Mudspark Life Learning

New ebook! Nerd Schooling  by Clea Danaan puts together my experiences as a teacher and homeschooling parent. It's an exploration of learning through what kids are really interested in - Minecraft, graphic novels, roleplay games, and more. Being a nerd means expressing your true self, and we learn best when we do what we are interested and care about. My son, for instance, has been studying Swedish on Duo Lingo, I think mostly because his favorite game developers are Scandinavian. He is watching Gravity Falls and making his own comics characters. He plays Minecraft with friends online. What is he learning? Well besides Swedish, he is learning a lot about the country and the different flags. He learned some about the native Sami people. He is making characters and worlds, developing leadership skills, and learning what makes a good game flow. Want some ideas for incorporating activities like this in your homeschool classroom or regular classroom? Check out Nerd Schooling ! The cov...

This past school year I taught an art class to grades 1-6 at a homeschool enrichment program. Each class was based on a children's book; we either learned about replicating the style or created something based on the story. We studied the techniques used by the artist to explore the Elements of Art and various aspects of art like warm and cool colors. I tried to expose students to a variety of mediums, and to using mediums in interesting ways. Students were encouraged to do the project suggested, but creative exploration was always encouraged. I loosely followed the seasons and some holidays with my choices, but not always. Here is a list of most of the projects we did in our art class. Links on titles take you to Goodreads. More ideas can be found on my Pinterest board. Projects from Art with Literature Let's Paint by Gabriel Alborozo   We painted using liquid watercolor and tools other than brushes: pipettes, cotton balls, paper towels, etc. ...

To introduce your kids to the instruments of the orchestra, here's a simple, multimedia lesson plan that could be used at home or in the classroom. We read Meet the Orchestra by Ann Hayes, Illustrated by Karmen Thompson, aloud, and at each section I played the following links. Play at the beginning: Orchestra tuning up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfSH1ezevjM As you read each section (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, play each) play families: http://www.classicsforkids.com/music/orchestra.asp  Leave this window open. As you read each page, play sound clips of each instrument (also leave this window open): http://www.beginband.com/sndclips.shtml The following are not in the above link, so play these as you come to each instrument.                 Piccolo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzKKg9zv9k4            ...