A Busy Toddler Makes a Happy Homeschool

Christmas is a great time to purchese supplies for busy toddlers! Put those items on a list for grandparents or aunties.  

Ten Easy Activities to Keep Preschoolers Busy!

By Jan May

Homeschooling with toddlers and preschoolers can definitely add challenges to your school day. One thing that helped me through those years with my toddler was to do the more important subjects during nap time.

Also, I noticed if I spent one on one time with my little one first before I started with my school age child, it satisfied their need for mom-time right off the bat. 

For families with multiple children, schedule each school-age child for regular toddler-time with easy activities to keep preschoolers busy. This creates a peaceful home and nourishes the young child’s need to be involved with the family.

Toddlers are some of the busiest people! With some creativity, you can keep those little hands busy while developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination to boot!

Time spent on getting these activities together will reap big rewards! Preschoolers can glean loads of educational skills with their “school” assignments and grow in independent learning.

1. Toddler Tube-drop pom-poms through a cardboard tube that spills into a bowl over and over-http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/activities-that-will-keep-your-kids-busy-all-sum?sub=3235568_2927444#.jfzqBjZjgg

2. Pipe cleaners and a colander will also keep toddlers occupied and develop fine motor skills. https://www.pinterest.com/janmay2012/preschool-fun/

3. Use masking tape and lay out your ‘track’ roadway on the couch and furniture for match box cars.  Make it fun by going down onto the floor and up the side of the couch. http://frugalistamamas.com/2013/07/how-to-keep-little-boys-busy-for-more-than-5-minutes.html

4. Use a tub of hot wheel cars (or other toys) and colored construction paper and instruct your little ones to park the cars on the matching color. http://www.littlefamilyfun.com/2011/09/car-color-matching.html

5. Build a dinosaur with cut out shapes of rectangles, triangles and circles! http://www.littlefamilyfun.com/2013/09/build-dinosaur.htmlhttp://www.littlefamilyfun.com/2012/03/crafts-activities-for-boys.html

6. Preschool Shape Hunt - Learning activity for three year olds with very little set up required- http://frugalfun4boys.com/2015/10/01/preschool-shape-scavenger-hunt/

7. Set up a Pouring Station Activity for toddlers with different size containers into a large plastic tub-this is good for tons of fun! http://busytoddler.com/2015/09/pouring-station/

8. Scoop and transfer different kinds of dried beans from bowls into dry ice cube tray. Great for developing small motor skills! http://busytoddler.com/2015/09/scoop-and-transfer/

9. Thread dry pasta on straws stuck in play dough. http://laughingkidslearn.com/pasta-threading-activity-for-toddlers/

10. Contact Paper Collage-Have the child rip strips of construction paper and put them into a small box. Then tape a piece of contact paper onto the table, sticky side up. Show the child how to put the torn up bits onto the contact paper.https://www.pinterest.com/search/my_pins/?q=contact%20paper%20collage%20for%20toddlers&rs=typed

​​

Pirate-Themed Creative Writing Adventure & GIVEAWAY!

​

Homeschooling· Reviews

Take the struggle out of teaching creative writing and replace it with a fun pirate adventure! Yo, Ho, Ho! Write a Pirate’s Tale is an easy, step-by-step creative writing course for grades 3-6 that works great with both willing and reluctant writers. What I love most about this book by Jan May is how it incorporates hands-on activities into the lessons so kids aren’t just sitting still and struggling to write. Each lesson unlocks the Five Writing Superpowers:

• Creative brainstorming – builds a bridge from brain to paper• Pre-writing fun activities – guides in organizing an irresistible story• Free writing – gives the student permission to be a child• Theme immersion – provides activities to create a fountain of ideas nourishing the imagination• Gentle grading – builds confidence without the fear of criticism and unleashes the storyteller

The curriculum gently guides students through these steps so they can be excited about the theme and confident in what they write. Along the way, they’ll learn about story elements and writing basics without getting bogged down in heavy terminology. They will learn:

• How to create characters, settings, and plots• Literary tools like onomatopoeia and interjections• How to use strong verbs, adjectives, and dialogue

They’ll have tons of fun coming up with wacky pirate names (Calico Codfish or Pegleg McStinky, anyone?), letting their imaginations run wild as they design a pirate island (complete with kanga-gators, hamburger bushes, or anything else that they like), and so much more! Jan has woven elements such as pirate vocabulary, tidbits about life on a pirate ship and the pirate code, and more to help fuel your child’s story, even if they’ve never read Treasure Island or the Swiss Family Robinson. (Reading one of those alongside this unit would be extra fun!)

There are lots of great activities to excite even the most reluctant writer (and they are sure to create some wonderful family memories, too!). You can:

• Make a pirate hat• Make a pirate hook• Make a pirate poster• Make your own pirate code• Dress up like a pirate for the day• Bake a pirate map pizza• Make Walk the Plank Jell-O Shark Cups• And more!

I have two special opportunities for you! You can save 20% off any purchase at New Millennium School Books with coupon code TOS20 through September 20. You can also enter to win a digital bundle of THREE creative writing adventure units – Spies of the Revolutionary War; Knights and Castles, Damsels and Dragons; and Yo, Ho, Ho! Write a Pirate’s Tale. Entering is easy! Just type your email address below. Giveaway ends September 16. I think you’ll love these incredible units! CLICK TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!

https://writebonnierose.com/pirate-themed-creative-writing-adventure/

 

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

September 19

Sail along with Cap'n Long John Silver and search for the buried treasure.  Talk like a pirate and find out what your pirate name is. Then create a pirate crew and ship of your very own to launch out and search for the buried treasure. Students will love creating their own pirate tales to write about. 

Take a look inside our fun pirate writing curriculum. Only $16.95 print and $14.95 digital. Boys love this! Launch out into writing with a fun curriculum filled with writing skills and activities.

USE CODE PIRATES20 or PIRATES20D for Digital until September 20.

For an inside look go to YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/29u90rKXHao?si=u_8BPBiAfvXkv9lH

Use the Superpower Writing approach and help your child succeed in writing by using:

• Creative brainstorming-builds a bridge from brain to paper

• Pre-writing fun activities-helps to organize an irresistible story

• Free writing – writing without the fear of criticism unleashes the storyteller

• Gentle grading-builds confidence, giving permission to be a child

Using these four tools creates a “writing adventure” instead of a dull writing lesson. After 15 years of teaching Creative Writing I have discovered when using these super powers, even the most reluctant writer will dive into the writing pool!

With 12 easy step by step lessons, this self-guided curriculum ends with a flashlight pirate party. Perfect for reluctant writers! Works great for teaching multiple grades at once. 3-6 grade

Students will:

• Learn how to create characters, setting, and plots

• Learn literary tools like onomatopoeia and interjections

• Learn how to use strong verbs, add adjectives, and dialogue

Fun Activities Include:

• Make a pirate hat

• Make a pirate hook

• Make a pirate poster

• Make your own pirate code

• Dress up like a pirate for the day

• Bake a pirate map pizza

• Make Teddy's walk the plank Jello cups

Yo, Ho, Ho! Write a Pirates Adventure!

    Welcome to Mooville!

    Adventures in Writing on the FarmStart the school year off with something fun that will inspire your children to want to learn! This whimsical creative writing book is perfect for teaching multiple ages and great for a unit study on farm animals. It's also great for those as young as 5-6 years-old to dictate stories for a parent or older sibling to write.

This book literally turns writing time into a delight by creating a farm full of fanciful characters much like the beloved story Charlotte’s Web. Each night after the farmer and his wife go to sleep, the animals begin to talk and continue their lives in Mooville. Will the Moo-Cow Mayor institute Chocolate Milk Mondays? Can Daisy the Duck win the annual cup cake bake off? Your students will have fun learning as they develop the answers! For a FREE download until September 10, subscribe to our monthly newsletter. HERE

There are ten bite size lessons teaching how to create characters, settings and plots. They will learn about the golden rule of writing, “show don’t tell” and how to create tension for an interesting plot. This curriculum is ideal for teaching multiple age levels and motivational for the beginning or seasoned student alike. Mooville is great for incorporating animal science, art and unit studies. Writing will be so much fun that even the reluctant writer will dive into the writing pool!

49 pages-for ages 8 to 11Includes:

•Easy to follow Teachers Notes•One student worksheet per lesson•Farm animal printables with a fun facts•Farm animal report pages with questions to answer•Fun writing activities•Unit study ideas to incorporate Science and Art 

Cathy Duffy Review's Callie’s Contest of Courage Lit Bundle. 

This bundle presents a unit study for Christian students based on Jan May’s novel Callie’s Contest of Courage. The novel revolves around 11-year-old Callie, whose Marine Corps dad is sent on an overseas deployment. She faces several challenges that test both her courage and her faith in God. Christian content throughout the story includes a young man accepting Jesus as his savior. (The author includes a subtheme and optional activities at the end of the book that also encourage support for U.S. military troops.)

At the end of the novel are a recipe for a quick version of Banana Cream Pie, instructions for creating a frog habitat, and ideas for supporting overseas troops—all of which relate to the story. Many more activities are found in the 100-page guide, which includes discussion questions, worksheets with vocabulary activities, word-search and crossword puzzles, map work, instruction with questions related to literary analysis, a state report, games, (e.g., a scavenger hunt), and hands-on activities (e.g., making Callie’s Yummy Ice Cream Cups and creating a fun-fair game).

Some discussion questions are of a spiritual nature, such as “How does God speak to Callie?” (page 44), but most are comprehension or application questions, such as “Have you ever had a secret project that you wanted to wait and unveil when it was all finished? What was it?” Most questions that require longer answers are identified as discussion questions, but there are a few for which students are told to write out answers. However, lines underneath the discussion questions allow students to provide written responses to discussion questions. I would recommend assigning selected questions for written responses—maybe one-third of them—both to provide writing activity and to keep the discussion time manageable.

The 18-page lapbook adds a few activities that bring in science topics related to the story: bears, squirrels, and butterfly metamorphosis. In addition, there is a template on which students write a Bible verse and another three pages of cut-outs on George Washington. (A story from Washington’s life plays a pivotal role in Callie’s story.) Students will construct the lapbook on just one file folder that you supply.

These three resources can be used flexibly. Students might read the story on its own. From the guide, parents might use only the discussion questions, their choices from the other activities, or all of them. The lapbook is entirely optional but provides an expansion primarily into science.

It might take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to complete all of the activities in the bundle. It really depends on how quickly you want to read the book and how much time you have to devote to the activities.

Summary

Callie’s Contest of Courage Lit Bundle should be great for families, maybe using the novel as a read aloud with children in grades one through six and the guide activities and lapbook with students in grades three through six.