Tag Archives: teaching resources

Thanksgiving Unit Study Ideas and Resources

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

World Sight Day

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According to the special days calendar for October, the second Thursday is World Sight Day. This awareness day is sponsored by WHO (World Health Organization) and was established to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment. Below is a collection of free resources for teaching about the human eye and blindness.

Printable human eye diagram and eye vocabulary list http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/eye/

Follow a videotaped dissection of a cow eye and then compare and contrast what you’ve seen with an interactive diagram of the human eye. http://illinois.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/lsps07.sci.life.stru.coweye/cows-eye-dissection/

These are articles written for middle and high school levels which discusses how the eye works, the causes of blindness, and what doctors can do to detect and treat visual problems http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/sight/visual_impaired.html# and http://www.planet-science.com/categories/over-11s/human-body/2010/12/let-there-be-light.aspx

Interactive quiz to test eye knowledge http://kidshealth.org/kid/quizzes/EYEquiz.html#cat20913

Vision experiments http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chvision.html

There are many Bible verses relating to the eyes, blindness, and healing of the blind. However, Isaiah 42:16 is what I have selected for our homeschool Bible discussion, copy work and journaling

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake them.”

To conclude our World Sight Day study we’ll be watching this informative video about the history, training, and use of seeing eye dogs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udUWaXxGo_U

Human Eye and vision resources and videos http://www.franw.com/2015/08/the-human-eye.html

BIG List of Special Days in October, 2018

betty jo

Free Educational Links of the Week

Free Educational Finds of the Week

Arrrrgh! Pirates!

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According to the special days in September calendar, the 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day! And on our planner, it’s the last day of our pirate unit study that we have been working on a couple of days a week for the past several weeks. It’s been a fun and interesting study. Below are some of the resources we have been using.

For pirate biographies, dictionary, lore, sea sickness, and more http://the-pirate-ship.com/

For learning about how much work it was to sail a full-rigged ship http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6DZIvMZWzQ

Since pirates needed sewing skills for sail repairs we have added some sewing instruction to our lessons.

https://sewing.com/hand-sewing-stitching-basics/

How to tie knots was also a valuable pirate expertise, so we gave that a try as well. This site has step by step knot tying instructions http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/

Navigation by stars was another important sailor skill https://seahistory.org/sea-history-for-kids/navigating-by-the-stars/

Instructions for making a cork and needle compass https://www.nps.gov/articles/compass.htm

Our lapbook board (we glued these to file folders once the unit study was finished).

Free unit studies and lapbook printables along with book lists and other links to follow http://www.homeschoolshare.com/connections__pirates.php

“Why are pirates called pirates?” – “They just arrrrrr!” and, lots of other pirate jokes for kids http://www.enchantedlearning.com/jokes/topics/pirate.shtml

Blackbeard, pirate, and treasure chest printable notebooking pages http://www.teacherfiles.com/resources_bp_ss.htm

More pirate themed notebooking pages http://edgalaxy.com/printable-paper-for-teachers/2012/9/22/pirate-themed-writing-pack.html

Pirate Adventure Writing Prompts https://writeshop.com/pirate-printable/

These are a few of our library finds.

Movies and music!

Interactive sunken treasure game http://nationalgeographic.org/education/multimedia/interactive/maps-tools-find-sunken-treasure/

Interactive “Walk the Plank” and Pirate themed Math Games https://www.math4childrenplus.com/?s=pirate

And “Talk Like a Pirate Day” Math Lesson https://www.yummymath.com/2018/talk-like-a-pirate-day-viral-growth/

Our chalkboard wall mural. The instructions for how to draw a pirate ship from here were quite helpful. http://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/crafts/drawing/how-to-draw-pirate-ships.htm

In conclusion to our pirate unit studies we attempted to make this treasure chest cake! https://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/category/other/pirate/treasure-chest/

Haha! Another “Pinterest Fail”, but still tasted good!

For more resources for special days in September click here

Wishing you smooth sailing!

betty jo

Constitution Week Resources

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September 17th (1787) is the anniversary of the United States Constitution and the start of Constitution Week. So often we hear or read about “Constitutional Rights” and freedoms being debated, taken away, or altered in various ways.

This week my kids will be reviewing, researching, and notebooking all things constitutional so it will be clear to them just what our constitutional rights are.

Below are some of the resources we will be incorporating into our Constitution Week homeschool studies.

Constitution Day History and Quizzes http://www.ducksters.com/holidays/constitution_day.php

Read the Constitution and explore the resources from The National Constitutional Center http://constitutioncenter.org/

US Government Learning Adventures, Glossary, and Games for all ages and levels https://bensguide.gpo.gov/

Constitutional Convention Video Playlist : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLkEA8hf_nThc3xwl5EF09aGYFS3PEqIQ

Liberty’s Kids #40- We the People
Three Branches Rap
Constitution Style (Gangnam Style parody)
The Great Compromise Explained in 5 Minutes
The Great Compromise Song
All 27 Amendments (in four minutes)
Bill of Rights (Shake It Off parody)

This song is from my childhood (from Saturday morning cartoons) and it is how I’ve always remembered the preamble to the constitution. This is also how my older kids have learned it. Now it’s time to pass it down to the youngest two. School House Rock – The Constitution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EfnNUt_nwY&list=PLKt00sUUapAJAcxUs2rp75ymjPMki6noW

Learn and Remember the Bill Of Rights with these Hand Signals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgD1E3gBTWU

Mini posters of how a bill becomes a law, the Bill of Rights, and branches of government (you will need an account to get the downloads, but it isn’t complicated and it’s free) http://www.kidsdiscover.com/celebrate-constitution-day/

Copywork and Trivia Printables http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/2013/09/constitution-day-printables/

US Constitution & Bill of Rights Resource Page https://franw.com/2019/03/21/the-united-states-constitution-bill-of-rights-resource-page/

Constitution lesson plans, including debate excercises http://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/lesson-plans/to-sign-or-not-to-sign-the-ultimate-constitution-day-lesson-plan

Calligraphy and Making Quill and Ink Resources http://www.franw.com/2015/08/calligraphy-resources.html

betty jo

Teaching Resource Finds of the Week

“I Have a Dream”

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According to my special days calendar, August 28th marks the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s speech “I Have A Dream” at the 1963 March On Washington.

Below are some wonderful free resources I found to create a one day mini unit study. These resources will cover the subjects of language arts, art, music, and history.

This link will take you to a biography with photos, coloring page, test, word puzzles, and more! http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdking.htm

This link takes you to more printables as well as art, poetry, music resources! http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/mlk-day

This link takes you to printable notebooking pages and lapbook materials http://homeschoolhelperonline.com/?s=martin+luther+king+jr

For quotes click here! http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have that same dream for my five (not so) little children.

betty jo

Rembrandt

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According to my July’s special days calendar, artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, was born July 14, 1606. He will be the subject of our homeschool/summer school lesson of the day. (And an excuse to bake a birthday cake. Studies are always better with cake.)

I so agree with Rembrants parents. They recognized that their son had talent and provided him with opportunities to study so that he could be his possible best. And because of that, he developed into one of the world’s most famous artists. If only they would have taught him money management skills too, as he became bankrupt from overspending.

Below are the links we will be following for our Rembrandt study.

For a brief biography, gallery, quiz, printables, and more we will go here http://www.gardenofpraise.com/art44.htm

For notebooking, we will use the free artist biography page https://practicalpages.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/latest-famous-artists-biography-pages/ (Sorry, but you’ll need to copy and paste the link.)

For a tour and documentary of the Rembrandt House we will click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmcR4Iqzuio

Because we like mysteries, we’ll research the theft of this piece. It has never been recovered.

(Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee)

And we may even make a bit of a mess and try some impasto (Rembrandt style 3D) painting. http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/impasto-presto!-lesson-plan/

Artist studies are one of my favorite homeschooling subjects. I always try including artists on our history timeline or our calendar studies. For other artist posts click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/12/leonardo-da-vinci/, here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/06/raphael/, and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/07/art-day-sistine-chapel-style/

For my listing of July’s special days, click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/06/28/julys-special-days/

betty jo

Studying Ramadan

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According to my special days calendar for July, the Muslim holiday Ramadan started on the 9th and continues for thirty days. Other than knowing that it is a time of fasting followed by a celebration for those of the Islamic faith, I know very little about the holiday. With the current estimated Muslim population being over 1.6 billion, I think learning more about Ramadan is something we need to add to our summer school calendar studies.

Below are the links we are using for our Ramadan study.

The Homeschool Buzz has a free download for a Ramadan activity book designed for children 5 to 7 years. I think this is an excellent source for all of us who are not familiar with the holiday regardless of age. I learned a great deal and I’m sure others who are not of the Muslim faith would also. I appreciate the work and creativity put into this resource and the willingness to share. You can download the Ramadan activity book here. http://pakistanhomeschooler.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/ramadan-activity-book-free/

For a Ramadan guide that is not in a pdf format click here http://www.msichicago.org/scrapbook/scrapbook_exhibits/catw2004/traditions/countries/ramadan.html

Several basic Ramadan information links here http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/ramadan.htm

The Huffington Post has put together a photo album of current Ramadan pictures from around the world http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/ramadan-2013-pictures_n_3573707.html

For traditional Ramadan recipes from around the world click here http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Ramadan/Detail.aspx

Click here for my July’s special days calendar https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/06/28/julys-special-days/

betty jo