About the author: Dr. Mom
My name is Dr. Madeline Carrera. I live in Southeastern Wisconsin with my family.
WIth the COVID-19 pandemic, like everyone else, we needed to decide how to approach the school year in Fall 2020 - Spring 2021. Aldo, my first grader, would need to continue learning in some form or fashion. Despite all the hard work our school district put into preparing for the 2020-2021 school year, I felt it made more sense to pull Aldo from an in-person or virtual learning classroom and homeschool him. Homeschooling in the State of Wisconsin has (more or less) 1 real overarching requirement: 875 hours of learning time for the year. Thankfully, I have the flexibility of a position and supervisor that will allow me to continue working from home while homeschooling Aldo. Not to mention the right kind of background in elementary curriculum development to make this a productive learning year. Which brings me to this website. I wanted to create a learning tool that made sense for Aldo. By combining Unit-Based and Project-Based Learning, I wanted to ensure that there was real-world application into each of the aspects of learning that we tackled this year. |
This website is intended to provide the resources for my kiddo (and your kiddos) to learn about interesting things in this world. Similar to online learning where information is included in a single resource, the way I've structured each learning day to include handwriting, alternative online and workbook math lessons, gym, art, and music. Each projects include videos, interactive activities, reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and soft skills. The intention is to combine the learning with play and introduction to skills he will need as he grows.
Another important factor to this curriculum is that it is not grade-specific. One of the things I love most about project-based learning is that it doesn't have to be limited to one grade or another. As much as it's important to make assignments or activities to their ability, having flexibility as part of the learning space teaches kids to be adaptable. Plus, a project like "We bought a zoo" can be shared for kids of all age ranges (which can help if you have more than one kiddo who is being homeschooled. Some of the activities may change in scope (a single paragraph for a first grader may need to be a persuasive essay for a 8th grader) but it also offers opportunities for team work.
I am happy to share my work to the (hopeful) benefit of other kiddos who may be doing virtual or homeschooling this year. I also would be happy to have any additional ideas, resources, or conversations about how this can be accomplished. Please don't hesitate to connect with me.
Another important factor to this curriculum is that it is not grade-specific. One of the things I love most about project-based learning is that it doesn't have to be limited to one grade or another. As much as it's important to make assignments or activities to their ability, having flexibility as part of the learning space teaches kids to be adaptable. Plus, a project like "We bought a zoo" can be shared for kids of all age ranges (which can help if you have more than one kiddo who is being homeschooled. Some of the activities may change in scope (a single paragraph for a first grader may need to be a persuasive essay for a 8th grader) but it also offers opportunities for team work.
I am happy to share my work to the (hopeful) benefit of other kiddos who may be doing virtual or homeschooling this year. I also would be happy to have any additional ideas, resources, or conversations about how this can be accomplished. Please don't hesitate to connect with me.
Dr. Mom's CredentialsBachelor's of Arts: 2009, Carthage College - Asian Studies and Mandarin Chinese
Masters of Arts: 2011, Ashford University - Education, Early Childhood Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD): 2020, Cardinal Stritch University - Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education |