11 ThanksgivingActivities for Toddlers and Preschoolers! 15 days of Thanksgiving Homeschooling ideas: 11 Thanksgiving Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers! I love Thanksgiving. The decorating, the preparation, the cooking, the whole kit and caboodle. Everyone has their own expectations for this fun day, even the little people in your life. Here are some fun ideas to make the day special for your toddlers and preschoolers, that do not take too much of your time to throw together. Have Fun! Turkey Feather Hunt Parenting knows what my younger kids love to do: Parade around declaring they are the winners to whatever game is being played. (current character lesson: humility). This one is a simple, yet fun idea. Collect some feathers at the craft store and have the “turkey” hide them inside or outside… Then let the hunt begin! Make their own Turkey Cups This one is a two-for. Kids love creating their own special cup, and parents do not have to go through three times the amount of disposable cups! Fruit Gobbler Food.com suggests a cute craft/snack. Make eating a healthy snack fun while waiting for the turkey! Make a Thankful Tree I love this one from Artful Homemaking! Gather some twigs, place in a solid container and supply the kids with leaf shaped coloring pages. They color, write what they are thankful for and then decorate their tree. Fun! Mayflower Hand print: Too Cute! Preschool Crafts for Kids is loaded with cute (and easy) ideas for your little people! Become a Native American Kids love to dress up. Although I know how to do this craft in my sleep, I gathered this link at Free Crafts for Kids. A few paper bags, some construction paper, scissors and glue and viola! Kids are busy and happy for at least 30 seconds:). ***Warning*** I have 5 boys. When they dress up as Native Americans they also “become” Native Americans. They forget the history lessons about how wonderful and peaceful these people were and become savages on a mission. In my house, they dress up and then go outside:). Thanksgiving Movie Festival Build an indoor Fort Pop a Turkey:) Pop some popcorn and create your own Popcorn Turkey! Isn’t this cute? One Charming Party has the directions for this fabulous bird! Pam at Over the Moon has put together a short list of kid friendly Thanksgiving movies. Pool Noodle Toss! Bubble Break! All kids love chasing bubbles. If the weather permits, make a few fun bubble wands, some super duper bubble solution and head outside! 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
4 Fabulous Thanksgiving Day Activities 15 days of Thanksgiving Homeschooling ideas: Day Seven : 4 Fabulous Thanksgiving Day Activities 4 Fabulous Thanksgiving Day Activities is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+! Thanksgiving is next week! AS you are busily menu planning, shopping, and decorating you might want to prepare a few fun activities for the family. I know we will be preparing our second annual “Turkey Shoot” where we will be shooting balloons and turkey targets with bows and arrows and BB guns… Yes, I live happily with my husband and 5 boys. Here is My Top 4 List of Simple and Fun Activities Thankful Pie Spinner by Simply Modern Mom I love this idea. Trust me, even older kids will enjoy making a spinner wheel. Turkey Feathers You’ll find the directions and the cute printable at by The Idea Room. Thanksgiving Story Bracelets All you need is a pipe-cleaner and a handful of beads and you can lead a wonderfully memorable story time for your kiddos while the turkey is baking. My Monetessori Journey has a nice story printable and the directions for the beads. Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt Kids of all ages will love participating in your first annual scavenger hunt. I love this starter list by Family Fun. Have the kids brainstorm and add a few fun items to make it your own. 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 Did You Enjoy this Article? Subscribe to receive our latest and greatest: right here I’d love to here about your Thanksgiving Traditions…
Homeschooling: Step Three- How Do I Homeschool? When I looked over my first stacks of teaching materials I panicked. “You mean I have to teach this stuff?” Photo by Jon Toney Curriculum- “those stacks of learning materials we rely upon to teach their kids”, can freak out the best of us. Over the last two decades, I have learned to approach curriculum very differently. I no longer feel chained to this page or that lesson. Instead, I rely on what I call the covered wagon approach. The Covered Wagon You can also call this style of teaching/learning: thematic learning, or unit study. First: We choose a focus for the current period of study. I call this choosing the ” Golden Thread”. An example of a Golden Thread: Study Native American History for North America. Second: I need you to look at the picture of the covered wagon. Use your imagination with me. This wagon is on a journey to some destination. There are 4 wheels solidly on the ground to help the wagon make it to its destination. The wagon is steered and controlled by the grown-ups or older children. There are extra horses to facilitate quick side trips. Lastly, notice that the wagon itself is full of supplies and activities to occupy the travelers. How you Teach Using this method We first choose a destination (In this example: studying Native American History). This is where we decide what our final project will be to present what we have learned. Need Ideas for Projects? I have a Unit Study Idea Sheet for you at the end of this article. Second, we look down and see our 4 foundational Wheels: History, Science, Math, and English (Language and literature). We will look for ways to incorporate each of these subjects while teaching about Native American History. History: learn about the main native American groups. Focus: for each group of Native Americans learn: where they lived, what was the climate, what kinds of clothing did they wear, what they ate, did they worship a god? Science: Focus: examples: study weather. create graphs of your local weather, compare that with weather in the areas that the native tribe you are currently studying lived. Study Native American weapons. English: Focus spelling and vocabulary around the tribe you are studying. Choose 5-20 words a week to learn. Choose books to read together and independently about Native Americans. Complete daily copy work about Native Americans, weekly narration about Native Americans, and weekly dictation. Math: Estimate the distance from one tribe to another. research whether each tribe had a way to record numbers and record data. Complete word problems focus on Native Americans. The 4 Wheels of History, Science, English, and Math are your foundation. Just like the wheels of a real wagon would be on the ground every day, these subjects would make up your core learning. Third: Remind yourself that the wagon is “controlled” by older children and adults. A 5-year-old will not necessarily determine that they want to study Native Americans, but an older student might. Remind yourself that you are ultimately responsible for your destinations, but there are almost no wrong places to study! You choose! Fourth: In the picture above there is a lone rider on a fresh horse. With the Covered Wagon Approach, you need to be ready to break free from the wagon when a spontaneous learning opportunity presents itself. For example, maybe your student becomes fascinated with the Appaloosa horse of the plains nation. Take a side trail to study the Appaloosa and other breeds of horses. Look for ways to incorporate Math, Science, English and History while you are on this side trail. Once the burst of Inspired Learning fades, go back to the wagon. Fifth: The covered wagon. Just like the picture shows a wagon full of supplies and activities, you carry into your teaching an endless supply of activities and field trips to supplement your child’s learning. This is where art, music, dance, technology and things like theater fit in. Where can you go, what can you do, how can you see, taste, smell what you are learning about? In our Native American Study you could research and explore Native American Art and learn how to reproduce things like beaded bracelet’s, you could download Native music, attend a POW WOW in your area, visit the museum, watch History Channel Movies (or even Disney Movies), research YouTube videos, interview a local Native American and more. The Covered Wagon Approach means you jump into a golden thread and focus all your learning in that direction. You choose an historical focus and design, plan or purchase programs that incorporate all of those 4 foundational disciplines into that particular area of learning (You really do not need a specific curriculum to learn/teach this way: With the exception of math where you will learn from a math program of some sort. This can be as free or expensive as you desire!) Download your FREE “Unit Study Ideas” {Printable} Join us for the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Curriculum has nothing to do with homeschooling success Showers are optional and overrated No amount of knowledge looks beautiful on someone with a terrible attitude Coffee is one of the major food groups Children’s shirts have four clean surfaces: Front, back, inside front, and inside back Feeding kids chicken nuggets and corndogs don’t make you a bad mom The Lord will lead the way in raising and educating my kids
4 Things My Husband Taught Our Kids In 1 Week Nope. I didn’t know. I really had no idea how much I was micro-managing my kids. The revelation came to me as I was recovering from surgery. While I was down, my husband lovingly whipped my kids into shape in less than a week. While I was laid up in bed, my husband grabbed my boys by the scruffs of their necks, picked them off the floor and set them down on their feet. Firmly. He looked around the house, at me, and at the boys and decided things were going to change immediately. He didn’t raise his voice, he didn’t ask with his soft voice, he just stately things were changing. And then they did. 4 Things My Hubby Taught My Kids in Less Than a Week Hygiene. I hadn’t taught the younger boys how to take a shower (or draw a bath) alone. I’m not sure why exactly. Apparently, I enjoyed filling the tub for my 7 and 9-year-olds and allowing them to be totally reliant on me. (NOT!) I hadn’t realized I had neglected this skill. Husband to the rescue! The boys all now take their own baths and showers unaided. Chore Enforcement. Even though I have a fully laminated chore list posted on my fridge, I was still walking around picking up after the kids. This ended the first day I was down. Hubby ensured that they did their chores and then continued cleaning up after themselves all day. Nothing like the training of a dad! Daddy boot camp. Dishes. This is not to be confused with “chores”. Hubby decided that everyone would do their own dishes all day. While I do have one child assigned to kitchen duty every day, he began having them do their own dishes. Love it! The kitchen duty person cleans pots and pans and wipes down the kitchen, but there is much less for them to complete at any one time. Cooking and Meal Prep. He had those boys diced, slice, stir and cook meals. I’ve been teaching the kids to cook all along, but hubby raised meal prep to a whole new level! He always had at least two helpers in the kitchen making each meal. And the boys LOVED it! Being Team Players. He reinforced that our family of 7 is a complete team and that our world runs much more smoothly when we all work together. He has always been a great encourager for me, but I always run around trying to do too much all by myself. With me down for the count, I had no choice but to watch him coach the boys into doing their best. Honestly, I am only about half way healed from my surgery, but I feel like I have learned so much from him as I have sat here on the sofa (or couch or davenport depending on where you live). He’s my hero! [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=140485d46639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox] Go ahead and grab a copy of my book, Homeschooling from the Inside Out! It’s completely FREE. Just click over and fill in your first name and primary email below and we will send you a digital copy immediately!!
Teaching with Toddlers and Babies Have a nightmare with me Imagine being pregnant with baby #4 and being on bed rest. Now throw in an 18-month-old who is terrified of umbrellas and balloons. Not enough? How about a kindergartener scheduled for MAJOR surgery. Oh heck, why not toss in a 12-year old hormonal 5th grader. Now decide this is a perfect year to begin homeschooling! Teaching with Toddlers and Babies Yes. That was my first year of homeschool. So how did I survive? medication prayer The key to my homeschooling survival was three-fold. I had the heart and attitude that no one was going to be more invested in my children’s success than I was. I took the time to create a plan with my husband. I found successful homeschool moms and asked a lot of questions and implemented their methods that were successful. You can grab a copy of my Survival Plan Overview at the end of this article. It’s all Attitude When you school around toddlers and infants you have to be dedicated. There is no other way to describe it. It is exhausting to chase little ones and teach algebra simultaneously. The first question to ask yourself is whether or not you are committed to “Stick and Stay”. Our kids desperately need to see us model a never quit attitude. The great news is that, with a few adjustments, it is absolutely possible to do a great job! Your Plan If a plan is going to succeed, there must first be a plan; a goal. It was here in my life’s story that my husband and I focused and formed our foundational goals; our Mission Statement if you will.I would encourage you to do the same. Our goals were simple. Pass on our faith Teach our kids basic math facts Foster a love of reading while exposing our kids to great literature Begin the lifelong journey of becoming an excellent writer and communicator. Over 20 years later, three kids are in college, including the umbrella/balloon hater and the babies are now in high school. But our goals are the same. Asking for Help from Experts I would never have survived that first year of homeschooling had I not taken the time to seek advice and ask for help. Some people have a really hard time asking for guidance, not me. I knew I was a good teacher, but I also knew my house was a mess and I had no idea how to teach with little ones around. Here’s what I gleaned from experts. Organization: I actually had a new friend come and help me organize my home. She taught me how to clear and organize clutter. She taught me how to store things in to clear bins. She taught me that taking the time to organize my home, even above the time I took to teach would save me countless hours. Fast forward to today. This was the smartest thing I ever did. It took me about 3 weeks to completely clean. purge, and organize my home yet I have been able to maintain it for over a decade. Toddlers Crave routines. (Actually, we all do, but toddlers thrive when they can anticipate the next thing). One of the moms I “interviewed” encouraged me to schedule my toddlers into manageable time-chunks. It can best be compared to kindergarten “stations”. I established a cycle of activities that followed this order: eat, quiet activity, busy activity. If I could give any advice it would be to glean this “quiet-time”/controlled environment mentality. I used a high chair, a car seat, a booster seat, a playpen, a crib and a gated area for quiet time activity centers. I chose activities that were age appropriate and safe and gave the toddler their own space. Related: Engaging, Pre-planned Activities that Help Create Magical Moments together I honestly did not let them “roam”- that’s when they would get into trouble. Sometimes they were in the same room and even at or near the same table; other times I had them “play” in the next room or in their room. This was something I trained into their day. I began with 5-minute intervals and slowly worked up to 30-45 minutes. It worked beautifully with all my little ones. There are many, many, many kinds of activities to entertain and educate your toddler available online. Keep it simple. I always kept my school activity time toys out of reach so they were fresh and new when needed. Toddlers: crave consistency. thrive under a schedule of rotation of activities. need to have set boundaries for their own development and safety, as well as the sanity of your homeschool environment. Download your FREE “Babies and Toddlers Survival Plan” {printable} Easy Preschool Crafts and Activities Homeschooling with Babies and Toddlers: Quiet TIme