Museum

      July 28, 2015

      Alberta

      Bow Valley Campground

      July 27, 2015

      British Columbia

      Hiking and Camping with Kids at Kokanee…

      July 30, 2018

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      December 1, 2017

      British Columbia

      Family-Friendly Adventures on BC’s Sunshine Coast

      November 8, 2017

      British Columbia

      A National Park Reserve in the South…

      November 3, 2017

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      November 1, 2017

      British Columbia

      Hiking Spion Kop with Kids in Lake…

      October 10, 2017

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      September 28, 2017

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      August 30, 2017

      Lower Mainland

      Visiting the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in…

      March 7, 2017

      Lower Mainland

      Outdoor Family Adventures in Metro Vancouver

      August 2, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Biking the Stanley Park Seawall

      July 27, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Exploring Deep Cove and Quarry Rock Trail

      July 25, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Visiting Queen Elizabeth Park

      July 22, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Biking Through Pacific Spirit Regional Park

      July 20, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Exploring Lynn Canyon Park

      July 18, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      1001 Steps to the Beach

      April 19, 2014

      Northern Interior

      Life at Ness Lake

      September 1, 2016

      Northern Interior

      McMillan Creek Regional Park

      October 8, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Ferguson Lake Nature Reserve

      October 6, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Eskers Provincial Park

      October 5, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Autumn in Northern British Columbia

      September 28, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Wildflowers in Northern British Columbia

      June 6, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Visiting Barkerville Historic Town

      June 2, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Travelling North

      June 19, 2013

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      December 1, 2017

      Okanagan

      A National Park Reserve in the South…

      November 3, 2017

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      November 1, 2017

      Okanagan

      Hiking Spion Kop with Kids in Lake…

      October 10, 2017

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      September 28, 2017

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      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      August 30, 2017

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      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      August 1, 2017

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      5 Tips for Visiting Kangaroo Creek Farm…

      July 18, 2017

  • World Travel
    • All Mexico New Zealand Oregon, USA Thailand
      New Zealand

      A Family Adventure Holiday in New Zealand

      June 4, 2018

      Oregon, USA

      Climb On! Rock Climbing with Kids at…

      August 25, 2017

      Mexico

      Puerto Angel, Oaxaca

      February 19, 2016

      Mexico

      Playa San Agustinillo, Oaxaca

      February 18, 2016

      Mexico

      Puerto Angel, Oaxaca

      February 19, 2016

      Mexico

      Playa San Agustinillo, Oaxaca

      February 18, 2016

      Mexico

      A Parade in Puerto Escondido

      February 17, 2016

      Mexico

      Puerto Surf Lessons, Puerto Escondido

      February 16, 2016

      New Zealand

      A Family Adventure Holiday in New Zealand

      June 4, 2018

      Oregon, USA

      Climb On! Rock Climbing with Kids at…

      August 25, 2017

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      Our Family’s Top Ten Experiences in Thailand

      February 23, 2015

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      Family-of-Five Packing List for Thailand

      February 23, 2015

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      Toilets in Thailand

      February 22, 2015

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      February 21, 2015

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Backwoods Mama

Homeschool

Home Learning 2015-2016

November 6, 2015
The beginning of the school year has already passed and we are well into on our third year our home learning! There are several changes for us this year, all of which are exciting and a little nerve wracking. One change is that I have been officially teaching two children, and two seems like a lot more than one. My eldest is in second grade and my daughter is in kindergarten. Figuring out how to meet the needs of both definitely make me feel a little overwhelmed at times but each day I am figure out our rhythm just a little more.

This year we have continued our enrollment with Island Discovery Learning Community distributed learning (DL) program and have registered with their part-classroom program. My two children attend a learning centre one day a week where they are free to inquire, explore and be engaged in discovery with a small multi-age group of home learning children. They have been so excited to participate in this program and I have to admit that I am equally thrilled for them. We are also continuing to take part in the Learning Circle when we are able to but scheduling conflicts in the last couple months have made taking part challenging. The Learning Circle has been an important part of our community and learning experiences in the last three years and we have had some wonderful experiences and made great connections with families in this community.

When it comes to home learning we continue to do prioritize many of the same things that we did last year. As I mentioned last year, I don’t prescribe to any particular home learning philosophy but borrow from many. Eclectic home learning probably describes our family best. I value child-led learning, project-based learning and seasonally inspired learning. I want my children to have a strong foundation in reading, writing and mathematics. We love books, art and music. We use curriculum for some subjects, but not for all. This year we are using specific programs for language arts and mathematics and I have listed them below. As for French, science, social studies, art, music and physical and health education we draw our learning experiences from a variety or places, people, situations and resources. I will share some of my favourites for these topics over the next few months.

Felix: Grade Two
Reading and Writing
All About Reading 2 and All About Spelling 2
When my son completed the Primary Arts of Language (PAL) program last year we moved on to the All About Reading and All About Spelling programs. The All About Spelling 1 book was included in the PAL program and it seemed like a good next step for my son. The program itself is very comprehensive and focuses on developing a solid understanding of various sounds of the English language.

Mathematics
Singapore Mathematics 2A and 2B
After completing Math-U-See Alpha my son transitioned to Singapore Math 1B. He was much more interested in the Singapore math program because of the challenge of learning new concepts at a quicker pace.

Claire: Kindergarten 
Reading and Writing
Primary Arts of Language (PAL) through the Institute for Excellence in Writing
This is a very comprehensive reading and writing program for K-2. I used this program with my eldest for the last two years and now I will be using it with my daughter. I have a feeling that my daughter will move through the program at quicker pace than my son since she already seems to enjoy reading and writing. This program incorporates a variety of ways to learn about reading and writing such as games and various activities. As the parent it takes some prep work to get organized each week but it was been well worth it. Here is the link for the Canadian distributor.

Mathematics
Singapore Essential Math: Kindergarten A and B
After spending about a year-and-a-half using Math-U-See with my son I chose to make the switch to Singapore Math. There were elements of Math-U-See that I liked, such as the manipulative blocks and the lessons on DVD, but I found that it was quite repetitive and a little slow paced. I considered using Math-U-See for my daughter but in the end chose to start her with Singapore Math alongside her brother. So far, Singapore Essential Math seems to be a good fit for her.

Related Posts:
Home Learning 2014-2015
Shifts and Changes: Home Learning 2014-2015
We Are Home Learners
What is a Learning Circle?

Home Learning 2015-2016 was last modified: May 31st, 2016 by Josée
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