Tuesday, August 30, 2016

HomeSchool Scholastics, an i4 Learning Company - WAY Comes Home Kit Review




We recently had the opportunity to review a new wellness curriculum especially designed for homeschoolers.  WAY Comes Home Kit from HomeSchool Scholastics, an i4 Learning Company is a nationally recognized health program that was designed to help homeschool families to focus on health and wellness in their family as a whole.  It's not just for the kids, but also how the whole family can become healthier through exercise, eating habits and even communication skills.


The Wellness, Academics & You (WAY) Comes Home curriculum was designed with interactive lessons that are easily laid out for parents to teach.   Created for elementary ages students from K - 5th grades, all aspect of your child's health is addressed during the lessons.  Activities in physical activity and fitness, nutrition and healthful eating, health communications, emotional health, social skills, and critical thinking skills are all included.  

The WAY Comes Home Kit Teachers Guide is well laid out.  It doesn't require you to read a large chapter book to get started.  It offers pointers on how best to use the material with your family.  There is even a suggested library book list to give parents a list for books that you can check out to open up their worlds more.

There are 3 different journal levels.  It is recommended that each student have a journal.  It is a way for them to keep their thoughts of what they are learning in.  You can purchase journals in levels K - 1, Grades 2- 3, and Grades 4 - 5.  But you can still work together in one group to make teaching multiple levels easier.


As you start your lessons, you encourage your students to use their journal.  This is a place they can record their thoughts and feelings.  They can use words or pictures, whatever they are able to.  There are vocabulary words for each lesson, which are covered in their journal, but also made into picture word sentences to help your student retain this information. Art and weekend family activities are also included, to make the learning not just for the kids but for the whole family.

A typical lesson can vary in length and you can make adjustments easily.  Included also in your kid is an activity/resource DVD.  On this DVD are video clips that go with certain lessons as you progress through the material.  You would have your student(s) watch the video clip prior to starting their lesson.  They are meant to motivate your student and help them to understand the material better.  Included also are exercise activities that can be done in your home with your children.  

It has been written to include multiple levels of learning by including extra activities for your older students.  This allows them to get more out of what they are learning and provide an extra challenge for them. 

If you purchase the WAY Comes Home kit, all your materials are included.  This large kit, which is only $39.95, includes supplies for hands-on projects, card stock printables of the vocabulary words and coloring pages, Student journals, the MyPyramid Poster and guide, Teachers Guide, and Activity DVD.  

There are 15 lessons.  We have been doing a lesson a week currently.  You can really move as fast as you would like through the material.  I was easily able to incorporate this material into our group activities.  On the other days, I would refer back to the weekly lesson throughout our everyday lives.  I have noticed that the kids tracking their physical activity closer.  There is still whining when it comes time to do our exercise, but the whine is minimal, and we switch around activities to keep them wanting to be more active.  Just them noticing their lack of physical activity is a huge hurdle.  

There are many funny jokes and poems throughout the lessons that help to reinforce the material.  The kids have enjoyed those.  I have enjoyed the lessons in thinking about where their food comes from and the health lessons were also able to be incorporated in our science anatomy lessons.  Which came in very handy with multi-level group lessons.  

The WAY Comes Home Kit has been a great addition to our classroom.  We have studied health before, but this has been a much for fun way to approach this subject.  It really does take school from just a kid thing to including the whole family in learning.

Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the chance to review the WAY Comes Home Kit.  Take some time to see how they enjoyed it in their homes.  Visit the site below.

WAY Comes Home Kit Review
Crew Disclaimer


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