A Homeschool Co-Op (Co-Operative) is a method of teaching where families come together and teach each other’s children in an area of education where they are specialized. Sometimes parents feel that they are not adequate teachers in specific curricular areas (such as math or science) so they enroll their children with other homeschool parents where the parent who teaches is passionate and specialized in that subject. Sometimes the trade off is having all parents teach in order to offset the costs, however some parents pay for their kids to be in these classes.

Homeschool co-op classes are a great way to introduce topics to your children that they may not experience well with you. For example, I know that I am not gifted in robotics and engineering, so I have enrolled my son (who loves the Discovery show “BattleBots”) in a small group class where the teacher is an expert in that field. He is a father of 2 and his passion is robotics and engineering.

How do I Teach a Homeschool Co-Op Class?

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

Where did it all begin?

Several years into homeschooling, I was asked to teach a homeschool co-op class for a group of about 12 mixed elementary aged kids. I had been a public school teacher in my pre-homeschooling days. In fact, I had led 25+ students day in and day out in elementary curriculum and instruction. But when I was asked to teach for a homeschool co-op, I knew the needs and wants would be completely different.

I knew that I would have unlimited creative freedom when planning for my classes. I won’t lie, the excitement and spark of creativity lit up in me knowing that I could create lessons that were completely different from what I had done in the past (you know the ones you dream about in college before you start your first teaching job:-). The public school I taught at had come to the point of scripted lessons and the whole focus was on test scores. My lessons were therefore lacking in passion and creativity.

Homeschool Co-Ops Are an Amazing Opportunity if You Love to Teach!

It has been about 5 years since I started teaching homeschool co-op classes. I have taught about 15 different co-op classes from pre-K to high school. Here are the lessons that I learned from teaching a successful homeschool co-op class.

5 Tips for Teaching a Homeschool Co-Op Class

1. You need to be passionate about what you are teaching.
2. Get creative and focus on hands-on lessons and learning.
3. Get to know your students and what they enjoy.
4. Plan out your lessons and be prepared.
5. Get feedback and adjust your teaching.

BONUS TIP: HAVE FUN WITH YOUR CLASSES!

How Do I Teach a Homeschool Co-Op Class?

Once you find the Co-Op that matches your purpose and reasons for homeschooling, you will need to decide on a topic. Talking with the leader of the Co-Op and other parents as well as their children will give you some pretty good ideas. Teaching a homeschool Co-Op class will require planning and organization.

What Do You Teach in A Homeschool Co-Op?

Because I still homeschool my children, I try to set aside time to plan out my homeschool Co-op lessons so that it doesn’t take away from my kiddos. Sometimes that means getting up earlier or having dad take them out on a special date. I like to plan the entire course I will be teaching before I start so that I can have all the supplies that I need and be more organized. It also helps me know how much to charge each family so that funds don’t leave our savings account :-).

Some of the classes I have taught have been to fill a need for the families I know. For example, I have taught:

Biology, Anatomy, Marine Biology, Art History, A class on inventors, a class on rare creatures, habitats, a high school writing class, and so many others. Talking with other parents is key to figuring out what to teach.

Homeschool Co-Op Lesson Plans

When I first started teaching homeschool Co-Ops I would sketch ideas and lesson plans on scraps of paper. Organizing and planning out the lessons was not really a strong point for me. I decided to design a Homeschool Co-Op planner that I now use to completely organize and plan for an amazing class. Now everything is in one place and I am losing things less.

Planning A Homeschool Co-Op Class

Start with the big picture and the theme of your class. If you are asked to teach something specific, that will help you to narrow it down. However, if you are asked to come up with a teaching idea, survey the families that you will be working with. What are their needs? Some families really dislike teaching the sciences (that is what I have found in my years of homeschool co-op teaching), and since I absolutely love science it works out for me to teach science classes.

What is your reason for teaching?

My goal is always to try my best to get the kids I teach to be excited enough about the subject to start learning on their own. When a student (no matter the age) comes back to you before or after a class with a book about the subject you have been covering to share that they are learning more independently is what makes teaching worth it.

Or to get an email/text message with a cartoon from a high school student that relates to the subject you covered that day is the encouragement you need to keep on teaching. These are great examples of really reaching your students.

Homeschool Co-Op Lesson Planner

Are you looking for an easy way to keep organized as you plan out and teach your Co-Op class? I have created and refined a Co-Op planner that you can use to help you plan and teach your class.

HP Paper Printer | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Premium 32 lb | 1 Ream – 500 Sheets | 100 Bright | Made in USA – FSC Certified | 113100R

Homeschool Co-Op Class Ideas- Elementary

My focus tends to be science related when teaching Co-Op Classes. However, the possiblities are endless!

Homeschool Co-Op Class options for Elementary School are:

The Science of me (anatomy for little kids), Anatomy, art classes, math games, P.E. and sports, literature studies (choose any children’s book or author), Biology, Astronomy, Ocean animals, Marine Biology, sewing, handicrafts, creative writing, and so much more.

Homeschool Co-Op Class Ideas- High School

There is such a huge variety of classes that you can teach for the high school aged student. This is the age where such deep thinking and understanding takes place. There is also an amazing opportunity to form great relationships with them and their families.

Homeschool Co-Op Class Options for High School can be:

Budgeting, cooking, adulting, life skills, finance, biology, chemistry, creative writing, creating an art portfolio, music, theater, history, and so many more.

Have you taught any Co-Op Classes for homeschool students? Do you have any suggestions or tips? Let me know in the comments below.

The post 5 Tips to Help You Teach A Homeschool Co-Op Class appeared first on .

What is the Vampire Squid?

The Vampire Squid is a cephalopod that lives in the midnight zone. It can be found as deep as 3,000 feet below the sea. THAT IS DEEP!

This creature resembles both a squid and an octopus, but it is not either one. It has 8 arms with spines on them and two tentacles (which is what it uses to catch it’s prey). It ranges in color from a light reddish pink to a dark brown/black, depending on where it lives. It’s 8 arms are connected with a skin which is what gives the Vampire Squid its cape-like appearance.

The Vampire squid is about 8 inches long- like the size of a football.

It has fins on the top of its body that resemble ears. These are used to propel themselves through the water.

It is believed that the Vampire Squid feeds primarily on prawns, copepods, cnidarians, and other small invertebrates.

The vampire squid’s body is covered by light producing organs called photophores. It uses these lights to attract prey.

When the Vampire squid is threatened it emits a mucus that glows for several minutes. This in turn confuses the predator and the vampire squid is able to escape.

Because this creature lives so deep below the surface, it is difficult for scientists to study their behavior and mating habits. As more research is done, we will continue to learn more about this fascinating creature.

The Ocean is broken up into 5 basic Zones (or Layers):

1. The Sunlight Zone- up to 200 meters below the surfuace and where most life exists in the Ocean.
2. The Twilight Zone- up to 1000 meters below the surface and much colder temperatures.
3. The Midnight Zone- up to 4000 meters below the surface of the ocean.
4. The Abyssal Zone- up to 6000 meters below the surface.
5. The Trenches- the deepest parts of the ocean. Up to 11000 meters below the surface of the ocean. Here the temperatures are near freezing temperatures.

Easy Vampire Squid Craft

Directions for the Vampire Squid Craft:

Materials:

• empty toilet paper rolls
• hole punch
• red or pink paint (I use washable because it gets messy!)
• paint brush
• newspaper (for the mess)
• red, brown, or pink pipe cleaners cut in half (4 per child- when cut in half, you should have 8)
• Cardstock paper
• googly eyes
• glue
• optional: sharpie

Directions for Vampire Squid Craft:

Step 1: Remove all toilet paper from the toilet paper roll.

Step 2: Punch 8 holes along one side of the toilet paper roll and cut 2 small slits on the opposite side for the fins (that look like “ears”)

Step 3: Using the card stock, cut 2 – 1 inch triangles. These will be for the Vampire Squid’s fins.

Step 4: Lay out paper on your table surface, paint the entire toilet paper roll red, pink, brown, or black. Paint the triangle fins as well. Allow time to dry. While you wait, you can read a book about the Midnight Zone such as:

Step 5: When the paint has dried, add 8 pipe cleaners (4 full size, cut in half). Arrange them in a way that helps the vampire squid to prop up on a table.

Step 6: Add googly eyes or draw with a sharpie.

Step 7: Optional- Take a picture of your child with their Vampire Squid and make a page for your book. (See Making books to learn Post here).

60 Pieces Red Pipe Cleaners, Christmas Craft Pipe Cleaners,Pipe Cleaners Chenille Stem,Pipe Cleaners Bulk,Art Pipe Cleaners for Creative Home Decoration Supplies Arts and Crafts Project

Crayola Washable Paint (12ct), Paint Set for Kids, Nontoxic Paint, Kids Craft Supplies, for Classrooms, Assorted Colors, 16 Oz

Single Hole Punch 1/4” Hole Puncher for Crafts, One Hole Paper Punch with Blue Soft Grip Handle, Small Hole Punch for Kids and Adults

Red Cardstock – 8.5 x 11 inch – 65Lb Cover – 50 Sheets – Clear Path Paper

1210pcs Googly Wiggle Eyes Self Adhesive, for Craft Sticker Multi Sizes 4mm to 25mm for DIY by ZZYI

Finished Product- A Cute and Simple Vampire Squid!

Extending the craft (optional)

You can have your child do more research on the vampire squid and have them do a research report (with your help, of course). They can present their information to a small group or the family. See my animal research template below available for purchase in my store.

Fun Facts about the Vampire Squid:

1. The Vampire Squid lives primarily in the Midnight Zone. This is an area that is lower in oxygen levels, so they have a slow metabolism which allows them to survive.

Watch this close encounter with the Vampire Squid on Nautilus Live:

I have created several Deep Sea Creature Printables for the deep sea creature enthusiast: activities available in my TPT store .

What other deep sea creatures do you like? How did your Vampire Squid turn out?

The post Vampire Squid Craft – Midnight Zone Marine Biology appeared first on .

Are you looking for a fun, easy, creative, slightly messy, and hands-on way to learn about maps, land forms, and geography? Salt-Dough Maps are such a fun way to add the fun wow factor to your homeschooling lessons.

What kid doesn’t enjoy learning while creating a piece of hands-on art?

Here you will find directions on how to make salt dough, make a relief map, and other fun uses for the salt dough. While there is a little bit of added prep, the rewards of your child’s hands-on learning will be worth it.

Caution: Raw flour is safe safe for consumption, make sure that all participants wash their hands after each use.

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

How to Use Salt Dough Maps to Make Learning Creative and Fun!

Sure, you can print that map off of the internet and have your kiddos fill in the cities, mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, and other important landmarks… But that may not be the most effective way for your child to truly learn. Often, taking the extra time to prep for an engaging learning opportunity will reap the reward of long term learning.

Our brains are designed to connect with the physical world through hands-on interaction.

A Creative Learner

Hands on learning is so effective because children learn by doing. Creating a map using salt dough is not only fun, but will encourage your child to truly learn and have fun at the same time.

What is a Salt Dough Map?

A salt dough map is a three-dimensional map that allows children to create mountain ranges, hills, lakes, rivers, oceans, and so on. It is more useful for a child to see that maps represent different topographical features that are not easily seen with a paper map. The main components are salt, flour and water. Salt dough is super easy to work with and is fun to play around with.

These 3D maps are super effective for younger children that are just starting to work with maps. It helps them to see and understand the different characteristics of regions on a map. But don’t necessarily leave out your older ones. They can benefit from this hands-on lesson as well.

How Do You Make a Salt Dough Map?

Salt dough maps are super simple. They require a minimal amount of prep. They can, however, be quite messy. The mess, however, is well worth it!

Prior to beginning a salt dough maps, I would suggest spending a little time researching what relief maps are. We decided to research topography maps first, using the colors that are typically used for altitude differentiation.

There are so many amazing map books that you can purchase or check out from the library. Having a couple for reference is helpful.

We were learning about the Lewis and Clark Expedition in our history studies. This was a great opportunity to incorporate geography in a way that catered to my children’s kinesthetic and artistic learning styles.

Here are simple directions to create your own salt-dough map for any geographical region. We chose to create a map of the United States of America because we were studying the landscape in which pioneers traveled west. My children were learning about the different regions that were traveled through such as Mountain ranges, plains, rivers, lakes, etc.

We copied the colors of altitude from a geology website. You can even use a geography map book to use as an example for which colors to use.

What are the Supplies and Materials Needed to Make a Salt Dough Map?

Salt

flour

water

bowl

stirring utensil

pencil

acrylic paint

paint brushes

wood panel (or you can use thick cardboard)

paper to cover surface of table

365 by Whole Foods Market, All Purpose Flour, 80 Ounce

Morton, Iodized Salt, 737 Grams(gm)

Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint Set (2-Ounce), Best Colors Count, 32 Fl Oz (Pack of 16)

9×12 Wood Canvas for Crafts, 6-Pack Framed Wooden Panel Boards for Painting Pouring Crafts

Acrylic Paint Brush Set, 6 Packs / 60 pcs Nylon Hair Brushes for All Purpose Oil Watercolor Painting Artist Professional Kits

What is the Recipe for Salt Dough?

In a bowl, mix:

2 cups all purpose flour (cheap is fine)

1 cup salt

1 cup water

1 TBSP cream of tartar (ONLY for Play dough- not necessary for the salt dough maps)

Stir with a spoon, until it is too difficult, then use your hands. The goal is to mix until it has the consistency of play dough. Sometimes you may need to add more water or more flour. Find a consistency you like.

****Remember to always wash your hands after handling raw flour!!!****

Directions for Salt dough map

• Sketch out the region on your panel of wood with a pencil
• Cover your work area with newspaper or messy tablecloth
• Make your salt dough (don’t eat it, its disgusting :-)- see recipe above.
• using small amounts, begin to add the salt dough to your wood panel
• add layers of salt dough to the regions that are mountains
• using a pencil or other tool, etch out lakes, rivers, and other low areas.
• smooth your map gently with fingertips
• once you and your children are happy with your salt dough map, allow 1-2 days for the dough to dry completely.
• paint your dry map according to a key that you create (or copy)

How Long Does it Take for a Salt Dough Map to Dry?

I live in a dry climate (southern California). We did our map during late spring, and it took 1 day to dry. It may take longer if you live in a humid climate. You know it is dry if it is all the same light color and it will feel dry as well. Make sure that there is no more moisture in the salt dough.

What Paint do You Use for Salt Dough Maps?

Acrylic paint is the best paint to use for your salt dough maps. Make sure your Salt dough map is dry prior to painting as Acrylic paint is vibrant and dries rather quickly. It is best if you use a variety of brushes for your map so that you can add in details such as rivers and lakes. When we finished our United States of America salt dough map, it was so beautiful that I started using it as a decoration.

Practical Tips Before You Get Started

If you are working with super young kiddos, give them some exploration time with the dough before you begin constructing the map. Little ones love to experiment with new things, so you will notice they will be easily distracted observing and manipulating their fresh salt-dough. Let your young kids know that have a set time to play around with the dough before the lesson begins. They will be more ready to learn once they have explored and played with the salt dough.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

Benjamin Franklin

Now, if you are like me, stepping in to help (or take over) for your child is a real temptation. However, it is important to not take over this project for your kids. During the map creating project, try to let your child create and take ownership of this project, helping as little as possible.

What are some more uses for Salt Dough? Taking Salt Dough to the Next Level

The Uses are really endless! There are so many things you can make with salt dough! If you give salt dough as an option to your children to extend their learning they will take it. (Mine children LOVE using salt dough!)

Art

Create replica sculptures from famous artists or old artifacts that you see at the museum.

Geography

Choose any region and create a three-dimensional map. You can even add buildings, roads, parks, etc.

History

Create a bust of a famous person from history or recreate one of the seven wonders of the world.

Science

Create a habitat, mold an organ from the human body, make a model of a cell and label it.

Create Fossils and bones, and recreate an archaeology dig.

FREE CREATIVE TIME (My children’s favorite)

Math

Make manipulatives to practice addition, subtraction, and other math properties. The recipe is a good lesson in measurement.

Make some Salt Dough and simply let your children play.

You can make your own play dough. BUT, you will need to add 2 more special ingredients… Cream of Tartar and food coloring.

What is the Purpose of Cream of Tartar in Salt Dough?

The ingredient Cream of Tartar makes the dough super soft and easy to work with. If you place your dough in a zip lock bag, it will keep for quite a while. The salt is a preservative, so it could last for months.

Hands-On Learning Benefits

There are many benefits of hands-on learning! When children interact with the world they take ownership of their learning. Chances are they are having fun as well when they are learning in a hands-on way. This emotional connection to learning is another important aspect of their education.

What are some ways that you can integrate salt-dough into your child’s hands-on learning? Do you have any other ways that you can use salt-dough in homeschooling?

The post Salt Dough Maps- Creative Geography Lesson appeared first on .

What is a Homeschool Memory Book?

There are two main types of memory books for school. One that you do for your student throughout the year. You include pictures, work, answer questions, etc. These types of memory books are often more involved and require some organizational skills.

The other type of memory book most often used is for your child’s entire school experience: K-12. Usually this type of school memory book is just to document your child’s growth each year and remember some essential memories. These require less work and planning.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.

How Can I Create a School Memory Book?

Are you looking for a fun and easy way to create a school memory book? Download this free Printable by subscribing to my blog. This can be used for homeschool or traditional school.

Simply sign up for my newsletter, download the Memory Book Printable, and Print. Simple and easy, just fill in the blanks and add your child’s picture as they go through each grade level!

Your FREE printable memory book template is yours to keep and use as much as you would like for your children.

HP Paper Printer | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Premium 32 lb | 1 Ream – 500 Sheets | 100 Bright | Made in USA – FSC Certified | 113100R

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Rayson TD-130 Wire Binding Machine (Square Holes) Punch 12 Sheets/Bind 120 Sheets with Sturdy Metal Construction

Ticonderoga Wood-Cased Pencils, Pre-Sharpened, 2 HB Soft, Neon Colors, 18 Count

Homeschool Memory Book Template

Using a K-12 School Memory Book Template Printable makes following through with your child’s memory book easy.

Before I created this, I tried to make one by hand each year, not only did I struggle to remember to do it (I am not sure I have one for my daughter’s second year), I also struggled to remember where I put each page.

Now all of their pages are printed up and in a bound book. I simply bring it out around school picture time and voila, the page is finished.

Now I also keep a yearly memory book for my kids. This one is way more involved and I am working on a template for that one, so that it is easier as the school year gets under way.

When you are homeschooling, you just don’t have the time to be creating things midyear (At least I don’t :-).

How to Make a School Memory Book?

The key to making a school memory book is ease of use. The simpler the process is, the more likely you will finish. If it is too involved and overwhelming, chances are that you may not follow through.

I know for me, as long as I don’t have to add to much to my homeschooling day in order to complete the memory book, then I can do it.

My hope is that this FREE prek-12 school memory book printable will make it easy for my fellow moms and teachers to put together an amazing keepsake for the child.

Your FREE Printable Homeschool Memory Book PDF

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Let me know how your Homeschool Memory book turns out! Is there anything else that you added to it? How do you remember to complete the yearly page? Do you set a timer?

Please let me know if you enjoyed using this free homeschool memory book printable? I look forward to hearing from you.

Looking for a Yearly School Memory Book?

If you are looking for a yearly school memory book, I have created a 70+ page yearbook for each school year that is for sale in my TeachersPayTeachers store. This printable memory book can be used to record memories for one year of school and is great for the lower grades: Preschool to 3rd grade. It can be used every year of school. This is a simple way to keep a homeschool yearbook for the BUSY mom!

See the article: Make Your Own Homeschool Memory Book This Year.

Thanks for visiting. Don’t forget to leave a comment below and subscribe for more freebies and amazing content!

Looking for more creative Homeschooling ideas? Check out these posts: Creating Your Own Card Game to Learn or How to Plan the Perfect Unit Study!

The post Homeschool Memory Book PreK to Twelfth (PreK-12) Grade Printable PDF FREE appeared first on .

We originally started out with a large timeline on our hallway wall. This worked for a short time, but I found that the wall wasn’t large enough. We have used a variety of other timelines in our years of homeschooling as well: fold up accordion style timelines, and a notebook where we filed work according to chronological order.

We never felt satisfied, however, with any of these ways of recording the historical, scientific, or art history events. That is when I decided to come up with our own timeline book.

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

Making a Creative History Timeline Book

Having a timeline of historical events is important for children so that they can visually see how events relate to each other. Not only major historical events, but scientific discoveries, inventions, important people, and art history movements and artists as well.

“Record not only major historical events, but scientific discoveries, inventions, important people, art history movements, artists, and composers as well.”

I wanted this book to be with my children throughout their entire school career. So I decided it would have to be pretty large (over 100 pages) and sturdy! Be prepared if you download this timeline book that it is very long. You may want to print the pages for the history period that you are studying.

Should you use a History Timeline Book in your Homeschool?

We decided to begin making a new timeline in a book this year. I created this timeline book as a resource for my children, but wanted to share it with others so that they could benefit from seeing how history unfolds as well. It follows the order and colors of the History Curriculum: The Story of the World” by Susan Wise Bauer. My kids really like listening to the CDs by Jim Weiss.

I use a variety of living history books alongside the Story of the World. I think that is what clicks for us for now. As my children get older, I may change things a bit.

While we do not exclusively use “The Story of the World” by Susan Wise Bauer, I decided to model the time periods after this curriculum. You will see that there are four main periods and they are organized by the colors from “The Story of the World.” However, these pages will work with any history curriculum that you are using. Also for those who want to save on colored ink, simply choose to print the History Timeline Book in grayscale.

You can find The Story of the World by clicking the links below:

The story of the world: Ancient times, from the earliest Nomads to the last Roman emperor history for the classical child, Vol. 1

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2 Audiobook: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance, Revised Edition (9 CDs)

The Story of the World, Vol. 3 Audiobook, Revised Edition: History for the Classical Child: Early Modern Times

Story of the World, Vol. 4 Audiobook, Revised Edition: History for the Classical Child: The Modern Age (Story of the World, 8)

MEGATEK Portable CD Player Boombox with FM Radio, Bluetooth, and USB Port | Clear Stereo Sound | CD-R/RW and MP3 CDs Compatible | 3.5mm Aux Input and Headphone Jack | Backlit LCD Display – Black

Here are samples of what the History Timeline Book pages look like below:

Continue to scroll down to download your FREE timeline Book!

Instructions for using this FREE PDF History Timeline Book

To use these for your personal homeschool, simply print out the pages on whichever type of paper you prefer, cardstock or a high quality printing paper. Ensure that you are printing landscape. You can bind the book landscape or purchase a folder to put your pages in. I bought a landscape 3-ring binder on Amazon to put my pages in. See below for a link to the landscape 3 ring binder that we use.

It may be wise to only print up the pages for the time period that you are learning about. There are approximately 130 pages total in this History Timeline book, so it is a lot to print up at one time.

Updated FRONT COVER for History Timeline Book

Supplies you may need/want for your History Timeline Book:

The number one item you may want to purchase is a landscape binder for your timeline pages. I use the one below from Amazon.

I also like to use a high quality paper that is thicker so that markers and pens don’t bleed through.

My children often draw and write down the history event on circle stickers. Having stickers is an easy way to stick in those history events. No glue or glue stick needed.

QuickFit Heavy-Duty Landscape 3-Ring Binder, Round Ring, 8 1/2 Inches by 11 Inches, 1 Inch, White

HP Paper Printer | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Premium 32 lb | 1 Ream – 500 Sheets | 100 Bright | Made in USA – FSC Certified | 113100R

Prismacolor Premier Manga Illustration Markers, Assorted Tips, Black & Sepia, 8 Pack

2 Inch Round Labels – Permanent, White Matte – Candle, Lid, Product, Favor Labels – Pack of 2,000 Circle Stickers, 100 Sheets – Inkjet/Laser Printers – Online Labels

Swingline 3 Hole Punch, Desktop Puncher for Binder, 20 Sheet Punch Capacity, SmartTouch, Black/Silver (74133)

What do I put on my History Timeline Pages?

There are a variety of ways to begin filling in your history timeline pages. As you are learning something that occurred in history, you can have your child draw a picture on a small plain sticker and place that in the book. You can use the lines provided to write in the event with a brief description.

Rainbow Resources sells great history stickers that you can place in your book. See those here.

Here is a great website that I have found helpful as we began filling in our Timeline Book:

Homeschooling 2E has printable timeline figures. We glue many of these pictures in our Timeline Book.

This FREE download contains:

1. 3 versions of A History Timeline front cover
2. Color Coded instructions for the history pages
3. Ancient History pages
4. Medieval History pages
5. Early Modern History pages
6. Modern History pages
7. “The Future” Pages

This History Timeline Book is 140 pages total. Print only the pages for the time period that you are studying to save on paper and ink.

Epson EcoTank ET-2720 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer with Scanner and Copier – Black

This printer has been one of the best investments I have ever made in regards to homeschooling. Investing in a high quality printer has been wonderful for our family. The Epson Ecotank is wonderful because it prints beautifully, however the ink lasts such a long time. Refill are also very inexpensive.

Printable History Timeline Pages

I begin with 7,000 B.C. and go through A.D. 2034+. AND, just for fun, I added “The Future” into the timeline book. You can use these pages to make educated predictions of discoveries, inventions or events that may occur. The increments for each time period are below.

More tips and tricks for the History Timeline Notebook

Don’t forget to add in important events from your own lives; such as weddings, births, etc. Using actual pictures (small) and gluing them in will help your child visualize the events and people in their history timeline books.

Date increments for History Timeline Notebook pages:

• Ancient History: 7000+ BC – 5000 B.C. — 500 year increments
• Ancient History: 5000- 2400 B.C. — 200 year increments
• Ancient History: 2300 B.C. – 900 B.C. — 100 year increments
• Ancient History: 800 B.C. – 120 B.C. — 20 year increments
• Ancient History: A.D. 100 – 400 – 10 year Increments
• Medieval History: A.D. 400-990 — 10 year increments
• Medieval History: A.D. 1000- 1600 — 5 year increments
• Early Modern History: 1600-1800 –2 year increments
• Early Modern History: AD 1801-1850 — 1 year increments
• Modern History: AD 1850 – AD 2035 — 1 year increments
• The Future: (this is just a fun way to think about what will happen in the future- use if it suits you) 5 year increments

I have added one blank timeline page at the end of each history period. Copy that page as many times as you want and add it in where you feel it may be appropriate for your studies.

SAVE TIME AND MONEY BY DOWNLOADING THIS FREE RESOURCE! History Timeline Printable

Here are your FREE HISTORY TIMELINE PRINTABLES!!! Subscribe Below and you will receive your FREE resource.

If you want the colorful front cover, scroll up to download the cover only. Subscribe to receive the History Timeline Book

Please feel free to share this with others. My goal is to help others where I have had teaching struggles. I hope that this resource is helpful to you!

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How to Make a Homeschool Memory Book / Yearbook

Creating a memory book for your kids is a great way to remember all of the fun times you and your family have had during your homeschooling years. Preserving memories throughout childhood and being able to reminisce over them as your children get older is priceless.

Why Should I Make a Memory Book for my Homeschooler?

My Reason…

I spent 7 years in the public school classroom. Five of those years were spent in the wonderful grade of Kindergarten. One thing that we did for our kinder students that the parents looked forward to each year was a thoughtful and thorough memory book. We would present these thick books to the parents on the last day of school. Tears and laughter would flow as their children showed off different memories of the year. Trips to the farm, the first day of school, learning how to write their names, and so much more filled their books.

When I left the classroom and began to homeschool my own kiddos, I tried to keep a memory book on the whim. I didn’t prepare for it, I just started putting random things into a folder. I would forget, however, as the busyness of homeschool life and young children occupied me. When the end of the year came, I opened my “memory folder” to a couple of random pieces of paper. It definitely didn’t look like the memory books I had put together for my kindergarten students so many years ago…

I admit, I was sad that years went by and I never had a complete memory book (or even a partial one for that matter) for my own kids. How sad!

SOOOO…. I learned how to make a template that I could simply follow. I chose one day of the week to work on a page or two. And I learned to start printing up photos as I went.

NOW, tada! I have memory books for my kids. AND I must say that the joy we get from looking over them is priceless.

DIY Homeschool Memory Book PDF Printable

I created this Printable Homeschool Memory Book for my children so that we could start creating a beautiful way of remember all the fun that we had each year. Memory Book Time became a regular part of our homeschooling and my children looked forward to creating the pages that filled it.

I know that you are busy. Whether you homeschool, work, or are simply busy with the duties of a household and children. Starting a memory book can be overwhelming. Where do you start?

Or you can buy it at one of the sites below.

When Should We Start Making Our Homeschool Memory Books?

I think that starting a Homeschool Memory Book at the beginning of the year is ideal. However, just because you don’t start it on time, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t start one at all. I suggest that you JUST START!! You may regret not starting a memory book at all. At least if you start the memory book mid year, you will have a starting point.

Starting the Memory book at the end of the year may prove to be overwhelming and it may cause you to give up. At least that is how I would be.

Tips and Tricks to Create Your Own Homeschool Memory Book

The #1 tip to creating your own homeschool memory book/ yearbook is consistency. I chose one day a week (it is what worked for our family).

Integrating the writing portion of the memory book into your actual writing plans for the week is another way that you can make the memory book a consistent part of your homeschooling. You can use the memory book to practice penmanship, spelling, and so much more. Let your kids take ownership of their memory books. You will end up with a fabulous (and probably hilarious) end product.

Allow your children to be creative. Put on some music or an audio book while they draw their pictures each week. I read aloud to my children when they are working on their memory books.

I give them art supplies, pictures, and stickers.

I am available to help them with the writing. My 3rd grader is capable of writing her own answers to the questions or filling in her memories. My first grade son requires a bit of help. I often write for him, or I allow him to do copywork- I write his answers and then he copies it into his book.

Side note: My daughter always draws her self-portrait with her stuffed animal Toothless. It has become her trademark. I know we will look back on those cute additions with such sweetness!

How do I keep up with a Yearbook? I am so busy!

Don’t overthink your child’s yearbook.

Let your child take control of it (as much as they can).

Purchasing a high quality printer that you can hook up to your phone is a simple way to add pictures to your yearbook easily. While it is an investment up front, it will make printing pictures easy for you.

Finally, choose one day of the week (or every other week) to work on your memory books. The consistency will ensure that you will have a completed yearbook by the end of the year.

Making a Memory Book —Supply List

You have a ton of freedom in how your memory book turns out.

My kids use the following items to create their memory books:

Prismacolored pencils (we don’t use markers because they sometimes bleed through the paper)

Fun and colorful stickers

A mobile printer that hooks up to my phone so that we can easily print pictures

high quality paper to print the memory book pages on

Laminator and sheets

binder and spiral bindings

optional- 3-ring binder

(see below)

Who is this Printable Memory Book For?

I created this printable memory book for grades K-3. I am currently working on an updated version for the upper Elementary grades and Middle school. Since my own children aren’t that age yet, I do need suggestions for what is appropriate at that stage of life. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below or drop me an email using the contact me section of my website.

How to capture good memories with these photography tips

I will admit, I am not the best at taking high quality pictures. However, as I started taking more pictures, I wanted to get better at my photography. I found this amazing photographer who has lots of tips on her website. I have learned a lot from her, so I wanted to share with all of you! Her name is Courtney Slazinik and she is the owner of Clickitupanotch.com. Her site is a great resource for those of you who want to create lasting memories with amazing pictures.

What Pages are Included in the K-3 Memory Book Available for Purchase?

Don’t let this extensive list overwhelm you. Choose only the pages that suit your homeschooling. Place the pages in an order that works for your family.

ADD any additional pages such as artwork, stories, or poems that you may want to remember from your child’s year.

You can even print up more copies of pages that you would like, such as the field trip pages, monthly memory pages, birthday pages, etc.

Organizing your Memory Books

I bind my children’s memory books together at the beginning of the year. However, I have a friend that uses a 3-ring binder so that she can continually add to her child’s memory book.

I keep my children’s memory books in their school rolling cart Language Arts drawer. They know that on Thursdays we will spend 10-15 minutes working on them.

What if I Don’t Want a Detailed Memory Book?

I have a great solution for you. I have also created a FREE PDF pre-K through 12th grade homeschool memory book. It is one page per year. You can complete the page at the beginning of the year or at the end. It is really up to you. Simply subscribe to my website and you will receive it in your inbox! Bonus: It now comes with 2 banners, one for the first day of school and one for the last day of school. I hope you enjoy them!

Get the FREE Homeschool Memory Book Printable for K-12

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Check out this article on the memory book for k-12. One Page per year.

Do you keep a memory book for your children? What are some ways that you keep up with it?

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Checklist and tips for the end of the homeschool Year clean out. When it’s time to clean up your homeschool room/area before you can enjoy summer break, follow the checklist and tips.

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End of the School Year

It is almost that time of year. Your reaching the end of that math book. You and your kids are feeling the end is drawing near to your homeschool year. For those of us that follow a traditional school schedule, May represents the drawing near of school ending and the beginning of summer. I am all ready to start getting rid of things that I will no longer need.

It’s time to pack up the curriculum and move onto summer. It is a much welcomed time for our family. We homeschool with a lot of pizazz and go full force, but there is something about May that makes us ready to “ring the school bell” one last time. We are ready for summer. Trips to the mountains, beaches, museums, parks, friends houses…. Anything but the routines of the school year.

Here Comes Summer!

One of my favorite aspects of the school year ending is purging and cleaning out our homeschool goodies. Piled in our home is nine months of art projects, math worksheets, manipulatives, books that are now too simple, dioramas, “inventions”, old dried out glue, finished curriculum, broken crayons, dried out markers, scraps of papers, oh my crazy list of too much school stuff could go on and on.

These things need to get out of my house and into the donation bag, the trash can, or up for resell on Ebay. I welcome the feelings of joy that come from the clear out! Sometimes it is not easy to know where to start

I put together this summer homeschool cleaning list for those of you who like a little bit of direction and that oh so good feeling of checking off a list. Print it up, put it on a clipboard, and begin the summer clean-out of your homeschool room (or cabinet).

Get your Free Homeschool Summer Cleaning Checklist Here

I don’t know about you, but cleaning seems much more rewarding when I can check items off a list! It just feels good, doesn’t it? Having a checklist for some reason makes me feel more productive

Yearbooks, Memory Books, Portfolios, OH MY!

Keeping a memory book has been my favorite addition to our homeschooling. We work on it throughout the year. We add pictures and collect our favorite work samples. My children always enjoy looking through them and sharing them with grandparents and friends. I wish I would have started sooner. But I guess it is better late than never.

In regards to portfolios, I have never kept an official one. What I do is have a file folder for each child where I place additional work that they are proud of. For Science and History, I have always kept art notebooks where we place all of our corresponding projects (that is for another post however).

Here is a link to the article on memory books that you mind find helpful.

Materials and Supplies List

What Do I Do With School Materials That I No Longer Need?

There are so many options when it comes to leftover curriculum and books. Below is a list of options for you:

Give the curriculum away!

Are there any other homeschooling families that may be in need of the curriculum that you used with your children? Some families struggle to afford curriculum, so passing it on to them can be a true blessing.

Sell your USED curriculum

I often sell my used curriculum on Ebay.com. Listing it during the summer months is best because that is when other homeschool families are looking to get their curriculum for the next year. Your buyers are saving money by purchasing used curriculum and you are able to make money to purchase your new curriculum (or used :-))

Anther great place to sell your used curriculum is a yard sale or to a group of other homeschool families. You can organize a used curriculum sale and trade with one another.

Donate Your Used Books and Curriculum to Your Local Thrift Store

Get a tax deduction by itemizing your donations to your local thrift store.

Recycle Your Used Curriculum

If the curriculum is consumable, then it may be best to recycle it.

The Difficulty in Cleaning

One area where we continue to struggle is parting with art projects. My daughter who is super artistic gives special attention to the art she creates. Tossing any of them is not easy for her. I do encourage her to only keep her favorites, but I am allowing for slow growth in this area. Taking pictures of her creations does help. I do forget to put the pictures in her memory books, however.

Let me know of tips or tricks you have to cleaning up your homeschooling year and getting ready for the summer.

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Here is a fun and engaging art history lesson for kids. They will create a self-portrait that is inspired by the Pointillism artist Georges Seurat. Using dots and contrasting colors, children will paint a portrait of themselves. This is a great art activity to hang on your walls!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.

Who was Georges Seurat?

Georges Seurat was born in 1859 in the Paris, France. His family was wealthy and lived a very comfortable lifestyle. Georges Seurat was an artist early on in his life. He went to art school, but got frustrated with the strict rules that the teachers taught. He dropped out of art school and started to study art on his own. When he saw Monet’s artwork, he was amazed with his use of color, light, and line. He was highly influenced by Monet’s style.

What Art History Movement Was Georges Seurat a Part of?

The Larger movement Georges Seurat was a part of was the Post-Impressionist movement, however more specifically he was the creator of Pointillism. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac are considered the founders of the Pointillism movement.

Artists at the time of Post-Impressionism were looking for new ways to paint “impressions” of what they saw around them. While impressionists were creating art with small brush strokes, Seurat and Signac took that a step further and used dots instead. The other difference was that they did not blend colors on their palettes, rather they placed dots of specific colors next to each other on the canvas and created the illusion of blending to the viewer.

What is the Pointillism Technique?

Pointillism comes from the French word for point or dot. Pointillism is a painting technique where dots of contrasting color are arranged in a way as to appear as a blended color when admiring the work from afar. It is sort of like pixels today. You get the full effect of Pointillism by standing a distance away from the art work.

In reality, the human eye is tricked by the precision of the dots location and by their color selection. Seurat was fascinated by the science of color and he sought to create beautiful artwork based on this science.

He and other Pointillists did not mix the colors on a palette before painting, rather they placed vibrant complementary paints directly on the canvas, side-by-side. The effect was brilliant! The viewers eyes “mixed” the colors when viewing the art from far away. That is one reason why Seurat’s art pieces were so large; over six feet in most cases

Georges Seurat preferred the term “divisionism” for his newly developed style, but it didn’t stick.

Why Did Georges Seurat Use Pointillism?

Georges Seurat wanted to create something new as an artist. He felt that he was being taught art in a way that was rigid and lacked freedom. He desired to create a new style of art after he studied the impressionist painters.

He loved the science behind art and color as well, so he mixed the two. He focused on the power of line and form as well as perception. He brought his love of color theory to the front and center of his art. He spent much of his time studying the science behind it.

While the Impressionists were using complementary colors and mixing them on a palette, Georges Seurat skipped the mixing step and applied color in dots directly on the canvas. He did NOT mix the colors, but rather allowed them to “blend” when we glanced at his art from afar.

What is Color Theory?

Color theory is the study of how colors are mixed and how they are seen with the human eye.

The Scientist Michel Chevreul had devised a theory of color and Georges Seurat was fascinated by that theory. When Chevreul was studying color he saw that when two colors were placed side-by-side and viewed from far away, they appeared to be mixed. Georges Seurat studied this concept and applied it to his art. Rather than mixing colors before applying them to his canvas, Seurat placed colors side-by-side and let the viewers brain mix them for him.

For more information on color theory see Designwizard.com.

What Other Artists Use Pointillism?

Paul Signac was another famous Pointillism artist. He is credited to have created this new style of art with Seurat, however, he is less famous.

Today, many artists are influenced by Pointillism. It can be seen in digital art, embroidery, and tattoos.

See this great article by MyModernMet.com for more information on Pointillism’s influence today.

What Was Going on in History During Georges Seurat’s Life?

The Franco-prussian was was going on during his young life, so his family relocated to Fontainebleau.

Scientific discoveries and artistic innovation occurred during the 19th century. The telephone was invented in 1876, the combustion engine was invented in the 1880s, and so many more technological inventions during the industrial revolution. Artists were constantly trying new techniques as well.

How to Teach About Georges Seurat in Art History for Kids

Start with the bigger picture (no pun intended) when teaching about Georges Seurat. Seurat came into the art world eager to make a big impression and he did just that. At a time when the impressionism style was in the forefront and gaining appreciation Seurat took it a step further with his innovative ideas.

What Are Georges Seurat’s Most Famous Pointillism Art Pieces?

The most famous piece of artwork, in my opinion, is “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte”. I can still remember learning about it in high school (many years ago :-)). It is so massive, it takes up most of the wall in the museum where it is located. “The Eiffel Tower”, “The Bathers at Asnieres”, and “Le Chahut” are other famous pieces by Georges Seurat.

A Timeline Perspective of Art History

It is important to give your children perspective when it comes to art history and history in general. Never teach out of context! Timelines are a great way to show your kids the purpose of what they are learning and the context. What was happening elsewhere around the world? What was going on culturally where the artist was from. Were any wars going on? Strife? Political issues? The art of the time usually represents a much larger cultural and historical picture; make sure to include this when you are teaching.

Try making your own Timeline and adding to it as you learn about different artists. Below is a FREE for subscribers printable timeline book that you can download if you would like.

Check out this ART HISTORY Timeline. It covers every continent in the world and all of history. Bookmark it and use it as a reference when needed.

For more information on the life of Georges Seurat see this great website TheArtStory.org

Georges Seurat Art History For Kids Lesson Plan:

Note: I taught this lesson for a group of 10 mixed aged homeschoolers from pre-k through 8th grade. When doing the lesson, I catered to the higher levels because I believe young children will glean from this type of education.

Grades: Kindergarten through 8th Grade (Modify based on your own children/students)

Learning Objectives/ Big Ideas: The 19th century was a time of great innovation in the arts and the sciences. Pointillism was a part of the post-impressionist movement and was invented by Georges Seurat. Students will apply his technique and become familiar with how to create an art piece using Pointillism.

Vocabulary: art history, pointillism, primary colors, color mixing, Georges Seurat, impressionism, innovation, color theory

About Georges Seurat:

A fun way to remember this artist: “Seurat Dot” (pronounced “SIR-ROT DOT”) while I am pretty sure that this is an incorrect pronunciation- the fact that it rhymes really helps children to remember what Seurat was famous for… DOTS!

Georges Seurat was born in 1859 in Paris France. He was the youngest of 3 children and born into a wealthy home. He lived a comfortable life and was encouraged to study art. He was sent to art school where his formal study began. However, he dropped out due to the strict rules and lack of artistic freedom. Georges Seurat continued to study art on his own. When he found Claude Monet’s Impressionists works, he was in awe. Monet’s use of color and lines inspired Seurat to create his own artistic style, which became known as Pointillism.

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

— Georges Seurat

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Materials Needed:

art work prints by Seurat (Check out this website for free public domain art work- The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Book about Seurat (Optional)

picture of your child/student (5×7 or larger)

white cardstock paper

vellum paper (for tracing)

printer

black sharpie marker

acrylic paints in bright colors (or for younger kids-tempura paints)

Q-tips (lots)

newspaper for messes

paper plates

Map

Timeline

trash can or small brown paper bags

2 pieces of rope or string: one that is 7 feet long and the other 10 feet long- these will be used to demonstrate how large Georges Seurat’s art pieces were.

Optional: magnifying glass

Optional: Hardback blank book to keep your child’s art- if you are making them an Art History Introduction book.

Optional: I like to get into character when I teach. I find that the kids really enjoy it. For Art History I wear a beret and talk in an accent.

Prior to beginning the lesson:

You will need to create outlines of your child/students. This doesn’t take long, just a couple of steps and you can make the outlines for the self-portrait. See this lesson for instructions: Andy Warhol Pop Art Instructions.

I created a self-portrait template of myself so that I could have an example to do with my students. So, you may want to take the time to create a self-portrait of yourself

IF you do not want the Self-portrait portion of the lesson, please use any other picture or this template/coloring page of “A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte”.

Another great website with lots of famous art coloring pages is Supercoloring.com.

You can also give freedom to your students to sketch out whatever they would like and then paint using the pointillism technique.

The Lesson

Hook/Interest Grabber

1. Dress up and put on your Beret! Grab that accent and introduce yourself as the Artist/Instructor get into character and have fun!
2. Display a piece of Seurat’s artwork. You can locate free art on the website Metropolitan Museum of Art and print it up. Tell your students that they are going to be inspecting some famous art pieces and you need their expert input. I like to pass around a variety of art pieces and allow the children to really inspect it, they can use magnifying glasses as well. This is a great activity to get your children interested in the lesson.
3. Spend a couple of minutes allowing the children to describe what they see. Write notes on the board or on a piece of paper. Encourage discussion about colors used, perspective, and where else you may find this type of art (think of pixels on a TV or digital art).
4. Bring out your map and your art history timeline and show student that today’s artist is from Paris, France and lived during the 19th century. His name is Georges Seurat!

Lesson:

1. If you purchased the book “Joining the Dots: The Art Of Seurat” By In-Sook Kim, then read that book and discuss who Seurat was and his style of art. Pay attention to how Seurat uses the science of color to create illusions of color mixing in his famous art works. This book does a good job of showing that.
2. Discuss who Georges Seurat was and how he developed the Pointillism method which is a part of the larger impressionist movement.

Activity:

Children will create a self-portrait using the Pointillism method:

Step 1. Line the table with a protective covering such as newspaper.

Step 2. Pass out the supplies: Paper plate with which ever paint colors you are using, Q-tips (lots), trash can nearby, self-portrait template. (see Andy Warhol lesson for directions in how to create the self-portrait template)

Step 3. Using a blank sheet of paper, first demonstrate how when complementary colors are used next to each other in dots, when you stand back, the color appears to blend a bit.

Step 4. Model how to paint your own self-portrait using Q-tips and complementary colors.

Optional Activities:

1. Create your own art piece using pointillism. Sketch the ouline on a piece of white construction paper and paint it using dots of complementary color. Try not to leave any white left on the page.
2. Use Coloring page as a base for your art. Use Q-tips and paint to add the dots of color.

Closure

Many of the children will take quite a long time to finish with their art. This is great because it really shows how long pointillism took.

Georges Seurat was only able to complete seven large paintings in his lifetime because his style, pointillism, required such an intense amount of work and time.

Students can share their artwork with the class or put their art into their own art book. See how to make books for learning here.

Applying What We Learn: Ways to extend Art History Learning

Play a game (Go Fish Impressionists is a great game *NOTE: 2 cards have nudes, I removed them)

Make your own board game or card game.

Visit a Museum (virtual or in person)

Hold an Art Exposition and invite friends after you complete your art

Make food from the time period and host a luncheon- discuss art

Recreate famous pieces of art from the time period you are studying and take pictures

Dress up in attire from the time period you are studying

Complete the worksheet about art history.

Add Artists to a History Timeline Book

End Note: This Lesson was completed in one day over about 2 hours. It is a part of a 12 week mini-course titled “Art History for Kids”. All lesson activities are placed into the child’s own Art History Introduction book. I have made all of the information pages for each of the artists. These are available for purchase as are the other lessons (coming soon).

Best Books to Teach Art History to Children

One More Art History Tip for Teachers/Parents

Sometimes art prints can be expensive… However, I have been able to find lots of old art books at yard sales, thrift stores, and library sales. I often cut out pictures for the artists that I want to teach about to my kiddos.

Because the quality of the art is amazing when it is from a book (a bit better than when I print in myself), I often display the art around my house and do Charlotte Mason style “Art Picture Studies” with them.

SO… Always be on the lookout for those 50 cent old art books that you can cut up and use for art prints!!!

Which Artist Comes Next in Art History?

Vincent Van Gogh! He was another Post-Impressionist, and quite unpopular in his time. He shows us how the use of color and brush stroke can convey emotion and feeling. Come explore this innovative artist in the next lesson where we recreate, step-by-step, Starry Night (coming soon).

Make your own Art History display board.

Prior to each class, I would arrange my art history board with various art pieces as well as the artists self-portrait. I would include art from other artists of that time period so the children could see the similarities and differences.

How Did Your Georges Seurat Inspired Self-Portrait Turn Out?

Let me know in the comments below.

Sharing is caring! Be sure to share this Pointillism lesson with others that you know

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Beginning the habit of organization and time management comes at different times for different kids. When your child is ready to take on the responsibility of time management, getting them a simple and easy to use planner may be an effective strategy.

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

My daughter, when she hit nine years old, asked me if she could have a planner. She always saw me filling in my planners and I guess that sparked her interest. I love planning and so some of my habits may have rubbed off on my daughter. I have always believed that I am more productive when I write out my tasks and goals. If I neglect to do that, I find that my productivity level goes way down. I don’t know if everyone is like this, but I have met quite a few other women who share my love of to-do lists, check-off boxes, and post-it notes.

I like to use fun pens, stickers, and really get my planners to work for me. While I used to buy my planners, once I discovered how to make my own, I never looked back. I now create and design planners for myself (and now my children) to suit my needs. I decided to use this same strategy to create a planner for my daughter.

Benefits of Your Child Using a Planner

Learning to organize and prioritize activities in life is an important life skill. We are not born with this skill, it has to be taught to us. Many of us learn our organization skills by simply observing our parents. This could be good or bad, depending on the style you followed. Luckily there are so many resources available to help us grow in our organization skills. We should always be learning.

I wanted to make sure that I gave my children the opportunity to learn the skills of organization. I still have a lot of growth to do myself and feel as if I am always learning how to better organize my life. (Many times us creative folk struggle to keep our plentiful ideas in an orderly way).

Teaching Your Child How to Use a Planner and Prioritize Tasks

When your child is ready to take on the task of organization, here are some tips:

Allow them to personalize their planner in any way that they want. Add color, stickers, drawings, etc. Allow the planner to be theirs (not yours You can even use colored paper to print their planner on if you choose one that is a printable.

Fill in the dates for their monthly pages. Add in any important events for the month.

Go over any budget goals they may have (if you are working on budgeting with your child)

Guide them at the beginning of each week. Go over what tasks they need to complete each week. Help them to plan out any goals that they may have or any daily items they may need to accomplish. Ask them guiding questions such as:

“What is the most important thing you want to finish this week?”

“Is there anything that you need from me to help you meet that goal?”

“What is in your schedule for the day?”

“Are there any supplies that you need to help you accomplish what is necessary in your planner for the week?”

You know your child best, if daily help is necessary at first as they learn the habit of organization, then set aside some time each morning to go over the tasks for the day.

I Have Designed This Simple Printable Planner For My Child:

Items Your Child Can Place in Their Planner:

Birthdays

Holidays

Homework

Chores

Money-Earning opportunities (yard sales, entrepreneur fairs, etc.)

Church Events

Supplies You Can Purchase to Make Keeping a Planner More Engaging

Stickers

Highlighters

Fun and colorful pens

Erin Condren Kids Planner (if you are looking for a very thorough and comprehesive all in one planner)

See my picks below:

“When we teach our children how to be organized and prioritize their daily activities, we set our children up for success in life.”

ACreativeLearner.com

Other Websites that have great information on Planning and Goal Setting for Children:

BigLifeJournal.com

TeachsKidsHow.com

Connect With Me!

How do you help your child with their organizational skills? Do you have any advice to help with this skill?

Other posts you may like:

Free Minimalist Homeschool Planner

New to Homeschooling? Click Here.

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What is nature journaling?

Nature journaling is the practice of writing or drawing the observations that are made when outside. These observations can be plants, rock forms, animals, weather, or anything else that happens in nature.

In the early 1800s, they led the exploration of the west. This included the newly purchased Louisiana Territory and all the way to the Pacific Coast. All along the way, they kept very detailed journals so that they could share with President Jefferson of the animals, plants, and landscapes they had seen.

Today Nature Journaling has gained a lot of popularity in homeschooling. It is something that I do regularly with my children and I know a lot of other families do it as well.

For more information on Lewis and Clark, check out the website AmericanHistoryforKids.com.

Check out some more of the original images of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Journals on Yale’s Website.

So, let’s make learning more memorable and add creativity to our day by creating our own vintage style journal and filling it with the things we discover on our journey through history (or life in general).

Creating your own vintage style journal is the perfect way to record and document your observations of the world and in any lesson that you are learning about. Moms, you can make your own as well.

Here are the Directions (simple and easy) to make your own Vintage style Nature Journal

Side Note: This activity is particularly delightful if you are a coffee lover like me. Your house, fingers, and paper will smell like delicious coffee

What you will need to make your own Vintage Nature Journal:

For the Journal:

brown paper bag

computer paper 8.5 x 11 inch

string or rope

8.5 x 11 inch piece of thin cardboard (this could be optional-depending if you want a hard back cover or not)

cold coffee (preferably strong)

towel (an old one that you do not care about)

paper towels or cotton balls

scissors or hole punch.

For the “ink”:

black paint

water

small container

feathers for writing (optional)

Karhood Quill Pen and Ink Set – Feather Calligraphy Dip Pen with Wax Seal Stamp Kit and 5 Nibs (Red)

TommoT 100 Pcs 6-8 Inch Natural Large White Goose Feathers for Dream Catcher Crafts and Clothing Decoration

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink, 30ml (1-oz) Bottle, Black

HP Printer Paper | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Copy &Print 20 Lb | 1 Bulk Pack – 750 Sheets | 92 Bright | Made in USA – FSC Certified | 200030R

Amazon Basics Multipurpose, Comfort Grip, PVD Coated, Stainless Steel Office Scissors, 3-Pack, Purple, Green & Gray

Instructions:

If your kids are anything like mine, they love to get into the mess of making crafts. So let them get messy. Clear off your kitchen table (or any area where you don’t mind there being a mess). Cover it with towels (towels that you DO NOT care about because coffee will stain) or you can cover it with a newspaper.

Let’s Get Started Making Our Journal!

1. Rip the edges off of your paper to give an old look.

2. Lay out several white sheets of paper on the towels.

3. Get your cup of cold coffee and dip cotton balls or paper towels into it. Rub the coffee all over one side of the paper. Be sure to put extra coffee on the torn edges. It will make them darker.

4. Liberally apply coffee to the other side of the white paper

5. Allow about an hour to dry. Depending on humid the air is where you live.

6. While the paper is drying, cut a piece of brown paper bag that is approximately 9.5 inches by 12 inches.

7. Wrinkle the brown paper bag by crumbling it into a ball, opening it up, crumbling it into a ball, over and over and over. You want the texture of the brown paper bag to be like a worn leather.

8. Check your “stained paper” to see if it is dry. If it is, stack it up and fold it in half (hamburger style).

9. Either cut holes along the fold of the paper or use a hole punch

10a. Cut corresponding holes along the fold of the brown paper bag

10b. If you want to have a hard cover book, you will glue the brown paper bag around the piece of thing cardboard and fold in half. Cut holes along the fold.

11. Using the string, bind your pages and cover together. Tie a knot to finish it off.

Use Your Lovely vintage journal and have fun!

My kids not only wanted the Journal inspired by the journals of Meriwether Lewis, they wanted more journals so that they could write stories, and draw their own pictures (nothing connected to what we were learning, so we made more (LOTS more). I found that I was going through making lots of rounds of stained paper.

Mapmaking skills

These journals are a great way to practice mapmaking skills. We have purchased a couple of books on mapmaking that have inspired us to create interesting and unique maps.

Go outside and really explore.

Books we use for inspiration:

Map Art Lab: 52 Exciting Art Explorations in Mapmaking, Imagination, and Travel (Lab Series)

Fantasy Mapmaker: How to Draw RPG Cities for Gamers and Fans

Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling

Merriam-Webster’s Student Atlas – Features full-color physical, political, & thematic maps

Nature Journaling

You can create a journal specifically for nature journaling or field trips to record findings and things learned. These little vintage journals are so fun to nature journal in. It does not matter the age of the child. They are small enough and light enough to travel with.

Check out this Nature Journal resource: Law’s Guide to Teaching Nature Journaling

You can even use thicker art paper instead of computer paper that way your child (or you) can water color or draw in them with markers.

The most important thing to remember is to make this fun and create wonderful memories with your kids

Once my kids finish filling in their vintage nature journals, I will update this post with additional pictures!

Side Note for Moms.

You can always create one of these for yourself so that you can journal and get creative! My good friend makes journals from junk and they are just marvelous and inspiring. You can get inspired or buy one by clicking here.

Sooooo…. Did your children enjoy creating their own vintage journal? Will you make your own? Do you like to journal? Let me know, let’s chat!

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