Welcome to the Homeschool Den! Check out our latest packets at Our Store (click here!)! New to our website? Click here! Check out our packets and bundles at these pages: Earth and Physical Science Page; Human Body Systems; Zoology/Animal Units; Biology Units; Chemistry Units; History Units; Multiplication/Division 2s thru 12s ; Spelling Games and Activities; Grammar worksheets

Fast Track Multiplication Facts Game 2

Fun Multiplication Facts Practice

Last week DD played many, many rounds of Fast Track.  This is an idea I got years ago from Peggy Kaye’s wonderful book, Games for Math: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Learn Math, From Kindergarten to Third Grade (affiliate link). We used the little Pokemon-themed flashcards I made for her a month or so ago… she’s working hard on those multiplication facts! This is a homemade board with several...

Money $$ Allowance, Family Money, Saving and More 1

Money $$ Allowance, Family Money, Saving and More

Did you know that tweens in the U.S. spend about $15 billion of their own money each year? Wow! Hubby and I felt we’ve really not done a very good job on teaching the kids about money, saving and finances.  We definitely want the kids to have more responsibility and practice with money while they are young… saving for trips (to have spending money) and spending their money wisely. This week,...

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Grammar Worksheets: it’s or its; they’re, their, or there

I made this practice sheet for the kids to practice choosing between its and it’s  or they’re, their and there.  If anyone else can use this, it’s free to download: Grammar Practice: its-it’s they’re-their-there     We’ve been covering quite a number of different grammar points lately (homophones, commas, apostrophes, underlining and so forth).  You can browse through all our (free) grammar worksheets by clicking on the categories button in...

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Homeschooling through the Teenage Years – Susan Wise Bauer

This morning I happened to come across an interview with Susan Wise Bauer.  She is a well-known author in the homeschooling community and she has homeschooled for 17 years.  She herself was homeschooled with her two siblings.  In this video-interview she discussed  homeschooling through the teenage years. Two of her children have now graduated and she talked a lot about her perspective on educating her kids through high school and college....

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Cooking with Kids: A Taste of Africa and the Middle East

As you probably know, the kids are studying world cultures this semester and the focus has been on Africa. Last week, the kids and I made several African and Middle Eastern dishes for dinner. We used the Kids Multicultural Cookbook and Cooking up World History for ideas. We made korma chicken (we added broccoli) with rice: The next night we made almond soup and Moroccan couscous. The almond soup was very, very...

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Our Read-Aloud Books (Chapter Books)

A couple of week or so ago I highlighted 14 picture books my girls have been enjoying lately. Today I thought I’d share a few of the chapter books we are enjoying. Each day during lunch I read a chapter from Chronicle of Narnia. Last week we finally finished The Horse and His Boy (affiliate link) and loved every minute of it!  It seems that everyone knows and talks about The...

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The Three Types of Rocks– Our Activities and a Free Worksheet Packet about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks

A few days ago I shared the Rocks and Minerals Packet I made for ED (which is also free). I wanted to spend more time on the three types of rocks–igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.  The kids were SO excited when they realized this activity was going to include semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, heath crunch bits and flaked coconut. (No we didn’t eat it all,...

Metamorphic Rock Hands-On Activity 5

The Three Types of Rocks– Our Activities and a Free Worksheet Packet about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks

A few days ago I shared the Rocks and Minerals Packet I made for ED who is in preschool. I wanted to spend more time on the three types of rocks–igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.  The kids were SO excited when they realized this activity was going to include semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, heath crunch bits and flaked coconut. (No we didn’t eat it all,...

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Free Grammar Worksheets: Homophones (words that sound the same, but are spelled differently)

The kids are doing some work on homophones (words that sound the same, but are spelled differently) right now.  I made up a worksheet set for them and will share them below for anyone else who might be interested: Download the Free worksheets on Homophones here.

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Our Visit to the Local Mosque

As I mentioned yesterday, we have been studying Islam. We spent about a week and a half learning about how Islam was founded and some of their basic beliefs. Over the course of the week, the kids had tons of great questions… Things I just couldn’t answer. I decided to contact a nearby mosque to see if they did any community outreach. I make that sound easy, but it was actually...

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Learning About Islam – Free Worksheets and Resources for Kids

This year we are studying World Cultures and our focus has been on Africa.  Before we delve further into the culture and history of northern Africa, I wanted to help the kids understand a bit about Islam. Here is a set of worksheets I made for the kids as we learned a bit about Islam. This might also be helpful if you are doing an introduction to world religions.  You...

Health Tips to Live Longer and Better 2

Health Tips to Live Longer and Better

I love reading little articles that have tips for living healthier and longer.  There were some neat tips in Parade a couple weeks ago (Sunday, Jan. 27).  As a busy Mom, I can certainly use all the advice I can get! Here are a few things I learned: Do you think smoking or watching TV will shave more time off of your life?  According to an analysis of health records,...

Yet Another Reason to Avoid Fast Food 0

Yet Another Reason to Avoid Fast Food

An article in Science News caught my attention the other night. As many of you know, my son has had some issues with asthma and has recently been diagnosed with severe dust, pollen, weed, tree, and mold allergies. The title of their article certainly caught my eye, “Fast Food Linked to Asthma Risk.”  According to the article, a survey of more than a half-million people has shown that certain foods...