Author: Ann

Blessed to homeschool in rural east Texas. Two graduated, one to go!

Fun Links for February

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Let’s start February with some fun links for your homeschool!

The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place February 18-21.  Why not use the Adventurer Feathered Friends award and the Pathfinder Birds and Birds-Advanced honors to turn the bird count into a fun unit study?

Do you have the Uncle Arthur Bible Story books?  Here’s a great free resource to accompany the series.   This two-part curriculum is designed for classroom use, but is a great source of ideas for creative worships and Bible lessons.  It is designed to be an 8 year program.  DOWNLOAD NOTE: The documents are large, the first set is 293 pages!

This South Pacific Division elementary Bible curriculum was developed by and for Pacific Island Adventist schools. This teacher’s guide includes lesson or story plans to accompany Uncle Arthur’s Bible Story series, Volumes 1-6. Concise, clear, adaptable, utilizing multiple intelligences, this Adventist religious education resource is free of copyright, ready for use or translation. See also the companion Pacific Island Bible Story Plans 7-10

Nature Study from Your Window

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Nuthatch and Chickadee at our simple feeder setup, just 6 feet from our bedroom window.
Woodpecker at the suet feeder
We get a few visits from a Painted Bunting every year.

Setting up a bird feeder is a fun way to add a nature study element to your homeschool curriculum.  It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated .  Our main feeder station is made from a landscape timber set on end with a scrap board nailed on top.  Just 6 feet from one of our windows, we have an excellent vantage point from which to enjoy watching birds year-round.   Add a few different types of feeders and  types of feed, and watch an amazing array of birds visit your feeders!  Don’t know anything about birds?  Do what we did when we first started:   We taped photo sheets like these of common feeder birds to the window for easy and quick identification. These coloring sheets of common feeder birds were helpful as well.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is Coming Soon!

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For our US and Canadian homeschool families that may not be familiar with this event, this is a fun way to incorporate nature study into your program and make a contribution to science at the same time!

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event.

Click on the image to head over to the GBBC website where you can learn more about the count, download activity pages and tally sheets and learn more about birds in preparation for the count.

We will be posting more ideas in the coming days on how to get started birdwatching and turn this event into a fun bird unit study and family nature study activity

Show What You Know: Printable Idea List

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Show what you know is a printable list of ideas that go beyond the usual report or test.   Creative ideas to help your student express what they have learned in a manner that fits his or her learning style.    Adapt the ideas to fit your student’s ability level and create a unique end product.

Fun Links for January

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Happy New Year! 2011 is before us, full of possibility.  Here are some links to start off the new year.

**Looking for a Bible Reading Plan for younger children? Here’s the Adventist Junior Youth Bible Year Plan.   It is a four -year plan that divides the Bible readings into themes by chapters, such as Prophecy, Praises and Peace.

** If this is your year to get organized as a homeschooling mom, here are some great ideas for creating a home management binder. Pick and choose ideas that fit your needs.

**Here are some Pathfinder Honors that would make great unit studies for the new year.   These are most appropriate for upper elementary age students and above.

Personal Evangelism

Temperance

Stewardship

**If you are studying Adventist Pioneers in the coming year, AdventSource has a set of posters that may be helpful to your study.

Supporting SDA Homeschoolers

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The goal of  Adventist Home Educators is to provide support, information especially for Seventh-day Adventist homeschool families.  Have you taken advantage of the resources available?  Click on the links below to find out more.

Newsletter

Email Lists

Facebook

Meet Members Online

Nature Study-themed Gift Ideas

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Binoculars – It is not necessary to spend hundreds of dollars for a binoculars. A good quality pair can be had in the $20-$40 range. With a little practice, children will enjoy using binoculars to observe nature.

Magnifying Glass– There is nothing more fun than a sturdy magnifying glass! Even very young children will enjoy examining collected items using a magnifying glass.

Field Guides – Field guides will help make your nature study experiences much more informative and satisfying. If at all possible, try to purchase local field guides, specific to your area, for birds, insects and wildlife.

Butterfly Net – A good quality butterfly net is fun for catching insects. Be sure to find one with a sturdy handle and frame: the net will get vigorous use in younger hands.

Collection Jars – These can be fun to make. A sturdy plastic container, like a peanut butter jar makes a good collection jar. A bit of netting and a canning jar ring will provide air for any live creatures you may find.

Sketch Pad and Writing/Drawing Pencils– A sketch pad with a sturdy backing or attached to a clipboard will make creating nature sketches and notes much easier.

Watercolor materials– Most children love to experiment with watercolors. A pad of watercolor paper, a few nice brushes and some paints or watercolor pencils will provide lots of fun creating nature paintings.