Lounge Wear Makes Life more Comfy It’s true. Clothes make the woman. COMFY Clothes make the woman happy. I like being comfy and cozy. I spend most of my time at home and I like to spend that time as comfortable as possible!! Aren’t you nicer when your clothes are comfy? Me too! WARNING: Make sure you do a weekly “Jean Check”. That’s right. Wearing yoga pants is super comfy, but it can also be a bit deceptive. Catch those extra few pounds before they get you by simply slipping into your favorite jeans once a week. If they zip up just fine, slip back into your yoga pants. If they’re “snugglier” than before… Wear them for the next few days!
Mother’s Day Craft and Keepsake Mother’s Day Crafts Mother’s Day is a few weeks away.While it may seem self-serving to have your kids make you a Mother’s Day Craft, it can be one of those precious keepsakes that finds a forever home in your treasure chest. This booklet craft is easily modified for different age kids.Recommended Time for craft: 3 days- each with an hour block. (some children prefer to complete the project in one sitting. Younger children require smaller chunks of time spread out over a few days) Why do a Mother’s Day Keepsake? Your kids love you. Give them a chance to show it! They enjoy talking about you. You’ll want to capture the essence of “where they are” developmentally. Kids say the darn’dest things and it is precious to capture these funnies on paper. Plus, you may want to hold it over their heads when they are teenagers. Just kidding. Sort of. This craft uses scissor skills, helps fine motor development, and nurtures creativity. Print, color, cut, assemble: Sneak Peek Video Buy now Includes:Mother’s Day Craft templatesdirection with photos10 customizable booklet pagescut and paste activitiesscissor skill practicecreative writinggames and more Yes, I have a Father’s Day Craft Kit too! You can save by purchasing them as a bundle here. Get your FREE tic tac toe game here.
Math with a Deck of Cards Quick round up of all the math games I can find that you can play with a deck of cards. Total of 10 Lay out 20 cards on the table (leave out face cards or change them to equal 0, while aces equal 1). Kids remove sets of cards that add up to 10, ultimately trying to remove all the cards from the table. It’s harder than you think! Learn more at First Grade Round up Nifty 50 This game is great to develop logical thinking and problem solving, review two digit addition and subtraction regrouping, and is fun! The object is to come up with a math equation that has a sum or difference closest to the number 50. First player to five points is the winner! Learn more at Scholastic Great collection from Math Geek Mama! 21 This game is a simplified version played in casinos, with no gambling involved. Object: be the closest to 21 without going over! Learn more at Scholastic Place Value War Turn over 1, 2 or 3 cards. Place them in any position to make the highest number possible. The higher number wins all of the cards for that turn. Learn more at Newark Schools Once through the deck Shuffle the deck and place it face down on the table in front of you. Flip the cards face up, one at a time. For each card, say out loud the sum (or product) of that number plus (or times) the number you want to practice. Don’t say the whole equation, just the answer. Go through the deck as fast as you can. Learn more at Denise Gaskins Related: Games with a deck of card FREE printable by SAU 39 Closest To Starting with two digit numbers, deal out two cards per player. Each player takes the cards in their hand and rearranges the digits to create a number that is closest to 50. The players show each other their hands and the player who is closest to 50 wins the set of all of the players’ cards. Learn more at Math engaged Math Memory Lay all of the cards down on the table face-down in a grid. Players take turns flipping over three cards and seeing if they can make an equation with the face-up cards. Younger players can try using addition and subtraction, and older players can also try using multiplication and division. Players are challenged to remember what cards every player has flipped to help them create equations on their own turn. The player with the most amount of cards at the end of the game wins. Learn more at Math engaged Here’s a game similar to the one described above, but this version allows students to compare fractions instead. You will need two pencils, one for each player, to serve as the fraction line. Learn more at Super Teacher Worksheets Guess My Number Place a student at the front of the room and give him or her two playing cards. The cards can be ordered any way the student wants. Be sure the cards cannot be seen by the class! Take turns around the room guessing what the number is. The types of questions asked have to use math vocabulary, such as, “Is it even?” “Is it odd?” “Is it greater than 10?” “Is it a factor of 20?” and so on. The student can only answer with a “Yes” or “No”, until the actual number is guessed at. Learn more at K5Chalkbox More math with a deck of cards! More math goodies Math Picture Books Breath Life into Arithmetic! 97+ Ideas for Making Math FUN Homeschool Math: Grab your Roadmap to Success
DIY Doll Game and Activity your kids will Love this game/activity!! This beautiful activity comes from author Gail Masinda, with Maestro Heights. The idea is simple. Learn to care for baby while living your normal life. Perfect for training siblings for life with baby! There are two sets of activities: small manageable taskswhat baby needs. How to play Place each in their own jar/basket.Begin the day with a smt. Complete the taskThen reach in and see what baby needs. Set the timer and kids practice setting baby’s needs above their own. PLUS, you get a little bit of time too! Back slips are included so you can customize chore/tasks and activities for baby. Kids can use dolls or stuffed animals for “Baby”. I purposely used the word BABY and did not include his/her pronouns. HAVE Fun! Download your free copy here Visit Gail’s beautiful Music Room
Parenting in Times of Crisis turned into MAGICAL Memories When I was about 11-years old I had the BEST summer ever. Family wildflower walks every evening after dinner.Family wifle ball games.Family soccer games. (got a basement?) We lived on a 15 acre farm in Connecticut and my dad spent the summer carving out adventures for us with his ride-on tractor. ⚽️First he cut the soccer field. ⚾️Then he lowered the mover and cut a baseball diamond into the same field. 💐He carved a 6-foot wide path around a huge field on our property so he could take us on a walk to see “which wild flowers bloomed” that day. 🌼We played🌱Caught dragon flies🌱Watch clouds float by👀Sat in the yard playing I-spy🎼Turned off all the lights in the house and blared the music while playing “who knows the most lyrics to each song” We fed wild birds, watched the squirrels steal their food and simply enjoyed each other’s company. 🐾What a great summer! It wasn’t until I was a grown woman that I learned the truth. 😳Dad had been laid off that summer. While he applied for over 150 jobs looking for work at night, during the day he created, played, and was present with all four of us kids. Today, we have a choice. I say, let’s make this season of quarantine the “BEST Spring vacation of our kids’ childhood.” 🌸Be present🌷Read🌱Cut soccer fields out with a lawn mower⚽️Play games And at night, when the kids are nestled in bed make our plan for the next day. I found the EXACT 200+ year old house I lived in at the time.Yes, I had a heart attack too. It was not fully restored when I lived in it. It was NOT this beautiful when I lived there. But you get a rare opportunity to see where my DREAM summer was lived out.Page 27. That yellow room is where I heard my sisters snore like tigers.Page 28 was a closet PACKED with boxes and clothing and didn’t have a window.Page 31 was the scary attic in our garage where my parents hid Christmas presentsPage 34 is the window I witnesses the greatest ice storm I’ve ever seen. I sat on the sofa and peeked out.Page 38 shows you why I remember spending a HUGE portion of time doing yard work with my dad. But the magical field?Page 32. Walk to the right of the garage and hang a right after that clump of trees… I spent hours and hours and hours there with my family, led by my father… When I lived here, all the walls were white. There wasn’t any fancy decor. We had 13 cats, no heat in my room (you could see your breath) What’s your favorite memory from your childhood? If you know people who can use an easy to follow plan for school for the next few weeks/months… Share this FREE, no gimmick plan with them. Learning at Home: Everything you need in one place
DIY Earth Crate for Kids How Does it work? Set a BUDGET (You can create a great crate for $25+)Load up all the goodies into your cart (Items from Teachers Pay Teachers, Evan Moor and Amazon)From your cart, make your final selections.Download your printable lesson and prep lessons while you wait for your goodies to arrive.Watch your kids get excited Earth Activities, Printables, and Games GOODIES TO CHOOSE FROM FOR YOUR KIT **Hands-on Activities and Printables I am Earth Book Earth Day Pocket Book Project Save the Earth Stickers 3D Globe Puzzle Mini Squishy Globes Terra Cotta Mini Pots Gardening Tools for Kids Wooden crate WHY DO LEARNING CRATE WORK SO WELL? Experience Lead learning simply works BEST! With over 20+ years of thematic/Unit based teaching experience, Bekki is an expert at wrapping a learning activity with hands-on activities, engaging stories, and fun projects to bring topics to LIFE. *This type of learning transforms a dry topic in to a DELICIOUS and Contagious excitement. Sounds like a win!! PRO TIP: ALWAYS GIVE STUDENTS TIME TO EXPLORE MANIPULATIVES, GAMES, AND TOYS PRIOR TO WEAVING THEM INTO LEARNING. THE YOUNGER THE STUDENT, THE LONGER TIME THEY WILL NEED TO EXPLORE. Photos! Have your camera ready. You’re gonna want to capture their smiles and excitement! Stories ALWAYS make learning better Earth Day Pocket Book Save the Earth Stickers to share Globe puzzle for hands-on exploration Squishy globes To make the Earth a Prettier Place Gardening tools for kids Wooden Crate to hold all the goodies HOW DO THESE DIY CRATES WORK? Easy! Open the DIY Crate/Bag plan of your choiceGrab and download the Printable Mini-Lessons that go with the Hands-on goodiesClick and add ALL the items into your cart on Amazon or from other vendors.Set your budget and REMOVE all items that don’t fit you, your students, or your budget. As you wait for your goodies, print and prepare your lessons. FAQ- Why add everything to the cart? Because, it makes is really easy to remove and re-add things that work best for you with as little hassle as possible. SEE OUR FULL AND GROWING COLLECTION OF DIY GOODIES HERE
DIY Teaching Kids to Cook Kit How? Set a BUDGET (You can create a great crate for $25+)Load up all the goodies into your cart (Items from Teachers Pay Teachers and Amazon)From your cart, make your final selections.Download your printable lesson and prep lessons while you wait for your goodies to arrive.Watch your kids get excited …Read More »
DIY Heart Foldable This all began on a 4 mile walk in the rain. He wants to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, that 14-year old son of mine.Forget the fact that he’s dyslexic, a ball of energy and only an early teen. He’s diving in. It all began on a walk a few weeks ago, where we brainstormed the steps he could take to pursue this newish dream of his…… and has grown into a full emersion independent study of everything related to the heart. Get on the waitlist here He’s been diving in to learning a few days a week… I showed him a cut, fold, and learn template of the heart on teachers pay teachers and said, “I’ll get it for you, but honestly I think you can create a better one yourself.Boy, was I right! …Read More »
DIY Camel Bible Study Crate for Kids How? Set a BUDGET (You can create a great crate for $25+)Load up all the goodies into your cart (Items from Teachers Pay Teachers and Amazon)From your cart, make your final selections.Download your printable lesson and prep lessons while you wait for your goodies to arrive.Watch your kids get excited Bible Study Printable mini-lessons …Read More »
71 Easy Adorable And Inexpensive Mothers Day Crafts Inside: A treasure for you to tuck away for your kids’ teenage years. She gave you heartburn while you were pregnant. photo by Inna Lesyk He ran you ragged for hours on end when he was three. … Read More »
Teacher Appreciation DAY! Whether you studied to be a teacher or SUDDENLY woke up a teacher today, or you have gray haired educational experience… you are a ROCK STAR!! This is for YOU! What’s on Sale? Homeschooling from the Inside Out I want to wish you a very Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!In this season of craziness I have talked to classroom teachers, administrators, parents and homeschoolers and we all agree: Being a teacher is hard work, and it is so much harder now. I’ve seen parents/teachers go above and beyond during these times that are so unreal and unthinkable. I know how exhausting this is and you definitely deserve all the teacher appreciation love, this week and always! A SALE? WHAT SALE? WHEN?To kick off Teacher Appreciation Week, I am excited to announce that TpT is celebrating YOU with a special Teacher Appreciation SALE! Save 20% off all my resources (including bundles!) this Tuesday and Wednesday (May 5th & 6th). Save an additional 5% off by using promo code THANKYOU20. VISIT MY TPT STORE HERE! Give a shout out to your FAVORITE Teacher friends and family on FB EVERYTHING is ALL on Sale Bible StudiesBest SellersTime Capsule WritingMath JokesMother’s DayLife skillsand more! Is THIS site on SALE TOO?YES! I will mirror the TpT sale on this website! website. Use the same code, THANKYOU20, to get 25% off everything I’ve personally created on this website. (click on the product drop down menu in the tab bar) What about all the masterclasses?Yep! On sale too, with the same coupon, THANKYOU20, to get 25% off everything! Yes, that includes the homeschool classes, Pinterest, Business, and Selling printables classes!! Visit my academy here. I have some AMAZING Creator friends who are also joining Teacher Appreciation week to help CELEBRATE YOU! Gail, with Maestro Heights, has the most creative graphic printables that bring biographies and music to life! My top pick for this week? Morse Code for Kids! Gail’s sets make perfect “Unit study of the Month” Holly, Will take your kids on a virtual world tour of some incredible sights as they “Unlock” some amazing destinations! Renee has the first role play set for your little midwife I’ve ever seen! So cute! Mary Beth has STUNNING cursive practice and scavenger hunts that will tickle your child’s imagination. Debbie is here to help you teach your kids ALL ABOUT NUTRITION! Tricia has ready to go Bible Lessons for your children. Mission Mummy has all sort of goodies for your preschoolers who need better fine motor skills!
DIY ABCs of God Crate for Kids How? Set a BUDGET (You can create a great crate for $25+)Load up all the goodies into your cart (Items from Teachers Pay Teachers and Amazon)From your cart, make your final selections.Download your printable lesson and prep lessons while you wait for your goodies to arrive.Watch your kids get excited GOODIES TO CHOOSE FROM FOR YOUR KIT **ABC’s of God Printables ABCs of God Flip Cards ABC God Loves Me ABC Magnet Jumbo Set Spiral Journal for older kids Journal pens ABCs in Sign Language ABC Book Bag! Scripture flip cards Adorable! Magnetic letter Journal for learning about God’s goodness Pens that don’t bleed through! Learn ABCs in sign language as you learn God’s attributes! ABC Bag for all your goodies HOW DO THESE DIY CRATES WORK? Easy! Open the DIY Crate/Bag plan of your choiceGrab and download the Printable Mini-Lessons that go with the Hands-on goodiesClick and add ALL the items into your cart on Amazon or from other vendors.Set your budget and REMOVE all items that don’t fit you, your students, or your budget. As you wait for your goodies, print and prepare your lessons. Do kids love it? Absolutely! FAQ- Why add everything to the cart? Because, it makes is really easy to remove and re-add things that work best for you with as little hassle as possible. Related: BEAUTIFUL inspirational coloring books SEE OUR FULL AND GROWING COLLECTION OF DIY GOODIES HERE
DIY Transfiguration of Jesus Bible Study How? Set a BUDGET (You can create a great crate for $10+)Load up all the goodies into your cart (Items from Teachers Pay Teachers and Amazon)From your cart, make your final selections.Download your printable lesson and prep lessons while you wait for your goodies to arrive.Watch your kids get excited Transfiguration of Jesus Mini-lessons GOODIES TO CHOOSE FROM FOR YOUR KIT **Transfiguration of Jesus Printable Mini-Lessons Mountain Dew Object Lesson Instructions Mountain Dew Glow Sticks Baking Soda Hydrogen Peroxide Nesting Dolls Adorable Supplies Bag Children’s Object Lesson: The Transfiguration of Jesus Scene These will capture your kids’ attention! Beautiful Nesting Dolls Adorable bag for all your Bible Study Goodies HOW DO THESE DIY CRATES WORK? Easy! Open the DIY Crate/Bag plan of your choiceGrab and download the Printable Mini-Lessons that go with the Hands-on goodiesClick and add ALL the items into your cart on Amazon or from other vendors.Set your budget and REMOVE all items that don’t fit you, your students, or your budget. As you wait for your goodies, print and prepare your lessons. FAQ- Why add everything to the cart? Because, it makes is really easy to remove and re-add things that work best for you with as little hassle as possible. SEE OUR FULL AND GROWING COLLECTION OF DIY GOODIES HERE
DIY MLA Fun How? Set a BUDGET (You can create a great crate for $25+)Load up all the goodies into your cart (Items from Teachers Pay Teachers and Amazon)From your cart, make your final selections.Download your printable lesson and prep lessons while you wait for your goodies to arrive.Watch your kids get excited GOODIES TO CHOOSE FROM FOR YOUR KIT **MLA CItation and Plagiarism Mini-Lessons MLA Citation Posters MLA/APA Student Quick Guide MLA Citation Activities and Worksheets WHY DO LEARNING CRATE WORK SO WELL? Experience Lead learning simply works BEST! With over 20+ years of thematic/Unit based teaching experience, Bekki is an expert at wrapping a learning activity with hands-on activities, engaging stories, and fun projects to bring topics to LIFE. *This type of learning transforms a dry topic in to a DELICIOUS and Contagious excitement. Sounds like a win!! PRO TIP: ALWAYS GIVE STUDENTS TIME TO EXPLORE MANIPULATIVES, GAMES, AND TOYS PRIOR TO WEAVING THEM INTO LEARNING. THE YOUNGER THE STUDENT, THE LONGER TIME THEY WILL NEED TO EXPLORE. Photos! Have your camera ready. You’re gonna want to capture their smiles and excitement! MLA posters Student resource guide HOW DO THESE DIY CRATES WORK? Easy! Open the DIY Crate/Bag plan of your choiceGrab and download the Printable Mini-Lessons that go with the Hands-on goodiesClick and add ALL the items into your cart on Amazon or from other vendors.Set your budget and REMOVE all items that don’t fit you, your students, or your budget. As you wait for your goodies, print and prepare your lessons. FAQ- Why add everything to the cart? Because, it makes is really easy to remove and re-add things that work best for you with as little hassle as possible. SEE OUR FULL AND GROWING COLLECTION OF DIY GOODIES HERE
Lobbying for Change: Teaching our Kids Honestly, I only took the Political Science in high school because it met Tuesdays and Thursdays and I was able to go home early the other three days. Politics and lobbying for change is on my list of things I never want to do when I grow up… BUT, we need to teach our kids how to approach this big complicated system if we want our grandkids to have a future. What’s coming to our local schools will affect all of us. Even if we choose to homeschool. We need to teach our kids how to be heard in areas that matter. So I pulled a bunch of resources together for you to begin digging through with your kids. It’s free. Free copy here Sharing issues on social media, will not cause them to go away. That sexual education plan heading to a school near you and me is frightening. But it won’t die out because we share images. We need to lobby together and teach our kids to lobby. Confession: This goes against my nature. I don’t like this stuff at all. But I will have grandchildren someday, and I can’t sit silently and watch things that are so wrong become normal. Get your free copy here Lobbying Cheat-Sheet Do your homework. Check your local and state NEA pages for updates and visit www.educationvotes.org and the Legislative Action Center for a wealth of info.Use technology to your advantage–connect with legislators and fellow activists through Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.Always be professional, honest, and upbeat. Lose your cool, and you’ll lose the case!Political decision making can be drawn out, so stay patient and don’t get discouraged.You’re busy, so find the lobbying strategy that works for you. Organize a group with your chapter to write letters together, to make it more social, for instance. You can help spread the word by sharing this free resource with your family and friends. DIY Subscription Boxes for Kids Constitution Quest Game PRINT THIS FREE HOMESCHOOL MOM REMINDER. This post comes with a free printable list to help lead your child to design their own plan. Here is a sneak preview… DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas!Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal.Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
Why is it “A Better Way to Homeschool”? Yes, our site is called “A Better Way to Homeschool”. But why? Homeschooling was frustrating for me the first few years. I was fumbling around trying to figure out how to teach my two oldest sons while nursing and training 1-3 babies. I had no idea what I was doing! Eventually, I was invited into a homeschooling group that happened to be comprised of 4 fabulous homeschool moms; 3 of them even being certified teachers. To me, this made them worth of study:). I watched them closely. What were they teaching their kids? How were they teaching? What can I glean from them? You know what I learned? If you ask 100 homeschoolers what is the best way to homeschool children, you will likely get 100 different answers! That’s right! My husband and I discovered that the best way to homeschool our boys was our way. A Better Way to Homeschool was born to inspire you to homeschool your children YOUR WAY. What makes your way A Better Way? You take your children’s strengths and weaknesses into consideration when choosing the kind of work you will require. You enjoy learning right along with your kids. No one knows your child like you do. Your child’s passions can be knit intricately into their school day. You can share your passions with your children and call it “school”. You get to decide what your school day looks like. You get to choose whether to use a shrink-wrapped curriculum or books form your local library to teach your children. You are free from the trap of measuring your 11 year old against the next 11 year old you meet. They are each unique. It is A Better Way, because it is your way. It is a journey, a process. If you are anything like me, your homeschooling will morph as your children and you settle into your routine. Homeschool is a living breathing thing. As your child grows and develops strong interests, your schooling bends toward them. Do not let yourself get trapped into a pre-packaged idea of what your child’s education should be. Sure, you need basic goals for them to achieve, but so much of their education will be captured alone the way. Relax. Enjoy your kids. Embrace the unexpected and capitalize on moments of intrigue and excitement. Did your boys bring home tadpoles from a friends house, like mine just did? Search YouTube and Discovery Channel to find videos that teach about the life cycle of Frogs and Toads Look for journaling pages that have lily pads on them for them to write down their observations. Teach them how to do research online to discover what those tadpoles need to eat to survive. Visit your local pet store and talk with the people working there to find out more about frogs. Go to the library and check out a few books about life cycles (butterflies, frogs, people, etc…). Teach Venn Diagrams and compare and contrast frogs to any other living creature. How are they the same, how are they different? Make a lapbook. Get a frog kit and observe how those frogs do compared to the wild variety. Let the kids make their own documentary. Ride tides of excitement like a surfer who caught the perfect wave! Embrace your better way to homeschool! I love hearing from my readers! How do you embrace homeschooling? Looking for amazing homeschooling resources? PRINT THIS FREE HOMESCHOOL MOM REMINDER. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas! Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
Memory Verse for Kids: Exodus 14:14 These adorable Bible Study pages will help your kids memorize Exodus 14:14 Buy in my TpT Store NKJV and NIV Included: Beautiful printable verseSquish the verse matColor the verse crayonsEASY Bible Verse Maze More Bible Studies for Kids: Bible Study Printables: Romans 15:13Days of Creation Board GameDays of Creation PrintablesDays of Creation Food Ideas (free)Sunday School Activities: Fruits of the SpiritBible Study BUNDLE #1Daniel 1: Bible Study and Children’s Ministry ActivitiesBible Object Lessons for Kids: WaterfallsBible Fun for Kids: ABCs of God’s CharacterAdvent Activities for Kids: FreebieAdvent Activities for Kids- CompleteBible Study: What Can I Learn from the CamelBible Study: Pearl of Great Price- Matthew 13:45-46Bible Study: Transfiguration of Jesus- Matthew 17Daniel 4: King Nebuchadnezzar’s Tree DreamSunday School Lessons on Prayer for PreschoolersBible Study for Kids: What Can I Learn From the Ant? My personal statement of faith: I believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. I believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. I believe “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and that we are saved by faith in Jesus. My favorite Bible teachers are my husband (Craig Sayler), Pastor Jon Courson, Pastor Chuck Smith, CH Spurgeon.
Forget Healthy Super Bowl Snacks; Let’s Fix Half-Time Together Are you with me? You may be die hard football fans. Me? I choose who I wan to win based on weather and uniform colors. It’s very scientific. But I’ve always loved watching the Super Bowl. Fun Healthy SnacksDelicious not-healthy snacksHilarious and heart warming commercialsAmazing Half-time shows This is not a “Don’t watch the Super Bowl Rant”, but there is a BIG problem and our kids can help!! What was once a wonderful family afternoon has morphed into a hide your kid’s eyes event during half-time. No matter where you stand, we all agree that the half-time shows are Anti-Family friendly. Let’s teach our kids how to attack hard things like this head on. Do something. Refuse to complain. Be the change. Write to everyone important you can think of who CAN make a change.Get your family and friends, schools and co-ops, churches and sports teams to join in too. Refuse to participate. This one means being willing to say no to things you love. Big changes may need a financial cost attached. With the Super Bowl, money will talk. If enough people refuse to watch or buy products from advertisers who endorse the anti-family half-time show… things will change. But I’m just a kid! You have time and energy that CAN make a difference! When you get mad or offended, come up with a solution and get your voice or idea in front of the correct people! Who is in charge? Decide to write. What’s their address?Email address?Facebook profile?Instagram? Get creative! Make a video and shareWrite an essay and submit it everywhereInterview many people and collect data. Are you the only one who sees the problem? Let’s teach our kids how to FIX things. Life Skills for Kids of All Ages PRINT THIS FREE HOMESCHOOL MOM REMINDER. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas!Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal.Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
Renewable Energy Freebie This is a free SAMPLE of my Renewable Energy Unit. Included: Solar powerWhat can be powered by the sun? Looking for more? …Read More »
Practice Bullying with Kids When my friend’s husband (Anthony) called and asked for me to bring my son to their house for a few minutes, I happily loaded him into the car and drove over.There was a heaviness in the room when we walked through the front door and I began to sweat. “Please, sit down,” Anthony motioned to their sofa.Within 34 seconds I realized what was going on.My son had been bullying their son during play time and I was clueless. I opened my inbox yesterday and read a note from a mom asking for advice. She is friends with a sweet mom and while they are visiting, her son is watching her fiend’s son bully and hurt his younger sibling… And now her son is acting out at home. “I’ve decided to give the friendship a break for a while.” She wrote. And then she asked me how I would handle the situation. Suddenly I was back on the sofa listening to Anthony. So I shared… One of our sons really struggled with bully behavior. He was sarcastic, aggressive and had a mean streak when his pride was challenged. His favorite target?–> My best friend’s son who was a couple of years younger than him. Honestly, I had been blind to it, and then my friend and her husband invited me and my son over. The parents, explained that this type of behavior would not be tolerated. Their son adored my son, but often felt bullied and had begun to take on my son’s habits. Not gonna be allowed. “Buddy, we love you. We are giving you a chance to learn and correct your behavior, but if you do not our son will not be aloud to play with you.” Gulp. They were so loving, united, clear and determined to help my son while protecting theirs. Related: What does Bullying Look like? I was horrified of course, but we only grew closer as friends… Not all friendships survive this kind of family coaching and correcting.But that would be my advice. Get together and explain. Mom, sometimes it’s our kids who are the bullies.Other times it’s our kids who are being bullied. I needed to witness how my friend and her husband addressed the negative behavior head on. And so did my son. Related: 6 Tips for having a conversation about cyber bullying There are consequences for bad behavior, but we are to extend grace. ***If my friend has simply stopped hanging out with me because of my son, we never would have learned this lesson and her son would simply learn to avoid problems rather than lovingly deal with them. Plus, we would have missed the sweetness of a friendship that has grown into a lifeline over the past few decades… How to Address Bullying Open our eyes. We need to see the world with clarity.Watch for opportunities to show kids good, bad, wrong, and cruel behavior and then talk about how to properly handle the situation.Practice. Find a 5 minute pocket of time and play-practice.Address it head-on. No one wins when we put our heads in the sand and run. If our kids are bullies, invite the parents over and lovingly ask for forgiveness and correct the behavior. If our kids are being bullied… do the sameProtect our kids! We were blessed our friends address bullying head on. But if your kids are in danger, protect them. If necessary, get the authorities involved. What would you add? How have you witnessed bullying behavior dealt with that WORKED? We need to learn from each other…