Every December for our countdown to Christmas we do a daily acts of kindness calendar. These daily acts of kindness to do as a family can be done for the month of Thanksgiving, season of Advent, countdown to Christmas or anytime of the year. Our version is set up as a mystery surprise. We do not see ahead of time what our act of kindness will be each day. The kids love the … [Read more...]
Counting Rocks Preschool Counting and Fine Motor Activity
How many times have you gone on a walk or hike with your children and they find rocks that are just too special to leave behind? We can use those special rocks for this preschool counting and fine motor activity. My children have found treasured rocks on every walk from the toddler stage on up. Even my younger ones still ask to keep rocks they find when we are out in … [Read more...]
Homeschool STEM Lessons with SeaQuest
Supplementing homeschool learning with quality programs is a key to avoiding burnout as a homeschool parent. Whether it is online music lessons or science units to enhance physical science or chemistry, there are resources you can pull in to enhance your curriculum at home. SeaQuest is a program that emphasizes homeschool STEM learning with homeschool STEM lessons and more. … [Read more...]
Teaching Children about Bullies: Back off Buzz!
Even at my age I still remember the moment the bully made fun of me. It was on a field trip. It took me a long time to move past that feeling of humiliation. Bullies can effect our view of ourselves in deep ways. Teaching children about bullies is a life skill they need to learn. It prepares them to handle bullies. It also teaches them how to not be a bully! Back off Buzz! … [Read more...]
Activities for Encouraging Positive Behavior in Preschoolers
Toddlers and preschoolers need a lot of boundaries and guidance. They learn so much so quickly. Their emotions can cloud their thinking. Teaching our children how to handle their emotions and be self-disciplined can seem tricky. This collection of activities for encouraging positive behavior in preschoolers will help. … [Read more...]
Hands-On Geology Activity: Learning the Rock Cycle
As part of our hands-on geology unit, we read about the layers of the earth. This hands-on geology activity will teach kids about the rock cycle using playdough. We learned a bit about mining too. Initially this hands-on activity was to discover how the rock cycle works. Layer upon layer of rock compressing together to create our rock layers. My children added a secret … [Read more...]
DIY Globe Kids Can Make
We dove in to a whole Geology unit recently. I pieced it together from great ideas I found online, ideas I created myself, and an activity that my kids happened to create without even knowing it! I love creative accidents that teach big concepts! We started our homeschool geology unit for kids with a DIY globe kids can make. Even a preschooler can make this! This DIY earth … [Read more...]
How to Teach a Preschool Activity: Free Download
I know many of us got thrown into teaching our kids with the pandemic. Some saw skills they did not know they had. Some felt so unprepared that they knew homeschooling was not for them. I have been told, “You have a teaching degree, so teaching your kids come naturally for you.” I understand that there are little details I learned in college that make that true, but, I want … [Read more...]
Handwriting Practice Fun Activities
I still have my children hand-write their school work. They use pencil and paper every day for math, writing, language arts and Bible study. Handwriting practice is not old fashioned. It is a skill with many benefits for our children. You will be surprised by these reasons why handwriting helps with academic success. I have quite a few activities that are fun for kids to get … [Read more...]
Teaching Kids to Love Writing + Homeschool Writing Curriculum Tools
Two of my children are natural writers. They write comic books and plays. My 10 year old daughter has even written a few songs. Those piano lessons are paying off! I love hearing them read their writing. They are always so involved in the story because they crafted it. This year, teaching kids to love writing is starting with reading a lot of books. Let me tell you what I put … [Read more...]
Homeschooling Tips From A Single Mom
I am so excited to be teaming up with Jaimi today, and feel super honored to be a guest on her amazing blog! I didn’t start off homeschooling as a single mom. But here I am, a single mom of 5, homeschooling like a boss. Well, maybe not like a boss but I’m trying! Lol. My first year homeschooling was almost 5 years ago now. It was well prayed over, well thought out … [Read more...]
Ultimate Guide Summer at Home with Kids
My plan for every summer at home with kids is a balance of free time and structured family time. I love that my kids can "be kids." They get wide windows of time to play with friends, ride their bikes, play outside and choose their fun. I also know that day after day of no structure makes for some grumpy attitudes when kids are involved...and me too! This ultimate guide to … [Read more...]