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
It’s so much more than that. Memorial day is a day of remembrance. Today we remember the Men and Women who have died while serving in the United States Armed forces. It is only “recently” (1971) that Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States. It was originally called Decoration Day.
In 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo was chosen for it’s reputation for closing businesses, decorating graves of soldiers with flowers and flags, and holding events annually to honor the fallen soldiers.
Originally the day was to honor those lost in the Civil War. Since, the United States (and obviously many other countries) had gone through 2 World Wars, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War… and we have added others still. Memorial Day is for ALL the fallen of war, regardless of which war.
The red poppy is a remembrance inspired by a popular World War I poem called – In Flanders Field. The poppy is actually classified as a weed which is likely why t was so prevalent in the battle worn field that inspired the poem. In Flanders Field was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. The tone he used was to give a voice to the fallen soldiers that were buried under the field of poppies he saw before him. To this day the poem is one of the most famous works to emerge from what we call “The Great War”.
In Europe, the poppy is the official symbol of remembrance. Today, nearly a century after World War I ended, millions of people in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand don the red flowers every November 11 (known as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day) to commemorate the anniversary of the 1918 armistice. You may recognize this date in the United States as Veteran’s Day – the day we honor all living veterans in the United States.
Here in the United States we wear the symbolic red poppy on the last Monday in May to honor the sacrifice of those who have given their lives fighting for our country.
I have put together a freebie for you to help reflect on the day. It contains a letter writing activity in which your learner can write a letter to an active service member, or a retired service member to say THANK YOU. This is an activity that never goes out of style. We can never thank them enough for their service! There are several writing pages in both color and color your own to choose from, instructions for the proper technique for letter writing as well as how to address an envelope.
You will also get color and black and white (Color your own) patterns for poppies and leaves. You are “on your own” to use these to create your own poppy craft. I have provided ideas for a field as well as a wreath, but the sky really is the limit!
I hope you will join me at 3:00 pm local time in the national moment of remembrance (a moment of silence).
Be sure to visit your favorite shopping platform to purchase our other 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!
…If so you must be participating in a SCAVENGER HUNT! #ScavengerHuntDay is May 24th.
There is nothing more exciting than finding what you are looking for. Especially if it has been lost for awhile! There are many games surrounding the exciting concept of “seek and find”.
Today we explore the old fashioned party game: The Scavenger Hunt. The Scavenger Hunt as we know it today is credited to a event planner of sorts throughout the 1920s. Elsa Maxwell was paid by the wealthy to plan elaborate treasure hunt parties.
An interesting fact regarding the origin of the word scavenger is that it comes from a 14th century word that referred to the officials that collected the taxes: scawageour.
A scavenger hunt today consists of a list of random items to find. Sometimes they have a theme. Scavenger hunts can be held in teams or individuals can compete against one another. It is universally agreed participants are not allowed to purchase items from the list and must get them in unique ways. Many neighborhoods have been filled with laughing teenagers going from house to house asking for matches, an egg and a band aid! Some clever hunts have riddles as clues making the game a bit more difficult.
The winner can be determined an several ways:
First one back with all the items
Person with most items in given amount of time
Items are worth certain points, and the value of the items is used to determine a score.
If you would like to host a scavenger hunt the ideas are limitless:
Nature scavenger hunt
Color scavenger hunt (you can mix colors as well as individualize colors, for example hunters have to find everything red: red ball, red crayon, red book, etc.)
Alphabet scavenger hunt – find something for every letter of the alphabet. A fun version of this game is to find the LETTERS of the alphabet in road signs while you are driving.
Name Scavenger hunt (Find an item that begins with each letter of your name)
Shape scavenger hunt
Indoor items scavenger hunt
Do you have Friends and Family that live far away? Host a virtual scavenger hunt. Send the list by email to each player, then at the agreed upon time meet using an online meeting room such as Google Hangouts, Zoom or Skype.
You can also turn any Scavenger hunt list into a “Teen” activity by making it a Selfie Hunt. The players must take a selfie with the item for the points.
You can print every free printable out there on this website or that website – or you can save valuable time and purchase this JAM PACKED Mother Load of Scavenger Hunts from Homeschool Holiday. I have put together 20 different lists, some of which have levels (Junior and advanced). It’s AFFORDABLE -and the time you save will be WORTH IT!
Simple straight forward designs 20 Different topics Hunts for the young and the young at heart.
This curriculum comes with: Printable PDF files, Editable with PowerPoint Files and for classroom teachers a BONUS link to google slides for Digital Files! All for one low price!
Here is a sneak peek of the files in the Mega Pack. Click on picture to purchase your value priced mega pack.
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 other time saving 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!
I happen to love bees. (In case you hadn’t noticed, or this is you first visit – HELLO!) My very first home business 16 years ago was called 1 Creative Bug.
This was my logo – I created it out of paper and scanned it into the computer. Those were the DAYS! My logo evolved over the years, but ALWAYS included a bee. When my paper crafting business expanded into homeschool consulting – Happy Hive was born and the logo was revised, but as you can see, it does indeed contain a bee! (And if you are wondering – those three “bugs” represent my 3 kids! who I call, appropriately, The Bugs)
When I saw #WorldBeeDay on the holiday calendar I knew this was one to CELEBRATE. I’m so glad you joined me!
This holiday is designated by the United Nations. (Bees are really, really important!) They hope to raise awareness of their cuteness (not really, I’m just checking if you are reading this). The United Nations is -actually- hoping to raise awareness of bees importance as pollinators and the threats they face. Bees also play a HUGE role to sustainable development. That means bees help us meet our immediate needs without impacting the needs of future generations. Think about how much of what we eat needs to be pollinated. A well rounded diet consists of all the food groups. We need the bees! I challenge learners to make a list of foods that require pollination and email it to me!
May 20th is a special date because it is the birthday of Anton Janša who pioneered modern beekeeping back in the 18th century Slovenia. He was also a painter, and painted the fronts of the beehives with his artwork.
It’s easy to help bees have a loving environment to thrive! Here are easy things you can do to help the bees!
Use areas in your living space to plant a variety of native plants that flower at different times of the year.
If you have a garden at home, avoid using pesticides, so bees, butterflies and other pollinators can visit naturally.
Put a water source outside for bees that visit your yard. Bees tend to like “stale” water vs fresh water, so wooden barrel ponds, bird baths, etc work.
Raise awareness – decorate for #WorldBeeDay with the Pollinators Mobile Craftivity from the Happy Hive. I have this hanging in my house and it looks so cute! You will love how the flower opens so your learner can peek inside and tell you all about the parts of the flower and how the bee pollinates it. This is just the hands on activity you are looking for. I even have a Color your Own version so everyone gets the flower color they want 🙂 ! This activity can be completed in less than an hour if you use the print and go version.
Take it up a notch:
Take a stab at beekeeping yourself! With this book you can become a backyard beekeeper or take your backyard beekeeping up a notch! Be sure to check you local laws and ordinances before putting a hive in your yard, but most cities allow beekeeping because of our dependence on them.
Amazon has everything you need (except the bees) to get started! You should check it out!
Now, if full blown backyard beekeeping is more than you can handle (it is for me!) I highly recommend THIS BOOK
Turn this book into a Beehive teaches all about the amazing world of bees as well as provide activities and illustrations that are ENGAGING ! This book takes you DEEPER into the life of bees and their behavior. When you finish reading it provides instructions for converting the book cover into a home for ACTUAL BEES! How cool is that? Read about bees, then build a bee observatory for YOUR back yard!
#WorldBeeDay is about helping to reverse the pattern of endangered bees.
Be sure to visit your favorite shopping platform to purchase Homeschool Holiday curriculum:
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!
As the year winds down we are approaching report card season. Just as there are many different approaches to homeschooling there are many different approaches to report cards and how work is evaluated. Â Be sure you are familiar with the legalities of documentation regarding homeschooling in your state, providence, or country. It may also depend on if you are an independent homeschooler, with a Private School Satellite Program (Like the Happy Hive) or under a Charter Umbrella.
With that said… even if you are required to keep and record the most traditional of grades and assign report cards, that doesn’t mean you have to show them to your children…but I’ve rushed to the end.
What is the purpose of grades in a school setting? Grades give students feedback about their progress and provide them with motivation. Grades give teachers feedback to plan instruction. It also provided teachers with insight into a student’s strengths and weaknesses.  On an administrative level, Grades provide information about placement and skill level.
I hope we can agree that grades are only one small peek into the whole learner, yet they are given 100% of the decision making weight in a “Traditional School” setting.
These grades get placed onto a report card that then “follows” a learner from grade level to grade level and from school to school.
What is the purpose of a report card? The purpose on the most basic level is to record growth and track a student’s progress. Schools want “proof” of learning. Parents who send their children to school want proof of learning. A report card is a tool that can provide that proof. Parents are not in the classroom all day… but parents ARE in the home school all day… So are grades and report cards needed in a home school setting? You can see the learning and the progress first hand day after day, year after year.
Homeschooling with a PSA here at the Happy Hive, in order to evaluate learning, I asked each child one simple question: Is this your best work? If the answer was yes, I took the work and we moved on. If the answer was no, the work was returned and completed again until it was “best work”. We did not use grades or report cards – ever.
You might wonder what would prompt a child to say no… this isn’t my best work…after all, they  were self evaluating without a word from me as I never contradicted their evaluation even when I was dying on the inside.
This is what I did instead:  “Great sweetheart, what EXACTLY makes this BEST WORK?” Sometimes they take the work back without another word, and other times they find some little thing on the page. Kids are harder on themselves than we would ever be most of the time.
Beginning this from day one was natural. I just told them everything we do, chores, schoolwork, family games, cooking dinner, we always do our best….
Eventually, as they get older, “Best Work” turns into time management and decision making. My children learned to say: “Mom, I didn’t color my picture for History because I really wanted to put extra effort into Science today. I couldn’t do both. But my Science is my best work and I’m really proud of it. I didn’t think my time was best spent just coloring.” – My response was always one laced with positivity, even if I needed to give correction.
For example: “Your Science is in fact Best work, I can tell you are enjoying the study of weather. I also notice you have not submitted a best work sample for History in 3 days. How can I help change that?” (No criticism, just fact based statement, with an offer of help)
Working with a Charter school as your “homeschool” is another legal option of homeschooling. You are however technically enrolled in a public school and that is why they ask for work samples, grades, etc. The funds you receive for curriculum and classes come from the funding Charter schools receive from the state for enrollment. Many who choose this route simply don’t show their learners the report cards that are issued if  that’s not in alignment with their educational style. That’s the beauty of Homeschooling, we get to choose.
If you are under a Private School Satellite Program(PSP), Like the Happy Hive, you will follow their requirements, much like a Charter school. Happy Hive offers Report Cards as an additional service to their program to those families that want them, but they are not required.
You can implement the “best work” strategy at any time. Just at your next learner/teacher meeting, explain you want to try something new, For each item of work turned in you will ask if it is “Best Work” and what makes it Best Work. As the teacher, you only accept BEST WORK…
Or, Summer is a good time with less pressure to make this kind of adjustment. As we head into summer, if you need any support for your schooling, feel free to reach out. The Happy Hive has many options for families.
Biographies began a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… no wait that’s a different Holiday! The truth of the matter is Biographies did exist as far back in history as 44 BC when Cornelius Nepos wrote a lengthy biography on the most famous generals of the Greeks and Romans.
Biographies were not always considered literature. Perhaps the writing style was too dull. That’s where today comes in. We celebrate National Biographer’s Day on May 16th because today marks the anniversary of the day Samuel Johnson and James Boswell sat down to begin working on the book: The Life of Samuel Johnson.
James Boswell’s writing style changed the future of the biography forever. The standard had been set, and a new way to tell a story was born. The book was published in 1789 and during those times, it was considered to be one of the best biographies in the English Language!
Since then there have been many, many biographies written. Even multiple biographies written by different authors about the same person. Think about someone like Abraham Lincoln. Search Abraham Lincoln Biography, how many come up? (Go ahead, I’ll be here when you get back)
My search on Amazon resulted in 20 pages. Biography writing is big business. But it has to be a well written biography. I stumbled across a biographer who is writing a series aimed at kids, “Ordinary People Change the World” by Brad Meltzer. The books have been out for awhile – even when I was a classroom teacher, but somehow they were hiding from me. Perhaps you are familiar with them. I think everyone should order the complete set for their home or classroom. Click the pictures to order them on Amazon. It’s ok to do it one at a time, I promise.
I came across a video of Mr. Meltzer reading his book: I am Amelia Earhart, and then doing a quick Q & A session afterward sponsored by PBS. Like all homeschool families, I’m busy – but I was drawn in- in 3.5 seconds flat. I don’t want to give it away, but when he started to talk about copyright lawyers I almost spit my coffee and the man had a fan for life! I knew he was going to get my attention for Biographers Day. I will also be spending my extra time to create other quality curriculum to accompany his outstanding books, holiday or no holiday. I too will do my best to avoid the copyright police and simply try to better the world!
I often get the question when working with families homeschooling about how to “get the kids to write”. This question is very similar to the “How do I get my kids to read more” question. Assuming there are no under lying challenges like dysgraphia or other processing disorders, the way you get kids to write is the same way you get them to read – by exposing them to good writing. They need a MODEL. They need something that INSPIRES them. Kids are not writing because they are bored by it. Even with challenges, a child that WANTS to write – is GOING to find a way. The funny thing – when you read the story of Amelia Earheart, she wasn’t good at flying – she just worked harder than anyone else! We can apply these lessons to our children in our homes and classrooms. They don’t have to be good at whatever it is they want to do.
The style of writing Mr. Meltzer uses to craft his biographies is engaging for the reader and can be inspiring to follow for young writers as well. I created a virtual bookshelf in which learners are taken to SAFE YOU TUBE (no ads or other videos) to listen to Brad Meltzer or a special guest read the selected biography. There is a companion worksheet for each of the selected book for learners to record the life events of the hero and to become familiar with the pattern of the biography. Then the young biographer in training can use the provided graphic organizers to interview a hero in their life. Someone in their home or community that they wish to write a biography about. This biography can be as simple or as in depth as YOU, the adult guiding them want it to be, or as they, the self guided learner wants to take it. After the “book” is written I suggest the project is completed by video taping the young author reading their story the same way Brad Meltzer reads his! This would make a GREAT Summer Reading/ Writing project. You absolutely do not need the books to complete the project, but they are a wonderful addition to any library. As I said before, I do wholeheartedly believe every home and classroom needs these books!
You can begin you addiction, I mean exposure to GREAT WRITING by purchasing BECOME A BIOGRAPHER from Happy Hive. It is available NOW in my Amped Up Learning store. Simply click on the product cover below to be taken to the storefront.
Purchase the Project on Amped Up Learning!
Take a test drive of my interactive “bookshelf” with this blog edition. Simply click on the image and you will be taken to the read a loud by Brad Meltzer for I am Amelia Earhart. When you download the sample pack it contains an interactive image and you click on the book!
I hope these books help inspire the biographer in your learner!
Don’t forget to share the love by saving this idea to your Pinterest board!
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 don’t already, sign up to follow our blog so you get email notification every time there is a new post. 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.
Today is the 200th Birthday of Florence Nightingale. She is the pioneer of nursing as we know it today. As we navigate through a worldwide pandemic it is fitting we honor this Historic woman, and every nurse that has followed in her footsteps since. May 12th is International Nurses day.
When Florence went into nursing it was considered dirty work. Respectable women just didn’t do it. Medicine wasn’t practiced the way it is now. Florence is famous for inspiring the simple act of hand washing ! In her book Notes on Nursing written in 1860, Florence tells nurses they should wash their hands as often as possible, their faces too! At the time it was believed infection was caused by bad smells!
The hand washing and other hygiene principals Florence and her team implemented in British army hospitals during the Crimean War were responsible for marked improvements in recovery. Believe it or not it wasn’t until the 1980s that hand hygiene is recognized globally as a critical component to preventing infection.
You can learn more about Florence no matter the age of your learners with books:
If you would like to * take a walk in the life of Florence Nightingale* – I have just the thing for you! This product designed to honor the life of Florence Nightingale, contains a QR code to hear “Florence” tell all about her life or you can read the informational text yourself. Then use the information to create your choice of end products. My personal favorite is the EXCLUSIVE Happy Hive Homeschooling Authentic Turkish folded lantern Mini Book!
Thank you to the Nurses and Midwives who dedicate their lives to serving others.
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 don’t already, sign up to follow our blog so you get email notification every time there is a new post. 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.
Tried and true. It has worked for the 16 years I have used it. You see, I had 3 kids in 4 years. I was a baby maker. And if you know me, you’re laughing because I didn’t want kids. I was happy with “my kids” that said meow, and the kids in my classroom every day – so the kind I actually had to change diapers for were not on my to do list.
I needed to be organized. After my 3rd child was born I was blessed to be able to stay home. That did NOT make life easier. I was as busy as ever. Something had to give. I had a newborn, a 1 year old and a 2 year old. I made the best decision of my life, and we still use this method of organization today.
My children are color coded. My oldest is RED, my middle is BLUE and my youngest is GREEN. Sometimes Red gets Pink – and she doesn’t mind. It’s understood that is her stuff. Dishes, towels, school supplies, bed sheets – you name it if it comes in these three colors – I buy it!
These dishes saved my life. It is so easy to organize when the kids are color coded!
Lauren – you towel is in the bathroom, please put it where it belongs. Ok mamma! What can she say? She can’t claim it isn’t hers! It was red! The consequence for using items that are NOT your color are punishable by death. So that never happened. Okay, well, not quite death, but I have to admit – it was so NORMAL – they never tried! I suppose if this system gets put into place with children who need to adapt to it, you would 100% need a meaningful consequence for using items that don’t belong to you.
I remember being upset I couldn’t find Green Pajamas this particular year. But notice the head wear! Spot on! Even Santa color codes. He doesn’t even use gift tags. They just know.
School Supplies are color coded! This was a much Merrier Christmas – all Pajamas fell into proper color categories. Imagine the shear bliss had I found Green Snowflake Pajamas. I would have swooned! The Easter Baskets are color coded, and if you look – they each have Peeps (the purple were close enough I guess ) – but you get the idea…the idea I’m a bit crazy!
I know homeschool families often have many children, but this would still work.
The most important things to color code are the towels and the dishes. I’m the only crazy who extends it onto pajamas and gift wrap!
The Core of the system is HOUSEHOLD items, dishes, towels – things that get left around. You want those items to be easily identified so they can get back to their rightful owner and the rightful owner can take responsibility for their actions.
This set comes with 9 different colors:
Now that we have outgrown the plastic dishes, I still use the system. I simply leave them notes on the counter with chores using paper in their color. In a pinch I write on white paper using markers in Red, Blue and Green. Same effect.
Feel free to share your tips for organizing with us! We hope your Educational Journey is blessed!
Tourism ( all activity related to people traveling outside of where they normally live) is a billion dollar industry – and it relies on the TOURIST!
A tourist is defined as any person traveling away from what is considered their usual social environment for the purpose of conducting business, social reasons (like a wedding or family reunion) or for pleasure. In order to be classified as a tourist, a person must stay at the location for longer than 24 hours and less than one year.
Anytime you and your family have traveled and met these conditions – you were a tourist! Perhaps you have fantastic destinations in your city that attract visitors. Those visitors are tourists too! They are “touring” the city that YOU live in, just as you tour the places you visit.
Some ways you can celebrate Tourist Appreciation Day are:
Plan your dream trip – research cost, places to visit while there, etc. Present the idea to your parents for fun.
Re-visit a place you have already been by creating a photo album of the trip. Preserve the memories with a bit of writing to describe the pictures.
“Tour” somewhere new in your local area – even though it doesn’t qualify as being a true tourist, it’s always a good opportunity to see something new! Create a Travel Brochure (I have a FREE printable for you to use!) of the place you visited!
Take a Virtual Trip to the most popular tourist destination – France. Use the links in the FREE PACKET I put together for today! It is a sample of the full WORLD TRAVELER set available in my curriculum line!
Download the Free Printables for Tourist Appreciation Day!
The World Traveler Activity Pack contains 13 additional countries (14 total including France), the Travel Brochure, a Passport, passport stamps and an adorable Suitcase mini book!
Thanks for traveling over to Homeschool Holiday today. 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 don’t already, sign up to follow our blog so you get email notification every time there is a new post. 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.
It’s a rare thing to have an a day so widely loved that was actually started by fans! Most “wacky” holidays are promoted by people or companies with an underlying agenda. (making money, promoting their product, etc) Not May the 4th. The beloved play on words – May the 4th be with you! – Star Wars day, was started by fans out of love for all things Star Wars. The day is celebrated in community gatherings, social media events and even partnerships with stores that hold special sales. As the day grew LucasFilm and the official Star Wars social media channels help spread the news about events.
Favorite ways to celebrate include:
Hosting Movie Marathons
Dressing up as Star Wars characters and posting with #StarWarsDay to your social media
Cooking Star Wars Themed Food
These Fun Cookbooks can Help:
If you’s like to keep some Grammar lessons involved in your day – Mad Libs are a favorite in both my classroom and my homeschool settings!
Here at Homeschool Holiday – we went the “puntastic” route and created a set of curriculum that revolves around the puntastic part of the day – it’s name. This set keeps it basic with a standard definition of pun and some Star Wars themed jokes that rely on puns. Or you can use the advanced version and explore the difference between Homophonoic and Homographic puns.
Whether you are on the Dark Side, or practice the ways of the Force – We would like to say, May the 4th be with you!
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 don’t already, sign up to follow our blog so you get email notification every time there is a new post. 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.
So knock me over with a feather, a goose feather. I was *Today Years Old* when I discovered that Mother Goose was an imaginary author who published a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes. I had always thought Mother Goose was a pen name, like Dr. Seuss. Learn something every day!
The first authenticated starting point for “Mother Goose” is said to be a collection of fairy tales published in 1695. This also marks the beginning of the fairy tale genre of literature.
Mother Goose day began in 1987 when the book: Mother Goose; From Nursery to Literature by Gloria T. Delamar was published. This book looks at the history of nursery rhymes as well as the history in nursery rhymes. (This book is aimed at an adult audience)
There are many different references to Mother Goose over the years, and it’s hard to tell who exactly She (or he) is.What seems to be agreed upon is that the rhymes come from MANY sources and are handed down from generation to generation.
Fingerplays are commonly used with nursery rhymes. A Fingerplay is a short poem or rhyme that is acted out with the fingers. (Think “This little Piggy”, or Itsy, Bitsy, Spider. ) Fingerplays are engaging and capture the learners attention. They promote vocabulary, and listening skills all while a young learner is using their imagination and creativity. Fingerplays also help strengthen motor skills and autonomy (desire to do it yourself) in young learners.
If you are looking for ideas to use fingerplays beyond the basics, here are some excellent choices. I especially like the Bible fingerplays.
Homeschool Holiday developed a set of printables designed for creative play in the spirit of finger plays. The adorable designs can be printed in color or black and white (So your learner can color their own). There are finger puppets and craft stick puppets as well as paper tube puppets. Your learners can:
Re- tell the story from the Nursery Rhyme in the learners own words, using the puppets as visual clues.
Engage in free choice story telling by mixing and matching the puppets. (I can only imagine what would happen when Jack and Jill meet Little Miss Muffet!)
Have your learner tell what came first, next, last by holding up the puppets in order.
I also have blank templates for each style to make your own Fairy Tale or Nursery Rhyme!
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To get you started her is a set of Story Sticks for Mary Had a Little Lamb. This set is only available for download from the blog and is NOT included in the Creative Play Curriculum!
Think Nursery Rhymes are only for the very youngest of learners? Think again! Learners in the Elementary grades can write their own Nursery Rhymes. Or how about a continuation of a popular rhyme. What happens after Jack and Jill tumble down that hill? Depending on the age of your learner, a well developed story can be written! I like to call this – and then what happened….
They can also act out the nursery rhyme (Their own original or a tried and true version, or the continuation!) and film it!
If you need a Mother Goose Book for your collection, or know someone who just had a baby – they always make a great gift!
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I hope you learned something new. If you don’t already, sign up to follow our blog so you get email notification every time there is a new post. That way you can come back again for another fun Homeschool Holiday because – there is always something to learn!
With Love,
“Mrs. Crabtree”
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These dishes saved my life. It is so easy to organize when the kids are color coded!
