Lesson Plans To Go: Hands-on Learning for Active and Home Schooling Families

by Nadine Slavinski

This book is for any parent interested in taking an active part in their children's education, not only home schooling families. Rich educational opportunities arise when exploring and inquiring in informal settings: from the backyard to the beach, in museums and parks, or during a vacation or camper trip. But valuable, transferable learning won't just happen by itself. The units in this book will make learning explicit, focused, and enjoyable. LESSON PLANS TO GO is your ticket to a learning journey through enjoyable, hands-on experiences.

Genres: Education

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Nadine Slavinski’s first career as an archaeologist brought her to excavations in Peru, Costa Rica, and Germany. After discovering the rewards of teaching young visitors about these sites, she made the switch to education and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Education from Harvard University.

She has been teaching in international schools since 1996 and enjoys working in the classroom as well as in non-traditional settings. Her "Lesson Plans / Hands-On Learning" books draw on her teaching experience and familiarity with a wide range of international education programs.

A lifelong sailor, Slavinski has taken two extensive sabbaticals with her husband and young son aboard their 35 foot sloop, sailing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans while home schooling. These trips inspire her fiction works, which place memorable characters in exotic locations and vividly capture the fun, fascinating world of globe-trotting sailors.

Slavinski is the author of five books. Watch for her upcoming novels:
The Silver Spider
Rum for Neptune

Reviews

[Gina Mcandrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new book by Nadine Slavinski is a must read for young families on the go! Whether you are in the house on a cold, rainy day or on an adventure across continents, Ms. Slavinski has a lesson for any occasion. The book is organized into ten units categorized by different school disciplines, making the book handy as both a reference tool and as a basic supplement to any curriculum. Your student will have fun, for example, exploring the voyages of Christopher Columbus with a variety of writing and art assignments. As a teacher of art and writing from preschool-highschool, I am supportive of curriculum that incorporate both into its lessons!
Each unit has a written lesson that is broken down further into parts: great detail! Ms. Slavinski also takes care to split out assignments by different age groups so that families with multiple students can easily choose individual projects. These projects could be anything from writing a persuasive letter to creating artwork that depicts different lands and people groups. These are all techniques that children need as they transition into upper level grades. The book also offers students a chance to self-assess their work by asking them questions which cause them to reflect on what they have learned.
"Lesson Plans to Go" is a wonderful addition to any bookshelf! I would go so far as to say that the lessons are easily adaptable to any situation, and could be easily used for other destinations or disciplines. I highly recommend this book for any family who wants to supplement their children's education: the author is well-versed in the subject matter and has written the hands-on-learning assignments based on years of first-hand experience!

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids are learning all the time--especially when they're not in school. In this thorough, easy-to-use handbook, Nadine Slavinski guides parents to be intentional about their kids' learning. We can take ordinary moments, like looking at the moon or drinking glasses of water, and maximize their teaching potential. LESSON PLANS TO GO presents ten comprehensive units covering the basic academic subjects. It gives parents both the information they need to be smart about these subjects and the skills needed to present the subjects well. Slavinski is adept at finding hands-on activities that get kids out into the natural world or plunge them into projects. I especially appreciated how she lists adaptations for various age groups at the end of each lesson, making material that at first seemed out of bounds for my four-year-old quite doable. I can see using this book with my daughter for the next ten years. It's also the perfect guide for homeschooling parents. Any teacher who quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Bond has my vote! Thanks, Slavinski.