Tag: Homeschool Tips

Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Game & Sensory Play, Homeschool, Homeschool Tips, Learning, Resources, Special Needs Curriculum

Story Stones

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🪨 What is Story Stones?

Story Stones are small stones or pebbles that have images, symbols, or words painted or drawn on them, used as prompts to spark storytelling, imagination, and language development. They’re especially powerful for early learners, special needs children (including those with autism or speech delays), and as a Charlotte Mason-style oral narration tool. Each stone represents a character, setting, object, or action.

🧠 How to Use Story Stones

  • Storytelling: Pull 3–5 stones and make up a story with them.
  • Narration Practice: Use them as prompts after a read-aloud.
  • Sensory bins: Add them to sand or rice bins for themed play.
  • Writing Prompts (for older kids): Draw stones to inspire creative writing.

🎨 What You’ll Need

  • Smooth stones (river rocks, flat pebbles)
  • Acrylic paint or paint pens (or permanent markers)
  • Clear sealant (Mod Podge, spray sealer, or acrylic varnish)
  • Optional: Stickers, printed images, decoupage glue
  • Paper towels or newspaper to protect your work surface

🪨 Step-by-Step Instructions to Create Story Stones

Step 1: Gather & Clean the Stones

  1. Collect flat, smooth stones (from nature or buy at craft stores).
  2. Wash them with warm soapy water to remove dirt.
  3. Let them dry completely—this ensures paint sticks well.

Step 2: Plan Your Themes

Decide what type of stories you want to spark. Keep it simple and visual.

  • People/Characters: boy, girl, dragon, cat, knight
  • Places/Settings: house, forest, castle, ocean
  • Objects: key, book, crown, ball
  • Actions: running, flying, sleeping
  • Weather/Nature: sun, cloud, moon, tree, river

💡 Tip: Start with 6–12 stones in a theme for young children.

Step 3: Decorate the Stones

Choose your decoration method:

  • Paint: Use acrylics or paint pens to draw your images.
  • Stickers or cutouts: Glue images from magazines or printed icons with Mod Podge.
  • Sharpies: Great for outlining or adding simple line art.

Let dry thoroughly between layers.

Step 4: Seal the Stones

To protect your work:

  • Apply a layer of Mod Podge or spray sealer.
  • Let it dry completely before handling.
    This makes them last longer—especially for little hands!

Step 5: Store and Play

  • Store in a cloth bag, small basket, or labeled tin.
  • Introduce only a few at a time to avoid overload.

🧩 Adaptations for Special Needs

  • Use realistic images or photographs if abstract art is confusing.
  • Add text labels for early readers or dyslexic learners.
  • Use tactile materials (felt, foam stickers) for sensory engagement.
  • Use story sequence mats to help organize beginning–middle–end.
Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Game & Sensory Play, Homeschool, Homeschool Tips, Learning, Resources, Special Needs Curriculum

Good Deeds Tree

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🌳 What Is a Good Deeds Tree?

It’s a paper (or felt, cardboard, wall-mounted, or 3D) tree with removable leaves, fruit, blossoms, or ornaments. Each time a child does a good deed—helping a sibling, cleaning up without being asked, sharing, using kind words—they add a leaf or item to the tree. Over time, the tree “grows” full with good deeds!

✂️ Step-by-Step Instructions to Create a Good Deeds Tree

🎨 Option 1: Wall-Mounted Paper Tree (Great for home or classroom walls)

🧰 Materials:

  • Large sheet of poster board or kraft paper
  • Construction paper (green, red, yellow, etc.)
  • Scissors
  • Glue or sticky tack
  • Tape
  • Markers or crayons
  • Optional: laminator or clear tape for durability

🪴 Instructions:

  1. Draw and Cut Out the Tree Trunk and Branches
    • Use brown construction paper or draw directly on a poster/kraft paper.
    • Make the trunk sturdy and branches wide enough to hold many “good deed leaves.”
  2. Mount the Tree on a Wall
    • Tape or pin the tree trunk and branches to a central wall where it’s easy to reach.
  3. Prepare the Leaves (or Fruit, Flowers, Stars, etc.)
    • Cut out 30–100+ leaves or shapes (green for spring, yellow/red for fall, hearts for Valentine’s, etc.).
    • Keep them in a labeled envelope or basket near the tree.
  4. Label Each Leaf with a Good Deed
    • As children perform kind or helpful actions, write their name and deed on a leaf.
    • Optional: Reward the class/family with a group celebration or special activity.
  5. Celebrate Growth
    • At the end of the week/month/term, read all the good deeds aloud.
    • Optional: Reward the class/family with a group celebration or special activity.

🌳 Option 2: Tabletop 3D Tree (Crafty + Tactile for younger children)

🧰 Materials:

  • Cardboard or foam board
  • Hot glue gun
  • Paint or markers
  • Mini clothespins or Velcro
  • Construction paper leaves
  • Small basket

🪴 Instructions:

  1. Build a 3D Tree Base
    • Cut two identical tree shapes from cardboard.
    • Slice one from the bottom to the middle, the other from top to middle, and slot them together to stand up.
  2. Paint or Decorate the Tree
    • Use brown, green, or seasonal colors. Let kids help decorate!
  3. Cut and Store Leaves
    • Prepare leaves with a hole punched at the top for hanging, or just let them be clipped with clothespins.
  4. Add Good Deeds
    • As kids do good deeds, they write (or dictate) them on leaves and hang them on the tree.

💡 Optional Variations:

  • Use seasonal decorations: hearts in February, flowers in spring, apples in fall, snowflakes in winter.
  • Turn it into a “Fruit of the Spirit” Tree (for religious use) or a Character Tree (for secular use).
  • Let kids decorate their own leaves as a mindfulness or art activity.
  • Create a “Forest of Kindness” if working with multiple children.

🧠 Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use visual symbols (smile face, helping hand, broom, hug) for non-readers or memory-impaired learners.
  • Provide a “Good Deed Starter Chart” to help kids brainstorm ideas.
  • Allow verbal good deed reports for those with writing challenges and write for them.
  • For autistic or ADHD learners, praise immediately and tangibly by letting them place a leaf the moment the deed is done.

🎉 Why It Works

  • Visual Progress: Children see the impact of their actions.
  • Positive Reinforcement: Encourages intrinsic motivation without relying solely on external rewards.
  • Community Focus: Helps foster a shared sense of kindness and belonging.
Charlotte Mason Method, Curriculum, Homeschool, Homeschool Tips, Notebooking, Special Needs Curriculum

Notebooking

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Notebooking is a powerful tool in any homeschool and works extremely well with a Charlotte Mason-style homeschool, especially for special needs learners, because it blends narration, creativity, and ownership of learning. You can easily differentiate notebooking by ability, age, or developmental level. Here’s how to structure it across different levels:

Pre-Writers (Preschool–K, developmental delays, or fine motor struggles):

Focus: Oral narration, drawing, sticker use, light tracing

  • How-To:
    • Let the child tell you what they learned; you write it down verbatim.
    • Encourage drawing a picture from a reading or nature walk.
    • Use stickers or cut-and-paste options (e.g., animals for nature study).
    • Allow tracing of letters, words, or outlines.
    • Keep it short—one idea, one drawing, and a smile.

Emerging Writers (K–1st grade or delayed learners):

Focus: Short, guided writing with drawing

  • How-To:
    • Provide sentence starters: “Today I saw…” or “I learned that…”
    • Let them copy a sentence you wrote from their narration.
    • Include space for a picture with crayons or watercolor.
    • Use mini word banks or labels they can glue in.
    • Expect 1–2 sentences maximum, with lots of encouragement.

Developing Writers (1st–4th grade and up):

Focus: Independent narration with light structure

  • How-To:
    • Offer prompts like: “What happened first?”, “What was your favorite part?”
    • Have them write 3–5 sentences after oral narration.
    • Encourage personal touches: borders, decorations, small diagrams.
    • Mix formats: nature notebook one day, story narration another, picture study response next.

Fluent Writers (5th grade and up, or advanced learners):

Focus: Thoughtful, reflective writing across subjects

  • How-To:
    • Let them choose format: summary, letter, opinion, poem, sketch + caption.
    • Encourage research extensions or mini reports from readings.
    • Teach them to review and revise their own writing lightly.
    • Use narration journals, nature journals, book of centuries, science logs, etc.

Tips Across All Levels:

  • Keep it short and joyful—quality over quantity.
  • Let personality shine—doodles, questions, funny titles are great.
  • Use notebooking pages with visuals, outlines, or templates for support.
  • Build slowly. One good notebook entry per week is enough at first.
  • Remember: Notebooking is about thinking, not penmanship.

I’ll be working on creating a new set of notebooks for the kiddos. Once I get it done I’ll update in another post.

Homeschool, Homeschool Tips, Learning, Resources

Sensory Time for Homeschooling

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What Is Sensory Time?

A dedicated block of time (5–20 minutes, 1–3x/day) where a child engages in intentional sensory activities:

  • Calming (deep pressure, soft textures)
  • Alerting (spinning, bouncing, bright lights)
  • Organizing (heavy work, rhythmic movement)

It helps children:

  • Regulate emotions and energy levels
  • Improve focus and motor planning
  • Transition more smoothly between activities
  • Increase body awareness and coordination

Types of Sensory Activities (by Need)

1. Calming Activities

For overstimulation, anxiety, or meltdowns:

  • Weighted lap pads or blankets
  • Fidget toys or stress balls
  • Soft music and dim lights
  • Slow rocking or swinging
  • Tactile bins with rice, beans, or kinetic sand
  • Blowing bubbles or pinwheels (deep breathing disguised as play)

2. Alerting Activities

To help with sluggishness or inattentiveness:

  • Jumping on a mini trampoline
  • Chewing crunchy snacks (carrots, pretzels)
  • Brightly colored light table play
  • Messy play: shaving cream, slime, water beads
  • Loud singing or silly movement songs
  • Bouncing on a therapy ball

3. Organizing (Heavy Work)

To help kids “center” and prepare for learning:

  • Pushing/pulling laundry baskets or carts
  • Animal walks (bear crawl, crab walk)
  • Stacking and knocking down soft blocks
  • Kneading play dough or putty
  • Carrying a backpack with books for 5–10 minutes
  • Climbing stairs or an indoor play tower

How to Structure Sensory Time

  • Set a predictable time daily (after transitions or before focused work)
  • Keep a “sensory menu” with choices the child can point to or select
  • Observe and rotate activities depending on your child’s needs that day
  • Always supervise and adapt to sensory-seeking or sensory-avoidant tendencies

Simple Weekly Sensory Time Rotation

Monday

  • Tactile
    • Rice bin with scoops, nature texture board

Tuesday

  • Movement
    • Trampoline or animal walk obstacle course

Wednesday

  • Deep Pressure
    • Pillow sandwich, couch rolls, bear hugs

Thursday

  • Oral
    • Blow bubbles, chew straws, crunchy snacks

Friday

  • Visual/Auditory
    • Light table play, rainbow water bottles
Curriculum, Homeschool, Homeschool Tips, Resources, Special Needs Curriculum

Story Basket for Special Needs

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What is a Story Basket?

A story basket is a small basket or tray that includes:

  • A living book (short and engaging story)
  • Tangible items related to the story (mini animals, felt pieces, nature objects, figures, sensory items)
  • Optional: visual sequence cards, printed illustrations, or objects that help with comprehension or storytelling

Why It Works for Special Needs Learners:

  • Supports visual and tactile learners
  • Helps with focus and engagement
  • Encourages language development (especially non-verbal or minimally verbal kids)
  • Aids comprehension and sequencing
  • Creates a predictable, calming routine

Example: “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” Story Basket

  • Book: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
  • Basket Items:
    • Small stuffed rabbit
    • Toy vegetables (carrots, lettuce)
    • Mini garden fence
    • Picture of Mr. McGregor
    • Soft blue jacket (or fabric scrap)
    • A small basket of real herbs (smell sensory)

How to Use It:

  1. Let the child explore the items first.
  2. Read the story aloud.
  3. As you read, act out scenes using the props.
  4. Invite the child to retell the story using the basket (with or without words).

Tips for Creating Story Baskets

  • Use simple stories with strong characters or actions.
  • Choose 3–6 meaningful items per basket—don’t overload.
  • Rotate weekly or by interest.
  • Encourage free play or storytelling using the basket after reading.