In an effort to help our teenagers become well rounded students, we may require them to participate in extracurricular activities. By doing so, we allow our teens to partner with organizations that foster educational excellence, offer community service opportunities, and provide leadership training.  Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, many on-site extracurricular activities came to a screeching halt.

Now that we’re living in a COVID-19 world, traditional extracurricular opportunities may no longer be readily available. However, homeschool students can still enjoy extracurricular activities that promote personal growth and impress college admissions officers. If we think outside the box while exercising a bit of creativity, we can help our teenagers find valuable extracurricular opportunities. Check out this list of extracurricular activities that can be done at home.

1. Attend a conference or workshop. In an effort to meet the needs of students and maintain some sense of normalcy, many organizations have moved conferences and workshops to a virtual format. Encourage your teen to attend these sessions even though they’re no longer in person events. Some conference holders have slashed prices and now offer additional content as a way to make up for the lack of in person sessions.

2. Run virtual classes for younger students. If your teen has mastered a skill or has a special talent, encourage him to use it to help younger students gain knowledge. From the comfort of home, teens can teach classes such as art, math, or science. Since many parents are still looking for activities for their young children, your teen may be able to meet a need while collecting community service hours.

3. Take an online class.  No matter what your teen’s interest, you can probably find a class somewhere that addresses it. Check out Coursera, Outschool, and Udemy for class options in a wide range of interest areas. Classes can be fun, add depth to your teen’s body of knowledge, and help him brush up on skills. 

4. Learn something new. It’s now easier than ever for teens to learn something new. Have your teen pick a topic of interest and then look for helpful YouTube tutorials or online classes. My oldest daughter learned to play guitar using a few YouTube tutorials and by completing Thaddeus Hogarth’s excellent Guitar for Beginners Coursera class. 

5. Create a website. The internet is a big place! Encourage your teen to plant a flag somewhere on it by creating a website based upon a personal interest. Your teen can use the website to post book reviews, share blog posts about a topic she enjoys, or use it as a place to showcase her artwork, photography, or other skill. 

6. Start a YouTube Channel or a podcast. People love to watch videos and listen to content on the go, so encourage your teen to start recording. Your teen can establish himself as a talented content creator by posting product reviews, providing tutorials, vlogging, and/or conducting interviews. If he shares content regularly and widely, he may be able to gain a likeminded and loyal following.

7. Write and self-publish a book. Your teen doesn’t have to impress a big name publisher in order to get her well written book into the hands of a consumer. Cheer for your teenager as she writes and edits her masterpiece. Assist her in getting an ISBN number, and then help her make the title available on Amazon. 

8. Fine tune life skills. We want our teens to have the life skills they need to be successful adults. This is a great time to hone those essential budgeting, culinary, and trade skills. Use this time to create a family cookbook or to create an instructional manual for basic car care. 

9. Start an organization or a business. Teens are making a difference! Many of them are taking their passions and using them to improve their local communities and the world. I’m greatly impressed by the following teens who started small and are now well on their way to great things. 

• Sophia Andrews has a love for Kenyan children and for the arts. This led her to create Ngoma Kenya, a “non-profit organization that teaches dance and the arts to the children of Kenya”. Visit her website to learn about the impact her organization continues to make.
• Maryland baker Summer Laird is serving up delicious cakes via her business Summertime Sweets. Check out this talented 16-year-old dessert queen on Instagram using the handle @SummertimeSweets4u. or stop by her Facebook page.
• Ssanyu Lukoma is the CEO and Founder of Brown Kids Read, a “non-profit to motivate all children, but especially children of color to read more diverse literature.” Ssanyu is working hard to plant the important seeds of reading for the next generation. Head over to her website to learn more.

10. Serve as a virtual assistant. Teens are some of the most tech savvy people on Earth! See if your teen can put her skills to work as a virtual assistant. Many businesses are looking for individuals to create graphic designs, make update websites, and check emails. Former teachers who know and love your teen may be willing to offer her work.

COVID-19 has made education a bit  more complicated, but extracurricular activities still abound. They have not been cancelled! Talk to your teen and see if he or she is interested in any of the activities noted here. 

In order to satisfy our state’s high school graduation requirements, students must complete three years of laboratory science. Thus far, our lab sciences have included Biology, Chemistry, and Human Anatomy. 

In our homeschool, we prefer to use live, hands on science labs. My husband has done labs at here at home, but the girls have also completed labs at the homeschool cooperative, or through outside science classes taught by teachers with subject area degrees.

Though live labs are always our first choice, such labs may not always be possible. If you find yourself in such a situation, don’t worry. There are several free online resources available and you don’t even have to search for them! Check out this list featuring the best free virtual lab science resources I could find. 

Biology Resources

• NAVS Online Dissections
• The Biology Corner
• Biology By Me YouTube Channel
• Bullfrog Dissection
• Oh Worm Youtube Channel

Chemistry Resources

• Chem Collective Virtual Chemistry Labs
• Koen2all YouTube Channel

Human Anatomy Resources 

• Downstate Human Anatomy Dissections
• Healthline Human Body
• Anatomy Arcade
• Anatomy Guy
• Ackland Anatomy
• 4D Anatomy
• Inner Body 
• Zygote Body

 

Planning for the upcoming school year is in full swing! As I plan lessons and activities for the new school year, I continue to include information about African-American men and women. I’ve compiled a list of names and am sharing them with you today. Download a copy of each list by clicking the download buttons. 

Over the last couple of weeks, online websites have overflowed with tips regarding how to keep children and teens healthy and happy while they remain at home for an extended period of time. But in one online group I frequent, a mom joked, “The kids are fine, but me? Not so much. Is anybody checking on moms?”

I’m checking on you! Here are a few tips to help you maintain social, physical, and mental health as you endure social distancing measures and in some cases, stay at home orders. 

Tap into your support system. Travel restrictions and social distancing don’t have to prevent you from connecting with your usual homeschool tribe. Use social media to connect with fellow homeschool moms who are also making adjustments and will understand your struggles. Step into tech and chat with friends using FaceTime or a Google Hangout.

Learn something new. Check out Udemy, one of my favorite educational sites. It features a variety of self-paced online courses for people of all ages. Brush up on your culinary knife skills, learn to use oil pastels, or discover how to use a new piece of software. Many courses are reasonably priced at around $19.99. Some courses are priced as low as $11.99.

Pamper yourself. You may not be able to get to your nail tech or take advantage of your longstanding appointment at the hair salon. However, you can still pamper yourself at home. Here are a couple of my favorite at DIY treatments: 

• Brown Sugar Body Scrub: Mix up  ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup olive oil, and ¼ cup honey. Stir to combine. Once in the shower, apply the mixture to your skin and massage in a circular motion. Rinse off with warm water and be sure to thoroughly rinse the shower when done. Oil can make the surface very slippery. 
• Oatmeal Facial Scrub: Combine ¼  cup ground oatmeal, 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons  plain yogurt. Mix thoroughly until a smooth paste forms. Smooth the mixture over your face, leave on for ten minutes, and wipe off with warm water and a soft washcloth.
• Simple Foot Soak: In a large basin or foot spa, add enough warm water to come up to your ankles. Add ½ cup of Epsom salt and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. 
• Soothing Lip Scrub: Combine ¼ teaspoon brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon olive, and ¼ teaspoon honey. Use your finger to gently spread the mixture over your lips a few times. Remove the scrub with a warm damp washcloth and then apply your favorite lip balm. 

Get outside…alone. You’re already making sure the kids get the fresh air and exercise they need, but don’t neglect yourself in this area. Take some time to enjoy the outdoors alone. Go out to the yard and do some stretches. Have a seat on the porch and read a book. Talk a walk. Outdoor time alone will provide the quiet time you need to refresh and reboot.

Start journaling. You likely have plenty of thoughts swirling around in your head right now. Clear the clutter from your mind by writing it all down. In addition, document any interesting details from the day and take to jot down the things you’re thankful for. Rereading your entries in the years to come will be an interesting experience. 

Create a photo journal. Each day, snap a pic of something fun or interesting your family is doing. Create a special photo album just for these pics. Once things settle down and regular life activities resume, consider creating a photo book using a company such as Shutterfly. This will make an awesome memory!

Keep pressing forward as you cultivate learners from the comfort of home!

Back in the day, when I was in elementary and middle school, we read dozens of books each year. I loved that. But back in those same days, my teachers assigned book reports. I hated that. To this day, I still feel a twinge of angst whenever I recall the hours I spent staring at a blank page, trying to come up with pages of important things to say about the book I’d just read.

Let’s fast forward to the Thorpe family homeschool. All three of my children love to read and they also enjoy discussing and sharing information about the books they read. However, when it’s time for them to explore a book’s settings, themes, characters, symbols, and plot, I don’t want them to use the old school book report format I dreaded so much.  

Here in our homeschool, I prefer to use fun and engaging book projects that will give my girls the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge while exercising their creativity. Consequently, I step outside the book report box and offer my children creative, yet comprehensive post-reading activities. Check out these three fun and fabulous book report alternatives.

Create a board game. Have your kids show what they know by creating a card or board game about the book they’ve just read. Have your child give their game a catchy title based upon the book, design a unique board with detours and pit stops, and create game cards that require comprehension and recall.

Design a movie poster. Kids love movies! Grab a large piece of posterboard and have your child create a movie poster based upon the book they’ve read. Our posters included a starred rating, at least two quotations from the book, a tagline, and of course an illustrated a scene from the book. I added a writing component by having the girls describe who they would cast in their movie.

Make an Awards Board. Have your child select several notable book characters and have him create an award to present to each character. Awards should be based upon what happens in the book and may include awards such as Most Courageous, Most Creative, Best Leader, etc.

Next, have your child write a paragraph for each award winner. He should clearly explain why the character deserves such an honor. Add an artistic element to the project by asking your child to create character photos to mount on a large sheet of posterboard or on a tri-fold project board. Be sure to mount the paragraphs as well. For additional fun, host an awards reception with food and speeches.

When it comes to sharing knowledge about books, homeschool moms have the ability to choose exciting ways for their children to do so. Tap into your child’s creative side and take book reporting to a new level by using one of these artistic ideas.