Educational Homeschooling Projects?

Question

There is some times in the days where I get that urge to sit down and watch television instead of getting on with studies. I do alot of studies but sometimes it is hard doing something consistantly, you know the feeling. Well today I realized that I am really sick and tired of the text books I have been using and that I needed help on doing fun projects that help me with the subjects I need help in but is also fun. I love to do projects, they are fun, but after I realize that mostly it only gives me life skills and science and that I still have alot of work to do. Is there any way that I can do a project that will cover alot of the subjects? If you have any ideas I would love it. I am not in high school yet, but in middle school. 10 + points to the best longest and most ideas answer.

Answer 1

Hey... I am so glad to hear you are looking for options rather than just giving up and heading to the TV!

A note on textbooks:

My oldest daughter (also middle school) has gone through four math texts to find the one that works for her; my son, three.  Each textbook is written in a different way and you have to be open to finding the book that fits your learning style; sometimes that means an initial output of money to buy several texts to test.  Keep looking and you'll find something that will work for you, maybe several somethings... :o)

Now onto your question:

What you seek is a Unit Study. Unit studies take a subject and expand on the idea with as many other subjects and/or field trips as makes sense.  You can very often use a single subject to learn about a variety of areas.

Nearly everything you study will require reading, critical analysis of what you've read (how it relates to your life today), writing about what you've read, and the study of the history and people related to your subject.  Geography plays pretty heavily in the study of some subjects, especially historical subjects.  Math is a tough one to include in unit studies, but if you find your math studies are getting boring, try a little history lesson in a particular mathematical method (Pythagoras-- who the heck was that?).

If you like music, you might study the history of a particular instrument, perhaps (if you are lucky!) locate a local craftsperson who makes those instruments (requires math skills to do, by the way) and make an appointment to visit with that person, learn the basics of playing that instrument, read and listen to the styles of music suited to that instrument by finding samples of music either online or at your library, find biographies on famous musicians (past and present) and read about them.  

Most of all, you should write, write, write! Get a cheap spiral bound notebook and take it everywhere you go.  In it, write about what you've read (make notes about the book titles, where you got the information so you can go back to it at a later date), heard, and seen.  The more writing you do, the easier writing will get and the more information your brain will retain.

Another example, let's take Biology.  Specifically plant studies. Sound boring? Go to your library and find all the non-fiction books, young adult and adult (some of these might be readable for you!), on plants, plant identification, plant structure, nomenclature... Take the time to browse the stacks and read the covers of the books. If one sounds interesting, check it out. You don't have to read the entire book just because you've checked it out, but the subject might lead you to another interesting topic you can locate a book on.  While you are at it, locate a few biographies related to the history of plant studies (such as Carolus Linnaeus/Carl Linneaus, the guy who came up with scientific nomenclature to categorize plants).  

If you live anywhere near or in a big city, there's a good bet you have access to either a natural history museum and/or a botanical garden (Google or Yahoo "botanical garden" with the name of a city near you). Columbus Ohio has a botanical garden, the Franklin Park Conservatory, complete with a model train setup for this holiday season -- really neat!  Take a day-trip to that museum or garden, and, with your newfound knowledge and/or resources, try to identify the plants you see there, talk to a naturalist or biologist if one is on staff and ask questions.  

If you don't have a botanical garden to visit, just arm yourself with a plant identification book (any of the Audobon Society books are great resources) and head into your backyard or neighborhood and check out what you find there.  If you can get to a state park, they often have naturalists on staff who love to take time off from their desks to talk to students. This sort of study may lead you to plant and tend a garden this spring/summer, which might then involve the study of organic methods and why growing food organically, and eating that food, makes sense for personal health and the environment.

Oh, and don't forget that notebook!  

This sort of interest-led learning can be your entire learning experience (our homeschool style) or it can be used to break up a published curriculum, which as you have found out can get boring sometimes. Unit studies, either planned/structured or followed as a free-flowing process, can lead to other studies of other seemingly unrelated subjects, too... Just go with the flow -- you'll have a great time learning again!  

:o)

Answer 2

yes

Computer programming.  Buy a used copy of Visual Basic 6 and learn how to program.  It builds math skills.  It teaches logic.  It helps you learn how to plan and organize.  It teachs you why grammar and syntax have to be accurate.

Get a telescope and do some observational astronomy.  Write reports.  Keep a log.  Get some books and star charts.  See Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus first hand.

buy an electronics kit and learn how to build things.  Learn how to read schematics.  Learn what capacitors, resisters, diodes and trasistors do.

Edmunds Scientific makes an optical bench with lenses and light source for about $50 which teachs you about optics, magnification, how camera lenses work, how telescope lenses work.  How glasses work.