Valerie Mcclintick, Author at The Crafty Classroom

Mother’s Day Art Project for Kids

May 4, 2018 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Mother’s Day is just over a week away and we’ve got some beautiful new printables you can use to create unique gifts and keepsakes for Mom. As a homeschooling mom of four, sometimes I miss out on the secret projects and presents that kids make in class to bring home for Mom. When my children got old enough to start creating projects I admit that it felt a bit awkward to assist them in making Mother’s Day related projects. But, once I realized how happy they were to GIVE something to me, and that they didn’t care that I saw the project along the way, I learned to relax a little around this time of year.

I learned that there is joy in working on a project with my children and that whatever the end result left us with, there was always a fun keepsake that I could cherish for years to come. That is the thought behind some of the Mother’s Day Printables I’ve created and I hope that you’ll be inspired to print them up to work on with your own child.

The first project is a Mother’s Day Keepsake Booklet that includes 8 pages for students to fill in the blanks to keep the storyline going. This is a super cute project for students that are able to write on their own, or for when you have enough teacher help to support transcription.

This might be my favorite Mother’s Day project because it provides such cherished responses from children, that moms are sure to love. If you are using these in a preschool or daycare setting these are perfect for that too! Moms will be surprised at the fun ways their children fill in the blanks to the story questions.

Younger students who are not yet writing too much might enjoy this simple cut and paste Mother’s Day Balloon Boquet. Each heart features a character quality, with two blank hearts for children to customize. We used our NOYO Crayons for this project because they blend so well.

If you’ve never heard of NOYO crayons be sure to check them out. They remind me of oil pastels, but you can get them wet and paint with them, and they dry super quick.

NOYO Crayons 36piece Set

1 CRAYON, 3 WAYS TO COLOR! Crayon-pastel-watercolor. Our NOYO crayons are buttery smooth. 36 vibrant colors glide easily and blend like pastels. Add a dab of water and voila! a watercolor effect! The bold pigment won’t wrinkle paper or crack when dry. Easy to smudge and it follows your way through with thick and beautiful effects. Our NOYO gel crayon is absolutely loved by teachers and a classroom favorite because of its versatility. These art crayons are a classroom must-haves.

First, we colored the hearts with one color leaving the edges blank. Then we went back with a second color and colored the edges. The result was some fun color combinations that make the balloons pop!

Students can cut out the hearts on the easy cut lines then arrange and paste then on the bouquet sheet. The result is a fun keepsake they can present to Mom on Mother’s Day!

Here are some links to get you started!

Mother’s Day Cut & Paste Activity

Mother’s Day Keepsake Craft

Mother’s Day Bible Crafts

Mother’s Day Coloring Pages & More

Love Bible Minibook for Kids

January 14, 2018 By Valerie Mcclintick 3 Comments

It’s almost one month before Valentine’s Day and today I’ve got a special Bible Verse minibook based on LOVE! This printable book is based off of 1 Corinthians 13, and shows children the character quality of LOVE in action.

Print LOVE Book Here

Printing & Assembly: This printable book is available in color or black and white and is intended to be printed on both sides of the paper. Be sure to choose double-sided, flip on the short edge in your printer settings. If you print with color be sure to use cardstock paper as the color bleeds through. Once printed, fold the booklet in half, and in half again (so that the cover is correct). You can then cut the page apart or trim the top, then staple together. (Don’t worry if that is too confusing you can just cut apart the pages, place them in order and staple together.)

Looking for more Valentine’s Day Fun? Check out our Valentine’s Day Bible Activity Pack

10 Tips for Homeschooling around Holidays

December 20, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Life can get hectic at any point during the year, but this is especially true during the holidays. While most of these tips are written with Christmas in mind, they can apply anytime your school year gets busy.

1) Learn to say NO.

Volunteer opportunities abound during the Holidays, particularly at church. Homeschooling takes as much time as a fulltime job. Be very cognizant of not putting too much extra on your plate during this busy time. It’s okay to just say no.

2) Plan for The Time Off That You Will Need

It’s best if you plan for time off during the Holidays before you even begin the school year. Working a vacation into your lesson schedule will be a major sanity saver. Try your best to make it happen if you can. Read tips on Homeschool Scheduling Here.

3) Work on Your Kid’s Favorite Subjects

When kids are dreaming of Santa and sugar plums it will be harder for them to concentrate on their lessons. Getting ahead in favorite subjects can be a fantastic way to make this distractible time work for everyone. Better yet, try out our Holiday SMART Packs. They provide you with fun, thematic, educational content for an entire week.

4) Extra Reading Time

Even when your kids aren’t in classes, independent reading time is a great way to keep them in learning mode. Take a trip to the local library and pack in some holiday themed books! I know my children love to learn about the origination of each holiday or holidays in other countries for example.

5) Play Math and Reading Games

There are plenty of ideas online with learning games for every grade. Put some prep work in the night before and get your kids playing games that will teach them at the same time. ABCya and MathPlayground are two of our favorites.

6) Eliminate Non-Essential Chores

If there are any chores you feel comfortable eliminating for a few weeks, do it. There are plenty of nonessential things that can wait until the holidays blow over.

7) Swap sitting or hire a sitter.

Between parties, and Christmas gifts sometimes you just need extra help. If a sitter isn’t in your budget consider swapping sitting time with another family.

8) Shop Online

I love getting out of the house and shopping for presents, but let’s be honest online shopping can be a huge time saver. When you’re trying to homeschool through the holidays Amazon Prime is worth the price. Try Amazon Prime Free for 30 days Here.

9) Let Someone Else Host the Party

Logistically, sometimes it’s easiest to have the family with the biggest family, or smallest baby host the Christmas party. Consider however the amount of time and deep cleaning that will go into hosting your event. If someone else is willing to host, consider letting them.

10) Relax, and Enjoy.

Don’t let life get too hectic. Take time to sing, bake cookies, read books, make art project and absorb the season. Get plenty of pictures, and try to remember the smiles for years to come.

BONUS TIP: Try out our Holiday S.M.A.R.T. Packs for an entire week’s worth of engaging holiday learning!

Amazon Book Coupon Deal for You!

December 14, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Don’t you love when you spot a deal that is so good you have to SHARE it with a friend?

Today, I found one of those deals and just had to pop on to SHARE the coupon code with you.

Amazon is offering $5.00 off your $15.00 book order when you use code: BOOKGIFT17 at checkout.

Hurry to shop because the offer expires at 12/15/2017 at 11:59PM

Here are some of my favorite titles to recommend:

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Amelia Bedelia Box Set by Herman Parish

Beautiful Word Bible NIV published by Zondervan

The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung

I’m super excited about this offer, especially with Christmas coming and my need to creatively stretch and combine my homeschool and Christmas budget together. There are a few restrictions that apply, but there are still hundreds/thousands of books to choose from!

Happy Book Shopping!!

Nativity Art Project for Kids

December 6, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Christmas is right around the corner (is it December already?) and today I’ve got a brand new art tutorial for children. This project can be done by students of any age (with adult help) but it is recommended for children 8-12 years old. The best part of this project is that it requires very little materials and the results are stunning!

Materials:

Chalk Pastels
Black Paint
Glue
Black Construction Paper

Step 1: Make Black Glue

Black glue is made simply by pouring black paint into your glue bottle. I emptied our glue bottle just a bit then filled it up with paint. Shake it around quite a bit to mix it in.

Step 2: Draw Your Nativity Scene

Using your black glue, draw a nativity scene. Start with the basic outline of the stable. Put a star on top, then draw rays coming from the star. Make the baby Jesus in the middle of the stable then create Mary and Joseph. If you are doing this project with very young students consider making this glue outline before hand, or doing something more simple like a Christmas Star.

Set aside to dry for a couple of hours.

Step 3: Color the Star

Using the chalk pastels color the star yellow, and each one of the rays a different color. Use your finger to help the chalk get into the cracks.

Step 4: Illuminating the Stable

Color the majority of the stable white with just a line of blue around the inside edge. Leave room near the bottom to draw the ground.

Step 5: Blend, Blend, Blend

Use a clean finger, and make small circular motions to blend the blue into the white as shown.

Step 6: Golden Glow

Using a golden yellow, color and blend to make hay at the bottom of the stable. Illuminate the manger to show the Baby Jesus. Blend with your finger to putt the color outwards.

All Done!

Hang your stunning Chalk Pastel Nativity Scene where you can enjoy it all year long!

Looking for more Christmas Activities? Check out our Christmas Activity Pack

Homeschool Hacks: Money Saving Tips to Stretch Your Budget

November 25, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Homeschooling can be costly. Couple that with the fact most homeschool families are single income, it can really be cause to tighten the purse strings.

Here are the best money saving hacks to slash your homeschool expenses while not sacrificing on education or fun.

Saving Money On Craft Projects

Have a place to store craft supplies. If you have a central place you can keep your craft supplies, then they are more likely to get used and not lost.
When you’re looking for a new project, google the project based on the supplies you have on hand. Pinterest has so many ideas, limiting yourself to the great ones that you can make without spending additional money is always a plus.
The dollar store can be your best friend or worst enemy. There are a ton of great craft supplies in there, but I highly recommend going in with a list and sticking to it.

Saving Money On Books and Media

Use the library.
Return everything on time.
Keep a lookout at thrift stores and garage sales. You can’t beat 10 cents for a book.
Search regularly for free Kindle books for kids.
Make use of the Gutenberg project for free classical literature.
Look for free educational apps periodically as well.
Take care of the books you own, clear packing tape has saved a ton of beloved books in our house.

Saving Money On Curriculum

Choose the right curriculum the first time. Check out Kathy Duffy’s Homeschool review from the library months before you need to make a decision. Try to make the most informed decision possible so you don’t wind up with something that doesn’t work and can’t be returned.
Buy new, if the curriculum has an excellent return policy. In some ways, this can save money. I am stuck with more used curriculum that “I got on a good deal on,” than I care to admit. It’s not a good deal if you never use it.
Combine grades when you can. Sonlight and Bookshark, for example, are both great for this. Both are expensive curriculums but if you can use them for two grade levels, or multiple times then they become worth it.
Join Facebook, swap and used curriculum groups. Obviously, research, research, research first.
Enroll your kids in a homeschool charter school program. Depending on your state and the program these are free and some are fantastic. With that said sometimes these charter school programs can also be schools of last resort that aren’t all that stellar. Absolutely do your research. (Are you sensing a theme)

Saving Money On Household Expenses

(I include this because when you’re homeschooling it can cut into time that could be spent couponing or shopping sales.)

Only go to one grocery store. Unless you have excellent willpower and ability to stick to a list. For me needing to go to a different grocery store just to pick up “one thing” ALWAYS busts my grocery budget.
Use curbside grocery if it saves your family money. If the store you normally shop at has a curbside program, being able to see your total on the computer at home before you check out can really help cut down on expenses even after the curbside convenience fee.
Shop your cupboard. Before you do your regular shopping trip always look in your cupboards for food that you can incorporate into your weekly meals.

Taking Advantage of Homeschool Freebies (Sign up for our Newsletter Here)

Have a dedicated homeschool e-mail account you can use for newsletters.
Save your pdfs in a dedicated file, flash drive, or external hard drive.
Organize your computer files by grade and subject. (Trust me)
Invest in a printer that gets great mileage on ink.
Print in black and white.

PLAN to Shop Homeschool Sales

Contact your favorite curriculum publishers BEFORE you order. Ask them if they have any coupon codes or upcoming sales. Often, store owners will share discount codes to make the sale.
Take note of the dates when prospective programs go on sale. Many publishers will have yearly sales right around the same time of year. Make yourself a small mental note when you see these sales pop-up or mark them on your curriculum planner for next year.

Have a Homeschool Budget Tip to share? What else would you add? Tell us in the comments below:

Printable Thanksgiving Placemat with Bible Verse

November 13, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

This free printable Thanksgiving Placemat is perfect for your children this holiday. Featuring adorable animals and fall decorations this printable placemat reads, “Give Thanks,” and includes the bible verse, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for his is good. His mercy endureth for ever.”

This is a special sample freebie taken from our Thanksgiving Bible Activity pack, which includes a variety of low-prep activities, games, and printables for K-5 students.

Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Bible Activity Pack

35+ Pages Suggested Age K-5 $5.00

This Thanksgiving activity pack reminds children that God calls us to have a thankful heart. Christ-centered activities point students in the right direction as they learn key scripture and ways to GIVE BACK to their community in this Bible-based, Christian Activity Pack. Includes 35 pages of multi-age activities, games, worksheets, songs, crafts and more. Designed to be low-prep and hands-on to keep little hearts and minds engaged.

Thanksgiving Bible Activity Pack

November 8, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving is on the horizon and today I’ve got an amazing Thanksgiving Bible Activity Pack to share with you.

If you’re not yet familiar with our Holiday Packs you’ll want to check out these titles as well:

Christmas Bible Activity Pack

Valentine’s Day Bible Activity Pack

St. Patrick’s Day Bible Activity Pack

Easter Bible Activity Pack

New Release!!

Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Bible Activity Pack

Want to take a peek inside? Here is glance at what you can expect:

As with all of our activity pack, the first couple of pages outline the variety of games, activities, worksheets, and crafts. There are plenty of options for multiple grades and ability levels so this is a perfect fit for homeschooling families or small church settings. With this set you’ll have something for everyone to do!

Scripture Pumpkins

Scripture Memorization is fun with these printable pumpkin verse cards and coordinating pocket. This set features six different verses for students to learn. Available in color or black and white (print on orange paper). These make fantastic take-home items for your Sunday School kiddos.

Thanksgiving Bible Activity Pages

This set comes with three Bible verse puzzle pages; Thanksgiving Crossword, Thanksgiving Word Search, and Thanksgiving Word Scramble. Each puzzle sheet features key scripture about being thankful and grateful to God.

The Giving Back Game

Being thankful is more than just saying, “thanks.” We can show God that we are thankful with our actions. This Thanksgiving look for ways you can GIVE back to your community and begin to build a heart full of thanksgiving. When we help others we learn to be thankful for what we have. Students roll the dice and make their way around the board collecting different suggestions for ways they can make an impact in their community.

Thanksgiving Bible Verse Mazes

This set also includes two Thanksgiving-themed Bible verse maze activity pages. Younger children can practice their lettering by tracing the letters of each verse.

Compassion Cootie Catcher

Students catch compassion cooties with this fun foldable that encourages students to reach out and look for tangible ways to impact their communities. Pick and number and start to play!

Thanksgiving Acrostic & Bible Verse Dot-2-Dot

Two simple worksheets you can hand out to students during the month of November. The first is a Thanksgiving Acrostic for older students to think of things that they are thankful for starting with each letter of the word, “Thanksgiving.” The second is a fun activity page for younger students to complete the dot-2-dot and learn the bible verse.

Community Blessings Wreath

This is cut and paste paper plate wreath for older students. Each piece of the wreath features a way for students to give back to their community. Simply color, cut-out and glue to a paper plate. Staple a string to the back to hang on the door on in their room. Encourage students to look at the wreath for ways they can help others.

Roll a Turkey Activity Page & Turkey Circle Time Song

Students can play this super silly table side game with two dice and a sheet of paper. Each student takes turns rolling the dice and adding each turkey part to their paper. First one to roll a complete turkey (body, head, eyes, hat, 2 wings, 2 legs, beak, and at least one feathre wins!) Turkey Circle Time Song is a simple song to sing with younger students learning how to count.

Thankful Turkey Craft

A simple template for studetns to cut out and create their our thanksgiving turkeys. Each turkey reads, “Lord give me a thankful heart.” Students write things they are thankful for on each of the feathers.

Thanksgiving Feast Cut & Paste Craft

This is a simple craft for younger students. Students color and cut out each food item and arrange them on their Thanksgiving plate. They can write or dictate what they are thankful for on each item.

Fall Leaf Tracing Pages

For younger students we’ve included two different fall leaf tracing pages. These are fun for students color and it will build fine motor control skills as well. One page reads, ‘Thank you God,” and the other a verse from Ecclesiastes.

Thankful Heart Paper Plate Pumpkin Bible Craft

This is a fun craft if you don’t mind painting or even using Kwik sticks in the classroom. Students paint the pumpkin orange and cut out a construction paper leaf/stem. Seed templates are provided, each with their own suggestion for how to cultivate a thankful heart. Finish it off by gluing on some white string (as the pumpkin pulp).

Thankful Heart Bookmarks and Thank You God Minibook

Both of these are perfect for take-home resources for your students. The Thankful Heart bookmarks provide students with tangible ways they can cultivate and heart filled with thanksgiving. The Thank You God Minibook is just right for little hands to remember the story of Thanksgiving and why we celebrate.

Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Bible Activity Pack

Local Homeschool Field Trip Guide

October 30, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Yesterday we shared a list of 100 Fun-Filled Homeschool Field Trips you don’t want to miss!

Today, we are sharing a simple, editable planning template you can use to create a guide for your local homeschool group.

Let’s face it…keeping your children busy learning can be a difficult task. This guide will easily become your go-to resources for those days when you just need to get out of the house for some on-site learning.

We’ve organized this planning guide into six sections with tips and local recommendations.

Fine Arts
Local Government & Business
Museums
Parks & Recreation
Outdoor Activities
Group Tours

Each form includes an editable space for you to add in the contact information for your own local resources. Once edited you can save a copy and share your guide with other local homeschooling families. Best of all you can continue to edit and change the guide as local resources change….you’ll always have a handy resource at your fingertips!

Download this FREE Editable Template when you Subscribe to The Crafty Classroom.

100 Fun-Filled-HOMESCHOOL-Field-Trips

October 29, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Whether you’re looking for a homeschool field trip for just your family, or you’re planning one for your co-op here is a list of 100 ideas to get you started for your next outing.

Museum Field Trip Ideas

Science Museums
Hands On and Children’s Museums
Armed Forces Museums
Art Museums
Naval Vessels
Submarines
Lighthouses
Cultural Museums
African American, Jewish, Arabic etc. Museums
Space and NASA Museums
Planetariums
Aquariums
Automotive Museums or Shows
Omnimax Movies, a lot of science centers have these and they’re well worth the extra cost.
Historic Homes and Mansions
Mechanical Museums
Miniature and Model Museums

Pro tips: Always check if museums have homeschool days. Alternatively see if they offer group discounts, it might be worth it to go with other families for some savings. Also see if they offer guided tours, you’ll get the best look at the biggest museums and maximize time.

Outdoor Field Trips

Nature Centers
Farms
Zoo’s and Petting Zoos
Railroad Ride
Historic Villages, see if you can set up a few hours to do class in a one room school house.
Nature Hike
A Bug Walk (walk around look for creepy crawlies)
Practice Map Reading or Following Directions in a Downtown Area
Downtown Scavenger Hunt
Horseback Riding Lessons, or Dude Ranch
Camping or Survival Workshop
County, State, and 4H Fairs
Air Show
Fireworks Show
Local Outdoor Festivals
Historic Festivals
Renaissance Faires
Apple Orchards, go to one where you can pick your own.
Pumpkin Patch
Fort Tours
Caves
Bat Walks
Butterfly Houses
Aviaries
Natural Landforms
Waterfalls
Photography Walks
Amusement Parks
Maple Tree Farm During Tapping
Boat Tours
Star Gazing During a Meteor Shower
Berry Picking

Pro tips: If you’re going someplace like a nature center call and see if any special workshops or classes are offered. Talk to the people that work the events you attend. Encourage your children to ask questions.

Fine Arts Based

Local Professional and Community Theater Plays
Shakespeare In the Park
Orchestra Concerts
Operas, Musicals, and Ballets
Children’s Orchestra Days at Local Venues
Magic Shows
Magic Lesson
Craft Lessons, check your local Joann’s for some fun classes.
Drama Workshops
Prepare a performance and perform somewhere.
Pottery Class

Pro tips: If you know a local artist or performer schedule an hour for them to talk with your kids. Your kids are bound to love stories of their experiences.

Local Parks and Recreation Ideas

MADD presentations
Children’s Art Lessons
Special Local Events and Parties
Taste of Your City
Special Events at Your Parks
Tree Lightings
Trunk or Treats
Swimming Classes
Sport Scrimmages
Robotics Workshops
Auto Shows

Pro Tips: Get online and look at the brochures of the Parks and Recreation Departments of nearby cities, for even more opportunities.

Government and Local Business Ideas

Town Hall Tours
State Capitol Tours
Firehouse Open House (Generally in October)
Political Rallies
Washington D.C.
Historical Landmarks
Battlefields
Job Shadowing, my sister did this one year at a vet’s office and really enjoyed it.
Ethnic Restaurants, especially cuisine your family hasn’t tried. French, German, English, Middle Eastern, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese etc.
Antique Stores
Flea Markets
Animal Breeders or Humane Society
Local Nonprofits, don’t forget to volunteer.
Book Readings and Signings
Sports Arena Tours and Kid Days
Auto Race Track
Old Fashioned Arcades
Maternity ward tour. I’m serious. If you have a student interested in the medical field, it’s a normal tour hospitals give so it’s easy to schedule.

Pro tips: Ask around, call ahead, think nontraditional. Let your kids experience jobs and businesses that could spark a future career.

Tour Ideas and Other Presentations

Factory, goods Tours
Water Plant Tours
Nuclear Power Plant Tour, this one was one of my favorites in High School.
Television Studio Tours (Check out public access channels.)
Science Presentations at Local Colleges
Old and Historic Churches, if you know an organist an explanation and tour of a real pipe organ is always awesome.
Chocolate Factory Tours
Dairy Factory Tours
Cereal Factory Tours
Parade Company Tours
Recycling Plant and Waste Management Tour

For more ideas, be sure to follow local mom and homeschool pages on Facebook. Check out city brochures online, and always keep an eye out in newspapers.

I hope you find some great field trips and make wonderful memories.

Thanksgiving Math & Literacy, Art, Science & More….

October 26, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Do you ever wish someone would just plan out your entire homeschool year for you….then maybe bundle it all up and email it to your inbox on Monday morning?

Yeah….me too.

Well, I don’t have an entire YEAR of curriculum to send you, but I do have something that will make your homeschool planning super easy this November.

SMART: Science, Math, Art, Reading & Take Home activities for Thanksgiving! This helpful set is filled with a week’s worth of fun, educational math games, hands-on activities, science experiments, art projects, early readers, writing prompts and a Bible memory verse. Everything you need to add a little holiday fun to your kindergarten classroom this year!

Thanksgiving Science: This set includes five simple science experiments and challenges. Each thematic activity guides students through a fun, hands-on science exploration with very little prep-work. Students work their way through the scientific method using the step-by-step science journals. Each experiment includes a follow-up activity for added learning.

Thanksgiving Math: Each day students will play a fun game or activity then follow up their learning with a lesson sheet to show mastery. Games focus on learning to frame numbers to ten, basic addition, counting to 100, and counting by 10’s.

Thanksgiving ART: We include five stunning autumn art projects that are perfect for Thanksgiving. Each project comes with a full photo tutorial, printable templates and easy to follow materials list. Students work with oil pastels, paint, textures, blending and more.

Thanksgiving Reading (and Writing): This set includes three early readers covering social studies and history. Each story includes a carefully controlled word list and incorporates key vocabulary for extended learning. Students are provided narrative and comparison writing prompts that are not only simple to follow, but would make wonderful educational keepsakes.

Take Home/Review Work: T is for Take Home Review Sheets. These sheets can be used as review work in the homeschool classroom or as homework in a standard classroom. Each page features reading, writing, vocabulary, and scripture memorization activities. Character thinking points are available instead of Bible memory for those using this resource in a public school setting.

Thanksgiving Math Games for Kindergarten

October 11, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and you might be looking for fun ways to get your students learning this holiday season! I know my kiddos sure enjoy a little FUN during the holidays and with our brand new Thanksgiving SMART Pack you can still include educational content

Thanksgiving BUMP is a super fun way to work on multiplication facts. Using a paperclip spinner students spin and multiple the number they land on by 10. Then, they cover that number with one of their markers (coin, flat marble) and it’s the next student’s turn. The goal is to get four in a row covered. If a number is already covered by the opponents marker you can, ‘BUMP,’ them off. A fun follow up worksheet is provided to reinforce skip counting by 10’s.

Thanksgiving SPIN and FRAME is another fun game for younger students. Children spin with a paperclip spinner then frame the number in the ten frame below. Provide students with fun holiday candies, such as candy corn or candy pumpkins to use as counters. A simple follow-up worksheet is provided to show mastery.

Turkey Trot is a FUN game for students learning to count to 100! Students take turns rolling the dice, adding their number and moving their marker across the hundreds board. Land on a multiple of 10 and you get to roll again. First one to 100 wins! A simple follow up worksheet is included for students to work on number value.

Roll a Turkey Printable Game is a fun drawing activity that also builds basic addition skills. Students roll two dice, add the value and then draw the corresponding turkey feature on their paper. Lots of silly turkeys will be made with this printable game. A follow-up worksheet provides students the opportunity to build addition equations, or work on number dot patterns.

Thanksgiving BINGO isn’t your average BINGO game! This game works with multiples of 10 so the calling cards are multiplication problems. The bingo caller will call out the problem (10 x 7) and the students will mentally solve the problem and find the correct square on their bingo board. The first one to get a bingo wins!

Find these 5 Thanksgiving Games and more in our new Thanksgiving SMART pack:

Let us do your holiday planning for you! SMART stands for Science, Math, Art, Reading and Take Home Review. We’ve included FIVE full days of thematic games, worksheets, and activities for your students covering all the bases. Everything prints in the order needed, simply print and go! Click Here for More Sample Pages.

Fourth of July Bible Verse Printables for Kids

July 4, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

The Fourth of July is a celebration of Liberty, Freedom, and Independence! Children learning about these important gifts should also know where true freedom lies…in Christ alone. Use these printable Bible verse charts and coloring pages to teach your students about Freedom in Christ. Talk with children about the importance of praying for our country and our nation’s leaders that the desire to live out God’s will is at the forefront of our hearts and minds.

Print out this free set of Patriotic Bible Verse Printables here.

Find More Fourth of July Bible Printables Here

Interactive Math Notebook for Kindergarten

June 28, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

As a homeschooling mother of four, I know all about the daily math struggles. I am currently using THREE different math programs in my classroom because each curriculum lends itself to a particular child and grade level. Of course, this is one of the many benefits of homeschooling….picking and choosing the curriculum that will aid in the development of individual skills.

Now, my youngest child just graduated Kindergarten this past year and one of the things that helped us build his Math skills was a daily learning folder. This folder became our go-to resource for covering key skills in a fun, engaging way. Each morning before his math lesson, he would pull out his folder and we’d verbally review different parts. This was very unscripted and simply intended at a warm-up activity. I would ask things like, “Find the number 55 on the hundreds chart,” or “What shape has four equal sides?” and he would use his folder to help solve the problem. Let me tell you that this folder WORKS! He quickly began to internalize and commit many key math concepts to memory and it only took about 5 minutes each morning. This was such a successful setup for our family so we wanted to be sure to include it in our new Interactive Math Curriculum:

Preview our newest Homeschool Math Curriculum Here

Our Interactive Math Notebook is Comprehensive:

Interactive Math covers 4-days/week over 36-weeks and is a complete kindergarten math program. Prior to starting, students should have a good foundation in number recognition and number names. Over the course of the curriculum, students will learn number patterns, ordinal numbers, number value, addition, subtraction, counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s, place value, number bonds and more.

Practical Math: Each month students will focus on practical math concepts to develop necessary life-skills. These topics include counting money, telling time, using a ruler, estimating, reading a calendar and more.

Review Weeks: Review weeks cycle every 5 weeks and provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of concepts learned during the previous 4 weeks. Online math games targeting each concept are suggested for some extra fun practice while assessing student skill level. For more details please see the sample pages above or the chart below.

Our Interactive Math Notebook is FUN!:

Daily Warm Up Folder: Each day your student will review their daily warm up folder prior to starting any new lessons. This folder serves as a simple way to work on key math skills in small time chunks over the entire year. While we have teaching suggestions available, this is intended to be quick, unscripted time for you to connect with your student to cover key concepts.

Daily Lesson Worksheet

For each daily lesson, students receive an instructional worksheet covering a new concept or skill. Students follow simple instructions to complete the activity. As the week progresses, students build upon each specific skill with new and engaging activities. Each daily lesson is reinforced with a hands-on activity that prints on the back side of the page.

Daily Hands-on Activities & Games

For each daily lesson, students complete a hands-on activity page or game to reinforce the new concept or skill. We’ve taken great care to make sure these games require minimal prep work and use supplies that you are likely to have on hand.

Our Interactive Math Notebook is Organized & Ready to Go!

No more endless hours spent on Pinterest searching for fun, hands-on printables to keep your students engaged! Interactive Math includes everything you need to teach over the entire year and it prints out in the exact order you need it. With over 250+ pages, this set covers the following weekly topics:

Our Interactive Math Notebook is Engaging:

Best of all….Our Interactive Math Notebook is Inexpensive:

Interactive Math Curriculum Notebook

$25.00

Patriotic Mazes for Kids

May 29, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Summer is upon us and the Fourth of July is just around the corner! In anticipation of our National Holiday I wanted to make some fun and FREE Patriotic themed mazes you can use with your children. Many of us our out of school for the Summer but these would be great alongiside Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day and anytime you are studying the USA.

Each USA themed maze features follow up questions, handwriting practice or a tracing activity and can be used with children of all ages and abilities.

Print USA Mazes Free From BrainyMaze.com

Find More Free Mazes For Kids Here

Try our USA State by State Activity Packs Today!

Free Simple Homeschool Planning Pack

May 24, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick 2 Comments

This set of simple homeschooling resources is intended to help you simplify your goal setting, curriculum shopping and daily schedule. Today, we are offering this small collection FREE for all of our newsletter subscribers.

Print Simple Homeschool Planning Pack Here

Homeschool Goals: Sometime before you start your curriculum planning we suggest sitting down and writing out your goals for each student. This doesn’t have to be detailed, it can be as simple as, “Get through 5^th grade math.” However, there may be subjects that you have more detailed answers for, “Develop empathy and self control.” Doing this for each student is a great way to customize their education.

Homeschool Curriculum: Print one page for each student and use this sheet to keep track of what products, resources and classes you’ll be using during the year to cover each subject. Take this sheet with you to homeschool conventions and curriculum sales so you can always update and keep organized.

Homeschool Schedule: This sheet is intended to be an independent planner for your students. Print and add in your daily subjects and a photo of your student. Laminate or store in a page protector then provide your student with a dry erase marker to keep track of their daily tasks. Encourage students to mark off the boxes as they complete each task.

Print our Free Homeschool Planning Pack Here

Still looking for Homeschool Curriculum?

Shop our eStore Here

Free Summer Reading Pack K-5

May 22, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Younger students can join in the Summer Reading fun with this FREE printable Summer Reading Pack.

This set includes a READ to 100 chart for students to color in each time they read a book. This is a super fun visual way to track progress over the Summer.

Four colorful bookmarks encourage children to READ and mark their place while reading. Finally, we’ve included a fun Super Reader award you can present to your child when they have read their books.

Print Super Reader Pack Here

Looking for more Summer Learning?

Try our Summer Writing Pack:

Summer Reading for Middle School

May 21, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Have you ever wanted to join a Summer Reading Program for homeschoolers? There are many available options if you know where to look. Here is a helpful list of resources you can use to encourage your homeschool children to stay busy reading over the Summer:

Local Library
Local Bookstores (Barnes and Noble, Boards, etc..)
Pizza Hut Reading Program
Scholastic Books
Chuck-E-Cheese

Personally, I like to incentivize my own children with our own Summer Reading Charts! This is what my middle schoolers will be doing over the Summer:

Want to join us?

Print your Free Homeschool Summer Reading Chart Here

Photos of our Classroom

May 19, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick 14 Comments

Be sure to read all the way down, we UPDATED for 2017 Below!

So if you’ve been following on facebook,
you know the truth behind these photos.

I’ve spent a good chunk of the last three weeks cleaning and organizing our classroom.
It hasn’t been easy, and honestly I still have a HUGE pile of things to sort through in the garage.

But come Monday, we’ll be starting school in the cleanest classroom on the face of the earth.

Here’s a quick tour:

(gallery wall + discovery shelf)

There you have it, here’s where we will be the rest of the school year!

And just so you know, right after I snapped this photo
one of my little boys came along sat at the table and peed everywhere.

We’re talking all over the chair, the table, and the floor.

It was clean for a record twenty seconds this time.

Ah well.

—————————2017 UPDATE—————————-

It’s been FOUR years since this original post and I wanted to share some updated photos with you!

I am now homeschooling an 8th grader, 6th grader, 2nd grader and a Kindergartner.

As they’ve grown our classroom needs have grown as well. I thought it would be a good idea to show you the new classroom setup so you can see how we’ve updated and redesigned the area to work for us.

One thing we added was more computer areas….my older children both use the computer for roughly half of the school day so having two separate stations was something we were definitely needing to add:

Here are some more detailed photos of how I made that work. Basically, I have an L-shaped desk aligned with a standard desk. They aren’t perfectly matched up, but they fit very well in this space.

Between the desks is our new charging station. This is where we can easily charge up the tablets and phones. This charging station is amazing and I highly recommend getting one if the devices and cords are driving you insane. It will hold up to 10 devices and the cords stay wrapped up inside the unit.

Also, I don’t know if you can see it or not, but that slim black tower on the right is a light! It’s fantastic for space saving as well. It folds up into a tall tower when not in use. You can pull it out and adjust the angle settings as well as the brightness. Really awesome if you have a dark corner that needs a little illumination.

The right wall of the classroom still holds our display cases, as well as our discovery jars. It also serves as a place to keep all sorts of random classroom items we pick up off the floor. We also added in two oak bookshelves that are already overflowing…..that is a good thing right?

I keep my teaching manuals on top of these shelfs, right within reach as I’m sitting at the the main table teaching.

Finally, we added in a four-shelf lawyers bookcase that I love to pieces. This works wonderfully for my children as they each have their own homeschool shelf to contain all of their workbooks and assignments.

Using a lawyers bookcase means we can close up the glass covers during the summer or when company comes over….because this classroom really does double as our dining room as well.

Well, there you have it! Our Homeschool Classroom in the Dining Room!

Build Your Bundle Coupon

May 19, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

In case you haven’t heard the Build Your Bundle sale is back for 2017! This is the biggest homeschool sale of the year and it lasts for one week only. The sale won’t start until Monday, however if you CLICK HERE you can grab a bonus coupon that you can use during the sale. (No, the coupon won’t be available once the sale starts, so grab it now!)

While your there you can enter to win over $4,400 in Homeschool Curriculum. This is a great opportunity to add some amazing homeschool titles to your digital bookshelves. Enter to Win Here

And Stay Tuned….this sales is going to be HUGE!! Here is a sneak peek: