Saturday, December 29, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Christmas Mittens Tree Ornaments...
These ornaments are made of felt, a cotton ball, and deorative ribbon. Take a sheet of felt or a sheet of craft foam and (using a felt-tipped, fine-point marker) trace around your child's hands the outline of two mittens. Using a hole punch, make a hole in one corner of each mitten before gluing on the cotton. Add a small ribbon bow and lay flat to dry. Attach wire ornament hangers through the holes that you punched earlier.
The mitten ornaments displayed on our classroom tree:
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Peppermint Stick Mouse Christmas Tree Ornament Craft...
This is just too cute and too easy not to feature on my blog! This craft kit was purchased from Oriental Trading Company www.orientaltrading.com . It comes in a set of 24 and is very reasonably priced. Candy canes included! The mouse parts (except for the nose) are made of felt. However, you could make your own pattern rather than purchasing the kit. If you do, then I think it would be better to use craft foam sheets instead of the felt because the glue tends to soak into the felt (which can be a pain). You could even use wiggle eyes if you prefer.
Nativity Craft Project...
The stable is made from a shoe box with an attached lid. It is decorated/covered with construction paper. The Nativity figures were copied from the book Easy Christian Crafts (grades 1-3) published by Carson-Dellosa. You may possibly be able to find similar figures online if you don't want to purchase the book.
Simple Christmas Wreath...
This wreath looks MUCH better than the picture shows. This pic turned out rather dark, so the color isn't showing. Let me describe it:
The wreath is made from a 10" styrofoam ring that has been wrapped with rope tinsel. The tinsel is two-toned in green and blue. It catches the light and is really quite pretty. It is decorated with ribbon, small bells, tiny pine cones, and artificial holly leaves and berries.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Home (self) Made Christmas Ornaments 2012...
Ornaments are made from salt dough: 1 cup salt, 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup warm water. Mix and then knead. Roll out and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Bake at 200 degrees F. for 1 to 3 hours, depending on how thick they are. Using tongs, turn shapes over to expose the underside. Return to bake for an hour more. Allow to cool completely before painting or decorating with glue and glitter.
(My 4 year old grandson loves these ornaments that he helped paint.)
I think I will get out my smallest Christmas tree (from last year) and set it up in our classroom so my grandson can make good use of these ornaments. A photo will soon follow...
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Homeschool Math in a Bucket...
Ahhhh! The beauty of homeschooling...You don't have to sit at a desk all day! Yay! You can do school just about anywhere and at any time you choose. This little scholar is very seriously working on his math lesson, as you can plainly see.
(photo courtesy of a homeschooling acquaintance of mine - Thank you!)
Simple & Easy Table-top Christmas Tree for Small Spaces...
My living room is small and stuffed with furniture. There is no space for a full-size Christmas tree to be displayed, so for many years now, I've used table-top trees. I recently purchased this 4 ft. tree from Walmart. Is is pre-lit, so I do not have to bother with stringing lights. It consists of 2 major pieces, and 3 pieces for the stand. Easy to put together. Yay! I chose the clear lights, but the tree is also available with colored ones. Cost $25 before tax.
The angel at the top of the tree has a porcelain head and arms. She was purchased from Avon by my mother and given to me 32 years ago as a "First Christmas" gift with my new husband/home. The ornaments are mostly hand-made ones, with a few "My First Christmas" ornaments celebrating each new child born to us.
We ended up moving the t.v. to an end table to make room for the Christmas tree. We "make-do" a lot at my house. lol!
2012 Christmas Classroom Decorations
The snowmen are all homemade. The large ones are made from small plastic bleach? bottles and large styrofoam balls, covered with quilt batting. The small ones are made from men's tube socks, stuffed with rolls of toilet paper and medium-sized styrofoam balls.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Kid Friendly Nativity Scene Display...
(approx. $17.99 + shipping from Christian Book Distributors)
www.Christianbook.com
This Nativity set is perfect for displaying in homes where young children (ages 3 years and up) reside. The sturdy plastic construction makes it a great toy for young ones, as well as a fabulous visual aid when reading or telling the story of Christ's birth. The only thing about this set that might not be safe for children younger than age 3 would be the star that is attached to the front of the stable. It can be removed, and could possibly become a choking hazard for babies or toddlers. Baby Jesus may also be a cause for concern to very young children for the same reason. The other pieces seem to be large enough to not cause a problem.
Monday, November 26, 2012
What I wish for...
I wish that I would receive more comments from the readers of my blog. If you have any great educational ideas or websites that might interest young children, feel free to post them here. I'm always on the lookout for fresh ideas.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
"Child-led" Learning...
While educating my own children, I never really thought much about what some homeschooling families call "child-led" learning, which may or may not have anything to do with "un-schooling". To me, those phrases concocted images of a child being left pretty much on his own, playing all day, and not really learning much of anything. I educated my children in a fairly traditional way, much along the ways of your typical public school classroom. The main exception was that I chose my own curriculum which focused on conservative values, capitalism, and divine creation - a good thing, but, at first, I did not give much thought to what each individual child was interested in. My initial mindset was that THIS is what my child is supposed to learn at this particular grade level, and so, THAT is what I'll be teaching!
Of course, as time went on, I realized that if a child was not interested in something, it will be very difficult to get him or her to learn from it. I also began to understand that what works well for one child, may not work well for another. I discovered that while we must cover all the basic subjects required by law, we can focus less on the boring stuff, and study more intently what interests the child. My young (4 year old) grandson is already making his preferences known!
My grandson is a very intelligent, very active, "hands-on" little guy. He's not much into "paper and pencil" work. He is very interested in anything having to do with machines, construction, tools, science, cooking, sewing, biology, experimentation, history, etc. He does not like learning his A-B-Cs or 1-2-3s. So, to teach those subjects, I must incorporate interesting info about an animal or a special person or object, and add an internet video or craft project to get my grandson to remember the letter or number.
Lately, my grandson has been enjoying watching the cartoon "Rescue Heroes". He will sometimes wear a cape and mask and become a super hero. Other times he will dress in his "scrubs" and play with his doctor kit. Recently, in class, we studied about our major internal organs and "dissected" a "human" body (science kit) that I had purchased from Walmart. He absolutely loved that! (There are pictures of my grandson doing this activity here on my blog.) Recently, we discussed dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency, and talked about what constituted an "emergency" - Pappaw falling off of the roof, for example! (A few days before this discussion, my husband had been up on the roof, cleaning off sticks and leaves, and my grandson had been afraid that he might fall off.) Boy, did my grandson's eyes light up after learning what to do in an emergency! I'm beginning to fear that the cops or an ambulance may just show up at my door any day now! Ha! Ha!
Earlier, this week, my grandson came across a First-Aid book that I have. It has many pictures and shows how to do various types of First-Aid procedures on children.
My grandson's interest was stirred by these pages:
He brought me the book and asked me to read it to him. I explained that this book showed what to do in emergencies; for example, what to do if a child had broken his arm. My grandson said, "I want to do that. I want a broke arm!" lol! The next day, my grandson took this book to his Pappaw and asked him to read it to him.
Okay, I've gotten the hint! It looks like I'm going to have to teach this 4 year old kid how to do First-Aid!
I think that now I finally understand the concept of "Child-led Learning".
Of course, as time went on, I realized that if a child was not interested in something, it will be very difficult to get him or her to learn from it. I also began to understand that what works well for one child, may not work well for another. I discovered that while we must cover all the basic subjects required by law, we can focus less on the boring stuff, and study more intently what interests the child. My young (4 year old) grandson is already making his preferences known!
My grandson is a very intelligent, very active, "hands-on" little guy. He's not much into "paper and pencil" work. He is very interested in anything having to do with machines, construction, tools, science, cooking, sewing, biology, experimentation, history, etc. He does not like learning his A-B-Cs or 1-2-3s. So, to teach those subjects, I must incorporate interesting info about an animal or a special person or object, and add an internet video or craft project to get my grandson to remember the letter or number.
Lately, my grandson has been enjoying watching the cartoon "Rescue Heroes". He will sometimes wear a cape and mask and become a super hero. Other times he will dress in his "scrubs" and play with his doctor kit. Recently, in class, we studied about our major internal organs and "dissected" a "human" body (science kit) that I had purchased from Walmart. He absolutely loved that! (There are pictures of my grandson doing this activity here on my blog.) Recently, we discussed dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency, and talked about what constituted an "emergency" - Pappaw falling off of the roof, for example! (A few days before this discussion, my husband had been up on the roof, cleaning off sticks and leaves, and my grandson had been afraid that he might fall off.) Boy, did my grandson's eyes light up after learning what to do in an emergency! I'm beginning to fear that the cops or an ambulance may just show up at my door any day now! Ha! Ha!
Earlier, this week, my grandson came across a First-Aid book that I have. It has many pictures and shows how to do various types of First-Aid procedures on children.
My grandson's interest was stirred by these pages:
He brought me the book and asked me to read it to him. I explained that this book showed what to do in emergencies; for example, what to do if a child had broken his arm. My grandson said, "I want to do that. I want a broke arm!" lol! The next day, my grandson took this book to his Pappaw and asked him to read it to him.
Okay, I've gotten the hint! It looks like I'm going to have to teach this 4 year old kid how to do First-Aid!
I think that now I finally understand the concept of "Child-led Learning".
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Handprint Turkey (construction paper craft project)
Monday, November 19, 2012
"Happy Thanksgiving" greeting card craft...
Turkey pattern obtained from www.superteacherworksheets.com
Add a few Bible verses inside the card concerning giving thanks to God, and a few stickers for decoration.
This one was colored by my 4 year old grandson.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Paper Bag Pumpkin (craft/decorating idea)...
I have yet to meet a child that doesn't enjoy doing crafts, especially when painting is involved! This paper bag pumpkin craft is not only fun to do, but also very inexpensive and simple to make.
Take a small or medium sized paper lunch bag and stuff it (half-full) with shredded newspaper, plastic grocery bags, or styrofoam "peanut" packing material. Twist the opening closed and secure with a thick rubber band or wire twist-tie.
Paint with poster paint or acrylic craft paint. Orange for the rounded part of the pumpkin (of course). For the stem, we used green mixed with tan. Brown would also do fine.
Leaves made from construction paper or artificial leaves create a more festive and decorative touch!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Inexpensive Fall Decorations from your local retailer...
I found these Pilgrim figurines at my local Dollar General Store. Not only do they make great Fall decorations, but they will become useful visual aids in our study of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving celebration in America. The faux pumpkin and faux autumn leaves and berries/acorns were purchased from Walmart.
Paper Bag Scarecrow Craft...
We did not have a small paper lunch bag, so we used a slightly larger one and enlarged our hat pattern to fit. The "straw" hair is made from strips cut from construction paper, and large "wiggle" eyes were used, as well as feathers to decorate the hat.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The path to freedom...
"Christians give your child an education that does not come from the government. You cannot raise a child to believe in freedom when that child is educated by the government."
- Michael Farris (11/07/2012)
Home School Legal Defense Association
www.hslda.org
- Michael Farris (11/07/2012)
Home School Legal Defense Association
www.hslda.org
Monday, November 5, 2012
Think Outside the Box...
(photo reposted from a Facebook entry by "MotherWise" (Homeschooling/Unschooling)
Friday, November 2, 2012
Homeschool Perks...
Where else but in homeschool can you eat cookies and do your lessons at the same time? Awesome!
(photo courtesy of a homeschooling friend of mine, who lives in a neighboring county - Thank you!)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Preschool Autumn Art (paint)...
"The Colors of Autumn" by: Rylan, age 4
(By the way, a piece of cardboard makes a great canvas!)
What's it? "Swirling Autumn Leaves" ?
"A Tree in Autumn" (with falling leaves) by: Rylan, age 4
"A Tree in Autumn" (a visual aid)
Monday, October 29, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A Great Science / Biology Lab for all grade levels!
"Squishy Human Body" by: SmartLab
(purchased from Walmart)
The kit contains a large "text" booklet describing each body part shown and the function of each; a 12 and a half inches tall human "body" with bones, muscles, and vital organs which can be removed; forceps and tweezers for performing the "operations"; and an organizer chart to display the removed organs. (This pic shows that the rib cage, stomach, and intestines have already been removed. My just-turned four year old grandson absolutely LOVES this educational toy! There is so much information in the booklet, that we will probably need 2 weeks to thoroughly study and dissect this human "body"!)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Life Cycle of a Butterfly (a two or three day craft project)
Cut the lid off of a cardboard egg carton. Cut lengthwise. Trim around the edges to cut off the flat rims.
Glue a wing on each side of a caterpillar. Anchor with paper clips until the glue is dry. (Leave one caterpillar as is.)
Fold each wing down.
A caterpillar will change into a butterfly!
ENJOY !!!
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