Category: Homeschool Den

Free Exponents Worksheets interactive notebook pages 2

PreAlgebra – Exponents Worksheet and Interactive Notebook Pieces

If you’ve followed our blog for a while, you know that we use a lot of different curriculums. Math is no exception!  This year LD used five different math curriculums… two that polished up some 6th grade math (arithmetic) skills (such as percents/decimals/fractions) and three  PreAlgebra texts. They all covered different skills. The main spine for PreAlgebra was the Art of Problem Solving–Prealgebra. (affliliate link) [See the update about this resource below!]...

Free Science Checklist for Elementar and Middle School 11

Homeschool Science Unit Checklist for Elementary and Middle School

Science in the Elementary and Middle School Years – Free Homeschool Checklist – K to 8 When I’m planning our units for the upcoming year, I think a lot about the science topics should we cover in our homeschool by the time they finish 8th grade.  I have a general checklist of topics that I go consider… and try to fill in the gaps as we go (and as the kids’ interests...

0

Fraction Dominoes Game

We’re trying to fit in some fun schoolish activities as the year winds down. It has been quite a while since we pulled out the fraction dominoes and the kids all enjoyed playing this game.  Even ED, who hasn’t done much with fractions yet quickly caught on and played with us!  You can either match up equivalent fractions or you can match fractions that add up to 1.  Below, we’re...

Skeletal System Worksheets 0

Skeletal System Worksheet Packet & 6 Hands-On Activities About Bones

 90+ Page Skeletal System Packet! This 90+ page packet covers the following topics: Identify the bones of the body Basic functions of the skeletal system (support, protection, assistance in movement, the storage and release of minerals, blood cell reproduction), How bones grow and repair themselves, bone remodeling, bone marrow, and the spine Bones and Cartilage Activity How the skeletal system is divided (axial and appendicular skeleton) Types of Joints Bone disorders Note: This was...

0

Language Arts Homeschool Checklist

What skills do I want the kids to have in order to become successful writers?  For this post, I shared a list of some of the language and literary skills I want the kids to build in elementary and middle school.  These are topics and terms I want the kids to be familiar with.  As they get older I hope they are able to use and incorporate these naturally into their own...

0

Considering Homeschooling Next Year? A Post about Planning Ahead

I got an email from someone a few days ago from someone who said they were in “full blown school panic.”  She is  considering homeschooling next year and is wondering how to start planning. And not only that, she wondered, “How do you even know what to teach?” I thought it was about time to write about planning again… especially as I start looking ahead to next year. How do you decide what...

10

My 911 Call — And what I did totally wrong

Let me start off by saying that everything is just fine, though I am still quite tearful simply because I was so scared. The unexpected happens… it comes out of the blue and you’re never quite prepared. In our case, we had just hopped into the car for afternoon activities.  I was rumbling up our very steep driveway. But suddenly I could tell somethings was wrong with ED… she was...

1

It Feels GRRrrreat… (and other Ramblings & Random Things… Like a Pumpkin Muffin Recipe, Hiking Pics)

Hooray! We’re done with standardized testing!!  The kids are really happy! In those hours and hours of sitting by witnessing the kids toil, I have a come up with a bunch of hands-on activities and blog post ideas! Hope to get those written up soon. But in the meantime, I just came on to celebrate!  Jumped through that hoop… Now back to our fun stuff… like our Middle Ages Unit, Human...

0

High Standards and a Nurturing Atmosphere

I am drawn to books and stories about amazing teachers and inspiring mentors who help their students achieve greatness. What are great teachers teaching students along the way?  To love learning. To learn and think for themselves. And to work hard on the fundamentals.   The common thread among many of the inspiring books I’ve read is that great teachers set high standards for all of their students. They believe in...

0

Semicolon Rules and Practice Sheets (free)

We are reviewing some of the basic grammar rules (again) and I wanted to share this sheet I made for the kids about semicolons.  These sheets covered these 4 rules: Use a semicolon to join two or more closely related independent clauses that are not connected with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so). Use a semicolon to join two closely related independent clauses that have a...

0

Standardized Testing Options for Homeschoolers

Yesterday we ordered the standardized tests we’ll take to fulfill the homeschool requirements of our state.  We used Brewer Testing Service because of the ease of ordering.  Their customer service has been excellent. (I’ll tell you more about that below.) This year, all three of my kids will be testing.  They will be taking different tests: First Grade: I am having ED take the Terra Nova Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills....

Long A Sound - Activities and Word Sort 0

Long A Sounds /ay/ – a, ai, ay, a-e, ei, eigh, ey –Sorting Cards and Board Game!

Here are some fun activities to work on the long A sound. I made these sorting cards activities,  game board, and bingo cards to help ED with words spelled in these combinations: a, ai, ay a_e, ei, eigh and ey. She has had a lot of fun with this packet and begs me to play “just one more time”! That’s a win for me! She hasn’t yet worked on all...

Middle Ages Hands-On Projects 0

Middle Ages Projects and Books

Middle Ages Projects and Books for Kids! As with a lot of our homeschool curriculum, we’re patching together our Middle Ages Unit.  I thought I’d share some of the books, projects, and resources we’ve been using recently as we continue through our studies of the Middle Ages. Yesterday, we got to such an exciting part of our current Middle Ages novel, that we couldn’t stop! We read aloud for nearly...

0

Earth Day Math Games for Addition and Multiplication

This Wednesday is Earth Day. I made the kids some math game boards to practice their math facts.  I have made a number of different game boards options including basic addition and doubling as well as multiplication boards. They are all in the same file. Just print out the game board that works best for your child. 🙂 Normally I include a picture of the kids playing the game, but I made...