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Showing posts with label Homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschool. Show all posts

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Tutorial: Create Your Own (Space Saving) Timeline




I can still vividly remember the first time that I was able to grasp the notion of "time" as a child, and specifically, how long "ago some historical events happened.

Only a good visual aide could have done the job!

I encountered the concept of an extended timeline while watching a TV show.  The show explained that the timeline (featured in the show) started during our current era, and stretched back to the age of the dinosaurs.  Then, the timeline was revealed.  

But, it didn't look like the timelines I was used to seeing printed in the pages of textbooks, or tacked to  classroom walls.  Rather, this was a big THICK roll of paper. The children in the show were given the cylinder to inspect.  

Slowly, the kids on TV set the cylinder on its side, and started to tentatively unroll the paper.  At first, they unrolled a blue section (blue represented how long humans had walked the earth).  Then they continued to curiously and carefully unroll even more. 

As the paper stretched, blue was quickly replaced by other colors (each new color representing an older era in the history of Earth).  Eventually the length of paper stretched all the way across the room.  The kids giggled and unrolled faster.  Suddenly they were out the door!  The roll of paper bounced down the porch steps, and into the yard! 

I watched, mesmerized, as the cylindrical timeline kept rolling and rolling, leaving a multicolored path.  Suddenly, entire ice ages, neanderthals, and the Paleolithic Era all came and went.  The kids on TV laughed with amazement!  They were skipping now, pushing the roll of paper further.  On and on it went, moving down the sidewalk and past other houses.  

Then, at last, a final red section was revealed; they had reached the era of the dinosaurs. And, they had also reached the end of their city block!  I was astonished by how far the timeline had stretched.  To this day, the image of that scene is still cemented in my memory.  

So, I wanted to provide my own children with a similar understanding of time, and with a fantastic visual aid! 






I also wanted a timeline that we could fill out as we learned, so it needed to be easily accessible.  Pinning it high on a wall would not do.  And I wanted them to have the same experience of "unrolling" time. 

So, I came up with an idea for a portable timeline that could be extended and also easily stored away when not in use.




How to Make Your Own File Folder Timeline


First, I adapted a very simple template to the length of time we were going to study (in this case it was North American History).  I modified it the "old fashioned way"  (by using my copy machine, a black colored pencil, a ruler, and plenty of whiteout)!

Click Photo to Purchase


Click photo to purchase




Our timeline goes from 50,000 BCE up to present day.  Because I wanted to start with the first humans migrating across the land bridge from Asia into North America, it goes really far back in time.  So I adjusted the time intervals to be more condensed near the beginning, and more “spread out” as it got closer to the era of United States history.  It’s still really long, and it easily stretches across the whole room!











For fun I added our birthdays too!

Then, using scotch tape I attached each paper together in a long line, and folded the pages like an accordion. I found it worked best to apply the tape so that it would be on the outside of each fold.  

At the end I flipped the entire length of paper over and went along the back horizontally with a length of packing tape too (to make it even stronger). 

Click Photo to Purchase


Click Photo to Purchase



Next, I cut a hanging file folder in half (along the fold/crease) so that it was in two separate pieces.  Then I glued the two ends of the timeline to the inner side of each folder side.  

Click Photo to Purchase


To make it a bit more fun and fancy I made a cover page (by hand, with my favorite brand of colored pencils!). 




*Side note: Prismacolor makes the very BEST colored pencils!  The link above is to a basic set. But, they sell them in much larger sets too. 





I attached the cover page using layers of colorful masking tape, and even added a bit more embellishment with Washi Tape.

Click Photo to Purchase

Click Photo to Purchase



*Note: The washi tape didn't stick very well, so I just went over the ends with more packing tape to reinforce it. 


Right now our timeline lives tucked in with the rest of the books I'm using for our study of US History (in an old magazine rack). 





But as a bonus, it can also be stored in a standard hanging file box too!





I hope this tutorial has been helpful to you.  If you have any questions (or thoughts) please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Friday, February 22, 2019

For the Love of Books!!



I love literature so much... always have, and I always will. Also, I'm pretty sure I have enough college credits to have a second BA degree in English Lit!

Do you love them too? Then come over to Goodreads and  Nerd Out With Me!



This "social media meets literature" website is so much fun for anyone who appreciates books!

What are some of your all time favorite books? Or, perhaps even more interesting, what was one book you just couldn't stand?


*I'm not getting any kickbacks from Goodreads, nor am I affiliated with them (other than being a happy user). 

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Homeschool Room Tour


The long lazy days of summer will be winding down soon.  And, as much as I'd love to just lay back and mindlessly soak in the sunshine, thoughts of the school year ahead are drifting into my mind.

September is just around the corner!


This is the time of year that many homeschooling parents begin to think about how we arrange our space. So, in the spirit of a new academic year, I present a tour of our homeschool room!

I have also added direct internet links to the various items I have around the room, so that you can easily add them to your space if you wish..
Also, because I love "before and afters," I included some photos the original space originally when we bought our house (about two years ago).

Climb the stairs and join us! Welcome!

Stairs, before






On your way up the staircase, you will see a few bulletin boards as well as vintage inspired maps and scientific diagrams. To keep the space warm and welcoming, I use natural materials and subtle colors. 


The "posters" are actually intended to be wrapping paper, but they work great as decor on the walls! I love their classic look and soft colors. I found ours at a museum gift shop, and Amazon carries a lot of them too (here are just a couple of examples):

 

As soon as you round the corner at the top of the stairs and enter the space, you'll see where we do the bulk of our work. 
We spend the majority of our time at the sturdy vintage table. It was a lucky flea-market find that's held up to 3 kids really well! 

waldorf homeschool room

I am fortunate to have a large space that I can dedicate just to homeschooling. I know that not everyone does. When I first started homeschooling all I had was a desk in our entryway! So if you don't have a whole room, please know that I understand what that's like too (and be sure to check out the folding furniture I will discuss below).
Part of what sold me on the house we're in now was the potential of the upstairs space. This big room now doubles as both a place of learning, and a family room.

waldorf homeschool room

As you can see in the photo above, about half of the room functions as a comfy area to relax. We enjoy sitting on the couch to do our reading.

family room

And, the kids like to watch movies here (a TV is intentionally hidden in the armoire pictured below).

family room

I've tried to make the space welcoming, yet versatile too. I particularly like the chairs and table in this little conversation area because they fold, and are easily collapsed and moved out of the way. This is very helpful when (for example) you get a really good game of "ring around the rosie" going!


Having folding furniture is great if you are short on space too! I get everything from Amazon these days! Her are the exact chairs and tables I have:

 

I also really like this wall mounted murphy desk, because it can also be folded up to make room for extra floor space.

waldorf homeschool room





And, speaking of things that can be hidden away...  I disguise many unsightly things in the big white cabinet.
When the doors are open, it's actually a computer desk! I love that I can close the doors and hide things like the printer and the laminator (both things I love to have, but that I don't love to look at).
I found this particular one on Overstock.com. 

waldorf homeschool room

I love curriculum, books and educational materials. As a result I have stock piled WAY too much of it. Between my days in college earning my teaching credential, my years as a reading intervention teacher and now as a I enter my 4th year as a homeschooler, I have managed to acquire quite a collection!


Someday I fully intend to sort through my stash, and hopefully get rid of  lot of it. But, for now it all stays with us, suspended in state of "organized" chaos.  
Books and curriculum that are not in regular use are stored in the closet.  Meanwhile, the resources that are in regular rotation stay in a simple cube shelf next to my desk.

waldorf homeschool room
I love having over-the-door shoe rack inside the closet door (pictured above). It is a great way to store small things like art supplies, pencils (and so on). I love that it is made of natural material (and not cheap plastic). But, my only regret is that I didn't get one with clear pockets, like this:



The cube shelf is something that you can find at just about any big box store, or online. You can also get canvas bins made to fit in the cubes which are nice to have. Mine is similar to this...


I like that the back isn't solid because I can have access to the electrical outlet behind it.

And, speaking of storage, I still have two "littles" in the mix, who don't have very long attention spans! So, I keep a stash of puzzles and busy bags on hand for them to use while I work with my oldest. They are all easily accessible, while simultaneously stored out of sight in a wooden (Ikea) shelf. 



The puzzle rack on the top right has been a life saver. I like that it's easy for my kids to clean up the puzzles themselves, and that it's made of natural wood. This is the one I have: 

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No children's' space would be complete with a little bit of whimsy. I've added this throughout the room with simple additions like lighting, wool felt garlands, and more.

  

I LOVE lighting. It can really make or break a space. One way that I brightened up a dark corner of this room, was by draping string lights over a shelf bracket mounted on the wall. The trick to this is, to use lights with a white cord (not a standard green one).






For an easy on/off situation with my collection of lights, I have everything plugged into switches. 


But, any power strip (with a master switch) will do. You'll be more likely to use all the lighting if it's easy to turn it all on at once!

The element of subtle whimsy continues as you move through the room...

 




 

I am very inspired by Waldorf education, and incorporate elements of this theory into my homeschooling (like with the "math gnomes" pictured on the bulletin board below). 




I was an Art major in college, so I still have a lot of my old supplies. Plus we enjoy crafting and creating. So, here are some photos of how I keep all the gear, supplies (and, let's face it... "the mess") corralled.

 
Luckily the back section of the room even has a linoleum floor for easy clean up!



You may notice (in the picture above) my solution to having a place for works of art to dry. When I looked for drying racks, all that I could find were giant racks made for entire classes' worth of work. So, instead I use a wooden shoe rack, and it works great! 


Also, Ikea's easel is just as good as the more expensive versions!

And, in closing I'll leave you with a few more "Before and Afters" just for fun.

Before

After


Before


After



Before


After

I hope that you feel inspired after scrolling through this post! Please feel free to leave me any comments or questions you have. Also, if you do a post on your homeschool space please leave a link. I love peering into the spaces that others have created!


That's all! Thanks for stopping by!


Linking up to these fun parties and round ups:

http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2016/08/mix-it-up-monday.html

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