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Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study

October 23, 2015 | 39 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a free human body unit study. Also, I have this Human Body Crafts page for more hands-on ideas.

Taa, daa. It’s here. The completed human body lapbook. Have you been following along as we did our huge human body lapbook and unit study?

We have had a ton of fun with our human body unit study and today, I want to give you one more minibook about the eye and some clip art to go on the outside of the book.

First, did you notice we turned this lapbook landscape?

Human Body Lapbook

The human body lapbook was free for a limited time.

It was so big and we used a legal size file folder too. So we added all the books we did inside and the pictures above will help you to see where we placed our books.

Of course, like I always say, you can use as many of mine as you want to and mix and match other things you want so that the lapbook reflects what you want to teach your kids.

That is one reason I also share my minibooks separately. Sometimes you want to mix and match.

Too, we added one more picture, which is a visual labeling the different parts of the eye and we simply glued that onto our page because this unit was getting big for us.

Tiny was ready to move on to another topic, but I wanted to be sure he was familiar with the parts of the eye too.

Don’t you just love it when you have way more activities to do and then just have to stop so that you can move on?

Eye book @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Also, I created several different pieces to decorate the outside of the lapbook flaps.

You can use any free color pages or use these three pieces of a cover page I have below.

Human Body Lapbook Title Choice of 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PLus1

Human Body Lapbook Title Choice of 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PLus

Human Body Lapbook Title Choice of 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PLus3

Also, I included body clip art with the name of the organ above it.

Tiny wrote in the name of the organ, colored it and he cut them out to place on the outside of his lapbook. I include a few other decorative pieces to go on the outside flap of your lapbook.

I hope you love them and I hope you love this unit study as much as we have.

Body Parts clip art @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

You can download the lapbook below.

Dynamic and Fun Human Body Lapbook for Multiple Ages
$5.00 Add to cart

More Human Body Unit Study Resources

Make Learning Fun: Free Printable Digestive System Activity

What is blood hands on activity and free blood components minibook for a human body homeschool unit study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus featured — Making Blood + Free What Are the Components of Blood Minibook

Homeschool Unit Study Human Body. Hands-on Activity 5. Edible Skin + Skin and Major Body Systems Minibook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus Featured — Making Blood + Free What Are the Components of Blood Minibook

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What I Gave Up to Homeschool (and what I got in return)

October 22, 2015 | 14 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Bitterness or resenting homeschooling after you have made the choice to homeschool is an easy trap to fall into.

There is much hype about homeschooling. Though some of it’s true, some of it is not.

Making wise choices for your family is about being realistic too when it comes to homeschooling.

The homeschooling lifestyle can either fall like a ton of bricks into your lap and not really be a choice you contemplated or you may be like some who planned to homeschool before the birth of their child.

Whatever the case, what you give up to homeschool matters because having a realistic picture of homeschooling can quell homeschooling doubts. How does that happen?

Look at these things that you will face or may have already faced so far in your journey.

What I Gave Up to Homeschool

Addressing them now helps you to weigh your choice in advance.

■Being homebound.

Yes. I feel at the beginning of my journey that I was more homebound.

At the end anything always gives you a better vantage point.

So now, I don’t have kids that are 4 years old, 2 years old and newborn any longer.

What I realize now is that regardless of whether I homeschooled or not, I was at home more because of the ages of my children.

I may have given up some of my freedom, but what I gained by not just being home, but using my time to nurture my sons’ relationship with me and their father and spiritual training have far outweighed anything I felt like I gave up to be at home.

It was hard to feel that way when I washed baby clothes every day, picked up after toddlers and had one sleepless night afer the other.

But, I would NOT give up one moment of it to watch EVERY precious educational step they took.

■ Giving up my hobbies or interests.

Yes, I gave up some of what I wanted to do as far as personal things. My brain is always ticking for another creative visual project, but I had to learn to curb it so that I could stay focused on what my sons needed for the day.

Back in the day, scrapbooking was the craze and I saw it as a benefit to organizing all of the photos I would have through the years.

Guess what? I have only a partially done scrapbook for my first son and fast forward 16+ years of homeschooling, I have thousands and thousands of photos that need to be organized.

On the other hand, I also have thousands and thousands of moments of tender time with my sons.

Two of my sons are finished with homeschooling and as I look at the men they have become, I don’t have to have a photo to look at to see the strong and spiritual men they are becoming.

Oh sure, I would love to organize all those photos, but then again I would have missed the moments of homeschooling.

Instead of fretting over what I couldn’t do, I used my ticking bomb brain to create over 40+ free homeschool unit studies and lapbooks for my sons (and your kids too) and a 7 Step Homeschool Planner for me and you.

I wouldn’t trade that for anything!

■Traveling. Giving up my freedom to travel.

Scrapbooking seems so shallow by comparison to the legal job I enjoyed.

As a certified paralegal, I enjoyed traveling to different places, receiving continuing education and stay in beautiful hotels and places.

Did I mention I loved the aspect of dressing up each day? It made me feel good.

Though my hair may now do just as well up in a hair clip and my latest apparel are comfortable capris and a cutesy top, I never would have imagined that as homeschoolers we would have traveled to the Amazon Rain Forest for a “field trip” or lived abroad.

I still don’t give up dressing for the day when I can and I will never give up my makeup or big jewelry. The homeschooling community just accepted me as I am.

Though I miss the days of my career and reading legal briefs (I am weird that way, I love all that fine print), I savored the moments when I read my sons’ essays and topics that piqued their interests.

Though I will probably never help pick a jury out or negotiate with an attorney, I chose homeschool co-op leaders like Kelley and Cynthia.

They are not only awesome and strong homeschool leaders, but spiritual women who influenced my sons during their school time and ultimately life. I will never be able to repay them for their positive influence on my sons.

Negotiating with an attorney for one of my clients seemed easier by comparison than consulting with the other homeschool leaders for planning field trips and co-ops for our large homeschooling group.

These are three things I gave up to homeschool, but what I got in return not only outweighed what I have given up, but has surpassed it.

It was easy to forget, though I thought I knew it, but reward comes at the end.

Tiny payoffs during the year are just that – small. However, they were always enough to keep me going and not regretting the homeschool lifestyle I chose.

What have you have given up so far to homeschool?

You’ll also love to read these articles:

Hugs and love ya,

5 Ways to Handle Off Days When Homeschooling

October 20, 2015 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have had many days where I was waiting for my latest cup of Jo or tea to kick in so I felt awake and ready to homeschool.

Though I was tempted to add another shot of caffeine to my latest brew, I figure out quickly that I was just having an off ~~year~~ day.

5 Ways to Handle Off Days When Homeschooling @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Of course, if you were to ask me that day, I probably would have embellished my bad day to say that the whole year was off.

Today, in sharing 5 ways to handle off days when homeschooling, I want to share ways I faced the wimp-itis monster for the day.

Just Say No!

■ Go back to bed.

Okay, maybe you can’t do this completely because of the sweet kids. But sometimes an off day in homeschooling is a signal that you just need more rest.

When I am completely unreasonable, I have figured out that I just need some down time. At least get some rest for the day and sometimes that means just saying no to school for the day.

■ Start the day slower.

My normal time to begin school when the kids were little was about 8:00 a.m. because my household was young and everybody was up by 5:00 a.m.

Now that we have hit the middle and high school years, we start school about 9:00 a.m.

I have figured out that starting school even an hour later helps me to still have a productive day and to figure out if I am having an off day because I am tired or just over planned.

■ Toss Out Your Homeschool Approach – Temporarily

One year when I had many off days, it was because I tried to forge ahead using a homeschool approach I was adamant about using.

A few of my off days, I tried using a topic or unit study approach along with hands-on ideas sprinkled in. My day came alive with the new approach.

Check out my article, 5 Signs that You Need to Switch Your Homeschool Approach.

Temporarily trying something new for the day was the twist I needed to see that my homeschool approach wasn’t a match for my boys.

Give yourself permission to try a homeschool approach that you have been mulling over. Doing it temporary lets you know if it’s a fit for your family or not.

■ Head Outdoors

Many days, I needed to get away from the house though I loved being there every day.

Many of us homeschoolers like the comfort of our homes because we can learn in a relaxed way.

But the change of scenery gives you a new energy for the day even though you may not think you need it.

If the weather is unbearably hot, look for something to do indoors like rock climbing, ice skating or hit the library.

It doesn’t have to cost a lot when you feel off.

If the weather is glorious and dreamy, my favorite is to take a nature walk and have the kids collect their nature bounties.

Use what they collected to teach science the next day. We had snake skins, feathers, bark, tons of flowers and all kinds of leaves.

■ Meet up with other homeschoolers. Excitement is contagious.

I always say if it was left up to me, I may never leave the comfort of my home.

But my boys love being with other homeschoolers and when it’s all said and done at the end of the activity together, I felt the same way too.

I find that when I’m tired or can’t figure out what is off about the day, I call just a few homeschooling friends and spring an unplanned field trip on them. Live wild (well for me anyway because it was unplanned) when you homeschool because the years pass by fast.

From Drudgery to Dynamic Homeschool Day

Having an off day in homeschool doesn’t have to be a waste, but can be a lesson for the day.

I would have never switched my approach to homeschool unless I gave myself permission to tiptoe over into another approach and try it.

An off day created an outlet for me to try something new that eventually became a permanent part of our homeschool and an approach I treasure to this day.

Embrace off days when homeschooling, you never know what might unfurl.

The Best Bad Homeschooling Advice (That You Should Actually Consider Trying)

October 16, 2015 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The Best Bad Homeschooling Advice (That You Should Actually Consider) @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Homeschooling advice is not only limited to new homeschoolers; it can come from any well-intentioned person, even a non-homeschooler.

Even if you don’t look like you need it, you’ll still homeschooling advice. You know what I mean.

The Best Bad Homeschooling Advice

After getting some “bad” homeschool advice, I have to admit that I actually needed to follow some of it.

■ Use a boxed curriculum.

I left behind boxed curriculum after I was past being a new homeschooler.

So when another seasoned homeschooler suggested I use a boxed curriculum while I was in the process of moving, I was taken back by the advice.

I never told her, but that day I did just what she suggested because it made sense.

I purchased a boxed curriculum for one semester.

I gave my boys laid out curriculum, packed my boxes and we made a huge move.

I spared myself a lot of anxiety by following that best bad homeschooling advice.

Also, check out my article, How to Use a Boxed Curriculum Without Giving Up Your Homeschool Approach.

■ Get your mom or dad to help you teach a subject or two.

If you have parents that are not supportive of homeschooling, then one of the best ways to get them on your side is by asking them to help you teach a subject or two.

It’s not exactly what you want to hear and especially if your parents are not supportive of your decision to homeschool.

However, grandparents bring a richness of life and a whole wealth of experience that your children deserve.

When the boys were real little, my parents lived on the same wooded acreage as we did.

My boys would run over to my mom’s house every day after school to “narrate” back what they learned. Having a captive audience when I no longer could listen to them helped them to retain information more readily.

If your parent’s health is good, they may be better at teaching a subject or two that you may be weak at.

My mother excelled at math and math has been my weak area always.

Her influence on my sons has been a valuable asset to my homeschooling journey because two out of the three sons are advanced in math. I am grateful.

Did I mention that time away from me was a break for my boys? Check out my article, How Grandparents Can Inspire Your Homeschool Journey.

■ Stop running around so much!

Ouch! That one hurt.

I thought the “good little homeschool mom” kept the roads hot while she took her children to “socialize”.

Slow down, stay at home and homeschool was the best piece of advice I could have received from a seasoned mom when I started my journey.

Of course at the time I had the miffed look thinking that was bad advice because I was going to be sure my children didn’t crawl under a rock somewhere. Can you just say ugly?

Humbled by what I know now many years into my homeschooling journey, I spared myself a lot of wasted time on the road when we could have stayed home a bit longer.

Too, I have never wanted to be known as a sensitive homeschooler or one who takes offense easily thinking that all homeschooling advice is well- intentioned, but misguided.

Homeschooling is about a whole hosts of difficult choices, so I am glad that I actually tried some of the best bad homeschooling advice I’ve ever had.

How about you? Have you ever received some best bad homeschooling advice?

Hugs and love ya,

Homeschool Unit Study Human Body. Hands-on Activity 4. Making Blood + What Are the Components of Blood Minibook

October 14, 2015 | 7 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

No unit study about the homeschool unit study human body is done right without making some blood and learning about the valuable components of it. Also, I have this Human Body Crafts page for more fun ideas.

The human body lapbook was free for a limited time.

Homeschool Unit Study Human Body. Hands-on Making Blood + What Are the Components of Blood

What is Blood Made of?

Besides, that is the best way to learn about the four basic components of blood.

At the bottom, I shared the video that helped us to kick off this activity and also helped us to pick out the ingredients.

What is blood hands on activity and blood components minibook for a human body homeschool unit study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Look at the ingredients we used, again, which we had on hand at the house.

■plastic bottle
■marshmallows (we only the big ones, so we cut up a few of the big ones)
■mini box of chocolate cereal that the boys didn’t like
■raisins
■corn syrup and water
■yellow and red die
■salt

How to Make Blood 1@ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How to Make Blood 2 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

So after we gathered all of our supplies and a funnel and bowl or two, we started.

First Tiny poured the corn syrup in and mixed with a bit of water (not too much).

Mostly we used the corn syrup because I wanted it to look more like blood plasma in the beginning.

How to Make Blood 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How To Make Blood 4 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Homeschool Unit Study Human Body.

So he added yellow dye and some salt to represent the plasma.

We added salt to help him remember that though plasma is mostly made up of water, it also contains proteins, sugar and hormones. So adding the salt was just to help him remember some of the make up of plasma.

How to Make Blood 5 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How to Make Blood 6 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Next, we took our chocolate cereal and mixed in some red dye and coated it pretty good.

I liked the fact that the “red blood cells” started to give it color because they make up about 40 to 45% of the color.

Since red blood cells are round and look a little bit like a doughnut, without the hole in the middle, this round cereal was a pretty good imitation.

He started to add in the red dyed cereal to represent the red blood cells (or erythrocytes).

How to Make Blood 7 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How To Make Blood 8 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Next came a bite or two of marshmallows or rather he added in some of the white marshmallows to represent the white blood cells (or leukocytes), but not too many of them.

Since I had raisins, we added a few of them to represent blood platelets (or thrombocytes).

How to Make Blood 9 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How To Make Blood 10 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

We ended up with something nice and gross that he liked, but it sure helped him to remember the 4 basic components of blood.

Also, here are some free resources about blood:

Middle School Lesson Plan. 3 page .pdf How does the Cardiovascular system work? Actually lessons for K to 6th.
Another hands-on activity. Blood Cell basics for younger grades.
How Much Blood Do You Have? 20 page .pdf for middle and high school
Cool wheel template 7 page .pdf template wheel for middle and high school teaching blood type.
What is Blood? You Tube Really helpful to us when deciding how to color our blood, meaning we started with yellow first.