Welcome to Homeschool Holiday of the Day. The site for anyone in education who wants easy, fun curriculum to spice up the mundane. From Fruitcake toss day to Halloween we have you covered! Please visit our START HERE page for ideas on implementing the resources found on this site in your education setting (whatever it may be).
This site is a labor of love and will grow and grow. Is there a Holiday you would like to see featured? Contact us and we will do our best to make it happen! We are glad you are here and hope you enjoy learning and celebrating in your home, classroom, car…wherever you are!
Christy AKA “Mrs. Crabtree” and the Happy Hive Education team
This article first appeared in the Homeschool Holiday September Newsletter. If you are not receiving the Newsletter, you are not a member of our Curriculum Club! It’s easy to sign up and it’s FREE.
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Have you read the series of books by Barbara Robinson? The series follows the Herdman family and their antics, through three novels: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Best School Year Ever, and The Best Halloween Ever.
In the BEST Halloween Ever, the mayor of the town cancels Halloween because he is afraid of the pranks the Herdmans will pull off this year.
Well, in 1977, My mom cancelled Halloween for my younger brother and I. Not because of our antics, but because we had just moved to GIGANTIC California from Teeny Tiny New Jersey and she was too frightened to let us go Trick Or Treating in the apartment complex we lived in. We were waiting for construction to be finished on our neighborhood home with the proverbial white picket fence. I was 6, my brother was 3. He didn’t really know anything about Halloween, but I did. My older brother was 7 years my senior, so he had “outgrown” Halloween being 13 and all. My mom hatched a plan so we could still Trick – Or Treat. She bought bags of different candy, and she went behind one bedroom door, and my older brother went behind the other. Little Brother and I dressed in our costumes and giggled and went back and forth between those two doors knocking and saying “Trick or Treat” until the candy ran out! We had the BEST TIME! I cherished and held this Halloween in my heart for years! My Mom actually ALWAYS made Halloween special. During my childhood, we could have children come inside on Halloween night to play my Mom’s games. Everyone in the neighborhood looked forward to seeing what she would be dressed as each year and loved reaching into her containers for a strip of paper that would reveal their prize!
When my 3 Bugs came along, I began hosting Family Halloween parties the weekend before or after Halloween. We incorporated the “Indoor” Trick or Treating in memory of my Mom!
You may be in a situation, for whatever the reason, that Trick or Treating from door to door isn’t an option. Even weather is a major factor in some areas year to year. There have been “Whisperings” for months about Halloween 2020 and what THAT means…I’m sure where you live will have their own recommendations.
Don’t cancel Halloween... with some quick thinking, costumes, candy and any door – Halloween is one event that The Show Can Go On!!!!
And who knows, perhaps it will be the (WORST) BEST Halloween Ever! I certainly Hope it is!
(My Brother and I on that now FAMOUS Halloween 1976)
– Mrs. Crabtree
Happy Hive Homeschooling – Providing experiences for homeschoolers, classroom teachers and families looking for a reason to celebrate.
The solar system offers so much to learn. As a homeschooler we could easily spend an entire year of science just exploring this topic. I went a little crazy planning product for world Space Week…. so much so I didn’t get it all done IN TIME for World Space week! The ideas just kept coming. Let me introduce you to them:
Fascinating Facts
Product production began with a set of informational slides – one for each planet and companion worksheets. Fact sheets are also provided to make the product homeschool friendly, or to provide a visual aide for classroom learners. Honestly, classrooms and Homeschools are not *that* different. Having worked in both settings, I hope my products are versatile enough for both.
Available year round on your favorite teacher marketplace for $3.00. Slide Presentation, Fact Sheet, Mini book and a variety of Companion Worksheets for multiple skill levels.
Classroom teachers are using technology we may or may not be using at home, and as a result, I have included digital worksheet that are what I call “remote ready” at no extra charge. Learners can fill in the blanks using text boxes or by drag and drop when the google slides are in “edit” mode. For the printable version learners simply fill in the blanks the “old fashioned” way with pencil, or they cut and paste. Young learners can trace the names of the planets. There is something for everyone!
Phases of the Moon
I personally didn’t study the phases of the moon until a college level astronomy class. At least that’s how I remember it. Perhaps if I were to learn the phases with some of the hands on activities they have now I would remember. There are plenty of other sellers out there offering clever cookie representations of the phases… I went with a bit of a more traditional pencil/ paper route…with your “digital” options!
Available on your favorite marketplace for $2.50 (this way you have enough to purchase cookies!) Learn the Phases of the Moon and practice them with the companion worksheets in both paper and digital formats.
Homeschool Holiday offers the Phases of the Moon in the same format as the planets: slide presentation, fact sheets and mini book. After exploring the facts in the way your learners are most comfortable (Or you can use a combination of methods!) whip out the companion worksheets. There are traditional fill in the blank ( or type in the blank if you are using the digital resources) as well as cut and paste (or digital drag and drop). There are worksheets for multiple age levels as well. Young learners can trace over the phases of the moon while they listen.
Have your own Curriculum? Just need a quick Craft?
This awesome craft is only $2.00 on your favorite Teacher marketplace. It comes in print-and go color as well as color your own versions. A great supplement to ANY solar system curriculum.
Perhaps you have your own solar system curriculum or you have studied it in the past. I get it. This quick craft is just what you need to Celebrate World Space Week – or to “top off” your own studies of the planets!
Family Game or Center Activity
The Solar System Memory Games make a great family game night or afternoon activity as well as a classroom center. Just print the cards onto a thick cardstock, laminate for durability and cut apart. Play one of the 4 different games, or combine all the cards into one big game.
$2.00 for 4 different Memory Games
Learners can match picture to picture or picture to text depending on the level you choose for them.
Finally – a Freebie!
If you just want our quickest, and easiest and FREEST Planets resource – Visit my Amped Up Learning Store and download this Word Search. – It is only Available on the Amped Up Learning Market Place. When you download this FREEBIE you agree to be added to the Homeschool Holiday “Curriculum Club” Newsletter List. We send out a Newsletter Monthly and you will also get access to our exclusive Member’s Only Area where you can download more Freebies that can only be found there! The newsletter also gets sent when we announce new products we are especially excited about, as well as when an especially exciting freebie has been added to the Member’s only area. Your inbox will not be flooded.
Don’t worry – I value your time and privacy as a homeschooler or a classroom educator. We are all on the same team! You can unsubscribe at anytime.
If you would like access to more FREEBIES, consider joining our CURRICULUM CLUB. You can sign up fast and Free by clicking HERE – You will get access to our Member’s only area and our Happy Hive Newsletter once a Month!
We hope you’ll subscribe to Homeschool Holiday Blog posts so you never miss a Fun Holiday! Simply sign up along the left to receive a notification every time we post something new! – Because with Homeschool Holiday there’s always something to Celebrate!
Be sure to visit your favorite shopping platform to purchase more great curriculum:
Click on image to visit my Amped Up Learning StoreClick on image to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store
The job of teacher and Mom are some of the hardest on the planet. Some days I long for a job at a coffee shop where I just follow a recipe and “do my job”.
Teaching and homeschooling are not quite like that. Every child, and I mean EVERY CHILD is different. Even with over 20 years of experience, I still get thrown some pretty tough curve balls. Those balls dance, and sing before they cross home plate, and some days, I don’t think I have a chance of fielding them.
Hello – copywork. Copywork offers something for even my most diverse of learning styles. Copywork is: spelling, handwriting, grammar, reading and character education wrapped into one!
The character education part of copywork is my favorite, because I can find a meaningful quote for EACH CHILD (or student in my class) based on behaviors they are presenting.
Once my copywork routine is established, they don’t even realize I have “targeted” them in any way.
There is no wrong way to use copywork, this is simply how I used it in my home (and classroom). Feel free to adapt to your needs!
Learner reads the quote or passage aloud or the passage is read to them.
Learner traces over the passage. I imagine they are saying the words as they write them :-), I mean that’s what I do!
Learner copies the passage onto their own paper, working as neatly as they are able. For the youngest of learners tracing may be enough. This can be done daily, with the same quote, and the quote can be recited from memory at the end of the week, or it can simply be copied once.
The teacher should be mindful of age, ability and any learning challenges such as pencil grip, dysgraphia, or other possible processing differences.
Discuss the quote, what it means, who said it and how it applies to their life. – This is truly where the magic happens.
Have a child who is burning through money? “A penny saved, is a penny earned. ” Benjamin Franklin
Do you have a child who continually doesn’t reach their goals? “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” – Confucius
Struggling with a friend? “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” St. Thomas Aquinas
You can use ANYTHING for copywork. Even a favorite work of literature.
Because learners must take their time and COPY neatly, or be asked to re-do the work, the opportunity to praise is built in! Well selected copywork provides opportunity for discussion on CHARACTER and behaviors that make for good students as well as good humans!
If they don’t see the connection between the quotes and their life, keep trying. The connection will happen. “I’m sorry you don’t have money for a new Lego set. Remember when we did that copywork about a penny saved and earned? How do you think that might help? ”
September 28/29th (depending on the website referenced) is Confucius day. Confucius is the UTIMATE of all teachers. He represents exactly what it means to educate without discrimination. Confucius never refused a student because of his social standing. His only requirement was that his students possess a desire to learn.
Not to compare myself to someone so great, but this too is all I want in a student, that they possess a desire to learn. I hope if they have somehow lost their way I can inspire them with a little old-fashioned copywork.
In honor of his teachings, I put together this Copywork Pack of 7 different Confucius Quotes you can use in your home or classroom. There are also links / QR codes to short, informational videos about Confucius so your learners can get a sense of who he was as a person, and why the things he sad so long ago matter.
We have several different copywork items available on your preferred shopping platform. Including a set of FREE copywork for Juneteenth.
If you would like access to more FREEBIES, consider joining our CURRICULUM CLUB. You can sign up fast and Free by clicking HERE – You will get access to our Member’s only area and our Happy Hive Newsletter once a Month!
We hope you’ll subscribe to Homeschool Holiday Blog posts so you never miss a Fun Holiday! Simply sign up along the left to receive a notification every time we post something new! – Because with Homeschool Holiday there’s always something to Celebrate!
Be sure to visit your favorite shopping platform to purchase more great curriculum:
Click on image to visit my Amped Up Learning StoreClick on image to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store
Growing up “Baby” was my best friend. I could tell him anything. He never judged me, and was always supportive. My mom joked that she was going to have the florist incorporate Baby into my wedding bouquet. There was no need, he went with us on our honeymoon.
Multiple Buddies made life easier
I didn’t exactly “force” my children to have a special buddy, but knowing the trauma of misplacing baby – let’s just say I was prepared for them to have special buddies.
My oldest was showered with every animal under the sun shortly after birth. Somehow she managed to get a cow down off the edge of her crib. When I figured out she had taken to him, I quickly secured ” quintuplets”. A bit excessive in hind site, but it worked. Bulloney as he came to be called, was easy to swap out at nap time and launder. Once he was forgotten at the babysitters…but I said he was in the back of the truck in the back pack. Daddy met us at home, got the back pack out of the back – and low and behold – Bulloney appeared. That was one cryptic phone call.
My middle we presented with triplet ducks, and being the easy going child, she just accepted them. Not all three at once mind you… the same routine of bait and switch went on for years. Eventually kids are observant and the slightest details GET NOTICED – but by then the need for secrecy was up and a pile of cows and ducks remained on the girls’ beds.
Third child made his own decisions
My son, and the youngest did not want anything to do with the frogs we carefully picked out for his buddy. In fact to this day they appear brand new. Instead he swiped a stuffed Orca, Shamu the whale we got for Megan at Sea World a few months earlier and would not let go. Megan being the easy going child was fine with it. Shamu became – Baboo and the struggle of having a child with only ONE buddy became very real.
Baboo, like his “namesake” Shamu the Orca liked to jump and one day jumped right out of the truck while we were getting the three bugs strapped into car seats. He was very quiet, and since it was a parking lot, we were not in the “splash zone”.
When we got home, Douglas cried because Baboo was gone. Mommy panicked as if Douglas himself was gone as well. Back to the store we went – and Thank the heavens someone had put Baboo up onto a light post where we could see him easily! This prompted Daddy to invent Buddy seatbelts. Now everyone got buckled in the car (and the strollers!)
Baboo is much more worn than the cows or the ducks, because he did not rotate. He did however spark a collection of Orca stuffed animals to beat all collections. Baboo became Big Baboo, when a smaller version was added. We have Medium Baboo as well as tiny and Humongous Baboo. After that I’m not sure they get names any more. Just last weekend I picked one up I found in Michaels. My Husband said… “You know he’s 16 right? I don’t think he wants that. “
This is Orville (his tag had a name, he got lucky.) He has been sitting on my son’s desk for a week. I don’t think he -minded- getting an additional orca from his mom, even if they don’t all live on his bed any longer!
National Shamu the Whale Day
Today happens to be National Shamu the Whale Day. It’s purpose is to raise awareness for Orca whales. Here at the Happy Hive we love our little pod of orca whales.
It seems others are Orca fans as well. Our Orca Paper Plate Activity is a BEST SELLER… out selling the Cow and Duck designed after the other *Buddies* as well as EVERY OTHER design we stock!
Dollar Deal!
If you would like to make our Orca Paper Plate ( or any of our other animals!) head over to your favorite online Marketplace to grab it. Paper Plate Animal Patterns are only $1.00 each!
In our house we are big Super Hero fans. In the hero world, characters have back stories – or “origin” stories. Honestly EVERYONE has an “Origin Story” These are the events that shape you into the person you are.
September 25th is Math Storytelling Day, so here is my MATH origin story….
Math is one of the subjects it seems learners either love or run from screaming… I was the kid that ran screaming! Now as an adult I don’t know why. I can’t pinpoint when I began to dislike Math. Looking back, and with over 25 years in education I believe I was ALLOWED to have that attitude. Those that loved me just “accepted” I wasn’t good at Math, and I was strong in Language Arts, and moved on. I spent my entire education avoiding Math. Can you IMAGINE my reaction when I was presented my first teaching contract for 4th grade and told there was a separate Math teacher? When I taught public school I got by for 1 year, then I rallied the other 4th grade teachers and we departmentalized. Guess who DIDN’T teach Math again! (YOU GUESSED IT!)
When I was presenting Math to my children I was very careful with my attitude. Attitude is everything. I presented the “Problems” as opportunities. We didn’t solve Word Problems, for example – we solve Math Mysteries! When it was time for Math performed OPERATIONS. If you would like to see more about the powerful use of word choice I have a post about it HERE.
When the outgrew Momma, I purchased an online teaching curriculum and off they went!
It took until I was 40 – yes 40 to find my comfort and dare I even say… Love of Math. I finally was in a job setting where I was not able to run screaming from Math any longer. I was 100% THE 4th grade Math teacher. At the school in which I accepted the position was a wonderful friend, who had, in the past been the 4th grade Math teacher, and happened to love Math. No matter how many times I interrupted what she was doing, she patiently explained whatever I needed, when I needed it – sometimes coming to my classroom to be the “guest teacher” if time permitted. She would also come after school to tutor me so I’d be prepared to teach the next day, patiently and lovingly explaining to a 40 year old woman, 4th grade Math as if there wasn’t anything “wrong” with the situation. I was finally ready to learn Math.
WHAT AN EXAMPLE that class saw. They saw their 40 year old teacher admit when she needed help, and their former 1st grade teacher come to the rescue! I learned my multiplication tables right with them. They always won. I will never be faster than a 4th grader, and that’s OK. I know them now.
Math Storytelling Day is a day designed to get people talking about Math in a positive way – to help that “run screaming” attitude. It’s funny, I actually met someone BRILLIANT off the charts in math who runs screaming from Language Arts. It was truly an “Ah-ha” moment for me. Just as I was pushed through the education system for being a strong reader and my Math skills slipped further and further… this learner slipped through due to his excellent Math skills. I’m not blaming anyone, or even the system. Kids are crafty little cutie-pies and boy they come up with all sorts of cover ups to avoid the dreaded (Insert pepto – bismol subject here).
While I will never love Math in the way I love Reading, I do wish I had had someone inspire me earlier than 40 so my education would have been more balanced and that fear would not have grown and grown.
Math Storytelling day is a day to help bring balance into the lives of our learners. It’s the best of BOTH worlds… MATH and STORY. At the very least… SHARE YOUR MATH JOURNEY with the learners in your life… love math or run screaming…. Your HONEST reflection will impact those around you and it just may make a difference.
I hope you will celebrate today in the most amazing Mathematical ways…
Cook
Play a game ( Monopoly, Rack-O, TriOminos, Memory…)
Tangrams
Pattern Blocks, regular blocks, Legos
Puzzles
Cut things into Fractions
Or you can use the old stand by… Roll in the TV and VCR and put on Good ‘ole Donald in Math Magic Land! Oh wait – now we have YouTube. I actually watched this on – GASP – film!!!! (Yup, I’m THAT old!)
This Classic answers the Age old question about how Math is used “in real life”.
Mrs. Crabtree’s first experience with MathMagic land was on a reel-to-reel movie projector in a classroom in the late 1970’s. It is a FAVORITE of mine to show any learners I can!
I personally love when Math and Language Arts mix. Take for example, Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol. This detective is often solving cases using the same critical thinking skills it takes to perform math operations. The books also follow a somewhat predictable format and encourage critical thinking in the reader. The reader is often able to figure out the mystery as well. There are 10 mysteries in each book.
Looking for a good Encyclopedia Brown book? They are all self contained. I suggest: Encyclopedia Brown Solves them all, The case of the Two-Dollar Bill.
Some of my other Math Favorites:
The Grapes of Math
Penrose the Mathematical Cat
Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School
Today is all about kids creating their OWN math stories. They don’t have to write a complete work of literature, but how about these ideas:
Write a set of Math Mysteries (Word Problems) for a sibling or friend to solve
Write a math related children’s story (counting, shapes, mini math mysteries)
I hope you will consider using our MATH MYSTERIES in your lessons this year. They are not a complete full year curriculum, but instead designed to help introduce the language of Math, and how to use your super sleuth powers to solve the operations!
Click the image to purchase Math Mysteries on Amped Up Learning. $1.25
We hope you will consider joining our Curriculum club – Its FREE! You get an Exclusive Freebie each month, previews of upcoming holidays and coordinating products, coupons and MORE! Just click the image below to sign up!
Click Image to Sign up for the Curriculum Club – FREE!
Be sure to visit your favorite shopping platform to purchase our curriculum:
Click on image to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers StoreClick on image to visit my Amped Up Learning Store
I hope you learned something new. If you haven’t already, sign up to follow our blog so you get an email notification every time there is a new post. (Left side, very bottom SUBSCRIBE via email) That way you can come back again for another fun Homeschool Holiday because – there is always something to learn!
With Love,
“Mrs. Crabtree”
Please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate and as such the links I post are affiliate links. By making purchases through these affiliate links I earn a small commission at no cost to you. This keeps my website free of outside advertising and pleasant for users. You are free to purchase whatever you’d like, just know I only recommend items that I personally find valuable to education and overall personal development as Humans!
The elephants sure won’t… because today is National Elephant Appreciation Day.
Why Elephants are Special
Is it true? Do elephants “never” forget? Perhaps the adage – never say never comes into play, however, this common proverb is actually rooted in scientific fact. Elephants have been studied by many different research groups. The consensus is that these animals have very high recall ability and rank in intelligence with dolphins, apes and humans.
In fact an elephant is also able to recognize their reflection in a mirror. The other animals able to do this are the dolphin, chimpanzee and human. This makes this a very specialized skill.
Having an excellent memory helps the elephant survive, remembering where food and water are located. This is especially important in times of drought. An elephant can live between 50 and 60 years, relying on their store of information year after year.
Elephants have the ability to remember other elephants and humans, even if they have only known one another for a short time and have been separated for many years. Another special quality is that the elephant has the largest brain of any land animal. It is very similar in structure and function to the human brain, including how emotion is processed. Elephants are the only non human animals to mourn their dead.
Human mistreatment
Unfortunately, humans do not treat elephants with the respect they deserve Their habitat is destroyed, they are killed for their ivory and skin, and they are held captive and mistreated around the world.
Holidays such as Elephant Appreciation Day are important for bringing awareness to these fantastic animals. The more we know about the Elephant, the more we can do to help them.
How to celebrate
If you would like to celebrate this holiday with a quick craft, try our Elephant Paper Plate Craft. It is part of our DOLLAR DEAL collection. This activity comes with both “easy” and more advanced patterns as well as color and color-your-own styles. There is sure to be a pattern for all your learners!
Visit my Amped Up Learning store to purchase this craft. Use with or without a paper plate!
The Curriculum Club
We hope you will consider joining our Curriculum club – Its FREE! You get an Exclusive Freebie each month, previews of upcoming holidays and coordinating products, coupons and MORE! Just click the image below to sign up!
Click Image to Sign up for the Curriculum Club – FREE!
Where to Shop
Be sure to visit your favorite shopping platform to purchase our curriculum:
Click on image to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers StoreClick on image to visit my Amped Up Learning Store
Subscribe to Follow Us
I hope you learned something new. If you haven’t already, sign up to follow our blog so you get an email notification every time there is a new post. (Left side, very bottom SUBSCRIBE via email) That way you can come back again for another fun Homeschool Holiday because – there is always something to learn!
Arrg! Ahoy there! Today we celebrate one O’ the finest days in the land! It be:
Talk like a Pirate day!
Just Two Friends
This fun holiday has very humble roots. It stems from the idea of two friends who were playing racquetball together and started bantering back and forth like Pirates. They thought it would be fun if there was a holiday specifically devoted to talking like pirates, because talking like pirates makes everything fun. John Baur and Mark Summers came up with September 19th, 1995 as the day! They immediately launched their campaign… I mean they just talked like Pirates on that day for a few years with their friends…
Calling in expert help
Finally in 2002 the two men emailed Pulitzer Prize* winning newspaper columnist Dave Barry of the Miami Herald and told them all about their holiday. Surprisingly Mr. Barry emailed back!
*The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature and musical composition within the United States
The rest as they say is history… with the promotional support of Dave Barry, the holiday began to take off… marking September 19th 2002 the official beginnings of Talk like a Pirate Day.
How to Celebrate
Studying Pirates offers a rich experience and they have an extensive Vocabulary to boot! Why not take a break from the ordinary and do something Pun. – I mean fun!
Pirate Puns is available for $2.00 and includes a PowerPoint presentation (Google slides also) and companion worksheet. Little learners will be experts when your lesson washes up on shore!
This great resource tales learners through how puns are formed, then uses Pirate themed puns to fully illustrate their use. Learners follow along on the Companion worksheet noting the key terms and analyzing how the pun is “punny”!
Another fun thing to do is to use a Pirate Translator like THIS ONE to see what your everyday conversations would sound like if you were a Pirate. Use it to send a text or an email to family and friends.
Looking for simply FUN things to so… why not enjoy the Pirate Reading Room and Fortune Teller Activity! In this curriculum, Learners listen to as many or as few stories as you want them to. The read alouds originated on you tube, and have been routed through SAFE YOU TUBE so there are no ads, or “next videos” for young learners to click. The PDF contains links or QR codes the learner can scan with their tablet or phone.
Plenty of FUN for your little pirates in this Activity Pack! $1.50 on the Amped Up Learning Marketplace.
If you really want to get your scurvy dog talking like a Pirate – try the Pirate Vocabulary and Parts of Speech Review Activity!
Just $1.25 for 21 Pirate themed Vocabulary Words. You Can talk like a Pirate! Available on the Amped Up Learning Marketplace.
Review the 8 parts of speech and then complete a word study on 21 different Pirate words. There are even a few Prepositions! You have complete control over how many words you want learners to dig deep and explore, but definitions and part of speech are provided for all 21. They have to use in a sentence, provide synonyms, antonyms, draw a picture, and more to show understanding!
If you LOVE all three of our Pirate Activities they are available in a money Saving Bundle. Mix and match the activities for an all around swashbuckling great day!
Purchase the BUNDLE on the Amped Up Learning Marketplace for $3.80 – that’s 20% off the individual prices.
The Curriculum Club
We hope you will consider joining our Curriculum club – Its FREE! You get an Exclusive Freebie each month, previews of upcoming holidays and coordinating products, coupons and MORE! Just click the image below to sign up!
Click Image to Sign up for the Curriculum Club – FREE!
Where to Shop
Be sure to visit your favorite shopping platform to purchase our curriculum:
Click on image to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers StoreClick on image to visit my Amped Up Learning Store
Subscribe to Follow Us
I hope you learned something new. If you haven’t already, sign up to follow our blog so you get an email notification every time there is a new post. (Left side, very bottom SUBSCRIBE via email) That way you can come back again for another fun Homeschool Holiday because – there is always something to learn!
This article first appeared in the Homeschool Holiday August Newsletter. If you are not receiving the Newsletter, you are not a member of our Curriculum Club! It’s easy to sign up and it’s FREE.
You get an Exclusive Freebie each month, previews of upcoming holidays and coordinating products, coupons and MORE! Just click the image below to sign up!
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Not Back to School Season
In the Homeschool Community we like to celebrate what we affectionately call – NOT back to school day because well, we don’t send our kids to school. This year, as we begin the 2020-2021 school year we are joined by many, many families who may be homeschooling, distance learning, or educating their children on the fly in between their own work-from-home situations! All forms of Education Matter!
Happy “not” Back to school Season!
Ideas for making the first day special
Last Month I shared with you a few ideas with making the First Day of school Special :
Mix up your First day of school picture by taking it in your Pajamas or with the computer in view instead of the backpack.
If you are in an area requiring mask use, decorate a disposable mask with their grade or graduation year and use it as a prop.
Attitude is everything. Pictures with and without the mask will be treasured by your grandchildren many, many moons from now!
Sharing my wisdom
I keep thinking how “lucky” I am that my children are older and I am not facing some of the decisions those of you with younger learners are facing.
It doesn’t mean I can’t relate. Remember, I’m the mom who freely admits she homeschooled because she was too afraid to send her child to school in a “normal” time. I have the gift of wisdom so many wise teachers, homeschoolers and mentors shared with me then that I hope I can share with you now:
Everything will be okay, let go of the fear.
Everything looks different
School doesn’t look ANYTHING like it did for most of us just one short year ago. Even seasoned homeschoolers have adjustments to make by wearing masks, limiting outings and sharing bandwidth with the neighborhood!
What ARE the long term impacts we are going to see to learning as a result of this monumental shift to “Distance Learning… Hybrid Programs” and even modified face to face instruction?
I don’t have a Crystal Ball
I can’t promise there won’t be learning gaps, that your child won’t get behind (or speed ahead)… I don’t have a crystal ball. I only have in the trenches, real life example after example of times where children did get behind, for one reason or another (illness or injury of the child, parent or family member… relocation …lack of effort….the arrival of a sibling… a death in the family…different learning abilities).
In each of these times, the child, no matter how far behind, was able to meet or exceed their learning goals when their ability was not impaired by nature. Even a child with special limits set by nature was able to make advances- once the opportunities were presented, and the blocks were removed! When a plant has sun, water and proper soil, it grows. Add some minerals to the soil and growth increases! Children are no different than plants!
Children ALWAYS LEARN!
Think about war-torn Europe during World War II. Children were evacuated from the city and placed with host families. The emotional impact of the Pied Piper operation was far more long lasting than the educational impact.
Distance learning has given us MORE time with our children – not less. EVERYTHING is learning. The “independent learning” time assigned by the teacher is natural. If your learner is finished with their work, have them read, draw, play with toys, create art projects, etc… come up with a FAMILY learning goal they can research and work on to stay occupied during “school” time. Let them play 🙂 and be kids! Give things time to settle and adjust – yourself included, and rest assured… when things do settle – your kids will catch up.
I learned my multiplication tables at 40 ! When we let go of the fear, the sky is the limit!
19 years…. I was born in New Jersey. Moved to California when I was six. But if I click my heels three times and say: “There’s no place like home” I will end up in my Aunt’s kitchen in New Jersey… my summer home all my growing years.
We went to “The City” often. There is only one “City” and it is THE city. Not to mention when the plan lands in Newark the famous skyline was always my first welcome home. My last visit was 21 years ago for my honeymoon. In some ways I want to remember THAT – perhaps I will visit THE CITY again.
Until I do, the television in my mind replays the events of 19 years ago. The odd reason I turned on the television at 6 am in the first place. My inability to understand that was a commercial airliner and not something like a Cessna or a bigger version, but NOT a commercial airliner. I can remember riding to work and hearing the first tower fell. I couldn’t comprehend what that meant either. I felt 10 years old. I can’t imagine the reality of the city. I still can’t imagine their reality.
September 11, 2001 I was the worst teacher I have ever, ever been in my entire LIFE. I didn’t say ANYTHING to my students. Not a word. I waited for recess to call my Aunt to make sure all my cousins were ok. They were, – just “stranded” trying to get out of THE city.
There were people far more critically impacted that day but I was paralyzed. I taught like a robot. Went home and watched over and over still not understanding.
As I continued to work with children, I always gave them an assignment to interview an adult, to have the adult recall their memory of when they heard. The kids don’t understand, that assignment was, and always will be for the adults.
Those that lost their lives that day are just as valuable to our country as those of the Revolutionary war, Civil war, Vietnam, and every battle, war, conflict and military operation so that America remains a Free county. I have, and always will honor our Firefighter, Police and Military personnel who dedicate their lives to make our lives better, safer and free.
There are many activities out there to remember the events of September 11th. The simplest is to talk about it. Have your child call a relative and just ask them what they remember about this day 19 years ago. Call 2 or 3 and compare stories. Tell them YOUR STORY. Read books. Write letters to local police, fire and military – THANK THEM for their service.
I have no curriculum to sell you today. Just memories to share.
The history of the Hot Dog is as mysterious as the actual meat used to make them…. Historians are not even clear how these delicious staples of Backyard BBQs got their name “Hot Dog”.
Two European cities are connected to the origin story of the hot dog… Frankfurt Germany and Vienna Austria. Most people trace the hot dog back to Germany through the common sausage known as the frankfurter. But there is also the Vienna wienerwurst, and although not as desirable among mothers, hot dogs were also called wieners as a result of this town.
If you want to know more about the History of the Hot do you will find all the fascinating facts in our History of the Hot Dog Curriculum.
Fun Hot Dog Facts
In the meantime, here are some Fun Hot Dog Facts to delight your senses this National Hot dog Day:
National Hot Dog Day is September 10th
The most popular hot dog topping is mustard
Astronauts on the Apollo 11 ate hot dogs while in space
Summer is the most popular time for Hot dogs in the USA – especially between The 4th of July and memorial day.
Hot dog eating contests are popular in many places. Nathan’s Famous holds one each year at their original stand in Coney Island New York.
A hot dog is not considered a sandwich
Hot dogs are actually good for you! A beef hot dog is about 190 calories and has 7 grams of protein. It also has 30% of the Vitamin B12 we need. This vitamin is important for a normal metabolism, children’s brain development and mental clarity in adults.
The first thing Mickey Mouse said in a cartoon was: “Hot Dog!”
Celebrating Hot Dog Day
I hope you will celebrate national Hot Dog day by learning more about this fun food with our Hot Dog History and Mini Book.
Click on the image to visit my Amped Up Learning store to grab this great activity for only $2.50.
You can make homemade floats and host a Hot Dog Parade like we did here at the Happy Hive Homeschool back in 2010.
We kept a supply of craft and recycle items on hand for projects like this. The “bugs” used whatever they found to make parade floats to celebrate “Hot Dog Day”.
If you are a member of our Curriculum Club you can Check out Mickey Mouse Say “HOT DOG!” and MUCH MORE when you download our FREE Sensational Six curriculum.
Not a member? You can sign up fast and Free by clicking HERE
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