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Read Across America Day: How Teachers, Homeschools, & Parents Can Get Kids Involved

2/6/2016

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Image © MDGovpics; Flickr.com

Read Across America Day is an annual holiday celebrated across the United States. This reading holiday was started on March 2, 1998 by the NEA, or the National Education Association. Everyone is encouraged to celebrate reading on Dr. Seuss’s birthday (March 2) every year.

Read Across America is actually a literacy campaign that lasts all year. However, Read Across America Day is still important, as it encourages the promotion of everyday reading and gets free books out to students and schools across America.

How Can Your School Or Organization Celebrate Or Get Involved?

There are many ways to celebrate or get involved with this special day. Find great ways to celebrate on Seussville, including printable activities and guides. ReadingRockets is also offering free downloadable print guides for parents, teachers, and anyone else interested in improving children's reading achievement. They also link to similar free publications from other sources.

Another idea on getting involved is to volunteer to read to children at schools, hospitals, and daycare centers. To do this, you will need to contact the appropriate departments at the locations you are interested in offering your services to.

Simply celebrating the holiday by reading with or to your children or students and holding your own events and activities also helps to promote this special day. Some teachers and parents like to use t-shirts and other fun gear to get children excited about Read Across America Day.

LEFbooks.org (The Literacy Empowerment Foundation) is giving away free books to literary organizations and schools across America, for a small handling fee of 65 cents per book. They do this throughout the year. To promote Read Across America Day, help a teacher or organization become aware of this or request some books for your own literary organization. The books are currently for reading levels from Preschool up to grade 2.

How We Celebrate and You Can Too!

As a homeschool teacher and public school parent, I also happen to be celebrating Read Across America Day with my kids. In the past, we’ve made hats similar to the one worn by the "Cat In The Hat" in Dr. Seuss's books. The children could then wear the hats and read Dr. Seuss stories aloud to one another. We’ve also attended library storytime events. Usually, we get out and do a variety of activities throughout the week of Read Across America Day. Although we read a great deal every day, I still feel it is important to celebrate this day and let the children know just how important reading is.

Any other ideas you have related to celebrating reading and motivating children to read will also help to promote and celebrate Read Across America Day. There is no exact formula or limit to reading, celebrating reading, or promoting reading. Simply get out there and do it.

How To Homeschool For Free

2/6/2016

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

So, you want to homeschool your kids, but people are telling you it’s going to be expensive, right? They’re so wrong! Learn how to homeschool for for free using these and other resources.

Use a Free Online Curriculum

There are tons of sources if you’re looking for a free online curriculum. Some of my favorites include Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool, Easy Peasy All In One High School, and Khan Academy. However, these are far from the only resources. Do a web search for free online curriculum or free homeschool curriculum to find even more. Amazon also has some great resources if you do an Amazon search for “free homeschool”. Some are free books or curriculum resources and others teach you more about how to homeschool for free.

Make Use of Free Printable Homeschool Worksheets

There are many sites out there with free printable worksheets for teachers and homeschoolers. Look for them in every grade level, concept, and subject. We even have free printable worksheets here at Heart and Mind Homeschool. You don’t want to base your child’s education solely on worksheets. However, they can definitely play a big part, as it helps them learn and practice each concept.

Write the Lessons Yourself, Based on State Standards

Whether you choose to write all of the lessons yourself or just some, it’s a rewarding experience. Creating them based on your child’s needs is not only free but beneficial to your child’s homeschool education. To find your state’s standards, visit the department of education for your specific state. They each have different standards and requirements. You’ll also need to check with that same department or board for the appropriate laws and regulations.

Utilize Free Events and Free Days at Zoos, Museums, & More

Many zoos, museums, state parks, farms, factories, and other venues hold free days. If you look around, there also free events for kids going on all the time in most areas. These are awesome when it comes to homeschooling for free. If you check ahead of time, you can pair them with your child’s lessons to get even more from the experience.

Make Use of Free Online Videos and Lectures

Did you know there are bucket loads of free educational videos and lectures all over the web? Do a search and see what you come up with. Some of our favorites include WatchKnowLearn, NeoK12, PBS, DiscoveryKids, History.com, Open Yale Courses, MIT Open Courseware, and SchoolTube. Don’t limit your kids to these choices. There are tons more out there. Have fun exploring and learning together with the help of fun and informative videos made by kids, parents, teachers, and more.

Homeschooling for free is actually quite easy to do, if you you get creative. Use these ideas or come up with your own. Whatever you do, learn and have fun!

Read Across America Day: How Teachers, Homeschools, & Parents Can Get Kids Involved

How To Homeschool For Free

Heart 'N Mind Homeschool Journal

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