20 Best Tips

Meal Planning Master List – Free Printable

meal planning master list - organize meals by category for quick planning

 

Meal planning can be time consuming – and I’m all about saving as much time as I can so I can enjoy time with my family and the food that’s going on our table! These meal planning master list were created to go along with my Weekly Meal Planner so I could quickly pull meal ideas by category and plug them into the meal planner and go.

There are often meals I forget and this helps stay out of the “same old-same old” rut we can easily get into. This list gives me a place to write down go-to breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, sides, and family favorites to keep handy when meal planning. 

Meal Planning master list example-4

There are several different versions included in the download, including ones with light grey lines (in case you are worried about keeping your writing straight) and two different layouts depending on your preferences. Be sure to look below in case you would like an editable version of the file as well! 

Editable Meal Planning Master List

 editable meal planning master list - organize meals by category for quick planning

As a thank you to my email subscribers, you’ll find an editable version of the master list available for download. Rather than writing in all of your meal ideas, you can type directly into the form, save it to your computer to edit later, and print it off. (p.s. the blue areas you see above show the editable fields in the file.)

Simply check the footer of your email and you’ll find the link to the subscriber only page where you can download the bonus file

Not a subscriber? Go ahead and click here and  subscribe by e-mail {Daily or Weekly}.

 

Download the Meal Planning Master List

If you’d like a copy of the meal planning master list, simply click the download button below. Thanks for visiting and I hope it helps you out! 

Download button

 

 

free-weekly-meal-planner-from-Homeschool-Creations-with-room-for-3-daily-meals-and-snacks-as-w.png

Don’t forget to grab a copy of the go-along weekly meal planner and see how we plan our week out in less than 15 minutes

Memorial Day Printables – Free Printables

Slide01

 

Every year families around the country gather for parades and get-togethers to observe Memorial Day, but do we fully understand the history behind Memorial Day? Over the last bit, we’ve been talking about how the holiday first began. 

To go along with our learning, I put together a set of Memorial Day Printables to use with our kids this upcoming week, and I am more than happy to share them with you all!

The Memorial Day Printables include thirteen pages of copywork, trivia cards, a word find, and coloring pages – a little something for kids of all ages. 

 

Memorial Day printables from Homeschool Creations Memorial Day printables from Homeschool Creations-2
Memorial Day printables from Homeschool Creations-3 Memorial Day printables from Homeschool Creations-4

 

The below clip from the History Channel has a quick history of the holiday as well…

Books for Kids About Memorial Day

 


 

 

Ready to Download? 

Feel free to download a copy of the Memorial Day printables by clicking on the download button below! :) Enjoy!

Are you planning to do anything special to celebrate Memorial Day? Share your ideas with us in the comments below.

 

Download button

 

Don’t Miss These Printables

Constitution-Day-Printables.png

You may also enjoy these Constitution Day printables as well in the upcoming months. 

Homeschool Curriculum Shopping List Printable

Homeschool curriculum shopping list - a printable to help you track curriculum needed, wanted, and purchased with best prices from Homeschool Creations_edited-1

Every year I create multiple lists for our curriculum wants and needs. In the past, those lists have included sticky notes and a giant mess of information with prices highlighted so I know if I’m getting the best price – especially if I happen to hit a great used curriculum sale. When that became too overwhelming, I consolidated it all into one simple list to carry around with me to convention. (p.s. If you are ever curious to see our homeschool curriculum choices, you can always find them HERE.)

Last year I shared a few pages of my shopping list, but after many readers emailed and asked, there are now TWELVE different color options (apparently you all enjoy color coding as much as I do!!), including a black & white and plain version for those of you who don’t have a color printer. 

A Curriculum Snapshot

curriculum shopping list example

While I typically have my phone with me to do a quick price check, it’s great to know if a special a vendor is offering is worth grabbing right then – and it’s always helpful to know if I already own an item (not that I’ve ever purchased something twice – cough).

Our literature list changes from year to year, and sometimes there are books we already have on hand or require new copies of (if you are looking for a book with excellent literature suggestions, check out this one here – it’s my go-to literature guide). The overall list is a great snapshot to see what areas we may need to beef up a little academically.

Color-coded lists

Curriculum shopping list - a printable to help you track curriculum needed, wanted, and purchased with best prices_edited-1

You may notice there are MANY different colored lists. It’s no secret we color code our kids (Don’t judge, please – it keeps me sane). It really does help me visualize which child needs what curriculum, so the colors you see are to help me (and YOU) remember who the curriculum is for. It’s something silly and simple, but it definitely works if you are a visual person. 

If you think this would help you out too, just click below to download a copy for yourself – and please feel free to pass along the link and let your friends know too!

Download button

How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum 

How-to-Choose-Homeschool-Curriculum.png

Choosing homeschool curriculum can be hard. This post has some great questions and tips to help you out as you make decisions in what curriculum might be the best fit for your family.

 Student planner from Homeschool Creations - help get your student on track

April 2016 Personal Planner Pages – Free Printable

April personal planner pages from Homeschool Creations_edited-1

April is almost here! The daffodils have been popping up even though we had a last ditch at winter mid-way through March. The trees are beginning to bud and flower – spring is here!! For our family that will mean more time outside to enjoy the warmer days and a shaking off of the winter blahs. How about you? 

To help you get your days and weeks a little more organized, I have some April Personal Planner Pages for you all to use. I hope these are a help to you in the upcoming days.

My April Goals

March shaped up to be fairly busy, between traveling to speak at Teach Them Diligently and helping with a large Easter event at church, but one of the bonuses to flying is having plenty of time to read! Unfortunately I forgot one of my main reads for March, but ended up blowing through a bunch of fiction while traveling.

April will likely be just as packed, but there are two things I am looking forward to: my brother visiting toward the end of the month (meaning we have some fun field trips planned) and swim team will be wrapping up (so no more evening practices – dinner can go back to normal!!). We’ll also be wrapping up one of our co-ops and performing a musical, but come April 22nd, we can all take a very deep breath!

Here’s a peek at my goals for the upcoming month:

  • drink 100 oz. water daily
  • take my vitamins (I’ve been GREAT a remembering this the last month!)
  • read 1-2 non-fiction book (I’m hoping to read Hands Free Life and Mama Needs a Do-Over)
  • dates with each of the kids (rotate with my hubby)
  • stick to our re-newed budget (we switched to Every Dollar from YNAB to sync with our phones)
  • marriage retreat with my hubby (it’s been almost 18 years of marriage, and we can always use it!)
  • journal (and be brave enough to share – Instagram, anyone??)
  • print off pictures and scrapbook/layout one event. I’ve printed pictures and stuck them in a book – need to add WORDS!!
     

Overall in March, my goals did great and I’m looking forward to seeing what April brings!! 

A Peek Inside My Planner

If you’d like to take a look at how I’ve set up my yearly planner, I’ve explained it more in this post here, as well as given links to my favorite binder and colorful tabs (because pretty makes life fun too, right?).

Yearly Planner example from Homeschool Creations-5

This year I’ve done a little something different and pulled my planner out of the binder and had it spiral bound at Staples. Loving it so far!!

April 2016 Personal Planner Pages

You can download the April 2016 Personal Planner Pages HERE. There are 12 pages included as a part of the download: the month at a glance and then weekly planning pages as well, with a page that goes a bit into May as well. Each month I’ll be offering a free download for that month’s planning pages, so you can check back and download them as they become available.

Purchase the Yearly Planner

Yearly Planner from Homeschool Creations - daily, monthly, and yearly pages to get you organized

Add to Cart
 

If you like the layout and want to start planning out the rest of your year now (and next year too), purchase the full Yearly Planner for $4.99. The calendar  includes month-at-a-glance pages and dated weekly pages through June 2017.

Don’t miss my student planner and weekly homeschool planner – available as well!

Don’t Miss The Daily To-Do List

Daily to do list free printable

 

My Daily To-Do List is pretty basic, but hopefully it will work for you too. There is an area to make a list of things to accomplish, household goals, appointment, meals for the day, and even a space to record exercise and water intake. Each page in the document is identical so you can print them off, cut the page in half, and have two lists. If you print them front to back, you’ll have four to-do lists and save a little paper. Hope you all have a wonderful new year!! I’d love to hear your plans!

 

Insect Nature Study Printables – Learning About Bugs

Insect Nature Study Printables from Homeschool Creations

Spring is almost officially here – and that means lots of beautiful weather to enjoy nature walks and exploring of the various insects we come across. While bugs aren’t always a favorite of mine (I’d much rather be looking at birds, thank you very much), they all still have a purpose. Except for stinkbugs. I don’t know what their purpose is…  

If you have kiddos in your house that are willing to search and discover different bugs and have some learning fun, head out doors and get up-close and personal while using these go-along printables!  

What insects do you see frequently in your area? Are there any that you get excited to see (or is it better to say scream over)?

Insect Nature Study Printables

Insect Nature Study printables from Homeschool Creations

The Insect Nature Study Printables include the following:

  • Nature walk counting sheet – mark a tally every time you see one of the insects on the sheet
  • Backyard Insect counting – mark a tally when you see an insect in your yard
  • Insect scavenger hunt – for younger children, take this scavenger hunt sheet on a nature walk or when sitting outside
  • Blank insect observation sheet – record data and information on insects you find
  • Label the parts of an ant
  • Story writing prompt – write a short story using four of the words provided
  • Firefly poem and coloring page
  • Fact and coloring cards – color the image and write facts you know on the back

 

Interested in the Extended Insect Nature Study Pack?

Interested in a larger set of the Insect Nature Study Printables? There is an extended pack with additional labeling sheets (for ant, dragonfly, and bee)  as well as individual observation sheets for the following insects: ant, bee, dragonfly, firefly, fly, grasshopper, ladybug, luna moth, monarch butterfly, mosquito, rhino beetle, scarab beetle, stinkbug, and tick.

Purchase the full set for $3.00 in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop.

 

Additional Learning Ideas and Inspiration

51kzR4mBWIL._SL250_

The inspiration for this pack initially came from Tyndale’s Faith That Sticks insect pack and my past Bird Nature Study Printables pack. The stickers feature nine different insects (several that are focused on in this nature study pack (along with a MANY others) and will be a fun addition to your nature study.

Here are a few things you can do with the stickers. There are six sticker sheets in the set, so plenty to use for a few of the following ideas including:

· Using two sheets to create a matching game. Simply cut 18 3×3 squares of cardstock and put a sticker on each piece. Then have fun matching them up.

· Use the stickers as a guide and have your child sketch their own image of the bird. These stickers have some great colors that are eye-catching!

· Write a story using the stickers. Have your child write their own story picking 2 or 3 of the stickers or have them dictate one to you.

· Make some fun spring cards using the beautiful birds and let your child create a ‘scene’ to put the birds into!

· For older children, put each of the 9 stickers onto a 3×3 cardstock square and let them practice alphabetizing the birds.

· Make popsicle stick puppets with each of the bird stickers.

· Create a simple windsock and use the stickers to decorate. The stickers are light enough that they won’t add extra weight to the windsock.

· Make a fun bracelet with a few of the stickers and wear it on a nature walk. See what birds you find as you walk along!

 

Learning About Insects: Further Resources

Don’t miss these additional printables and helps for your insect nature study!

 

Bird-Nature-Study-Printables-from-Homeschool-Creations.jpg

Like this pack? Don’t miss the Bird Nature Study Printables found HERE.

 

Easter Pocket Chart Calendar Pieces – FREE Printable

Easter pocket chart calendar pieces - a free printable with 3 colors and patterns with 2 monthly calendar headers

Easter isn’t that far away, so here’s a head start for you to print and laminate before the upcoming month begins! A reader emailed and asked if I would be willing to create Easter Pocket Chart Calendar Cards. While she loved the free March and April pocket chart calendar cards I shared several years ago, she wanted one featuring the Easter story – and I absolutely wanted to help her out. Although we may not be using a calendar pocket chart anymore (believe me, it was a sad day when it was taken down and passed on!), our daily calendar time was always a fun time of learning together.

How to Use the Easter Pocket Chart Calendar Cards

Use the different colored number cards to try different pattern sequences: an ABC pattern, ABAB pattern, AABB pattern and other patterns you can make up together. Here’s an example of different patterns using the cards from the month of September. pattern example The set also includes a calendar header for the months of March and April as well, since Easter typically falls in either month.

Easter pocket chart calendar pieces - 3 colors and patterns with monthly calendar headers

 

Additional Calendar Helps

Here are a few additional printables and helps for you all, including the pocket chart that we use, laminating tips, and additional printables you may like:

Yearly pocket chart calendar numbers from Homeschool Creations copy Pocket chart holiday and special occasion cards

Keep up with the newest posts and subscribe by RSS or e-mail to be the first to know of other free printables!

Additional March and April Pocket Chart Calendar Pieces

 

March-pocket-chart-calendar-pieces-from-homeschoolcreations.net_.jpg April-pocket-chart-calendar-pieces-from-homeschoolcreations.net_.jpg

If you’d prefer a different set of pocket chart calendar cards for either March of April, feel free to grab them March ones here and the April ones here.

 

PDF Printing Problems

Having trouble downloading or printing this file? Be sure to check out the post on PDF Download Problems for tips and tricks on getting the files to download properly. The solution is usually something simple and quick!

Images Copyright © Digital Bake Shop. All rights reserved.