Mama's Musings

Getting ready for 2024?  If you'd like to grab my free printable planner (over 50 pages), please do so before the end of December.

If you want to book a 1:1 session to help you get organised, please head to my calendly and make an appointment for January.

If you'd like to work through the planner, and similar organisational tools, with me over 7 days - enrol in my Organised Homeschool mini-course.  It's still only AUD$7 and can be used over and over again.

AI - Artificial Intelligence - love it, hate it, or not sure?  I'm still on the fence!  That is a typical writer's response to a perceived threat.

I've been testing it out though, and I think it's a great tool for generating ideas.  For example, today I logged into ChatGPT and asked it to "write a 4 week unit study for children aged 5-7 who are learning about the countries around the world, especially developing nations and less common countries, and include food, stories, and art, as well as academic learning."  

For me to plan this would take maybe an hour or more, and for someone new to homeschooling, it could take a few hours.  In under a minute, ChatGPT gave me this:

Title: Exploring Our World: A 4-Week Unit Study for Children Aged 5-7

Week 1: Africa - A Continent of Rich Cultures
Introduction:
Introduce the concept of continents and explain that we will be starting our journey in Africa, a diverse continent.
Display a world map and locate...

Twinkl have a brand new PlanIt Home Education Planner resource designed especially for Home Education and all aligned to the Australian Curriculum. This resource is hot off the press and includes a full year's worth of primary school aged-lesson planning across various subjects and topics mapped out for you. All you have to do is click on the links to be directed straight to all of the appropriate resources - how simple is that?

You can find this PlanIt Home Education planner here.

And if you need a code to access Ultimate access to Twinkl, I have one which is valid for MAY only! Login into Twinkl through this link, and then enter my code: HOMESCHOOLCONFIDENTLYMAY2023 to receive your free week of Ultimate access.

PlanIt resources include detailed lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, creative and differentiated lesson activities, challenge cards, fact cards, eye-catching display packs, key vocabulary grids and even assessment materials. Twinkl have also included a blank...

When we had a bunch of children close in age, the school holidays were a welcome chance to drop everything and just play!  If we weren't going away anywhere, fun was had at home with friends or family visiting, and we avoided going out as a welcome relief from our daily driving commitments.  As a large, rural-living family, there was something on almost every day during school terms!

Now I have only one young child at home, so when we're not going away during the holidays I often look for opportunities to keep her entertained.  Sometimes we have playdates with local friends, but other ideas I use include:

the library - our local libraries offer a wide variety of activities during each school holidays.  We have six libraries within 30 minutes of our home, so there are different days and times to choose from.  The activities are free, and booking online is simple.  Of course the library is great for books, story CDs, DVDs and other...

For the past couple of months, Zeah has been trying various Outschool classes.  She's tried escape rooms, maths lessons, and arts & crafts.  She's engaged with teachers from Australia and the US.  She's met other children aged 5-8 years, from all over the world.  And she's loved it!  As soon as a lesson ends, she asks what she's enrolled in next.  She finishes every lesson smiling and proud, encouraged and inspired.  Zeah is getting a lot more out of her Outschool classes than I expected.


_{Zeah uses a phone or tablet to access Outschool most of the time, it feels less restrictive than sitting at the computer.}

Outschool offers classes across every subject area, as well as classes and groups for specific interests, and social groups.  They have something for everyone aged 3 to 18 years.  I'm sure we would have used Outschool a lot with our teens if there were more classes in Australian time zones a few years ago.

Teachers and...

I've just finished preparing my workshop for the 2021 Australian Homeschooling Summit! And today Kelly has released the list of over 35 workshops available this year! AND tickets are available too! Check it out here.

Just $29 for access to 30+ hours of content, a whole bunch of downloads including workbooks and other freebies and discounts, downloadable mp3s and video files, and access to a private group to get advice directly from the experts, share with other attendees, and to get bonus live sessions and resources. It's on soon - 15-26 February!



My workshop on homeschool planning & organising (with your kids) is on the 24th at 11am Queensland time, and includes a mega-bundle of free printable resources!

Don't forget there's also an AHS2021 ticket giveaway happening until the 29th here.

See you at the Summit! 

Please note that these are affiliate links because I am a presenter.  From tickets purchased through my links I receive a percentage which pays me for my time...

I've just completed a workbook I started this time last year!  I sense a theme...  I'm thinking about the overwhelm as our year comes to an end (and oh my - what a year)!

Without proper support it can feel almost impossible to nurture your family relationships and maintain a home based learning journey long-term.  

To access this FREE 20 page printable workbook, click on the cover, below, and enjoy!

The freebie for today is one of the files from my Resources page - a book review template.

Interested in reading more about including book reviews in your home ed journey?  Interested in a TON more homeschool freebies?  Check out this collection by Sarah Shelton on the Homeschool Giveaways and Freebies site!

I loved themed learning at any age!  From reading Teddy Bear's Picnic and eating outdoors with babies, right through to teens writing essays inspired by concepts in a sci-fi movie they watched or novel they read...  

Last week I read The Rainbow Fish to Zeah and the little ones I babysit, then we did some simple related activities.

The Rainbow Fish, with his shimmering scales, is the most beautiful fish in the ocean but he is proud and vain and none of the other fish want to be his friend—until he learns to give away some of his most prized possessions.

Sometimes the activity is so simple it's completed by the end of the story, and other times, we can spend a week or more immersed in the theme of a much-loved book.

When I looked online for activities related to The Rainbow Fish, there were hundreds of free ideas including arts & crafts, colouring pages, worksheets, games, loose parts play, snack ideas, and more!  Learning like this is a little like a...

Have you used Khan Academy?  Our teens have used it so much over the years (and still do), especially for Maths!

I used Khan Academy myself recently as I needed some further explanation on some Maths concepts for one of my university subjects.  The lessons complimented the uni content perfectly and filled in the gaps I had so I could proceed with my assignment.

And something for my readers who aren't Aussies - they have a great section on Personal Finances with US information and links.  So if you were a little let down by the Australian-centric info I shared here on Wednesday, check out Khan Academy!  it's FREE!