Home Grown Hearts Academy Homeschool Blog: January 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

Random 5 on Friday - Jan 31

Hello Friends, It's that time again. Random 5 on Friday!

1) This week has went by really fast for me. I feel like I didn't quite get everything done that I was planning for. My oldest daughter wasn't feeling good at the beginning of the week. Thankfully she is feeling better now.

2) We learned a ton about the Pony Express this week. We also visited the library and checked out almost every book they had on the subject. We even watched a pretty neat DVD. Click Here to check out my Pony Express Resource post.

3) My two oldest girls wanted to bake a cake the other day. They baked one for our family and baked one for their grandma. They put a really big G on it for her.

4) My husband gestured for me to come look at something the other day. I could tell by his smile, that it must have been cute. When I got up to look, I couldn't help but snap a picture. Cute is was! My oldest was helping my youngest play the guitar.

5) I've been really wanting to plan a family vacation this year. I love traveling and learning about different areas. My only problem is, well....I just have no clue where I want to go. I'm up for any suggestions...

I'm linking up at The Pebble Pond. Click below to check out other great Random 5 on Friday posts.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Valentine's Day Resources

Hello Friends, Valentine's Day is fast approaching. I've been looking for activities for the girls and I to do and have came across some really great resources. Below you can find a list I have complied for you. Hope your day is amazing!

I have always enjoyed making Valentine's Day special for my girlies. Last year I made them heart shaped pancakes for breakfast. It was fun and they really enjoyed them.

I usually set out a couple vases with a nice flower arrangement and have little bags filled with goodies for the girls. I have always been able to find a great selection of things at our local Dollar Store.

Click Here to visit our February Pinterest Board for Valentine's ideas.

Click Here for our FREE printable Valentine's Day Copywork

Valentine's Day Resources

Valentine's Keepsake

Making Valentine’s Day Special - Making Your Own Cards

Valentine's Day Theme Unit: Printable Worksheets, Games, and Activities

The Big List of Free Valentine’s Day Resources

Valentine's Day Notebooking Pages

Valentine's Day Award Certificates & Cards

Valentine's Day History - History.com

Valentine's Day Math

Valentine’s Day Chemistry

Valentine's Day Spelling List

Valentine's Day Printable Pack

Valentine's Day Activities

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Sunday, January 26, 2014

Pony Express Unit Resources

Hello Friends! We will be starting a Pony Express unit study soon. I wanted to share some wonderful resources I found. :) Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Click here to visit our Mail Unit Study - Pinterest Board.

Pony Express Resources

Rail, Sail or Overland Mail - Online Interactive Game

The Pony Express - Lesson Plans & Activities

The Pony Express Lapbook

The Pony Express Unit Study

Pony Express Lesson

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies - Pony Express

The Pony Express - Mini Unit Study

Pony Express Home Station

When the Pony Express was in Vogue - Virtual Museum of San Francisco

Pony Express Coloring Page

Social Studies for Kids - Pony Express

Pony Express Video

Horses of the Pony Express

Pony Express National Museum

We plan on practicing writing letters and addressing envelopes during this unit. Below you will find an envelope printable template.

Address Practice Craft

Follow Jennifer Silcott's board Mail - Unit Study on Pinterest.

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Friday, January 24, 2014

Random 5 on Friday - Jan 24

Hello Friends, Here is my Random 5 on Friday.

1) I finally bought myself a stationary bike. I love it! It has an 8 week weight loss program on it. I've been able to follow it so far. I also started tracking my calories using the Loseit app. So far so good. Hoping to get quite a few pounds off by this summer.

2) My girls and I have a plan to go through their toys and donate a bunch of them today. Here's hoping for progress. Simplicity. :)

3) We have actually had a few nice weather days. The girls took advantage of those days and enjoyed some bike time.

4) We start a mail unit study with empathizes on the Pony Express next week. I have been getting everything ready and I'm excited to start.

5) I really enjoy graphic design and haven't had a chance to do anything new in a while. I have been wanting to do a new project. Here is a picture I did a while back. I adore it.

I'm linking up at The Pebble Pond. Click below to check out other great Random 5 on Friday posts.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Martin Luther King Jr. Free Resources

I Have a Dream Worksheet

Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline Printable

Dr Martin Luther King Cloze

BrainPop - Martin Luther King Jr - Video

BrainPop - Lesson Ideas

Teaching Heart's Martin Luther King Day Ideas

MLK DAY – FREEBIE PACK!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Free Presentations in PowerPoint format

FREE Martin Luther King Directed Drawing

Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Speech & Activities - (8th Grade and Older)

LEARNING ABOUT DR. KING (FREE COPYWORK DOWNLOAD)

Click to Download and Print our FREE I Have A Dream Printable

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Friday, January 17, 2014

Random 5 on Friday - Jan 17

Hello Friends, It's that time again. Random 5 on Friday. Hope all is well.

1) This week we took a trip to our local library to pick up some books on homesteading. We choose a variety of pioneer, homesteading, wild west, and cowboy books. The girls and I have had fun looking through them and imagining what the past would be like.

2) My husband surprised me, when he came home from work and stated not to worry about cooking supper. He proclaimed he had it covered, he was making salmon patties. I have to admit, I had never had them before and was a bit skeptical. They were awesome though. So glad he made them and we will for sure be having them again.

My hubby used this very easy recipe.

3 cans of pink salmon

a few handfuls of crackers, not to many or they will fall apart

2 eggs

salt & pepper

mix together, make into patties and fry in skillet.

3) This is kinda weird, but oh well, I'm sharing it anyhow. I was looking on Google Maps Monday, when I decided to look around our town. Found it and also found out I could see me as well. Yes Friends, I'm on Google Maps. :( I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It's weird and kinda creepy.

4) Yesterday morning, we took a trip to a museum. It was a nice outing and very educational.

5) Do you remember when I shared that my beloved Kindle Fire was shattered? Click here to read the post. Well, my hubby recently surprised me with a new Kindle Fire HDX. I love it. It's the one with the mayday button. When I first received it, I pushed the button many times. No one ever showed up. I was thinking the button was a dud. I was wrong! I decided to try it again Wednesday. It happened, a women appeared on my screen. I was not expecting her. I guess I just figured it wouldn't work again. She was indeed there though, and I didn't know what to say. She asked me nicely what she could help me with and I just replied "Oh nothing, was just trying the button out." She laughed and told me to have a good day. Whew! That was weird but now I know, if I need help, someone is only a button push away.

I'm linking up at The Pebble Pond. Click below to check out other great Random 5 on Friday posts.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

International Thank You Day

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Hello Friends,
In our busy and stressful lives, it is important to remember that each day truly is a blessing. Today, International Thank You Day, is the perfect opportunity to be thankful for friends, family, freedom, food, shelter and the basics. In honor of International Thank You Day, thank those around you. The two simple words, thank you, can possibly brighten someones day more than you know.

Below are some fun "Thank You" ideas and links

Learn how to say "Thank You" in more than 465 languages

Create and Print your own Free Printable Thank You Cards at home

Thank you song for your little ones

Celebrate International Thank You Day 2014 by #justsayingThankYou

International Thank You Day Wallpapers

A Dose of Gratitude: How Being Thankful Can Keep You Healthy

A Thankful Heart 1 - A key to overflowing joy!

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Thank you friends!

Thank you for reading our blog and participating in a part of our lives. We love each and everyone of you and are happy to share our homeschool journey with all of you.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Random 5 on Friday - Jan 10th

Hello Friends, Hope all is well. Today I'm going to share 5 random things about our week.

1. This week my oldest daughter taught her little sister how to crochet. It was so cute watching them together. I cherish these moments.

I love that she knows how to crochet, thanks to Youtube. She has been making her own doll clothing. I'm pretty proud of her.

2. I have been working so hard to organize our schoolroom. I just purchased and put together 2 new bookcases to hold more books and supplies. We now have 8 bookcases in that room.

I still have a lot of work to do in there. It's not as pretty as I would like, but it is functional.

3. We finally choose a family word for 2014. The word is simplify. I want to simplify many areas of my life. I have also started a 2014 board on Pinterest to keep myself motivated to make changes.

4. I told my youngest that we were going to be learning about pioneers. A couple minutes later she returned wearing pioneer clothing. I was tickled and she worn them the rest of the day.

5. We spent all day yesterday watching The Little House on the Prairie. My girls fell in love with it and didn't want to quit watching. I kept pausing the shows and asking questions. The girls had a lot of fun imagining if they had lived like that.

I'm linking up at The Pebble Pond. Click below to check out other great Random 5 on Friday posts.

Thursday, January 09, 2014

"Snow" Much Fun

This week has been cold. brrr... I can imagine no matter where you are in the United States right now, you can relate. We took some time this week to take advantage of the snow we have received. The girls had a blast making little snow women. :) Has your family been able to find delight in the weather? I have enjoyed many cold evenings curled up with family, hot cocoa, a pretty fire, and a good movie. It's been relaxing.