Homeschool Curriculum Archives

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids

January 26, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Is anyone else kind of “over” winter? It seemed like the weather was never going to get cold and then BOOM! we all got hit with a massive winter storm and I was like “Okay, that’s enough cold for now.”

To get back to enjoying the fun of winter, I put together a quick roundup of fun winter crafts for kids that you can do in just a few minutes!

Today is also another Laugh and Learn linky party! Check out our favorite posts from last week and read more great posts from awesome bloggers below!

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids

Honestly, crafting is not one of my natural gifts. I’m the type of person that needs step-by-step directions to do most tasks. But these crafts are so easy even a non-crafty person (like myself) can do them in no time!

To get the scoop on how to make these crafts with your kids, stop over at Thinking Outside the Sandbox to get the details!

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids – Thinking Outside the Sandbox

Resources to Make Winter Crafts for Kids:

To make winter crafting even easier, try these great resources!

For more winter fun, follow my Winter Activities for Kids board on Pinterest!

Onward to the linky!

This week we have some great links to share with you. We are very excited to bring you another great opportunity to linkup with us!

Welcome to our 67th week of Laugh and Learn – Home & Family Linkup! Laugh and Learn Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.
New: We have decided to expand our linkup to home and family categories! You are still welcome to share homeschooling or parenting posts with us. That will always be part of the #LaughLearnLinkup!

Each and every week, all of the hosts will pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on three blogs.

We are also sharing the top four posts on Pinterest: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!
Reminder: Please share this linkup! You can help us build a great family, home, parenting, and homeschool group.
Laugh and Learn Linkup was created by Tina from Los Gringos Locos. We want to thank her for this opportunity and send her big hug on her new adventure.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help them learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids, and their funny antics. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
Stumble Upon

Grab a Button / Badge:

If you were featured this week, we would love for you to use this badge below. We really appreciate all your hard work, and sharing with us each and every week!

I was featured at Laugh and Learn Linkup: Join us every Tuesday to share your favorite home or family posts!

We would also love if you could use this badge on any post you shared with us. Or a text link would also be greatly appreciated. More shares and links helps us build a better and bigger linkup for all us to benefit from.

Laugh and Learn Linkup: Join us every Tuesday to share your favorite home or family posts!

Most Clicked on Link

Selena’s pick for this week…

Note from Selena:
I love these ideas for making geography fun and hands-on in your homeschool!

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Note from Sarah:
We’ve actual conducted an experiment this year. With bipolar, ADHD, aspergers, and anxiety all in the mix, January is our most difficult month. So this year we just took it off. It’s been nice not feeling guilty about being to tired to get school done. I love Lindsey’s ideas for easing back into the routine.

Haley’s pick for this week…

Note from Haley:
These look amazing and I may even be able to get my kids to eat them!

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image. If you enjoyed these picks as much as we did, please share them also!

Have you joined our Pinterest Board yet?

Follow Tina Ernspiker’s board #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites} on Pinterest.

Now give us your best posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

Snowflake 2nd Grade Math Factors Craft

January 21, 2016 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

We actually had a chance of snow flurries in our forecast this week! In Georgia, that’s a huge deal. A chance of snow flurries means a state of emergency.

Turns out that we didn’t actually get any snow, which was disappointing to my kids. But we kept the snowy theme going with a fun paper snowflake craft featuring 2nd grade math factors!

Check out our winter-y math craft below!

Snowflake 2nd Grade Math Factors Craft

Before we could start talking about math factors, though, Pooh needed a quick primer on multiplication. So we talked about making equal groups – one of the ways we can teach multiplication.

First, we started with a simple multiplication fact – 3 groups of 3 equals 9.

Then we learned that you can also make nine by using 1 group of 9 dots.

Which means 9 has three factors: 1, 3, 9. All three can be multiplied in different combinations to make 9.

Time to make our math factor snowflakes! We used our Snowflake Math Factor Printables and a set of Unifix Cubes to help Pooh visualize how to find his multiplication factors.

As we made equal groups of 8, 4, and 2, Pooh discovered the missing math factors that make 24: 3, 6, and 12.

As we discovered the missing factors, Pooh filled in his snowflake.

Now to cut it out!

Roo was in the kitchen as we worked. He came upon one of the paper scraps and declared it “a great white shark’s tooth”. Alrighty then.

We added masking tape to the back and hung our snowflakes on the window.

Ta-da! We got some “snow” after all!

This was a really fun, hands-on activity that also served as a nice way to talk about multiplication without overwhelming my 2nd grader.

If you’d like to make this craft at home, grab a set of our free Snowflake Math Factor printables! There are combinations up to 144, so you can easily use this with 2nd to 4th graders. Plus, the answers are included!

For even more winter weather fun, pick up our All About Snowflakes unit study! It has our snowflake math factors, as well as plenty of other science, grammar, and Pre-K activities about snow!

We’re not the only ones having fun with snow this week! Check out the other snow and ice activities from the Early Elementary Blogging Team!

More Snow & Ice Learning Activities from the Early Elementary Team:

Snow Shapes with Penguin Shape Printable from Life Over C’s

Snow Prints Process Art from Still Playing School

Letter Learning & Spelling With Ice Pens from Preschool Powol Packets

Snow & Ice – Kids Arts & Crafts Activities from The Natural Homeschool

Lego Snowflake Symmetry from Rainy Day Mum

Simple Winter Science How to Catch Snowflakes from Lemon Lime Adventures

Antarctica Activity with Snow Dough from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Snowflake 2nd Grade Math Factors from Look We’re Learning

10 Picture Books about Firefighters

January 18, 2016 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

My boys are seriously into firefighters right now. When they see a fire truck go by on the street, you’d think that the sky had started raining cotton candy. Even Piglet jumps up and down shouting “FIRE TRUCK, MAMA!”

We got to learn about firefighters with a firefighter unit study a couple of months back, but I wanted to read a few more kids’ books about them. Pooh is reading chapter books now, so we’ve started Flat Stanley and the Firehouse.

But Roo is still in the early reader stage, so I started searching for picture books about firefighters that he’d love. Here are 10 of them that are full of pictures and firefighting fun!

10 Picture Books about Firefighters

If you want to use these books as the basis for a unit, check out our Firefighter Unit Study!

And for more great children’s books, follow my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

Lego Bar Graphs for 1st Grade

January 14, 2016 by Selena Robinson 10 Comments

Roo is currently working his way through his first grade math objectives and it’s time to talk about reading and creating simple bar graphs. And what better way to learn just about any math skill than by using LEGO?

I’m joining up with the Early Elementary Blogging Team to share fun LEGO activities for kids in grades 1-3 today. In our family, we learned how to construct LEGO Bar Graphs for 1st Grade!

If you have a child who loves hands-on math, this is a simple and fun way to learn it!

Creating LEGO Bar Graphs for 1st Grade

In first grade, kids work on reading and making simple bar graphs. So, since we’d just gone to the store, I thought we’d collect data on the produce we currently had in the house.

I really wanted to use oranges, but they were a little *ahem* expensive this week, so onions it is!

First, I encouraged Roo to order all the objects he’d be representing. Apples in one row, onions in another, and bananas in a third row.

Then it was time to break out an anchor chart I’d made on graphing. Roo and I talked about how tally graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs were similar and different.

When he saw the bar graph, he said “Ohhhhh! I saw this before!” So we were starting out a little bit ahead.

I asked Roo what Duplo colors he thought we should use for each item. We didn’t have white, so blue had to do for the onions. But we wrote down each item and the number of each, so that he could easily create his graph.

So we got out the LEGO DUPLO Brick Set and got to work!

Once he saw the anchor chart, he had a good idea of what to do.

Apples at the bottom, onions in the center, and bananas on top – just like in his ordering sequence on the table.

Done!

Sigh….order is lovely, isn’t it?

Then we used the LEGO bar graph as the model to draw one on paper. Roo labeled his data and started drawing.

He took a few breaks to check his work as he drew.

All finished!

I love it when they look proud of their work!

Interestingly, I noticed as I wrote this post that Roo has on the exact same shirt for the activity this week as the one we shared last Thursday. I promise he has more than one shirt! He’s just strangely loyal to this one right now. Go figure.

For more math ideas for kids, follow my Math Mania board on Pinterest!

For more LEGO learning fun, check out the other activities from the Early Elementary Blogging Team this week!

LEGO Classification – Printable Diagrams from Life Over C’s

LEGO number line for Addition and Subtraction from In The Playroom

Hands-On Synonym Blocks Matching Game from Raising Little Superhereos

Spelling With LEGOS! from Preschool Powol Packets

LEGO Boat Engineering Challenge from Handmade Kids Art

Using LEGO to find Syllables from Rainy Day Mum

Area and Perimeter with Lego Duplos from School Time Snippets

Plural Nouns with LEGO from Still Playing School

Combinations of Ten Using Lego Figures from Lemon Lime Adventures

How to do an Lego Engineering Project for Kindergarten, First, or Second Grade from Thriving STEM

Estimating and Probability with LEGO from Planet Smarty Pants

Lego Bar Graphs for First Grade from Look We’re Learning

LEGO Irregular Verb Matching Activity for Second Grade from Sugar Aunts

Exploring Symmetry with a Lego Firefly from Crafty Kids at Home

Pick Two: A Fun LEGO Math Game from Creative Family Fun

Improving Math Thinking Skills with Redbird Mathematics

January 12, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

How many of you think that you’re “bad” at math? I didn’t think I was bad at it, but I didn’t think I was exactly good at it either. I mean, I can get through it, but it’s not a pleasant journey.

So, I was thrilled to get a chance to try Redbird Mathematics from GiftedandTalented.com! Since the program was developed by Stanford University, I knew it would be exceptional for teaching kids how to use mathematical principles to think their way through operations, rather than just memorizing them. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Read on to see how we used Redbird Mathematics to improve math thinking skills with our second-grader. Plus, enter to win a three-month subscription absolutely FREE!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

What If My Child Hasn’t Been Labeled as Gifted?

Don’t worry! You can still use Redbird Mathematics by GiftedandTalented.com. One of the things I love about this program’s philosophy is that “giftedness” should be the destination, not the starting point. Which means that your child doesn’t have to be termed “gifted” in order to use it.

Instead of being a program catered to gifted kids, Redbird Mathematics strives to help kids of all learning abilities develop their own mathematical gifts. And, since we’re trying to combat the “bad at math” stigma in our family, that’s a philosophy we can get behind!

How Redbird Mathematics Works

When you purchase a subscription to Redbird Mathematics, you’re not tied to a single grade level. The program covers math concepts from kindergarten through grade 7, so you can move up or down as your child needs.

If you’re unsure which grade level your child should use, Redbird Mathematics gives you the option to look at the concepts covered in each grade. Since Pooh was already familiar with the Grade 1 concepts, we decided to start with Grade 2.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Once you choose a grade level for your child, the program gives him or her an assessment test to see what concepts they already know.

I’ll be honest: It was extremely tough for me NOT to help Pooh with the problems on the assessment. I had to keep telling myself “It’s just to see what he knows. He doesn’t have to get them right.” Eventually I just walked away. So this part might be hard if you tend to be a helicopter parent like *ahem* me.

Once the assessment is complete, the program automatically chooses a starting point for your child. Then it’s time to get started!

How Redbird Mathematics Improves Math Thinking Skills

What separates Redbird Mathematics from other math programs (to me) is the way that the program encourages kids to think about math operations.

Pooh already knows his addition and subtraction facts through 12, but he had never used a hundred chart or base 10 blocks before. So it was almost as if he had to relearn adding and subtracting.

Frankly, it was as if I had to relearn them too. So, if you are used to teaching math in the traditional manner, expect a fairly steep learning curve when you first begin using the program.

I also found that it was not a program Pooh could use on his own. But that’s okay. I don’t expect a lot of independent math learning in second grade anyway.

In the beginning of each lesson, Redbird Mathematics gives you an overview of what your child will cover, as well as a few sample problems. That’s really helpful, because it can help your child prepare for what to expect as the lesson moves along.

Here’s what I really loved: Pooh had to really use his brain to learn how to add with the hundred chart. For example, when he saw the problem “8 + 10”, his first instinct was to start adding it in his head.

Instead, I asked him to follow the program directions and learn how to find the same answer using the hundred chart. After a few minutes of practice, he got the hang of it.

But if he already knows addition facts, what’s the point of learning to use a hundred chart?

Well – if he can understand how numbers are related to one another, then his ability to solve math problems becomes more flexible.

As the program showed him, moving up and down by rows increases or decreases numbers by 10.

And moving left and right increases or decreases numbers by one.

Once he grasped that, he could find missing numbers in equations and alternate counting by ones and tens quickly. That’s good practice for counting change, telling time, and algebra!

There were a few times that I supplemented Redbird Mathematics with some hands-on tools. For example, when we were learning about how to find the distance between 42 and 67 on the hundred chart and then place the resulting numbers in addition and subtraction equations, it was time to break out the chalkboard.

Once Pooh saw that we were using the numbers on the chart to fill in an abbreviated fact family, he understood what to do with them.

When Pooh finished working with the hundred chart, the program moved him on to learning to add and subtract using Base Ten blocks. That’s right. After learning to add and subtract with one strategy, Redbird Mathematics introduces another strategy to learn the exact same skills.

But here’s what’s good about that: If kids can learn how to perform the same operations with differing data, numbers, and methods, they begin to understand mathematical principles better. Which means they can use them in various situations with ease.

And that’s what we want, right?

With the Base Ten blocks strategy, I also used a hands-on tool: Unifix cubes.

Breaking the rows apart into single cubes to replicate the math problem on the screen really helped Pooh “get” what we were learning.

As he found out, you can regroup 6 ones and 7 ones into 1 ten and 3 ones.

Which means that 6+7 is equal to 10 + 3!

And that is the beauty of learning to add in different ways!

If you’d like to boost your child’s math thinking skills, now’s the time to purchase Redbird Mathematics! You can score a 10 percent discount on a three-month subscription through February 1 with the promo code LEARNMATH! Just be sure to enter the code during the checkout process.

Now – on to the giveaway!

Ten winners will receive a free 3-month subscription to GiftedandTalented.com’s K7 Redbird Mathematics: Advanced Edition – a $60 value! This giveaway ends January 28, 2016.

To enter, use the giveaway widget below!

Entry -Form

To learn more about Redbird Mathematics from GiftedandTalented.com, follow the company on the social networks below! And don’t forget to sign up for the Redbird Mathematics Newsletter while you’re there! You’ll find the signup form on the company website.

Free Printable Flashcards: Punctuation Flashcards

December 29, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Punctuation is one of those concepts that’s kind of boring, but you just have to learn it.

We start talking about the use of periods, question marks, and exclamation marks in the early grades, but when kids get into their upper elementary years, it’s time to introduce other marks (colon, semi-colon, quotation marks, etc.).

So I thought I’d make a batch of punctuation flashcards for our collection of free printable flashcards to make learning this language arts skill a little more fun!

These are a simple way to add hands-on learning to grammar lessons, which can be a huge help if you have active learners like we do. Plus, they’re just plain old fun!

If you like these, try our Construction Contractions language arts lesson! It’s full of writing practice for learning about contractions with a fun construction theme!

Free Printable Flashcards: Punctuation Flashcards

To use these printable punctuation flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided here for convenience. For more, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This flashcard set includes cards for eight different punctuation marks:

Period
Comma
Question Mark
Exclamation Mark
Quotation Marks
Apostrophe
Colon
and Semi-Colon

Try using the unlabeled cards to quiz kids on which punctuation mark is which. Once the children learn to identify each mark, write sentences without punctuation and ask which mark belongs in each sentence.

If you’re teaching punctuation to younger kids, you can probably skip quotation marks, colon, and semi-colon. But those would be excellent review concepts for upper elementary and middle school children!

Once the kids learn the correct names for each punctuation mark, try the unlabeled cards to give them a little quiz!

You can also use them to play a fun matching game – as a review!

Scroll down to get your free printable punctuation flashcards!

More Resources for Learning Punctuation:

If you want to teach your kids even more about how to use punctuation, try these great resources!

Don’t miss our other language arts learning ideas!

And be sure to follow our Homeschool Language Arts board on Pinterest for more inspiration!

To get your copy of our Free Printable Flashcards: Punctuation Flashcards, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll receive these flashcards, plus lots of other freebies, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

Just use the widget below to get started!

NOTE: If you don’t receive the welcome email with the access information, check your spam folder. It might be hiding in there. 🙂

10 Kids’ Books about Penguins

December 15, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

One of our upcoming unit studies is going to be about penguins, so I thought we’d get started now by finding some children’s books about these super cute creatures. Today I’m sharing 10 kids’ books about penguins that would be perfect for a winter or polar unit!

Today is also another edition of the Laugh and Learn linky, so all of the ladies have shared their favorite picks from last week below. Be sure to check out our picks and read the newest posts shared!

Note: The Laugh and Learn linky will be going on vacation until the first of the year, so look for the next edition on January 5th!

10 Kids’ Books about Penguins

1. National Geographic Readers: Penguins by Anne Schreiber

2. Penguins! by Gail Gibbons

3. Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

4. How Do Penguins Play? by Diane Muldrow

5. If You Were a Penguin by Florence and Wendell Minor

6. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

7. Penguins by Seymour Simon

8. Scholastic Discover More: Penguins by Penelope Arlon

9. Penguin Says “Please” by Michael Dahl

10. Penguin Chick by Betty Tatham

For more winter animal fun, check out some of our other posts!

For more tips to make your kids into readers, check out my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

Linky time!

We are very EXCITED to bring you some new changes to this weeks Laugh and Learn Linkup! We hope you like them, and will continue to support us.

Welcome to our 63rd week of Laugh and Learn – Home & Family Linkup!
Laugh and Learn Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.
New: We have decided to expand our linkup to home and family categories! You are still welcome to share homeschooling or parenting posts with us. That will always be part of the #LaughLearnLinkup!

Each and every week, all of the hosts will pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on four blogs.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures, and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Instagram

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help them learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids, and their funny antics. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
Stumble Upon

Grab a Button / Badge:

If you were featured this week, we would love for you to use this badge below. We really appreciate all your hard work, and sharing with us each and every week!

Tina’s pick for this week…

Note from Tina:
This soup sounds amazing.

Selena’s pick for this week…

Note from Selena:
We’re entering the time of year when homeschool mom need a little encouragement. I can definitely use these tips!

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Note from Sarah:
Never having enough help to keep the house neat and clean is one of my pet peeves. I love this easy to manage “zones” idea.

Haley’s pick for this week…

Note from Haley:
I love the tips here. My oldest is constantly complaining about how he thinks it’s not fair. I can’t wait to apply some of these.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image. If you enjoyed these picks as much as we did, please share them also!

Have you joined our Pinterest Board yet?

Follow Tina Ernspiker’s board #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites} on Pinterest.

Now give us your best posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

Printable Spanish Flashcards: Spanish Clothing Flashcards

December 3, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

We’re sharing another set of printable Spanish flashcards today!

Some of our recent packs include Spanish Parts of the Body Flashcards and Spanish Weather Flashcards, so it’s time to move on to la ropa. (clothing)

Which is why I thought it would be a good to share a set of printable Spanish Clothing Flashcards!

Read on to learn how to get your set!

Printable English and Spanish Clothing Word Flashcards for Kids!

These are great for learning to recognize articles of clothing – in both English and Spanish.

So they’d make a great preschool resource for English speakers or a good vocabulary booster for kids who are learning Spanish!

Want more ways to teach kids Spanish? Check out our list of Spanish books for kids!

These printable Spanish clothing word flashcards are a great way to help kids build their Spanish vocabulary!

Printable Spanish Flashcards: Spanish Clothing Flashcards

To use these printable Spanish clothing flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Laminator (good if you want to make the cards durable)
Scissors

Printable Spanish Clothing Word Flashcards

This set includes flashcards for 12 clothing words in both English and Spanish:

sunglasses
jacket
pants
belt
sweater
shoe
T-shirt
suit
purse
gloves
dress
hat

English and Spanish Clothing Word Flashcards

You’ll also find a set of picture cards for quizzing and memory work.

In addition, there’s a pronunciation guide to help you and your kids learn to say the Spanish words correctly!

That way, you don’t have to worry about saying them wrong if you get the chance to have an actual conversation in Spanish. (That is NOT a good feeling, by the way.)

Printable Spanish Clothing Word Flashcards for Kids

Scroll down to get your copy of our printable Spanish clothing flashcards!

Check out some of our other printable Spanish flashcards!

Pick up these Spanish months of the year flashcards to practice reading and saying months in both English and Spanish!

Practice talking about the parts of the body in Spanish with these Spanish parts of the body flashcards!

Learn to talk about wild animals in Spanish with these Spanish zoo animal flashcards!

Spanish Clothing Words Flashcards @ Look! We're Learning!

To get your set of printable Spanish clothing word flashcards, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check them out below!

Homeschooling with ADHD eBook

November 30, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

We’ve been writing about homeschooling with ADHD here at Look! We’re Learning! for quite a while, but I (in typical ADD fashion) have been procrastinating with this eBook.

I’ve wanted to write it for months, but it seemed overwhelming and just..impossible. I did mention I have ADD, right?

But here it (finally) is! This eBook “Homeschooling with ADHD” is the resource you’ve been looking for! If you’re teaching kids with ADHD at home or if you’re even considering it, this ebook is for you!

And *for a limited time*, I’m giving it away FREE!

Homeschooling with ADHD eBook

This eBook is divided into six chapters beginning with a discussion of what ADHD is and ending with detailed suggestions for how you can continue homeschooling, even when ADHD-related problems arise.

What if you’re a parent with ADHD? You can still homeschool your kids with ADHD! (Trust me, I’m doing it.) There’s a special section in the book just for you – with tips and tricks to make homeschooling something you love, not simply something you endure.

And, because I really want you all to benefit from these tips, I’m giving the ebook away for FREE for 48 hours! It’s normally priced at $5.99, but you can get it for nothing until December 2!

If you decide to download the ebook, please share your thoughts about it with me at selena@lookwerelearning.com. Grab your free eBook from our store using the link or image below!

Homeschooling with ADHD eBook – Look! We’re Learning! Store

Deciding to Send Your Homeschooled Kids to Public School

November 24, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

If you’ve been following our blog for the past few months, you probably know that we took a homeschooling break last year and then returned to homeschooling this year.

While I discovered that public schooling was not for us, it might be the better option for others. If you’re considering sending your kids to public school, I’ve shared a few things that might help you make your decision.

Today is also another edition of the Laugh and Learn linky! Tina, Haley, Lindsey, Sarah, and I have chosen our features from the last party, so check them out below!

Deciding to Send Your Homeschooled Kids to Public School

Deciding to send your homeschooled kids to public school is a gut-wrenching process. At least it was for me. I remember waffling back and forth about it for months.

Throughout the process, I learned a lot about the public school system, my children, and myself. I don’t regret doing it, but I do wish that I’d had someone to tell me about what I could expect in advance.

So I decided to share a post about this very topic over at Learning 2 Walk! If you’re considering putting your kids in public school, stop by and see what you should take into account before you do.

Deciding to Send Your Homeschooled Kids to Public School – Learning 2 Walk

For more about what it’s like to send your homeschooled kids to public school, check out our series “The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment”!

The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment – Look! We’re Learning!

On to this week’s linky!

Welcome to our 60th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!
Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.

Each and every week, all of the hosts will pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on five blogs.

We are also sharing the top five posts on Pinterest: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!
Reminder: Please share this linkup! You can help us build a great homeschool and parenting group.
[bctt tweet=”Share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post with #LaughLearnLinkup. #ihsnet #ibabloggers”]

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures, and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram
Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help them learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids, and their funny antics. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
Stumble Upon
Lindsey

Lindsey Marie is a passionate writer eager to touch the hearts and minds of her readers. As a devoted mother to two, happy homeschooler, and scatterbrained housewife, she’s on a mission to find love and joy in “the simple life” and invites you to join her! She shares this journey with you at The Nitty Gritty Mom .
Find Lindsey Marie at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Periscope
Twitter
YouTube

Grab a Button / Badge:

If you were featured this week, we would love for you to use this badge below. We really appreciate all your hard work, and sharing with us each and every week!

Tina’s pick for this week…

Note from Tina:
I love Erin’s pics of her kids learning through everyday kid life. It’s great!
[bctt tweet=” See how #Fun a week in Life of Unschoolers can be with @Erin_Vincent35 #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Selena’s pick for this week…

Note from Selena:
Some of the games on this list are our favorites too!
[bctt tweet=”Take the groans out of #Math with great games recommended by @kidsmonlessons #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Note from Sarah:
My family loves lava cakes. These recipes look delicious!
[bctt tweet=”3 Amazing #Recipes for One-Minute Lava Mug Cakes @StudyAtHomeMama #LaughLearnLinkup “]

Haley’s pick for this week…

Note from Haley:
I love this idea! A great way to save and get every last drop out of those markers.
[bctt tweet=”Get every last drop out of your old markers! DIY Watercolors by @TotsAdventures #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Lindsey’s pick for this week…

Note from Lindsey:
This unit is packed with pages and would be fun to use with the littles.
[bctt tweet=”Help your little one learn all about social studies @HHomeschooling! #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image. If you enjoyed these picks as much as we did, please share them also!

Have you joined our Pinterest Board yet?

Follow Tina Ernspiker’s board #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites} on Pinterest.

Now give us your best posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Complete Life of Fred Buyers’ Guide

November 13, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

We’ve been using “Life of Fred” in our homeschool for the past couple of years and my children love it! In fact, after beginning Life of Fred: Fractions a few weeks back, my math-averse fifth grader actually asked to just read the book in her free time because she wanted to know what would happen to Fred next. That’s the first time she has ever simply wanted to “read” a math book. 🙂

“Life of Fred” is quickly becoming a buzzword in the homeschooling world. If any child has ever struggled with understanding math concepts, Fred is ready to jump in and help your child remember those tricky math concepts!

So, why are the Life of Fred books gaining popularity? The books follow Fred Gauss, a child prodigy math genius, during his exciting adventures which encounter every day math situations. Children actually want to read these books.

Your child can start using these books when it’s time to learn how to read, and your child can continue learning with Fred all the way to college! For a complete overview of the entire collection, check out each series of books below.

Click a title to learn more about each series in the Life of Fred collection:

Reading: Beginning Readers – Language Arts

Math: Elementary – Intermediate – Intro to Algebra – Pre-Algebra – High School – College – Finances & Entrepreneurship

Science: Biology – Physics – Chemistry

Life of Fred Beginning Readers Series

If your kiddo is just starting to learn to read, add these Life of Fred readers to your at-home library. They are fun to read over and over together. Incorporate Fred in your early reading lessons! The complete set consists of 18 books. Each book contains 32 pages.

Who is it for? Beginning readers (ages 4 and up)

Concepts covered: counting, using a compass, patience, days of the week, colors, shapes, how to make mashed potatoes, how to build a house, and more.

Titles included in the set: Blue, Bus, Lake, Potato Dreams, Ducks, Rain, Mud, Night, Dawn, House, Windows, Kitchen, Electricity, Dinner, Evening, Garden, Peach, and Going Home

More resources:

Life of Fred Elementary Math Series

Life Of Fred is like no other math program out there. It’s a story that begins with book one, and continues all the way through high school. It includes every other subject, such as science, history, geography, and more. Each book contains short, 4 to 6-page chapters, and usually is less than 20 chapters per book. This makes it possible for each child to go at a pace comfortable for them.

Who is it for? Kindergarten to 4th grade

Concepts covered: time, types of numbers, geometry, measurement, facts about stars, morse code, geography, adjectives & verbs, patterns, functions, sheet music, seven wonders of the world, math poems, percents, numbers vs. numerals, division, slope of a line, graphing, notation, the improper use of seat belts, how to prove you are not a duck, reducing fractions, and so much more.

Titles in this series: Apples, Butterflies, Cats, Dogs, Edgewood, Farming, Goldfish, Honey, Ice Cream, Jelly Beans

More about the Elementary Math Books:

Life of Fred Elementary Math books are discounted on Educents.com
“This is my first year home schooling and I wish I had found Fred earlier. My son loves to read, so Life of Fred makes math a cinch to teach now.” -Shanna, homeschooler
“I see a light shining bright from within my son that was almost extinguished completely. As he watched me place the order for the complete elementary set of Life Of Fred, I said ‘I can’t wait to see how Fred starts, and I want to see how it ends too, so be ready to order more!'” -Janet, homeschooler
“My granddaughter, who truly dislikes math, always wants to start the day with Fred. I have to stop her after four chapters. She would do the entire book in a day if allowed. I never thought I could use math class as a reward! And she is learning besides.” -Bette, homeschooler
Life of Fred Math Books in Carisa’s Homeschool
The Complete Guide to Using Life of Fred Homeschool Math
Featured on Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks
Samples: Apples, Butterflies, Cats

Life of Fred Intermediate Math Series

Designed for students under age 10, but already finished the Life of Fred elementary book series. Best for students who can add, subtract, and who understand multiplication and division.

Who is it for? 3rd to 7th grade

Concepts covered: Milliliters, writing numerals in checks ($4000 and not $40.00), idioms, 1/4 + 1/4 +1/4 = 3/4, elapsed time, metaphors, milligrams and pounds, rounding numbers, three-eights of 19,416, and more!

Titles in this series: Kidneys, Liver, Mineshaft

More about the Intermediate Math Books:

Life of Fred Intermediate Math books are discounted on Educents.com
“I was not so sure on these books. I heard a lot of good reviews but after we got them, just skimming through I wasn’t sure my 9 year old daughter would like them. I was WRONG! she really likes them! They move at a pace she likes and being one continuous story about Fred’s life keeps her interested and entertained. We will be back for more soon. She just finished Kidneys and is now on liver.” -Melisa W., Homeschooler
Samples: Kidneys, Liver, Mineshaft

Life of Fred Intro to Algebra Series

If your student can solve these equations: 5 + 8, 8 – 5, 7 times 8, 6231 divided by 93, then he or she is ready for the Fractions title. It also might be time for you to begin using a very basic calculator to complete these lessons.

Who is it for? 6th to 12th grade

Concepts covered: less than, cardinal and ordinal numbers, adding and subtraction fractions, lines of symmetry, geometric figures, circumference, reducing fractions, sets and subsets, probability, consecutive numbers, repeating decimals, area of a triangle, square roots, ordered pairs, and more!

Titles in this series: Fractions, Decimals and Percents

More about the Intro to Algebra Books:

Life of Fred Intro to Algebra books are discounted on Educents.com
“My boys really enjoy hearing about the story of Fred’s life. At first it sounded weird, Fred is a 5-year-old math genius, really? It didn’t take long for my boys to get hooked on the Life of Fred books – there’s humor and math woven throughout the story. They always look forward to find out what happens next.” -Joelle, Homeschooler.
How We Use Life of Fred Fractions & Decimals In Our Homeschool
Samples: Fractions, Decimals and Percents

Life of Fred Pre-Algebra Series

Fred does physics before algebra. What’s the difference between math and physics? In this series, students use math and science to solve quirky, real world scenarios – all while having fun with Fred of course!

Who is it for? 3rd to 7th graders

Concepts covered: numerals, area of a rectangle, the speed of light, nine forms of energy, Hooke’s law, static versus kinetic friction, photosynthesis, metric system, Gregorian calendar, conversion factors, unit analysis, freedom versus liberty, steps in solving word problems, venn diagrams, germination of seeds, digestion, negative numbers, whole numbers, chromosomes, DNA, circumference of a circle, and more!

Titles in this series: Pre-Algebra 0 with Physics, Pre-Algebra 1 with Biology, and Pre-Algebra 2 with Economics

More about the Pre-Algebra books:

Life of Fred High School Math Series

Life of Fred is preparing for college! In this series, students learn algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and a few other lessons from Fred. The Zillions of Practice books are keyed directly to the chapters and topics in the associated book. Each problem is worked out in complete detail to offer additional help for a student who may have gotten stuck along Fred’s mathematical journey.

Who is it for? 8th to 12th grade

Concepts covered: infinite numbers, ratios, graphs, plotting points, averages, multiplying polynomials, solving fractional equations, Pythagorean theorem, milkshake marketing, absolute value, surface area of a cone, imaginary numbers, slopes of perpendicular lines, complex fractions, linear equations, Cramer’s rule, ellipses, graphing in three dimensions, geometric sequences, Pascal’s Triangle, right triangles, quadrilaterals, entrepreneurship, geography of Kansas, piano music, sines, cosines, functions of two angles, a preview of calculus, and more!!

Titles included in the series: Beginning Algebra, Zillions of Practice Problems for Beginning Algebra, Advanced Algebra, Zillions of Practice Problems for Advanced Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry

More about the High School Math books:

Life of Fred High School Language Arts Series

Each book contains 19 cohesive lessons on grammar, language, writing, common mistakes, and basically the entire English language. The creator suggests doing these four books once every year during your students’ high school years.

Who is it for? 5th to 12th graders

Concepts covered: the seven parts of speech, punctuation, spelling, similes, silent letters, rules for making outlines, the difference between a metaphor and metonymy, and so much more.

Titles included in the series: Australia, Begin Teaching, Classes, Dreams

More about the Language Arts books:

Life of Fred Chemistry

In a single lecture hour, Fred completes a whole year of high school chemistry.

Who is it for? 8th grade to college

Concepts covered: exponents, atoms, conversion factors, mass vs. weight, Avogadro’s number, Kelvin scale, atomic number, isotopes, compounds, noble gasses, finding the atomic mass, early chemistry, oxidation numbers, balancing equation, and more!

More about the Chemistry book:

Life of Fred Chemistry book is discounted on Educents.com
“It’s solid science presented in a way that’s understandable, not intimidating, and fun. You learn math, you learn history and you learn science, all through the Life of Fred – through his experiences and teachings.” -Lisa, Homeschooler
“It reads like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but the chemistry is solid.” -Lisa’s husband, PhD in Analytical Chemistry
Sample of the Chemistry Book

Life of Fred College Math Series

This series is geared toward advanced high school math students, students preparing for college, or any adult who wants to brush up on their math skills while reading fun stories. Students will learn calculus, statistics, linear algebra, and advanced math puzzles (equations, not word problems).

Who is it for? 9th grade to adults

Concepts covered: functions, speed, slope, curvature, polar coordinates, Bayes’ Theorem, probability, descriptive statistics, field guides, solving systems of equations, vector spaces, linear functionals, math theory, abstract arithmetic, and more!

Titles included in the series: Calculus, Statistics, Linear Algebra, and Five Days of Upper Division Math

More about the College Math books:

Life of Fred Financial Choices

Let Fred help you teach your children about financial management, decisions, and choices. It’s very likely that you, the adult, will pick up a tip or two while teaching.

Who is it for? Useful for middle school kids all the way to adults

Concepts covered: entrepreneurship, spending, investing, retirement, debt, calculating interest, how to start a business, insurance, taxes, real estate, successful spending habits, stocks, mortgages, REITS, mutual funds, and more!

More about the Financial Choices book:

5 Spanish Resources for Kids

November 10, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

We love learning Spanish in our homeschool and we’ve featured many printables and programs for learning it on the blog over the years. But there are also online resources for learning Spanish that are super helpful for teaching it to children. See some of my picks in today’s post!

Today is Tuesday, so it’s also time for another party with the Laugh and Learn linkup! See our features from last week below and then read the newest posts on parenting and homeschooling!

5 Spanish Resources for Kids

Spanish is so frequently spoken in the U.S. now that, in some areas, it’s almost a native language instead of a foreign one. To me, that makes learning Spanish a necessity for our kids, not a hobby. So I’ve looked around for some good online Spanish resources that make teaching español to kids easier!

Stop by Year Round Homeschooling to check out five of the resources I’ve found for teaching kids how to speak Spanish!

5 Resources for Teaching Kids Spanish – Year Round Homeschooling

For even more Spanish learning fun, check out some of our other Spanish language posts!

Linky time!

Welcome to our 58th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!

Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.

Each and every week, all of the hosts pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on five blogs.

We are also sharing the top posts on Pinterest: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!
Reminder: Please share this linkup! You can help us build a great homeschool and parenting group.
[bctt tweet=”Share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post with #LaughLearnLinkup. #ihsnet #ibabloggers”]

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures, and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram
Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help them learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids, and their funny antics. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
Stumble Upon
Lindsey

Lindsey Marie is a passionate writer eager to touch the hearts and minds of her readers. As a devoted mother to two, happy homeschooler, and scatterbrained housewife, she’s on a mission to find love and joy in “the simple life” and invites you to join her! She shares this journey with you at The Nitty Gritty Mom .
Find Lindsey Marie at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Periscope
Twitter
YouTube

Grab a Button / Badge:

If you were featured this week, we would love for you to use this badge below. We really appreciate all your hard work, and sharing with us each and every week!

The Winners for the Week of October 27th:

Tina’s pick for this week…

Note from Tina:
My kids love Play-Doh (I think they will like moon dough too!) I love lavender essential oils. What a great idea to mix the them together!
[bctt tweet=”Crazy day with kids? Make Lavender Scented Moon Dough @stephanierknows #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Selena’s pick for this week…

Note from Selena:
Science is probably the only school subject I fear teaching, especially as my kids get older. Learning to investigate these topics at an early age will help my kids become more scientifically-inclined for the later grades.
[bctt tweet=”Learning Physics for #homeschooing will fun with this lesson on Friction. #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Note from Sarah:
I really appreciated these tips for teaching self control to children. We’ve struggled with this on and off for years. It has taken consistency, and a great deal of self control on our parts to teach it well.
[bctt tweet=”Help you child learn self-control with simple tips by @sarahecenteno #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Haley’s pick for this week…

Note from Haley:
I love these tips! We were just talking about starting an allowance for our kids and her tips for the 3 jar system will be handy.
[bctt tweet=”Help your kids learn to save with #Allowance tips by @kidsmonlessons”]

Lindsey’s pick for this week…

Note from Lindsey:
I’ve been wanting to dive into lapbooking for a while now and Tina’s idea-filled post makes it so much easier.
[bctt tweet=”75 Awesome things to add a #Lapbook by @TinasHomeschool #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image. If you enjoyed these picks as much as we did, please share them also!

Have you joined our Pinterest Board yet?

Follow Tina Ernspiker’s board #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites} on Pinterest.

Now give us your best posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

How to Make a Unit Study with Magazines for Kids

November 9, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

We’ve been using unit studies in our homeschool since the very beginning. I love the idea of “settling in” to a specific topic and tying our school subjects into the topic, instead of the other way around.

Over the years, I’ve started creating our own homeschool unit studies. Often, I use a book or a video as the basis for the unit. But, recently, I’ve also found that I can create a unit using kids’ magazines! Here’s how to make a unit study with magazines for kids!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Choosing a Good Set of Kids’ Magazines

First, you’ll have to find a great set of magazines for kids. Most recently, we used Fun for Kidz magazine as a starting point for some of our units.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve perused a children’s magazine, I can tell you that times have seriously changed since I read them as a kid. Many kids’ magazines nowadays have a LOT of advertisements, and they may be for products or entertainment that you’d rather not show to your children.

Fun for Kidz is different. There are NO advertisements at all. So I can hand the magazine to my children and let them read without having to tear out questionable content in advance.

Fun for Kidz is available in three versions:

Fun for Kidz – the original magazine, which features stories, comics, games, activities, and non-fiction articles

Boys’ Quest – geared toward boys aged 6 to 14 and featuring exploration and discovery

and Hopscotch for Girls – geared toward elementary and middle school-aged girls and featuring articles, stories, craft activities, and puzzles.

As you can see, there is something in Fun for Kidz for everyone. In fact, the content was so good that my kids ended up swapping magazines after they were done! So girls can read Boys’ Quest and boys can read Hopscotch for Girls without feeling weird. 🙂

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids’ Magazines

Okay. So you have your magazines. Now, how do you make them into a unit study? Simple. You find an article that features a broad topic and you build your unit around it.

For example, this edition of Fun for Kidz has an article on China. That’s a super broad topic for a unit study. You can use the information in the article to research additional topics and find matching activities, movies, and books. Since the article mentions Beijing, learning to write and speak Chinese, and Chinese currency, those are excellent areas to focus on in the unit.

Maybe you could read a few books about Beijing (reading), watch a video about what the city looks like and how it was built (geography/history), learn how to calculate the currency exchange rate (math), try to cook an authentic Chinese dish (cooking), and brush up on how to write and pronounce a few words in Chinese (foreign language). That sounds like a pretty good unit to me!

This was a short article about Pi. Why not use it as a starting point for a Pi Day unit?

Piglet loved this poem about exploring outer space. Naturally, this would be a good fit for an outer space unit.

Anne of Green Gables is on our homeschool reading list for fifth grade this year. Tigger started reading this article about Lucy Maud Montgomery, which I think will end up being part of our Anne of Green Gables unit.

We’re talking about forest animals right now in our homeschool, so this article on raccoons would be a great intro to a raccoon unit!

Of course, when the kids are reading the magazine, sound effects are encouraged. 🙂

When Pooh saw the articles on firefighters, though, he was hooked. He’s wanted to be a firefighter for the last several months. So – that was our most recent unit study: a Firefighter Unit Study. And we used the Fun for Kidz articles as our inspiration!

After we read the articles, we watched a video about firefighters and then we were off on our latest learning journey! Get a look at our Firefighters Unit Study to see what we learned!

We loved exploring Fun for Kidz, Hopscotch for Girls, and Boys’ Quest! And with so many great educational articles, we can use these kids’ magazines as the basis for several unit studies in the future!

If you’d like to try Fun for Kidz for yourself, you can get an awesome deal on your subscription through December 15, 2015! Order two subscriptions and get 50 percent off your order, including back issues, with the promo code HOMESCHOOL.

Terms:

This deal is only valid through December 15, 2015.
Postage for shipping magazines outside the U.S. is not included in the offer.

To learn more about Fun for Kidz, visit the company’s Facebook page and “Like” it to receive updates!

10 Fun Children’s Cookbooks

November 2, 2015 by Selena Robinson 8 Comments

Now that the weather is turning colder, I’ve started baking more often. And my three oldest are definitely ready to help out more in the kitchen. So I thought I’d look for some fun cookbooks for kids that would encourage them to want to learn how to cook.

Today I’m sharing 10 children’s cookbooks that are easy to use, full of pictures, and feature yummy recipes! After all, if the recipes aren’t good, the kids aren’t going to want to make them, are they?

If you and the kids enjoy these books, don’t miss our ideas for using a lapbook to teach kids to bake!

Fun Children’s Cookbooks

1. The Disney Princess Cookbook by Disney Book Group

2. Baking Kids Love by Sur La Table

3. My First Baking Book by Susan Akass

4. Cooking Class: 57 Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (And Eat!) by Deanna F. Cook

5. ChopChop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family by Sally Sampson

6. Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens

7. Kids’ Fun and Healthy Cookbook by Nicola Graimes

8. Sesame Street: C is For Cooking by Susan McQuillan

9. The Williams Sonoma Cookbook for Kids by Lisa Atwood

10. Pillsbury: Kids Can Cook! by Pillsbury Editors

For even more ideas on cooking with kids, check out how we used a cooking lapbook from Knowledge Box Central to get our children started in the kitchen!

Plus, find some sweet desserts to bake together in this list of cookie bar recipes!

Follow my Sweet Treats for Kids board on Pinterest for more sweet desserts to prepare with the family!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

8 Resources for Learning the Times Tables

October 30, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Are you an educator or parent with a frustrated child who is attempting to memorize the multiplication tables? Read on!

Hundreds of kids have learned their times tables in an hour using a very fun & easy to understand animated video. The Times Tales DVD is a two-part video series that uses stories to teach multiplication to kids. The videos use cute, simple stories that provide students with a “memory peg,” allowing them to quickly recall otherwise abstract multiplication facts. As students progress through the video, they’ll learn multiplication without even knowing it! It’s that easy!

About the Times Tales DVD – What is included?

Animated video comes on a DVD
CD includes printable worksheets and flashcards

What Educents customers are saying about Times Tales:

“Fun and effective! Did in 2 weeks what other curriculum didn’t do in a year!”

“My kids did NOT want to like this when I first opened it up, but they ended up liking it a LOT! They kept trying to “figure it out” so it took a while for my 2nd and 4th grader to just relax and watch the stories. We followed the recommended pace, and in 2 weeks this DVD solidified what other methods could not do for them in a year! Even my 3 yr old shouts out the answers to some of the quiz questions! Of course she doesn’t understand what she’s learning yet, but when her time comes, learning her multiplication facts will be painless and easy 🙂 Definitely recommend this program to anyone who has stressed over drilling boring multiplication facts into their kids! You WILL Love it! :)” -ML

“I can’t even imagine how many less papers my 5th grade teacher would have had to grade if we had this in my elementary school! We did multiplication drills every single day during our 2nd semester! Using this DVD really beats that.” – Celena J.

Times Tales Animated DVD & Printable Worksheets

Times Tales teaches kids the upper times tables without rote memorization. Students can simply follow along with the entertaining story. As they progress, they’ll be guided into associating the stories they’ve learned with real math. You can always find the Times Tales DVD at a discount on Educents.com!

More Activities to Practice Multiplication:

This hands-on activity uses legos to reinforce multiplication facts. Source: SchoolTimesSnippet

Early Multiplication: Grouping with Legos by School Time Snippets – Kristina and her son practice multiplications using Legos!

Multiplication Rap DVD – Kids discover what multiplication is all about, learn facts through 12, and practice skip counting.

Multiplication Clever Catch Ball – This colorful ball is an interactive way for kids to practice multiplication facts outside or during an organized classroom activity.

Visual way to teach multiplication to your student. Source: Lemon Lime Adventures

Patterned Multiplication Circles by Lemon Lime Adventures – Dayna and her 7-year old use this visual way to learn multiplication. This math craftivity is fun for all ages!

Musical Math with Sue Dickson’s Songs that Teach – This program makes memorizing the facts easy, sure, and fun with catchy songs that allow students to master the facts in no time!

30 Multiplication Facts Printable Worksheets – This low-cost packet includes 30 printable worksheets, 143 flash cards, six vocabulary word cards, and a multiplication chart.

A+ Math Multiplication Unit – Build a strong foundation in math with A+ Interactive Math’s multiplication unit.

10 Children’s Books about Construction

October 29, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Roo is a HUGE fan of construction, and I mean, HUGE. You know how kids change what they want to be when they grow up almost every other day? Well, Roo has said that he wants to be a builder for the last two years. He is unwavering on that point.

Whenever we go to the library, he asks to find books about building. So I thought I’d round up 10 children’s books about construction we’ve found – just in case you’re also living with an aspiring builder in your family. 😉

We’ll also be sharing a construction unit study later this year, so be sure to stay tuned for that!

10 Children’s Books about Construction

1. A Day with the Animal Builders by Sharon Rentta

2. Construction by Sally Sutton

3. Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres

4. Pete the Cat: Construction Destruction by James Dean

5. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker

6. How a House Is Built by Gail Gibbons

7. B Is for Bulldozer: A Construction ABC by June Sobel

8. Building a House by Byron Barton

9. Amelia Bedelia Under Construction by Herman Parish

10. Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail by James Horvath

For more construction-themed fun for kids, try our Construction Contractions Language Arts Pack!

Construction Contractions Language Arts Pack – Look! We’re Learning! Store

For more tips to make your kids into readers, check out my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

Preschool Playdough Mats: Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats

October 26, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

As the nights get longer, we start to see more and more forest animals peeking out of the trees in our neighborhood. So, I thought it was a great time of year to introduce a set of Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats!

These would go great with a forest unit study or a unit study on animal homes, especially if your family includes toddlers and preschoolers who are learning the alphabet!

These are wonderful for building fine motor skills and early literacy with young kids! Plus, they’re an excellent choice for quiet time play.

Be sure to check out the rest of our Preschool Playdough Mats, including beach number mats, apple tree counting mats, and more!

Preschool Playdough Mats: Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats

To use these forest playdough alphabet mats, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Color printer with ink
Printer paper
Laminator (This one has been a staple in our homeschool for years.)
Assorted playdough

In this set, you’ll find forest-themed mats for each letter of the alphabet from A to Z.

Both the uppercase and lowercase letters are shown, so you can introduce them both if you like.

To make sure these mats last, it’s a good idea to laminate them before use.

That way, once the kids are done, you can just wipe them clean and store them for another time.

Scroll down to get your copy of our Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats!

Kids’ Books about the Forest:

For even more learning fun about life in the forest, check out these kids’ books about forests!

1. A Forest Habitat by Bobbie Kalman

2. Forest Bright, Forest Night by Jennifer Ward

3. Who’s In the Forest? by Phyllis Gershator

4. Night-Night, Forest Friends by Annie Bach

Don’t miss these other preschool learning ideas!

To get your copy of these Forest Fun playdough literacy mats, check out the details below!

3 Ways to Make Math Fun for Active Learners

October 22, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Do your kids move and wiggle and jump around during school lessons? Mine too! Naturally, that’s par for the course when you’re raising kids with ADHD.

But there are lots of kids who don’t have ADHD and are still active learners. Here’s the problem: Teaching math generally requires concentration and wiggly kids tend to have a short attention span, which can make math class the most grueling part of the day.

In our family, we try to keep math lessons fun, interactive, and hands-on, so today I’m sharing some of our secrets. Check out 3 ways to make math fun for active learners using some wonderful homeschooling resources from Rainbowresource.com!

Disclosure: I received the products shown in this post for free and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Image: c/o pressmaster via Deposit Photos

Why Use Ways to Make Math Fun?

Math has been the bane of childhood for centuries. There are some kids who take to it right away and master it quickly. Then there are others (mine included) who just don’t seem to “get it”. I understand. After all, I was a humanities major and math was not my favorite subject either.

If you remember your math classes in public school, you likely recall sitting at a desk trying to complete a worksheet full of arithmetic problems or trying to take notes as your teacher wrote equations (at lightning speed!) on the chalkboard. That’s not going to work if you’re homeschooling an active learner. In our house, my kids are out of their seats before I finish demonstrating one problem.

The fascinating thing about ADHD is that kids who have it are actually capable of paying attention for extended periods of time if they are interested in the material. Catch their interest and you can get them to stay involved in the lesson. That’s why it’s worth our effort as parents to make math fun.

3 Ways to Make Math Fun for Active Learners

1. Use Math Games

Math games are a wonderful way to make math into an interesting activity for kids. We got to try a Wooden Domino set from Rainbowresource.com. (Confession: I had never played dominoes before, so I had to do a little studying on my own.)

Learning to play dominoes is actually a great way to practice counting, number recognition, and doubles.

After I explained the basic rules of the game to the kids, we started playing!

They quickly matched the correct number of dots to the existing dominoes on the board.

Then they isolated the doubles by turning them vertically against the other dominoes. For Roo, that was his first introduction to the concept of doubles. Something that would have taken a handful of worksheets otherwise was learned in 20 minutes of play. 🙂

Word problems are one of the math concepts that give kids the most trouble, especially in early grades. So I was excited to use Rainbowresource.com’s Under the Sea Shells Word Problem Activity Set with my boys.

Inside the box are word problem cards, seashells, and stars and crabs for counting.

Kids read the problem, choose the correct color and number of manipulatives, and solve the problem.

Since there are “easy” problems and “advanced” problems, both of my boys could work on problem-solving at their specific grade level.

For Pooh, seeing the items in action made a HUGE difference. He was finally able to understand what we’re doing when we solve a word problem. We’re simply using numbers to represent what actually happened. Lightbulb moment! And since we were “just” playing, he learned it without the pressure of feeling like he had to meet a certain standard.

The boys loved playing dominoes and using the seashell game, but I was super excited about playing Equate: the Equation Thinking Game.

Do you love Scrabble? This is basically Scrabble with equations. So it’s a really cool way for kids to learn to form equations and to find ways to build on them.

Players start by forming an equation on the board.

Then they build on the existing equation by using pieces of it to make other equations.

See? What I loved most about Equate is that, since you can remove certain operations from play, all three of my kids could play the game together, even though they’re at different grade levels. To make the game accessible for my younger boys, I removed the multiplication, division, and fraction operations. But I’m saving those for a private game with Tigger later. 🙂

What really made this awesome is that Pooh, who is math-averse, actually asked to play this game the next day! That’s the power of using math games!

2. Use Visual Math

Another great way to make math fun is to make it into a visual activity. When kids can “see” what they’re actually doing by solving a math problem, they can understand the concept a lot better.

To help with our ability to visualize math, we got to try two products from Rainbowresource.com: the book Hands-On! Math Projects and the Fraction Tower Cube Equivalency Set.

In the book Hands-On! Math Projects, kids can build structures, draw pictures, and play games that are all designed to reinforce math concepts. We started with the Value Your Digits! activity – a way to examine place value.

According to the instructions, kids are to draw out a grid of squares that represent the number values in certain digits. For example, with the number 31, they would draw a grid that had 30 squares in it and then draw a “3” inside the grid. Then they would outline a single square in which they would write a “1”.

The idea is to actually see the value of each place – that, in the number 31, “3” actually means 30 and the “1” means simply 1.

Tigger tried it with a three-digit number: 136. And that was the first time the boys really understood why the “1” is in the hundreds place!

Then we wanted to work with fractions a bit, so we built a “fraction wall” – another of the activities in Hands-On! Math Projects. Time to use our Fraction Cube Equivalency Set!

As you can see, the set includes fractions made into cubes in varying amounts. There’s a tower of 1/10 fractions, a tower of 1/6 fractions, 1/3 fractions, and so on.

To build our fraction wall, we started with the “1” tower, which is a solid rectangle representing 1 whole. Then we started building our wall by adding enough of each fraction set to equal 1.

As the kids learned, fractions are merely pieces of a whole. The actual fraction you use simply describes how much of the whole you’re talking about. So they all mean the same amount if you use the right number of pieces.

10/10 is equal to 6/6, which is equal to 3/3, which is equal to 1. Everyone understood that afterward and I was a happy homeschooling mama.

Ta-da! All finished! The kids learned equivalent fractions without a single worksheet! Plus, they actually learned the concept behind making equivalent fractions on paper, because they could see what they were creating.

3. Use Your Child’s Existing Interests

Really, the simplest way to make math fun for your active learner is to tie it in with something he or she is already interested in. For Tigger, that something is reading.

She, like her mom, is an avid bookworm. And that’s exactly the kind of person that the Life of Fred book series was written for. Since we’re covering both fractions and decimals in fifth grade this year, we were excited to try Life of Fred: Fractions and Life of Fred: Decimals from Rainbowresource.com!

In Life of Fred, kids follow the daily life of five-year-old Fred, a math professor (yes, you read that right) at Kittens University. In the Decimals book, Fred wants to build a robot, but he needs to weigh all of the parts together.

The spring weighs 0.007g, the gear weighs 0.09, and the motor weighs 13.3029 g. As the book so wonderfully (and nonchalantly) mentions, the key to mastering decimals is lining up the decimal points.

After Tigger read the section, she wrote down her problem and solved it correctly on the first try – all because she was actually interested in the story! She really wanted to know if Fred would be able to build his robot or not. Solving the math problem was just a step to finding that out.

Later we went on to fractions and we discussed Fred’s statement that you can reduce fractions by simply dividing the same number of objects into fewer groups.

In the book are practice problems to help kids see this in action. Tigger was asked to divide six pencils among two people, which works out to three per person. As she could see, three out of six (3/6) is the same as half (1/2) of the pencils.

Then the problem asked her to divide the same six pencils among three people. Working that out showed her that 2/6 is the same as 1/3 of the pencils.

Now that she had a grasp on the concept behind reducing fractions, I had her try a traditional math problem: reducing 7/21 by using the greatest common factor (GCF).

Success! That’s one math concept we can check off for this school year! And she understood the traditional problem because she had already gained an understanding by reading the story! She’s been asking to finish the books ever since. 🙂

As you can see, we loved every single product we reviewed from Rainbowresource.com! They were wonderful for helping our kids to love math class without having to force them to be still – something that would have made us all miserable.

To learn more about Rainbowresource.com‘s enormous product catalog, including even more products for families with active learners, keep up with the company using the social media links below!

Do you have any ways to make math for active learners? Share your tips in the comments!

5 Fun Ways to Learn at the Zoo

October 20, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

What child doesn’t love visiting the zoo? Naturally, zoos are popular for homeschooling field trips, but you can also make them into genuine opportunities to learn. Read on to find out 5 fun ways to learn at the zoo!

It’s Tuesday, so it’s also time for the Laugh and Learn linky! Check out our favorite posts from last week and read even more great homeschooling and parenting posts today!

5 Fun Ways to Learn at the Zoo

We love the zoo in our family. In fact, we were just there last week for a homeschool class. My boys learned about black and white animals (lemurs, pandas, etc.) and my oldest daughter learned about the strongest animals on Earth. Trivia: Did you know that, when you measure according to the ability to pull its own weight, the Rhinoceros Beetle is stronger than a lion? Neat!

Homeschooling classes are just one way to learn at the zoo. Today I’m sharing five more over at Thinking Outside the Sandbox!

5 Fun Ways to Learn at the Zoo – Thinking Outside the Sandbox

Onward to the linky!

Welcome to our 55th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!

Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.

Each and every week, all of the hosts pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on five blogs.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures, and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram
Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help them learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids, and their funny antics. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
Lindsey

Lindsey is a passionate writer eager to touch the hearts and minds of homeschoolers and parents abroad. As a devoted mother to two, happy homeschooler, and scatterbrained housewife, she’s on a mission to find love and joy in “the simple life” and invites you to join her! Visit Lindsey at Nitty Gritty Homeschooling. Find Lindsey at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Google+
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
YouTube

Grab a Button / Badge:

If you were featured this week, we would love for you to use this badge below. We really appreciate all your hard work, and sharing with us each and every week!

The Winners for the Week of October 20th:

Tina’s pick for this week…

Note from Tina:
I am going to save this for our boys. Outer space is always cool!
[bctt tweet=”Outer space is always a cool homeschool study unit! By @momteaches2 #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Selena’s pick for this week…

[bctt tweet=”Finding balance while homeschooling by @classichomesch #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Note from Sarah:
I’m really not crazy about math, and two of my kids hate it. But when you add Legos…even I want to do math.. Thanks for this great little game.
[bctt tweet=”Have fun with Lego Math Race by @alldayeverydaym #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Haley’s pick for this week…

Note from Haley:
My kids would love these!
[bctt tweet=”Teddy Bear Kindergarten Worksheets by @learning_2walk #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Lindsey’s pick for this week…

Note from Lindsey:
These works of art are amazing!
[bctt tweet=”Fall Into Art by @AmyOes #LaughLearnLinkup”]

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image. If you enjoyed these picks as much as we did, please share them also!

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Follow Tina Ernspiker’s board #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites} on Pinterest.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Free Printable Flashcards: Farm Animal Flashcards

October 5, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

When I was about seven years old, we took a field trip to the dairy farm down the street from our elementary school.

I remember being amazed at how huge the cows were. They’re wayyyy bigger in person than when you see them out of the car window as you ride by.

Especially when you’re seven.

Our local zoo has a petting farm with goats, ponies, and pigs, so the kids have gotten a chance to see and touch these animals before.

So I thought it’d be fun to share a new set of free printable flashcards: Farm Animal Flashcards!

Printable Farm Animal Flashcards for Kids

These are great for learning to identify animals, making matching games, and more.

Read on to see how to get your set – free!

And, for more farm fun, don’t miss our list of farm books for kids to read or our simple farm shoebox diorama craft!

Printable Farm Animal Flashcards

To use these farm animal flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This resource includes two sets of flashcards: one with animals and their names and a second set with no names.

Printable Farm Animal Identification Flashcards for Kids

In this resource, you’ll find names and pictures of 12 different farm animals:

Chicken
Cow
Donkey
Horse
Lamb
Pig
Goat
Rooster
Bull
Rabbit
Turkey
and Duck!

How to Use Farm Animal Flashcards with Early Learners

There are several ways you can use these flashcards with kids.

For toddlers and preschoolers, practice making farm animal sounds. Then ask if they can identify the animal that makes each sound.

Printable Farm Animal Identification Flashcards

Even better, have them make the sounds and then quiz you!

Farm Animal Identification Flashcards for Kids

For older students, hold up the picture card and ask the class if they can identify the animal.

After they do, show the picture and name card and walk the students through how to read and spell each one.

Afterward, hold up the name cards and cover the picture with your hand. See if the class can remember the animals by just rereading the words.

Scroll down to get your free farm animal flashcards!

English and Spanish Farm Animal Learning Cards

Want to take this early learning theme even further?

Pick up our set of farm animal learning cards for English and Spanish learners!

Spanish and English Farm Animal Flashcards for Kids

These are fantastic for early learners and ELL students.

Each farm animal is named in both English and Spanish and a Spanish pronunciation guide is included!

English and Spanish Farm Animal Flashcards

This resource also comes with farm animal labels that you can have students match up with the picture cards at centers.

Scroll down to pick up these English and Spanish Farm Animal Learning Cards!

Don’t forget to stop by and check out our other farm-themed fun!

Use these fun and simple farm themed shape mats to help early learners practice forming eight different shapes!

These no prep fall counting worksheets for preschoolers feature a fun farm theme! Use them for classwork or at math centers!

To get your set of our free Farm Animal Flashcards, click the image or the link below to have them sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter!

>> Printable Farm Animal Flashcards <<

To get our English and Spanish Farm Animal Learning Cards, click the image or link below to pick them up from my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>> English and Spanish Farm Animal Cards <<

STEM for Homeschoolers: Learning about Atoms Activities

October 1, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Tigger is a huge science fan. HUGE. For me, though, science is so abstract that it can be difficult for me to get into teaching it in our homeschool.

Thanks to a great kids’ book that I got the chance to review, though, I was able to teach my kids (even my toddler) about electrons and atoms! After we read the book, we did a few learning about atoms activities to help the kids retain what they learned. And so far, it’s working!

Check out some of the hands-on ways we learned about atoms recently!

Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for this review and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

STEM Learning about Atoms

To begin our study of atoms, we read the book Eddie the Electron by Melissa Rooney from Amberjack Publishing.

As you can see, the book is well illustrated and funny, so it’s perfect for kids! Especially kids who want to be entertained all the time (like mine). 🙂

Eddie “speaks” directly to readers about where he lives (on a helium atom), what he does (rotates around the nucleus), and how his atom behaves (it’s a noble gas). There are so many advanced scientific concepts that are casually introduced in the book that it’s full of information for kids in several grade levels!

After we read the book together, the kids studied the pictures to get a visual idea of how electrons orbit around atoms.

What I loved about Eddie the Electron was how engaging the story was. The kids were so interested in the story, especially Eddie’s frustration with Erwin, his fellow electron, that they didn’t even realize we were discussing a fairly advanced topic.

Science is probably my least favorite subject to teach, because it’s hard for me to get a good grasp on some of the concepts, especially those that cannot be observed with the naked eye (such as the atom). But reading Eddie the Electron helped me a lot, because it made the atomic theory relatable enough for me to understand and teach to my kids!

For Melissa Rooney, the author of the book, making science relatable was the goal. Several years after earning her Ph.D. in Chemistry, Melissa Rooney decided she did not want to be a career chemist. As she has always loved and collected children’s books, Melissa decided to utilize her Ph.D. and write her own children’s book, which transformed into Eddie the Electron.

Melissa has said, “I am confident that, by presenting these scientific concepts to children at an early age, Eddie would increase the likelihood that they would be comfortable and interested in such ‘complicated’ ideas.”

To learn more about Melissa, visit her website: http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/ or read more about her collegiate career here.

After we read the book, we pulled out an anchor chart about the atom, which described more about atoms work, including other parts such as neutrons, protons, and quarks.

For Tigger, I added a bit of reading in her science book about atoms, including the history of scientists who were interested in researching atomic theory.

STEM Learning about Atoms Activities

Then it was time to get hands-on! The kids started by drawing diagrams of atoms and electrons in motion.

Here’s Pooh’s. Positive protons in the center and negative electrons orbiting around the nucleus.

Once we got a grasp on how atoms and electrons worked, we decided to form our own atoms out of modeling clay. We used similar colors to those in Eddie the Electron, so it’d be easy for the kids to identify each part as they formed it.

And here’s Eddie and Erwin orbiting around the nucleus of their helium atom!

Piglet even got in on the fun by making her atom and electrons out of pom-poms and toothpicks. 🙂

If you’re looking for a fun and easy way to introduce kids to STEM concepts such as atoms, Eddie the Electron is a great resource for children! Pick up a copy of the book to make science fun and hands-on!

Through October 31, 2015, get 10 percent off all the books from Amberjack Publishing, including Eddie the Electron, with the promo code homeschool10. (Purchases must be made from Amberjack Publishing’s website in order to qualify for the discount.)

To see more of the great educational resources available from Amberjack Publishing, keep up with the company on social media!

5 Fun Winter Crafts for Kids

Resources to Make Winter Crafts for Kids:

Each and every week, all of the hosts will pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on three blogs.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

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Most Clicked on Link

Selena’s pick for this week…

Sarah’s pick for this week…

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Snowflake 2nd Grade Math Factors Craft

More Snow & Ice Learning Activities from the Early Elementary Team:

10 Picture Books about Firefighters

Creating LEGO Bar Graphs for 1st Grade

What If My Child Hasn’t Been Labeled as Gifted?

How Redbird Mathematics Works

How Redbird Mathematics Improves Math Thinking Skills

Free Printable Flashcards: Punctuation Flashcards

More Resources for Learning Punctuation:

10 Kids’ Books about Penguins

Each and every week, all of the hosts will pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on four blogs.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

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Tina’s pick for this week…

Selena’s pick for this week…

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image. If you enjoyed these picks as much as we did, please share them also!

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Now give us your best posts!

Printable Spanish Flashcards: Spanish Clothing Flashcards

Homeschooling with ADHD eBook

Deciding to Send Your Homeschooled Kids to Public School

Each and every week, all of the hosts will pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on five blogs.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Grab a Button / Badge:

Tina’s pick for this week…

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Sarah’s pick for this week…

Lindsey’s pick for this week…

Have you joined our Pinterest Board yet?

Now give us your best posts!

Click a title to learn more about each series in the Life of Fred collection:

Reading: Beginning Readers – Language Arts

Math: Elementary – Intermediate – Intro to Algebra – Pre-Algebra – High School – College – Finances & Entrepreneurship

Science: Biology – Physics – Chemistry

5 Spanish Resources for Kids

Each and every week, all of the hosts pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on five blogs.

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Grab a Button / Badge:

The Winners for the Week of October 27th:

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Tina’s pick for this week…

Selena’s pick for this week…

Sarah’s pick for this week…

Lindsey’s pick for this week…

Have you joined our Pinterest Board yet?

Now give us your best posts!

Choosing a Good Set of Kids’ Magazines

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids’ Magazines

Fun Children’s Cookbooks

About the Times Tales DVD – What is included?

What Educents customers are saying about Times Tales:

Times Tales Animated DVD & Printable Worksheets

More Activities to Practice Multiplication:

10 Children’s Books about Construction

Preschool Playdough Mats: Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats

Kids’ Books about the Forest:

Why Use Ways to Make Math Fun?

3 Ways to Make Math Fun for Active Learners

1. Use Math Games

2. Use Visual Math

3. Use Your Child’s Existing Interests

5 Fun Ways to Learn at the Zoo

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Welcome to our 55th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!