Almost Unschooling Grama

  Have you ever awoke with the answer to a problem? I was trying to think of a fun way to help my grandson recognize different forms of numerals when I went to sleep the other night. When I woke up, I had a plan for this game. I am thinking I may have seen something similar online at some time, but here it is. I'm calling it Number Sense. To begin with, I made up an image to put on the back of my cards with Canva. Then, I put 6 of them on one page of a document on Word and printed them out on cardstock. After I cut them, I made a deck of cards with 5 different representations of each of the numbers between 1 and 12 using tally marks, dominoes, number words, Roman numerals, and Arabic numerals. The game is played like Rummy. Each player is dealt 7 cards. The object of the game is to be the first player to lay down all of the cards in their hand. In order to lay down cards, a player must have at least 3 of the cards representing the same numeral or add to a set that another player ha...

Try this fun, fast-paced reading game to learn sight words. Put sight words on wide craft sticks. Have some sticks that say "Oh Snap". Put them in a cup and set a 5-minute timer. Each player takes turns pulling out sticks and reading them. If they pull an "Oh Snap" they must put all their sticks back. The person with the most sticks at the end of 5 minutes wins!

  For several years I tried to teach my children how to spell. The results were soupy at best. Every year I would get a new “curriculum” and follow it precisely, but nothing worked. Finally came up with my own... 1st day: Find 2 words they don't know how to spell. Have them write those words 7 times. A good source of spelling words is the lists of most commonly used English words you can get on the internet. You can also use words they misspelled in their own writing. 2nd day: Test to see if they know yesterday's words, if they do, add 2 more. If they know one, find another word and have them write that and the one they missed 7 times. Keep adding to the list until there are 20 words, then let your child scratch out the oldest words while always keeping 20 words on the list. Do not start a new list. Just keep this one going. This way the child has to keep a word in his memory for two to three weeks instead of memorizing it for the test on Friday (which tends to be fo...

  Our journey into homeschooling began because I was believing God for a Christian education for my kids. We were extremely poor. We had one car and lived in a house with no toilet at the time. The closest Christian school was more than 30 minutes away. Even if we had been given scholarships, the car situation made the prospect of a Christian school nearly impossible, but with God all things are possible! When my daughter turned 5, I reluctantly sent her off to the local kindergarten for ½ day sessions, since no answer to my prayer was in sight. She did well there and had a ball. The next year I thought my oldest son was ready to learn to read, but the woman who taught kindergarten in town was very wise. She told me, “ I don’t care how smart he is. He is 4 ½ and he’s a boy. He will be bouncing off the walls and he’s not coming into my classroom.” Later I realized she was absolutely right, but at the time I got all in a huff and decided to “see what I could do on my own!” I ordered ...

This is what I have been chewing on all week. Acts 1 3 To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God:   4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, “You have heard from Me.”   5 For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.   8 But you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. I had the question, “Why did they need the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses?” I mean, they were already witnesses. They had walked with Jesus. They had seen His miracles and heard his teachings. They had seen the crucifixion and had seen Him af...

  Introduced the kids to Laura Ingalls Wilder yesterday. We talked about how her family moved in a covered wagon to several Midwestern states, found them on the map, and then made our own covered wagon with pool noodles.

Thought I'd share the notes from a recent study I did on the River of Life for my home church group.  Back Story  My natural family is very academically gifted. Lots of doctors, teachers, and lawyers … Although we went to church, we were very skeptical of the Bible, regarding the miracles as myths. Even though I have seen many miracles sometimes it is still hard for me to let go and believe.  Many years ago, I was in a church service that has impacted me a lot. I don’t remember the whole sermon, but this verse is what I took out of it.  Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.  The minister was explaining that while it is true that we take on the new name of Christ, in ancient cultures when a man takes a wife, he often gives her a n...

Toothless here inspired an impromptu dental unit this week. We made these cute little "fuzzy" teeth and talked about how bacteria grow on our teeth.  I printed out the smaller tooth template from this website:  https://www.printabletreats.com/free-printable-tooth-template/ Then we glued a couple of googly eyes to them and covered them with tiny pieces of cotton. We also made toothbrushes from craft sticks and brown construction paper.  Then we watched this cute little video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGoBFU1q4g0 Come to find out February is actually Dental Health Month. How appropriate!  

  Mighty Red is now pretty much an independent adder. We started out with him on my lap as his sister and I played math games. He would move the pieces while I gave the answers. Then we moved to him copying me as I did the finger math. For the past several weeks, we have been doing the problems on our fingers together, but this week he announced that he could do this and just took off without me! When I was in school, having someone help me like I have helped Mighty Red would have been shameful and "cheating". Go ahead, help your kids "cheat". It works!

Joke of the Day Perimeter and area help are here! https://jillianstarrteaching.com/area-and-perimeter-manipulatives/ Need indoor PE ideas? Keep your kids moving with these.  https://thedeliberatemom.com/indoor-physical-education-ideas/ Play Trominoes to help your kids with spatial recognition. https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/trominoes/ Popularity isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It is better to have just a few close relationships than 100 "friends". The truth is that you just don't have time to sustain more than a few. If you try, you will end up lonely in a sea of friends that are no more than fans.

Joke of the Day Today's Links Engineering experiment! Stand on paper cups. https://www.science-sparks.com/how-can-you-stand-on-a-paper-cup-without-breaking-it/ Shucks! I just gave away my entire stash of toilet paper tubes! What brilliance. Write sight words on cling wrap, put them on the end of a paper tube, and shine a flashlight through. https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/175288610484626866/ Strewing today? Shiny and bright will always attract attention. Check out this music activity. https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2014/05/music-theory-with-mirrors.html?m=1

Joke of the Day I had to take a whole load of tree limbs to the dump today in my trailer. I came to realize that when I prayed for a job as a branch manager, I needed to be a little more specific. Links   Many of these activities you could make yourself, but the price for the whole package is very reasonable too! https://jillianstarrteaching.com/make-a-ten-to-add/ Winter is an excellent time to study constellations. There's plenty of time before bed to go look out at the stars. Whenever it looks like the skies will be clear, have your kids take one of these templates, do a craft with it, read up on the constellation(s) they choose, and then see if you can locate them in the sky. http://teachersmag.com/posts/constellation-templates-for-kids Using real coins when learning about them makes identifying them in real life so much easier. Check out these free printables! https://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/free-coin-sorting-matching-printables.html Teens do not have to be rebellious k...

 Joke of the Day I found the meaning of life. It’s on page 937 in the dictionary between the words lie and lifeboat. The new numbers are out! Homeschooling will soon be the norm. https://returntonow.net/2022/01/14/homeschooling-rate-skyrockets-500-since-april-of-2020/ Can't afford to buy a kiln? Build a sawdust kiln! https://thepotterywheel.com/sawdust-kiln/ Now, this is a project I could really get into. Pipe cleaner constellations.  https://www.steampoweredfamily.com/activities/pipe-cleaner-constellations-space-stem/

Joke of the Day Love the apple demonstration in this free unit study! https://firstgradewow.blogspot.com/2012/12/not-by-color-of-our-skin.html Here's a free printable emergent reader for Martin Luther King Day. http://teachinlittletexans.blogspot.com/2015/01/mlk-emergent-reader-printable-free.html Read the full text of Dr. King's famous I Have A Dream speech here: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm Don't be a victim. Overcome by faith and action. The early Christians were not called Christians. They were called Followers of the Way. The term Christians (which means "little Christ") was used as a derogatory term. But Christians refused to be shamed by it. They owned it and wore the label with pride instead. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Don't let anyone make you feel like you are "less". Be proud of who God made you to be and succeed anyway. 

  Joke of the Day A college student was in Philosophy class, where a class discussion about whether or not God exists was in progress. The professor had the following logic: "Has anyone in this class seen God?" Nobody spoke. "Has anyone in this class touched God?" Again, nobody spoke. "Has anyone in this class ever heard God?" When nobody spoke for the third time, he simply stated, "Then there is no God!" One of the students did not like the sound of this, and asked for permission to speak. The professor granted it, and the student stood up. "Has anyone in this class seen our professor's brain?" he asked. Ann Marie is one of my favorite children's ministers. Watch to find out what she thinks are age-appropriate Bibles for children. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zQVTRQsW_U Why is it so important to read the Bible? Show your kids with this object lesson. https://beyondtm.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/what-difference-does-stud...

  Joke of the Day So many projects to choose from! https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/art-activities-for-kids/ What a fun project!  https://www.instructables.com/Exquisite-Rainbow-Stories/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email Watching fish is such stress relief and you can call it science too! https://thehaphazardtraveler.com/virtual-tours-aquarium-live-feeds/ Homeschooling doesn't guarantee your kids won't turn out perfect. Mine have had their fair share of issues. However, it will give your kids the best opportunity to become who God has made them to be because they don't have to be tied to a standardized curriculum and pushed to do all the things according to a predetermined time frame. It's not easy, but homeschooling is well worth it!

  Daily Laugh Are your kids interested in sign language? Lot's of great resources here: https://a2zhomeschooling.com/explore/languages_kids/american-sign-language-for-kids/ Celebrate with this free addition game! https://www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com/free-rubber-duckies-addition-math-practice/ Practice identifying numbers and letters with these free worksheets. https://thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/2016/06/rubber-ducky-learning-using-rubber.html Do you often feel like everyone is against you? Sometimes we sabotage ourselves because we quickly believe the enemy’s accusations that they don’t like you or they are rejecting you. Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. If we are to be like Him, we need to grow in favor with God and with men. Start believing that you have favor with God and with people. The Jesus in you deserves it! God is able to make even your enemies bless you. Be just audacious enough to believe that.