There are many tools that a homeschooling parent needs to have a successful school year. That list includes curriculum, materials, support from friends, and ample space to work in with your kids. Many homeschoolers find blogs and websites devoted to homeschooling to be a vital tool as well.
But have you thought about using Pinterest as a tool for your homeschool?
If you haven’t been using Pinterest as part of your homeschooling day, then you have been missing out on a wealth of ideas, information and organization. If you have been using it, I have a few more ideas for using Pinterest that you may not have considered.
Searching the term “homeschooling” on Pinterest will bring up thousands of ideas. So many that you will quickly end up with too many ideas running through your head. It’s a great way to waste spend a few hours but most of us don’t have the time to comb through all of those great pins. Narrowing your search will allow you focus on exactly what you are looking for without all the distraction. For example, if you need ideas for a new and fun way to teach fractions, it would be better to search “homeschool fractions.” This will give you ideas that other homeschoolers have used with success.
If you are setting out to search for ideas on how to teach those pesky fractions to your children, first create a fractions board. Title it something like “Fractions for Homeschoolers” so that others can find it and follow along too. Do this for each topic that you are studying. When you come to topics in history, create a board for each time period, historical character or region of the world that you study. That way, the next time you study the life of George Washington, you’ll have plenty of pins already waiting for you to use.
Another way to use Pinterest with your homeschooler is to have him or her make a timeline using pins. I created a quick one, using George Washington as an example. Children can find the image they need and then add in the details that explains why they pinned that image into the correct section. This way you know they understand the topic.
Another idea for using Pinterest with the homeschooler that I have used in middle school, high school and even a college level classroom is to create a Pinterest board based on a character in a book. This would be a great idea for exploring character development, their motivation for actions took in the story and really think on a higher level about who that character would be outside of the story. For an example, if your child was reading Harry Potter, you could assign him or her the task of creating a Pinterest board as Draco Malfoy would. Have him or her imagine that they are Malfoy. They will need to think like him and about what he likes. They may choose pins that talk about dark magic, cruel jokes, or a type of music they imagine he’d listen to. Every pin they select would need to be justified so your child is really thinking as the character. This is a great activity that really meets kids (especially pre-teens and teens) right where they are, it helps them stay motivated and can even disguise the learning as fun.
If you want even more ideas for how to use Pinterest in your homeschooling day, check out The Chaos in the Clutter, or Google "Homeschool Pinterest Ideas" for more resources. You might also want to follow our Homeschooling board on Pinterest, too!
Pinterest is a great tool for everyone, including homeschoolers. How have you used it to better your child’s education?
But have you thought about using Pinterest as a tool for your homeschool?
If you haven’t been using Pinterest as part of your homeschooling day, then you have been missing out on a wealth of ideas, information and organization. If you have been using it, I have a few more ideas for using Pinterest that you may not have considered.
Finding Inspiration
Pinterest has more inspiration stuffed into it than any other site on the internet. You can find absolutely everything you need for cooking, crafting, decorating, raising kids and so much that you never knew you needed to know. Pinterest is also great for giving you inspiration for your homeschool plan, you just need to know where to look for it.Searching the term “homeschooling” on Pinterest will bring up thousands of ideas. So many that you will quickly end up with too many ideas running through your head. It’s a great way to waste spend a few hours but most of us don’t have the time to comb through all of those great pins. Narrowing your search will allow you focus on exactly what you are looking for without all the distraction. For example, if you need ideas for a new and fun way to teach fractions, it would be better to search “homeschool fractions.” This will give you ideas that other homeschoolers have used with success.
Organizing Lessons and Ideas
Pinterest is also great for organizing all the ideas that you find. If you are anything like me, you have internet bookmarks saved but when you need to find a certain one, you never can. Pinterest helps you with that with the option to create boards. A board is a virtual pinboard where you can stick each fabulous, amazing idea you find. Before you start pinning though, you need to create a new board to keep things organized.If you are setting out to search for ideas on how to teach those pesky fractions to your children, first create a fractions board. Title it something like “Fractions for Homeschoolers” so that others can find it and follow along too. Do this for each topic that you are studying. When you come to topics in history, create a board for each time period, historical character or region of the world that you study. That way, the next time you study the life of George Washington, you’ll have plenty of pins already waiting for you to use.
Alternative Option for Assignments
Remember all those book reports and research papers that you wrote as a student? While it is important to know how to do those, it’s also so much more fun to change it up with a unique activity that your homeschooler will love. Use Pinterest for your homeschooler as an assignment for your child. You can have them do so many things with it. Younger children can pin pictures to a board on a certain topic. For instance if they are studying the ocean, you could have them find animals that live in the ocean, facts about the ocean and anything interesting they find on Pinterest and the internet as a way of learning about the topic.Another way to use Pinterest with your homeschooler is to have him or her make a timeline using pins. I created a quick one, using George Washington as an example. Children can find the image they need and then add in the details that explains why they pinned that image into the correct section. This way you know they understand the topic.
Another idea for using Pinterest with the homeschooler that I have used in middle school, high school and even a college level classroom is to create a Pinterest board based on a character in a book. This would be a great idea for exploring character development, their motivation for actions took in the story and really think on a higher level about who that character would be outside of the story. For an example, if your child was reading Harry Potter, you could assign him or her the task of creating a Pinterest board as Draco Malfoy would. Have him or her imagine that they are Malfoy. They will need to think like him and about what he likes. They may choose pins that talk about dark magic, cruel jokes, or a type of music they imagine he’d listen to. Every pin they select would need to be justified so your child is really thinking as the character. This is a great activity that really meets kids (especially pre-teens and teens) right where they are, it helps them stay motivated and can even disguise the learning as fun.
If you want even more ideas for how to use Pinterest in your homeschooling day, check out The Chaos in the Clutter, or Google "Homeschool Pinterest Ideas" for more resources. You might also want to follow our Homeschooling board on Pinterest, too!
Pinterest is a great tool for everyone, including homeschoolers. How have you used it to better your child’s education?
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