The Projects: The Greatest Education Hack

The Rites of Passage Learning Center style of education is best described as wholistic educultural academics. Right now you are making that "huh?" face. So here, I thought I would put it into pictures with these examples from past classes.

Do I spend loads of money on curriculums? No. Do I enroll in online programs that will track and monitor each neuron we develop? No. Do we sit at the desk doing page after page of worksheets day after day? No. I'm not knocking these things. But as a homeschooler and ROP teacher I have to accomdate a lot of intelligences, levels, domains, subjects, learning styles, special abilities, and make it all cuturally relavent. The easiest way to do that is to do a project.

I love projects! Projects demonstrate how everything is connected. Projects bring real life into the classroom. And it is easy to adapt a project to many different age levels. And projects are hands on kinesthetic, which = FUN!

​Here are some of my greatest education hacks/projects:

Place Value

Every concept I teach has to be a Visual Tactile Audio experience. Here's what we did:

• Represent place value on the abacus (if you haven't bought and abacus or signed up for my abacus math classes, you are missing all the fun!!)
• Watch a youtube playlist about How to build a speedometer and Place Value 

How to Build Speedometer
Place Value Song
Place Value Story
Place Value Cartoon

• Build a "speedometer" (place value cups)
• Inspect the spedometer in a car
• Use the speedometer they built along with worksheets & Starfall place value games. Starfall has like 5 different place value games.

Animal & Plant Cells

Here's what we did:

• We learned about cells on my youtube playlist:

​Cell Rap
Cell Song
​Animal Cells
Plant Cells

• The students colored and labeled plant and animal cell worksheets
• We laid out a buffet of ingredients. The students decided which food represented the different parts of the cell.
• Each student built an animal cell sushi & plant jello cell (all gluten-free, dairy-free, and halal).
• Each student presented and ate their cells

The Digestive System

A Wholistic Study of the Digestive System: 

• Students colored, cut out, and glued stomach, small & large intestine etc to life size cut out of body
• Students watched a youtube animation playlist about the digestive system
• Students compared the length of the small intestine to the length of the large intestine w/string.
• Students played a game: https://prezi.com/zvergfyvps0_/a-trip-through-the-digestive-system/
• Students sampled herbs and foods that nourish the digestive system and eliminate parasites/worms
  
• students looked at the Chinese Clock to learn the best time to detox the intestine.
  
• We laughed!!!

Owl Pellets

Here's what we did.

• I told the class a Zulu story about owls
• I explained the digestion of bird using posters
• I distributed the owl pellets and dissecting kits
• Each student dissected an owl pellet, organized and labeled bones by gluing them to a vole skeleton sheet.
• identified the animal skulls found in the pellet
• Created a food web with the barn owl at the highest trophic level.
• Watched the animated movie Legend of the Guardians 
• Went to an animal sanctuary and zoo to visit owls

Topics Discussed:
The digestive system, skeletal system, food chain, owl legends
Other resources

• http://kidwings.com/

• Wild Kratts Cartoon: Episode 140: Raptor Roundup

• And you know I love youtube

Projects are an easy inexpensive way to cover a lot of subjects, material, learning styles etc. It's the perfect education hack for homeschoolers or anyone who wants to supplement their child's education. We hope to see you for the next Rites of Passage Learning Center class!!! Better yet, I can help you tackle your specific homeschooling challenges through the 1st Teacher Video Series or as your Education Consultant.

Subscribe to Rites of Passage Learning Center on YouTube to see all of my education playlists!!

See our classes on www.moorishrites.com or Facebook