Amazing Free Resources to Start Your Homeschool Year with a Big Fun Shark Day (or week).
Amazing Free Resources to Start Your Homeschool Year with a Big Fun Shark Day (or week).
Source file: Shark_Free_Resources.docx
Author: Marla Szwast
Created: 2018-07-18 17:00:00
Modified: 2018-07-20 15:01:00
Amazing Free Resources to Start Your Homeschool Year with a Big Fun Shark Day (or week).
Everyone starts their homeschool year differently. Some of us ramp up slowly, starting with just a few subjects and adding more in each week until we are in full swing. Others start it all on day one with a big jump. Some of us never quit and so we don’t really have a defined start.
There are advantages, whether you school year-round, ramp up slowly, or start with a bang, to including something fun and festive for the first day or week. Whether it is the start of a defined school year, or just start back up after a week or two off.
Whether or not you want to start up with a shark theme, I encourage you to do something just a little fun or different on the first day back. Celebrate your freedom to learn at your own pace in your own way. We are blessed with amazing lives where we can dedicate hours of every day in the pursuit of knowledge. Let’s celebrate learning.
This list of resources is meant to get those fun juices flowing, with a little dose of learning on the side. But no one has a giant budget for fun after they have bought all the curriculum for the year, so I am sharing here only free resources, so the fun will be easy on your pocket book.
Video’s are a great way to introduce a subject, give your kids an overview, and get them excited about learning more. Ask your kids to think of additional questions they have while watching videos and help guide them towards the answers as you study further. Make sure either you or your student write down the questions (depending on age). Question are one the most important parts of a healthy learning environment.
Videos:
Did you know the Eyewitness Video’s are available on YouTube for free?
Time required 30 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwZ6lyfr9LE
I would say Eyewitness videos are a good resource for ages 5-12. (They are evolution based. They are one of the best documentary series I have found for kids especially in this price point.)
Here is a shorter video about sharks from Freeschool.
(This one is 6 minutes and does not get into evolution.)
This video is a size comparison of shark species, compared to the size of a human diver:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxYebL_j1o
(This is 4 minutes)
Crafts: https://www.sharks4kids.com/copy-of-crafts
These three crafts seem straight-forward and do not require a lot of odd supplies (one does use a hanger). They will probably take 30 – 60 minutes depending on which one you choose.
Coloring:
https://www.sharks4kids.com/coloring-sheets
There is a nice variety of pages here, simple ones for young children and pages with facts for older kids.
I would allow 10-20 minutes to complete a coloring page.
Reading:
Shark Biology (10 minute read)
http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/biology/shark-biology/
Worksheets:
https://www.sharks4kids.com/activities
There are a variety of worksheets on this page including writing assignments, research questions, word searches, and cryptic puzzles and codes. They are easy to view and print.
For Your Teens:
More detailed lessons with lots of science vocabulary and quiz questions after the lesson.
https://www.pc.maricopa.edu/Biology/ppepe/BIO145/lab04.html
Not into sharks? Maybe start with a fun mini-unit study on something your kids are excited about. Don’t forget one of your most important jobs as a teacher is to be curious yourself. Happy Learning.
Are you confused about what to buy this year?
Check out my freebie 10 Quick Questions to ask yourself before you buy that shiny new curriculum.
https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/410534?v=7
Bio
Marla Szwast lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband and six children. She is a life-time homeschooler. She has written articles for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. She is the author of Stepping Through History: Starting With You!, and a semester-long fifth-grade science course. Both courses are published online at the Schoolhouse Teachers membership website. She writes about homeschooling, child development, neuroscience, and the history of education on her blog at www.jumpintogenius.com, you can also follow her on Facebook @jumpintogenius, or Twitter @MarlaSzwast, or Medium. She is also a homeschool product reviewer, and yes, you will find reviews where she does not recommend the product!