Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

hands-on activities

Shakespeare Unit Study Starters

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I have a few ideas and Shakespeare Unit Study Starters. Also, look at my post Shakespeare Unit Study.

Stepping back from our routine of how we normally do language arts, I wanted to teach Shakespeare differently than I had with my older boys.

I have been using the book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare with Tiny and we have been loving it. I have a post coming up soon about how easy this book has made it to teach about Shakespeare.

Shakespeare Unit Study Starters @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How to Teach Your Children About Shakespeare

Today though, I have rounded up some Shakespeare unit study starters that will spark some ideas to make learning about Shakespeare fun and interactive.

tempest

teacher guide

Then of course, if you tie in history with learning about Shakespeare, then it makes total sense to us.

So grab this free teacher guide on Julius Caesar, which has some super helpful teaching tips.

This next idea is plain hilarious, but typical of what interests our kids. From the site Ye Olde Official Shakespearean Insult Kit: “With this handy-dandy SHAKESPEAREAN INSULT KIT,you can have the spleen of The Bard at your disposal! The next time someone cuts you off in traffic, or a clerk behaves rudely, stun them with your lexicographical command of vituperation.” Just click on a pull down menu and a few of these expressions will at least evoke a conversation with your teen about The Bard.

This next site has an online handy reference for learning, which is a good resource for learning about the theatre. The Globe Theatre: A Study Guide.

Also, grab this free 18 page lesson planning guide for scenes from Romeo and Juliet as a way to introduce kids to Shakespeare.
This Did Shakespeare Write His Plays video makes another great unit study starter or at least a debate.

Also, I have this free huge Renaissance Lapbook and Unit Study.

Grab this free Renaissance Lapbook at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Then you have to scoot by and check out this huge page about music.

Hopefully, a few of these links will help you to make a great start to studying Shakespeare.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

 

Ancient Greek Theatre Mask – Easy Hands-on History

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Our Ancient Greece unit study had a huge stop/start gap because we packed and moved back from South America, but we are winding it down finally.

Ancient Greek Theatre Mask - Easy Hands-on History @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Before we do though, we added one more fun easy hands-on history activity, which is an Ancient Greek theatre mask.

Hands-on Ancient Greek Drama

Tiny looked through the book TOOLS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS: A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece (Build It Yourself), which has been a huge help in finding activities for middle and high school kids and not so babyish.

Too, it was a good time to time talk about Ancient Greece drama.

Quoting from the book, TOOLS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS: A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece (Build It Yourself), “Drama included performances of tragedies, which often told stories of the mythical past, and comedies, in which performers poked fun at politicians, famous people, and even the gods.”

Tiny decided to make an easy Ancient Greek mask focusing on comedy.

Easy Greek Mask 1

So we gathered up what we had at home. Look at this list of things to gather.

  • pencil
  • cardboard or paper plates
  • paints, chalk pastels, sharpies
  • scissors
  • DAS Air Hardening Modeling Clay
  • your choice of yarn or paper to curl for hair and/or sequins or whatever you have around the house to decorate your mask
  • the red tie ribbon came off a used gift bag

Tiny started by drawing an oval on the cardboard to give the mask a shape to work with.

Easy Greek Mask 2

Then he started flattening the clay and using the clay to mold the face. The clay dries pretty quick, which is one reason he loves this clay.

Too, you could paint it or use a sharpie or even use chalk pastels. If you decide to use paper plates, then one suggestion in the book said to glue the paper plates back to back. Then, make one side comedy and the other side tragedy.

Easy Greek Mask 3

After Tiny finished the face, he added chalk pastels and sharpies along with red cheeks to make his face comical.

Ancient Greek Theatre Mask - Easy Hands-on History @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Adding a red ribbon or two and he was ready for drama. Tiny really enjoyed this activity and it was a great way to learn a few facts like:

  • drama is a Greek word meaning “action”
  • tragedy is a play that usually depicts events from a mythical past and that often ends sadly
  • comedy is a play that makes the audience laugh by poking fun at politicians, famous people, and even the gods

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

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American Robin Free Printables, Resources and Crafts

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I rounded up some fun American Robin free printables, resources, and crafts to kick off a spring unit study.

American Robin Unit Study Ideas

American Robin Free Printables, Resources and Crafts

We pulled out the chalk pastels today, used our Chalk Pastel reference tutorial book that we love, which by the way was created by a homeschool mom and Tiny decided to sketch and do a chalk pastel of the American Robin.

A Seasonal Start in Spring Chalk Pastels

By the way, there is a guide for each season. I love this download because Tiny can read through it on his own.

The American Robin – First Sign of Spring

Art for All Ages Bundle
Sketch of the American Robin @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Like his mom, Tiny is not comfortable with art. However, with some coaxing to change the pace of our day, he pulled out the chalk pastels.

I have tried my best through the years to be sure each son views art as enrichment and pleasure. The emphasis has always been on the pleasure of art and not so much the product.

American Robin Chalk Pastel @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

However, I think he did quite well with this American Robin. Of course, he had to sketch it first so it would be “perfect”.

American Robin Free Printables, Resources and Crafts

I tried to talk him out of it and to use the pastels to free flow, but he really liked the way it came out and more importantly, we enjoyed a change in pace.

We read some online about American Robins and enjoyed listening to the sound of them too. We’ll be looking out to see one or two this year also.

I gathered up some free and fun resources to help round out a unit study or quick study.

North American Red Robin Free Lapbook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Free Printables & Reference

American Robin lapbook
American Robin Menu
American Robin 3 page information
Coloring Page

American Robin Facts for Kids
Fun Facts About the Robin
6 page pdf. along with helpful map, habitat and facts.
Robin bird house plans for a nest shelf
Several American Robin Coloring Pages

Story of Robin Eggs
Bird Feather Types – scroll down close to the end of the page. Nice pictures of feathers and beaks.
Free printable critical reading passage with answers.
Easy find the bird crossword puzzle
How to identify a robin’s nest

bird-notebook-field-page-.png

50 page pdf download coloring pages of different birds, including the American Robin
Grab my free printables for a bird notebook

American Robin Foot print

(image source: Sweet and Simple Life. Note: please give credit by pinning from original sources.)

Photos, Crafts and YouTube American Robin

Footprint American Robin. Isn’t that the cutest thing ever? What a perfect spring keepsake!
YouTube Mamma bird feeding her young video. There is a cool scene in this video. It is must watch, I but don’t like the music. (so distracting)
American Robin Mini-Documentary YouTube
Eggs hatching photos
Making a rockin’ robin with a cereal box

Paper craft robin
American Robin at a Glance

I hope you can use some of these free and fun resources to squeeze in a few days of learning about spring and the American Red Robin.

American Robin Free Printables, Resources and Crafts

You’ll love these other crafts and ideas:

Hugs and love ya,

American Robin Free Printables, Resources and Crafts @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Free Ancient Greece Can You Answer Minibook

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Free Ancient Greece true or false minibook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I am never ashamed to admit that sometimes we school upside down, sideways and sometimes backwards, but we always go forward. The free Ancient Greece Can You Answer Minibook that I am sharing today is an example of what I mean by the way we homeschool.

We love doing our unit studies and we add lapbooks in for enrichment as we plod along and study many different things. Sometimes we speed through them and sometimes not, like the Ancient Greece lapbook.

FREE ANCIENT GREECE LAPBOOKS

Since this is my third or fourth time around studying Ancient Greece, I have focused on hands-on activities with Tiny.

Be sure you grab the Free Ancient Greece Go Fish Game, Free 4 tab minibook, the Ancient Greece Pull tab book along with the hands on math, making a chariot, making baklava, grab a list of living history books, grab a great big list of Ancient Greece freebies and do a refraction activity.

Don’t forget to grab my first Ancient Greece lapbook here and Ancient Civilization here .(Minoan and Mycenaean civilization)

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This freebie is a subscriber only freebie! This means you get access to the exclusive area for subscribers and can download this printable there after you follow my blog.

I would love for you to follow me and give me the opportunity to help you along in your homeschool journey.

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Though I love your emails, it can take a while for me to answer you.

1.) If you are a daily email reader, the private link to the subscriber’s only page was sent to you immediately when you joined my blog. Look for that email in your inbox.

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Hugs and love ya,

365 Days Hands-On Homeschool Activities – One for EVERY Day of the Year!

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.




365 Days Hands-On Homeschool Activities

Today, I am over the top excited to share a resource that I have been working on for a while and it is 365 days of hands-on homeschool activities, one for every day of the year. Hands-on learning not only makes learning come alive, but it makes it stick. It took me a long time to learn that because it is hard to unlearn that worksheets are the way to teach when that is the only thing I was exposed to.

On top of that, my personality fights against me all the time meaning I am the type that would rather not have the mess or at least I thought so. But, there is another part of my personality, which I hope you can relate to and that is I want my time to count when it comes to teaching.

365 Days Hands-On Homeschool Activities - One for EVERY Day of the Year!

If you don’t want to teach the same concepts over and over, hands-on learning, hands down (pun intended, corny I know) is the only way to go.

Hands-on learning is not only fun, but engages the mind, fosters family togetherness and the best part, kids learn and remember for years. Not one worksheet ever has Mr. Senior 2013 said he remembered, but all the time consuming projects we did is what he recalls.

So today, enjoy this huge list of activities and come back here when you need a hands-on activity to teach for your lesson.

I have gathered up many hands-on lesson from top notch bloggers and educators and they are divided by subject instead of age because I feel hands-on learning activities are subjective and should fit your needs.

Hands-On Arts, Crafts & Music Activities

 


Art Project: Paper Silhouettes
 Sew Clothes for Dolls and Stuffies
Make a Notebook
Pointillism Cookies: Art for Kids
Impressionist Art Projects for Kids: Monet
Make Your Own Kid’s Travel Binder
DIY Beeswax Candles With Kids
Inverted Finger Painting
Felt Flowers Craft
How to Turn Children’s Art into Greeting Cards
Sea Turtle Art
DIY Bookmark Greeting Card Tutorial
Hand Stitched Cards
Felt Dinosaur Craft
Stick Weaving Tutorial
Easy Hands On Ideas When You’re Not the Bomb Mom
Winter Craft Ideas for Middle School
How to Turn Boring Worksheets into Fun Minibooks
Make footprint rug
Cicada Shell Art
Tie Dye Art with Baby Wipes
Flower Print & Scrape
Rainbow Painted Toast
Snap Paintings
Weaving Art
Square Foot Gardening
Icon Controversy (art history)		Chuck Close Portraits
Sew a Kitten
17 sea crafts
Create an Art Box
Teaching Kids to Bake
Monet’s Japanese Bridge
Bug Sensory Bin
Finger Knitting Scarf
LEGO Unit Study and Lapbook
Finger Knitting Ear Warmers
Fun, Fast, & Frugal DIY Stickers Your Kids Will Love!
DIY Pop-Up Card Tutorial
DIY Notepads
Hula Hoop Weaving Tutorial
Trees Through The Seasons Art Project
DIY Bath Bombs Tutorial
Make your own Felt Pizza
Make Birdseed Ornaments
Nature Craft Collage
Painted Watering Can
String Art Project
Explore Whittling and Carving
Body Painting
Color Mixing Tops
Rolling Pin Yarn Art Activities
Pretty Princess Beads
Fine Motor Activity with Straws and Pipe Cleaners

Hands-On Geography & History Activities


Civil War Treats: Molasses Cookies
 Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers
Free Iroquois Lapbook
First Battle of Bull Run
Persian Mosaic Craft
Showing Civil War battles visually
Egypt Cookies
Make an Ancient Greece Chariot
HL Hunley, Civil War sub
What caused World War 1?
Free Westward Ho Lapbook
Clay Map of Greece
Terracotta Warriors
What was it like in the trenches of World War 1?
How did United States end up in World War 1?
Italy Cake
22 Awesome History Field Trips
The Start of World War 2
Roman Coins Craft
Roman shield
World War 2 movies to watch with your kids
History Pop ups
Ancient Rome Comedy Show
Remembering the Holocaust
Free Printable American History Game
Victory in Europe
Egyptian Feast
Make Celtic Cakes
How to Make Cardboard Egyptian Pillars
Make Negrinho from Brazil
Chicken Mummy
Egyptian Mythology
Make Roman Shield & Sword
Roman Mosaic
Make Pan Au Chocolat – French Revolution
 Free Printable Storming the Bastille Game
100 Free Native American Resources
Cherokee Garden Pan Bread
How the Catapult changed history
15 Hands on Ideas French & Indian War
Marco Polo Salt Dough Map
Great Big List of Ancient Greece Ideas
Free Meso-America Lapbook
Senet board game
King Tut project
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Gandhi
Olypmpics
Alexander the Great
Small Arms Combat
Viking brooch craft
Xerxes lesson		Create Your Own Atlas – A High School Geography Project
Battle of Fort Sumter
Easy DIY Compass
Battle of Gettysburg
Make a Confederate Flag
Snack Like they Did in Ancient Greece – Make Baklava
Civil War in the Graveyard
LEGO Civil War Hospital
Ancient Civilizations Hands On
Victorian House Tour
Viking Spear craft
Discovery of Iceland
War of the Roses
Aesop’s Fables
LEGO Trench Warfare
20 Ancient Civilization coloring pages
Antique Train Tour
Ancient Greece Refraction Activity
Edible Roman Road
1920’s Party
Roman Fresco
1950’s Party
Make Your Own State Puzzle
Hannibal
Orange Globe
How to Make Swords and Shields
DIY Lava Lamp
How to Make an Edible Map with Crispy Rice Cereal
Step-by-Step: Making a Paper Mache Map
Extend a Timeline Book
Step-by-Step: Making an Edible Map
Battle of Hastings
How to Make a Salt Dough Map
Make an Arctic Region Salt Dough Map
Free FBI Lapbook
Sumerian activities
Minoan lesson
Phoenician Activities
South America Salt Dough Map
Pompeii
Study Geography of France by Creating a Solar Oven
Study Texas – Make Chili
13 Free Printable History Board Games
Leif Ericson discovered America
Create a Mythological Map
World War II Activities
Make Hardtack
Unrivaled Guide to American Civil War Activities
Free Medieval Japan Lapbook
Free Lewis and Clark Lapbook
Paper Art Landforms
Greek Columns
Julius Caesar

Hands-On Science & Math Activities


Fun Ways to Overlearn Math
 Hands On Teaching: Coin Counting With Free Printable
Parts of the bone model
Making Blood
Learn about muscles through exercise
Dental health lesson
Free Human Body Lapbook
Finding fats in foods
Make a model of blood
Bird Beak Experiment
Microscope Study
Make an edible heart model
Ways to Make Math Fun for Active Learners
Circulatory system game
How to make a candy spine
Activities for Learning about Atoms
Creeks
Colorful Celery Science Experiment
Water filtration experiment
Nervous System Projects
Skin and Hair Science Activities
Learning Perimeter and Area with LEGO
Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes
The Earth: Hands-on Activities
DNA and Genetics Activities
Sugar Cube Rock cycle
Layers of the Earth’s Atmosphere lesson
Clouds unit
Make a heart pump
Plate tectonics unit
Food Web Activity
Build An Aircraft Engineering Challenge
LEGO Bacteria
Make Your Own Volcano
Caves Unit Study
Edible Sedimentary Rocks
Water Unit Study
Groundwater Experiment
Acids and Bases
Paper Structures Engineering Challenge
Dissolving Calcium with Acid
Square Foot Nature Survey
Measuring the Volume of a Solid
Testing Charles’s Gas Law
Newton’s First Law Experiment
Biofilm Experiment
Properties Of Water Experiments
Superhero States of Matter Science Experiment
STEM Challenges with Hands-On Engineering
Making a Hurricane Lapbook
How Big is a Foot? enrichment activity
Teaching Perimeter and Area with Geoboards
Use a Number Balance to Practice Math Facts and Encourage Mathemati…
Using the Six Tens Card Deck to enhance math learning
Origami Math Game {Tutorial}
Domino Stair-Step Pattern
Chemical Reaction Experiment
How to Make a Model of Earth’s Layers – Spice Jar Style!
How to Build a Model Periodic Table of Elements
The Inuit and Arctic Circle Hands On Ideas
Make a Crystal Radio
Make Invisible Ink
Forensic Science – Take Fingerprints
Fall unit study ideas
50 Keep Me Homeschooling During the Winter
Humboldt Current Activity
Edible Geography Sea Currents
Flower Dissection
Edible Ocean Layers
Make Soap
How Carnivorous Plants digest their prey
Mega List of Human Body Hands On Ideas
Make a water cycle in a bag
Measuring Snow
Outer Space Math Maze
Building the Water Cycle by Legos
Hug an Tree to Estimate Its Age
Animal Tracks Match Up
Charcoal Water Purifying Experiment
Water Cycle Experiment
Spiders
Starting Seeds Indoors
Make A Mold Terrarium
Extracting DNA From Strawberries
Reverse Engineering
Making A Polymer Ball
Gumdrop Structures Engineering Challenge
Experimenting With Flexibility
Erosion Hands On Activity		Hands On Learning: Atoms, Molecules, and Compounds
Rigid vs. flexible bone activity
Hands On Teaching: Piggy Bank Math
Learn the names of the bones
Edible skin activity
Teaching first aid: how to treat a broken bone
Why are our bones strong?
Color Sudoku (Logic Game)
Frogs & Toads
Hands on muscles lesson
What food has starches in it?
Play Stomachion Like Archimedes
Amoeba Cake
Learning about blood types
Learning the Order of the Planets in the Solar System
Orange Science Experiments
Brain cell model
Music and Noise Experiments
Playdough brain model
Learn about the brain activities
How to Make an Egg Float
Fake snow activity
Layers of the Earth lesson
Volcano activities
Extreme Winds activity
Earthquake activity
Atmosphere Unit Study
Geo Links (preschool math)
Hands-on Activities for Weather
Ridiculous Weather Report
Moon Unit Study
Solar System Unit Study
Build A Windcar Engineering Challenge
DIY stethoscope
Chemistry Tools
Filtration Experiment
Polishing Pennies Experiment
Static Electricity
Make Your Own Slime
Five Fabulous Frogs (preschool math)
Make Your Own Element Cards
Biopsy Science Experiment
Atmospheric Pressure Experiment
Compost Cup Science Experiment
Digestive System Experiments
Squishy Science
Center of Gravity Experiment
Experimenting With The Senses
Mixtures and Compounds
How to Build Atomic Models
Atomic Cookies
Building Molecular Models
Tropical Rainforest Resources
Breaking Covalent Bonds
Saltwater Experiment
Saturated Solutions
Freezing Alcohol
Hydrocarbons
Using Math Mini Office Lapbooks
Practice telling time with a hula hoop
Practice Math Facts with this FUN 5-Minute Math Drill
8 Ways to Use Kinetic Sand for Math
Bean Bag Measurement Activity
Hand Clap Games
75 Awesome Things to Add to a Lapbook
How to make an abacus
How to Make a 3D Model of the Skin
How to Make an Edible Cell Model
How to Make a Paper Mache Earth
20 Summer Ideas for Teens
Metamorphic Edible Rocks
Enzyme Experiment
5 Free Hands on Science Activities
Make dinosaur bones
Solar System Pipe Cleaner Model
How to Not Pop a Balloon by Fire
Make Winter Ice Jewels
Foil Boat Engineering Challenge
Potential and Kinetic Energy
Oxygen and Fire Experiment
Steel Wool and Battery Experiment
Number Wheel
Measure It!
Red Cabbage Litmus Test
Square Foot Gardening
Comparing Increases in Heart Rate

Hands-On Language Art Activities


Word Family Activities for Beginning Readers
15 Reading Activities
Active Reading Games
Laundry Letter Matching Game
Indian in the Cupboard
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Message in a Bottle
Diy Spelling Magnets
Free Milk Cap Spelling Mats
Make an experience book to learn language
Lego Duplo Sight Word Towers
Sight Words with Winter Tic Tac Toe
Play charades to learn vocabulary
Name Writing Nature Hunt
Roll to Write
Sandbox Writing Printable Cards
Word Wheel Tutorial and FREE Printable
Four-in-a-Row Reading Game
Narration Jar and Narration Cube
Create an interactive word wall
If You Give a…..
 Make Berry Ink, Pot & Quill
Spelling Dice Game
Stamping Sight Words
50 Alternatives to Sitting Quietly During Read Aloud
Spelling Game Ice Excavation
Use story sticks to build comprehension
Sight Word Snow Globe for Word Work
Free Spelling Game
Super Easy Stencils
Alphabet Tic-Tac-Toe
10 Easy Language Arts Activities

 

365 Days Hands-On Homeschool Activities. One for EVERY day of the year!!

Hugs and love ya,