Archive by Author | Lisa McAfee

I’m Bored! 25 Activities for Kids

Sep10

My mom would never let us utter the words, “I am bored!” If we did, we knew there was a chore waiting for us. Because it was so ingrained in me not to use those words, I did not like my children saying them either. lol

I had a list of things they could do if they could not think of an activity to occupy their time. When they were younger the electronics choice was limited to 30 minutes and only once per day. Between the ages of 13-15 they were allowed to be on the computer for 60 minutes and then for two hours when they were 16 and older. Internet parental control software was worth every penny as I did not have to police the time they spent on it. Here is the download, I’m Bored Activities.

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Apples! Activities for Your School Day

Sep3

Did you know there are 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States? 7,500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world? 100 varieties of apples are grown commercially in the United States?* I didn’t either, but that explains why when I go to the store there is another type of apple I haven’t heard of that is available for me to try. Since September will be scurrying away so quickly and apples will soon be past picking, why not take advantage of the varieties that are available and teach an Interest Unit? If you live in Ohio, you can count this for your study of Ohio history. 🙂

Make Applesauce 

Most children love applesauce and it’s such an easy project that your children can help you make it. Start it in your crockpot in the morning and enjoy in the afternoon as a snack.

Materials needed:

8-10 apples- peeled, cored, and cubed

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar (If you buy a sweet variety, you don’t even need this!)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional- add to the apples or wait until after it has cooked)

One large crockpot

Place all ingredients in the crockpot and turn on high. Allow apples to cook for 4-5 hours. Depending upon how chunky you want your applesauce to be, you can either take a wooden spoon or potato masher and break up the cooked apples into smaller pieces, or place in a blender and process until you have the desired consistency. Doesn’t this look good?

download

As the delicious smell of applesauce fills your house you can do some apple inspired school activities.

Free Apple Math Pack has a variety of preschool activities in a sampler. If you like, you can purchase the entire packet.

Thanks to John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed, apple orchards were begun across the midwest and were valuable to families who were traveling west during the westward expansion.

Here are some stories of his life to read. With older students, you can pick out the information that is true and that which is fabricated. Create tall tales about Johnny Appleseed.

Johnny Appleseed

Here are some comprehension questions for the story.

What was Johnny Appleseed’s name?

When did he live?

What was his purpose in growing apple trees?  Do you think this was a good idea? Explain why you think it was or was not a good idea.

Write one detail from your reading that is not true.

Why did people make up details about him that were not true?

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A documentary for children to watch about the life of Johnny Appleseed would be great for children to take notes. The Story of Liberty

Watch the Disney version of Johnny Appleseed

Compare and contrast the two videos. You could use a T-Chart or a Venn Diagram (Boy! it was hard to find a printable of this, but I found one. yay!)

Have a great day!  ~Lisa~

* (urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm)

5 Tips on Beginning School

Aug27

apples-3616102__480It seems like summer has flown by (again!) and I like to start out the year with a few tips that I liked to do with my children.

  1. Begin the day with something fun. How about a fun read-aloud or a favorite breakfast? Not sure what books would be good? Here are some titles to consider: Swiss Family Robinson; The Great Brain; The Secret Garden; Caddie Woodlawn; Little House in the Big Woods; Miracles on Maple Hill are all books that the family will enjoy.
  2. Let your children know what you expect of them. I thought it was important to come to class dressed (no pajamas). This may not be the case in your house, so do not mention it if does not apply. We also discussed the importance of a good attitude and completing assignments cheerfully and on time.
  3. Get out the school supplies and let your son/ daughter label and organize their things. Let them choose what color notebooks they want for math, science, history, reading, etc. They can decorate their binders or notebooks too.
  4. Start out with a few subjects and gradually add more as the week progresses. We always had reading and math each day and started the year off with these. I would include a fun outdoor activity that was science related (a nature hunt or examining something such as a plant) and would try to end the day with a game of some sort for PE such as bike riding or swimming.
  5. Celebrate the first week of completing school with a favorite movie and some popcorn or go out for a treat.

Have a great year!  ~Lisa~

 

 

 

Teachers Pay Teachers

Aug20

Sometimes I am just fresh out of ideas for teaching. You too? If you haven’t heard of Teachers Pay Teachers then may I suggest that you check out this amazing website? There are so many activities, PowerPoints, ideas, and worksheets that you could spend hours looking at all of the great items that are there. Tomorrow they are having a back to school sale for the things you want for your class. Use this promo code BTSBONUS18 to save up to 25% sitewide on A+ back-to-school resources.

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Clarifying Notification for Homeschooling in Ohio

Aug13

 

imagesAre you ready for school? Have you filled out the Home Education Notification Form? Are you confused on what exactly is point number 6 and how is that different from point 7? After all, these are to be attachments along with the notification form and it can be confusing. This point states that you will “provide a brief outline of the intended curriculum for the current year.”

The word curriculum might have you confused since the term is interchanged with the textbooks, commercial curricula, and basic teaching materials that are listed in point 7. I Googled the word to the exact meaning and it says, “the subjects comprising a course of study in a school.” Did a lightbulb and a, “Oh! I see now!” just happen for you? 🙂

In case it is still not clear, I will continue… This does not need to be pages of everything you are intending to have your son/ daughter study this year because there are the crucial words brief outline included in the statement and that was intentional. So, let me give you an example of what that looks like. If you have a third-grade student and you plan on using Bob Jones Science as your main textbook, you can list three or four topics instead of copying the entire Table of Contents.  The topics that are studied throughout the year are animals, the solar system, skin, photosynthesis, sound, weather, rocks and minerals, motion, and food chains. Choose four from that list to use on your outline. Perhaps you are going to study clouds and weather patterns for a week, or your daughter/son is a rockhound and loves discovering fossils and reading books about them; you are going to plant a garden, and you are going to go to the planetarium and are going to watch a Brain Pop video about the solar system. Terrific!  Choose those the topics (weather, rocks and minerals, photosynthesis, solar system)  to list for your outline. The school is looking to see that you have given thought to the topics you are going to teach and are prepared.

Point number 7 requires that you submit “a list of textbooks, correspondence courses, commercial curricula or other basic teaching materials that you (the parent) intend to use for home education. ” After hours of research, talking to other homeschool families, reading reviews, and scouring the internet for what you think is the best curriculum for your student, this is the easy part! You’ve got this! You list what you are going to be using throughout the year to educate your child. If you are using My Father’s World, Teaching Textbooks, Reading Eggs, Liberty’s Kids videos, and library books, that will be great! The school is not looking at whether you are using the latest edition of a textbook. They are looking to see that you have given thought as to what you are using to teach your student.

How you decide to list points 6 and 7 is up to you. I wrote each of the subjects I was teaching and then listed the topics we were intending to study that year (point 6). On a separate piece of paper, I listed the books, videos, and a general statement of various library and internet resources since we used these resources extensively.