homeschoolanguagearts

100 BEST Books for Kids from all 50 States (Easy Geography)

December 27, 2024 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have books for kids from all 50 states. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

Book lists are a great resource for beginning a homeschool unit study.

Also, this list is great for helping kids learn the geography of the 50 states because they engage children with both visual and textual learning.

Too, they revive learning when you feel the homeschool doldrums, or to use them for a geography unit study when you want to move away from boring textbooks.

And books, especially picture books can have colorful illustrations and maps of the state.

100 BEST Books for Kids from all 50 States (Easy Geography)

Pictures help children cement information about the state.

In addition, state specific books will highlight landmarks, major cities and sometimes famous people.

Additionally, some books are living books which presents facts about the state in a narrative or story form.

Rather than dry reference books, many of the books are about persons who lived in specific states or about events that happened in certain states.

Also, look at more books about the United States.

Today, I rounded up 100 best books for kids from all 50 states.

BOOKS FROM ALL 50 STATES FOR KIDS

BOOKS ABOUT THE 50 STATES

Arkansas

Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of Arkansas
The Fifth Rule

California

By the Great Horn Spoon!
What Was the Gold Rush? (What Was? series)

Colorado

Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
In the Heart of the Rockies: An Adventure on the Colorado River

Connecticut

The Moffats
The Forgotten Flag: Revolutionary Struggle in Connecticut Paperback

Delaware

The Last of the Mohicans
Dear America: A Light in the Storm

Florida

Because of Winn-Dixie
Defeat of the Ghost Riders (Trailblazer Books)

Georgia

My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Diary of Carrie Berry A Confederate Girl

Hawaii

Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy
What Was Pearl Harbor? (What Was? series)

Idaho

West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi, New York to Idaho Territory
High Wind to Idaho

Illinois

DK Biography: Abraham Lincoln
What Was the Great Chicago Fire? (What Was? series)

Indiana

The Bears of Blue River
Oliver’s Travels: An Indiana Adventure

Iowa

Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Iowa Story
Searching for Anne Frank: Letters from Amsterdam to Iowa

Kansas

Prairie Skies: Cabin in the Snow
Moon Over Manifest

Kentucky

Daniel Boone: Young Hunter and Tracker (Childhood of Famous Americans)
Abandoned on the Wild Frontier (Trailblazer Books)

Louisiana

Lorenzo And the Turncoat
Down in Louisiana

Maine

The Sign of the Beaver
Lost on a Mountain in Maine

Maryland

Goliath: Hero of the Great Baltimore Fire
Listen for the Whippoorwill (Trailblazer Books)

Massachusetts

Three Young Pilgrims
What Was the Boston Tea Party? (What Was? series)

Michigan

Brothers of the Heart: A Story of the Old Northwest
Who Was Henry Ford? (Who Was? series)

Minnesota

Farmer Boy Goes West (Little House, Big Adventure)
Wright on Time, Book 5: Minnesota

Mississippi

The Mystery on the Mighty Mississippi (Real Kids, Real Places)
Mississippi Morning

Missouri

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What Was the Lewis and Clark Expedition? (What Was? series)

Montana

First Dog: Unleashed in the Montana Capitol
Magpie Treasures

Nebraska

Night of the Twisters
My Face to the Wind: the Diary of Sarah Jane Price, a Prairie Teacher, Broken Bow, Nebraska 1881 (Dear America Series)

Nevada

The Last Stubborn Buffalo in Nevada
The Mystery at Area 51 (Real Kids Real Places)

And if you love learning geography through literature, look at another one of my favorites from Beautiful Feet books which is Geography through Literature.

New Hampshire

The Trouble with Jeremy Chance
A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-32

New Jersey

The Fighting Ground
Who Was Thomas Alva Edison? (Who Was? series)

New Mexico

The Day It Snowed Tortillas
Loco Dog in the Santa Fe Rail Yard (Historical New Mexico for Children)

New York

Roundup of the Street Rovers (Trailblazer Books)
Who Was Jackie Robinson? (Who Was? series)

North Carolina

The Mystery of the Lost Colony (Real Kids! Real Places!)
The Mystery of Biltmore House (Real Kids Real Places)

North Dakota

The Long Winter (Little House)
Gift Horse: A Lakota Story

Ohio

The Boy Who Saved Cleveland
Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Who Was? series)

From Textbook to Living Book for Homeschool Geography

Oklahoma

Beautiful Land: A Story of the Oklahoma Land Rush
Oklahoma Prairie Tales: Mostly True Stories My Grandma Told Me

Oregon

Attack in the Rye Grass: Marcus and Narcissa Whitman (Trailblazer Books)
Attack in the Rye Grass (Trailblazer Books)

Pennsylvania

The Madcap Mystery of the Missing Liberty Bell
What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? (What Was? series)

Rhode Island

The Art of Keeping Cool (Aladdin Historical Fiction)
The World in One Square Mile: Central Falls

South Carolina

Sylvia and Miz Lula Maye
The Mystery at Fort Sumter (Real Kids Real Places)

South Dakota

Wright on Time: South Dakota
The Mystery at Mount Rushmore (Real Kids Real Places)

Tennessee

Flaming Arrows (Odyssey Classics)
The Perilous Road (Odyssey Classics (Odyssey Classics)

Texas

A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence (Dear America Series)
What Was the Alamo? (What Was? series)

Utah

The Great Brain
Wright on Time, Book 2: Utah

Vermont

Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys
John and Tom (Vermont Folklife Center Children’s Book Series)

Virginia

With Lee in Virginia
The Mystery at Mount Vernon (Real Kids Real Places)

Washington

The Seattle Puzzle (The Boxcar Children Mysteries)
Exiled to the Red River (Trailblazer Books)

West Virginia

Way Down Deep
October Sky

Wisconsin

Little House in the Big Woods
Caddie Woodlawn

Wyoming

Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of Old Wyoming
Wright on Time, Book 3: Wyoming

Also, you’ll love these other books:

This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

Enhance Your Language Arts Kindergarten Curriculum with Free Flip Books

October 11, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

A good language arts kindergarten curriculum is important. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

Besides, a strong kindergarten language arts program creates foundational skills children need to become successful readers, writers, and communicators.

Enhance Your Language Arts Kindergarten Curriculum with Free Flip Books

But it doesn’t need to be an exhaustive or expensive box curriculum.

You can build your own by including a good variety of activities that cover the basics and builds upon skills that they learn.

It also does not need to be based on heavy writing and practicing perfect penmanship, that will come later.

You can introduce writing

A good kindergarten language arts curriculum should include a variety of activities that help kids develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Too, it should teach phonemic and print awareness.

KINDERGARTEN LANGUAGE ARTS GAMES

Also, look at these fun books and games that can be part of your fun kindergarten language arts curriculum.

13 Phonics Readers and Games for Homeschool Kindergarten

You can never have enough decodable books and hands-on ideas and games.

The Fidget Game Learn to Read in Weeks Master 220 Sight Words

LEARN TO READ IN WEEKS – Created by a Kindergarten teacher devoted to exploring fun ways to teach reading to young kids,

The Fidget Game aims to teach curriculum-appropriate Dolch
words or sight words from Pre-K to Grade 3 kids.

Wooden Reading Blocks Short Vowel Rods Spelling Games

Wooden Spelling Toy: Includes a wood tray, 5 Handheld Sets of Rotating Blocks with 3-letter word movable blocks. Along with 48pcs sight words flash card (24 pcs foldable word 2-in-1 cards, 24 pcs word cards). Appropriate for teaching very basic reading skills.

Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers

Bob Books are back, now with a bright, unique box display and colored illustrations throughout that make learning to read even more fun.

Bananagrams: Word Game

FUN FOR EVERYONE – Gather your family and friends and race against each other to build crossword grids. This anagram game that will drive you bananas.

Alphabet Jigsaw Puzzle Building Blocks

A bright graphic design,teaching children to recognize letters and numbers correctly.

Learning Resources Pop For Sight Words

BUILD early literacy, increase vocabulary, and improve fluency.

Snap It Up! Phonics & Reading Card Game

Engage kids in building reading and phonics skills with this fast-paced game!

Maisy Mouse Collection 10 Books Set

A story of visiting the bookshop for the first time from the multi-award-winning Lucy Cousins.

Elephant & Piggie: The Complete Collection

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

First Little Readers Parent Pack: Guided Reading

Jumpstart reading success with this big collection of 25 motivating storybooks correlated with Guided Reading Level D. The books features simple text, decodable words, strong picture cues, and two to four lines of text per page to support readers with just a little experience under their belts. C

Dr Maggie's Phonics Readers, Set 2

Set includes six 15-page readers and a parent guide.

Green Eggs and Ham

I do not likegreen eggs and ham.I do not like them,Sam-I-am.With unforgetable characters and signature rhymes, Dr. Seuss’s beloved favorite has cemented its place as a children’s classic. Kids will love the terrific tongue twisters as the list of places to enjoy green eggs and ham gets longer and longer...and they might even find themselves craving something new!

The Cat in the Hat

“I know some new tricks,” said the Cat in the Hat. “A lot of good tricks. I will show them to you. Your mother will not mind at all if I do.” A rainy day turns into a wild romp when the Cat in the Hat and his troublemaking friends, Thing 1 and Thing 2, unexpectedly appear! A favorite among kids, parents, and teachers, this story uses simple words and basic rhyme to encourage and delight beginning readers.

8 BASICS OF A LANGUAGE ARTS KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

Next, look at the components of a language arts program.

1. ALPHABET RECOGNITION

The first step in building literacy skills is learning the sounds of each letter in the alphabet.

2. VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

Vocabulary development is the process of learning new words and their meanings, and how to use them in different contexts.

Kids are naturally exposed to new words daily through listening but at this age we will begin to become more intentional about teaching.

3. PHONEMIC AWARENESS

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the individual sounds in words and understanding the relationship between letters and sounds.

This is blending, segmenting, identifying sounds, and changing sounds.

Rhyming is important too because it helps your child to recognize word patterns. It can build reading fluency quickly.

For example, if your child knows the word “dog”, he can quickly see the pattern in the words fog, bog, frog, log and hog, etc.

4. PRINT AWARENESS

Print awareness is the understanding that print has meaning and that it can be used to communicate.

Environmental print is any print that can be found in everyday life, such as signs, labels, and logos.

How many of our kids recognized the big yellow M of McDonalds before they could even talk? That’s environmental print.

5. READING COMPREHENSION

Reading comprehension means to develop the ability to construct meaning from text and speech.

It includes comprehension, syntax, and sentence structure.

6. BLENDING

Blending is the process of gradually sounding out individual letters in a word to form a word and then be able to read it.

7. COMMUNICATION AND ACTIVE LISTENING

Talking and listening skills are part of a child’s communication and literacy development.

Basically, it is listening with a purpose.

8. WRITING

Writing helps children build language fluency and express themselves, but I consider this the least important of the language arts skills at this age.

MORE KINDERGARTEN HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

Rather than rigorous perfect handwriting practice its a great time for gentle instruction.

Now that you know what the most important aspects are of a language arts kindergarten curriculum let’s look at how you can easily incorporate them into your day.

ACTIVITIES TO BUILD YOUR LANGUAGE ARTS KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

Learn how to Make A Fun ABC Flip Book Fingerprint Activity for Kindergarten to work on letter recognition, beginning letter sounds, and more.

Grab these free Alphabet Stew Letter Recognition Mats

Get kids up and moving, working muscles and brain development with this Rainbow Hop Letter Sounds Game.

Play rhyming games. Once they have mastered letter recognition and sounds you will want to go heavy on working on rhyming and word families.

The 10 word families you will focus on are -at, -an, -ad, -am, -et, -it, -ig, -ing, -og, and -op.

Check out my free ick, ack,og, and at flip books for a gentle introduction to rhyming words I have for you below.

This fun and colorful activity Build a Flower Letter Sounds is a great way to practice beginning letter sounds.

Alliteration games Jack Hartmann.

While kids are just making art they can be learning letters and their sounds at the same time with the Hidden Letter Hunt.

Syllable counting – Clap out the syllables in words as you say them to help your child understand how to divide them up.

Blending and segmenting sounds-I discovered these 6 Hands-On Blending and Segmenting Activities that are easy to put together.

Point out print in the environment- Look for big signs overhead at your favorite stores, practice identifying the letters in the words.

Choose a letter for the day for example ‘S’ and as you do your grocery shopping encourage your child to find it everywhere they can-signs, packages, etc.

Finally, look at how to grab the free flip books.

HOW TO GET THE FREE PRINTABLE -OG, -ACK, -AT, AND -ICK WORLD FAMILY FLIPBOOKS

Now, how to grab the free word family flipbooks. 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!

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum: Tips And Recommendations

July 21, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Looking for a solid homeschool handwriting curriculum? Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips!

There are lots of choices of handwriting curriculum.

And I want to help you navigate them all whether you are looking for writers who are just starting out or a child who struggles with dyslexia or dysgraphia.

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum : Tips And Recommendations

One more important thing before you read on is for you to understand the difference between teaching handwriting and composition.

They are overlapping skills, but not in the beginning.

The focus with young writers is penmanship prior to composing thoughts.

I have rounded up 8 solid handwriting curriculum.

Look at the list and decide which one works the best for your child’s learning style, interests, and abilities.

Handwriting is an important foundational skill.

It has been proven that the brain engages differently when something is written by hand as opposed to typing it or by touching a screen.

Writing improves memory and teaches the alphabet faster as the learner interacts with each letter in various ways.

Too, it helps to slow down and engage with our thoughts, and handwritten letters are so personal and special!

Besides the handwriting curriculum there are different techniques you can do with your learner to practice while always keeping it fresh and fun.

7 Tips and Recommendations for Homeschool Handwriting

Of course, I am going to share these ideas with you as well.

1. Do not mistake teaching handwriting for composition.

As I mentioned earlier, budding writers need to know how to form letters before you introduce composing thoughts.

If a child has not spent enough time doing handwriting where letter writing comes naturally, they will struggle with both motor skills and the mental process of composition.

2. Before you ever begin teaching handwriting, spend a lot of time in pre-writing activities.

These activities build fine motor skills and help children learn to recognize and form letters.

This can be writing in a salt tray, forming letters with playdough, painting with cotton swabs or drawing with their fingers in shaving cream.

3. Repetition is key to success.

I think the most important part of learning handwriting is repetition.

It is a muscle that must be exercised regularly to make it strong.

Daily practice is important, but you can introduce different tools to make it fun.

For very young, beginning writers draw the letters on handwriting paper with a highlighter and let them trace over it in pencil.

4. Use different writing surfaces to bring learning to life.

Use different surfaces other than paper- chalkboard, dry erase, or an LED board, these are just so fun and different that it makes it exciting.

For pre-writing, when your child is almost ready to write or just beginning, consider using technology like the Wet Dry Try app from Handwriting Without Tears.

5. Technology has a place.

It is designed for kids to repetitively practice writing on a tablet with their finger or a stylus to teach how to form letters.

6. Copywork is another successful teaching method.

Modeling for a child has always been a superior method of teaching.

Copywork is simply what is implies. Teaching a child to copy write what he sees.

A child must pay attention to the details of capital letters and punctuation.

In addition, a child reads and writes well-formed sentences because copywork resources should be superior writings.

For example, use nature books, scripture, history resources and poetry.

Further, copywork is a great resource for handwriting as it is a way to encourage repetition.

But also it works in other subjects, teaches punctuation, and develops spelling skills.

7. Match to your child’s learning style.

Finally you want to move on to a good solid homeschool handwriting curriculum that matches their learning style and meets any challenges they may have.

CURSIVE HANDWRITING TIPS

Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum Tips!

Keep reading for a list of 8 handwriting curriculum and the benefits of each.

Finally, look at these recommendations.

8 Handwriting Curriculum Options for Homeschooled Kids

The 8 Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum.

Handwriting Without Tears Kindergarten

Handwriting Without Tears - Has been a mainstay of the homeschool community for years and there is good reason. It is ideal for multisensory learning because it engages visual, audio, and kinesthetic learners. The very hands-on tools begin to build vocabulary, fine motor, and alphabet knowledge prior to writing letters.

Photo Credit: dashintolearning.com

Dash into Handwriting:Print [Hardcopy}

The aesthetic of these books is just so appealing but more than that it builds on itself going from letters to words to copywork of phrases and is available in either print or D'nealian. To keep it interesting while still practicing it includes mazes, games, races, and puppets.

Photo Credit: www.goodandbeautiful.com

Handwriting: Level 1 Workbook

Teaches 2 to 3 letters at a time and goes in order of the most used letters to short words and sentences as it advances. This is level one, but the program runs from Pre K prewriting to level 7.

Writing in the Wardrobe: Print Handwriting Workbook

This particular volume is copywork using the words and quotes of the Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe but there is a wonderful selection of other literature to choose from as well, including print and cursive.

Cursive Handwriting for Kids with Dyslexia.

Many kids, especially those with learning challenges find it easier to begin with cursive rather than print.

Reusable Grooved Handwriting Workbooks

This set includes Alphabet,Addition Subtraction,Multiplication Division,Number 1-100, Drawing) + 2 Pens + 2 Pen Holding Aids + 10 refills and instill muscle memory, neatness, and the ink fades within 30 minutes to they can practice all over again.

Photo Credit: www.handwritingpractice.net

Handwriting Practice.net

Not only is this site free but you can create your own printable worksheets with any letter or words you like in several different fonts. If you don't mind spending a little more time putting everything together this is a great option.

Draw Write Now Boxed Set of 8

A drawing and handwriting course for kids that is challenging, motivating, and fun! This book contains a collection of beginning drawing lessons and text for practicing handwriting based on the philosophy of author Marie Hablitzel. An elementary teacher for more than 30 years, Marie believed that drawing and handwriting require many of the same skills, and intertwined her daily drawing and handwriting lessons with math, science, social studies, geography, reading and creative writing. This series separates these lessons into common themes in eight instructive books that can be used in any order. Books are colorful and non-consumable, with an accompanying workbook to record the student s work. Children will improve their drawing skills, refine their handwriting clarity, and enjoy learning in the process

Fun Paper Cup Snowman Game Matching Upper and Lowercase Alphabet Letters

December 2, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

A cup is just a cup unless you turn it into a fun paper cup snowman or one of a bunch of great paper cup ideas, which I have found for you. Be sure you grab more ideas for winter fun on my page Winter Season Unit Study with free lapbook and look at my How to Homeschool Preschool.

You don’t need an expensive box curriculum or stacks of worksheets to teach preschoolers, you just need a little creativity.

Fun Paper Cup Snowman Game Matching Upper and Lowercase Alphabet Letters

If you’re going with the winter or snowman theme and you need some great ideas to touch on all the subjects.

So today I have you covered with crafts, games, math, science, snacks, and language arts.

Too, I have an adorable snowman alphabet match game using just cups and markers.

You can create the cutest snowmen for your preschooler to practice identifying and matching letters.

Even if you don’t live in an area with snow, the snowman is just an iconic part of winter and very recognizable by even the youngest children.

Books about Snowman

Then learning about snowman is a fun subject for all ages.

Include your older kids with some of these fun books as literature or as a read aloud.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 more paper cup snowman crafts.

Paper Cup Snowman Crafts and Activities

Before we jump into covering different subjects for preschool let’s look at a few more great uses for paper cups using our snowman theme.

You can get a pretty good-sized pack from Dollar Tree and really get your money’s worth out of them by using them for all sorts of activities and crafts.

Turn some of your extra cups into a snowman community with this Paper Cup Snowman Craft idea.
Get out some of their energy and giggles with a Snowman Slam craft and game rolled into one.
Pom Pom Popper Snowman –While this one may seem just for fun it can actually help your child develop that pincer grasp and fine motor skills while playing, excellent for prewriting practice!
No snow? No problem when you can make an entire adorable Snowman out of plastic cups.

Yes, I know this is not a snowman but look how precious this one is, I had to give it an honorable mention while you are stocked up on paper cups! Paper Cup Hot Chocolate Craft

More Snow and Winter Crafts

Finally, look at how to make this fun stacked paper cup snowman.

Fun Paper Cup Snowman Game

You will need:

Foam coffee cups
Markers

First, you will need two coffee cups for each letter that you want your preschooler to practice.

Flip your coffee cups upside down.

On the bottom, which is the top rim when it’s right side up you’re going to want to write a capital letter on one.

Then write the matching lowercase letter on a second coffee cup.

Now, you and your preschooler can go crazy, creating snowman faces, buttons, and arms with the markers.

Helping to create their own game is going to make it a lot more fun for your little one and this snowman mob is going to teach them so much.

To play:

Unstack the matching cups and mix them up.

Let your preschooler find and stack them to match.

Some cool variations to this snowman match are:

Practice the letters that spell out their name.

Stacking numbers in order.

Stack one set of letters in ABC order.

They store well too, just stack them up and put them away until next time.

10 Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation Resources & Fun Ampersand Craft

August 29, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Are you looking for skill sharpeners grammar and punctuation resources for grades K to 6th instead of a full curriculum? Also, look at 24 Borderline Genius Ways To Relieve Language Arts Boredom.

Also, I cannot lie but I love this fun ampersand craft to add to a school area or your office.

There are plenty of great books, games, and activities out there to help your child master the art of grammar without using a boring, dry curriculum.

After all, each child learns differently, and you can tailor their lessons to their learning style.

Grammar covers the rules of a language governing sounds, words, sentences, and other elements.

10 Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation Resources & Fun Ampersand Craft

It includes things like sentence structure, parts of speech, tense (past, present, future), and syntax. While spelling is considered mechanics of language arts it still goes hand in hand with grammar.

I also have included a tutorial for a fun and easy ampersand bookend to celebrate World Ampersand Day, September 9th.

This fun bookend helps contain those piles we all have on our shelves and tables.

About the Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation Series

First, there are several reasons why I love using the skill sharpeners series.

As I mentioned, sometimes you need to focus on one skill whether your child needs reinforcement with one skill or if focusing on less helps your child to grasp concepts faster. Curriculum mixes several different components of language arts and isolating one skill keeps learning simple.
Next, you know my love for themes and unit studies, and I love the fact that these colorful workbooks have themes.
Rules are highlighted in the boxes and easy to learn and the best thing is it’s just pick up and go.

More Grammar and Punctuation Language Arts Resources

Also, look at more resources to go with the skill sharpeners grammar and punctuation series.

Next, look at how to make this fun ampersand craft. Just too cute.

How to Make an Ampersand Bookend Craft

You will need:

Paper mache ampersand (Hobby Lobby)
Grey Paint
Baking soda
Clean, dry sand
Grey felt
Masking tape
Small funnel
Scissors
Paintbrush

Paper Mache letters have supporting spacers throughout that block some of the channels, because of this it makes it hard to fill them to give them enough weight completely.

So, to work around that without cutting off the whole back, we will make several holes.

Use scissors or a Phillips head screwdriver to make a hole big enough to fit a small funnel.

Poke in as far as you can without coming through the other side.

Pour sand in and move it around to be sure to fill as much of it as you can.

Lay a piece of masking tape over the hole just big enough to cover it.

Repeat 3-4 more times, be sure that you do at least 2 more on the bottom half.

I found that the very top on both sides of the bottom and one on each side halfway up allowed me to fill the entire thing pretty much despite the support pieces.

Also, I was able to get probably between 1 ½- cup of sand.

Now to make faux concrete we are going to mix 2 Tablespoons of gray paint with 1 Tablespoon baking soda and stir well.

That is just enough paint to cover the 8 ¼” size ampersand but if you go bigger you will need to mix up a little more.

Paint on a fairly thick coat, be sure to get inside all the cracks, crevices and turns.

While the paint is still wet dip your paintbrush in the sand and dab it all over to give it a rougher texture like concrete.

Be sure to pay extra attention to the areas that you taped over to blend in the seams but don’t build it up too much or it will call attention to these areas.

Once completely dry flip it over and paint the other side and allow that to dry as well.

Once all the paint is completely dry cut small pieces of gray felt slightly smaller than the flat bottom and hot glue them in place be sure to smooth the hot glue out, so it lays as flat as possible.

This will keep the rough texture from scratching up your shelf or table.

Lastly, look at these language arts resources.

Skill Sharpeners & Language Art Resources K to 6th Grade

Sometimes you just need language art supplements to go with your unit studies and not a full program. You’ll love these language art resources.

Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation, Grade 6

Help children improve their writing while learning important grammar and punctuation rules. These colorful activity books make language skill practice fun!

Skill Sharpeners: Grammar and Punctuation provides visually engaging reading selections, activities, and word games that will motivate your child to practice and learn essential grammar and punctuation skills. Plus, a Language Handbook provides you with a quick reference of the concepts covered.

The activity book is organized into 15 theme-based units around topics that sixth graders enjoy, such as ancient civilizations, superheroes, and gaming. Each unit focuses on a grammar concept and punctuation concept, and includes:

-A reading selection A short fiction or nonfiction text engages children and presents the concept or skill in context.-Rule boxes Grammar and punctuation rules are made simple with a short explanation, and clear examples help to teach the skill.-Colorful practice activities A variety of activities include fun illustrations to motivate your child to practice the grammar and punctuation skills.-Riddles and word games Your child will use critical thinking skills while applying the targeted grammar or punctuation skill in a fun format!-Writing practice The Write It Right! page encourages your child to use the skills in context, which further promotes understanding.-Review page The short review activity is a great way to check your child s understanding.

Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation Grade 5, Full-Color Activity Book - Supplemental Homeschool Workbook

With the Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation Grade 5, Full-Color Activity Book, parents will be able to give their fifth-graders a boost in the classroom in reading and writing success. Our homeschooling workbook contains 15 different units that introduce different grammar and punctuation concepts. Each unit has a unique theme, including outer space and sports, with reading texts that will appeal to grade five students. We use a variety of riddles and word games that will keep gr. 5 children engaged while they're learning these important grammar and punctuation rules.

Writing Practice

BOOK - SKILLS GRAMMAR PUNCTUATION GR 4

The activity book is organized into 15 theme-based units around topics that children enjoy; such as dinosaurs, pirates, and toys. Grammar and Punctuation provides visually engaging reading selections, activities, and word games that will motivate your child to practice and learn essential skills. Plus, a Language Handbook and Dolch Sight Word list provide you with a quick reference of the concepts covered. Each unit focuses on a grammar concept and punctuation concepts, such as nouns, letters, word type, sentence structure and so much more!

Evan-Moor Grammar & Punctuation, Grade 3

Evan-Moor Grammar & Punctuation, Grade 2

The activity book is organized into 15 theme-based units around topics that children enjoy such as dinosaurs pirates and toys Grammar and Punctuation provides visually engaging reading selections activities and word games that will motivate your child to practice and learn essential skills Plus a Language Handbook and Dolch Sight Word list provide you with a quick reference of the concepts covered Each unit focuses on a grammar concept and punctuation concepts such as nouns letters word type sentence structure and so much more!

Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation Grade 1, Full-Color Activity Book - Supplemental Homeschool Workbook

The Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation Grade 1, Full-Color Activity Book is a smart addition to any homeschooling classroom, as it gives kindergartners an introduction to skills they need for reading and writing. Our full-color homeschool grammar workbook provides gr. K kids with a basic understanding of grammar and punctuation rules. Clear examples on each of the full-color pages give young students the basic knowledge they need to begin understanding punctuation and grammar. We also keep kids entertained, using riddles and word games that make learning about grammar and punctuation fun.Home Enrichment Workbook

Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation Grade Pre-K, Color Activity Book - Supplemental Homeschool Workbook

Help children improve their writing while learning important grammar and punctuation rules. These colorful activity books make language skill practice fun! Skill Sharpeners: Grammar and Punctuation provides visually engaging reading selections, activities, and word games that will motivate your child to practice and learn essential grammar and punctuation skills. Plus, a Language Handbook and Dolch Sight Word list provide you with a quick reference of the concepts covered. The activity book is organized into 15 theme-based units around topics that preschoolers enjoy, such as animals, families, and birthdays. Each unit focuses on a grammar concept and punctuation concept, and includes: • A reading selection – A short fiction or nonfiction text engages children and presents the concept or skill in context. • Rule boxes – Grammar and punctuation rules are made simple
with a short explanation, and clear examples help to teach the skill.

Gross Me Out Mad Libs: World's Greatest Word Game

Mad Libs is the world’s greatest word game and the perfect gift or activity for anyone who likes to laugh! Write in the missing words on each page to create your own hilariously funny stories all about gross things!Some days, my burps smell just like TYPE OF FOOD! With 21 “fill-in-the-blank” stories about passing gas, belching, and eating expired food, Gross Me Out Mad Libs is the perfect activity for any young fan of gross things! Play alone, in a group, or in a porta-potty! Mad Libs are a fun family activity recommended for ages 8 to NUMBER.

Basher Basics: Grammar

It used to be that learning grammar was one of the most boring exercises ever, but not anymore! Using his trademark personality-based approach, Basher illustrates each grammar basic - from parts of speech to sentence components to groupings and agreements - with its own character, who explains exactly what makes them tick and how they are used. Plenty of practical advice will help everyone unravel the rules and regulations of the English language. The book's cutting edge design and innovative approach will make it perfect reference for linguists of all ages who struggle to remember the difference between a preposition and pronoun.

Looney Labs Mad Libs: The Game - Best Card Game for Adults Kids

If you really enjoy mad libs there is even a board game to play to build those skills in parts of speech.