Homeschooling-ideas.com Newsletter - Fuel the Fire Issue #92 - May 2017
Print this Newsletter
Hi!
Welcome to the ninety-second issue of Fuel the Fire.
If you like this newsletter, please forward the link to share it with your friends.
If you received this issue from a friend, please subscribe so you won't miss out on all the fun ideas coming in future issues.
Thanks for joining me today, and enjoy this issue!
In this Issue
Merry MayThe Three R's - Resources, Read-Alouds and Recommendations.
Fuel the Fire Ideas.
May News
Hi, hope you are having a good May so far.
Things have been busy here as both children will be taking exams in a few weeks. Fingers crossed as these are final exams for my daughter and her University place depends on them. I am still a little surprised that both children opted for exams. If yours are more reluctant then do check out my blog post about the other opportunities available to teens.
Have a great month and see you next time.
Please note that some of the links in this newsletter are affiliate links, which means if you buy I get a (very) small percentage of the sale. If you would prefer not to support this site in that way, just go to Google and search for the product mentioned yourself.
Resources, Read-Alouds, and Recommendations
In this section of my newsletter, I want to bring you great recommendations that I think you will enjoy in your homeschooling.Mothers Day Gift Ideas
Need a gift idea from the children? Do go check out my printable downloads - perfect for grandmothers everywhere :) Print it yourself, then add your own handprints for a truly personalized gift.
|
Mother and Daughter Journal This seems like the perfect time to get closer to your daughter (or mother!). This Mother/Daughter journal is a no stress, no rules journal that you both fill in and share with each other. |
 
|
Fuel the Fire in May
Free Physics Coloring Books and Activities
I found some neat physics coloring book that I thought I would point you at - you can download them here.
But then I took a look around the rest of the site!
PhysicsCentral has got some really great physics activities. There are physics comic books to read as part of a physics quest.
And my favorite part - ask a physicist.
Now we can really get all our questions answered!
Electric Conductive Paint
Conductive ink is a type of ink that conducts electricity. So it lets you draw a circuit that you would normally need a wire for. No more soldering!
What a great opportunity it gives us for homeschooling science and electronics projects! An educational project that is also fun!
I went searching for ideas for prjects we could use it for, and this is what I came up with - Electronic Conductive Paint Projects
One Hour Homeschooling
I have used one hour homeschooling on and off all through our homeschool journey. It makes a wonderful schedule perfect for
- Summer homeschooling.
- When life gets overwhelming or there is a family crisis to deal with.
- To relax a little and take a break without losing momentum.
- When you want to unschool but you just really need a little structure still.
I have found it to be a really effective schedule (see Can a one hour homeschooling schedule really work).
Need some ideas on how to try it out? Find out more about one hour homeschooling.
Make a Velociraptor
My friend Sonya's daughter has make this really cool Velociraptor from paper mache.
Sonya has kindly put together a tutorial on her site, complete with the paper mache recipe they used - and lots of pictures!
I can think of lots of uses of building this kind of 'animal sculpture'. Check it out here and see what you think.
And if you have children that love dinosaurs do take a look at my other website - www.kids-dinosaurs.com
Raising Butterflies
It is the time of year, in the UK at least, when caterpillars are starting to appear.
Raising butterflies is something we have done almost every year since the children were small.
It is a wonderful way to introduce children to life cycles and metamorphosis. A fascinating way to do a bit of homeschooling science!
FakeBook
I am sure you are all familiar with Facebook by now (and if you haven't liked my page then go do it now!!).
But I really loved this idea from Classtools.net.
Fakebook is a tool to let you set up 'fake' Facebook-type accounts for famous people or fictional characters.You don't actually have to let your child near Facebook to use it - and each page is password protected, so only you can work on it.
Wouldn't this be a great way to produce an online diary for your favorite historical or inspiring person? Need a list? Take a look at this guest blog post by Paula Cleary.
Edible Crafts
The children and I were talking about playing with our food recently - and reminded my of my edible crafts for kids page!
It made us get out the potato peeler for another try! If you do try vegetable carving, then a nice book to go with it is Daniel's Duck
by Clyde Robert Bulla.
Best Board Games
I have absolutely loved incorporating board games into our homeschooling.
They are a great addition to almost every subject - and a fun way to learn. Over the years we have tried out LOTS :) And I have pulled together a list of my favorites.
See my list of educational board games here
Enjoy!
Shorthand
Would you like to write up to 100% faster? Need a secret code to stop prying eyes reading your stuff?
We have been wanting to do both of those things recently, so we took a look at learning shorthand.
There are several forms of shorthand, but we liked the look of Handywrite.
It has been interesting working through the lessons and learning something new. And hopefully we will find it useful in the future for taking notes too.
If you would like to take a look, the Handywrite site is here.
Games to Play
More games for you to play.- Anatomy Arcade. Suggested by my friend V. this is a great game for learning about anatomy.
- Stackopolis. Stack the blocks to match the artists impression.
- Daily Set Puzzle. This is a daily problem to find 6 'sets'. There is a learn to play button if you need help.
- And for the younger ones - Wacky measurement. Not an online game - print off the wacky ruler and do some measuring.
Thanks so much for joining me for this issue of "Fuel the Fire".
Be sure to look out for the next issue on 6th June 2017. If you can't wait, then you can find a more regular injection of ideas on:
If you have any comments or suggestions to help me improve this newsletter, I would love to hear from you!
Go to Homeschooling-Ideas Home Page