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Critical Thinking Activities / Games for Thinking and Learning / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 16, 2014 · Last modified June 24, 2015
I don’t know about you, but there are times when the kids complain about being bored and not having anything to do. We’ve been trying to bring out some board games that don’t get much use during the school year. A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a game called Quarto. Another quick strategy game we’ve been playing this summer is called Quoridor. (affiliate link) The goal of this game is...
Arts and Crafts / Homeschool Den / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 14, 2014 · Last modified June 23, 2015
Here’s a fun indoor activity that takes under 20 minutes. All of my kids and my niece (13) enjoyed making their own stationery. All you need for this activity is shaving cream, tempera paint and a thicker paper. We used medium weight drawing paper. Here are the easy steps: Spray the shaving cream, Add spoonfuls of the desired paint, Mix lightly with a finger or spoon, Press the paper down...
Homeschool Den / Language Arts: Books: Children's Literature
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 12, 2014 · Last modified May 19, 2015
Some of you may not know that we lived overseas for many years. In fact, all three kids were born in Central Australia. ED was just young enough when we left that she doesn’t remember very much about Australia any more. We’ll be doing a short unit on Australia when we start back up with school. With the help of one of my Australian friends, we came up with a...
This is such an easy idea, I hesitated even to mention it, but it occupied the girls for well over an hour. It was simple, easy, creative and mess-free — so I just had to share!! This would even be a great activity to keep the kids occupied on a long car trip. Our local Dollar Tree had some modeling clay available and the consistency was perfect. I wish I had...
Ages 2-6: Preschool (Age 4) / Ages 2-6: Preschool and Toddler Activities / Arts and Crafts / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 9, 2014 · Last modified May 14, 2015
When it’s really hot outside, it’s great to have a project indoors to keep the kids entertained. One year we made Mushroom Playhouses. The kids still have their mushrooms… and they have been used as fairy homes and the Littlest Pet Shop’s play houses. Here’s how you and the kids can make your own mushroom playhouse: 1) We covered rolled-up cardboard and a balloon with paper maché. [1/2 cup flour +...
Family Meeting / Games for Thinking and Learning / Homeschool Den / Homeschool: Our Homeschool (what our day is like, curriculum choices, etc.)
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 8, 2014 · Last modified April 10, 2016
In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony. — Eva Burrows Does your family hold a regular family meeting? We started holding one a couple of years ago and started some traditions that are still family favorites… “candle night,” the “smiley under the plate” and getting downright silly with the kids in “knock your socks off.”...
Arts and Crafts / Must Read / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 7, 2014 · Last modified June 23, 2015
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...
Critical Thinking Activities / Games for Thinking and Learning / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 3, 2014 · Last modified June 24, 2015
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...
Homeschool Den / Outdoor Fun / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 2, 2014 · Last modified June 24, 2015
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...
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...
Kindergarten / Music / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published June 30, 2014 · Last modified March 16, 2016
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....
History: American History / History: Civics, Government and Economics / Language Arts: Books: Children's Literature / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published June 28, 2014
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...
Ages 2-6: Preschool (Age 4) / Ages 2-6: Preschool and Toddler Activities / Arts and Crafts / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published June 28, 2014 · Last modified November 2, 2018
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...
Outdoor Fun / sports / Summer Activities
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published June 27, 2014 · Last modified June 24, 2015
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...
Do you believe education can be exciting, inspiring, and full of joy? We do too!
I love the quote by William Butler Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." It's about getting the kids involved, engaged, and fired up about learning (while juggling the rest of life too!)
A bit about me: I have my Master's from Brown University. I have more than 20 years of teaching experience. I was a high school teacher for many years both in the U.S. and internationally and also taught for the University of Maryland before leaving to homeschool my 3 wonderful kids.
To read more about us CLICK HERE.
Click on the image to find out more about the units and packets we have available.
This post has links to dozens of posts and resources both for new and veteran homeschoolers for everything from finding homeschool curriculum to general homeschool advice and encouragement.
Click on the image above to see the History Units we covered in our homeschool.
What science topics could I teach my 5-7 year old - Homeschool Science Curriculum
Click on the image above to see the Science Units we covered in our homeschool from elementary through middle school (and beyond!).
A list of the books we've used most in history, science, math, language arts, etc.
Click the image to check out our packets on Earth Science, Rocks and Minerals, the Atmosphere, Weather, Energy and More!
Units are also sold separately.
This is one of our most popular units. It covers the Layers of the Earth, Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes and More! It is included in the Earth Science Bundle (see the picture/link above).
Click the image to see our Biology Units on Animal and Plant Cells; the Biology Unit on Biomes, Food Chains, Symbiosis; Scientific Classification & Taxonomy (Domain/Kingdom/Phylum/Class, etc.); Botany - Plant Kingdom and Oceans and Oceanography.
Click on the image to see our Animal Bundle - including the Animal Unit, Life Cycles, the Rainforest, Winter (Polar Animals) & Hibernation, Chameleons, Wolves, Cicadas and more!
The Human Body Systems, Skeletal, Digestive, Circulatory, Muscular, Nervous, Endocrine Systems and More (with lots of hands-on activity ideas)! We usually study a different body system each year.
Click on the image to see our units on the States of matter, Properties of Matter, Electricity & Circuits, and the Chemistry Unit (Get to know the Periodic Table in a fun way!)
This is a free checklist I put together of the various science units I hope to cover in the elementary and middle school years.
Do your kids know the 4 largest countries? Which countries have the most people? The longest river? This packet covers basic world and U.S. facts and also covers geographic features and land forms.
Click on the image to check out our 100-page unit on World War I.
We have used AAS for 6 years! AAS is an affiliate link.
Dozens of posts about how to create a homeschool writing workshop.
Click on the image to check out all of our fun K-2 Math Packets.
This is one of the best values we have... more than 20 PDFs with games, activities and worksheets to learn/practice the multiplication facts ($7.00).
Click on the image to discover some of the pages, posts and homeschool resources within our blog that might be the most useful for you including a long list of our freebies!
Click on the image to check out our 100+page Rocks and Minerals Unit.
This is a fun, hands-on unit for early elementary students!
How the body is organized from cells to tissues... organs to body systems
Click on the image to check out some of the Spanish worksheet bundles we have available!
Click on the image above to check out our German worksheets.
Click on the image to find out more about our units and packets.
