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Valerie Mcclintick




Mushroom Unit Study

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September is National Mushroom Month, its the perfect time to dive into a nature study on the topic. You really don’t need to wander farther than your own backyard, the next open field, or local state park to unearth your next nature study. There are so many things to learn about and enjoy while keeping it simple.

Free Fall Unit Study

Just choose a topic, like mushrooms, and expand upon it with books, nature walks, videos, hands-on activities and even recipes. I have gathered some starting points for you here that would make a great unit study on their own, choose just one, or expand on them even further!

If you are unable to find any mushrooms growing wild in your area you can use your reference books or look online and complete most of these activities.

Mushroom Investigation- Go on a nature walk and bring some mushrooms home (we found all these in our own backyard). Be sure that you know they are safe, I personally prefer to be the one picking the mushrooms and I use gloves at that. Maybe that is overkill but it works for me. There are a few recommended books for learning about mushroom identification that I’m sure you could find at your local library before your nature hike.

Spore Prints

Mushroom Spore Prints- Spore prints are the powdery residue that is left behind under mushrooms and other fungi. They are often used to identify different types of mushrooms. You can make spore prints at home for some fun mushroom science!

How to Make a Spore Print:

Cut the stems off your mushrooms and spread them out on a piece of white paper with the gills (underside) facing down. Add a little water to the top of the mushroom by spritzing lightly with a spray bottle or use a paintbrush to apply.

Let your mushroom tops sit at least overnight. When your pull your mushroom top up you will see the unique prints it leaves behind

Mushroom Photo Hunt

For this activity, you can let your child use a digital camera or smartphone. Head out on a nature walk and look for different types of mushrooms or other fungi and capture them with a photo. If you want to know what you found right then and there you can use a program like iNaturalist to identify them immediately.

Print the photos or simply review them on the phone and research the names using a combination of internet and reference books, this is a great easy way to incorporate some research skills!

  • Research the names of each.
  • Identify at least 3 different types of mushrooms.
  • Determine whether the mushrooms are edible or not.
  • Observe the color, the size, the location you found them,

Spelling/Vocabulary-Have your child look up the definitions for and use the following words as spelling practice for the week: Fungi, spore, mycelium, scales, hymenium, annulus, stipe, gills, and volva. Younger children can work on simple terminology like cap, stem, mushroom.

Parts of a Mushroom Worksheet

Nature Journal Sketch- Whenever we do a nature study I like to spend at least one day a week creating a page related to our study in the nature journal. I like to give the kids a spiral-bound notebook with watercolor pages, it is great for many different mediums like a pencil to sketch, beautiful watercolors, chalk pastels, oil pastels, and good old colored pencils.

Free Mushroom Printables from Homeschool Clipart

Life Cycle of a Mushroom Worksheet

Encourage your child to lightly draw images of mushrooms with a pencil and then color it in with watercolor.  Once dry, let them label the types of mushroom as well as its parts depending on their ability. You can use your favorite medium but I love watercolors because they are light and easy to carry out in the field or to use at home. For your art journal, you could also draw and paint the life cycle of a mushroom.

Sauteed Baby Bella Mushrooms

I like to incorporate cooking into our lessons as much as possible because it can utilize so many skills- math, science, following directions, geography, knife skills, and other basic life skills. We grabbed some Baby Bella mushrooms from the grocery store and I incorporated them into a very simple dish for the kids to make and they were able to use knife skills and learn about stove safety while tasting something they made with their own hands!

  • You will need 1 package Baby Bella mushrooms, 3 T. butter, 2 teaspoons diced garlic, 1 tsp. Dried parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.
  • Rinse and wipe off mushrooms well with a paper towel to remove any remaining dirt.
  • Slice mushrooms into thick pieces.
  • Melt butter over medium-high heat.
  • Stir in mushroom slices and all seasonings except garlic, sautee for 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  • Add mushrooms to hamburgers, over green beans, or eat them straight off the dish!

Ideas for younger children:

  • Create your own mushrooms with playdough.
  • Make and paint a mushroom with paper plates.
  • Make a mushroom sensory bin with soil, moss and fake mushrooms.
  • Sort edible mushrooms by size.

Learning about mushrooms can be tons of fun! With all the possibilities for art projects, nature hikes, hands-on journaling, and even recipes, this is definitely a unit study you want to add to your fall line-up!

10 Strategies for Improving Dysgraphia

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Dysgraphia truly requires a multi-pronged approach to see the most success.  Like many other learning disabilities, there is quite a wide range for how light or severe the symptoms are and how much they affect day to day life. Some children improve with lots of writing practice, some need a break from excessive amounts of writing because it just becomes overwhelming. Using a variety of tailored resources can help improve your child’s dysgraphia and cut down on their frustration.

What is Dysgraphia?

“Dysgraphia is the condition of impaired letter writing by hand, that is, disabled handwriting.” (International Dyslexia Association) Dysgraphia is more than just poor handwriting and there are multiple conditions that closely resemble dysgraphia, so educating yourself about and understanding related or comorbid conditions is paramount to teaching a child with dysgraphia. Here is a great resource for understanding what Dysgraphia is and isn’t.

Homeschooling with Dysgraphia

  1. Occupational Therapy- An occupational therapist can help your dyspraxic child thrive. Not only will a good OT work on your child’s biggest challenges with them at sessions but they will also work with you to give you strategies to continue at home. They will address the physical aspects of writing and other fine motor issues as well as how they handle it emotionally. If it is possible for you to see one I highly recommend at least getting a thorough evaluation so you have a good baseline to work from.
  • Slant boards- Slant board help create a better posture and hand alignment for your child to write with, increases the stability of the paper, and helps with visual tracking.
  • Apps- Use apps like SnapType, that was developed by an OT to reduce the amount and stress of writing. Whether they attend public, private, or homeschool this accommodation can make a big difference in the quality of their work. Grab a snapshot of their work with the iPad, open it in the app and they can touch where they need to add text and a keyboard pops up for them to enter answers. 
  • Reducing the amount of writing- Some kids may just get worse and worse the more they are required to write. Dysgraphia is not something that just goes away and while some kids may improve with consistent writing practice, some just may not. Reducing the amount of required writing by using assistive technology or allowing answers to be given orally can take off a lot of the pressure. Homeschooling allows for these learning adaptations, so don’t be afraid to adjust lessons to suit your child.
  • Change up the way they write-  Sometimes just the act of writing with a pencil puts a strain on them emotionally, it can be so difficult for a dyspraxic child to put their thoughts on paper or remember how to spell a word when they are focusing on neatness. Breaking up the monotony can help! Take your writing to another surface like a dry erase board, a chalkboard,  on a table covered in shaving cream, or in a salt tray.
  • Build Up Fine motor skills- Encouraging your child to play with LEGO, clay, playdough, puzzles, and simple things like gluing and cutting help to improve fine motor strength and skills which can in turn help with writing. Use whatever their favorite activity like a reward and also just plain fun, incorporate it as much as possible, they won’t even realize that they are building up strength in their hands. Check out our Fine Motor Skills Activity Packs Here.
  • Typing– Typing for many children allows them to work on things like sentence structure, paragraphs, grammar, and spelling without the stress of also worrying about neatness. Find a great typing program like Typing Without Tears for your child to complete larger writing assignments.
  • Try Cursive- Many children with dyspraxia find cursive much easier than print. The smooth flow of the connecting letters offers a steady movement that they find easier to master. There is less struggle with letter spacing and it seems to put less stress on the hand. 
  • Pencil Add Ons- There are many to choose from and you may have to try a half dozen or more before you find one that is just right. From pencil weights the encourage children to slow down their writing to those that help improve pencil grip.
  • Exercise- You may not think whole-body exercise plays a part in improving dysgraphia but it certainly does. Getting plenty of exercise for the whole body improves fine and gross motor development, posture, and overall muscle tone- which will show up in their writing!

BONUS TIP: Offer smaller writing lines for your student. One mistake I made with my kiddo was thinking that he needed to perfect his letters at larger sizes BEFORE moving him to smaller lines. However, in his particular case, I noticed that his letters got much tidier when he was able to write smaller. So, don’t be afraid to try smaller lines, it may be a good fit for your kiddo too!.

One Small Square Nature Journal

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Nature Journals are a popular way to engage children in the great outdoors. The flora and fauna of your local neighborhood become the teachers in the ultimate open-air classroom. Detailed nature studies are exciting, but can also be a good deal of work. As a summer alternative, try a tiny square nature journal. It has all the benefits and enticements of a full-blown nature study, packed into one little square. This makes it easier for kids to do on their own, and leaves plenty of time for summer fun!

For added learning, visit your local library or pick up this fantastic series of books called, “One Small Square.” These books feature beautiful illustrations of diverse flora and fauna tucked inside a small square picture of different habitats, and your children will be enthralled by them!

Find Your “Square”

The first step to this type of study is locating a spot. This is where the entire study will take place. It should be a spot that is easy to get to frequently. One in your backyard or a close by a park that you frequent would be perfect.

Your spot should be on the small side, only 2-4 feet wide and long. It should be compact enough for a child to do a thorough investigation in a matter of minutes. Try to pick a location that has a variety of vegetation.

Make a Habit of It

The purpose of a tiny square nature journal is observing changes over time. It invites the children to take a very close look. When observing large areas, it is easy to miss so many details. The larger trees, animals, and insects grab your attention. However, even the smallest of squares is teeming with activity.

Decide how often you will visit your little spot. Every day? Once per week? Make sure you will get in enough observations to see the smallest changes, but remember it is summer. This activity should not add stress to your day. Regular visits are crucial to this project, so think of how you can make them part of your routine this summer.

The Big Picture

A little square can be packed with big life. Observing the changes each visit, and recording them in your journal, will help children understand the bigger picture of your eco-system. So many tiny creatures, subtle changes, and little food chains keep the environment healthy and growing.

Drawing or photographing your spot on visits or at different times of the day can offer a deeper appreciation of what happens when we aren’t looking. By comparing photos or drawings from early summer to early fall, or early morning to late at night, your child will grow in his appreciation and understanding of the world around him.

Establishing Some Roots

A one tiny square nature journal inspires ownership. This is your child’s special spot. He will be more inclined to protect it and learn from it long after the project is over. Just like the roots of trees stretch far down below the soil where we can’t see them. Having a vested interest in a tiny eco-system will extend far past the summer project. This is a chance to really connect with nature on a deep level with a project that takes just minutes per day.

Free Nature Journal Printables:

Use these free printable Nature Journals to track your Small Square!

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

How to Fail at Homeschooling….

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Homeschooling your children is a monumental task. If you ask, most homeschool moms would tell you that their biggest fear is failing! Everyone wants to get it right and do the best for their children. However, sometimes trying hard not to fail at homeschooling is the surest way to fail! Here are seven ways to fail at homeschooling and what to do instead.

Making Homeschool Your Number #1 Priority

This would seem like a positive move. Making homeschooling your top priority will make you work harder and focus on success which will guarantee you do not fail, right? Wrong! Your homeschool is important but it cannot come before all the truly important people in your life. Your husband, your children, and God should always be your primary focus. When homeschooling ranks above everyone and everything else, you will be missing out on the special opportunities to enjoy your family and will quickly burn out. You need clear priorities that place homeschool in its proper place, as something you do not your sole reason for being.

Tips for Success:

Homeschooling is important and can become consuming. However, it should never take the place of your focus on your family and faith. After all, those are probably the reasons you started homeschooling in the first place. You will have more success if homeschooling is a family priority that does not get in the way of living your life.

Great Expectations

You start your homeschool journey or the new year with high hopes. You are going to make this the best homeschool ever. Your children will love every activity and excel in every subject. You will show the world how superior the homeschool model is! Failure is not an option. With homeschooling, you children will be perfect. They will enter college at 15 and earn full scholarships to the most elite programs. Your homeschool room with be the envy of every social media maven and you will still cook nutritious, three course dinners every night before spending hours in front of the fire while Suzy plays Schubert on the piano and Johnny recites Plato from memory. Ah, you will not only not fail, you will be perfect! Nothing is perfect though, and hoisting high expectations for perfection on your children will squash their desire to learn, as well as their creativity.

Tips for Success:

Goals and standards are good, but they need to remain in check. Perfection doesn’t equal success. If you don’t want to fail, accept that learning requires failure sometimes. Your children will not do everything perfectly. That is part of learning. Instead, be realistic. Kids will be kids. Let them explore and make messes. Give your children room to grow at their own pace. Enjoy the journey instead of rushing for the goal. Failing sometimes is actually the best way to succeed!

Too Many Extracurricular Activities

What about socialization? Homeschool kids need socialization. If they spend too much time at home they will be social failures. They need time with other children and rigorous activities. So, signing up for every extracurricular under the sun makes sense. You don’t want to raise socially awkward children. However, running to all the activities causes homeschool failure. Parents and children get tired and worn out. Family life suffers. Getting school work done gets stressful because of time constraints. Instead of giving kids a happy social experience, you create misery.

Tips for Success:

Extracurricular activities are good. They just need balance. Socialization happens everywhere. Homeschool children do not need to be at activities every day. Focus on a few activities that your child really want to do. Pick ones that fit your schedule, budget, and family values.

Not Addressing Learning Needs

Taking a one size fits all approach is a sure way to fail. You choose the top rated curriculum. You know, the one “everyone” at co-op is raving about! This is what will make your homeschool successful. Your child struggles with the work. It isn’t working for him, and you don’t understand why. You keep at it. He just needs to try harder. Failure is not an option. But instead of progress, you both get more frustrated.

Tips for Success:

The beauty of homeschooling is that it is personal and individual education. Trying to force a square peg into a round hole will never work. Every child has learning needs and a unique learning style. If a program isn’t working, the problem is probably the program. When you find resources that fit your child’s learning needs, your homeschool will thrive.

Self Defeating Attitude

There are two sure fire ways to fail at homeschooling. The first is to believe that you will fail. The second is comparing yourself to others. Comparison is the thief of joy. There is no one right way to homeschool. When you set yourself up as not being good enough, you set yourself up to fail. It’s easy to think that someone else, especially someone you only know through social media or blogs, is doing a better job that you. Everyone has struggles and everyone experiences homeschooling failures sometimes.

Tips for Success:

Instead of feeling like you don’t measure up, look at what is going well. Work on building the homeschool that works best for your family. No one has it all together, all the time. You can do this, believe in yourself!

Expecting School at Home

Most homeschool parents went to traditional brick and mortar schools. They know how school works, so they model homeschooling on their experience at traditional school. However, homeschooling is not school at home. Schools are designed like a factory, they are setup for production and testable results. There are rigid standards and strict schedules. Alternatively, homeschooling is an education model, with more flexibility. If you are trying to replicate school at home, it will increase your chances of failure.

Tips for Success:

Homeschooling should be about education at home. It is a lifestyle, not a school choice. Develop a love of learning in your home. Focus on the experience, not checking off boxes to keep up with public schools. You chose to homeschool because you wanted to escape public school education. Dare to be different and educate your children as a family, not a school. There is a fine balance between pushing for childhood development, hitting suggested milestones, and the standards of educational growth while allowing self-led learning, engagement, and natural discovery. Finding that balance for your own homeschool will lead to a successful outcome.

Free Homeschool Student Portfolio

Simple homeschool planning resources you will actually use!  These resources will help you meet state homeschooling requirements as well as add a little organization to your homeschool goals for the year. Inside you’ll find the following resources:

  • Colorful Cover Sheet
  • Student Profile Sheet
  • Monthly Tracking Log
  • Weekly Tracking Log
  • Daily Attendance Sheet
  • Quiz & Test Scores
  • Field Trips Log
  • Physical Education Log
  • Volunteer Hours Log

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Can You Afford to Homeschool?

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Homeschooling, like anything with kids, can be very expensive! You may be hyperventilating when you search for curriculum options. This can lead many prospective homeschoolers to quit before they begin. They feel like they could never afford homeschooling. Homeschooling does not have to be expensive!With a little planning, it is very doable. Before diving into purchasing curriculum, learn how to budget like a ninja for homeschooling. Here’s a four step plan for you to make an annual plan that works.

Take an Inventory of Income and Expenses

The key to making anything affordable is knowing how much you have to spend. Knowing how much you have coming in and going out is vital. If you already keep a budget, great! Look over it and decide how much you can allocate to homeschooling.

If you don’t have a written budget, or your budget is tight, dig a little deeper. Take some time to look over your expenses. What other expenses need to be covered? Is there anything that can be cut or modified to make more room for homeschool resources? You may want to get a budget tracking app, such as MINT, to help with tracking expenses. After a few months, you will have a better idea of where your money is going.

Decide What You Can Afford

Now that you have analyzed your expenses, it’s time to build your budget. How much can you afford to spend? How much money and how much time. Time probably wasn’t what you were thinking. Saving money takes time! Yes, there are ways to homeschool for almost nothing but, everything has a cost. If you are choosing to create everything yourself to save money, you need to find a way to budget more time. There’s no such thing as completely free. Buying a boxed curriculum is expensive, but you will not have to create lesson plans, activities, etc.

On the other hand, you can save hundreds of dollars by building your own curriculum. You will need to budget time to gather all the materials, write out lesson plans, make up tests, and so on. Homeschooling can be affordable, just be realistic when budgeting your time and money.

Create Goals for Each Student

Homeschooling can also get expensive when you don’t have a goal. It is easy to get swept up in the amazing curriculum options. It is important to know what you need and truly want your children to learn. What subjects are required? Is there anything else that you want to add? Be careful not to add too much. One or two additional subjects is plenty. Remember this is about budgeting time and money. If you buy more curriculum than you can use, you are wasting money.

Try our FREE Homeschool Goals Worksheet!

Look at your goals and make a list of exactly what you need for each child. Are there any special tools you will need( such as a microscope or laptop?) See how many resources you already have or can borrow. Now it’s time to divide your overall budget between your children according to their needs.

Do Your Homework

Research is an important part of being prepared. Know what you want and research the options BEFORE attending any type of curriculum sale or homeschool conference. This will help you stay focused and make an informed decision. Look into how the curriculum works and what learning styles it serves. Read over reviews for potential curriculum choices. Know how much the curriculum choices cost and what they go for used. Having a short list of ideas will keep you from getting overwhelmed with the options. Also, an informed consumer makes better decisions. Your research will keep you on budget and help you avoid buying something you don’t really want. Remember sales representatives can be very convincing. Of course, they all sell the “best” resources around.

Try our Free Simple Homeschool Planning Pack

Fine Motor Activities for May

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If you are looking for ideas for your May Preschool Themes, today I have a great set of resources you can use to create many fun hands-on learning opportunities in your classroom. Our monthly fine motor activity packs have quickly become one of our best-selling resources for good reason! They are low-prep, interactive, simple, yet engaging activities that students of all ages are drawn to.

If you’ve missed any of the previous months, you can pick up the discounted Fine Motor Activity Bundle here. Here is a peek inside our May Fine Motor Activity Pack.

Seeds & Plants Fine Motor Printables

Our first theme for May is seeds and plants. Students work on a variety of different skill building exercises designed to create a thematic unit for your preschool classroom.

  • GEOBOARD: Students use rubberbands to create the pictures on a geoboard. Each sheet features a letter of the alphabet alongside a thematic picture.
  • MAZES: Students solve the mazes and follow the prompts. Each page features thematic mazes alongside a tracing activity or prompt.
  • PLAYDOUGH: Students use playdough to complete the prompts. Prompts require students to form and shape the dough to make pictures, solve problems, or complete the scene.

Spring Flowers Fine Motor Activities:

April showers bring May Flowers! After learning about seeds and plants, your classroom will be filled with flowers of all sorts!

  • TRACING: Students trace the pictures with colored pencils or fine tip markers. Each page features thematic content and prompts students to complete the pictures.
  • SNAP CUBE CREATIONS: Students use counting cubes to make thematic pictures These cubes can be snapped together. If you do not have cubes, students can color the squares in the grid to match the picture.
  • PUZZLE PICTURES: Students use puzzle blocks to create thematic pictures. These sheets feature thematic shapes and provide students with easy and more difficult patterns. A full-color example is available for easy reference.

Farm Animal Fine Motor Worksheets

After learning about all the new plant life that comes with spring, students will be thrilled to work on new farm life activities! This collection provides students with fun fine motor worksheets based on barns, and farm animals.

  • LISTENING SKILL SHEETS: Teachers will read the directions aloud and the student listens carefully to finish the task. Tasks involve fine motor elements, coloring, and prepositional positioning of drawings
  • CUISENAIRE™ ROD PICTURES: Students use colorful centimeter rods to build thematic pictures. Students are asked to color the rod key to show how many rods they used of each color.
  • BRICK BUILDERS: Students use classic building blocks to recreate these thematic pictures. Students work on storing, planning, and stacking before creating their final picture.

Mother’s Day Preschool Printables

Towards the end of May it’s time to celebrate our end of the year holidays; Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. With these printables activities, students will have a fun bouquet of tulips to give to Mom.

  • DOT & POKE: Students cut apart the halves. Students solve the dot to dot activities. Then, students use a push pin to poke a picture onto colored construction paper. See full instructions below.
  • CUT & SORT CROWNS: Each crown features a theme alongside a 4-step sequencing pattern. Students cut out the pictures and glue them in the correct order. Students write their name, color the pictures, then staple the sides to make a crown.
  • DAB & DOT: Students use daubers to dab by number in order to reveal the mystery picture. (Hold at a distance to help students see the pictures).

Memorial Day Fine Motor Worksheets

Finishing out our May themes is a collection of Memorial Day printables you can use to creat a patriotic unit in your classroom. Students can learn of the great sacrifice our men and women in uniform have made, and how we celebrate and thank the for their courage and bravery.

  • CUT & PASTE CRAFTIVITY: These crafty projects are perfect for little hands.Students color, glue, and cut to make fun, thematic pictures.Pair with a simple writing prompt or poem for extra learning!
  • POM PICTURES x 2: Students use pom-poms to complete the picture.For added difficulty have students use plastic tweezers to pick up the poms. Alternatively, students can glue poms to make these sheets into a simple craft project.

Our May Fine Motor Activity Pack is available as a single download, or part of our year-long Fine Motor Bundle here in our TPT store!

Fine Motor Skills Activities for Preschool

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If you have a preschool student who is in need of working on fine motor skills, you’ll want to provide them with numerous hands-on activities and development tools. These activities should provide students with the opportunity to use their small motor muscles while having fun learning.

Our monthly fine motor skills activity packs are filled with engaging resources, worksheets, activities, and games that build those small motor muscles for young students. If you have missed the prior months activity packs, not to worry, you can still pick them up in our TPT store here.

HUGE Brick Building Mat Mega Pack Available Here

April’s pack is filled with fun, thematic learning opportunities covering Weather, Earth Day, and Easter. NOTE: If Easter falls in March you can simply swap out the Butterfly & Frog theme from March for the two weeks of Easter in April. Everything is designed to coordinate and adapt to the changing holiday. Here is a peek inside our April Fine Motor Pack. For each of the themes, there are at least 14 activity pages described below:

Earth Day Fine Motor Skills Activities
  • GEOBOARD: Students use rubber bands to create the pictures on a geoboard. Each sheet features a letter of the alphabet alongside a thematic picture.
  • MAZES: Students solve the mazes and follow the prompts. Each page features thematic mazes alongside a tracing activity or prompt.
Weather Fine Motor Activities
  • TRACING: Students trace the pictures with colored pencils or fine tip markers. Each page features thematic content and prompts students to complete the pictures.
  • PUZZLE PICTURES: Students use puzzle blocks to create thematic pictures. These sheets feature thematic shapes and provide students with easy and more difficult patterns. A full color example is available for easy reference.
  • LISTENING SKILL SHEETS: Teachers will read the directions aloud and the student listens carefully to finish the task. Tasks involve fine motor elements, coloring, and prepositional positioning of drawings
Easter Fine Motor Activities
  • DOT & POKE: Students cut apart the halves. Students solve the dot to dot activities. Then, students use a push pin to poke a picture onto colored construction paper. See full instructions below.
  • CUT & SORT CROWNS: Each crown features a theme alongside a 4-step sequencing pattern. Students cut out the pictures and glue them in the correct order. Students write their name, color the pictures, then staple the sides to make a crown.
  • SNAP CUBE CREATIONS: Students use counting cubes to make thematic pictures These cubes can be snapped together. If you do not have cubes, students can color the squares in the grid to match the picture.
  • PLAYDOUGH: Students use playdough to complete the prompts. Prompts require students to form and shape the dough to make pictures, solve problems, or complete the scene.
Easter Fine Motor Activities
  • DAB & DOT: Students use daubers to dab by number in order to reveal the mystery picture. (Hold at a distance to help students see the pictures).
  • CUT & PASTE CRAFTIVITY: These crafty projects are perfect for little hands.Students color, glue, and cut to make fun, thematic pictures.Pair with a simple writing prompt or poem for extra learning!
  • POM PICTURES x 2: Students use pom-poms to complete the picture.For added difficulty have students use plastic tweezers to pick up the poms. Alternatively students can glue poms to make these sheets into a simple craft project.
Fine Motor Skill Games
  • CUISENAIRE™ ROD PICTURES: Students use colorful centimeter rods to build thematic pictures. Students are asked to color the rod key to show how many rods they used of each color.
  • BRICK BUILDERS: Students use classic building blocks to recreate these thematic pictures. Students work on storing, planning, and stacking before creating their final picture.

With over 60+ pages of fine motor activities, this set is sure to be a hit for spring! With multi-level activities, this pack easily adapts to your homeschool or classroom setting. Read more and purchase from our TPT store here.

February Fine Motor Pack

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February is only a week away, and you might be looking for some fun, hands-on, low-prep activities for your little ones! If so, this post is for you! We’ve recently released our brand new February Fine Motor Pack which includes 50+ pages of thematic resources designed to keep your students engaged while building important small motor muscles.

Honestly, there are too many activity pages to list them all, but let me give you a little peek inside! Our February themes are Penguins, Valentine’s Day, Hot Cocoa, and Sweets and Treats.

  • GEOBOARD: Students use rubber bands to create the pictures on a geoboard. Each sheet features a letter of the alphabet alongside a thematic picture.
  • PLAYDOUGH: Students use playdough to complete the prompts. Prompts require students to form and shape the dough to make pictures, solve problems, or complete the scene.
  • TRACING: Students trace the pictures with colored pencils or fine tip markers. Each page features thematic content and prompts students to complete the pictures.
  • SNAP CUBE CREATIONS: Students use counting cubes to make thematic pictures These cubes can be snapped together. If you do not have cubes, students can color the squares in the grid to match the picture.
  • PUZZLE PICTURES: Students use puzzle blocks to create thematic pictures. These sheets feature thematic shapes and provide students with easy and more dificult patterns. A full color example is available for easy reference.
  • CUT & PASTE CRAFTIVITY: These crafty projects are perfect for little hands.Students color, glue, and cut to make fun, thematic pictures.Pair with a simple writing prompt or poem for extra learning!
  • MAZES: Students solve the mazes and follow the prompts. Each page features thematic mazes alongside a tracing activity or prompt.
  • POM PICTURES x 2: Students use pom-poms to complete the picture.For added difficulty have students use plastic tweezers to pick up the poms. Alternatively, students can glue poms to make these sheets into a simple craft project.
  • CUT & SORT CROWNS: Each crown features a theme alongside a 4-step sequencing pattern. Students cut out the pictures and glue them in the correct order. Students write their name, color the pictures, then staple the sides to make a crown.
  • DAB & DOT: Students use daubers to dab by number in order to reveal the mystery picture. (Hold at a distance to help students see the pictures).
  • DOT & POKE: Students cut apart the halves. Students solve the dot to dot activities.Then, students use a push pin to poke a picture onto colored construction paper. See full instructions below.
  • LISTENING SKILL SHEETS: Teachers will read the directions aloud and the student listens carefully to finish the task. Tasks involve fine motor elements, coloring, and prepositional positioning of drawings
  • CUISENAIRE™ ROD PICTURES Students use colorful centimeter rods to build thematic pictures.  Students are asked to color the rod key to show how many rods they used of each color.

This pack includes 40 pages of hands-on activities and resources you can use to enhance your classroom for an entire month. These resources have specifically been developed to keep the prep work to a minimum, while providing ample opportunity for your students to build their small motor muscles.

Mother’s Day Art Project for Kids

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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.

 

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

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.

 

Local Homeschool Field Trip Guide

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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.