Sunday, January 25, 2009

Freebies on the Web to Enhance Your Homeschooling

Here's a list of some great FREE resources to help you with your homeschooling journey:

Homeschool Share- Free unit studies and lapbooks. Great site for elementary science and nature studies.
1,000 Great Books- I’ve used this list for several years now. It stays in our library cart so we'll have it handy.
Copywork from Simply Charlotte Mason- If you’re looking for solid copywork for your younger kids, Simply Charlotte Mason has excellent downloadable sheets with good passages, poetry, and hymns.
Trip Journal from Simply Charlotte Mason- Turn any trip into a field trip with a downloadable journal for your kids to use
History Clip Art and Coloring Pages- Not a homeschooling site, but beautiful and interesting historical images
Flash Card Machine- Input the data, print out the cards
Calvary Chapel Bible Curriculum for Children- Wonderful Bible studies for the kids
Homeschool Videos- Fun and educational
Free Lesson Plans and Activities- A resource for classroom teachers that can be modified for the home educator
The National Gallery of Art Loan Program- I haven't used this yet, but thought it was worth sharing.
Worksheet Works- Make your own worksheets featuring many useful topics
Homeschool Launch- A site where home educators post their worksheets, lap books, and unit studies
Writing Prompts and Journal Topics- Journaling is a great way to get your students to write
Awesome Stories- History tools, video clips, short bios and synopses of historical events make this a great site

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Brrr, it's cold outside - Fun things to do with your children

Here's a list of some fun ideas of things to do with your children when it's cold outside:

*Make hot cocoa and snuggle up with a good read aloud

*Go sledding together

*Make paper snowflakes

*Go bowling

*Go roller skating

*Have a snowball fight

*Play your favorite board games

*Make a pine cone bird feeder

*Measure the snowfall

*Go ice skating together

*Make snow angels and watch the snow fall together

*Visit your local library and check out books on winter themes

*Draw and color a mural showing a winter scene

*Fill a spray bottle with colored water and write in the snow

*Use sheets or boxes to build a fort inside your house

*Bundle up and take a walk in the snow by the light of the moon

Friday, January 9, 2009

Foam Mitten Wreath



Make this colorful mitten wreath to greet visitors at the door!

Supplies needed:
Snowflake patterns
Mitten pattern
Circle pattern
Foam craft squares in desired colors
Glue
Ribbon
Cut out the snowflakes and mittens in different colors of foam squares. Glue the mittens onto the circle pattern. Use a ribbon to make a hanger and you're ready to decorate your door!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Make Your Own Snowflakes - a really cool Chemistry experiment


What You Need:

string or yarn
wide mouth jar
white pipe cleaners


Borax (see tips below)

pencil

boiling water

blue food coloring, optional

scissors

Here's How:

Cut a pipe cleaner into three equal sections.

Twist the sections together at their centers to form a six-sided snowflake shape. Don't worry if an end isn't even, just trim to get the desired shape. The snowflake should fit inside the jar.

Tie the string to the end of one of the snowflake arms. Tie the other end of the string to the pencil. You want the length to be such that the pencil hangs the snowflake into the jar.

Fill the widemouth pint jar with boiling water.

Add borax one tablespoon at a time to the boiling water, stirring to dissolve after each addition.

You'll need 3 tablespoons borax per cup of water. It is okay if some undissolved borax settles to the bottom of the jar.

If desired, you may tint the mixture with food color.

Hang the pipe cleaner snowflake into the jar so that the pencil rests on top of the jar and the snowflake is completely covered with liquid and hangs freely (not touching the bottom of the jar).

Allow the jar to sit in an undisturbed location overnight.

Look at the pretty crystals!!! You can hang your snowflake as a decoration or in a window to catch the sunlight.

Tips:

Borax is available at grocery stores and Walmart in the laundry soap section, such as 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster.

Adult supervision is suggested because boiling water is used and because Borax isn't intended for eating.

If you can't find Borax, you can use sugar or salt (may take longer to grow the crystals, so be patient). Add sugar or salt to the boiling water until it stops dissolving. Ideally you want no crystals at the bottom of the jar.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

This is a special Psalm to me as I start a new year seeking to grow stronger in my walk with my heavenly Father.   If you can, take a few minutes to meditate on what it says.     May the Lord bless each you in the coming year as you seek Him!

Psalm 27
An Exuberant Declaration of Faith

The LORD is my light and my salvation;  Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;  Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear; 
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:  That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes,  I will sing praises to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When You said, "Seek My face,"My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me, 
Then the LORD will take care of me.
Teach me Your way, O LORD,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;  Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;  Wait, I say, on the LORD!