Tobacco Farming Stories

My blogger friend Debbie has a facinating post about her childhood experiences helping with tabacco farms in North Carolina. She shares details of the entire process. See here.

Awesome Thrift Store Curriculum Finds

See here.

June Homeschool History: Flag Protection Act

"The flag-protection movement regained national momentum during World War I, and on June 14, 1923, the first National Flag Conference was held in Washington, D.C., to establish a set of rules for civilian flag use. The U.S. Flag Code, first published in 1923 and adopted by Congress in 1942, is based on the belief that the American flag “represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” It proscribes any use of the flag that could be construed as disrespectful, including using it for advertising and to decorate clothing and other goods. While the U.S. Supreme Court struck down flag-protection laws as violations of free speech in 1989, the Flag Code is still maintained as a code of etiquette, enforced not by law but by tradition....In the 1920s, when the U.S. Flag Code was created, teaching respect for the flag was considered an essential part of 'Americanization', the process of assimilating immigrants into loyal, English-speaking citizens."

Read more here at the Smithsonian National Museum of History. Link to classroom resource.

Nature Study: Gentle Giants, Mountain Gorillas of Uganda

I showed this to my children this morning. So amazing! I hope these beautiful creatures, a marvel of God's creation, are protected.

Also see National Geographic for Kids - games, and other online educational freebies.

Kindle Fire for Homeschool/Early Learning

I finally decided to try the Kindle Fire android after our laptop broke. I liked it so much for reading, browsing the web, and keeping up with social media that I bought two. My husband uses one for audiobooks and movies. The other was for me, but I quickly discovered many educational apps that were free or very low cost for homeschool. I saw many Amazon apps for older children, but I am primarily using the first grade apps for my daughter.

I found apps for read-along books, math, science, spelling, phonics, and reading. A few of my daughter's favorites:

How to Count Coins (For Kids Ages 3-10)
Starfall Learn To Read
Monkey Word School Adventure
Monkey Math School Sunshine
Abby Sight Words Games
Flash Cards vol 1: Kids Learn to Read - Learning Reading      Adventure
Reading Rainbow (Kindle Tablet Edition)
Peter Pig's Money Counter
MathOpen Cool Math Kids Game.
Preschool to 5th Grade Kids Learning Games : Preschool,      Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Math Bugaboo
Montessori Phonics Long vowels, Blends and Digraphs for      Kindergarten Kids
Butterfly Math
Bubble Words
Phonics and Reading With McGuffey
First Grade Learning Games (Full Version)
First Grade Kids Word Play - Word Find, Sight Word Memory,      Phonics & Spelling Games
Fox In Socks - Dr. Seuss
Sight Words Sentence Builder
iStoryBooks
Let's Do the Math
Body Organs 4 Kids
My First Money Tablet
Math BINGO
Pink Pig (Miss Rhonda's Readers Set ONE)

I also got a subscription to the FreeTime Unlimited app on Kindle Fire which is wonderful! It's a children's program with video, read-along books, and learning apps protected with a password so that the child does not wander off the FreeTime page. A time limit can also be programmed. My daughter's reading has greatly improved with the read-along books. We worked on a phonics and a learning-to-read program that worked for my son many year ago, but she is learning much more easily with computer based programs. We've ordered so many wonderful read along books, easy readers, and mom- read books since having this Kindle. I never have to ask her to do school work; she does it willingly, and throughout the day and evening.

Now my teenage son wants one. I'll wait until Christmas and pick out the larger Kindle with 4G for him. Academic school books and Classic books are free or low priced via the Kindle. If it breaks, the replacement is free with the one year warranty, and an optional two year extension for $49.99.

We got this Kindle Fire(below) for $159.00 with a subscription to FreeTime via Amazon Prime for $2.99 monthly. I just noticed this sale for Father's Day: $20 off Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD 8.9", or Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G. Enter DADSFIRE at checkout.  Expires 6/8/13.

Art and Math Coin Counting Fun

Cute idea for learning coins, counting, addition, and even subtraction . Give child a specific number of coins, have them design shapes or things while counting the total. Art and math!  For subtraction, maybe this caterpillar could eat shapes that you've made with coins. Make it fun and imaginative.
Source.

Spring Bird Songs and Hatching Eggs

Free Vintage Notebooking Paper: Spring Children

Source: lilac-n-lavender.blogspot.com viaAlexandra on Pinterest

See here.

Preschool/ Kindergarten Counting Easter Eggs Game

This is an interactive YouTube video.

Young Children's Easter Read-along Song

Free Elementary Art Project: Peacock

Source: artprojectsforkids.org viaBri on Pinterest

See here.

The Longest Sun: American Indian Cultural Studies

Story in Tewa language with subtitles. Tewa is the dying language of Pueblo Indians in northern New Mexico.

Wise Old Owl Vintage Bookmark

Old book plate which would make a cute bookmark!

Source: aquieterstorm.tumblr.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Free Snail Themed First Grade Worksheets

We did these cute worksheets yesterday:

Source here

Snail dot to dot 1-73.

Free First Grade Nursery Rhyme Reading Printables and Worksheet

I've got this site, Lit2Go linked on my sidebar. Today we used a first grade readibility level print-out for the nursery rhyme, Pat-A-Cake. At the link is an audio version, a PDF illustrated black and white page of the rhyme, and a worksheet. All are free to print and use.

All grades are represented at Lit2Go, and they offer a good variety of classic literature.

My daughter also made a cake all by herself(mostly) from a mix. She learned to cut the amounts down based on the smaller size. We used a small glass oven-safe bowl. It was very good! She put strawberry yogurt on top for icing.

A little literature arts and math(fractions and measurements) for afternoon fun. : )

First Grade Math Worksheet Freebies: Cupcakes, Hearts, and Aliens Addition

Source: 1stgradefantabulous.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Click here.


And this one:

Source: 1stgradefantabulous.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Free Multi-grade Homeschool Worksheets

This site has a ton of quality worksheets to download. There is a free sign-up to access them. Last night I downloaded and printed 20+ sight word worksheets! There is so much more...check it our here.

Source: education.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

History Interest Enhancer for Students: Original Newspaper Articles of Historic Events

Access to newspaper articles of historic events dating back to 1850 here.

Source: timesmachine.nytimes.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Places like this have quick reader friendly public domain online history books that can be read easily together with the newspaper articles. The table of contents is on the sidebar, so accessing relevant chapters is fast! This is very accessible and efficient.

Printable Vintage George Washington President's Day Board Game

Source: vintagefeedsacks.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

More information here.

Free All-in-one Homeschool Curriculum for All Grades

Per Easy Peasy — All in One Homeschool:

What this is…

This is my children’s school. It covers reading, writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, math, history/social studies/geography, science, Bible, computer, music, art, PE/health, and logic. It uses only free materials found on the internet.

I have finished preschool (getting ready 1), kindergarten (getting ready 2), first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth. Third grade is in progress with math finished. Grade levels include all of the English, math, computer and logic. I have also finished two years of all of the other subjects. These are called “program years.” Year 4′s theme is modern history, physics and chemistry. Year 1′s theme is ancient history and biology. I am currently putting up Year 2 which has early American history and zoology for the theme. Grade levels and courses include 180 days of homeschool lessons and assignments.

When choosing a level, look at the “reading” assignments to decide. Then you only have to choose which program year to study.

Your child just goes to Day 1 on his or her level (found in the sidebar) and starts clicking through the assignments! That’s all! Take a look at the “about” and “how to” pages for more info.

And yes, it’s all free. You’ll need paper, pencil, etc. and some minor supplies if you choose to do the experiments and art projects, but all of the reading materials, etc. are all free and online.

My hope is to enable families to continue homeschooling and to help those trying to homeschool overseas.

Click here.