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How to Make an Easy Build a Snowman Kid’s Game (free printable cube)

January 14, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a build a snowman free printable game. Also, look at my pages Winter Season Unit Study Free Lapbook & Hands-On Ideas. 

Whether you’re looking for a fun activity to do indoors to keep you the kids from going stir crazy or looking for an easy activity to go with a winter unit study, you’ll love this build a snowman kid’s game.

How to Make an Easy Build a Snowman Kid's Game (free printable cube)

Also, reading aloud while your kids play is a great way to add in some facts about winter.

For example, we love living books.

When possible, we prefer to read them over how to books.

And for this theme of snowman, you’ll want to add a few story books.

BOOKS ABOUT WINTER FOR KIDS

13 Snow, Snowman, Animals, and Winter Books

Add one or more of these books to your learning day if you're learning about snow, snowflakes, winter or just for fun.

Image for Winter Cottage

Winter Cottage

Immerse Yourself in This Story of Love and Companionship Amidst Deprivation

It is the fall of 1930, and America has plunged into the Great Depression. On a remote dirt road deep in the snowy woods of northern Wisconsin, misfortune forces the impoverished Sparkes family to take desperate measures.

A wayfaring quartet consisting of thirteen-year-old Araminta (nicknamed Minty), her recently unemployed father-a poetry-quoting widower called Pops-and her younger sister, Eglantine (known as Eggs-a dreamer like Pops), and their dog, Buster, are on their way to Minneapolis to live with the curmudgeonly Aunt Amy. When their car breaks down and they are unable to fix it, the homeless four stumble upon a vacant summer cottage by a lake. In desperate straits, they decide to settle in.

Image for 1. The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder

1. The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder

How do snow crystals form? What shapes can they take? Are no two snow crystals alike? These questions and more are answered inside this exploration of the science of snow, featuring photos of real snow crystals in all their beautiful diversity. Perfect for reading on winter days, this book by a nature photographer and a snow scientist will inspire wonder and curiosity about the marvels of snow. 

Image for 2. Sneezy the Snowman

2. Sneezy the Snowman

B-R-R-R-R! AH-CHOO! Sneezy the Snowman is cold, cold, cold. To warm up, he drinks cocoa, sits in a hot tub, stands near a warm fire–and melts! But the children know just what to do to build him up again–and make him feel “just right”.

Image for 3. Snowmen at Night

3. Snowmen at Night

Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you've wondered . . . what do snowmen do at night? This delightful wintertime tale reveals all!

Image for 4. The Biggest Snowman Ever

4. The Biggest Snowman Ever

When the mayor of Mouseville announces the town snowman contest, Clayton and Desmond claim that they will each make the biggest snowman ever. But building a huge snowman alone is hard! They work and work, but their snowmen just aren't big enough. Soon they have an idea. As the day of the contest approaches, Clayton and Desmond join forces to build the biggest snowman ever.

Image for 5. Over and Under the Snow

5. Over and Under the Snow

Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow lies a secret world of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals making their winter home under the snow. This beloved nonfiction picture book exploring the subnivean zone reveals the tunnels and caves formed beneath the snow but over the ground, where many kinds of animals live through the winter, safe and warm, awake and busy, but hidden beneath the snow.

Image for A Hat for Minerva Louise

A Hat for Minerva Louise

"Stoeke's second book about that intrepid screwball, Minerva Louise, is a rare find."—The Horn Book, starred review. The other chickens hate snowy mornings. But not Minerva Louise! To her a snowy day—like everything else—is an adventure. But this chilly, chipper hen needs something to keep her warm. What she finds—and how she finds it—will keep young readers cackling.

Image for 6. How to Catch a Snowman

6. How to Catch a Snowman

Our heroes' entry for the snowman contest has magically come to life―and ran away! Can YOU help catch it? Get ready for snow much fun as you travel through a winter wonderland with running, skating, and bouncing through trap after trap to catch the snowman and claim the winning prize. Will the snowman teach our heroes a lesson they'll never forget?

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The Big Snow

When the geese begin to fly south, the leaves flutter down from the trees and the cold winds begin to blow from the north, the animals of the woods and meadows, big and small, prepare for the long, cold winter ahead when the countryside is hidden under a deep blanket of snow. They gather food and look for warm, snug places in the ground, trees, caves or thickets, where they can find protection against the icy winds.It might have been hard for the birds and animals of the hillside to survive when the Big Snow came if their good friends, who lived in the little stone house, had not remembered to put food out for them.Here, in many beautiful pictures, the Haders show how winter comes to the woodland as the busy animals make their preparations.

Image for 7. Curious About Snow (Smithsonian)

7. Curious About Snow (Smithsonian)

The Smithsonian does things right and this Curious About Snow book is a
great introduction for curious kiddos with real images and simple explanations.

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8. Animals in Winter

This is a clear and appealing book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom. Introduce kids to basic science ideas as part of discussions about the seasons and animals.

Image for 9. Arctic Figurines, Including A Harp Seal, Husky, Caribou, Arctic Rabbit, Killer Whale, Walrus, Arctic Fox, Beluga Whale, Igloo, And Polar Bear

9. Arctic Figurines, Including A Harp Seal, Husky, Caribou, Arctic Rabbit, Killer Whale, Walrus, Arctic Fox, Beluga Whale, Igloo, And Polar Bear

SET OF 10 FUN AND FRIGID FIGURES – It’s hard to stay warm at the North Pole, but you can discover its wonders in your home with these frigid friends. This TOOB includes a Harp Seal, Husky, Caribou, Arctic Rabbit, Killer Whale, Walrus, Arctic Fox, Beluga Whale, Igloo, and Polar Bear.

Image for 10. Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

10. Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.

Next, look at ways to play the snowman game.

BUILD A SNOWMAN GAME PLAYING IDEAS

This game can actually be done many different ways depending on the ages of your kids.

Look at these suggestions below on how to do this latest fun activity I have for you.

  • Roll the cube, and have an older child cut out cardboard and draw, color or paint each piece as he builds the snowman.
  • Roll the cube, and have a younger child cut out card stock and draw, color or paint each piece as he builds the snowman.
  • Print two pictures of the cube or die on card stock. Have your child cut out the pictures on one cube and glue the pictures on cardboard or paper. Use another cube for game playing.
  • To teach a preschooler shapes, make the snowman parts different shapes. Octagon for the body, circles for the buttons and cone for the nose will have him practicing geometry skills.
  • Of course, you can just have the child color the picture as he rolls that part of the snowman on the cube.
  • Another easy tip is to cut out the snowman on the download below and put him back together as your child rolls the cube.
Grab this FUN and FREE How to Make an Easy Build a Snowman Kid's Game (with free printable cube). It’s a great activity for a winter unit study to keep the kids busy.

Next look at more snowman fun.

MORE SNOWMAN ACTIVITIES

  • W Is For Winter Craft Easy Snowman Oobleck Activity
  • Fun Paper Cup Snowman Game Matching Upper and Lowercase Alphabet Letters
  • Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers
  • How to Make an Adorable Q Tip Painting Snowman
  • 8 Cool Winter Crafts for Middle School | Craft a Snowman Bead Necklace
  • Fun Styrofoam Snowman Art Activity & 5 Facts About The Wonders of Winter
  • How to Make an Adorable Toilet Roll Snowman for Winter Crafts
  • Snow and Snowflake Facts for Kids and Fun Hands-on Exploding Snowman

Snowman Kid’s Game

Although a game like this is fun, it also teaches many skills. 

Preschoolers strengthen fine motor skills by both coloring and cutting.

In addition, you can expand this game by writing down words that correspond to the pictures on the cube.

And children learn to take turns as they play together.

Another way to make this game fun for your artsy kids is to have them roll the cube and draw their own parts for the snowman and build it as they go along. 

Designing their own snowman builds creativity and strengthens the imagination.

A game like building a snowman is also a fun activity to do with a group of kids in a homeschool co-op.

Each kid can design their own snowman and learn to play together.

One more idea is to have your children work together to build a giant snowman on butcher block paper.

Collaboration is a skill that a child uses on to high school.

HOW TO GET THE FREE SNOWMAN PRINTABLE PAGE AND CUBE

Now, how to grab the freebie. It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

What ideas do you have for building a snowman?

Grab this FUN and FREE How to Make an Easy Build a Snowman Kid's Game (with free printable cube). It’s a great activity for a winter unit study to keep the kids busy.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Hands-On Activities, Teach Homeschool Preschool Tagged With: hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool preschool, homeschoolinginwinter, preschool, preschool skills, winter season

Horse Study Guide For Kids Who Love Animals

December 19, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today I have a horse study guide for your kids who love animals. Also, look at my page Free Horse Unit Study for Your Horse Loving Kids.

If you want a fun place to start with introducing horses, you’ll love this fun horse study guide.

My horse study guides give your children a way to learn independently.

Horse Study Guide For Kids Who Love Animals

Besides covering various horse topics, there are a few activities included.

For example, my study guide covers topics, from the anatomy of a horse to how to care for them.

Besides, this allows your child to be as hands-on or hands-off as he wants to be when learning.

Also, I’ve included more hands-on horse activities at the bottom.

First, here are some books to add to your child’s reading day.

BOOKS ABOUT HORSES FOR KIDS

We prefer living books.

So, when I find them, I add them to our reading list.

9 Books and Resources for Horse Loving Kids

Whether you add a book or two to use as a spine for your study or just for fun, your horse loving kids will enjoy them.

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Homeschooling With Horses

A Homeschooling Journal for Horse Lovers! 365 Lessons and Activities. This Journal has a special focus on learning through logic and creativity!! It also covers every required subject! Perfect for 2nd to 4th grade, but fun for all ages.

This is the perfect Fun-Schooling Journal for students who love horses!

There are 365 activities in this book, and you can require your student to use 1, 5 or 10 pages per day, along with 6 library books, and your favorite math, history and science curriculum. You are free to use it any way you wish. That is the joy of fun-schooling with Thinking Tree Books.

Image for Knowing Horses: Q&As to Boost Your Equine IQ

Knowing Horses: Q&As to Boost Your Equine IQ

Did you know that a miniature horse weighs just a few pounds, while a giant draft horse can weigh well over a ton? Or that from a standstill a mule can jump, kangaroo-like, more than five feet high?  With answers to hundreds of questions about behavior, physiology, training, and special breed characteristics, Knowing Horses has all your horse quandaries covered.

Image for Horses: The Clearest Recognition Guide Available

Horses: The Clearest Recognition Guide Available

This book is designed for all those who love horses. Tracing the evolution of equines, this guide also explains the difference between horses and ponies, looks at how different breeds evolved or were selectively developed, and examines equine anatomy and behavior. Packed with 250 vivid full-color photographs of more than 100 horse-breeds, it uses a systematic approach from Dorling Kindersley and the Smithsonian Institution to train readers of all experience levels to identify and appreciate the wide variety of horses in the world.

Image for Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

Learn the difference between a farrow and a barrow, and what distinguishes a weanling from a yearling. Country and city mice alike will delight in Julia Rothman’s charming illustrated guide to the curious parts and pieces of rural living. Dissecting everything from the shapes of squash varieties to how a barn is constructed and what makes up a beehive to crop rotation patterns, Rothman gives a richly entertaining tour of the quirky details of country life. 

Image for Horse Life: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for and Riding Horses for Kids

Horse Life: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for and Riding Horses for Kids

The complete beginner’s guide to horses and riding for kids 8 to 12

This ultimate guide to horses for kids teaches you all about the basics of equine care―from anatomy to housing to bathing and feeding. Whether you’re just starting out or already have a horse of your own, you’ll learn how to ride, how to stay safe around horses, and how to develop a healthy and friendly relationship with them.

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Black Beauty

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Black Beauty is a perennial children's favourite, one which has never been out of print since its publication in 1877. It is a moralistic tale of the life of the horse related in the form of an autobiography, describing the world through the eyes of the creature. In taking this anthropomorphic approach, the author Anna Sewell broke new literary ground and her effective storytelling ability makes it very easy for the reader to accept the premise that a horse is recounting the exploits in the narrative. The gentle thoroughbred, Black Beauty, is raised with care and is treated well until a vicious groom injures him. The damaged horse is then sold to various masters at whose hands he experiences cruelty and neglect. After many unpleasant episodes, including one where he becomes a painfully overworked cab horse in London, Black Beauty finally canters towards a happy ending

Image for Misty of Chincoteague

Misty of Chincoteague

Marguerite Henry’s beloved story of a wild horse’s gentle colt—winner of a Newbery Honor!On the island of Chincoteague, off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland, lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely-seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her—that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can’t live without her.

Image for Breyer Freedom Series National Velvet Horse and Book Set

Breyer Freedom Series National Velvet Horse and Book Set

Horse and book set: National velvet is Enid Bagnold's unforgettable tale of a horse-loving girl with aspirations of jumping Glory. A story about perusing dreams and taking chances, National velvet follows the adventures of 14-year-old velvet Brown.

Image for The Complete Horse Anatomy Colouring Workbook- Master Equine Anatomy By Colouring and Labeling

The Complete Horse Anatomy Colouring Workbook- Master Equine Anatomy By Colouring and Labeling

Whether you are a veterinary nurse or student preparing for an exam or just an ordinary horse lover seeking to learn more about this amazing domestic animal called ‘horse’ this colouring workbook is for YOU!

This book has been designed and structured to make you learn horse A&P easily and effortlessly. By colouring the images contained in this book, you will easily make visual associations with key terminologies and concepts.

Also, look at some hands-on activities.

MORE HORSE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Look at adding these activities to this fun study guide.

  • Free Horse Unit Study for Your Horse Loving Kids
  • Horse String Art
  • How to Make a Trojan Horse Craft | Fascinating Trojan Horse History
  • Cardboard Dala Horse (3 ways)
  • 10 Homemade Horse Treat Ideas for Horse-Loving Kids & Carrot Apple Treat
  • Clothespin Horse Craft for Kid
  • Alphabet Letter H Handprint Craft For Fun Preschool Horse Study
Horse Study Guide For Kids Who Love Animals

Additionally, look at more information about this study guide.

ABOUT THE HORSE STUDY GUIDE

This printable packet is a 102 page printable pdf download.

Here are some of the topics included.

  • What is a horse
  • Horse Life Cycle
  • Caring for a horse
  • Equipment for horses
  • Parts of a saddle
  • Horses in history
  • Horses on the farm
  • Hooves
  • Wild horses
  • Pony vs horse
  • Donkey vs horse
  • Zebra vs horse
  • Arabian, Mustangs, Thoroughbreds, American Quarter, Appaloosa, American Paint, Clydesdale, Friesian, Morgan, Tennessee Walking, Shire, Percheron, Gypsy Vanner, Andalusian, and Shetland Pony
  • Breed matching, sorting and matching activities
  • Horse quiz activity
  • Bingo activity
  • Name the horse activity
  • Anatomy of a horse hoof activity
  • Horse life cycle activity
  • Horse care matching
  • Parts of a saddle activity
  • Equipment I Spy activity

HOW TO GET THE HORSE PRINTABLE INFORMATION PACKET

You can get it now!

TOS
Important: READ THIS FIRST.
Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.

• All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store. A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar.
• Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.
• The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.
• Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (of course substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

Horse Study Guide For Kids Who Love Animals
  • Dynamic and Amazing Horse Study Guide For Young Learners

    Dynamic and Amazing Horse Study Guide For Young Learners

    $5.95
    Add to cart

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Do Unit Studies Tagged With: hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, horse, life science, science, study guide

Free Printable Kindergarten Worksheets | Awesome Winter-Themed Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

December 1, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m sharing free printable kindergarten worksheets and a fun winter alphabet scavenger hunt. Also, look at my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum for more fun ideas and activities.

Although I’m a huge advocate of hands-on but beginning penmanship skills need to be reinforced too.

So a worksheet or two should be another tool we have to boost alphabet and phonics recognition.

Free Printable Kindergarten Worksheets | Awesome Winter-Themed Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

One way of doing that is by themed worksheets.

By focusing on a theme or unit study children are engaged with a topic while learning about the alphabet.

Then, another way to nurture penmanship skills is to play a game.

For example, with my printable winter themed alphabet scavenger hunt kids are doing both.

They’re enlarging their vocabulary with winter themed words and practice writing skills by noting things they find in the scavenger hunt.

BEST PHONICS FOR KINDERGARTEN

Next, along with learning the alphabet it’s important first to teach kids sounds that letters represent.

Through games and books, it makes teaching phonics easy.

11 Best Phonics for Homeschool Kindergarten

Teaching kids how to read doesn't have to be hard, you just have to have the right tools.

You'll love these phonics resources.

Image for All About Reading Level 1
Photo Credit: www.allaboutlearningpress.com

All About Reading Level 1

Package includes: one Teacher's Manual, one Student Packet, and three readers

Image for Evan-Moor Daily Phonics, Grade 2, Homeschooling, Phonemic Awareness, Decoding, Word-Study, Teaching Editions, Reproducible Worksheets

Evan-Moor Daily Phonics, Grade 2, Homeschooling, Phonemic Awareness, Decoding, Word-Study, Teaching Editions, Reproducible Worksheets

Provide explicit, systematic phonics instruction and practice in just 15 to 20 minutes a day!

Daily Phonics, Grade 2 helps students in second grade—including students learning English—develop the phonics skills necessary to become proficient, on-grade-level readers.

The 32 weekly units in grade 2 cover:

Image for Welcome to Starfall PreK & Kindergarten
Photo Credit: www.starfall.com

Welcome to Starfall PreK & Kindergarten

Starfall.com® opened in September 2002 as a free public service to teach children to read.

Since then it has expanded to include language arts and mathematics for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade.

Starfall’s emphasis on phonemic awareness, systematic sequential phonics, and common sight words in conjunction with audiovisual interactivity has proven effective in teaching emergent readers

Image for Explode the Code 4 Books

Explode the Code 4 Books

Explode the Code is a research-based, multisensory program geared to improving literacy with direct, systematic, phonics instruction.

Image for Progressive Phonics
Photo Credit: www.progressivephonics.com

Progressive Phonics

Progressive Phonics all-in-one reading program that is easy, fun, and totally FREE---that's right, totally and completely free.

And with Progressive Phonics, ANYONE can teach a child to read and write in just a few minutes a day, which makes it ideal for parents, teachers, tutors, volunteers and home-schoolers.

Image for Open Source Phonics
Photo Credit: www.opensourcephonics.org

Open Source Phonics

Free Phonics Materials for Teachers, Tutors, and Families Literacy is a civil right.  The research supporting phonics is too strong to ignore. All families deserve access to high-quality phonics materials.
Image for Foundations by Logic of English

Foundations by Logic of English

Help you child learn to read and spell - while having fun. Teachers and parents are raving about it! This first step in the Logic of English Foundations series opens the door to reading with phonemic
awareness activities, fun lessons that practice the sounds of a-z, and creative blending games

Image for Horizons K Phonics and Reading

Horizons K Phonics and Reading

Prepare your child for a lifetime of reading and successful learning with the Horizons Kindergarten Phonics & Reading Student Book 1 from Alpha Omega Publications.

Image for Early Language Arts Overview - WinterPromise
Photo Credit: winterpromise.com

Early Language Arts Overview - WinterPromise

Adventures in Pine Hollow is designed to engage students so thoroughly that whether they can’t wait to read or would rather wait forever, they are pulled into a forest world, where they join critter adventures and forget there’s learning going on!

Image for First Start Reading, Book A

First Start Reading, Book A

First Start Reading covers consonants, short and long vowels, 45 common words, and manuscript
printing, accompanied by artist-drawn coloring pictures and drawing pages for every letter.

Image for Alpha-Phonics Primer

Alpha-Phonics Primer

Mr. Blumenfeld created Alpha-Phonics (spiral-bound) to provide parents, teachers and tutors with a sensible, logical, easy-to-use system for teaching reading. It is an intensive phonics instruction
program based on the author's many years of research and experience in the reading instruction field

Additionally, you need a variety of ways to teach the alphabet not just worksheets.

I’ve uses games, songs, art and even dance.

8 WAYS TO TEACH PHONICS OF THE ALPHABET

Look at this list of easy ways to teach the alphabet for your kindergarten size kids.

  1. Play a is for apple and d is for dog as you spend time throughout the day.
  2. Kids love sensory trays. It promotes tactile learning. So use a sensory tray to dig for the letters of the alphabet or to find items to match a letter. Even place items for 2 different letters in the tray. Have your child match the item to the correct letter sound.
  3. Scavenger hunts encourage moving which is a natural part of learning at this age. Don’t fight the need to wiggle. Use the need to move while locating things around the house or better yet outside to fit the letter sound you’re focused on.
  4. Along with the printable kindergarten worksheets, read story books like Chicka Chicka Boom and Dr. Seuss’s ABC.
  5. Songs and dance also allows kids to move and learn.
  6. Some kids love to color letter worksheets.
  7. Too tracing letters is another way to engage senses. Kids can do this with their finger.
  8. Use edible peanut butter dough to form letter. Doesn’t hurt if your kids take a taste or two as long as they have no allergies.

Also, look at these free printable kindergarten worksheets.

FREE PRINTABLE KINDERGARTEN WORKSHEETS

  • Free Beginning Alphabet Sound Worksheets
  • Help your child quickly master their alphabet with these capital letter recognition worksheets.
  • Alphabet Printable Chart Coloring Pages
  • Free Printable Uppercase & Lowercase Letters Worksheets
  • Printable Dotted Letter Tracing Pdf Worksheet
  • Free Printable Uppercase Alphabet Dot Marker Coloring Pages
Free Printable Kindergarten Worksheets | Awesome Winter-Themed Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

Finally, look at how to grab the free winter themed scavenger hunt for kindergarten.

HOW TO GET THE FREE WINTER THEMED SCAVENGER HUNT

Now, how to grab the freebie. It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Kindergarten Tagged With: alphabet, kindergarten, phonics, reading, scavenger hunt, winter season, worksheets

Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle

November 10, 2024 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

It’s not easy transitioning from public school to homeschool. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips and resources.

Afraid of messing up their child for life, new homeschoolers feel that having a strict schedule and having school from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. is the road to homeschooling success. 

Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle

New homeschoolers transitioning from a public school mindset to a relaxed homeschooling lifestyle have a hard time wrapping their minds around the concept of relaxed homeschooling.

I admit I was one of those homeschoolers. Relaxed was one shade off from lazy. I was quite judgmental. It was ugly and I admit it!

Unless I kept my boys busy with a schedule every part of their learning day, we would not be meeting my standards for success so I thought.

From Relaxed to Rejuvenated Homeschooling

First, look at some of these books about homeschooling.

5 BEST How to Homeschool Books

I've rounded up some of the best books to help you get started homeschooling.

Image for Homeschooling for New Homeschoolers: When You Don't Know Where to Begin

Homeschooling for New Homeschoolers: When You Don't Know Where to Begin

Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is a real eye-opener on homeschooling. It will alleviate a lot of the anxieties about getting started homeschooling. Reading each chapter’s highlights will give you encouragement, knowledge, guidance, and peace of mind to homeschool with confidence. The best part is that you’ll be educating the person who loves your kids the most in this world--YOU! Armed with the knowledge to make better choices in curriculum will empower you to continue the path of home education. Unlike many books based on one family’s experience, Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is also based on Tina’s many years of mentoring hundreds and hundreds of new homeschoolers at live workshops. When you don’t know where to begin Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers equips you to successfully homeschool your children.

Image for The Unhurried Homeschooler

The Unhurried Homeschooler

Homeschooling is a wonderful, worthwhile pursuit, but many homeschool parents struggle with feelings of burnout and frustration. If you have ever felt this way, you’re not alone! Most of us need to be reminded of the “why” of homeschooling from time to time—but "The Unhurried homeschooler" takes parents a step further and lifts the unnecessary burdens that many parents place on themselves.

Image for Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace

Those who have made the decision to homeschool their children have done so out of great love for their children and a desire to provide them an excellent education in the context of a warm, enriching home.

Image for The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life

The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life

Parents who are deeply invested in their children's education can be hard on themselves and their kids. When exhausted parents are living the day-to-day grind, it can seem impossible to muster enough energy to make learning fun or interesting. How do parents nurture a love of learning amid childhood chaos, parental self-doubt, the flu, and state academic standards?

Image for Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom

Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom

Education has become synonymous with schooling, but it doesn’t have to be. As schooling becomes increasingly standardized and test driven, occupying more of childhood than ever before, parents and educators are questioning the role of schooling in society. Many are now exploring and creating alternatives.

It can take years to embody the definition of relaxed homeschooling.

Some homeschoolers even confuse relaxed with unschooling. Because they may want to follow more structure, they’re hesitant about adopting relaxed homeschooling.

Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle

Don’t wait years and miss out on adding the vital element of relaxation to your day.

Take a look at some of these points that will help to hone the definition of relaxed homeschooling.

Relaxed homeschooling works with every approach.

Relaxed homeschooling is not an approach, but it is a lifestyle.

This means that you don’t have to give up your homeschooling approach, but it does mean that whatever homeschool approach you follow, it needs to be examined.

For example, determine how you can make your approach more relaxed and less rigid.

Transitioning from a Public School Mindset

If you follow a unit study approach, can you make it more relaxed by doing math all together one day?

Normally, math is not a subject that can be done with multiple ages, but you want to find a way to step back. Relaxed means to rejuvenate your day. Choose one day and read a living math book to all your children.

Instead of focusing on the math worksheet you missed for the day, focus on the feeling that math becomes a subject that a child can love instead of dread.

If you follow the classical method of homeschooling, can your language arts one day be about each child narrating back a story he loves?

Transitioning from a Public School Mind-Set to a Relaxed Homeschooling Lifestyle @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Forget the physical act of writing one day and encourage your children to use their vocabulary building skills by using new vocabulary in an oral story telling setting.

If you follow the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, can music involvement for the day be a physical act of interpretation like dancing?

Some of this will obviously depend on the ages of your children. Anytime kids can act out something to be learned, it was more memorable and captivating.

Define what is education for your family.

One of the first things you want to do when starting is to define what is education for your family. Does it include art, living books, textbooks, hands-on learning, life skills or all of them?

Beyond thinking about worksheets, most new homeschoolers don’t give pause for even a moment to look clearly beyond the present to the future.

The importance of this cannot be stressed enough.

Learning should not be just about filling a child’s head with knowledge, but it should be a part of living that is delightful and pursued lifelong. It’s about equipping a child for adulthood.

How will your family do that in a relaxed atmosphere?

Look beyond how things are presently done either in public school or in your present homeschooling journey to see what YOU want to change to make it better for your children.

Jump headfirst into understanding your child’s learning style.

No matter how much I talked to one homeschool mom whose present homeschooling approach was not working with her son, she was not going to change.

Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle

She was just sure there was something wrong with her child.

There was — he didn’t learn how she thought he should. Really, the problem was her.

Tears and fighting followed and she made her homeschooling journey one miserable day after the other because she refused to change her teaching style.

Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle

When our child’s learning style doesn’t mesh with our predetermined way of teaching, are we willing to change our teaching style?

How to Kill Boring Homeschooling Days

Relaxed homeschooling means to change the way we think homeschooling should be and make it fit our child.

I had one son who loved textbooks and workbooks because some subjects he preferred to learn that way.

I have another son who cried in agony when he glanced at a textbook.

Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle

Should I think that I had less rigorous standards with my second son because I added in living books and more hands-on? Was that just fun or was it relaxed for him?

Brow beating our children to make them accept our teaching style instead of accepting them as they come, pre-wired to learn in a certain way, never worked.

Finding what is best for your child is relaxed homeschooling.

Relaxed homeschooling means that we accept when changes have to be made in our homeschooling.

Changing our homeschool approach and giving up curriculum when it’s not obviously working for our family while not stressing out over the price we paid for it are signs that we have softened in our homeschool journey.

Can you think of other ways where you can introduce a more relaxed attitude into your every day?

More Transitioning From Public School to Homeschool Tips

  • Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle
  • When Homeschooling is Sucking the Life Out of You
  • Why My Homeschooled Kids Are Not Given the Choice to Go to Public School
  • 26 of the BIGGEST Gripes about the Homeschooling Lifestyle!
  • The NOT To Do List: 32 Things New Homeschoolers Should Avoid
  • How to Mesh Your Personality With Homeschooling When They Collide
  • What is REAL Homeschooling? Homebound, Co-op or Public School at Home
  • Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)
  • How to Get Homeschooled Kids to WANT to Learn?
  • Is Homeschooling Making the Grade? It’s in and the Grade is ALL Fs!
  • Is Homeschooling Right for Your Family? Hear From the Kids!
  • Homeschooling Book for New Homeschoolers – When You Don’t Know Where to Begin
  • Homeschool Critics: How Do You Know You’re on Track?
  • How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling
  • How to Cope Successfully With Homeschool Mental Stress
  • How to Begin Homeschooling A Teen Lagging Behind
  • How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child & Free Checklist
  • 5 Ideas to Kick-Start Your New Homeschool Year By Including Others

2 CommentsFiled Under: Homeschool Simply Tagged With: homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschool lifestyle, homeschoolchallenges, new homeschooler, newbeehomeschooler, relaxedhomeschooling

4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

November 5, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a free 4-week Shakespeare unit study for kids. Look at these other Best Homeschool Unit Studies and my Fun Renaissance Unit Study Ideas for Kids and Lapbook Renaissance for more ideas and topics for hands-on learning.

Although there is debate about Shakespeare’s exact date of birth, we do know he was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a town in a farming area.

His mother, Mary, was the daughter of a local farmer. His father, John, was a glove-maker and wool trader with a large family house.

4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

And Shakespeare lived during a remarkable period of English history.

The life of William Shakespeare is surrounded in mystery due to the lack of records from that time.

Elizabeth I became the Queen of England in 1558.

During her 45-year reign, London became a cultural center where learning and literature thrived.

Also, I share a few of the ideas we did at our co-op. There are just some activities that are way more to do with a group.

Especially if you have a tough subject to teach, gather families together and use the creative brain of those families in your group.

BOOKS ABOUT SHAKESPEARE

Next, add a few of these books that will get you started on your unit study.

And where possible, I prefer living books over textbooks to teach with.

6 Books About Shakespeare For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Add one or two of these books to your unit study or learning day.

Image for A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)

A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)

Who is William Shakespeare?" For more than 20 years, Lois Burdett has asked that question of her elementary school students in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, leading them on a voyage of discovery that brings the Bard to life for boys and girls ages seven and up.

A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Image for Tales from Shakespeare (Wordsworth Children's Classics)

Tales from Shakespeare (Wordsworth Children's Classics)

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb was written to be an 'introduction to the study of Shakespeare', but are much more entertaining than that. All of Shakespeare's best-loved plays, comic and tragic, are retold in a clear and robust style, and their literary quality has made them popular and sought-after ever since their first publication in 1807.

This edition contains the delightful pen-and-ink drawings of Arthur Rackham.

Image for Favorite Tales from Shakespeare

Favorite Tales from Shakespeare

Retellings of the exciting stories of Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet are augmented by full-color illustrations

Image for Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare

Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare

Nobody knows exactly when or why William Shakespeare left his boyhood home of Stratford-on-Avon for the great city of London, but it didn't take long for him to make a name for himself. His plays are now performed almost every day in just about every part of the world; even people who've never seen them use words and phrases he introduced into the English language.

How did a man from an unremarkable family create a legacy that the world, even 400 years after his death, has never forgotten? There will always be unsolved mysteries about Shakespeare, but what we do know of his life, his times, and his theater makes for a very dramatic story.

Image for How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare

Ken Ludwig devised his friendly, easy-to-master methods while teaching his own children. Beginning with memorizing short passages from the plays, his technique then instills children with cultural references they will utilize for years to come. Ludwig’s approach includes understanding of the time period and implications of Shakespeare’s diction as well as the invaluable lessons behind his words and stories. Colorfully incorporating the history of Shakespearean theater and society, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare guides readers on an informed and adventurous journey through the world in which the Bard wrote.

Image for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Joining Bruce Coville's earlier prose adaptations of Shakespeare's plays is this picture book treatment of the Bard's most popular work ever. The tender story of the young star-crossed lovers from warring families, Romeo and Juliet has moved audiences to tears for four hundred years. And Coville tells it in a way that will surely whet the appetite of young audiences, who will then find even greater enjoyment in the original. As with his earlier adaptations, Coville expertly combines his own dramatic language with key lines from the play. Dennis Nolan, who illustrated Coville's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, contributes stunning paintings, including a gatefold of the famous balcony scene. In addition to A Midsummer Night's Dream, which Publishers Weekly called "A first rate entree to the Bard," Coville also retold The Tempest and Macbeth. Of the latter, School Library Journal said, "Coville's muscular sentences, full of dramatic word choices, make this a good read-aloud." Both Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream were honored as ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults.

Next, look at some of these fun ways to incorporate history and geography into your Shakespeare unit study.

HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY SHAKESPEARE UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 1

Queen Elizabeth I ruled from 1558, until her death on March 24, 1603, marking the Elizabethan era.

She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Queen Elizabeth also recognized the importance of the arts to the life and legacy of her nation.

She was fond of the theater, and England’s greatest playwrights.

  • Salt Dough Map of England gets your kids involved hands-on.
  • The Globe Theatre, built in 1599. Make your own globe theater stage
  • Learn about the fashion of the Elizabethan period. Fabrics like velvet, silk and brocade. The wealthy wore extravagant clothing. A ruff is a collar that is large and comes around the neck.How to make a paper maché Elizabethan ruff
  • Make a Tudor Rose and learn what is symbolized. Takes its name and origins from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The Tudor rose consists of five white inner petals, representing the House of York, and five red outer petals to represent the House of Lancaster.
  • Research the contributions of England’s maiden queen then create a 3-D portrait.
  • This was the Age of Exploration. Research Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake. Look at how to make a Sir Francis Drake Ship.
  • Another fun twist on geography is to make a map of places where Shakespeare’s plays take place. For example, Macbeth took place in Scotland and some in England, Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy and A Midsummer Night’s Dream took place in Athens.

NATURE & SCIENCE SHAKESPEARE UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 2

Also, study a list of plants and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays.

For example, learn about roses.

4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

A rose symbolizes love and beauty.

And think about the line “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” from the play Romeo and Juliet.

Here are some more examples and research about what they mean.

  • Hamlet – Holly, Violet, Daisy, Fennel, Willow, Cypress
  • The Winter’s Tale – Marigold, Mint
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Pansy, Cowslip
  • Romeo and Juliet – Rose, Briar, Basil
  • Make a homemade candle
  • Plant a mini herb garden planting thyme, rosemary and lavender as used during the Elizabethan period.
  • The clothes had to be dyed as well as using berries for ink. Look at this post for how to dye fabric from berries and vegetables and How to Make a Quill and Berry Ink.

MATH & LANGUAGE ARTS SHAKESPEARE UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 3

Additionally, here are some fun ways to add a bit of math and language arts to your unit study.

Besides the obvious idea of focusing on a couple of Shakespeare’s plays, look at more ideas to flesh out your study.

  • Talk about the 3 ways of telling time during Shakespeare’s time. Hourglass, sundial, and clocks. Look at this article which has interesting facts about time and how inaccurate clocks were then.
  • Take a twist on math and learn about the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet which is 14 lines and research about iambic pentameter.
  • Too, look at my post How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare
  • Shakespeare Unit Study Starters
  • Another fun way to bring Shakespeare’s plays to life is to act out certain parts. We had some teens in our group make a few props like a balcony and costumes and acted out their parts. It was way more fun for our teens.
  • Discuss the shapes of The Globe Theatre to learn about geometry. Build a scale model of it.
  • Learn about the money used during this time. For example, pounds, shillings, and pence.
  • Prepare food of the time and practice math measurements. For example, learn about pottage, bread was popular, meat pies, cheese, beers and ale. Honey was a popular flavoring since sugar was expensive. Look at my post Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids.
  • Apothecary was an occupation during Shakespeare’s time. Look at my post Apothecary Salve.
  • And I know not everyone lives near a renaissance fest but I contacted them to get names of folks they used as actors. We had a volunteer “Bard” come and go over with our kids about Shakespeare.

Also, look at some of my favorite sites. They are text retellings.

  • Absolute Shakespeare.
  • Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare.
4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

ARTS & CRAFTS SHAKESPEARE UNIT STUDY WEEK 4

Finally, look at these fun art and craft ideas during the Shakespeare and Elizabethan period.

  • Look at these fun puppets and coloring pages for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
  • In addition, use simple paper plates, string, paint to make masks of favorite characters from his plays.
  • Make stained glass windows. Look at my post How To Make A Kids Easy Medieval Stained Glass Window and Geronimo Stilton Time Travel How to Make a Medieval Stained Glass Craft.
  • In addition, learn about glassblowing. Look at my unit Glass Blowing lapbook and unit study.
  • And here are some fun dresses for paperdolls. Use them to create your own costume or use them for paperdolls.
  • For older kids interested in fashion of the time look at these model templates they can use to create their own designs.
  • Discover some of the trade crafts of that time. For example, there were playwrights like Shakespeare, quillmaking, costumer, actor, blacksmith, chandler, tanner and shoemaker.
  • Host a fashion contest within your co-op.
4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Last, whether your focus is on poetry, history, comedies or tragedies, look at some of Shakespeare’s works.

4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Also, grab my Renaissance lapbook to go with this unit study.

  • Dynamic Renaissance Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic Renaissance Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

TRAGEDIES

COMEDIES

  • Antony and Cleopatra
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Macbeth
  • King Lear
  • The Taming of the Shrew
  • Much Ado About Nothing
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream

HISTORIES

POETRY

  • Henry VI
  • Richard II
  • 154 Sonnets
  • Venus and Adonis
4 Week Free Shakespeare Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

We add to our unit study as we learn more about Shakespeare.

What hands-on fun have you done?

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Do Unit Studies Tagged With: hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, shakespeare

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