I am a huge fan of using playdough. You can read HERE how I like using playdough to improve fine motor skills with my own children.
Did you know that you can use playdough to reinforce math skills and literacy skills, too? I recently found a couple of sites that offer playdough mats for FREE- Yessirree! I am printing several off right now for my younger kids (on cardstock and then I will laminate them or use contact paper to cover them).
Planet of the Apelshas a very thorough post on how to use these mats and lots of cute mats to download.
Sparkleboxhas tons of topics and teaching skills you can choose from.
I enjoy turning learning activities into games. Research has shown that children learn quicker and retain information much longer when playing games. My previous postexplains different ways I have used Bingo to practice skills. I also use Bingo for party games, such as Halloween Bingo using candy corn as markers, Easter Bingo using jelly beans, and Christmas Bingo using red and green M&Ms or gumdrops.
Here is a FREE Bingo generator that I'd like to share with you again because it's simply an AWESOME teaching tool! DLTK has tons of choices to integrate Bingo with the skills your child is already learning during school. Check it out! TIPS:I print the cards off on cardstock so they last longer. Every time you click refresh, a new card is generated. That's so cool!
If you're looking for some FUN Thanksgiving ideas for next week, here are some suggestions:
TONS of free printables, including an on-line Thanksgiving quiz! I printed off a packet for my boys for each day next week, which had math, reading, and writing activities. This is a nice break from the regular routine and they love it (and are still doing educational activities- it's a win-win for all!)
Are you looking for some Thanksgiving printable and activities? Well, look no further because my new favorite site, www.education.com, has plenty of fantastic ideas for you to enjoy!
There are several e-books to use for learning activities.
There are tons of FREE printables I have several of these FUN activities printed off, stapled into packets, and all ready for next week's homeschool lessons.
Are you looking for a great assortment of Thanksgiving books for children? I {HEART} holiday themed books! I think I may even be slightly addicted to them. Each year I add a couple more to my collection that I treasure.
I have a few books that I enjoy reading during November. Below are my family's favorites. You'll notice that some are more educational and others are just plain fun to read!
This is my kids' favorite Thanksgiving book! It is absolutely hilarious and my kids make me read it to them every year. The day before Thanksgiving finds eight boys and girls taking a field trip to a turkey farm. Although Farmer Mack Nuggett seems kind at first, the children eventually discover his horrible plan to kill the turkeys for Thanksgiving dinners. Smuggling the turkeys home with them, the children save the birds, who join eight families for vegetarian dinners.
I never knew about Sarah Hale until last year when a fellow educator recommended this book. Boy, I learned a lot about the history behind celebrating the holiday in the US. This is a must read! Way back when "skirts were long and hats were tall" Americans were forgetting Thanksgiving, and nobody seemed to care! Thankfully, Sarah Hale appeared. More steadfast than Plymouth Rock, this lady editor knew the holiday needed saving. But would her recipe for rescue ever convince Congress and the presidents?
If you lived in colonial times: what kind of clothes would you wear, would you go to school, and what would happen if you didn't behave? This book tells you what it was like to live in the New England colonies during the years 1565 to 1776.
The easy-to-read book describes the Pilgrim's journey to America, their hard winter, and the first "Thanksgiving" celebration. Perfect for independent reading for the primary grades.
Thanksgiving is only a day away. Can Turkey find a place to hide from the farmer searching for a plump bird for his feast? If the farmer doesn’t fall for his tricks, there’s only one think left to do . . . run, Turkey, run! This is such a fun book to read aloud and the kids can join in!
Girls and boys will gobble up this hilarious story about ten goofy turkeys and their silly antics: swinging from a vine, strutting on a boar, doing a noodle dance, and more. I really like how this book uses lots of onomatopoeia (which I recently taught my children about HERE.)
I know an old lady who swallowed a pie, a Thanksgiving pie, which was really too dry. And with that the feast begins! After the pie the old lady swallows a whole squash, all of the salad, and the entire turkey! As Mother and Father watch in shock, the two children are delighted to see the old lady growing fatter and fatter. And, in the end, the old lady makes a surprising and humorous contribution to the holiday festivities.
My boys are hooked on the Magic Tree House Series! In this book, Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure! It's a time for giving thanks when the Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to 1621 on the first Thanksgiving Day. The Pilgrims ask them to help get things ready. But whether it's cooking or clamming, Jack and Annie don't know how to do anything the Pilgrim way. Will they ruin the holiday forever or will the feast go on?
This is my newest addition to my November collection. I can't wait to read this book to my children for the first time. I began reading the You Wouldn't Want to... Series to my children after discovering them at a homeschool convention this summer. The series has children feel like they are actually in the stories, which is super cool! In this book, kids will witness illnesses, storms at sea, and the unknown wilderness of the settlers new home. As in previous titles, cartoon art adds humor and engages readers.
If your favorite Thanksgiving book is not listed, let me know in a comment below.
My kids have been learning about the human body in science, and this week's study was on the body's largest organ, the skin. We had the perfect experiment that made us squirm during Halloween week!
We conducted an experiment to find where the most germs lurk in our house- YUCK! Since I did this experiment with my oldest son years ago, I already knew the most obvious places like toilet handles may not always yield the most bacteria but I remained silent as my middle sons made their hypotheses.
In place of petri dishes, we used lids to old containers. For an agar substitution, you can mix a half cup water mixed with 4 small packets of clear gelatin mix. Stir until mixture thickens and then pour a thin layer into sterilized lids or petri dishes. Place each dish into a small Ziploc baggie and seal. Let liquid harden into a gel, which usually takes about 30 minutes.
Next is the fun part (or gross part if you are a clean freak like me). Cordially invite some germs to come an live in your dishes. Use Q-tips to pick up germs from places you think that may have the most germs, such as door knobs, telephone, keyboard, toilet handles, and the refrigerator handle (you must include this one as it sometimes has the most surprising results.)
After rubbing a Q-tip along the surface of an object, immediately run the swab through the top of the gel. You should see a small groove on the surface. Place the dish back into the baggie and reseal. Label the baggie with the area you tested, and place it in a dark place for at least three days. Be prepared to be disgusted to see the results- so gross yet strangely fun. :)
While waiting for the germs to grow and become visible, we read The Magic School Bus Science Chapter Book #6: The Giant GermIt uses common language to explain what a germ is, and it teaches about microbes, fungi, protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. It's a great introductory book for microbiology. The Magic School Bus Series is a classic series for making science fun.
We also watched a fantastic video of how the body fights germs. Ralphie becomes ill so Ms. Frizzle and the gang travel inside his bloodstream.
