20 Best Tips

Assignment Sheet for Students – Free Printables

Jan52016
January 5, 2016 by 3 Comments

assignment sheet for students - a free editable printable from Homeschool Creations to track daily work and goals_edited-1

One thing that we have been focusing on with our middle school boy is a little more independence in his school work. One big help for him has been a new assignment sheet for him (or me) to record the assignments for each subject and day of the week.

Translated, that means he needs a hands-on look at what he is expected to accomplish that week and a handy way to check off his assignments as he progresses without mom constantly hovering over him to make sure everything is done. In short, taking responsibility for his schoolwork and owning up when it isn’t done. (cough) But I’m sure that is only my child, right?

While I realize that a piece of paper doesn’t actually GET the schoolwork done, this has been a good help because he can see page numbers down to how many chapters of a book he is expected to read. At the end of each day (or week depending on his focus), we review what was accomplished and make adjustments as needed for the following days.

And if you are looking for some colorful (and erasable pens) – grab a pack of these (aff link). They are my FAVORITE and well loved in our house!

assignment sheet for students from Homeschool Creations

Each sheet has room to track 11 subjects for five days as well as a space for recording personal goals for the week. Along the top of each sheet there is space to record the week’s date as well.

There are also two clip art styles to choose from – one using rainbow washi tape or a fun rainbow sneaker design. Download one or both, editable or non-editable – your choice!

These print off four to a page if you choose to print double sided (two half-sized on each side). For those of you that would like to save a little time, there is also an editable version for the subject area. When the file is opened, simply type the subject area names in the blue squares and then print.

Fill them out with your new favorite pens (aff link) – and you are ready to go!

 

Additional Planning Resources for Students

If you’d prefer a larger assignment sheet to use with your children, you can download these Daily Assignment Sheets.

This student planner is one we’ve been using with our older two girls and absolutely LOVE it. Find out more here.

Download the Assignment Sheet for Students

Ready to download and use? Click the file name below and it will open the pdf file for you.

Clip art credit: Rainbow Sneakers from DigitalFunFactory and Rainbow Digital Washi from ClickPaperCo.

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Filed Under: Middle School, Organizing, Printables 3 Comments

Homeschool Science Curriculum Sale – Save 15%

Dec192015
December 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment

cke-sale

One of the programs that we’ve been using this year with our fifth grader, Zachary, is Christian Kids Explore Chemistry from Bright Ideas Press (aff link). He has been loving the hands-on projects that tie in with the program and learning so much about chemistry as we work through our text.

We work through one chapter a week: reading, review, and a hands-on project and it is just the right balance of independent work and learning. Our atomic cookie skillet model and atom models were both a part of our hands-on learning.

Save 15% on Christian Kids Explore series

Right now you can save 15% on the Christian Kids Explore books (aff link) – from Biology, Physics, Earth & Space, and Chemistry and beyond. No code needed as the prices all currently reflect the sale prices.

Both Biology and Earth & Space were written for students in grades 3-6, but the simplicity of the activities and clearness of teaching makes them easily adaptable for younger students as well. Every activity was designed using inexpensive and easily accessible resources. The book is laid out so the reading, worksheets, coloring pages, vocabulary, activity instructions and more all come in one book. This makes for a format that also works very well with co-ops.

The Chemistry, Physics, and Creation Science books were written for grades 4-8. These books can be adapted to fit third grade students, but because they are advanced enough to set a foundation for high school studies, you may wish to start with the Biology or Earth & Space editions with any student younger than fourth grade.

Learn more about Christian Kids Explore Science HERE.

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Filed Under: Deals and Sales, Middle School, Science Leave a Comment

Building Atom Models – Hands on Chemistry for Kids

Dec12015
December 1, 2015 by 1 Comment

building atom models with kids copy

One of the things that I’ve loved about our Chemistry science program (aff link) for Zachary this year is the hands-on aspect of the program. He is a boy that needs a little something to do with his hands every now and then, so it has fit in very well for us. As we’ve been learning about atoms together the last several weeks,  Building atom models and getting a 3D look at how an atom might actually appear has been a great way to visualize what we’re talking about. Quite obviously, these models are not to scale and a whole lot larger than the real thing. (grins)

In our model we used Styrofoam balls to represent the protons, neutrons, and electrons. In an atom, the protons and neutrons are in the nucleus (the center of the atom), and the electrons surround the atom. In diagrams you often see the electrons represented by elliptical lines moving around the nucleus.

3D lithium atom model project for kids

Building Atom Models

We chose to build a model of a lithium atom and used the following supplies. If you would like to make a different atom, the number of styrofoam balls will differ based on the number of neutrons, protons, and electrons in the atom. See below for how to calculate those numbers.

  • 7 styrofoam balls – we used ones that were about 2” in diameter
  • 3 styrofoam balls about 1 inch in diameter
  • 3 pipecleaners
  • toothpicks
  • red, yellow, and blue paint
  • paintbrushes
  1. Paint four of the 2” balls yellow (neutrons) and three of the balls blue (protons).
  2. Paint the 1” balls red (electrons).
  3. Using the toothpicks, connect the yellow and blue balls together, making sure they touch each other. We broke out toothpicks in half so they wouldn’t poke through too much.
  4. Connect each electron (red balls) to one of the protons (blue balls) using the pipe cleaners.

The model was a great way for us to understand a little better how atoms look. It was fun to talk about how many balls we would need to make some of the other atoms such as gold (79 protons/electrons and 118 neutrons – that would be a very large model!). We definitely figured it would be easier to stick to some of the more smaller numbered atoms on the periodic table!

To Build Different Atom Models

If you are trying to figure out how many neutrons, protons, and electrons an atom has, there is a way to work it out without needing to look up each atom one at a time. Each atom has an atomic number and an atomic weight. The atomic number tells you how many protons and electrons that atom contains. The neutrons are determined by looking at the atomic weight of the atom, rounding it up to the nearest whole number, and subtracting the number of protons. Usually you can find both numbers on your periodic table of elements.

Atomic weight = Protons (atomic number) + Neutrons

 

Additional Atom Model Ideas

Don’t care for styrofoam balls? Check out this idea on the Bright Idea Press blog using playdough (secretly I almost wish I would have seen this version first). Zachary loved creating and painting the model we did though, but I’m filing away this idea to use another time!

A few weeks ago we made edible atom models – and we enjoyed every single bite! Check out our atomic cookie skillet models for the recipe and instructions.

If you’d like to learn more about the homeschool chemistry program we are using, you can find out more here. Feel free to check out the rest of our homeschool curriculum choices as well!

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Filed Under: Middle School, Science, STEM 1 Comment

Student Planner PDF Download – Now Available!

Nov22015
November 2, 2015 by 4 Comments

Student Planner full year || Homeschool Creations



I am SO excited to share two printable student planners with you all today! Half-sized planners weren’t cutting it for our girls, so we worked together to create a larger planner for each of them. 

McKenna’s words after seeing it completely bound and put together were, “Mom, it doesn’t even look like you made it! No offense!” She is so happy with it! It is full of color, plenty of space, and undated, so we can print off a new copy each year and bind it however we please. We initially thought about putting it in a 1/2” binder, but ended up deciding to have it spiral bound and it turned out great! (Staples charge $4.50 for binding and I recommend a size 12 coil binding so the pages can be turned easily). 

We chose not to date the planner because the girls are able to personalize it more to their liking – and it also saves me the hassle of having to rework the entire thing each year. They’ve actually enjoyed taking the time to get it set up, so it’s a win-win for us!

Inside Our Student Planner

Want a peek inside? I promise it’s super simple – because we found we really didn’t need so much extra stuff, full of color, and ready to download and print. This is a peek inside the ‘circle’ version of the student planner. 

Email subscribers can watch the video here.

A quick note: I figured out that our printer will print FULL BLEED. It was one of the paper choices in settings. In the video you’ll see some of the pages that we experiments with (ones that were or weren’t printed all the way to the edge). Our front and back covers were printed onto cardstock and then laminated for extra durability. We use a heavy weight paper (24 lb.) to print the planner and make the pages a little thicker.

Weekly Student Planner layout from Homeschool Creations

The Student Planner contains:

  • 8 1/2” x 11” undated pages – use it year after year!
  • Year at a glance dates
  • Student information and schedule page
  • 12 blank monthly planning pages
  • Weekly planning pages for 8 subjects
  • Planning for every day of the week (smaller spaces for Saturday/Sunday)
  • Goals, notes, and ‘what I learned’ section
  • Tracking for books read
  • 2 layouts: August through July or January through December

Purchase a Student Planner

This student planner is undated so you have the option of printing off a new copy each year. Each planner version is available for $10 and you are more than welcome to print off copies for each of your children – this year and in years to come. You may also purchase a bundle option which includes a copy of BOTH student planner designs, in case your kids are picky like mine!

Your purchase also allows access to a ‘buyers only’ page where optional pages will be added including additional dated covers, as well as a additional bonus pages in both designs.

The Student Planner is only available as a pdf download, and prints off double-sided. 

student planner buy now

$10.00

Add to Cart

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Filed Under: 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, High School, Middle School, Organizing, Printables 4 Comments

Middle and High School Planner Printables for Homeschool

Mar242015
March 24, 2015 by 40 Comments

Middle and high school planning printables



Now I don’t know about you, but despite my best intentions, I seem to always forget something that has already been purchased, curriculum ideas for upcoming years, or what may already be on our bookshelves to use for our younger children. Sticky notes and random sheets of paper just don’t cut it, so the Middle and High School Planner pages were put together to make life a little easier for myself overall. (And let’s face it, these are a lot prettier than the random sheets of notebook paper that were accumulating in my binder).

I’m printing off a copy for each of our children and it gives me a central location to jot down notes, ideas, and what we’re doing as we go along. Overall, there are sixteen pages in the Middle and High School Planner pages (plus one that you don’t have to print at the end), and two different versions – a blue/green color-themed set and a rainbow color-themed set. Laurianna saw me working on them and said she thought hers should have more color, so I had to readjust them. (grins)

If you’d like to see what we’ve been planning for homeschool high school so far, don’t miss our Homeschool High School Plan post that was shared earlier. In addition to walking through our overall plans I share how overwhelmed I was to begin with and some tips on laying the foundation for the upcoming years. There is also a link to a simple overview printable that you may prefer to this more in-depth one.

A Quick Look & Overview Planning

Overview planning pages for middle and high school

Use the first two pages to plan out subjects and curriculum for each year. In the left side column there is room to track the subjects and then plan out what you will use from 6th grade through 12th grade. Be sure to keep track of what you already have on hand – and don’t need to purchase!

High School Outline, Requirements, and Schedules

high school daily schedule and requirements

This section allows you to plug in all the information that your state may require for graduation, AP placement, decide your grading scale, and brainstorm elective ideas for your child. There is also a sheet that can be printed off yearly to create a weekly schedule for your child.

Tracking High School Credits

credit and class tracking for high school

Keep track of the credits your child is earning, books read, extra curricular activities and other important information you might need for high school transcripts. There are five pages for this section: one for early credits (prior to 9th grade if your state allows it) and four pages, one for each year of high school.

Course Descriptions

Early and high school course description tracking

This section allows you write a short course description of each class that your child takes for credit (may come in handy for college admission later).

–> Download the Middle School and High School Class Planning (blue/green)  <–

–> Download the Middle and High School Planning Pages (rainbow)  <–

Questions about Homeschooling in High School?

Homeschooling in High School

There’s nothing that can strike fear in the heart of a veteran homeschooling parent like the thought of homeschooling high school. Despite what may be years of successful homeschooling, thinking of high school can bring all the fears and doubts of the early years resurging in a homeschool parent’s heart. Read the post Homeschooling in High School for tips and resources from a veteran homeschool mom who has homeschooled and graduated a high schooler.

Have a Student in Need of Organization Help?

Student-Planner-collage.png

If you have a child in middle or high school that needs some organizational help, be sure to check out our Weekly Student Planner! The planner is undated and can be used year after year and has plenty of room for writing down daily assignments, goals, and accomplishments. Learn more HERE.

If you would like to share, please share a link to my blog or to the page that hosts these files. Please do not link directly to just the PDF files, but directly to this post. Please feel free to print this pdf file for your own personal use. They were created for private and non-profit use. Please do not sell or host these files anywhere else.

 

”Homeschooling
 

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Filed Under: High School, Homeschooling Tools, Middle School, Planning Forms, Printables 40 Comments

Homeschool Middle School Adventures

May152014
May 15, 2014 by 6 Comments

We’re winding down the school year here, so the girls (and Zachary some too) have been working hard to wrap-up the last of their school work. There may be a few things we’ll still do in the summer, but otherwise, we’re ready for some relaxing and a whole lot of fun!

Testing is now over (and all of God’s people said ‘amen’) – so there’s that. We celebrated that milestone by taking a day to do nothing. After eating gobs of ice cream for dinner the night before, that is.

In the last few weeks science has been at the top of the agenda along with geography for Laurianna, so I thought it might be fun to share a little of what we’ve been up to. Besides, I promised I would share more – and I haven’t. So here it is…

Learning about Circuits

open and closed circuits with Nancy Larson Science

McKenna and Zachary have been learning about open and closed circuits (using Nancy Larson Science 4). When the hands-on stuff was pulled out, the fun really began.

We started out testing out the difference between an open and a closed circuit and how it would work with a battery – i.e. where does the wire need to touch on the battery and the light bulb in order to complete the circuit. The initial experiment only used one battery (a D size), and a few days later the two kids were hilarious when they realized that TWO batteries made the light bulb glow brighter. (It’s the little things, eh?).

In addition to making a light bulb glow, they’ve been trying small fans and motors – and now Zachary has a hankering to test a bunch of different things. And so begins the learning process. I love that something simple can spark a desire for more.

pH Levels and Moldy Bread

Laurianna has been working through the second year of her Rainbow Science (a two year program for 7th and 8th grade). While she had some fun experiments last year, the ones the last few weeks have been much more exciting for her.

moldy bread in a petri dish

Pretty, isn’t it? I may actually be able to save her some time and pull something from the back of the fridge for another experiment, but I suppose that wouldn’t be as fun for her.

microscope learning for homeschool

There have been other petri dishes hidden high on shelves so that little organisms can be observed (this one may have involved some squealing about how cool it was).

science experiments

And testing of pH levels – another huge hit.

high school geography

Laurianna has also been working on a new homeschool geography program from Bright Ideas Press – North Star Geography. We’ve had the opportunity to preview it  a bit before it’s release in July, and are enjoying it especially since it will count as a high school credit (woot!).

The other day she came up to me telling me how much she loved it and was learning from it. Incidentally, she also thinks that she should now learn Mandarin Chinese – not Spanish – since it is the most spoken language in the world. (We’re sticking with Spanish).

If you’d like to be kept updated on the full release of North Star Geography and receive a discount code, you can sign up for more info here.

Share What You’ve Been Up To…

One of the BEST things for me these last few months has been having friends that are coming along beside during the middle school and high school years – they can seem overwhelming! Seeing and sharing with what others are doing can be a big encouragement – so be sure to visit the Finishing Strong link up (below) to see what other families are doing.

But first – What have you been up to with your older kids? 

Homeschooling the Middle & High School Years

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Filed Under: Middle School 6 Comments