Hands on Ancient Civilizations Archaeology Activity Up until a few weeks ago, I honestly couldn’t spell archaeology. I would get lost as soon as I typed that “ae” in the middle. As an introduction to ancient civilizations with our boys we decided to do an introduction unit on archaeology. We had so much fun I wanted to share it with you. 9 Steps to Create an Archaeological Dig for Kids I gathered about a dozen random items from around the house. They were everything from plastic bottle caps to a vegetable peeler. I tried to keep them hidden from the boys as I collected “future artifacts”. 2. We went to the library and checked out some great archaeology books. My favorites in this batch were Eyewitness Archaeology and Digging up the Past. 3. We watched the Young Indiana Jones on Netflix and some of Indiana Jones. This was the secret sauce to hooking the boys. 4. When they were not watching, I buried our artifacts in a shallow tub and placed it on the side of the yard. 5. I casually mentioned they needed to get shoes, socks and a hat. “I had just received news that an artifact was discovered in our yard!’ The boys ran. 6. We gathered tools: a screen sifter, hand shovels, ribbon to make quadrants in our dig site, paper and pencil to record our finds, and a camera. Oh, I almost forgot. Real walkie-talkies. These were the highlight. 7. I sent them out to locate the dig site. Ok, at first they were devastated that there was a staged tub of dirt. The youngest almost cried because he was ready to get a backhoe and tear up the grass!! 8. Once they embraced the activity: we split the tub into quarters. I had them divide their papers into quarters. We numbered and labelled each quarter on our data sheet and then divided the dig site. The oldest chose the deepest dirt of course. 9. The rules. The kids would carefully remove dirt until they uncovered something. Then they were required to switch to toothbrushes. They had to carefully brush away dirt until the artifact could be seen. Next they had to sketch the item on their data sheet in the position it was found, then they could remove it and continue digging. They LOVED this activity after they recovered from the fact that mom staged it. Follow up activities. 1. Catalogue their finds. Take a picture of each artifact and carefully describe (in writing) everything about the item and indicate exactly where it was found. 2. Review the 7 aspects of culture. Arts and Literature, Customs and traditions, Economic Systems, Forms of Government, Language, Religion, Social Organization. 3. Create an educated guess about each artifact (ignoring its true life purpose they will create a new one) and create a chart that has each artifact fit into one of the 7 aspects of Culture. What did we cover? Math: ChartingReadingHistory: 7 Aspects of Culture, Intro into Ancient CivilizationsScience: ArchaeologyWriting: descriptive and creative writingArt: sketching real life objects This is a very full project. We spent 2 weeks so far and will take another week to wrap up the writing portion (maybe 2 weeks depending on life). (If I had a chance to do it again I’d get theses two books: Hands On Archaeology for Kids Pyramids! How about you? Have you done any amazing hands-on archaeology projects?
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.
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.
Ant Farm Kits: An Easy Science Lesson for Multiple Ages Our boys exchange names every year for Christmas and then are blessed to buy gifts for their selected brother. This year, our youngest picked out an Ant Farm for his brother. Not only is this an excellent gift for the animal lover of our family, but it has turned into an amazing “cross-grade” science lesson. … Read More »
Thanksgiving Writing Prompts: Yes, Writing! Thanksgiving Writing Prompts for Homeschoolers.While we do break free from our regular homeschooling routine during the holidays, it is important to continue writing:). Grab your free Notebooking Templates and have your child choose one of the Thanksgiving Writing Prompts Below (source: Alpha Omega Publications) Download Thanksgiving Printable Paper homeschool helpers printables Grab your pencil and put on your thinking cap! … Read More »
77 Easy No-Prep Thanksgiving Activities Entertain and Teach Inside: Thanksgiving Ready to go Activities and Thanksgiving coloring pages. Just in time for Thanksgiving! Kids love the holidays! They feed off the energy and excitement that surrounds them. Even kids that may not usually enjoy coloring, may find inspiration from a holiday themed coloring activity. Just for FUN: Thanksgiving Jokes- Cootie Catcher {Printable} Here are links to loads and loads of coloring and activity pages!! Add them to your toolbelt. Kids love the holidays! They feed off the energy and excitement that surrounds them. Even kids that may not usually enjoy coloring, may find inspiration from a holiday themed coloring activity.Here are links to loads and loads of coloring pages!!Add them to your toolbelt. Single Page Activities … Read More »
Thanksgiving: 4 Simple and Fun Activities It is Almost Thanksgiving! 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 HereThanksgiving Math, Reading, Science Activities for 3rd Grade30 Thanksgiving Activities, Crafts, and Games for K-2nd Grade21 Thanksgiving Math Activities for Kindergarten4 Thanksgiving Jokes Solved with DivisibilityFall Math and Literacy Super Bundle- Grades K-2 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.
Many Homeschoolers are Delayed Readers Too Inside: Ways to inspire your late reader. {Plus free cheatsheet} All FIVE of our sons were delayed Learners #1 Son Didn’t talk until he was four Couldn’t read until he was six Wouldn’t drive until he turned 19 … Read More »
Banana Blueberry Muffins: It’s That Kind of Morning It’s That Kind of Morning! I have this crazy craving for a yummy muffin, but can’t quite wrap my taste buds around it. It all started when I remembered a Bran Muffin from my favorite bakery, Edelweiss Bakery. … Read More »
Minds In Bloom: Unexpected Hobbies for Kinesthetic Learners I am extremely humbled and excited to be featured on “Minds in Bloom” today! Please take a few minutes and come join me on Rachel’s fantastic website!! I love Rachel’s heart of teaming together with fellow educators to collaborate and share fantastic and inspiring tips, tactics, lessons, and encouragement! I am confident you will enjoy her website. Be sure to bookmark it so you can find her again. It is LOADED with valuable information and resources!
Letting Teens Go Too Soon= Disaster By the time our kids reach high school, we can bend to the pressure to “let them go” and “cut the cords”. photo by Erik Scheel Teenagers need the help, guidance, and strength of their parents even more than toddlers do. The transition from middle- schooler to adulthood is like running a medieval gauntlet. … Read More »
7 Things You Need to Get in Order to Have a Peaceful Home Inside: 7 Things You Need to Get in Order to Have a Peaceful Home Be Honest: Is your home more peaceful now than when the school year began? Photo by Jen Chillingsworth What words describe your home today? Peaceful, chaotic, loving, frantic, happy, miserable, orderly, disorderly, bumpy, smooth… … Read More »
Advent Activities 15 Advent and Christmas Activities Math and Reading 3rd-5th Grade Are You ready for Advent? 5 Advent readings for you to use in your weekly Christmas activities, or as your family advent devotionals. 3 language activities using vocabulary from the history of Jesus’ birth. 4 fun math activities that are Jesus/Christmas focused. I made this pack specifically for my fourth grader, but the older kids are already begging to do some of the activities. I have included an advent calendar and a Countdown to Christmas Chain. We always write “prayer requests” and “thanksgiving to God” on our chains. Each day as we tear off a link, we thank god for a specific blessing or lift up family and friends in prayer. The kids love this!! Hope you enjoy this activity pack! 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.
7 Thanksgiving Science Experiments Kids love science experiments. Me, not so much. I do not know what my problem with science activities is, but I tend to leave them for the end and then run out of time. Thanksgiving week is a perfect time to have a science experiment bonanza! Why not? Why only 7? That’s all I can even think about tackling during a holiday week. I am hoping to get to at least 2:) Drum roll once again… My Top 7 List of “Kid Friendly and Mother Approved” Science Experiments. Solid, Liquid Gas Balloons I am thrilled to have found Ms. Liz’s site and am anxious to do this one with my boys! What a fun way to demonstrate the properties of solids, liquids, and gases! The Domino Effect I have to admit, my boys need very little motivation to set up a fantastic domino display. I guess I never thought about the science behind this fun activity. Jameson’s lab does a great job of helping us set our kids up for science and fun! What’s That Cloud? I love this one! While I have always loved saying big-hard to pronounce words, like cumulonimbus, I never could keep the clouds straight. Smmart Ideas has a brilliant way to teach your kiddo’s (and mine) how to identify the various types of clouds… Make a cloud categorize. Brilliant. Follow the link for the directions. Make your own Electromagnet I totally remember making one of these in the 3rd or 4th grade! I of course, could not remember how it was done, so I am so thankful for The Organized Classroom Blog for coming to my rescue. Follow the link for step by step instructions. Be sure to use the cute mini book! Make Music with Water This one from Prekinders speaks for itself. What does it say? Fun! Are Mittens Warm? This one is more up my alley because it has a literature connection. I love Jan Brett’s The Mitten. Get her book and read it to your kiddos, then do the simple and fun activity that Classroom Freebies put together for us! Mad Scientist Potions I stumbled upon this one at Babble. Too fun! With a little dry ice, you will look like a scientific genius! Have Scienc-y Fun this Thanksgiving! 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 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.
What Does Relaxed Homeschooling Really Look Like? Inside: Homeschooling can be rip-your-hair-out hard. These Tips will help you hold on to your sanity and all of your hair. I almost hit my goals with homeschooling. I know, “Almost doesn’t count except in horseshoes, hand grenades”, and homeschooling. Grandma always said, “you cannot hit a goal unless you have a target.” I aim for being a loving wife, a cool mom and a relaxed homeschooler. That is my target. Relaxed homeschooling. Yep. I try to hit that one every day, week, month and year of homeschooling. Sometimes, I even hit my goal! It has taken me years to realize that relaxed homeschooling is not lazy homeschooling. … Read More »
Daily Advent Readings: Where Do You Begin? Inside: What Bible Verses should you read with your kids during Advent? Here are Daily Bible Readings for every day during Advent. It’s as simple as: Download, Print, and Begin. Download your FREE “Advent Reading Freebie HERE” {Printable} Starting Late? No Worries. Jump in at any time! Related: When the Holidays Mess with your Homeschooling Mojo 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.
Why I Decorate for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving Yes, I am one of those people. I absolutely love the Christmas Season. But I hate the business, bustle, and hassle. Christmas is the time of year when we get to focus fully on the birth of our Lord and Savior, and I always became frantic right after Thanksgiving while I was scurrying to get everything set for our family traditions. A few years ago I was reflecting on a friend’s tradition of decorating before Thanksgiving. Like you, I thought she was crazy… so I asked her about it. … Read More »
Kindergarten: The First time I Got in Trouble in School Inside: Warmth for your taste buds and your soul. When I was in kindergarten, my teacher got mad at my mom. When Mrs. House asked me what I enjoyed for my healthy breakfast, I cheerfully replied, “Cereal and a cup of coffee!” Yep. Mom got a call that day. Of course, that is also the day the Mrs. House learned that my mom wouldn’t tolerate anyone telling her how to parent. Go, mom! Do you have a gold membership to the “I drink Coffee” club? I began drinking coffee before my first birthday, so I am a platinum member. … Read More »
How to Teach a Topic You Hate Inside: The 6 things you need to remember when teaching something you think you hate. Plus a nifty {freebie} Trajectory is one of those concepts grouped in the “Who the Heck Cares” basket in my brain. “This guy cares about trajectory” Photo by NASA. It’s right there all snug as a bug in a rug next to solving algorithms, the chemistry of photosynthesis, and what age someone else’s toddler learned to drive their family car. We all need a “Who the Heck Cares” basket in our brain. … Read More »