Category Archives: Special Days

Autism Awareness

Autism Awareness is one of several themes for the month of April. Today, April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. It’s the specific day set aside that focuses on education, resources, information, help, and encouragement to those who are effected by autism.

This time last year I wrote about my sweet J! As I reread that post this morning I realized that I had no reason to write another personal account about autism. I still believe that their are blessings in having a child on the “spectrum”. That post can be found here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/02/autism-i-am-aware/

Today I asked my almost 11 year old, J , what was one thing that he would like the world to know about him. His answer was, “My mom makes mistakes”! And that is truth. I’ve made thousands of mistakes concerning him and I’m sure there will be thousands more. So many times it’s “trial and error” experimenting to figure out what strategies work with him regarding behavior, home schooling, relationships, therapies, and rules. And some solutions are successful for only a short time before experimenting starts up again.

Wanting a little more insight about possible answers to my question. I asked again, but to moms of autistic kids. These are some of the replies to the question, “What is one thing you would like the world to be aware of about autism and your child?”

“It’s so hard to narrow it down to one thing. There are so many things I wish the world would understand. I guess the biggest thing is he loves deeply and the things that come across as “weird” or “insensitive” or “immature” are just him trying to make sense of an incredibly confusing, overstimulating world that uses irony and sarcasm way too much. In reality, he is incredibly creative, intelligent, and empathetic beyond his years.”

“Mine would be that my son is not trying to be a smartie pants or disrespectful most of the time. He mimics responses like a recorder. Once we tell him what his remark means or comes across like, he wants to know what would be appropriate. Staring off is not ignoring, it is the way he thinks.”

“It is not a lack of discipline!”

“There is no box!”

“I think it is the simple fact that they want people to understand that they are just kids — yes they process things different, yes things that are not a big deal to some kids like tags on clothes is a huge deal to a kid on the spectrum, yes they have their quirks and their moments and their melt downs — however they are kids — they just want friends and not to be looked at like they are aliens and judged harshly —- they feel, they hurt, and they do not need your sympathy they just need your understanding.”

Below are some of my online picks for learning about autism and keeping up to date with current information.

I have a homeschool blogger friend, Sylvia, who shares many autism related articles including her lovely testimony of experiences with her daughter. This link will take you to her blog’s search results for her autism articles. http://www.faithfulmomof9.com/?s=autism&submit=Search

For better understanding of those labeled autistic, this is the most wonderful account I’ve ever seen! http://nhne-pulse.org/carly-fleischmann-autistic-girl-who-used-computer-to-ask-for-help/

This animated video was made by a boy who has autism. This is a great resource to share with our families and friends. http://blog.theautismsite.com/hi-im-david-and-i-have-autism/

And in case you’re interested, this link takes you to an online autism assessment/screening http://www.childbrain.com/pddassess.html

About autism… I’m “Still Learning Something New” daily!

betty jo

April Fool’s Day – Learning Resources

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April Fool’s Day isn’t the type of holiday that warrants a day off from homeschooling lessons. However, it is one of those holidays that can be a homeschooling lesson theme. Here’s some resources for teaching and learning on April Fool’s Day.

History – “As April Fools’ is celebrated in different ways throughout the world, it is unknown exactly how the tradition originated. Some cultures saw it as the first day of spring, celebrating with general merriment and feasting, and certain calendars may consider it the first day of the year. One theory for the terming of an April Fool was that some refused to follow these calendars that recognized April 1st as the first day of the year, which resulted in being called an April Fool.” And more history and information from here http://wilstar.com/holidays/aprilfool.htm

Bible – Study of “the fool” based on Proverbs 26 https://bible.org/seriespage/fool-proverbs-261-11

Language Arts – Worksheets and Word Game Printables http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/april-fools-day/printables/

Science – Videos and Experiments http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/blog/informal-science-education/celebrate-april-fools-day-with-floating-paper-airplanes-three-cup-monty-and-the-dangers-of-dihydrogen-monoxide/

Math – Magic Trick instructions using numbers – http://easycalculation.com/funny/tricks/trick1.php

Yes! I have some googly eyes in the craft box. My kids look in the fridge about 100 times a day (hoping the food selection has changed?) . This will be funny!

Last year we had some fun pranking each other. Here’s the resources we pulled some ideas from. I checked, and it seems the links are still good. https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/31/foolish-studies/

Have a fun day of foolish studies!

betty jo

Special Days in April, 2014

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Click here for Special Days in April updated for 2019!

Brain Awareness Week

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It’s Brain Awareness Week! This week is dedicated to brain research. Our homeschooling science lessons will also be dedicated to brain research. Below are some of the links we’ll be following during the week.

What our Brains Do Information and Diagrams http://askabiologist.asu.edu/what-your-brain-doing

Brain Anatomy Vocabulary/Glossary http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/brain/glossary/

Label Diagram Printables https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/brain/Classroom.shtml

Best Brain Foods https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-brain-foods

Brain Training Interactives https://www.mindgames.com/

Brain Hat Printable to Cut and Assemble PDF http://www.ellenjmchenry.com/homeschool-freedownloads/lifesciences-games/documents/BrainHatColor.pdf

Compare and Contrast Mammal Brains http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/moreb.html

Brain Experiments and Activities http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/experi.html

Video of a Human Brain Dissection (not for the squeamish) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMqWRlxo1oQ

Bible verses about the mind https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/The-Mind

I’m feeling smarter already!

betty jo

Resources for Presidents

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The third Monday in February is set apart as Presidents’ Day in honor of the birthdays of our two most famous presidents, Washington and Lincoln. However, this is just one of several Presidents Days in our homeschool. As we work our way through American History this school year, we study the presidents as their birthdays show up on the special days calendar. Below are the links we go to each time we study a president.

US President biographies, printables, word games, and more http://gardenofpraise.com/leaders.htm

Disney’s The American Presidents short videos https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=presidents+disney+education

President Quotes – http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/type/type_president.html

Online quiz for each president http://www.quiz-tree.com/United_States_Presidents_main.html

We’ve been collecting these presidents layer books on a board. After this school year, we’ll transfer them into a file folder for easy storage and quick reviews.

Presidents lapbook printables http://www.homeschoolshare.com/presidents_lapbook.php

President Notebooking http://notebookingfairy.com/president-notebooking-page/

And because Presidents’ Day is a special day, here’s extras to take advantage of.

Is it “Presidents”, “President’s” or “Presidents'”?https://www.surfnetkids.com/presidentsday/349/how-to-spell-presidents-day/

The presidents on coins and currency http://mistupid.com/currency/

For fun Animaniacs Presidents Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9KFoqK-yhU

Presidential Salary Math Lesson https://www.yummymath.com/2017/in-honor-of-presidents-day-find-out-about-presidents-pay/

Free Presidents’ Day resources and printables for all grades and most subjects https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:presidents%20day/Price-Range/Free

Arts and Crafts Ideas for Presidents’ Day https://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/presidentsdaycraftsideakids.html

“Hail to the Chief” Presidential Anthem

Favorite Food of Every President https://www.wideopeneats.com/every-presidents-favorite-food/

Occasionally we’ll bake a cake on the president’s birthday we are studying. Most any study is better with cake!

betty jo

Snow Week

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Ice, Snow, Wind, maybe even Blizzard Conditions! The local public and private schools will be canceling for “snow days” but not us. “Snow Days” make some awesome learning days! Below is a great resource collection for winter studies whether you have snow or not !

Why it’s good for us to get outside even when it’s cold – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/01/15/but-its-cold-out-there/

Winter Weather Science Lessons, Safety Tips, and Activities http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-winter-storms.htm

How to Survive Winter Weather Preparedness Guide https://thesurvivalmom.com/surviving-severe-winter-weather/

Bring some snow inside for observation and experimentation.

A study of snow wouldn’t be complete without some research into the life and discoveries of homeschooled farmer boy turned scientist, Snowflake Bentley. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V1cxjcRXCw

Bentley Biography, Photos, and exhibits

https://snowflakebentley.com/

Snowflake and Snowman Printable Writing Paper for Notebooking/Journaling. (The kids tend to write nicer/better when we use decorated paper. I appreciate these for not using much ink.) http://www.teacherprintables.net/free-printable-bp-holidays.html

Bible Focus – Psalm 147:15-18

¹⁵He gives a command to the earth,
    and it quickly obeys him.
¹⁶He spreads the snow like wool.
    He scatters the frost like ashes.
¹⁷He throws down hail like rocks.
    No one can stand the cold he sends.
¹⁸Then he gives a command, and it melts.
    He sends the breezes, and the waters flow.

Amazing and beautiful! Macro Photographed Snowflakes –http://www.natureknows.org/2013/11/amazing-macro-photography-of-individual.html

Fun Snowflake Resources, Activities, Recipes –

http://www.franw.com/2014/01/snowflake-activities-and-resources.html

Winter Weather Themed Math – http://www.yummymath.com/?s=winter

Snowmen – Netflix has this award winning film. Our local library has it, too. We loved it, (some of the themes were on the mature side, but my younger boys did just fine with it) Here’s a preview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUq8VS6aa9U

Snow Week learning can still happen without actual snow!

Printable Paper Snowflake Templates –

https://www.firstpalette.com/printable/snowflake.html

“Grow Your Own Crystal Snowflake” Kits. – I used purple pipe cleaner sticks thinking the color would be pretty coming through the crystals. We thought the borax crystals were fun to watch grow and turned out quite interesting!

This is the recipe and instructions we used for the kits. http://creativecynchronicity.com/2011/12/crystallized-snowflakes/

Add Crystal Comparison Experiments by making Epson Salt and Sugar Solutions. Of course you can make icicles instead of snowflakes. They fit better in smaller jars.

Snow Dough – 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup corn starch, 1 1/2 cups water. Combine all ingredients in sauce pan. Cook over medium high. Stir continuously until it’s the consistency of mashed potatoes. Move dough to bowl and cover w/a towel until cool. Knead well. Store in airtight container.

Sensory Cloud Dough – Baking Soda and White Hair Conditioner also Flour with Baby Oil works well – Just mix until the texture feel right to you

Put tortilla shells goes on the grocery list! These dessert snowflakes are fun to make and really yummy!

Cut round flour tortilla shells into snowflakes, lightly fry in oil then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Homemade Crockpot Hot Cocoa is a delicious warm up to any snow day!

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

6 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in a 4-quart crockpot. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours stirring occasionally. Top with marshmallows or whipped cream. Stirring with a peppermint stick is tasty, too!

Stay warm and enjoy learning with snow!

betty jo

The Winter Olympic Games, But First, The Super Bowl

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We aren’t particularly “sports fans” at our house, but there are some sporting events we are occasionally interested in. The Olympics is our top sports interest . The 2014 Winter Olympics begins Feb. 7th. And, as it happens at my house, where’s there’s interest, there is learning potential. I have been planning for an Olympic study and been collecting a stock pile of links for our homeschooling lessons.

While transferring the best of my link collection to this post to share with you, I received a request for help with teaching Super Bowl related lessons. And I think we came up with a pretty good, quick Super Bowl study.

I have some awesome resources for teaching during the Winter Olympic Games to share with you, but first, here’s some links for Super Bowl related lessons:

Football Music – lesson plans and songs http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/multimedia/series/AudioStories/touchdown-songs.aspx

Football Science Video Collection – http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/football/index.jsp

Football Rules – http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/beginnersguidetofootball

Graphing Math Activity for younger students – http://www.2teachingmommies.com/2014/01/graphing-through-super-bowl.html

And More Football Math – http://illuminations.nctm.org/Lesson.aspx?id=872

Super Bowl Printables, Crafts, and Activities – http://www.dltk-kids.com/searchresults.html?q=superbowl

Super Bowl Party Games – http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/super-bowl-sunday/

Kid Friendly Super Bowl Recipies – http://chefmom.sheknows.com/articles/822383/kid-friendly-super-bowl-foods

My family’s favorite part of the Super Bowl – Super Bowl Commercials – http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=super%20bowl%20commercial%202014&sm=1

And now, here’s the list of my favorite 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics resources:

The Official Olympic Website – http://www.olympic.org/sochi-2014-winter-olympics

Olympic Themed Interactive Games for Kids – http://www.primarygames.com/socstudies/olympics/olympics.htm

Sport Event Coloring Pages – http://www.classroomjr.com/olympic-coloring-pages/

Support Team USA with a snowflake and a photo http://www.nbcolympics.com/sochisnowflake?aff=wwlp

Information about the 15 Sports of the Winter Games http://www.mapsofworld.com/olympics/winter-olympics/events.html

Maps and facts of Russia – http://www.mapsofworld.com/russia/

Meet the Team USA Atheletes – http://www.teamusa.org/Athletes

Short videos showing how skis, skates, and curling stones are made – http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/how-its-made/videos/how-its-made-winter-olympics.htm

Winter Olympic article series from Time Kids – http://www.timeforkids.com/minisite/2014-sochi-olympics

Wordsearch, Crosswords, and more printables http://homeschooling.about.com/od/freeprintables/ss/olympicprint.htm

Olympic printables and activities – http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/winter-olympics

26 teaching resources for all grades and several subjects http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:winter+olympics/Grade-Level/Homeschooler/Price-Range/Free

Happy Sporting and Happy Learning!

betty jo

Resources for Teaching – Chinese New Year

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January 25th is the first day of the Chinese New Year and 2020 is the year of the Rat. Here’s a resource list for cross curricular and multi-level learning!

Traditions, Greetings, Decorations and More https://chinesenewyear2020.org/

Chinese New Year History, Celebrations, Food, Crafts and More for Kids https://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-new-year.html

Chinese New Year Activities, Crafts, and Learning Resources http://www.franw.com/2016/01/chinese-new-year.html

Chinese New Year resources, games, recipes and printables http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/

More Learning Activities and Resources https://seasonal.theteacherscorner.net/chinese-new-year/

Lesson Plans, Ideas, and Resources https://kidworldcitizen.org/a-lesson-plan-for-chinese-new-year-w-props-and-stories/

Chinese New Year craft ideas and instructions https://www.redtedart.com/chinese-new-year-craft-dragon-puppet-free-printable/

Lunar New Year Math Activity https://www.yummymath.com/2018/lunar-new-year-2018/

Free downloads for language arts and math activities with a Chinese New Year theme http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:chinese+new+year/Grade-Level/Homeschooler/Price-Range/Free

Chinese New Year Family Traditions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noiouIzjJZE

How To Teach Simple Chinese Characters https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/07/10/chinese-characters-for-kids/

Step by Step Chinese Writing Symbols https://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-writing-symbols.html

Learn Mandarin Chinese – 40 online lessons with audio, including reading, speaking, writing, modern vocabulary, grammar, calligraphy, examples and exercises http://www.chinese-tools.com/learn/chinese

China History and Timeline https://www.ducksters.com/geography/country/china_history_timeline.php

China Stats, Maps, Missions, and Prayer Card Printables https://joshuaproject.net/countries/CH

Chinese New Year makes a wonderful theme for a project. Here’s the one our family worked on a few years ago.

betty jo

Teaching Resources for Martin Luther King Day

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The third Monday in January is a special day set aside to celebrate the life and achievements of America’s most influential civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The third Monday in January is also a school day for my family. Below are the links for the resources we will be learning from for our MLK Day homeschooling lessons .

MLK Day background http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/martin-luther-king-day

Interactive biography and quiz (for the younger kids) http://www.turtlediary.com/biographies/world-leaders/martin-luther-king-jr.html

From the National Parks Service, The Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site in Georgia http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm

The Scriptural and scientific response to the question, “Where Did The Races Come From?” http://www.icr.org/article/where-did-races-come-from/ and video https://vimeo.com/39524116

American Civil Rights timeline http://www.kidzworld.com/article/3015-civil-rights-movement-timeline

Public speaking advice and tips for kids https://www.verywellmind.com/public-speaking-tips-3024732

MLK quotes for reading, discussion and copywork http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html

Video collection and classroom activities https://www.teachervision.com/martin-luther-king-jr/video/73143.html

Printable Word Puzzles and Worksheets http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/martin-luther-king-jr-day/printables/

A Racial Equality Timeline math lesson – http://www.yummymath.com/2015/timeline-towards-racial-equality-4/

Crayon Art with Poetry Lesson – http://www.kinderart.com/multic/mlkjr_crayons.shtml

betty jo

HAPPY JOYGERM DAY!

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According to the special days in January list, January 8th is Joygerm Day! I’ve caught it (once again) and plan on trying my very best to make sure my family catches this germ and continues to spread it. It’s my understanding that the joygerm is highly contagious! You don’t even have to be in a physical setting to give it to someone else. It can be spread through a phone, computer, or a letter. You know, not all germs are bad, some are wonderful!