We have two teenage boys in our house–one is a new teen and one is nearly driving age.  It can be difficult to know what little trinkets to put in their stockings at these ages.  All teens love money and gift cards, but if you are looking for something tangible, we’ve got you covered.  We’ve rounded up a list of tangible and useful  stocking stuffers for teenage boys.

Many of these stocking stuffer ideas revolve around hygiene.  That is something we are still trying to perfect at our house and try to instill every chance we get.  :)

What to put in a teenage boys stocking:

1.  Sneaker Balls:  There is no stink like teenage boy feet stink.  Enough said.
2. Apple Air Tags:  These can be put in wallets, backpacks, athletic bags, and on keys.  They have GPS and you can label and ding the airtag if you need to find it in your house.  If you have a teen who misplaces things easily, these can be a lifesaver!  If you have a teenage driver, be sure to grab a keychain too.
3. Teeth Whitening Strips:  I bought my teenager Lumineux White Strips but it looks like they have since sold out.  The Zimba strips look very similar and the reviews are great!
4. Mario Badescu Drying Lotion:   I originally bought this for myself, but my 13-year old (who is currently battling acne) uses this daily so I bought him his own for Christmas.  Use a Q-tip to apply a dot to blemishes at night.  Wipe off in the morning!  It definitely works!  And FYI:  The directions say not to shake the bottle.  Just dip the Q-Tip down all the way and pull straight up.
5. Jibbitz for Crocs:  Apparently wearing jibbitz on your Crocs is the new cool thing (at least in middle school).  :)  There are literally thousands of options and it is a fun way for kids to express themselves in a subtle way.  We got my 13-year old this pack of NFL teams for his birthday and he loves putting the teams playing each week on his Crocs!
6. Silk Pillowcases:  Silk pillowcases are said to be helpful when battling acne…and they feel luxurious.  These are going in both of my boys’ stockings this year!  I think they are going to love them!
7. Deodorant:  Deodorant will always go in their stockings.  Always.  There can never be too much when it comes to teenage athletes.  Old Spice Krakengard is their current favorite.
8. Goodr Sunglasses:  We like these sunglasses because they are relatively inexpensive but hold up well with our boys.  And they are polarized!
9. WWJD bracelets:  These bracelets were popular with Christian kids when I was in middle school and I am happy to see the trend returning!
10. Small Portable Phone Charger:  This charger is great for on-the-go.
11. Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker:  This is a fun little speaker that is great for using outdoors, near the pool or lake.
12. Devotional Book:  My husband has read several devotional books with our boys, but one of his very favorite ones has been the Uncommon Life book by Tony Dungy.  Our family has also loved The Very Best, Hands-On, Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions, but be warned that it needs a lot of prep.
13. Small Ice Scraper:  If you have a teenage driver who doesn’t have a garage spot, these small ice scrapers come in handy!  We’ve also bought a full size scraper, but it obviously won’t fit well in a stocking!
14. Socks:  I know getting socks for Christmas has a bad rap, but the number of socks we go through in our house is unconscionable.  My boys can always use another good pair of athletic socks!
15. Ball Pump:  Flat balls abound around our house- just when they are wanting to play!
16. Beanie:  We love the HE>i beanies the most but they are currently sold out.
17. Rechargeable Headlamp:  Whether it is for running, working on a car, or walking the dog when it is dark, a headlamp can come in handy!

What stocking stuffers do you give to 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17-year old boys?

PS- If you are looking for a fun new tradition to try, check out this printable Christmas Lights Shotgun game you can play while driving around looking at lights!

One of our families favorite Christmas traditions every year is the Minivan Express.  We have the kids get ready for bed as usual (albeit often a bit earlier than normal).  While they are bathing/showering, we place a golden ticket on their beds.  Once they find their ticket, we load up the minivan and drive around town, looking at all the best Christmas light displays for a couple hours.  We also typically make a stop for hot cocoa and snacks.

Now that my two oldest kids are teenagers, I thought it might be time to make some minor changes to this tradition.  The majority of the light displays that we look at are the same every year, and although there is comfort in traditions that do not change, I still want this to be something that the kids look forward to every year.

Christmas Game to Play with Teens

Enter the idea for Christmas Lights Shotgun!  We played the popular “Shotgun!” Road Trip Game on our trip to Colorado this past summer and my kids loved it.  So I thought we would do something similar while we were in the car for a while looking at lights.

The instructions for this game are simple:  The person riding “shotgun” will be the score keeper and card reader.  Keep score on the notes app on your phone.  As far as how often to read a card, that is up to you.  Set a timer, read a card every time you hit a stoplight, or just read them as often as you want to. This game is flexible.  When we played the original “Shotgun!” game this summer, our kids begged us to read cards so we followed their lead.

Types of Cards for Christmas Lights Shotgun Game:

• Pause:  These activities require you to stop and do something
• Discussion:  Points aren’t earned on these cards, they are just to get everyone in the car talking
• Dashboard:  The first person to do the activity written on the card gets the point
• Trivia:  Questions revolving around Christmas trivia

Important:  Please make sure to read through each card prior to playing this game to ensure that each activity is something your family can do safely.  Depending on the friendliness of the people in your community and crime rate in your area, activities like rolling down your windows to sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” might not be safe.  Remove cards that might not be a good fit for your location and circumstances.

Preparation:

• Print the cards double-sided (download below).
• Print off some pictures of Buddy from the movie Elf.
• Read through all the cards to determine whether you want to include them all (if they would be safe for your area, etc).
• Make sure you have a $5 bill on hand.
• Get a small prize for the winner of the game.

Download the Game for free Here:

Please Note:  By downloading the printable version of this game, the User assumes all risk.  I Can Teach My Child, LLC accepts no liability.

For many years during the month of November, we encouraged our young children to identify something every single day that they were thankful for.  We wrote these sweet sentiments down and hung each one on our “Thankful Tree” in preparation for Thanksgiving.   Once Thanksgiving Day arrives, my family enjoys the tradition of going around the table and sharing something from the past year that each of us are thankful for.

I always thought the point of Thanksgiving was to show thankfulness and gratitude.  And it is…but I also think it is something more.

I was reading a simple book with my 2nd grade daughter titled The First Thanksgiving.  As we were reading, something profound occurred to me that I had never really considered before.  I had never stopped to realize that the real miracle of Thanksgiving wasn’t that the Pilgrims fled religious persecution and made it over on the Mayflower.

The real miracle of Thanksgiving wasn’t that many of them survived a grueling and vicious winter.

The real miracle of Thanksgiving wasn’t that they had a plentiful harvest, thanks to the help of Samoset and Squanto.

The real miracle wasn’t that not a single Pilgrim returned to England on the Mayflower when it departed.

The real miracle of Thanksgiving was that two people groups, who should have been enemies and were different in every conceivable way, came together in the unity of their shared humanity.

I don’t know why this fact had never occurred to me before.  I’ve read some variation of the story of the first Thanksgiving probably a thousand times in my lifetime.  And I always thought the point was that they were grateful for surviving up to that point.  They were grateful for the help that the Native Americans provided.

But what the original Thanksgiving Feast has shown me in light of our very polarized world is that it is possible for people from two different worlds to come together and be thankful with and for each other.  

Despite their fear of each other.  Despite their differences in every conceivable way.  Despite different cultures and customs.  Despite worshipping differently.

It is no surprise, then, that Abraham Lincoln was the President who initiated the National holiday of Thanksgiving on October 3, 1863 during the height of the Civil War.  He signed a proclamation that the last Thursday of November would be set apart as, “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”  Up until this point, individual states celebrated Thanksgiving at their own times ever since George Washington’s suggestion of such a holiday 74 years prior.  Lincoln’s decision was prompted by many letters from a woman named Sarah Hale, urging the President to institute a “day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union festival.”

I have to believe that President Lincoln recognized something that I had long since glossed over in regards to the celebration of Thanksgiving.

Within his proclamation, Lincoln writes:

“In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity…”

Lincoln then shares the blessings that they have received in the midst of that year like peace with other nations, enlarged borders, yields from harvests and mining, and increasing population.  

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.  It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and with one voice by the whole American people.

“And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

As we draw closer to this Thanksgiving holiday, we are obviously not fighting a war with guns and swords.  But there is a different “civil war” of unequalled magnitude and severity that is being fought with ugly words of hatred for those who think differently than we do.  Our fractured relationships and hardened hearts are the battlefield carnage.

So I urge you…in this time of turmoil, where relationships have been upended and churches fractured by varying thoughts on masks, vaccine mandates, racial tensions, and political ideaology, may we remember the first Thanksgiving.  May we remember the day this proclamation was made and the beginning of a National Holiday.  May we remember that we are all human beings, fellow image bearers of Christ, and may we show thankfulness with one heart and with one voice.

After all, the real miracle of Thanksgiving is unity.  

When we decided to homeschool last year, I looked at about a zillion homeschool reading programs for my daughter.  As a former first grade teacher, I was PICKY with a capital P!  I knew I wanted something just like the curriculum I used when I taught.  So when I couldn’t find what I was looking for, that is exactly what I decided to do.  I asked permission from Pathways to Reading, since I had attended their week-long training back when I first started teaching, to purchase their curriculum and use it one-on-one with my daughter.

I can’t tell you how thankful I am for this decision.  My daughter grew so much as a reader this past year!!  Pathways to Reading has chosen to adapt their curriculum for homeschoolers!  Long story short, I have gotten to be part of the development of this adapted curriculum and it is AMAZING!

The BEST Homeschool Reading Curriculum for Kindergarten:

Pathways to Reading Homeschool is a foundational reading program for homeschoolers adapted from Pathways to Reading, a curriculum used in schools and clinical settings for the last 20 years.

• Includes explicit and systematic instruction in all 5 reading pillars as identified by the National Reading Panel:
  • Phonemic Awareness
  • Phonics
  • Fluency
  • Vocabulary
  • Reading Comprehension

• Emphasizes advanced phonemic awareness to aid in orthographic mapping (the process of creating a sight vocabulary where words are automatically recognized)
• Rooted in the science of reading
• Evidence-based with multiple research studies associated with school curriculum that show statically significant positive outcomes
• Parent training, ongoing support, and supplemental videos to aid instruction

Orton-Gillingham Homeschool Curriculum

Pathways to Reading Homeschool adheres to the principles of Orton-Gillingham instruction, is multi-sensory and explicit in its approach towards phonemic awareness and phonics.  In addition, however, Pathways to Reading Homeschool offers advanced phonemic awareness to help students with reading difficulties, especially those with dyslexia.

Check it out now:

In an effort to get my boys (ages 13 and 11) to branch out of their literary ruts, I created this Summer Reading BINGO for Older Kids that includes several different genres to choose from.  I have one child who only wants to read sports biographies during his independent reading time and another child who just reads the same book over and over.  We normally do some type of summer reading incentive so I am excited to force them out of their comfort zones this year!  Our local library gives out a similar BINGO for adults during the summer but I thought it would be fun for tweens and teens as well.

I also feel like categorizing the type of book  a child is reading is helpful in many ways, as it helps create a framework that is beneficial for comprehension.

>>>>  Download the Summer Reading BINGO board here!  <<<<

Psst- if you are looking for summer reading suggestions for younger kids, be sure to check out these summer reading printables.

Summer Reading BINGO Book Suggestions

Genres in order from left to right, top to bottom on the BINGO board (links are affiliate links).

**denotes our family favorites

Picture Book Biographies

Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwanda and Bryan Mealer

The Camping Trip that Changed America by Barb Rosenstock

Florence Nightingale by Demi

The Oldest Student:  How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard

Through the Wardrobe:  How C.S. Lewis Created Narnia by Lina Maslo

Fantasy

**On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (and subsequent books in The Wingfeather Saga) by Andrew Peterson

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Redwall by Brian Jacques

Book Based on a Video Game

Trapped in a Video Game series by Dustin Brady

Diary of a Minecraft Zombie by Zack Zombie

Science Fiction

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Shadow Cipher (York series) by Laura Ruby

Audio Book

**By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Graphic Novels

El Deafo by Cece Bell

The Drawing Lesson by Mark Crilley

**The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Marcia Williams

Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale

Books of Poetry

**Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood

Swimming Upstream:  Middle School Poems by Kristine O’Connell George

Adventure Novels

**The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers

**The False Prince (and subsequent books in the Accendance series) by Jennifer Nielsen

Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner

Peak by Roland Smith

Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine by Caroline Starr Rose

Books of the Bible

Any book of the Bible will be great and although your child might choose the shortest (here’s looking at you, III John), here are a few that might be good places to start for tweens and teens:

Genesis, Luke, Acts, or Ephesians

Dystopian Novels

The obvious books that come to mind first are  The Hunger Games or Divergent.  However, these books can be pretty intense so if you aren’t ready for your child to read those books yet, here are some other options:

**The Giver by Lois Lowry

Sylo by D.J. Machale

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Dry by Near Shusterman (this is YA, not middle grade – there is some language and violence in this book so only appropriate for 13+, in my opinion)

The Gifting by K.E. Ganshert

Book About Science

How We Got to the Moon by John Rocco

Picture Books

Even big kids can learn something from a good picture book!

**Redcoats and Petticoats by Katherine Kirkpatrick

Dandelions by Eve Bunting

**Ronnie Wilson’s Gift by Francis Chan

**Go and Do Likewise  by John Hendrix

Sports Biographies/Fiction

I originally only had intended to have biographies but there are some fun historical fiction books about various baseball players that I think kids would really enjoy as well!

Epic Athletes: Patrick Mahomes by Dan Wetzel

The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffee

Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman

Babe and Me by Dan Gutman

The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

Realistic Fiction Novel

**The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

**Restart by Gordon Korman

Unplugged by Gordon Korman

Classic Literature

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Chapter Book Biography

Who Was?  books on historical figures

The Story of All-Star Athlete Jim Thorpe by Joseph Bruchac

*End of the Spear by Steve Saint (please note:  this book includes several accounts of violence, only approrpriate for 13+)

Christian Heroes then and Now books

Historical Fiction Novel

**The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

**A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

**A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen

**Refugee by Alan Gratz

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Comic Book

Mystery/Suspense

**The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

How-to Guide

Beginner’s Step-by-Step Coding Course by DK

How to Speak Chicken by Melissa Caughey

Nonfiction Historical Time Period or Event

Boys in the Boat by Gregory Mone

History:  From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day by Smithsonian Institute

**God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew

**Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong

Autobiography

e**The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

Travel Book

National Geographic:  Destinations of a Lifetime 

The Bucket List:  1000 Adventures Big and Small by Kath Stathers

Atlas Obscura:  An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders

]]> https://www.icanteachmychild.com/summer-reading-bingo-for-older-kids/feed/ 2 https://www.icanteachmychild.com/ivy-kids-vs-kiwi-crate-which-one-is-best/ https://www.icanteachmychild.com/ivy-kids-vs-kiwi-crate-which-one-is-best/#respond Tue, 27 Apr 2021 21:56:41 +0000 https://www.icanteachmychild.com/?p=42367 Disclosure: I received a sample from Ivy Kids in exchange for this review.  

If you have ever been interested in a subscription activity box for your child, one name has surely come up time and again due to their broad marketing reach.  We have both purchased and been gifted Kiwi Crate subscription boxes and have done MANY reviews on Ivy Kids subscription boxes as well.  Let’s compare Ivy Kids vs. Kiwi Crate:  I’ll share my honest thoughts on which we prefer and why.

If your child is a preschooler or at an early elementary-age, you simply cannot beat Ivy Kids.  Each Ivy Kids box is literature-based and comes with a BOOK (a high-quality piece of children’s literature, not just some random cheap book) as well as ALL the materials you need for around TWELVE activities all revolving around the theme of that book.  Within those 12 activities included, you will find a wide variety of concepts and modalities addressed.

Number of Activities and Parent-Participation

Our experience with Kiwi Crate for this age has been relatively frustrating.  Each subscription box comes with one “main” activity and then maybe 2 other simple activities (as opposed to the ~12 in Ivy Kids).  In our experience, the Kiwi Crate activities are not independent and basically require full parent participation.  Ivy Kids also requires some parent participation, especially as you set up each individual activity, but once you get them started, many activities can then be done independently.

Quality of Materials

Both kits incorporate high-quality materials.  I have been impressed with this on both sides.  However, Ivy Kids has SO many more activities that it includes so many more materials, including an amazing book you can add to your home library long after the other activities have been completed!  Every time we receive an Ivy Kids box, I am always amazed how so much can fit into such a small box!  From the quality of the paper

Small Business vs. Large Company

Ivy Kids was started by Taseea Cruz, a mother of three and early childhood educator turned stay at home mom.  Her company was born out of her desire and passion for spending intentional time with her children and creating meaningful, educational activities for them (which resonates with me as this is why I created this website as well).  I love that purchasing an Ivy Kids subscription box means supporting a small business and family rather than a large company!

Domains of Development

Kiwi Crate usually comes with one activity that has a “wow” factor along with maybe 1-2 other “supporting actor” activities.  But once those activities have been created, the kit is pretty much finished until the next month.  Each Kiwi Crate might hit on one domain of early childhood development whereas Ivy Kids kits typically incorporate an activity in at least 4 areas of early childhood development, which are:

• Gross Motor Development
• Fine Motor Development
• Language Development
• Cognitive Development
• Social/Emotional Development
• Self-Help or Adaptive Development

In conclusion, I will continue to proclaim Ivy Kids as THE BEST subscription kit out there for preschool and early-elementary aged kiddos!  Once children get a little bit older, Kiwi Crate is a good option that tailors to an older audience.

See our past Ivy Kids kit reviews here:

• The Tiny Seed
• Pezzetino and Penguin and Pinecone
• Dog’s Colorful Day and Roaring Rockets
• Color Zoo
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
• Mouse Paint and Jump Frog Jump

The more we learn about how our brains learn to read, the more apparent it is that phonological and phonemic awareness play a HUGE part in that process!  A longitudinal study published in 2014 revealed that phonological awareness training in kindergarten resulted in better reading comprehension in 9th grade (Kilpatrick, 2015)!

What are phonemic awareness activities?

From multiple studies, including studying brain imaging while reading, researchers have disproven the age-old myth that reading is a visual process. Yes, we must learn to associate letter sounds (phonemes) with their visual representations (graphemes) in order to become proficient readers.  But this does not account for the aspect of automaticity required in proficient readers.  Through orthographic mapping, which is “the process our brains use to store printed words in long-term memory”.  Multiple studies have shown that “students with better phonological awareness skills are more proficient at the process of orthographic mapping than those with weaker phonological awareness skills” (Kilpatrick, 2015).

So, what does this mean for us as parents?  This means that we must be intentional about introducing phonological awareness activities to our preschoolers and kindergarteners because it makes a HUGE difference in their long-term reading success!  This also means that we must ensure that they are receiving explicit phonemic awareness and phonics instruction once they are in school.

Phonological Awareness Activities for Preschoolers

I’ve put together these task cards of phonological awareness activities to do with your preschooler or kindergartener.  I am offering these for FREE for the next week or two!

I printed these cards (front and back) on bold-colored cardstock, cut them, and then hole-punched them and added a binder clip!  Throw the cards in your car or set them beside the bed and work through the activities together with your child, a minute or two at a time.  Each activity progresses and is based on the phonological development of children (recognizing rhymes is an easier task than segmenting the sounds in a word, for example).

In order to access the printable, please enter your first name and email into the fields below and you will be immediately directed to the printable.  By signing up, you are agreeing to be added to one of both of my email lists.  If you have any issues downloading the activities, feel free to email me at icanteachmychild@gmail.com.

Pssst….I also have to let you in on a little secret.  I am currently working with Terry Clinefelter of Pathways to Reading (a phonemic awareness and phonics curriculum I used when I taught in the classroom that is absolutely AMAZING).  We are working tirelessly to adapt the curriculum to make it accessible and usable for homeschoolers and I could not be more EXCITED!!!  Pathways to Reading Homeschool will be an invaluable resource for so many families!  Our Basic Foundational Reading curriculum (Kindergarten equivalent) will be available in August 2021 and then first and second grade levels will be available in 2022!  Be sure to check the box for Pathways to Reading to be notified of product availability and be added to our email list!!!

Enter Your Email to Access the Download:

Be sure to check out our phonemic awareness activities too!  

We recently organized a Zoom book club for my first grade daughter and a few of her friends.  Obviously with our girls being only first graders, the moms read the book aloud to each of our daughters throughout the week.  We chose  The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo as our first book club book.

We read the book over a course of about 5 weeks or so and met each Tuesday on Zoom (due to the pandemic) for a little activity and to discuss the books.  We dropped off all the materials for the activity on the porches of each friend prior to the Zoom meeting.

This book club turned out to be so much fun, even though they aren’t currently meeting in person.  We will definitely be continuing for future books.  But here were some of the activities that the girls enjoyed doing while reading The Tale of Despereaux.  

To kick off our book club, I had a friend make these adorable cookies.  A mouse for Despereaux and an Eiffel Tower since the book is set in France.

Activities to go along with the book The Tale of Despereaux

“Stained Glass” Window

Materials:

Cheap 5×7 picture frames
Hot Glue and hot glue gun
Black hot glue OR black craft glue
Assorted colors of Sharpie markers

During the first part of the book, Despereaux is attracted to the light and he is especially attracted to the beautiful, colorful light coming from the stained glass windows in the castle.  For this activity, I bought cheap 5×7 picture frames at the Dollar Tree and then hot glued the glass to the frame.  I then used black hot glue to make a stained glass design on the glass and the girls used Sharpies to color in each window compartment, but would probably just use the black craft glue next time as it would be easier to work with.  I thought the end result turned out to be so beautiful!!

Mouse Box

Materials:

Small brown craft boxes from Dollar Tree
Various sizes of foam/felt/paper hearts to make Mouse Face and ears
Googly Eyes
Yarn for whiskers and tail

We made this craft a few days before Valentine’s Day, hence the hearts used in the mouse (that can also double as a bunny…lol).  You just need a few different sizes of hearts in various colors.  You can use precut foam or felt hearts or just cut your own.  We cut a small piece of yarn for the whiskers but they were still too thick so we pulled apart the individual strands from the yarn piece and that worked perfectly.

Despereaux in the Dungeon Maze

Materials:

Paper Plate
2 Small Magnets
Wooden Dowel Rod
Picture of a Mouse
Printable Maze or

This idea is originally inspired by The Stem Laboratory.  You can find step-by-step directions here and even a printable maze to print and glue onto your paper plate.  Please note:  the link leads to the maze only.  You will have to print your own picture of a mouse.

Paint Your Own Pottery:  Despereaux, Princess Pea, and the Castle

Materials:

Unfinished Pottery, Paint, and Paintbrushes from local store

One of the other moms generously planned this activity and it was the PERFECT culmination for our book club!  She purchased each of these unglazed pottery pieces from a local paint-your-own-pottery business.  The kit included the paint and the brushes and then we just had to take the painted pottery back to the store to be fired and glazed.  They turned out SO cute and will be a fun memory of our book club that the girls can keep in their rooms!

One thing we didn’t get to do was make soup!  Soup (or a lack thereof) was such a big part of the story and I wished we could have incorporated my potato soup recipe somehow!

For our next book club, we have chosen the book Clementine so stay tuned for some fun activities!

“Home, home on the range!  Where the deer and the antelope play…”  Our state turned 160 years old yesterday on January 29th!  The Kansas state flower is the Sunflower, so we decided to create some art to commemorate our home state with this Sunflower Batik.

Although sunflowers are native to Kansas, batik artwork did not originate in North America.  It is actually an ancient art practice, native to Southeast Asia, that uses wax-resistant dye on fabric.  Because of this, our sunflower batiks are not a “true” batik but rather a representation of the process, modified using paper.  We tweaked the process to fit our purpose and my kids loved it!  We want to try making a true batik using muslin next!

Materials you will need:

–Oil-Pastels
-Cardstock
-Brown Acrylic Paint
-A squirt of hand soap (we used Bath & Body Works foaming hand soap and it worked great)
-Paintbrush
-Access to a sink with water

How to Make a Sunflower Batik

1. Use Oil-Pastels to make a sunflower design on a piece of cardstock paper.

2.  Gently wad up the paper, artwork side in, being careful not to tear the paper.  Unfold the paper and place on a tray.

3.  Pour brown paint into a bowl and mix a squirt of foaming hand soap in with the paint.  Use the paintbrush to paint the brown mixture onto the artwork.

4.  Cover the entire surface with the paint mixture.

5.  Before the paint dries, quickly (and carefully) rinse all of the paint off of the paper in the sink.  Again, be careful not to tear the paper.

6.  Place the wet paper onto a tray and let it dry.  Once dry, place under a stack of books to flatten.

Here are our unique sunflower designs!  I love how they turned out!

Check out more art projects for kids here.

When I first made the decision to homeschool our three children this year, I knew that one of the major predictors of our success as homeschoolers was choosing high-quality curriculum.  At this point in time, my kids want to return to school next year once the pandemic is behind us, so we needed to make sure that what we are doing at home prepares them for the next school year.  I originally chose Singapore Math for my elementary-age kids because from the research that I read, it seemed to be rigorous and aligned well with the common core curriculum at the public schools (and in fact, many public schools use Singapore Math).

I made the final decision to pull my kids out of school to homeschool on July 30th.  I ordered Singapore Math curriculum the following day, expecting that it would take a couple of weeks to ship and would arrive just in time for our August 19th start date.  Over a month later, we still had not received our 5th grade or 1st grade math curriculum.  I knew I could “make do” with my first grader until her curriculum arrived but simply could not wait any longer to begin math with my fifth grader.

Around that same time, I had a conversation with my oldest son’s Pre-Algebra teacher and she recommended Beast Academy for students in grades 3-6.  Beast Academy is a rigorous curriculum from the makers of the Art of Problem Solving.  They offer workbooks as well as an online platform, which you can pay for monthly or yearly.

We opted for the Bundle Option ($150/year) because I still feel that some paper-and-pencil work is important for students rather than having everything online.  Here are just a few things to consider:

Disclosure:  I purchased the Beast Academy Bundle (online and book version) with my own money.   This post is NOT sponsored.  However, the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I get a very small percentage if you choose to purchase.

Beast Academy is Rigorous

Beast Academy focuses heavily on problem solving and critical thinking throughout the program.  Don’t be deceived by the bright colors and cartoon creatures, this program is NOT easy!  Also, it’s important to note that the levels of Beast Academy do not align with traditional grade levels.  The creators of Beast Academy recommend taking a placement test, but the general rule of thumb is to start your student 1-2 levels below their current grade level (I personally think two levels below unless your child excels in math).  We started my 5th grade son at Level 3 and he is already being challenged!  He has asked for my help on a few online exercises and even I struggled with some of the critical thinking activities.  By level 5 of Beast Academy, most students are ready for Pre-Algebra.

Beast Academy is Self-Paced

One of the things I love about Beast Academy is that my son can work at his own pace.  There are helpful videos for each concept that can be rewatched.  If he is struggling with a specific concept, he can take the time to go back and work the process again (or ask for my help).  You can also set the online preferences to where entire chapters can be skipped to meet the needs of your child.  We typically do one hour of math each week day.  Our books just arrived, so we will split the time between the book and the online program.

Beast Academy is Engaging

The bright colors and comic book illustrations make math more appealing to students, especially to those who do not necessarily enjoy “doing math”.  My son still does not enjoy math, even with Beast Academy, but this program is much better than the alternatives!  This program puts minimal focus on “math facts” and instead focuses on the conceptual understanding of each concept.

Beast Academy Provides Comprehensive Feedback

I am super impressed with the feedback that is given to the parents.  Every week I receive an email with all of the concepts covered throughout the week and my child’s progress on those concepts.  Receiving a 1 means your child is proficient.  Receiving a “2” or “3” is even better and indicates mastery.  I have also received automatic emails throughout the week when he does poorly in a given objective.  I love that he can be independent but I know exactly what skills he is working on and can step in and help when needed (if I can figure it out, anyway)!  

We have opted for Noah, my 5th grader, to work on math for one hour each day, rather than complete specific lessons.  I feel like this is an adequate time to challenge him without frustrating him.  He spends most of his time using the online platform but also uses the practice book occasionally as well.  I am very impressed with the complexity of the problems on Beast Academy (even if he does not always appreciate them ).

Be sure to check out Beast Academy as either a comprehensive curriculum OR a supplement to your child’s math education!