Archive by Author | Lisa McAfee

Free Entrance Days National Parks

Jul25

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With the flexibility of homeschooling we can take advantage of going on vacation in August when other families are preparing to go back to school. The National Parks are celebrating with Free Entrance Days in the National Parks! If you have a fourth grade student, there is a special offer for them to have a free annual pass. Find a park that is close to you and go and enjoy the wonderful outdoors!

Information taken from the National Parks website: The National Park Service turns 100 years old in 2016 and we want everyone to join the party! On 16 days in ’16, all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone.

Mark your calendar for these entrance fee–free dates in 2016:

  • August 25 through 28: National Park Service Birthday
  • September 24: National Public Lands Day
  • November 11: Veterans Day

National parks are America’s Best Idea, and there are more than 400 parks available to everyone, every day. The fee-free days provide a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite, especially one of the 127 national parks that normally charge an entrance fee. The others are free all of the time. Plan your visit and enjoy our country’s history and nature.

The fee waiver includes entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

Fee-free days make parks accessible to more people. However, national parks are always economical, with entrance fees that range from $3 to $30. In addition, any fourth grade student can get a free annual pass through the Every Kid in a Park program, and active duty military and citizens with a permanent disability can also get free passes. For more information about the variety of discounted passes available, please visit the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass page.

** National Parks in Ohio are Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Wayne National Forest 

Cat in the Hat Learning Library

Jul18

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Are you looking for a fun series that your beginning readers would enjoy? Check out Cat in the Hat, a collection of nonfiction books that are interesting and also help young readers since they are set to rhyme.

Elections, nocturnal animals, the Ice Age, inventors, nutrition, and space are just a few of the topics about which your child can read.  The Cat in the Hat website has printable worksheets, activities, and lesson plans too. You can use these are part of your science and social studies curriculum choices if you wish.

Do you have a student who is not fluent with their reading or one who is just beginning to read and would enjoy audio books? There is a section to go to purchase these resources. So, go! Explore and discover all the places you and your child will go. ( Sorry, I couldn’t help it; some words are taken from one of Dr. Seuss’ books.)

To begin your adventure CLICK HERE

Enjoying the Days

Jul11

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“An Oreo a day keeps anxiety away.” No, I don’t mean the cookie, but rather my cat, Oreo. As you can see by the picture he has a rather laid back approach to life. I wish I could have that attitude. I want that attitude towards the small things that I make a big deal out of, and for what purpose? I have to ask myself.

So, if I want to aspire to be like my cat (lol), how do I get there? I am pondering… Okay, I think I have some ideas. See if you agree.

  • Don’t worry. Easier said than done, but I think God is pretty clear on this matter.
  • Find joy in life. Oreo couldn’t be happier than when he is fed and has had some attention given to him.
  • Take one day at a time. I highly doubt if Oreo even thinks past the second that he is living until his tummy starts to rumble.
  • Trust in the Master. Oreo trusts my husband and will come whenever Dale calls him. I want to trust and obey when God calls me to do something.

Have a great day!

~Lisa

Poetry Reading

Jun27

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I have a confession to make; I am not generally a fan of poetry. I don’t know why, but maybe it is because I am not a woman of few words. lol Poetry is an art in which the economy of words reigns supreme and ideas are not generally stated, but have to be correlated to other ideas in order for you to get the meaning. I think to myself, “Just come out and say what you mean!” But, enough of my issues and let me pass on to you a poetry book that I do like.

Halibut Bones and Hailstones: Adventures in Poetry and Color was written in 1961 and is comprised of 12 poems of color.  The way that Mary O’Neill describes each color is something that I “get.” Here is the poem about yellow.

“Yellow is the color of the sun
The feeling of fun
A duck’s bill
A canary bird
And a daffodil
Yellow’s sweet corn
Ripe oats
Humming birds’little throats
Summer squash and Chinese silk
The cream on top of Jersey milk
Dandelions and Daisy hearts
Custard pies and lemon tarts.
Yellow blinks on summer nights
In the off-and-on of firefly lights.
Yellow’s a topaz,
A candle flame
Felicity’s a yellow name.
Yellow’s mimosa, 
And I guess,
Yellow’s the color of…HAPPINESS!”
Language Arts Idea: After you have read a poem on a specific color, how about having your children write a poem abut that color? If they cannot do it on their own then have them partner  with you or another one of your children and create one together.
Art Idea: Illustrate the poem or create a border to frame it.