State Lesson Plans

If your kiddos are learning about your state, here are some great resources to use:

• My State Symbols
• Organize Your Research
• Plan a Trip to a Historical Society
• Plan an Interview  
  

  Unit 1 Geography

• Geography Where You Live
• Where is My State?
• What is My State Like?
• Why Are Certain Landforms in My State?

Unit 2 Government

• Government Where You Live
• Executive Branch
• Legislative Branch
• Judicial Branch

Unit 3 Culture

• Culture Where You Live
• People and Language
• Traditions
• Food and Recreation

Unit 4 Economy

• The Economy Where You Live
• Manufacturing
• Mining
• Agriculture

Unit 5 History

• History Where You Live
• The First People
• The First Settlers
• Important Events

Unit 6 Connect to the World

• Your State and the World
• Imports
• Origin of Imports
• International Business in Your State

Calendar Lesson Plan

Target has these for only $2.50!  I grabbed one for Luke's calendar time.  Many important concepts can be introduced and reinforced through the use of the daily calendar. Working with the calendar helps children to develop an understanding of such abstract ideas as yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It also introduces the days of the week, months of the year and the relationship between months and seasons.

To see the activities we will do during calendar time, click here.

Winner $25 American Express Gift Certificate

We have a winner for our $25 American Express Gift Certificate Contest!

Comment # 129 Sohamolina said...

"http://twitter.com/sohamolina/status/17434744684   1 "

I have emailed the winner who has 48 hours to send me their mailing address or I will pick another winner. 

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Lesson Plan

One of the best alphabet books ever!  Written by alphabet book by Bill Martin, Jr and John Archambault, this book will delight both kids and adults.

Here are some fun learning activities to pair with this book:


Language Arts:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom letter and tree template, perfect for file folder or as a a prop while reading the story.

ABC Order Cards




Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Story Template. Instead of gluing the tree together, fasten with a brass fastener to make the tree capable of going "boom! boom!"

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Personal Reader.  To complete the book, the children must trace each uppercase letter.

Large ABC flashcards

 More ABC flashcards






Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Sign Language Book.  Make this Chicka Chicka Boom Boom sign language book.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom  Sight Word Letter Tile Cards.

Art:

Make this fun Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Craft.

Handwriting:

Trace the letters of the uppercase alphabet on this Chicka Chicka Boom Boom worksheet.

Trace the letters of the lowercase alphabet on this worksheet.

For Fun:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Printable gameboard. It's an open-ended board that you can use with any skill. There are blank cards to go with it so you could create game cards if you chose.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Bingo Game.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Coloring Page.

Make this fun fishing for letters game.







If you are interested in purchasing Chicka Chicka Boom Boom please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See Lesson Plan

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is one of our favorite books.  The boys love the predictable rhymes and the easy flow of the story.  Eric Carle said that he wrote it while on a train, and it is easy to see that inspiration in the flow of the words.                               

Before Reading: Show the child the cover of the book.  Ask them to think of what things the Brown Bear might see.

During Reading: When you come to the page with the blue horse, ask the child if they have ever seen a blue horse.  Do they think blue horses are real or make believe?

After Reading: Ask the child if they remember what animals the bear saw.

Reading:

Practice reading with this fun emergent reader based on Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

Learn about shapes and colors with this emergent reader, Red Square, Red Square, what do you see?

Practice color word recognition with this worksheet

Art:

Make a brown bear project with this template

Math:

Solve the word problem with this Brown Bear Addition worksheet.

Watch this video of Eric Carle reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

If you are interested in purchasing Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Sunday Strolling

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!


About Me: I'm a 35 year old Mommy from Nevada. Hubby and I have 6 boys - yes 6, yes all boys, and yes we know what causes that (and we had fun doing it! LOL!) Our boys range in age from 4 to 17. In addition to being a busy momma, I am working on my Master's Degree in Elementary Education, and am an elected officer (city council!)



I love to blog about Mommyhood, homeschooling, learning activities, and giveaways!



Feel free to comment and follow! I will follow you back
 
 

Multiplication Self-Correcting Timed Tests

If your child is working on learning their multiplication tables, here is an interactive self correcting timed test for them to try out.  You can find quizzes for each fact family here. (scroll down to evaluate)

Wacky Web Tales

Remember MadLibs from when you were a kid? Wacky Web Tales is a similar way to practice parts of speech, grammar, reading and more.  Your child chooses a story, then enters their responses in a form like this one:

Here is the story Tyler generated:

All a Dream


I fell asleep yesterday listening to an old album that my mom had. I really enjoyed it, though I had a weird dream. It was kind of like one of the old songs.



I've been workin' in Disneyland,

All the pretty day.

I've been workin' in Disneyland,

Just to pass the time away.

Don't you hear the whistle running?

Rise up so early in the morn.

Don't you hear George Washington shouting

“Tyler, jump your horn? ”



Tyler, won't you jump,

Tyler, won't you jump,

Tyler, won't you jump your horn?

Tyler, won't you jump,

Tyler, won't you jump,

Tyler, won't you jump your horn?



Someone's in the kitchen with Tyler.

Someone's in the kitchen, I know.

Someone's in the kitchen with Tyler

Strumming on the old guitar.



It was the weirdest dream I've had in a long time!

Learn Sign Language - Alphabet and Numbers 0-20

Learn numbers 0-20 and the alphabet in sign language with this video.

Information on all of the US Presidents

If your child is learning about the Presidents of the United States, you will want to check out this site filled with tons of information for each of the Presidents.

They can use the information they learn to complete these Presidential reports.

Practice editing with this Presidential themed worksheet

Fun word problems with a presidential theme

Use statistics about the Presidents to practice math!

Lots of Handwriting Resources

Have your child watch the video below, then practice what they learned with one of these handwriting worksheets.

Free On-Line Guitar Lessons

Free Guitar Lesson For Kids and Beginners - Lesson #1

Free Guitar Lesson For Kids and Beginners - Lesson #2
Free Guitar Lesson For Kids and Beginners - Lesson #3
Free Guitar Lesson For Kids and Beginners - Lesson #4
Free Guitar Lesson For Kids and Beginners - Lesson #5

Lego Smart Creativity Contest

Now through July 2010, LEGO® Education is inviting K-12 teachers and home educators from across the United States to register as contestants for the 2010 LEGO® Smart™ Creativity Contest, challenging classrooms coast to coast to become LEGO Smart!

The 2010 contest, including prize information and contest rules, will be emailed to all pre-registered contestants on Monday, August 2, 2010, starting at 8am CST.

To order your free kit, visit this link.

There are also great learning activites for you to try with your kiddos!

Clifford Interactive Storybooks and Phonics Fun!

Scholastic has interactive storybooks featuring Clifford the Dog on their website, along with fun phonics based games.  They are perfect for your beginning readers!

Contest Link-Up

Be sure to stop by and enter to win a $25 American Express Gift Card here, then enter one of the great contests below:

Hosting a contest on your blog or website?  Link up here!  Please observe the following rule:

1. List the link directly to the giveaway post and not the blog or website homepage.

Penny Lesson Plan

Reading:

For the youger ones: Learn about the Lincoln Penny with this emergent reader

For the older ones: Learn about the history of the Lincoln penny with this reading comprehension worksheet.


Science:

Try this fun science experiment using pennies.

If you are interested in purchasing Pennies please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Double the Ducks Lesson Plan

The young cowboy in this fun book has his two hands full with five little ducks. They need three sacks of food and four bundles of hay. And when they each bring home a friend, it's twice as much work. For 10 little ducks, he needs double the food, double the hay and double the hands!

The first step in mastering basic addition is adding a number to itself (for example, 3+3), and this book helps children to do that. 

Here are some more ideas for doubling the fun:


* After you've read the story together once, reread the story, using small objects such as buttons, marbles, or blocks. Ask the child "double the number" of objects to match the storyline.

* Tell the child that you've thought of a number and then doubled it. Then say what the doubled number is and ask if he, or she, can figure out what the original number was. (For example, if the doubled number is 10, the correct answer is 5.) If the child has difficulty, use a group of small objects-buttons, paper clips, or pennies-that total your doubled number. Then have the child separate them into two groups.

* Pick out all the doubles in a set of dominoes together.

* Have the child make a “Doubles Book.” To prepare, take sheets of 8 ½ x 11 inch paper, and fold them  in half to form a book. On the left-hand side of each page, draw an object (for example, 1 person, 2 ducks, 3 balloons, 4 trees, and 5 flowers). Ask the childr to draw double the number objects on the right-hand side
of each page (for example, 2 people, 4 ducks, 6 balloons, 8 trees, and 10 flowers). Using a new sheet of
paper, have the children draw a cover for their Doubles Books. Staple the book.

* Have your child practice solving double addition problems with this worksheet.

If you are interested in purchasing Double the Ducks please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Neil Armstrong Lesson Plan

41 years ago today Neil Armstrong took the first human steps on  the moon.



Here are a few activities for learning more about space:

Language Arts

How much money should be spent on space travel?  Answer that question with this writing prompt.

If you could travel to outer space, where would you like to travel to and why?



Match the letters in this space themed worksheet.

Reading

Read about Neil Armstrong.

Read more about Neil Armstrong

Math


A person weighs different amounts in space. Calculate how much you would weigh on different planets here

Pancakes Pancakes Lesson Plan

After reading Eric Carle's delightful book, Pancakes, Pancakes, the boys were ready to make some text to self connections by cooking up their own yummy pancakes. It was a great way to practice some measurement skills!

Handwriting

P is for pancakes!  Practice writing the letter P here.

For Fun!

Pepa Pig enjoys pancakes too!

If you are interested in purchasing Pancakes Pancakes!, please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Teaching Positional Words

To introduce positional words, play this quick game. Have your child follow simple directions, such as

-- put your hands between your knees, over your head, on your chest, under your chin, etc.

Use as many different positional words as possible! This is also a great review of body parts.

Here is a list of some directional/positional words you want your child to understand:

• 
  
  above
• 
  
  over
• 
  
  below
• 
  
  under
• 
  
  around
• 
  
  through
• 
  
  between
• 
  
  beside
• 
  
  near
• 
  
  far
• 
  
  top
• 
  
  middle
• 
  
  bottom
• 
  
   left
• 
  
   right
• 
  
  on
• 
  
  in
• 
  
  out
• 
  
  off
• 
  
  in front
• behind

Practice positional words with this ocean themed worksheet.

Crossout Math Game

Roll a dice. Match that number on the paper and cross it off. Keep rolling until all your numbers are
crossed off.

Partner version: Last one to cross off a number is the winner

Race To Trace Game

Race to Trace is a fun game to practice number recognition and how to write numbers from one to six.  Using two different color pencils, crayons, pens, or markers, take turns rolling the dice and then tracing the number.  See who can trace the most numbers.

Toy Writing Prompt

Look carefully at the picture above, then write a short story about it. 

Some questions to consider as you write:

• What do you think the boy is saying to his mother? 
• How do you think she responds?
• Do you think the mom will buy the robot toy for her son? 
• What do you think will happen with the robot? 
• What adventure might the boy have with the robot?

Fabulous Fractions!

If your kiddos are learning about fractions, here are some great resources:



Learn about fractions with marshmallows

Learn about fractions with Lifesavers

Learn about fractions with this worksheet

Recognize how many parts are in a fraction, and if the parts are equal or not equal

ABCya Site Review

I am currently using this website with my own kiddos and we all love it — great graphics, lots of sounds, and useful content based material. ABCya sums it us best themselves:


“ABCya! is the leader in free educational kids computer games and activities for elementary students to learn on the web. All children’s educational computer games and activities were created or approved by certified teachers. ABCya! educational games are free and are modeled from primary grade lessons and enhanced to provide an interactive way for children to learn. ABCya! games and activities incorporate content areas such as math and reading while introducing basic computer skills. Many of the kindergarten and first grade games are equipped with sound to enhance understanding.”

Higher Order Thinking Skills

If you are trying to make sure that you include higher order thinking skills in your lesson planning, you may want to print out this handy chart featuring Bloom’s Objective Verbs. It is a great help when considering your activities for each lesson.

Rare "Corpse Flower"

The "Corpse Flower" (Amorphophallus titanum) gets its name from the pungent stench (strong smell) it emits in bloom - this, combined with the flower's huge size and deep purple color, convinced the first explorers who encountered it in Sumatra to believe it was a man-eating plant! Since then, this extremely rare plant has gained celebrity status by having one of the largest, rarest, and smelliest flowers in the world. These flowers can reach heights of 7-10 ft and a diameter of 5-6 ft.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science  has one of these incredibly rare and odorous flowers ready to bloom in their the Cockrell Butterfly Center.

You can view a video here:


See the Corpse Flower at HMNS! [Amorphophallus titanum] from HMNS on Vimeo.

You can also view the live cam of the flower as it prepares to bloom at their website here.

Activity Ideas - Math


•Measure how tall you are. Write down your height and mark it lightly with pencil on a door frame.

•  On July 1 the flower was 2.5 feet tall. How many inches taller or shorter are you?

•By July 4 the flower had grown to 3.4 feet. How much had it grown over three days?
•By July 9 the flower stood 5 feet tall. How much had it grown over five days?
•As of July 13 the flower had grown to about 5.4 feet. How much had it grown since July 1?

Read- Aloud Tips

Looking for ways to add to your read aloud time?  Try a few of these suggestions:

1. Write down a list of new words that you didn't know. Look up the meanings for the words.
2. Write a new ending to the story.

3. Write down any words that end with the suffix ___(insert whatever suffix you are working on.)

4. Write down any words that start with the prefix ___. "                                                            "

5. Write a math problem from the story. Example: Mudge saw two rabbits. then he saw four more. How many in all did he see?

6. Illustrate your favorite part. Write a sentence or two explaining your illustration.

7. Make a puppet show about the book or one chapter from the book.

8. Create a reader's theatre of the story.

Color Zoo

Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert is an amazing work of art. The pages are filled with shape cutouts that are stacked on top of each other to make a recognizable animal. As you turn the pages, a layer is removed, revealing yet another animal picture. The first page shows a tiger’s face using a circle, square, and triangle. When you turn the page, the circle is removed to reveal a mouse face made with a square and a triangle.

You can make your own Color Zoo to go along with the story.




Supplies:


• Scissors

• Glue

• Crayons

• A variety of shape cutouts in different colors and sizes

• Paper to glue animals on

Directions:

1. After reading the book, tell your children that you’re going to make your own Color Zoo! How many different animals do they think they can create?


2. Put all the shapes in the middle of the table for your children to look at. Have your children think of an animal they want to make, and help them find different shapes to create that animal. Sometimes it helps to just start putting shapes together and see what it looks like!

3. When they’re satisfied with their animal, have them glue the shapes together on paper.

4. Add eyes, mouths, whiskers, tails, etc. with crayons.

You can watch the book being read here:



If you are interested in purchasing Color Zoo, please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Math Search Game

Make 15 Math Game

In this game your child competes against the computer to make three numbers that add up to 15. Parents, try is first. It is a little challenging!

Mystery Word Game

This short video shows you how to play Mystery Word with your child. The purpose of this game is to help your child learn spelling patterns in words by making smaller words out of a larger word. In this video they  use an eight letter word, but you may start with a six or seven letter word if you choose.




Third Grade "Mystery Word" Game from Wes Thorp on Vimeo.

WINNER OF PARIGI OUTFIT

We have a winner for our Parigit Outfit Giveaway!

Comment # 11 casey aubut said...


"follow you on Twitter"

I have emailed the winner who has 48 hours to send me their mailing address or I will pick another winner.




Enter our other contest:

Win a $25 gift card from American Express

Get 40% off at Barnes & Noble.com!

This month,you can receive 40% off one kids' book at Barnes & Noble.com. Visit BN.COM and use the code N9N8D9U while making your purchase

What Time Is It

Telling time is an important skill!  Here are some videos to help learn about telling time.




Below are some great games and activities you can use to reinforce this skill.


Telling Time Quiz (by the hour)

Telling Time Quiz (by the minute)

What Time Is It?

Practice telling time to the hour with this worksheet

Measuring Up

Here are some great links to help your kiddos practice measurement skills.

Ruler Practice (game)


More Ruler Practice (Put the game on whole or half setting - the child clicks on the ruler as quickly as they can)

Practice measurement with this worksheet

Practice using a ruler with this worksheet.

Reading Rainbow - Digging Up Dinosaurs

Digging Up Dinosaurs from WVPT on Vimeo.

Writing Prompt - Which Would You Rather Be?

Which Would You Rather Be? by William Steig, is a question/answer style book, in which questions are asked such as, "Which would you rather be...a stick or a stone?; a mouse or an elephant?; or thunder or lightning?" After reading the story, have your child write what thing they would rather be, and why.  Make sure they give several reasons for their choice.

If you are interested in purchasing Which Would You Rather Be?, please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Responding To Literature - The Very Busy Spider

Lead Sentence (title, author)

• I really like The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle, because...
• Have you ever read the book The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle?  It is a very good book because...

Text-to-Self connection (What does this story remind you of? Why?)

• The Very Busy Spider reminded me of ... because ...

Favorite Part of the Book (What was your favorite part and why?)

• My favorite part of Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider was ... because...

Illustration (Draw a picture).

If you are interested in purchasing The Very Busy Spider, please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

The Very Lonely Firefly Reader's Response

A while back we read The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle. Here is Cody's reader's response to it.

To print out a reader's response form click here.



If you are interested in purchasing The Very Lonely Firefly, please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Big Huge Thesaurus: Synonyms, antonyms, and rhymes (oh my!)

Looking for a way to jazz up your kids' writing?  Have them visit  Big Huge Thesaurus: Synonyms, antonyms, and rhymes (oh my!) .  You can use the site to introduce new vocabulary, introduce synonyms and antonyms, and  Engage your child in poetry writing, creative expression and reflective writing.

What is life like for kids in other parts of the world?

Read about children from different countries, their school and home life, and their customs, what they like to eat or how they spend their free time on this website.

After you’ve browsed through different accounts, think about what kids from other countries would find interesting and different about your life.  Write in your journal about your life.

Rhyming Dust Bunnies Lesson Plan

A group of dust bunnies rhyme all the time — well, everyone except Bob. Much to the other bunnies' frustration, Bob can never get the rhythm right. Then he saves everyone from a big scary monster that's wielding a broom. Can Bob save them from the next attack?
                                                   
 DRA: 28-30

Guided Reading: N

 Begining Reader Book

Before Reading:

Talk to your child about rhyming words.

During Reading:

Encourage your child to participate in reading this book by thinking of words that rhyme with the words in the book. When each Dust Bunny asks for words that rhyme with “car” or “cat”, have your child come up with suggestions of their own before you read the other dust bunies answers. Their suggestions will make Bob’s ill-rhymed words all the better.



Language Arts

Find words that rhyme with dog with this Dust Bunny Rhyming Worksheet

Match the rhyming words on this worksheet.

Art
Perform a kind of Readers’ Theater with this book. Make these cute little dust bunny puppets and have your children act out the story.

You can watch this story being read below:


If you are interested in purchasing Rhyming Dust Bunnies, please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Office Depot - Back-to-School Deals 7/11-7/17

There are some great back to school deals in this week's Office Depot ad.





*Mr. Sketch Markers 12-pk: In Store Price $7.99 Limit 1


$7.99 Mail-in savings (Visa Prepaid Card)


Final Price: FREE






*Swingline LightTouch Reduced Effort Stapler: In Store Price $13.99 Limit 1


$2.00 Instant savings and $13.99 Manufacturer's Mail-in savings


Final Price: FREE








*Office Depot Brand Multipurpose Paper Ream: In Store Price $6.29 Limit 2


$5.29 Mail-in savings (Visa Prepaid Card)


Final Price: $1.00






*Office Depot Brand Color-Coded Heavyweight Sheet Protectors: In Store Price $7.59 Limit 3


$6.59 Mail-in savings (Visa Prepaid Card)


Final Price: $1.00








*Pentel Quicker Clicker Mechanical Pencils 2-pk: In Store Price $7.49 Limit 3


$6.49 Mail-in savings (Visa Prepaid Card)


Final Price: $1.00








*Wilson Jones 1" Round-Ring Impact Binders: In Store Price $3.99 Limit 3


Save $2.99 Instantly


Final Price: $1.00






You can also use this coupon for $10 off your purchase of $25 or more through July 15th.






Be sure to sign up for their free Office Depot Worklife Rewards program to earn rewards from your purchases.

Buy $100 of Eligible Items from Amazon, Get a $20 Promo Code

From now until July 31, 2010 purchase $100 or more in one order from the eligible office products, and you'll receive a promo code good for $20 towards your next purchase of eligible products shipped from and sold by Amazon.com.

Here are a few of my homeschool supply MUST HAVES:

underWAY and Smart for Life Review

During each of my pregnancies with my 6 boys I gained a lot a little bit of weight, and needless to say, I have a bit of "junk in the trunk" that I'd like to get rid of.  I had heard a bit about a "cookie diet" and was intrigued, so when Mom Central invited me to try out underWAY and Smart for Life products, I jumped at the chance.  I recieved this package in the mail filled with lots of goodies.

Along with the goodies came a brochure explaining the program that said I could lose up to 15 pounds in 4 weeks eating healthy, all-natural Smart Foods.  A recent study done at the Boca Raton Smart for Life Weight Management Center. Out of 46 subjects that visited and used a portion-controlled, protein-rich, low fat cookie with unique fiber technology, all subjects lost weight with the average being 13.1 pounds in 35 days. Five subjects lost over 20 pounds in 35 days and 20 subjects lost over 15 pounds in the first 35 days. The 46 participants lost a total of 601 pounds with one patient losing 38.7 pounds in 35 days.

While on the diet you are supposed to eat 6 cookies throughout the day (these can also be substituted with muffins, soup, bagels, or a shake). 
 
 

 
You also should drink at tleast 64 ounces of sugar-free. calorie free liquids and a healthy dinner meal. 
 
 
 

 
I have never found "diet food" to be particularly yummy, but so far everything I've tasted has been super yummy!  I especially liked the shakes and the carrot sunshine cupcakes.
 

 
Now you can try the products yourself.  They are offering my readers a special 10% discount code for underWAY and Smart for Life products. Please use MCUS10OFFUW for underWAY products at http://www.underway.com/ and MCUS10OFFSFL at http://www.smartforlife.com/. Discounts expire August 30th.
 
So far, I've been feeling great and satisfied throughout the day - and I've lost 4.5 pounds so far.  I will keep you updated with the 2 and 4 week results!
 
Disclosure:
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of underWAY and Smart for Life and received samples of the products to review.