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Homeschool Classroom Video Tour

Mar182013
March 18, 2013 by 33 Comments

When I initially shared that we were finishing off an area for our homeschool classroom a year and a half ago, I posted a short video clip of the ‘in progress’ work. Since then I’ve shared pictures of the room, but many of you have asked for a video tour. Sometimes pictures are helpful, but a video can really help give you a little more perspective.

Each video will have short blurbs telling more about the pieces and there will be links at the end of this post as well. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!

Would you like a tour? This is the closest that I can give you to a personal visit right now, so grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and spend some time with me. We love our schoolroom and are glad that you are here for a visit.

Come on in!

Homeschool Room Tour {Part 1}

 

Homeschool Room Tour {Part 2}

 

Things You See in the Video {in order seen}:

Note: Ikea keeps changing location on their links, but names are provided for the various items we are using.

Other Helpful Posts

Phew!! If you stuck around for it all – let me know if you have any questions!! Leave a comment and I’d be happy to answer you!

 

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Filed Under: Homeschool Classroom, Homeschooling Tools, Organizing, Our Classroom, Video Clips 33 Comments

Boat Race Instant Challenge ~ Logic for Kids

Feb182013
February 18, 2013 by 5 Comments

The kids in our learning group are really loving the Instant Challenges. The adults are too – enough that we want to be included in them the next time we are together!

Boat Race Instant Challenge

 

 

We pulled this challenge from one that Michelle from Delightful Learning provided a few years ago and put it to the test with the eleven kids in our group.

Instant Challenge – Boat Race

Our second instant challenge was to build a boat, have it be ‘seaworthy’, and race it against the other boats. The kids were divided up into 3 smaller groups {2 3-person groups and one 4-person} with a pretty fair mix of boys/girls in each group.

Challenge: Create a boat and race it across the water as quickly as possible.

Supplies: 3 straws, 10 craft sticks, 3 Styrofoam cups, 3 marshmallows, 1 piece of string, 1 piece of foil, 3 mailing labels, 2 chenille sticks, 1 piece of paper, and a tub of water

{see the downloads and more information here}

We gave each team a 2 minute ‘on paper’ planning time to talk over the ideas swimming around in their heads. This wasn’t a time to build or touch the supplies – just a chance to think out loud together.

Boat Race Instant Challenge (1)

The teams were given 8 minutes to build a boat using the materials they were provided {see supplies}. During the time that they were working together as a team, another mom and I walked around the room to see how the kids were working together as a team – but no help!!

Boat Race Instant Challenge (3)

Each team took a very different approach!! Here’s a look at the finished projects.

Boat Race Instant Challenge (4)

Vessel #1

Boat Race Instant Challenge (5)

Vessel #2

Boat Race Instant Challenge (6)

Vessel #3

Testing Sea-worthiness

Boat Race Instant Challenge (7)

Once the boats were completed, we took them all outside to race them across a tub of water and timed their travel. To be fair, the same mom gave them each a send-off.

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Each of the teams was also given a chance to explain the process in their boat building – why they thought something would or wouldn’t work and what they would have done differently after seeing how their boat raced. This was actually very fun to listen to – and see how their minds were working when we might have been thinking “What in the world made them do that?”

Boat Race Scoring

Points were given to the team for a few different things: having a completed boat, speed the boat races across the water, creativity in racing, creative use of materials, and teamwork.

Out of all of the boats, Vessel #3 was the winner, although Vessel #1 was a close second. Vessel #2, sadly started taking on water and that hindered the progress. {grins}

Are you a part of a learning group? What fun activities have you done together to foster teamwork? 

Links to Work on Your Own Boat Race Challenge

In case you’d like to work on this Instant Challenge with your children, here are a few links to help you out:

Other Fun Instant Challenges

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Filed Under: Homeschooling Tools, Instant Challenges 5 Comments

Bridge Builder Instant Challenge ~ Logic for Kids

Jan302013
January 30, 2013 by 8 Comments

This year we are a part of a smaller learning group with a few other families. Every other month I have the chance to work with the older group of kids {grades 4 through 6…or 7} using some fun, hands-on activities to help get the creative juices flowing and foster working together as a team.

Building Bridges Instant Challenge - a fun, creative logic activity for kids - homeschoolcreations.net

The plan – instant challenges.

Years ago, Michelle from Delightful Learning shared some Instant Challenge activities and we are working on those with the eleven kids in our group.

Instant Challenge – Bridge Builder

For our first instant challenge we worked on the Bridge Builder. We broke the kiddos up into three groups and spread them out so that no ideas could be overheard or peeked at {wink}. We had a mix of boys and girls in each group, assigned a leader to each group and explained the rules per the instructions on the sheet.

Challenge: Create a bridge that will hold weight. The bridge must span from Point A to Point B {two taped squares 6-8” apart} and points will be earned based on creativity, structure stability, and other extras.

Supplies: deck of cards and a pair of scissors

{see the downloads and more information here}

20121002-IMG_8572

The groups were given time limits for the task {see the handout from Delightful Learning} and another mom and I walked around during the construction time to see how the kids were working together as a team and to make sure the rules were being followed.

20121002-IMG_8567

When the time was up, hands were off and we pulled out our score sheets to check a few things:

  • was there a standing structure?
  • could the bridge hold weight?
  • creativity in design
  • was teamwork evident?

20121002-IMG_8563 20121002-IMG_8569

The Finished Bridges

This was a great introduction challenge activity for the kids to get an idea of what was expected of them – and have some creative fun! Somehow I only seem to have a few pictures of the finished products {apparently, I must have been busy attempting to collapse their structures!

20121002-IMG_8574

The three teams all had a different method for building and supporting their bridges as well – some cut them so they would hold together and others just folded/bent cards.

20121002-IMG_8577

Each of the teams did have a bridge/structure at the end of the challenge and we then placed one nail at a time on the bridges to see how much weight each one would support before collapsing. The teams earned 5 points for each nail that their bridge could support {we had a total of ten nails}. While no team’s bridge was able to support the full weight, it was fun watching their faces as they waited to see how durable their bridges would be.

I think the hardest part of this challenge {for me} was NOT giving advice and letting the kids all work through the issues that came up together as a team {even when I KNEW that something wouldn’t work…or there was a much easier solution to the problem}.

Overall – SUCH a fun activity!! Below you’ll find the links to the different posts that Michelle share with the downloads.

Challenge #1 – Bridge Builder Introduction

Delightful Learning’s Challenge #1 Results

Our results from the Bridge Builder Instant Challenge several years ago

This is a great activity to have your kids work on, either individually or in a group setting and see the creative things they come up with! What activities do you do with your kids to foster creativity and teamwork?

 

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Apologia Educational Ministries ~ producing resources to help homeschool families learn, live, and defend the Christian faith.
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Filed Under: Instant Challenges 8 Comments

Questions About Homeschooling

Jan72013
January 7, 2013 by 4 Comments

Homeschooling Questions

“I want to homeschool, but where do I start?”

This question and many others from parents considering homeschooling show up in my inbox each week. Responses are sent, but because the questions keep coming it seemed that a series of posts answering your questions would be helpful.

While I don’t claim to have all of the answers to the question, I hope to give some direction to helpful resources available and a little more of a peek at how things are in our homeschool time.

Here are a few of the things that will be covered:

  • What am I legally required to do to homeschool?
  • How do I choose curriculum – there are so many choices!?
  • How do I balance homeschooling with the rest of life?
  • How do you handle the feeling of isolation?
  • How do you deal with naysayers?

All that said, the posts are in process, so if there is a specific question you have, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to add it to the line up. Those of you who left your questions on the Homeschool Creations Facebook page – thanks!! I appreciate your input!

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Apologia Educational Ministries ~ producing resources to help homeschool families learn, live, and defend the Christian faith.

   BEECH blogging retreat 2013

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Filed Under: Homeschooling Tools 4 Comments

Chocolate Fix ~ Logic Game for Children

Sep202012
September 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Chocolate Fix Game

Before you think I have our kids dripping with chocolate or rolling all over the back yard in it, I’m talking about a game by the name of Chocolate Fix by Think Fun. Sadly, just looking at it makes me crave a truffle, but there are no calories {or mess} to be had playing this game.

The Game of Chocolate Fix

Chocolate Fix Game-1

A friend introduced us to this game a few months ago and it has become a favorite with our girls {and maybe a certain mother who loves logic games}. Chocolate Fix comes with nine colorful chocolate pieces – 3 colors that are in the shape of a circle, triangle and square.

Chocolate Fix Game-5

There are 40 logic and deduction puzzles to solve that increase in difficulty. Each level has various clues and hints to help place a few of the chocolate pieces, but you need to use your brain to figure out the rest of the placement of the other pieces.

And it is rather addicting {in a non-caloric way, thank goodness}.

Chocolate Fix Game-4

Our girls have had so much fun playing it, that there have been moments they have both wanted to play at the same time. We’ve competed against each other to see who can complete a challenge first. Even I’m enjoying the game and stretching my brain a bit from time to time!

iPhone Screenshot 2

We loved it enough that we also purchased the Chocolate Fix app {iPad or iPhone} as well. It also includes hints and the chocolate is a yummy strawberry pink.

The Chocolate Fix game is one that can be played again and again. We purchased our game from Amazon and would definitely recommend it to you all.  We’re having a lot of fun playing some new logic games this year and hope to share more with you soon!

What are some of your favorite games that are fun to play – but also include a heap of learning?

 

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Filed Under: Game Time, Just for Fun Tagged With: Leave a Comment

Calendar Notebook Binder Printables

Aug222012
August 22, 2012 by 121 Comments

Calendar Notebook Printables free

 

Call them calendar notebooks. Or calendar binders. The choice is yours. Either way, they are a great way to add a little math learning to your day. While we have a Morning Calendar Board that we all work on together, the notebooks were something that were added this year.

 

The kids are loving them.

I put together two versions of the calendar notebook printables – one for early handwriting and another with cursive directions and tracers. You can choose which one works best for your child {see below}.

How to Use the Calendar Notebook

Here’s a peek at how we’re using ours with the kids, and because some of you may not want to read, here is a video tour our our calendar notebook.

 

 

{feed readers may need to visit the blog to view the video clip}

Kaleb {kindergarten} is using the manuscript version of the notebook and our 3rd and 5th grader are using the cursive version to sneak in a little extra practice {shhhh}. The first few pages of the printables are laminated and we use a vis’-a-vis marker {it wipes off easily with a damp cloth each day} to work in the notebooks. You can otherwise slide the pages into page protectors and use dry erase markers.

 

100 daysWe start off by adding the number for the day we are in school on our 100 Days of School chart. I am determined to do something special this year for our 100th day {and having three kids reminding me about it should help immensely}.

At the bottom of this page we use a vis’-a-vis marker to make an addition problem using the number from the chart and we find the missing number that will add up to 100. The older kids are able to do this fairly easily, but with Kaleb I’m using unifex cubes to help him visualize and group by 10’s until he has a better grasp of the concept.

 

number words

We then move to the next page where we talk about what day of the week it is and underline it. We also review what yesterday was and what tomorrow will be. The date is written on the next line {in either 8-17-12 form or August 15, 2012}.

The center box below is filled with the current date number {i.e. 15} and then we find the number before and after. We write the daily number and the number word, draw the hands on the clock and put a line on the thermometer for the inside or outside temperature.

 

days in school tally

Depending on how many days we’ve been in school, we break the number up by 1’s, 10’s and 100’s and show how it is added together. At the bottom of the page we show how it would look if the number were in dollars and cents.

We add a tally mark in the correct monthly box each day we are in school and at the end of the month we add up the days. During the year we can compare from month to month and see how many days we were in school during each month {which is more/less, etc…}.

There are also pages to help us track the weather from month to month and practice writing names {i.e. watching our handwriting improve…hopefully}.

Calendar Binder month glance

Each month of the year there is a blank calendar for the kids to fill in the calendar. They trace the month name at the top and as they fill in the numbers on the calendar, they find the star at the bottom with the same number and color it in.

Kaleb has been working on a pattern with his stars and really loves this part of it. On the facing page, we fill in the graph to show the weather and at the end of the month answer a few questions based on the graph results.

The calendar notebook printables include the following:

  • 12 undated monthly calendars {you can use them year after year}
  • monthly weather tracking graphs
  • Today is, number word identification, telling time and temperature
  • Breaking down numbers by 1’s, 10’s, and 100’s
  • Practicing tally marks
  • Yearly weather tracking
  • Handwriting practice
  • Pattern practice {part of the monthly calendar pages}
  • Identification of seasons
  • 100 Days of School chart

Download the Free Calendar Notebook!!

Ready to download the files? Choose one or both of the files below! They are FREE to download {and feel free to pin, tweet or share this post with others!}.

Download the Calendar Notebook Printables – manuscript version

Download the Calendar Notebook Printables – cursive version

Download the Southern Hemisphere Calendar Notebook Printables

 

Check out these other Calendar Notebook Printables

These ladies also have some great printables to use during calendar time and each offer something a little different – so there may be something you can use as well or something you like even better than mine!

– Mama Jenn

– Carisa from 1+1+1=1

– Motherhood on a Dime

– Our Aussie Homeschool

– Confessions of a Homeschooler

 

Get a peek at our Morning Calendar Board and grab even more free printables here.

Calendar Board Printables from Homeschool Creations

 

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Filed Under: Calendar Notebook, Homeschooling Tools, Kindergarten, Math Printables, Printables Tagged With: , 121 Comments