Current events are just that. They are current and up-to-date things that are happening all around us at any given time. Make current events fun to learn, and your kids will shout for joy. Just because it is news, does not mean it has be boring. Hopefully the tips presented here will help you make decisions for your homeschool.
Newspapers
For local current events, use your town or city newspaper. These are stories that are close to home and children can really relate to, as they are stories happening in their own backyard. In fact, it might be feasible for each child to have their own copy to read along with you. Use these current events to develop lesson plans and research projects. Find out if these events are happening only in your community, or if they happen elsewhere, too.
Current Events Magazines
Using subscriptions to magazines for homeschool use is a great idea. There are many different magazines to choose from that focus on different subjects. You can find these magazines by typing in "current news magazines for kids" in your search engine search box. It will bring up an entire list of periodicals to choose from, and you can decide which best fits your teaching style.
Some particularly good ones include:
- Time for Kids
- Scholastic Classroom Magazines
- Homeschooling Magazines on the Internet
Internet
Using the Internet for current events for kids is a big plus, too. Again, you just need to type in "current news for kids" in your search engine's search box, and you will see thousands of responses. Some of the more popular choices are Time for Kids and Scholastic News for Kids, as mentioned above. Make sure that you are surfing the Internet with your child or that you have parental controls in place, as you can never be really sure what will come up in the search engines.
Activities
Use current events for age-appropriate activities like:
- Finding places on a map (example: When talking about the potato heist in Idaho, have kids find Idaho on a map.).
- Developing a vocabulary lesson by having kids pick out the words they do not understand in an article. Have them use their dictionary skills to find the word, and then write the meanings. Turn this into a spelling lesson, if you like.
- Using stories as a springboard for a homeschool newspaper or comic strip, where all kids contribute drawings, stories about the place where the event took place, including what the weather is like there now, the population, etc. Go wild with the kids' imaginations.
The possibilities of using current events in every day homeschool activities are endless. Find other creative ways to teach current events using historic timelines.
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