Tag Archives: plans

Special Days and the Evolution of Morning Calendar Time – Blog post explaining the how’s and why’s of using the Special Days lists for homeschooling or classroom activities

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/07/14/special-days-and-the-evolution-of-morning-calendar-time/

Special Days and Biographies – How to and resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/07/21/special-days-and-biographies/

Special Days and Science – How to and resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/08/05/special-days-and-science/

More Special Days Learning Resources (for any month) https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/

Daily Specials for August (I’ll be updating the daily specials with more resources as we goalong through the month, so check back often for more! And, if you have any special day resource favorites, be sure to let me know and I’ll edit them into the list. I appreciate all the help I can get!)

Aug. 1 – Francis Scott Key born 1779 – Biography and “Star Spangled Banner” resources – http://www.franw.com/2013/07/the-star-spangled-banner.html
Aug. 1 – Spiderman Day – Resources and Activities http://www.franw.com/2017/05/spiderman.html
Aug. 3 (US), Aug. 4 (UK) – Watermelon Day – Facts, Resources, Recipes, and Activities – http://www.franw.com/2011/08/watermelon-day.html
Aug. 4 – Musician Louis Armstrong born 1901 – Cool Resource List –https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/08/03/louie-armstrong/
Aug. 5 – Exercise With Your Child Week begins * – Homeschool Mom Approved Youtube Exercise Videos https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/01/10/get-up-and-move-a-break-time-playlist
Aug. 7 – Lighthouse Day – Resource List http://www.franw.com/2017/06/lighthouses.html
Aug. 7 – Sea Serpent Day – Resource List http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/seaserpent.html
Aug. 8 – Odie Day – Garfield Resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/06/19/garfield-the-cat-not-the-president/
Aug. 8 – Ornithologist Florence Merriam Bailey born 1863 – Biography and Exhibit http://earlywomeninscience.biodiversityexhibition.com/en/card/florence-a-merriam-bailey

Aug. 8 – Smokey the Bear Advertising Campaign begins 1944 – History, games, wildfire facts and more – http://smokeybear.com/

August 10 – S’mores Day – Cross Curriculum Resources and Recipes – http://www.franw.com/2012/07/marshmallows.html
Aug. 10 – Snoopy’s Birthday – Peanuts Resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/10/02/peanuts/
Aug 11 – Play in the Sand Day – Learning Resources and Activities http://www.franw.com/2017/06/play-in-sand.html

Aug. 12 – World Elephant Day – Learning Resources and Activities – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/08/10/elephants/
Aug. 13 – Annie Oakley born 1860 – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2015/08/13/annie-oakley-2/
Aug. 14 – World Lizard Day – Huge List of Resources and Activities – http://www.franw.com/2014/05/lizard-resource-page.html
Aug. 14 – Wiffle Ball invented 1953 – Game History and Science Resource List https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2018/08/14/wiffle-ball/
Aug. 15 – Relaxation Day – Relaxation VS Stress Lesson Plans, Activities, and Resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/08/15/relaxation-vs-stress-resource-list/

Aug. 16 – Gold discovered in the Yukon 1896 – California Gold Rush http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/california_gold_rush.php
Aug. 16 – Tell a Joke Day – Awesome jokes page for kids http://www.enchantedlearning.com/jokes/
Aug. 16 – Roller Coaster Patented 1898 – STEM Activity https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/duk_rollercoaster_music_act

Aug. 17 – Black Cat Appreciation Day – Cats Resource Page – http://www.franw.com/2014/08/domesticated-cats-resource-page.html
Aug. 18 – Bad Poetry Day – Poetry Resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2019/08/21/poetry-resources/
Aug. 19 – Orville Wright born – Resource List https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/08/17/aviation-week-learning-resources/

Aug. 21 – Hawaii Statehood 1959 – Resource List http://www.franw.com/search?q=hawaii
Aug. 21 – Poet’s Day – Poetry Resource List https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2019/08/21/poetry-resources/

Aug. 22 – Honey Bee Day – The Honeybee Conservancy Pre-K through 12 Lesson Plan Library http://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/2016/05/15/honeybee-conservancy-lesson-plan-library/
Aug. 23 – Ride the Wind Day – Wind Activities and Resources http://www.franw.com/search?q=wind
Aug. 24 – Mt. Vesuvius Erupted 79AD – Volcano Unit Study and Lapbook Printables http://www.homeschoolshare.com/volcanoes.php And, “Escape from Pompeii” – Adventurers Masters of Time Cartoon Series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWI22TWLB1Q&list=PLD470AEDC93B07E3D

Aug. 24 – US Capital Building and White House burned 1814 – War of 1812 http://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1800s/war_of_1812.php
Aug. 24 – Pluto Demoted 2006 – NASA Explains “What is Pluto?” https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-pluto-k4.html

Aug. 25 – Inventor Joshua Lionel Cowen born 1877 – Resource List https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/05/24/lionel-trains-special-day-august-25/

Aug. 25 – Ivan the Terrible born 1530 – Short Video Biography https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMqmQ-C5N6Y&list=RDQVkC9HbBppg&index=5
Aug. 26 – Mother Teresa born 1910 – Learning Resources – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/08/26/mother-teresa/
Aug. 27 – 1st Tarzan story published 1912 – Read a Tarzan Story http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=tarzan
Aug. 28 – Dream Day (Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech 1963) – Learning Resources and Activities – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/08/28/50-years-ago/
Aug. 30 – Toasted Marshmallow Day – Facts, recipes, and activities – http://www.franw.com/2012/07/marshmallows.html
Aug. 30 – Frankenstein Day (Author Mary Shelly born 1797) – Biography, Activities, and Learning Resources – http://www.franw.com/2011/10/mary-shelleys-frankenstein.html
Aug. 30 – Slinky Day – Science Experiments with Slinkies http://sciencing.com/science-projects-slinkies-8320196.html
Aug. 31 – Kinetoscope patented 1887 – Learning Links – http://www.franw.com/2015/08/kinetoscope.html

Special Days and the Evolution of Morning Calendar Time – Blog post explaining the how’s and why’s of using the Special Days lists for homeschooling or classroom activities

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/07/14/special-days-and-the-evolution-of-morning-calendar-time/

Special Days and Biographies – How to and resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/07/21/special-days-and-biographies/

Special Days and Science – How to and resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/08/05/special-days-and-science/

More Special Days Learning Resources (for any month) https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/

Happy August Learning!

betty jo

Special Days in May, 2015

1 Reply

Click here for Special Days in May updated for 2020!

Homeschooling Humor – Plans and Schedules

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drive image

Happy Monday and Happy Homeschooling!

betty jo

Thanksgiving Unit Study Ideas and Resources

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This week we began our Thanksgiving unit studies with a couple of Pre-Thanksgiving activities. Below are some of the links we followed as we both reviewed and learned about the early American Settlements of Roanoke and Jamestown.

3 Articles about the history and mystery of the Roanoke Colony http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/roanoke2.htm

Roanoke Colony Creative Writing Prompt http://castelliclassroom.weebly.com/classroom-updates/roanoke-writing-prompt

Online interactive Jamestown adventure http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/

Jamestown Interactive webquest adventure http://web.archive.org/web/20040811071346/http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/schools/catoctin/3rd/webquests/jamestown/

Jamestown reading comprehension and printable quiz http://mrnussbaum.com/jamestown-printable-reading-comprehension/

The Natives and The English video from Crash Course http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTYOQ05oDOI

In addition to the early settlement studies, we began this thankfulness Bible study with printable cards and daily question/activity suggestions http://www.faithgateway.com/thanksgiving-bible-verses-free-printable/#.UnUbfhDZjFD

For the school days from now until Thanksgiving we we will be notebooking, crafting, cooking, reviewing, and researching who, what, when, where, and why – everything associated with the Plymouth Colony. We will keep journaling pages and bulletin boards of what we discover.

Below are the links we’ll be using for resources as we travel back in time to visit early America over the next few weeks.

Plimoth Plantation “Just for Kids” Activities – Coloring, Talk Like a Pilgrim, Virtual Field Trip, History Detective, and more! https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids

Virtual field trip to the first Thanksgiving http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/webcast.htm

Thanksgiving Myths Debunked and other Thanksgiving Articles and Child Friendly Recipes https://www.education.com/articles/thanksgiving/

Interactive trivia quiz http://www.quia.com/rr/315169.html

This site is my favorite of all the resources I’ve found. We will use this site daily. http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=76113&pageid=r&mode=ALL&query=&sitemap=Site+Map

Grammar lessons with Thanksgiving themed mad libs http://amyswandering.com/2012/11/09/thanksgiving-mad-libs-2/

Thanksgiving themed notebooking, activity, and poetry copywork printable pages http://www.notebookingnook.com/freebies-thanksgiving-notebooking-pages-activity-pages-and-copywork-notebook/

Jokes, poems, songs, and more (scroll down and look at the left sidebar) http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/thanksgivingday-fun.html

Stories, jokes, poems and coloring pages http://www.hellokids.com/search?recherche=thanksgiving&search_go=OK

Thanksgiving Math and Printables https://www.yummymath.com/2017/thanksgiving-football-black-friday-and-giving/

Thanksgiving history, fun facts, and census https://www.factmonster.com/culture-entertainment/holidays/thanksgiving

Thanksgiving themed math worksheets (for younger students) https://www.math-drills.com/search.php?s=thanksgiving&page=1&sort=weekly

How Many Calories Are on Your Thanksgiving Plate? https://www.thedailymeal.com/how-many-calories-are-your-thanksgiving-plate/112013

Ideas and instructions for Thanksgiving themed arts and crafts http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/thanksgivingartscraftsideaskids.html

Games that pilgrim children played https://www.mayflowerjuniors2020.org/games-the-pilgrim-children-played

Thanksgiving Music Playlist

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade interactive games http://social.macys.com/parade/#/games

On nice days we’ll be getting outside for some nature observations, football (not soccer), and archery practice and just maybe some fishing.

Our science is research based (meaning the kids will have to come up with their own resources for information) and will include the following topics:

Human anatomy – digestive system
Why does Thanksgiving dinner make us sleepy?
Native American agriculture and nutrition of “The Three Sisters” (beans, squash, corn)
Natural Resources, plants, and wildlife surrounding the Plymouth Colony

Thanksgiving themed free downloads and printables for all levels and subjects for homeschools (you will need an account, but that is free and easy to set up) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:thanksgiving/Grade-Level/Homeschooler/Price-Range/Free

Resources and Activities of Thanksgiving with a modern history twist! https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/11/15/thanksgiving-been-there-done-that/

betty jo

By Your Side

18 Replies

This mommas heart has been heavy. My first born, A21 is leaving the nest. Not for a job or different college, but for love. A love that is not here in Kentucky, but in Michigan. I knew this day would eventually come, but that doesn’t help my emotions any. This is not some surprise news, they have been planning this for months. I have imagined the worst possible outcomes. I’ve cried rivers. I have thrown fits. This was not in my plan for my son!

I have very close friends in our homeschooling support group. As I whined and complained about my A quitting his job (it’s a cruddy job) and not signing up for the fall semester at college, one of the moms looked right at me and said I just simply had to trust God with my son now. I replied, “I trust God, just not my son!”

For days, no weeks, that conversation has haunted me. That other mom was right. I wasn’t trusting God with this situation.

I don’t know the plans HE has for my son. I know A belongs to God and has a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. I know the WORD is in his head and his heart. And, if he makes a mistake or two, the Lord will use it for his good. He will grow from it. And, if this move is God’s plan, then it won’t be long before I have a daughter-in-law and a very happy son!

The girl is beautiful and sweet. She loves him. I truly cannot blame him for wanting to be with her. His moving so many miles away may even be Biblical if the courtship goes right. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” (Genesis 2:24)

It’s time for this momma to let him go. His dad and I have educated him. We have taught him the best that we could . We believe that he knows what to do to be a man. We have shared our faith and A made it his own years ago. He is smart and talented. He works hard and loves much.

I am assured that my A isn’t going away totally on his own, but he is taking his Best Friend with him. He will stay by his side, He will teach him. He will spark A’s memory of what he has learned from being a child of God.

I have this same Best Friend who will stay by my side too. He’ll comfort me, dry these tears, and remind me that He’s got this under control. He sees the big picture, not I.

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

Dear reader, pray with me to get my emotions under control and actually start trusting the One with the plan. He will lead and guide my child. God does not require my interference, opinion, or my controlling nature with what He has in store for my first born.

betty jo

Fixing My Gaze

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I’m distracted and tired. I am over-committed. Our house is a mess. I have one of the longest to-do lists I’ve ever had. We have more than our usual amount of extra activities on the calendar. We only have five weeks left in our homeschool year and much more I still need to teach. I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. That is not a good feeling.

I talk to my Father about it all. I ask Him for wisdom. I ask Him for peace. I ask Him for help. He answers me. Proverbs 4:25, “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”

Looking straight ahead I see overload. What is in front of me that I’m gazing at is simply too much for me hand handle. I need a new plan of action.

This means I’ll have to say “no” to some activities, and saying “no” is very hard for me. I’ll have to make two new to-do-lists, one of only priorities, and one to-do-someday. We will take a few days off from our school work next week so I can get that priority list taken care of and get the house in better order. This will add another week to our school year, but we’re homeschoolers, so it’s ok to do that. It’s not going to be easy or fun, but I know it will be what is best.

How do you handle overload? I am open to suggestions.

betty jo

Concerned Teacher

4 Replies

Math lessons are the least of my homeschool concerns for this coming up homeschooling week. Well, for that matter, neither is anything “common core” a big concern for this new week. Nor is our homeschool group field trip. So, what is it that concerns me about this week? It’s this, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1)

I’m concerned about how the judgement of my teaching at the end of the week will turn out. Will I have demonstrated Godly behavior? Did I teach them Bible truths as we went about our day? Was I slow to anger and quick to forgive? Will my kids know without a doubt that I love them and think they are wonderful? Did I encourage them? Did I go about my work without grumbling or complaining? Do they know their Savior better because of something this momma said or did?

These words haunt me as I plan for our school week, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42).

God help me.

And I’m praying that maybe, just maybe, the week will end with a judgement like this, “True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.” (Malachi 2:6)

betty jo

The Homeschool Village