FREE Autumn Printables

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FREE Thanksgiving Activity Packet

Just in time for Thanksgiving. Check out our FREE Thanksgiving Activity Packet. This Thanksgiving Activity Packet is sure to entertain. 

Click Here to Download Our FREE Thanksgiving Activity Packet

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FREE Fall Writing Prompts

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See our FREE Thanksgiving Copywork

Free Thanksgiving Copywork

Click Here to Download Our FREE Thanksgiving Copywork.

See our FREE Fall Writing prompts 

Take Your Own Fall Pictures

For some fall pictures just may not be in the budget and that's okay. I have always enjoyed taking our own fall pictures through the years. It can be fun and simple to take your own. Here are a couple tips.

1) Pick out outfits that compliment each other. 

                        

2) Rake up piles of leaves for a fall background scenery.  

3) If you want to pose them, pick poses that are comfortable.       

                            

4) Let your children play, and capture the moments.

5) Snap lots of pictures, so you have more choices when editing. 

6) Edit to add those final touches. 

7) Most of all have fun and enjoy each other. 

  Here is a very easy to use photo editor that I just adore. 

Photoscape

http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php

Top Ten Tuesday!

It's that time again, It's Tuesday. Time to make another Top Ten Tuesday list. 

• 1.  Read Bible Daily
• 2. Make a girls' dress from an old sweater
• 3. Clean Rugs
• 4. Remember THIS
• 5. Label Canisters w/ these free printables
• 6. Organize Homeschool Schedule 
• 7. Go through paperwork & file away 
• 8. Deliver donation items that have sat in my vehicle for days weeks :( 
• 9. Write letter and mail it
• 10. Make Chicken Pot Pie Cups

Autumn Love - A leaf Study

We love our Fridays! Today is a perfect day to be backyard explorer! A perfect day to study about fall and leaves. My girls absolutely love to rake leaves and jump in them. They really love to do leaf rubbings, but I wondered if they even understood why leaves change colors in fall. Today was a perfect opportunity to play with leaves and learn all about them. 

Me: "Girls why do leaves change color in the fall?"

Oldest DD: "Because, all the good stuff in the leaves go to the branches and roots to get ready for winter."  

Well I'm sure by the good stuff, she must mean nutrients. :)

Middle DD: Because it is fall!

Youngest DD: Because they just do!

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I have found some great resources for learning about Fall and leaf identification. Hope you enjoy them.

http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/september/fall.html

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/fall/

http://www.kidzone.ws/plants/

http://www.ncnatural.com/wildflwr/fall/fallfact.html

http://lib.oh.us/tree/leaf/byleaf.html

The Girls working on their Fall words.

Free Leaf Pattern Printable 

FALL LEAF LINE DRAWING TEMPLATE - free printable

Autumn Word Leaves

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Gather leaves, paste on jar, insert tea light and enjoy!

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Linking Up With

Tarantula!

EEeeccckkkkk! We now have a new pet. A spider! A tarantula! I wasn't sure about keeping it at first but it seems to be a big hit so far.  We made it a home! I feel kinda bad for the lil guy/girl so a release may come soon. It has been neat to observe it.


Also I read today:

Okla. Tarantula Migration Begins

September is Oklahoma's tarantula migration month

Here are some great Tarantula Resources!

Tarantula - Wikipedia

Tarantula

 

Aphonopelma chalcodes - National Geographic

TARANTULAS.com

Tarantulas - Enchanted Learning

Classroom fun!

She is loving Starfall.com in our newly organized school room

Okay, so a couple months ago I so-called organized our school room. Well I organized a bunch of junk is what I did! Keeping things, thinking how I could not rid myself of them, in fear of "maybe" needing them. Yesterday, I stepped in and finished the job! I rid the school room and for that, I'm feeling relief! How things can weigh a person down! They saying of Less is More, is so true in my case.  I hauled out bags of trash and my suv is filled with things to donate. I was keeping empty boxes in hope of turning them into art projects. I can get empty boxes anytime, so why was I keeping them! I moved things into nice little spots. I love it! I'm truly happy with it the room now. 


Last year we pulled up carpet to find hard wood floors. We haven't got a chance to sand them down and make them beautiful again. I can't wait until we are able to tackle that. Also can't wait to pick out paint and make this room a fun and bright color. For now I will find peace in what I have. I find it a blessing to even have this space for a school room. 


Many Blessings!
Jennifer

The Colors of Autumn

 Here are some wonderful Fall Resources!

Autumn Theme Unit

Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?

Autumn Word Search

Leaf Poems

Normal Peak Times for Fall Colors

Dry Leaf Collage

Autumn Themed Math Pages

Autumn Words Bingo Cards

Autumn Craft Projects

 Be sure not to miss getting outside during this wonderful, beautiful time of year with your children. 

 

 

A Study of Optical Illusions

"A picture is worth a thousand words."or "Seeing is believing."  Sometimes our eyes deceive us, and what we see is only what our brain expects us to see. Optical illusions are amusing, but they also teach us a lot about how our brain works in conjunction with our eyes to create a vision.


www.grand-illusions.com/opticalillusions
8 great optical illusions

An online science museum of optical illusions

Online museum with both online and downloadable illusions
  

Color and Light - Optics for Kids

Activity: Optical Illusion

This activity introduces the concepts of how perceptions can be distorted, and how stereotypes work.

Vision and Light

                                     Great Site with many Optical Illusions!

http://educ.jmu.edu/~johns2ja/illusion/illusion.htm

I hope you enjoy this study as much as we do!

    

Favorite Phonics Websites

Tell me....And I Forget,
Teach me.....And I Learn,
Involve Me.....And I Remember

 Benjamin Franklin

 

 

I have complied a list of our favorite phonics sites. 

The "Where is" Worksheets  A Powerful Tool for Consonant Sound Memorization and Phonemic Awareness Practice

http://www.alpha-phonics.com/

Get Ready to Read Screening Tool

Activities for Teaching Alphabet Letters

Listen to Phonic Sounds

Lesson Plans and Activities for Teaching Phonics

Consonants - Phonics

Phonics Interactive Lesson Activities

Literactive.com

GenkiEnglish.com 

Starfall.com 

 

I hope you enjoy the resources and have a wonderful day!

*Jennifer

 

 

 

 

Study of Caterpillars

Bugville Butterfly Treehouse

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.
                           R. Buckminster Fuller

Learning can be so enjoyable, especially when your having fun. We arrived home the other day from a quick trip to the store, to find a caterpillar with a horn. It was pretty big and my girls wanted to see what it would change into. They were eager to put it into their Butterfly treehouse.  Will update when our caterpillar wants to have the big reveal. :) What a wonderful study and it's fun to see the girls excited about learning new things. Which brings me to share the wonderful resources we are finding and using.

I found a wonderful site for bug identification

WHAT'S THAT BUG

Butterfly & Caterpillar Resources

Butterfly Life Cycle Sequencing Cards

Life Cycle of a Butterfly A Printable Book for Early Readers

Caterpillar Fact Sheet

Very Hungry Caterpillar Mini Book

Caterpillar Maze

Thematic Units - Butterfly & Caterpillar

Ideas for using The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book

                                    Happy Studies!

    

                   

Family!

Where does the family start? It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl - no superior alternative has yet been found.

- Winston Churchill

 It's getting closer and closer to Thanksgiving, and Christmas right around the corner from there. I suppose this is the time of the year most families come together the most.  I have family coming in from different states, and it's such a blessing to be able to see them for the short time they are able to visit. I love my family!  I've always been eager to learn about my family history and hope one day my children are just as eager to know. Family is so important and even though miles may keep you apart, it's important to stay in touch. Write a letter, pick up the phone, or plan a trip!  Just keep in touch!  




Here are some great resources for you children:


LETTER GENERATOR for kids!
Genealogy, Family Trees and Family History Records
Family Crest Activity 
Family Songs & Poems
A Role in the Family 

Recommended Books:  
Berenstain Bears books. (All of these books show family members with clear family roles)

Fun Field Trip Ideas

 

List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state 

There are thousands of historical sites in the United States and it's likely that there are at least one or two close to where you live. Spend the day exploring.

Pick fruits and vegetables at a local orchard or farm 

Your kids will get to enjoy a day working, but also understand how farming works and learn about plant reproduction.

Find out about where power comes from at a local power plant 

We often take for granted that we have power when we need it, so show your kids just where it comes from with a power plant tour– a great lesson for chemistry and science studies as well.

See where your water comes from at a water treatment facility. 

Do your kids wonder where the water they drink comes from? A tour of a treatment plant can show them how it gets to the tap and what a valuable resource water can be.

Learn more about famous artists at a museum 

Learn about the artists who shaped culture and history through their works at a local art museum.

            OKLAHOMA FIELD TRIP GUIDE