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

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

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!

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.

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!

Christmas Blessings to each of you

I'll be taking another board break for the holidays this week.   We have lots of cooking and cleaning to do as we prepare for relatives coming from out of town.   I hope you all have a marvelous Christmas as we celebrate the true reason for the season, our Saviour. 

Molly  

Christmas Handprint Wreath

When my children were little, I loved any craft that involved using their handprints.   That way I can cherish the memories of how they grew each year.    

Directions:

• Trace the child's hand onto the red and green construction paper and cut out the prints. 
    

• Make eight handprints - four of each color
    

• Cut out the prints and glue to form a wreath. 
    

• You can decorate the wreath further with pictures of snowflakes, holly berries, glitter.  These can be:

  • stickers

  • hand drawn artwork by the children 

  • pictures from coloring books, magazines,or pictures you've taken of your child/children

 

Christmas Tissue Paper Wreath

This is one of the most familiar Christmas wreaths for those with toddlers and preschoolers. We did this with each one of our children at Christmas when they were little. They were so proud of their finished product!

Materials you will need are a paper plate, glue, scissors, 1 to 2 inch squares of tissue paper in Christmas colors (greens and red) and a 12 inch length of ribbon.

Directions:

Cut the the tissue paper into 1 to 2 inch squares. This can be done by adults prior to crafting.

Cut the center out of the paper plate to leave a round "donut" shape. This will form the base of the wreath. Again, this can be done prior to craft time.

Scrunch the pieces of tissue paper into balls (not tight though). We filled in the whole circle with green and then went back and added in the red for the holly berries. You can do this on the end of a pencil to make more of a flower shape or you can just make a ball with your fingers.

Glue around the paper plate to make the wreath.

Tie a bow with the length of ribbon and glue it to the top of the wreath. Or you can cut out a red bow from construction paper and glue it on.

More Ideas for a Less Stressful Christmas

*Do a cookie exchange instead of baking many different cookie recipes. Bake several dozen of your favorite type of cookie, and then you exchange them with each other. You’ll end up with a great variety of cookies-- and you will only have to make one kind!

*Keep a list of gift ideas all during the year. I've done this for several years and it makes shopping so much easier. This is one way I can have all my shopping done by Thanksgiving, which is my goal. Buying them throughout the year as helps the budget.

*Don’t try to make the entire holiday meal yourself. If you’re having your family over, ask everyone to bring something. Let your kids help you with the cooking and try to use some make-ahead recipes so you don’t spend the whole day cooking. I did this with our Thanksgiving meal and it made the day so much less stressful.

*If you’re trying to think of the perfect gift for that person that has everything, try buying a gift card to the recipient’s favorite store. Although some people frown upon giving gift cards, they really are a gift that anyone can use and they are usually greatly appreciated.

*I've found that if I haven't finished my shopping by Thanksgiving, then shopping on Monday or Tuesday the first few weeks after Thanksgiving is really a breeze. No crowds or lines! :-) I don't enjoy shopping in crowds, so avoiding the crowds helps me enjoy the shopping much better.

*Don't forget to do things that you enjoy! Embrace the Christmas season and do things that you love. Go caroling, make homemade gifts, drink hot chocolate and watch a favorite family movie together, and visit a shut in neighbor or relative.

*Most of all, be sure to spend time with your husband and children. Don't forget the ones you love the most. See the joy of Christmas through a child’s eyes and embrace it.

Hopefully these tips will help make your holiday season a great memory!

Ways to Make Christmas Less Stressful

The Christmas season is supposed to be a time of great joy. Unfortunately for many of us, it is also a time of great stress. To help reduce the stress during the Christmas season, here are some ideas:

*First and foremost, I think with all of the commercial aspects of Christmas, it’s easy to forget the reason for the season. Having a quiet time with Him first thing every day will certainly help. Doing devotions as a family certainly will keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Some families read special books like Jotham's Journey or use an Advent wreath each week to keep the focus on Him.

*Make a list and a budget. Being organized, will make your holiday season easier. Make a list of everyone you need to buy for and include the maximum dollar amount you can afford to spend per person.

*Learn to delegate. You can't do everything yourself.

*Pay cash for your purchases. You'll give yourself the best present after all the holiday excitement has died down and you don't have to pay a credit card off for your Christmas purchases.

*Learn to say no. You can't do everything everybody wants you to do. You can really wear yourself down if you try to do it all. It's okay to decline an event or a opportunity to volunteer your time.

*Don’t let the mound of gifts pile up. Wrap as you go or consider shopping at stores that offer free gift wrapping. Also, remember to get free boxes when you purchase items in a department store.

I'll try to post some more ideas another day this week.