Mark your calendars for April 15, when a full lunar eclipse will be visible to North America.
Here is an interesting video about the upcoming lunar eclipse to watch with your children.
Category: Special Needs
Arts & Crafts Inspiration
Learning at the Welcome Center
Our family recently drove from Texas to Florida to help Grandma celebrate her 80th birthday. As we crossed into each new state, we stopped at the state welcome center. Welcome centers are always fun for us, we like inspect the displays of state attractions and colorful brochures and flyers. Since I am helping my 2nd grader to understand the concepts of state vs. country vs. continent this school year, I wanted to collect something to show that each state is unique and different from his home state of Texas. I mentioned this fact to the hostess at one Louisiana Welcome Center and she was enthusiastically supportive! She showered us with lots of lovely Louisiana specific items: beautiful calendars, interesting postcards, neon-colored pencils and more. She was even kind enough to go to the “back room” to search out the best brochures listing the important facts of Louisiana. It was her idea to give us two copies of several items- one to save whole and one to cut up for scrapbooks. My 2nd grader was thrilled to have bag full of treasures. As a home educator, I was thrilled that my son was learning about social studies without even knowing it. Our scrapbook will have many lovely pages featuring Louisiana!
Not only did I leave that particular welcome center with a new appreciation of Louisiana hospitality, I realized anew that state welcome centers are a treasure trove of information for learning about US history and geography. Next time you take a road trip, don’t look at the welcome center as just a spot to stop stretch your legs. Take time to let the hosts/hostesses know that you are ready to learn about their state. Ask what interesting materials are available. Be sure to look for historical markers that might be near or around the welcome center. Remember to snap a few photos! All of these things will combine to become a living textbook for your children.
God Loves Me 28 Ways ~ Free Bible Study Lessons
Bible Adventures for Young Readers.
A Bible study set featuring 28 lessons covering the fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Free .pdf files for you to download and save.
Don’t miss this wonderful resource!
HINT: Be sure to scroll through the ENTIRE page linked above. There are some great free health audio downloads and other free resource links too!
Happy New Year by E.G. White
“This beautiful morning of January 1, 1881, I greet the children and youth of the Instructor with a Happy New Year. The old year, 1880, with its burden of records, has passed out, and the new year, with its prospects, hopes, and labors, has come.
My dear youthful readers, will you not pause, while standing upon the very threshold of 1881, and inquire of your own hearts what has been the character of the life record that has passed up to Heaven for you? The past year’s record, be it good or evil, cannot be changed. If you feel that your past life has been almost a failure, how much reason have you for gratitude to God that your probation did not close with the old year!
Another year now opens its fair unwritten pages before you. The recording angel stands ready to write.
Your course of action will determine what shall be traced by him. You may make your future life good or evil; and this will determine for you whether the year upon which you have just entered will be to you a Happy New Year. It is in your power to make it such for yourself and for those around you. If you connect with God, you may make bright sunshine in the family circle by thoughtfulness of others’ comfort, putting away all discontent, and being cheerful, courteous, and obedient, or you may pursue a course that will bring a dark shadow upon the hearts of those who have ever loved you, watched over you, and cared for you from your earliest infancy.
Will the youth who read the Instructor ask themselves the question whether they are a blessing to their parents, or a source of anxiety and a curse? It would be a great satisfaction to them to know that you are trying to be dutiful and kind; but nothing can give them so much real happiness, this new year, as the knowledge that you have made Jesus a gift of yourselves, and that your daily prayer is, “My Father, be thou the guide of my youth.” Begin the new year, then, by giving yourselves to God, if you have not already done so; and every day you spend in his service will bring blessings to you and all connected with you.”
Excerpt from Youth’s Instructor, January 5, 1881
The remainder of the article can be found HERE
My Favorite Math Manipulatives
I’ve always believed that early math learning does not require a formal math curriculum. When my children were young, we had lots of fun exploring math concepts through manipulative play. Let me share a few of my favorite math manipulatives.
1. Every homeschool math explorer needs a balance. With simple play, understanding of the concepts of balance, heavier, lighter, more, less and even will easily become clear. Most of my other favorite manipulatives have been weighed in this balance.
2 & 3. Colorful counters. The foam cubes(2) were purchased in a large pack for a dollar a great value! I’ve also seen wooden ones that are very nice. The rubber animal counters (3) are just plain fun. A set of counters is great for weighing, patterning, matching, one-to-one correspondence, sorting/classification and beginning addition/subtraction.
4. Geoboard. Creating designs on a geoboard requires more critical thinking than one may realize. I’ve noticed that even my middle & high school aged children have not outgrown enjoying our set of geoboards.
5. Pattern blocks. I inherited these transparent pattern blocks from a teacher friend many years ago. These are invaluable! You can find lots of great pattern block printables that your children will enjoy for many years.
6. Dominoes. You can make up matching games using dominoes, work on one-to-one correspondence and practice beginning addition. Don’t forget to line them up and knock them over!
7. Connecting cubes. These are my favorites for patterning, non-standard measurement and learning to count by fives and tens.
Looking to add to your collection of math manipulatives? Try checking the dollar store and used homeschool materials websites. Also, try searching for “printable math manipulatives” – there are lots available. If you have a handy/crafty friend or relative, they can make you a set of wooden counters, as well as a geoboard.
Do you have some math manipulatives that are your favorites? Leave a comment and tell me about how you use them in your homeschool.
Printable World Flags
Mr Printables is such a neat site! I came across this great printable today and I just had to share it with you.
Printable World Flags – how fun! Click on the image to go directly to the page, but be sure to browse around the site as well.
Image Source
The Adventist Home Educator 