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homeschoolinginwinter

Hands-On Math: Fun and Easy Snowflake Geometry

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I have an easy snowflake geometry activity.

With the onset of winter weather, we’ve experienced the first few snow flurries in our area.

Just the mention of the word snow and kids of all ages get into a tizzy that brings delight and happiness.

I really wanted to bring that feeling of magic into our lessons, so I began hunting for ideas for my older kids.

Hands-On Math: Fun and Easy Snowflake Geometry. With the onset of winter weather, we’ve experienced the first few snow flurries in our area. Add a bit of math and science together to make these easy snowflakes and study a bit of geometry too. CLICK HERE to make this easy hands-on math craft!

When my kids were younger, we did a lot with crafts.

Crafts are a great way to make lessons hands-on and fun.

The more ways you can make math an art activity, the more kids can connect with the concept.

It’s also nice to connect other subjects and make lessons more efficient and engaging.

Because my kids are older, we’ve fallen away from crafts. However, it had become my goal to find a learning craft to tie into both math and science for the winter season.

Easy Snowflake Geometry

The following craft was the perfect lesson to review angles and geometrical shapes.

To get in our science skills at the same time, we learned a little about the science of weather.

Winter can be a hard time to keep focused with lessons, so this activity can be a great way to keep up your schooling stamina.

Hands-On Math: Simple Snowflake Geometry

Break out the smocks, paint, and craft sticks!! It’s time to get crafty! Here is a fun DIY decoration for your kids to make for their rooms, for a friend, or for a party.

For this craft, you will need the following materials:

  • craft sticks
  • protractor
  • liquid glue or a hot glue gun
  • any color of paint
  • paper to cover work space
  • paint brushes
  • decorative ribbon
  • double stick foam tape

We began this lesson by reviewing the different types of angles. We measured out and drew a 30 degree angle using the protractor.

Making a Simple Math Geometry Craft

Then we used 6 craft sticks to glue together a star shape. We were careful to make sure our angles measured at 30 degrees.

Winter Snowflake Geometry Craft

Next we added the points to our star in the form of diamonds or rhombuses.

At this point, a few of the kids got off of their measurements which resulted in the creation of their own shapes.

Painting a Geometric Snowflake

The kids then chose a color of paint to paint their snowflakes.

Making a Geometric Snowflake

You’ll love these living books for winter which bring learning alive when your kids hit the doldrums.

Winter NaturExplorers 940x788 (Facebook)


There are many ways to extend this activity:

  • Use the book Snowflake Bentley to learn about the man who studied snowflakes and invented the photomicrographic technique.
  • Research the science of snowflakes. Learn how snowflakes are made and what determines the shape of snowflakes.
  • Learn the seven shapes of snowflakes and then identify all of the shapes found in each snowflake type.
Hands-On Math: Fun and Easy Snowflake Geometry. With the onset of winter weather, we’ve experienced the first few snow flurries in our area. Add a bit of math and science together to make these easy snowflakes and study a bit of geometry too. CLICK HERE to make this easy hands-on math craft!

Add more math learning fun to your winter studies with these hands-on activities!

16 Ways to Make Homeschool Memorable During Winter

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

16 Ways to Make Homeschool Memorable During Winter @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Forget the homeschooling naysayers that tout familiarity breeds contempt and cozy up with the kids to enjoy the cold days of winter.

Look at 16 ways to make homeschool memorable during winter.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Winter time doesn’t have to be all work, take time to savor the season.

Who knows maybe you and I both can even sneak in a learning moment or two.

1. MEMORIZE SOME BEAUTIFUL WINTER POETRY.

2. CHECK OUT HISTORY MOVIES ON NETFLIX.

You know how I feel about history so it’s always the subject that we want to lounge around and learn more about.

3. MAKE SOME HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE.

I have tried numerous recipes through the years, but we all absolutely love the recipe by Pioneer Woman. Do you have any favorites?

4. MAKE HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.

Again, chocolate chip cookie are my sons’ favorite though we seem to try different recipes each time.

5. STOP EVERYTHING AND DO ONE OF MY FREE LAPBOOKS.

Check out the one about Winter and about the Arctic & Inuit.

6. BOARD GAMES ARE ANOTHER FAVORITE OF MY BOYS.

Whether you use any of the free ones I have listed here or buy some, it is a fun way to change the day and add a bit of education too.

7. VISIT A MUSEUM. If the weather is warm enough, head to a museum to help avoid cabin fever.

8. ROCK CLIMBING (INDOORS). The boys have a coupon to try a rock climbing wall nearby that is indoors.

I’ll update you on how they like it, but I think it’s a great way to add some exercise in for active kids.

9. SEE A MOVIE. We love to go see movies during the winter and especially during the day.

Oh sure, you could stay home for a movie night, but my boys love going to the theater.

10. CREATE A WINTER BUCKET LIST. What would your list include?

11. MAKE PAPER SNOWFLAKES. Does your child know the science behind 6 sided snowflakes?

12. GO ICE SKATING. My boys have not been in a while and I think this would be great to do this year to soak up the season.

13. MAKE A FIRE AND ROAST MARSHMALLOWS. We may have to do this inside this year since we don’t really have a place to do this unless we go camping.

14. HAVE AN ALL DAY PAJAMA DAY. My boys loved this one. Wait! Don’t we do this anyway as homeschoolers? I won’t tell.

Have littles? 15. MAKE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE. They aren’t as easy as some of them look.

My favorite! 16. HAVE AN ALL DAY READ DAY. Nothing else, just read without being rushed and read whatever you want to.

What would be on your list?

Want some more ideas? Grab more below:

 

Follow my Winter Pinterest Board

 Follow Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s board Winter ♥ on Pinterest.

Winter Homeschooling – Activities and Free Downloads. 5 Days of Look Alive. Day 2 – Look to the Sky.

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

5 Days of Look Alive Winter Homeschooling. Day 2 Look to the Sky. Free Downloads & Activities @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I love this series, winter homeschooling – ideas and free downloads because it gives us a variety of sweet freebies to choose from when the days are long and cold.

The next thing I look to for inspiration when I want a change is the sky.

5 Days of Look Alive day 2

So today, in Day 2. Look to the Sky, I have some great downloads and ideas for some hands-on fun.

Meteor 1

Scholastic has a nice download that explains how some people get comets and meteors mixed up, so it gives some nice easy explanations. It says to use for grades 3-5. Click here to download it.

If you have a highschooler, check out this lesson plan page Meteor Monitor.

Here is what it says: Student’s measure sporadic meteor activity. In this physics and astronomy lesson plan, students construct a dipole antennae, and build, test and wire a full wave diode rectifier between the dipole antenna and the laptop.

Comet Cookies

Comet Cookies

Then of course no unit study is near complete unless some eating or snacking is involved, both of which we enjoy.

So this next download is extremely helpful too because besides having the fun recipe above, it explains the difference between meteor, meteoroid and meteorite. 

meteor math

This lesson plan even has some Meteor Math.

Click here to download the activities above called Meteor, Meteoroid, Meteorite: What’s the Difference?

Star Gazing Guide
telescope
star biscuit

The next resource I have for you is from the BBC Learning Astronomy resources.

It has a star map for the current year, eclipse guide, a Nasa sun poster, make a telescope craft (middle picture above), a star party pack (star biscuits above) or how to host a star party and how to buy a telescope guide to name just a few.

You want to be  sure to download all of the fun and free freebies.

I love these freebies for learning about the sky.

So I read this quote as I ponder the lessons we can learn from the sky.

Maybe it will spark you to keep looking to the sky to keep your day lively.

By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me.

The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green.

The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.

~Thomas Merton~

Grab the rest of the winter homeschooling ideas below!

5 Days of Look Alive Winter Homeschooling. Day 1 Look to the Sea. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus featured

Hugs and love ya,

 

Winter Homeschooling – Activities and Free Downloads. 5 Days of Look Alive. Day 1- Look to the Sea.

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

I actually like winter homeschooling, but I also like change. So when I need inspiration I look to the ocean or sea to inspire me. Did I tell you that I grew up close to the ocean?

Winter Homeschooling – From Humdrum to Humdinger. (well, okay, okay)

I have fond memories of walking on the beach even when the weather was cold, collecting shells and afterwards grabbing a hot cup of southern gumbo. It brings calm to my day when I ponder about it.

Creating this series will allow me to share ideas I rounded up to give us a boost when we sag, while at the same time saving these links and ideas here on the blog for later.

I tend to get a lot of attitude pep in my step this time of the year.

One tip that has saved me several bucks over the years is to determine first if it’s the curriculum, winter homeschooling doldrums, my attitude or all of it when we feel like blah.

Before I make a change, I try new activities, preferably free and see if I can find my rhythm again. I find many times, it is wanting a change during winter homeschooling.

5 Days of Look Alive Winter Homeschooling. Day 1 Look to the Sea. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

But, if you get the blahs during winter homeschooling, maybe you can use some of these links and get wild and savage.

Too, be sure to download everything you like from these sites because links can change and even if you don’t use them until several years down the road, you will have them. The sites I wanted to focus on today are Independence Seaport Museum. and Project Oceanography  and The Mariners’ Museum. All of these sites have multiple packets, free lesson plans or guides to download.

Hands-On Homeschooling

A lot of them with tons of wonderful pictures and printables. I took just a snippet of some of the printables from each site to share with you. Mark these, download and peruse them.

Independence Seaport Museum has teacher packets available for free from grades K – 12.

Download here K to 3 Teacher Packet.
Download here Grades 4 to 6 Teacher Packet.
Download here Grades 6 to 8 Teacher Packet.
Download here Grades 9 to 12 Teacher Packet.

Free Downloads from Independence Seaport Museum @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Free Downloads from Project Oceanography @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Also check out the free online resource How to Identify Sailing Ships on the site. Awesome. You better take your time on this site too. Project Oceanography has about 14 Program Packets on the right side of the page.

Snippets of Free Downloads from the Mariners Museum @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Click on each packet and you will be kept happy sorting through links, lesson plans and downloads. A snippet from The Mariners’ Museum has quite a few projects that are hands-on and in pdf form. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable activities.

This is probably my favorite of the three sites because it has such a treasure trove of things that are easy and hands-on.

Ready for winter now.

Oh, wait, four more days of goodies to go. Here they are below!

5 Days of Look Alive Winter Homeschooling. Day 1 Look to the Sea. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus featured

Hugs and love ya,

Also, look at 50 Keep Me Homeschooling Activities During the Long Cold Winter Days and Winter Season Unit Study.

Fun Winter Craft Ideas for Middle School Homeschool

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

Today, I have rounded up some winter craft ideas for middle school kids. Also, look at my page Homeschool Middle School for more fun tips.

When it’s brrrrrrr outside, middle school kids still have the desire to craft, create and design.

Fun Winter Craft Ideas for Middle School Homeschool

I focused on projects or ideas for things you already have around the house and on activities that most middle school kids can do on their own.

Although all these projects don’t have a winter theme, they are all projects that can be done inside when the days are longer in doors.

Winter Craft Ideas for Middle School

Asserting independence at the middle school grades is part of the maturing process for your kids; I find that projects and crafts are great ways for a middle school kids to have some independent time away from their siblings and well, from us too.

I would find my boys working on projects in their room at odd hours of the days and wished I had collected more ideas for my oldest son during his middle school years.

Maybe one or two ideas will spark a creative bent for your middle school sweetie.

Crafts Ideas for Winter

A fun way to spend the long evening hours and to recycle magazines to make a fun and useful bowl.

Use apple peels, orange and lemon peels to make fruity scented potpourri and put it in pouches in your kid’s bedroom.

Check out the recycled magazine vessels.

{attribution: Art is What I Teach} 
{attribution: Education Dot Com }

Oh my goodness, I remember doing something like this in my art class in 7th grade.  It is pendulum painting.

Of course, mine didn’t look near as good as this.

I never was talented at art, but I always showed up at class ready to create another not so inspiring creation.

With this project, you could easily incorporate a bit of science too.


pendulum-painting2-mslb7109_vert

{attribution: Martha Stewart}

Recycling CDs with yarn is a fun way to learn about weaving. 

Whatever the age your kids are even middle school kids love to have fun still with snow and ice.

The Basement Workshop Store

Crafts Ideas for Homeschool

Look at making these fun ice balloons.

Crafts don’t always have to be educational, just inspirational to invoke the imagination.

{attribution: Make It a Wonderful Life}  
{attribution: Education Dot Com}
{attribution: Handmade Charlotte}

I have done several letter collages for parties, but this is such a fun idea for middle school kids to make letters from vintage comic books.


Not too babyish so my kids can enjoy a bit of art in their room too.

I am absolutely in awe of this Dale Chihuly inspired chandelier created by middleschoolers. 

Though it looks like they used a complicated process, this is simply regular plastic drinking cups and permanent markers. 

Middle School Crafts

{attribution: Calvert Canvas}

Then they melted the cups in the toaster oven.

Unbelievable, how beautiful and easy this art project is.

You may need to supervise this project a bit since the toaster oven is involved unless you have a kid that has been cooking for a while.

This hands-on idea inspired my unit study and lapbook on glassblowing.

Glass Blowing Lapbook Glass Blowing

Moreover, just in case you live in a place like I do where snow is non-existent, check out how to make Borax crystals icicles for kids and look here for a fun snowflake craft with borax.

Using tempera paint and charcoal your middle school kids can create winter landscapes.

This makes for beautiful art to keep through the years.

And use this fun easy salt and watercolor ingredients to do a beautiful winter art project. So easy.

If you have a fan of The Hunger Games, check out 21 Craft Ideas for The Hunger Games.

{attribution: A Faithful Attempt}
{attribution: Everything Etsy}

Fun Winter Ideas for Middle School

Though this next website, Library Arts, is more about explaining what type of teen programs they offer for middle school arts, it has a plethora of ideas for hands-on activities.

Maybe you will be able to grab an idea or two.

Winter NaturExplorers 1080x1080 (Instagram)

They now have activities divided by age, so even your young kids can be inspired.

_wsb_500x374_Project 19_wsb_419x737_Mixed Button Necklace_wsb_500x411_Sweet Sugar ScrubOutdoor sun catcher
{attribution: Library Arts}

More Homeschooling in Middle School Resources

In addition, don’t forget, I have a unit study and lapbook on The Arctic and The Inuit. 

Winter time is a great time to study about how the Inuit lived and you love my Arctic and Inuit Lapbook.

I have some easy hands-on idea too.

Inuit Lapbook

Also, art is one activity you can do anytime of the year, but when it’s cold outside keep learning fun indoors by doing Art History.

Add Art History To Your Homeschool… Effortlessly!

Take your art studies from occasional crafts to intentional art appreciation and invite your kids to make open-ended art inspired by famous artists from the past.

It’s easier than you think and this guide will show you how to get started quickly… even if you’ve never taken an art class in your life!

You’ll learn:

  • Why art history should be one of your core subjects and not an ‘elective’ or an ‘extra’
  • How to make art more meaningful and curate a custom experience that will meet your kids where they are right now
  • What art supplies and books you’ll need to get your art area ready for ‘back to homeschool’
  • Who to study first (and you’ll get a full-length open-and-go study guide so you can begin today!)

Meaningful art lessons don’t need to be super time consuming or elaborate to be impactful and inspiring. Get your free starter kit and study guide today and start making creative memories with your kids!

Winter Craft Ideas for Middle School

Maybe one of these ideas will add a touch of creativity to your cold winter days.

I think you’ll love these other ideas:

Hugs and love ya,

Winter Craft Ideas for Middle School