Author: Liesl - Homeschool Den

How to make a bead bowl 2

Summer Activities: Make a Bead Bowl (20 mins)

It has been very hot here. Here’s a fun indoor activity that only takes 20-30 minutes — Bead Bowls.   My girls loved this activity!  I first saw this on Erica’s blog, Confessions of a Homeschooler, back last January.  (She has lots of awesome ideas-be sure to check out her blog!).  I kept this in the back of my mind because I knew it would be a great activity when it was...

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Quarto Strategy Game

This summer, we’re trying to bring out some of the board games that are often ignored during the school year. Board games and strategy games can foster the ability to think, focus, and problem solve. Games require players to plan ahead and can help develop more sophisticated thinking skills. Games are beneficial because they foster social interaction and social skills. Everyone practices taking turns and following the rules.  Games also help...

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Summer Activities: Slip-n-Slide

Slip-n-Sliding is really fun when it’s hot out, just as long as there are no water restrictions.  For some reason, ED asks all year long when we’re going to go slip-n-sliding… It will be mid-January, snow everywhere and she’ll ask when it’ll be time! This year I promised myself I’d bring it out as soon as it was warm enough. So, we set up the slip-n-slide a week or so...

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Perfect 4th of July Frozen Treat

With watermelons in season, we’ll have some with our 4th of July barbecue.  Sometimes when we get a big melon there’s more than we can eat in one sitting. The kids love when I freeze the watermelon and bring it out as a frozen treat.  We use cookie cutters and then put it on a meat skewer. You could also use clean Popsicle sticks. The picture above is before they...

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Kids’ Songs Packet — Summer Camp at Home!

I went to girl scout camp every summer for years… and then worked as a girl scout counselor for several years after that.  I loved when we sang songs after our meals. Those songs have stuck with me all these years.  This past school year we didn’t do nearly as much music as we normally do.  I wanted to add in some fun songs this summer… especially for my youngest....

12 Books Celebrating America 2

12 Books Celebrating America

With the 4th of July right around the corner, I thought I would highlight some books you and your kids can read that celebrate America. I’ve selected books about the American Revolution and Constitution, but also wanted to point out some books about our beautiful country. If I were to recommend just one book, it might have to be They Called Her Molly Pitcher by Anne Rockwell. It is the...

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PreK Craft: Spaghetti Yarn Art

This Spaghetti Yarn Art is a cute, quick craft you can do with your 2-5 year old. This was a really good project even for ED, who was age 2 at the time.  She could pretty much do it on her own as long as I reminded her of the steps along the way. For this activity we needed cooked spaghetti (we used fettuccine), bits of yarn or string, and glue. We had one bowl of...

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Summer Activities: SPUD (20-30 mins.)

My kids are the perfect age for introducing them to some of my childhood summer favorites.  For some reason, the kids in my neighborhood called this game “Baby in the Air.”  I think it’s better known as “spud.” Anyway, whatever the name, the kids really loved it.  This is a game that combines catch and dodge ball. We played this with four of us. It seems like 4-6 players would...

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Summer Activities: Sun-Sensitive Nature Pictures

When I was at camp years ago, we made sun prints using photo paper and photography chemicals. I remember being thrilled to work in the darkroom. This isn’t quite as exotic, but it is a quick and easy version of that with sun sensitive paper… no chemicals needed! We got our paper at Oriental Trading. It was $6.25 per dozen sheets.  (Nature Print Sun-Sensitive Paper). I sent the kids outside...

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Summer Activities: Sun-Sensitive Nature Pictures

When I was at camp years ago, we made sun prints using photo paper and photography chemicals. I remember being thrilled to work in the darkroom. This isn’t quite as exotic, but it is a quick and easy version of that with sun sensitive paper… no chemicals needed! We got our paper at Oriental Trading. It was $6.25 per dozen sheets.  (Nature Print Sun-Sensitive Paper).   I sent the kids...

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Summer Activities: Big Bubble Wands & Foam Snakes

I’ve seen these activities all over the internet, but we have never given them a try. What a huge, huge hit these two activities were! The bubble solution was easy to make, I just had to make sure I ordered glycerine ahead of time. I mixed up another batch in under than five minutes when we (quickly) ran out of our first bowlful. This is the solution we used: 1...

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6 Native American Picture Books to Share with the Kids

I was looking for Native American children’s books written by and about Native Americans.  I found Debbie Reese’s website, American Indians in Children’s Literature. What a great resource! Today I’d like to share some of the books we read together this past week.  I went with the books that were available at our library and that were appealing to the kids. 1) Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story (affiliate link) This is a...

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Summer Activities: Kick The Can

This game instantly became a family and friend favorite!  Kick the Can is cross between hide-and-go-seek and tag with a “jail” thrown in for those who are captured! This was such an amazingly fun game to play in the woods where there are places to hide everywhere! This is a great game for 4-7 players. To begin, designate a place to be the “jail.” Not far away, the can should...

Free Subscription to Discovery Education Streaming Plus 0

Free Subscription to Discovery Education Streaming Plus

A number of years ago, we had a subscription to Discovery Education Streaming Plus.  We loved it. Not only does it include videos and video clips on practically any science or history topic you can imagine, it also offers shows such as The Magic School Bus Animated Hero Classics Liberty’s Kids Tutenstein Grossology Horrible Histories Time Warp Trio Reading Rainbow Greatest Discoveries with Bill Nye Journals through Histories Myth Busters...