Following up on my 101 things to do this summer, here are 99 more fun, educational and just plain neat things to do with the kids before fall sets in. From preschoolers to high schoolers, there are activities for everybody. Write a letter to the editor. Cook with some sort of edible wild food, such […]
Right now, we finally have nice weather in southern Minnesota and it would be nearly criminal to have the kids sitting inside doing anything, even educational stuff! That said, everybody needs cooling off times and it’s great to have some educational fun on hand for rainy days. Here’s ten sites with games, activities, drills and […]
Summer is in full swing and it’s the perfect time to start up a little outdoor summer science. Don’t worry, this kind of science fun doesn’t require much on your part at all! Here’s all you need to get your kiddos experimenting, making concoctions and learning along the way. Test hypotheses. You hear all sorts […]
Have you made your summer bucket list yet? If you need a little inspiration, here’s our list from 2010 of 101 fun, educational, sentimental and silly things to do over the summer. Catch fireflies Take part in the library reading program Dance in the rain Master the multiplication tables Read the Little House series together […]
June is such a beautiful month that it’s nearly immoral to spend too much of it inside! Here are some fun ways to take the learning outside this month and have a great time doing it. Grow some gladiolas. Glads are wonderful flowers for children. They’re easy to grow, colorful, inexpensive, and don’t take much […]
Are you looking for some inspiration for teachable moments and fun activities this month? Here are holidays, anniversaries and more to coincide with every day in June. All Month: Zoo and Aquarium Month National Accordion Awareness Month National Adopt a Cat Month National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month Audiobook Month Rose Month Great Outdoors Month […]
Socialization is one of those issues that only people who don’t homeschool and don’t know any homeschoolers worries about. It’s also the most common and most annoying concern that homeschoolers hear from friends, relatives, and random store clerks. What is socialization? wordIQ says: In psychology, socialization is the process by which children and others adopt […]
Here are some great ways for the kids to play (and learn) in every subject from right at home today. These online games are all free and require no special downloads or installations other than basics like Java or Adobe Flash Player in some instances. Math: Zeus’ Petals teaches kids multiplication skills. The game says: […]
Here’s a fun project to do with the kids — make your own watercolor paints! We’ve used this DIY watercolor recipe for years around here to make our own wet or dry watercolor paints. Here’s a painting that our daughter Rhiannon made with a set of watercolor paints that she made many years ago. Not […]
We design our own lapbooks about 90% of the time. While it can take more time in terms of research and planning, there are many advantages. The kids learn more doing the research themselves, they feel a greater sense of ownership, it allows for more creativity, it can be tailored to the child’s age and […]
There are many great sites where you can find a variety of pre-made lapbooks, or lapbooking kits. These generally include templates, printouts, shape books, links to find information on the subject, clip art and instructions on how to assemble the lapbook. There is often a photo of what the finished lapbook will look like, as […]
Looking for a creative way to jump start homeschooling or to just combat cabin fever? Here are ten challenges to offer the kids. Writing: Write a short story about a superhero whose superpowers lead to accidental, funny consequences. Write one page about the best or worst day you ever had. Do free writing for 3 […]
PBS LearningMedia classrooms has announced a great new iPad app for K-12 students that is absolutely free. Designed specifically for students in grades K-12, the app provides access to thousands of resources covering all subject areas, from math and science to English and social studies. The PBS Student app allows kids to watch and learn […]
Most states require that homeschooled kids get physical education, but few have detailed requirements on how to meet that goal. Here in Minnesota, the law simply states that homeschooled children must receive physical education instruction. You can check other state laws here. An hour a day of physical activity is a good minimum goal for […]
Here’s a wonderful public domain book to add to your homeschool. Bird neighbors: An introductory acquaintance with one hundred and fifty birds commonly found in the gardens, meadows, and woods about our homes is an in-depth book offered through the Internet Archive. It is free, and offered in multiple formats. Bird Neighbors was first published […]
Homeschooling can be successful for all kinds of families, even if parents have to work full time. As homeschooling has grown, more and more single parents and working parents are joining the homeschooling movement. While there are more factors to consider, there are all kinds of ways to make it work. Some two parent households […]
Here’s a fabulously fun way for kids to learn their American states and world geography. Statetris is a free online game that kids play just like Tetris. States appear and the player uses arrow keys to move them to the proper place on the map. There are three levels: easy, medium and hard: In the […]
Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational has created a wonderful free printable card game that helps kids learn all about the geography and history of the states. Battle of the States is played a little bit like “War” but by comparing numbers and dates related to the states such as population, number of counties, electoral votes […]
Are your kids Little House on the Prairie fans? There are all sorts of wonderful resources on the internet to help use the famous book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder in your homeschool. Here’s a round-up of some great sites. ~ Laura’s Prairie House has lots of hands-on activities, printables and recipes, plus much more. […]
Are your kids interested in learning to play chess? Wikijunior offers an 84-page printable chess book for free. It can be viewed online, read on devices as a PDF file, or printed. The book, Chess, contains full-color photos and illustrations, rules of play, information about how each piece can be moved, a sample chess game […]
There’s no need to make kids suffer through boring worksheets and lesson plans to learn their parts of speech. There are all kinds of fun ways to help them remember the names and functions of each one. Here are a few wonderful ways to help kids learn nouns, verbs, adjectives and more. Mad Libs: These […]
Here’s a wonderful resource to help expand your history lessons. The Vintage Ad Browser offers over 100,000 historical ads, posters and newspaper clippings going back as far as the 1700’s. The site creator explains: Vintage Ad Browser was created in 2009/2010 and released in 2010, by Philipp Lenssen from Germany, currently living in China. This […]
The New York Public Library announced this month that out-of-copyright materials in NYPL Digital Collections are now available as high-resolution downloads, and its lab team has provided wonderful tools to help use these items — even creating a Minecraft world from an 1860 map of Manhattan! The collection includes historic photographs, works of art, original […]
Here’s a great freebie that kids can get through the mail to learn about scientists. The National Inquirer, a children’s publication through the USDA Forest Service, is offering “Bee a Scientist” coloring books for free. The coloring books can be printed as a PDF file or you can request one or more copies through the […]