Resources at the ready! 

Here is where we have a look at and review all those helpful resources out there that put the FUN into learning and make teaching so much easier. Gone are the days of endless text books and reams of paper and hello to the age of computers, high technology and fun arts and crafts. With new educational toys and software on the market, finding the right resource for you can be a daunting task. Unfortunately all this choice comes at a price, so here we try and give our opinion on what's hot and what's not in the resource world and take the hassle out of the 'buy now!, regret later!' scenario that alot of us find ourselves in. 

The resource under the spotlight this month is:

Salt Dough 

This is one of the most versatile and inexpensive resource which can be incorporated into many lessons adding fun and a tactile touch to learning. For many children the hands approach can make all the difference in the understanding and retaining of information and has been proven to help children particularly with ADHD and other learning difficulties really enjoy and get involved in many subjects.

Because Salt dough is home made the amounts are suitable for any project and the results achieved are as good quality of any air dry clay purchased in the craft shops. For a simple recipe visit our Home School on a Budget page and see for your self.

 History is a subject that lends itself to this tactile resource helping to bring to life lessons on archaeology such as getting the child to create their own fossil prints, recovered dinosaur bones or Greek urns. Creating items of jewellery such as bracelets, pendants and even mini mummies can add a further dimension to any Egyptian project. The possibilities are endless and because of the ease of making, moulding and making kids can get involved from beginning to end.

Other lessons such as maths to create numbers and shapes, English to make book characters and Science to study the dough itself and of course sculpting adding a further dimension to your Art lessons.

Hear at the Home School recommend you get your hands on this great resource and have some fun in the kitchen and the classroom.

                                                                     
Last month's resource was:

Puppets 

This for me has probably been one of the most successful and often used resources that I have incorporated into home schooling with my children. As a workable resource the scope is enormous and the range incredible.

We have at present three full body, seven string, three hand and ten finger puppets that we all enjoy using as a family and are always on the look out for new members to join our puppet collection.

Puppet have often been associated as just frivolous child’s toys that indulges their imagination and nothing more but over the years more and more teachers, entertainers and even companies have seen the potential for getting through to children good learning messages via this separate puppet identity.

Now you may be thinking how can a toy, that is obviously attached to you self, in some way take on it’s own personality, well talking from experience it is astonishing how children can see beyond the strings or hand placement to realise the true character and life that the puppet creates and with little puppetry skills you really can convince them that the puppet has a separate identity.

When my son was very young he was quite reticent of one on my full body puppets purchased from the Puppet People, now affectionately known as Grandpa Burt, and would get quite worried about his life-like movement and appearance but over time he started to talk to the puppet quite freely almost like he had gained a valued and trusted friend, he would often tell Grandpa feelings and problems he was having, that he had never shared with any other family member and although he new I was holding and operating Grandpa it did not seem to detract from the bond that he had made with the puppet. This was when I first realised how powerful medium puppets could be not only to communicate with children on a basic level but also to help reinforce learning and teaching ideas.

Puppets as resources are incredibly versatile and can be used and incorporated into so many lessons:

English: to encourage reading and story telling

Drama: to re-enact plays especially when actors numbers are low and also give children the chance to stage their own plays using stages and sets.

Maths: to assist in counting and problem solving, singing maths rhymes and play games such as dominoes and snakes and ladders.

History: to tell historical stories about times gone by, particularly if you have an elderly puppet like our Grandpa Burt.

Geography: using an animal puppet to link to areas and countries around the world such as giraffes or monkeys etc.

Art: to make and create your own puppets using old socks and buttons.

Science: to look at how the body works and functions particularly if you have full body puppets.

Life Skills: to use to re-enact real life scenarios such as visiting the dentist or doctors etc.

Communication skills: to help talk and open up the lines of communication that can sometimes become broken.

These are just a few lesson uses that we have found but the list can be as endless as your imagination. The puppets you use can vary from the visually impressive full body ventriloquists dummy to the humble old sock puppet, we have found that the results are the same regardless, so how much or little you spend is entirely up to you.

                                                                             


Here at The Home School highly recommend this as our top workable resource, so what are you waiting for raid your sock draw or take a look at some of the puppet stores listed below and have some fun!

Puppets by post Puppets By Post offers one of the largest range of puppets available anywhere. Puppets By Post supply puppets from various companies from around the world to both individuals and organizations. They have over 1,000 different types of puppets in stock at our Head Office and Distribution Centre in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, Great Britain.

Puppet people This is a husband and wife team - Steve and Mary Kersys - who live in the village of Danbury in Essex, England, and have had over 15 years specialist experience in designing, making and selling their own range of high quality easy to use puppets. They can also help by giving advice on the use of puppets, and the supply of accessories such as theatres, scripts, puppet props etc.

AS Puppets Supplier of puppets including hand puppets, ventriloquist dummies, marionettes and other puppets of a very high standard at extremely competitive prices. 

Kallini Puppets Large product range of delightful puppet characters. Ideal for professional entertainers, budding enthusiasts and gifts for children. Marionettes, glove and hand puppets, finger puppets ventriloquist dummies and a good selection of second-hand puppets  

Pelham Puppets online  This is a UK based site dedicated to Pelham Puppet collectors made by the Pelham Puppet Company, Marlborough, England from 1947 to 1992.

For more impartial information about workable resources then visit:

Homeschooling-resources Here you will find tips and advice on how to use resources to liven up learning with your child and how to make the best of what resources are on offer.

If you have any comments on what you have read or have a resource that you want to tell us about then please email the Resource centre as we are always on the look out for fresh ideas or post them onto our Guestbook. We will print any of your suggestions in next months issue.