Jada and Emma Miller work through a lesson at the Syracuse Library during their homeschooling program.

By Mary Hursh
Guest Writer

SYRACUSE —  On Friday mornings, the Syracuse Public Library becomes a hub of homeschooling activities for area children. Rebekah Sceniak, children’s programming assistant, conducts the sessions for students in grades one through six.

Recently,the children learned about elections. They played vocabulary bingo and learned about the meaning of democracy, swing state, ballot, red state and blue state. They viewed cutout pictures of each state and saw how many electoral votes were held by the state and if the state was red or blue. “We voted for our favorite animal on a ballot. I made a large voting booth out of cardboard so children could enter it and get an idea that it is a private space in which a person can vote.”

“The focus is on activities that are interactive and hands-on. I use books such as ‘Amazing Places’ to highlight famous places and landmarks in the world. We talked about the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House and Stonehenge. I had them paint a pumpkin and then write in the locations of the famous places we had talked about. I tied in geography with art and history and made it a visual for them.”

To teach children about the layers of the Earth, Sceniak gave each student a waffle and had them layer the waffle with various goodies such as cream cheese and fruits. They got the concept of Earth layers and enjoyed a treat at the same time.

On Nov. 6, Sceniak gave each student a lemon and a pinch of baking soda to combine. The result was likened to a volcano eruption. After that, the children predicted what liquid or element oxidized an apple more quickly. On Nov. 13, Sceniak plans a special lesson on history and presidents. Nov. 20 will bring a visit from the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams and a program highlighting animal survival techniques. The children will fold an origami fish and shade it with camouflage. All programs start at 10:30 a.m.

Sceniak has a special connection to this program because she was homeschooled through high school. “I had a very structured program for high school. Here at the library, I work with such a wide variety of ages at once, which makes it possible to learn together as a family. Each student can learn and pick up on different information. I try to involve everyone with different levels of questions.”

Sceniak, a native of Goshen, works full time at the library and teaches piano and violin privately to students. “I have thought a lot about teaching. I was a teacher’s assistant in Taiwan. I see teaching as a gift. It comes naturally.”

The homeschooling program at the library will not meet in December, but it will resume in January. “We will add an additional homeschooling class during the week if there is a need to do so. We would like to accommodate the needs of the homeschoolers in the community.”