20 Thanksgiving Themed Math and Reading Activities I just uploaded my latest learning pack, just in time to help you celebrate Thanksgiving with your kids. I made this one with a 3rd grade focus, but many of the activities are great from k-4. Click on the image to go to my store to preview the pack! Here is the list of fun activities included: Addition: “Owl” Show you my facts! Multiplication: “Owl” Show you my facts! Math: Round to the nearest 10 Math: Round to the nearest 100 Math: Round to the nearest 1,000 Addition: Color by SUM Math: Who, who, who is first? (ordinal number practice- 2 pages) Math: A-Mazing Turkey Math Game: What’s the Number? Math: EASY-Color by Number- Number Recognition Math: Medium-Color by Number Multiples of 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, 10 Game: Thanksgiving BINGO (4 game boards, 7 pages game pieces) Reading for Facts! It’s all about the turkey! Reading: Color by Sight words Writing: Thanksgiving Acrostic Nouns: Thanksgiving Nouns Verbs: Thanksgiving Verbs Adjectives: Thanksgiving Adjectives Science: Life Cycle of a Pumpkin (2 pages: booklet and labels) Science: Life Cycle of a Thanksgiving Turkey More Thanksgiving Activities Here Thanksgiving Math, Reading, Science Activities for 3rd Grade 30 Thanksgiving Activities, Crafts, and Games for K-2nd Grade 21 Thanksgiving Math Activities for Kindergarten 4 Thanksgiving Jokes Solved with Divisibility Fall Math and Literacy Super Bundle- Grades K-2
Creativity and Boredom My dad always said creativity and imagination lived just on the other side of boredom. I watch this truth play out not only in my own life, but the lives of my children as well. I have 5 very talented and creative boys. Yes, I am biased, but I am telling you it’s true. My boys are Lego architects, writers, painters, musicians, and simply a whole bunch of fun to be around. Before I sound too much like a snotty prideful mom, I want to repeat what my dad always told me: “Creativity and Imagination live just on the other side of boredom.” Here is the secret to growing amazingly creative and imaginative kids… …Let them be bored! Allow your kids to get bored. I mean really bored. Do not rescue them (unless there’s blood). Do not turn on the TV and absolutely ban “all things electronic. Tell them all you have is an endless list of chores for them to complete if they come to you for suggestions. If the weather permits, send ’em outside and tell them they cannot come in until the timer dings. At least an hour! Sit back and wait… Depending on how over-stimulated and over scheduled your kids are, there will likely be a delay between their first boredom appointment and the flow of creativity. It could be a few minutes, or a few days. Trust me it is worth the wait! Plan for periods of boredom regularly. Daily is best. Summer is meant for this type of schedule- embrace it. You may think I am crazy, but I am quite sane. Its the bored kids who create the “new games”. Its the bored kids who create awesome forts. Its the bored kids who write creative stories. Its the bored kids who think painting a fence is fun. Its the bored kids who weave complicated characters and events into their make-believe playtime. Its the bored kids who change the world. Now, if you just cannot handle the thought of allowing your children to become really bored, or if the thought of the possibly whining makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck: cheat. Go to the local thrift stores and let them buy some new dress-up clothes. Pick up a few (or a few dozen) empty cardboard boxes. Buy an assortment of PVC piping and let them create. Find a spell-binding book to read aloud at breakfast or lunch. Be sure to stop reading at an exciting part! This is a great time to send them off. My kids end up personifying literary characters often! Buy some spiral bound notebooks and “special pens” to help them write a creative story (Tell them you will not correct spelling and grammar… just let them write). Invite a “cool big kid” over to play. As homeschoolers we can over schedule our children’s lives to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. Slow down. Let the lull of summer on the horizon remind us that it is more than OK to slow down. We need to allow our children to come to the end of their schedules in order to provide time and opportunity for creativity. Download your FREE “Creativity and Boredom” {Printable}
How the Heck to Plan a Successful Homeschool Day Inside: How the Heck to Plan a Successful Homeschool Day and what to do when everything goes wrong. Homeschool kids smell an unplanned day like wild animals smell fear. Normally this is not an issue. I take the time to sit and think through what we are doing in our homeschool day about 4-6 weeks at a time. I create an easy to follow calendar for each of the boys so they know that- “mom has a plan for today, so I better get busy.” I am a little stressed right now because my current calendar/plan runs out in less than 36 hours. Related: I have a free homeschool Success plan Printable for your refrigerator! The fact that I am not ready for the next step is like a ticking time bomb.Come Monday morning, if I do not have a clear plan of attack for our homeschooling week, my boys will eat me alive. Kids KNOW when we do not have a plan. The run, they hide, they break out the Legos right after breakfast, they seem stunned that we expect them to clean their dirty faces, fix their bed-heads and GASP- learn something. If you do not have a plan, your kids will suddenly forget how to get up, make their beds, add and subtract, multiply and divide, and write legibly. They may even forget that they are homeschooled. I think it is a conspiracy. “Psst-Maybe if we pretend to forget how to do school mom will let us play all day and live in our pajamas.” Can you relate?If kids do not see that we are well prepared for our day, week, or topic they do not buy in to whatever learning experience we set before them. They see us grab our teacher’s manual and then say, “OK, let’s get going. We have a lot of school to do today.” They see us begin reading the lesson and make that certain face that says, “what am I supposed to They see us begin reading the lesson with a confused expression and they silently whisper, “She doesn’t know what to do, let’s slip away”. When we, the teachers, finally grasp the core of today’s lessons they have snuck away from the school area and are resentful that we try to lasso them back to school. If you are honest, you would resent attending a class where the teacher wasn’t prepared too. I took the time to come to school, surely she could have prepared in advance to teach me. You took the time to come to school, surely she could have prepared in advance to teach you. Right? Our kids are no different. They need to see that we have invested in their education by taking the time to become familiar and excited about the learning material before we declare it is time for school. Kids smell a day without a plan and begin wiggling to get out immediately. What can we do: Plan school for 2-6 weeks at a time. In pencil. Become extremely familiar with the material before we try to present it to our kids. (remember the teacher from Ferris Beuller? Help us not be like him! I know this is hard. It takes time. I am currently teaching High School Algebra and Biology to our freshman- no fun. But I have to put in the time to study, otherwise, I confuse the hell out of him.) Schedule lessons out for 2-6 weeks in advance. Write them in pencil, so that when life happens you simply erase and begin again the next day. Never try to teach the school week without a plan. Even if you take a rabbit trail because your kids show a sudden interest in penguins, you will be much better prepared. As homeschoolers include a dinner plan/menu into your school day. Be excited about what you are learning together. How do I plan? I have 4-5 weeks of student calendars printed and ready to go, labeled with their names and dates. I teach 5 core subjects: Bible, Math, English, History, and Science FIRST, mark off all school holidays and family days. I schedule math in first. Cause, it’s easy. It usually is just the next number lesson. I include activities like flashcards, videos, and games in my calendars. If I do not schedule flashcards, the kids do not do flash cards. Kids need reminders. Next, I schedule the rest of the “do the next page” assignments. Handwriting, handwriting, phonics workbook pages, and spelling. Now I have to think. I plan a weekly memory verse and Bible reading. True brain power needed. I have a 5-6 week history focus. History is my core, my golden thread. I look for 3-5 main ideas to pull from a lesson and look for English, Math, and Science activities that go along with what we are learning. I have to skim the readings, pull vocabulary and scour for student activities that will work with my boys. This year I am using Story of the World and they have a great Activity Book from which I pull reading comprehension, map, art, and cooking activities. And then, of course, there is Pinterest. I have a whole series of Homeschool boards to help you and help me. Science is my weakest subject as a teacher. Alas, I am not entirely sure why, but even superman had a weakness. Science is mine. Again, I deal with science in chunks: main idea, 3-5 learning objectives, and at least one hands-on activity per topic. (This is ideal. I am lucky to get 2 experiments in a year). I plan English last. The older my kids, the more I plan. Younger kids need lots of time reading, being read to. Older kids need more and more time writing. Here is a great list to help you teach writing. Lastly, I double check my pencil calendars against the master calendar looking for conflicts. Are we home all of the days I planned to teach school? Are there any obvious monkey-wrench days (days that are destined to fail before they begin). I make adjustments whenever necessary. Sacrifice While every homeschool family has different goals and ambitions, talents and abilities, we all sacrifice something to homeschool.My husband and I personally sacrifice time. Lots of time. It is not easy homeschooling a troop of boys of various ages, grades, interests and learning styles. After 18 years I have learned that the key to success is being prepared before the day begins. Grab your FREE copy!
Medieval Science: Sundials, Candles Clocks, and Water Clocks I have been disappointed with our science curriculum this year. We are studying Medieval History together and I really wanted to integrate our science as well. I found a great little picture book with medieval science, inventions, and discoveries but it was lacking with hands-on activities. What’s a girl to do? Well, I decided to make my own activity pack. This 9 page pack has a reading and reading comprehension activity, copy work pages that match each of my kids handwriting levels, and 3 hands on projects. The boys doesn’t know it yet, but we will be making a sundial, a candle clock, and a water clock. I am super excited! I will add in pictures as we do the activities. Happy Learning.
Army Men, Competing, and Inventing: A Great Morning Our morning began like this: This cute little guy found an old army parachute guy amongst the toy collection in our home. This one discovery turned into an all morning endeavour and had my husband and I enjoying the simplicity of childhood. Hubby taught this guy how to throw the army man, and then the fun truly began. Enjoy the photo journey! Hold him kinda like a baseball . Chuck him high in the air . Watch his chute deploy! Bigger brother tried to outdo him, by digging into the toys and finding the “Super G.I. Joe” with Parachute. Here is his explanation for how you throw the army man. This guy looked around and discovered there were no more army men with parachutes, so he made one! One grocery bag with the handles cut off Gut a length of paracord, and pull out the 7 fibers (strings). Find small pebbles… Using the pebbles wrapped in the bag, tie the cords onto the bag. (Apparently the pebbles help the bag not rip! Great tip hubby!) Will it work? Fly, Bionicle, fly!!! Success! This was such a fun morning. There is something about watching your kids delight in simple childhood pleasures that truly delight the soul! Of course, Hubby had to show us video. An 80 year old woman has a major parachute malfunction and lives to tell the tale. Have fun with your kids today! Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class. We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets.
Insider Deal: Kindergarteners and Preschoolers “Oh my goodness, Jane! I just found my favorite shoes on sale for almost 75% off!!” Don’t you love it when you find an amazing deal? I shout it from the rooftops when I can save money. My husband works hard to provide for our family and he LOVES it when I save money too!! Get ready to shout from the rooftops my friend! Check out my Kindergarten Bundle of fun! This Kindergarten Bundle sells for $25 in my store. That is a great deal. That’s already over 50% off. Want to see everything that is included? View the product in my store here, but don’t buy it at that price! One of the ways I am able to stay at home with my children is to run my homeschool website and create and sell fun activities. It’s such a blessing to hear how other’s are able to learn from my homeschooling journey or how their kids love my teaching materials. It’s goose bump exciting for me. I already work hard to keep my prices low for the general public, but homeschoolers have a special place in my heart. I never had a large homeschool budget. Actually, I had No Homeschool budget most years. So for my homeschooling friends, I try to offer the lowest price possible while sill being able to help put milk in my kid’s cheerios. Let’s face it, dry cheerios are just not as awesome as milky cheerios! If you looked at my store, you will see that this Kindergarten Bundle is only $25. But that’s not a good enough deal for you, my friend. As an Insider you receive the special price of only $15. Full price is not for you, my friend. Come back here to get your special deal:). Yes, you have my permission to share this with your very best, best friend. Everyone else, please encourage them to visit and join us here. If they subscribe, they will have access to all of the same goodies you have had so far! Homeschool 101 Guide Homeschool Notebook Set Up Guide {printable} Homeschool Mindset Checklist {printable} Homeschool Goal Sheet {printable} Unit Study Planner {printable} Babies and Toddler Survival Plan {printable} Notebooking Samples {printable} Math Concepts to Master before Graduating High School {printable} History Concepts to Explore {printable} If you are already a subscriber and are missing any of the things on this list, please email me here. I have made wonderful changes to benefit your homeschooling journey. If you are not a part of our secret club, simply click on the “Yes I want Help!” Button and jump on board! (OK, it’s not a secret club, but it is cool). Download your FREE “Kindergarten Fun” {Printable}
Mosaic Craft: Learning about the Byzantine Emprire and Mosaics Did you know that you can make beautiful crafts with painted eggs shells? My boys and I are studying the Middle Ages right now. We were fascinated with the incredible mosaic displays of the Byzantine Empire. Talk about patient artists! We did some internet research, looked at incredible mosaic designs (like in the Hagai Sophia!) So we decided to give this type of art a try. We collected and painted eggs shells (using nail polish borrowed from a friend with girls), then began creating our own terra cotta pot designs. The kids loved this activity so much! It is funny how easy it is to bypass the messy crafty things with our kids and to opt for the quick “read and discuss” strategy. Things like this take time. It took us two weekends to collect and wash enough eggshells for 3 boys, another few days to paint them (since we opted for nail polish it was stinky!), and then 3 sittings so far to work on the actual mosaics. We have had many discussions as the boys work about how incredible the ancient mosaics are and they are beginning to truly understand that they did not just “happen”. I created an activity packet to go along with our Story of the World study. The inspiration for this packet and activity is from chapter 4, in case you too are reading Story of the World with your kiddos. You can get your copy by clicking on the image.