Educational Insights Hot Dots Jr Kindergarten Review and Giveaway

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details. Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Educational Insights is a California based company that has been manufacturing fun products that also provide serious educational value since 1962. Their wide selection of products include subject specific classroom products, teacher resources, educational toys and games. As a homeschool mom I am always on the search for fun yet educational resources. And Educational Insights certainly goes above and beyond in this area. We own several products from Educational Insights and I am always happy with their quality, durability and educational value.

A moms review:

We received the Hot Dots Jr Let's Master Kindergarten Math and Reading sets to review. This is another item that I decided to wait until Christmas to give to my children because of how awesome it was. So for this review I personally played with the "Ace" and the books. Last year my children received several Educational Insights gifts and they loved them so I am sure these are going to be a huge hit on Christmas morning.

These sets are recommended for children ages 5+. I initially got these sets for my 6 year old son but after paging through the books I have discovered that my daughter, age 7, will also be able to benefit from them. My first thought was these are going to be perfect for car rides. We are a very on the go homeschool family and since we live in GA our car rides often end up being 30-45 minutes long.  I am always searching for learning resources for the children to do in the car and Hot Dots are perfect! Hot Dots are easy to transport, require little adult assistance, are not loud or annoying and most importantly they are fun and educational!

The Hot Dots Jr Let's Master Kindergarten Math and Reading sets each come with two durable spiral bound books and "Ace" - the talking teaching dog (requires 2 AAA batteries). Each book contains 100 self checking lessons. The only parental assistance your child may require is reading the instructions for the quiz like lessons. Hot Dots are so simple to use and children will definitely be able to utilize this educational resource on their own after a short time.

"Ace" is perfect for little hands. The Jr. sets come with "Ace"and the 1st -3rd sets come with a pen. "Ace" will tell the child if they got the answer correct by responding with a fun, congratulatory phrase and/or sound and glowing green eyes. Some of the phrases and sounds include: yes, you got it, terrific, bow wow sound, ruff sound, horn sound, trumpet sound, etc. If the child gets an answer incorrect "Ace" responds with a gentle wrong answer phrase and/or sound and glowing red eyes. Some of the sounds and phrases include: that's not right, sorry, whining sound, whimpering sound, buzzer sound, etc. Sometimes "Ace" will surprise you with some tail wagging vibrations too!!!! I love that there is no need to turn "Ace" on and off. He automatically goes to sleep when he is not being used and is always ready to play as soon as he taps a black dot. "Ace" also has a 3 position button to adjust the sound level (including a mute option), as well as a 3 position button for selecting the types of sound you want to hear (speech, sound effects or combo).

The spiral bound books in each set are clearly labeled book 1 and 2. The pages are glossy and very durable, so they will withstand lots of abuse and be able to be used over and over again! The books are small so they are perfect for little hands and easy to transport. Each book is broken into color coded, skill sections. Under the skill heading are simple one sentence instructions. There are about 2-3 quiz like questions on each page. Under each question you will find black dots (aka Hot Dots). Your child simply looks at the question, determines the answer and then presses the pen to the corresponding black dot to see if they are correct. The last 15 pages of book 2 has a challenge section which will provide children with skills from the next grade level to help them get ready to move on to the next set of books.

Here is what skill topics are covered in each of the Kindergarten sets:

Hot Dots Jr. Kindergarten Reading

• Letter recognition
• Upper and lowercase letter pairs
• Beginning consonant sounds
• Ending consonant sounds
• Short vowels
• Sight words
• Color words
• Shape words
• Number words
• Long vowels
• Basic capitalization rules
• Basic punctuation rules

Hot Dots Jr. Kindergarten Math

• Numbers
• Counting
• Patterns
• Addition facts
• Shapes
• Basic fractions
• Subtraction facts
• Data and statistics
• Sequencing numbers
• Number words
• Three dimensional shapes
• Weight
• Length
• Time
• Money

Hot Dots are going to be a great addition to our relaxed homeschool style. They are something that the kids can pick up an utilize completely on their own either at home or in the car. They are perfect for all learning styles and provide hours of interactive learning fun. As a mom on a budget I love that the price on these is very affordable at just $24.99 a set. And since the books are non-consumable Hot Dots are something that you can easily pass down to another child or sell when your child is done.

Reading and Math Hots Dots sets are available for PreK- 3rd Grade and are great for both home and school use!

Gwyn's (age 7) and Rowyn's (age 6) review: After Christmas I will come back and update the post with the children's thoughts, some more pictures and maybe even and video! I will be sure to include a photo of them opening their Hot Dots.

Links to follow:

-Educational Insights Website
-Educational Insights  Facebook 
-Educational Insights Twitter page
-Educational Insights Newsletter

Also visit Educational Insights FREE downloadable section for learning resources and tips!

Where to buy:
You can purchase Hot Dots from Educational Insights and Amazon. Each set is $24.99 (Amazon currently $21.99).

Now time for the giveaway: 
Educational Insights has graciously offered to giveaway a Hot Dots set to one lucky reader. Winner may choose grade level for either a reading or math set. Only the first entry is mandatory. Other entries are optional and give you extra chances. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winner will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winner must reply within 24 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Open to US only! Prize will be mailed via the company.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tips For Teaching Energetic And Expansive Children

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you have an energetic child? How about an expansive child? I have one of each and here are some tips that may assist you with your homeschooling days.

The energetic child:
Our 6 year old son Rowyn is our energetic, silly, stubborn child. He likes to play ALL day long and certainly fits the definition of energy, "the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity." The boy even talks and walks in his sleep. He is quite the handful to teach because his attention span on one particular subject only lasts about 15 minutes and he can't sit still even during those 15 minutes. He loves to make people laugh and is quite content to play and learn on his own. I have noticed over the last couple of years that an energetic child is generally very tactile and likes hands on learning best. So here are some tips for teaching your energetic child.

1) Find hands on, engaging curriculum and resources. And ask your child what they want to learn about and let them pursue their interests. Some of Rowyns favorite resources to utilize are educational board games, Legos, Apologia, Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett, A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks, Moving Beyond The Page, Reading Kingdom and anything he can take apart or put together! He also loves playing and learning on the tablet and computer. We also like to change up our curriculum every month, which is one reason I love reviewing products.

2) Have homeschool lessons somewhere other than the kitchen or dining room table like on a rocking chair, trampoline, bouncy ball, the floor or outside. And it is even okay to hang upside down off the sofa or sit on the stairs to listen in on lessons. Also make lessons short and break them up. If lessons are too long the energetic child gets distracted and even more fidgety.

3) Set up learning stations and have lots of hands on things laying around for them to explore. Our Unit Study Exploration Box is a huge hit in our house. The theme does change from time to time but for the last few months it has been filled with science stuff. There are tools for the children to explore with like bug catchers, magnifying glasses, tweezers, a scale, microscopes, strainer, magnet, etc. And there are lots of treasures that they found outside. Beside the box I have a big science encyclopedia, numerous journal pages and Nature Friend Magazines.

4) Let them burn off some energy by running around and playing in the yard a little before, during and after lessons. I find this makes a huge difference with both of my children. I also highly suggest trying some brain breaks check out The Ultimate Guide To Brain Breaks. This eBook breaks down how and why movement matters for learning and optimal focus. There are 60 fun brain breaks included.


5) Let them fidget and play with quiet things during learning time. I know it may not seem like they are learning anything while they are dancing around the room, building, playing with a toy or doodling but believe me they are and they will surprise you every time. For some children the only way they can learn is by fidgeting.

The human body and brain is not designed to sit still for long periods of time. Movement increases our circulation, provides our body with more oxygen and activates our cerebellum. So just take a deep breath and remember that learning can take place at anytime and anywhere.

The expansive (chatty) child:
Our 7 year old daughter Gwyn is our chatty, compassionate, social butterfly. She inherited those traits from her "Chatty Kathy" mother! She is a positive, creative, spirited, charismatic little girl and loves to be recognized for who she is. She also loves to encourage others. She is good at talking to and including others, helping others and radiating optimism. But she is not good at working independently, multi-tasking, reacting quickly to change or concentrating on the details. I love her enthusiasm and desire to learn, ask questions and make friends but there are many times it comes off as annoying, disruptive, etc. So here are some tips for helping your expansive child so that they don't end up with hurt feelings and rejection.

1) Be encouraging when asking your child to give someone else a turn to speak, rather than just telling them to keep quiet which can hurt their feelings and make them feel rejected. Try something like, "Gwyn I  see you are excited and really appreciate that, so why don't we listen to what others have to say and then see if you can add anything?" This approach give your child praise and recognition while still being emphatic of their feelings.

2) Try give-and-take as a way to teach conversation skills and slow down the process. Using something like a “talking stick” or a piece of paper with a question mark can help with this. I also highly suggest reading this fabulous book, My Mouth Is A Volcano.

Education.com

3) Create a special sharing time at home where your child can ask as many questions and share as much as they like. Dinner time is a good time for this and everyone can take turns going first. This is also a great time to use the "talking stick". We currently only have one car and need to pick up my husband from work several times a week, so we utilize the car rides as a time for the children to talk all about their day.

4) Provide opportunities for them to talk as much as they like such as reading out loud, volunteering at a nursing home, spending time with their best friends, etc. I let Gwyn make videos too as a way to get all her chattiness out. She loves making her own documentaries and doing vlog reviews.

5) During lessons have your child write down or draw their questions and allow them time at the end or at a stopping point to ask them. Gwyn can't really write all that well yet so what I do is pause frequently to allow her time to ask questions. If she interrupts I ask her to try to remember her question until I reach a stopping point or draw out her question so she remembers.

Human beings are social creatures by nature and are generally happier, learn more and do a better job when talking to others. By asking questions and talking children learn and retain more information, get great ideas, judge how they are doing and are able to offer help and encouragement to others.

Click here to read more "Chatty, Wiggly Child" posts from Schoolhouse Review Crew!

Be sure to browse through all of our other Top 10 Posts!

Linking up with: Top Ten Tuesday, Ben and Me

DIY Lego Storage Bin And Play Center On Wheels

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Earlier this year Rowyn developed a love for Lego's. He is officially addicted and eats, sleeps (he does literally sleep with them) and breathes Lego's. There are days where he will spend 8 + hours playing with them. He has a wardrobe of Lego T-shirts, a collection of books and magazines and every month he now attends Lego Club at our local Lego Store. Because of his passion for Lego's I am actually in the process gathering various resources to put together a Lego curriculum for him for next school year. And thanks to my wonderful husband, Rowyn now has a terrific way to tote his Lego's around the apartment with leaving a trail behind him...and he also has a nifty little play area too.

Here is my DIY tutorial on how to make your very own Lego Storage Bin and Play Center On Wheels:

1) Purchase a 38 quart rolling cooler, like this one from Amazon or Walmart. They generally cost between $21.00-$24.00 on sale.

2) Purchase a large 15" x 15" Lego plate, like this one on Amazon. We choose to use grey. These generally cost around $14.00.

3) Next make a template for the inside of the lid using a piece of cardboard.
4) Using a dremel cut the Lego plate using the template you created. My hubby did this part.
5) Sand the edges of the plate to make them nice and smooth.
6) Sand the bottom of the plate and the top of the cooler to make it rough which will allow the glue hold better.
7) Using a strong adhesive like Goop, glue the plate to the top of the cooler. Place lots of heavy books on top to make sure it fully adheres. Allow it to dry completely. You may have to use some super glue around the edges as well.

8) Fill the cooler with Legos. This was my sons favorite part!

9) Decorate the outside with fun Lego stickers. I found some really cool Lego letter stickers and Mini Fig stickers on Red Bubble.

10) Have fun and PLAY! My sons 2nd favorite part. He loves that he can create fun things and then display them on the top of his storage bin to show daddy when he gets home.

Linking up with: Top Ten Tuesday, Look What We Did

Top 10 Educational Wii Games

Christmas is officially 28 days away! Wow where has 2012 gone? Nintendo Wii seems to be a HOT gift item yet again. Did you know though that the Wii has many educational games that you can utilize in your homeschool?

1) Jump Start: Escape Adventure Island - a fun and educational game to help kids with reading and math skills.

2) Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival - this is a great game for younger kids under 7. Kids will work on math skills that include number identification, counting, shapes and pattern recognition.
3) Ultimate I Spy - one of our family favorites. This is a great brain booster game. In I Spy you seek and find various objects and solve riddles.
4) Reader Rabbit - this is a fabulous game for encouraging and building reading skills.
5) Smarty Pants - a fun trivia game for the entire family,
6) Sesame Street: and Elmo's A to Zoo Adventure - learn letters with Elmo. This game teaches a variety of literacy skills, including letter identification, letter sounds and word families.
7) Wii Resort - get in some Homeschool PE with Wii Resort. Yes your kids will get up and moving with these fun interactive games.
8) Create - a fun puzzle solving game that lets your imagination run wild.
9) Oregon Trail - this was one of my favorite games as a kid...except it wasn't nearly this cool. Travel and learn about the Oregon trail through some fun game playing.
10) My Word Coach - help improve your childs verbal communication and vocabulary in a fun way. There are six different exercises to choose between.

Many of these items are marked down for Cyber Monday so if you plan to buy a Wii or already have one make sure you snag some fun and educational games at these great prices!

Be sure to browse through all of our other Top 10 Posts!

Thanks for stopping by and have fun exploring nature!

*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with: Educating Laytons, Top Ten Tuesday

FreeBEE Fridays - Free Craft Idea Resources

Jen, from Gricefully Homeschooling, and I team up, every Friday, to bring you a list of freebees...on both of our blogs.

PLUS...with the added bonus of this being a weekly link up...where you can showcase your freebies, things you've found online, and also, things you've received in the mail, totally FREE in the last week...or so. 

FreeBEEs:

If you have homeschool FreeBEEs to share
please link up at the bottom of this post!
You can copy the button from my right side bar.

FreeBEEs:
We do a lot of crafts in our home. I have always been into crafting ever since I was a child. I even used to make and sell products at local craft fairs and shows. But after having children time to devote to my hobbies became difficult...so now I craft with the kids instead. You can check out our various crafts and craft how to's here on my blog Crafting With Kids.

When I post our crafts people comments saying, "you are such a fun momma," "you are so creative," "I wish I was that creative," "you always do such cute crafts and projects." Well guess what???? You can too. I wish I came up with all the cute crafts we do on my own but I always don't many times I get the ideas from other websites or Pinterest. So this week I am going to share some of my favorite craft idea websites so you too can have fun crafting with your kids.

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

FREE Craft Idea Websites:
-Lakeshore Learning
-Michaels - The Knack
-AC Moore
-Hobby Lobby
-Free Kids Crafts
-LooLeDo - this website also has videos making it even easier for non-crafters
-Family Fun
-Make and Takes
-Krafty Kid
-Craft Bits
-Enchanted Learning - easy to search by themes to find the perfect craft to go along with what you are learning
-DLTK Kids - another easy to search website so you can find that perfect craft
-Education.com - I really like this website and use it a lot for crafts and worksheets
-Crafts for Kids - another website that has videos
-Busy Bee Kids Crafts

FREE Field Trips:
And if you really think you are not crafty then perhaps you can take your kids on a field trip to one of these fun places that offer FREE craft projects for kids.

-Michaels - sometimes there is a small fee normally $2-$3 which pays for the main craft material
-Lakeshore Learning
-Home Depot - The first Saturday of every month kids can make a fun wooden project for FREE. They also get a pin, apron and certificate.
-Lowes - Offered twice a month. Kids get to make a fun wooden project for FREE. They also get an apron, iron on badge and certificate.
-Toys R Us - at least once a month Toys R Us will offer events where children can make crafts for FREE
-Pottery Barn Kids - offers FREE crafting events monthly
-Disney Store - often the Disney Store will have fun crafts for kids to do for FREE

I hope you find these resources useful. If you ever have any questions feel free to leave me a comment or email me. Also be sure to follow my FB page where I post FreeBEEs daily.

Link up: FreeBEE Fridays with Kathy's Cluttered Mind and Gricefully Homeschooling

Remember when it comes to FREE resources the internet and a good search engine are your best friend.

*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with 3 Boys and a Dog

Exquisite Mixed Media Bird Artwork

E is for Exquisite Mixed Media Artwork. We are continuing to work on our bird unit study through next week. This week we have been learning about song birds, perching birds, crows, pigeons, doves etc.

We read several great books. Nacho and Lolita was a really GREAT book and made this sappy momma cry. It is fabulous story and teaches a fabulous lesson. The illustrations are wonderful as well. I used this guide to help me discuss the book further with the kids.

Then we made some mixed media exquisite artwork. This was great craft and really encouraged the kids to use their creativity. They are super easy to make below are the instructions.

Materials:
-Large Piece of Paper
-Raffia, Yarn, Feathers, Dried Leaves, Cotton and other various items to build a nest
-Pom Poms
-Egg Shells (I saved some eggs shells after breakfast, cleaned them out really well and let them sit out for several days)
-RoseArt Tempera Painters
-Kid-Friendly Scissors
-Wiggle Eyes
-Yellow Felt
-RoseArt White Glue
-Hot Glue Gun
-Scissors

Instructions:
1) Have your children build a nest using the materials they have gathered.
2) After the nest is built have children make pompom babies and place them into the cleaned out egg shells. Then glue the egg shells onto the nest. You can use wiggle eyes or mini pompoms for the eyes and make a little beak out of yellow or orange felt.
3) Next you will make the mommy or daddy bird. Use the fabulous RoseArt Tempera Painters to paint your child's hand (Gwyn decided to make a colorful bird, Rowyn wanted a Bluebird). Then place your child's hand on the paper slightly above the nest, keeping their spread out as far as possible so it makes the head. Add a felt beak and wiggle eyes.
4) Children can also add clouds in clouds, a sun, a tree, etc to their picture.

While we built the nests we discussed the different types of materials and why birds would choose certain materials over others. We also discussed the different types of nest construction. And we talked a little more about bird eggs. 

And of course we wrapped it up with a couple fun videos like this one of a Robin Building a Nest and the one below.


 What kinds of scientific or artistic fun have you been having?

*Disclaimer - RoseArt (Mega Brand) supplies us with lots of wonderful products in return for honest reviews and craft project how to's. I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are our own! Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with this week:
Educating Laytons, Ben and Me, Slowly Natural, Upside Down Homeschooling, I Can Teach My Child, Adventures in Mommydom, A Little R & R, JDaniels4Mom, The Momma Knows, HSBA Post

A week in the life of homeschoolers - August 18th - 24th

August 18th - 24th

In our homeschool this week...

We had a rough week. I am not sure why maybe something to do with Rowyn getting surgery this week on his wrist. I have two emotional children who don't deal with change or stress very well (just like their momma). Friday ended up being a pretty good day though.

Here are some highlights:

Saturday we took it easy and I tried to catch up on some things. I made pretty good progress. I got lots of stuff printed, some file folder games created and a few posts written. The kids watched educational shows on the Roku, put together puzzles and made necklaces. Sunday we went to the lake with my family. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins in the water and on the beach. I had a great time talking with my siblings and catching up on some reading. Monday was our weekly errand day. We went to speech therapy, got our September unit study books at the library, vacuumed the car and picked up a few things at dollar tree. We also found a road kill Blue Jay and yup I bagged and tagged him. We had a fun time dissecting him and starting our Bird Unit study a little early. To view all the photos read the post here here. Tuesday Rowyn had his surgery so we I was up bright and early to give him his last fluids before surgery. His surgery went very well and it was a cyst on his wrist. The anesthesia didn't agree with him. He got sick on the way home and then fell asleep until about 5 pm which is when he finally ate something as well. His big sister did such a good job taking care of him. Oh and Gwyn lost 2 more teeth, she has lost a total of 6 now. Wednesday the kids did some learning on the computer, we made candles using melted tea light candles and sand molds then we headed the library for a Audubon Society class on the most common 10 birds in GA. We also learned about box turtles using our Apologia Land Animals book and the turtle we brought home to study for a short time. Thursday The kids did some Spanish using Speekee. Then we had a friend pop in for a bit. After our friends left we worked on the desert part of  our sand unit study. We read a few books, examined our cacti and did some fun worksheets. We also made a simulation sand storm. Friday we took our weekly nature walk and did some nature journaling. We had lots of fun exploring the creek. We saw fish, a green heron, caterpillar and some really cool mushrooms. We also released our turtle friend. Daddy switched schedules with someone at work so he was home in time for dinner. We had some gift cards for Olive Garden so we decided to enjoy dinner at a restaurant.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
I don't recommend threatening your kids with public school like this bad momma did this week.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
This week we went to the the hospital, a class on birds at the library and on a nature walk. We also had a great friend Rebecca from Moms Mustard Seeds and her kids swing by for a little bit on Thursday.

Next week we have our first homeschool book club meeting which I am facilitating (wish me luck). We are going over to a friends house to take some fun back to school photos. And we will be going to the library for an event, Barnes and Nobles to meet an author and the Decatur Book Festival.

My favorite thing this week was…
The class on birds at the library and making candles using sand molds. Oh and dissecting a Blue Jay, check out my post here.

Things I’m working on…
I have been working on getting resources for our September unit study put together. We will be studying birds.

I’m grateful for…
Good friends that come to visit and chat.

I’m praying for…
Healing of my sons incision. And that we can somehow get a new car before December (waiting on a miracle).

Favorite Resource(s)...
Our favorite resources this week was our Land Animals of the 6th Day book from Apologia. This book is always great for learning more about amazing creatures.

Another favorite resource this week was our Audubon Apps for Android (also available for iPhone). These are always great for our nature walks and help us identify various things on our journeys.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Homemade Candles:

Instructions can be found here on Education.com.

How was your week? 

Linking up with:

Learning All The Time, Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers,  Homegrown Learners, iHomeschool Network, Living Life Intentionally, All Boy Homeschool, A Little R & R, Adventurez In Child Rearing, Creative Family Fun, Becoming a Strong Woman of God

FreeBEE Friday - Free File Folder Games

Jen, from Gricefully Homeschooling, and I team up, every Friday, to bring you a list of freebees...on both of our blogs.

PLUS...with the added bonus of this being a weekly link up...where you can showcase your freebies, things you've found online, and also, things you've received in the mail, totally FREE in the last week...or so. 

FreeBEEs:

If you have homeschool FreeBEEs to share
please link up at the bottom of this post!
You can copy the button from my right side bar.

Internet FreeBEEs:
Another thing I am incorporating more of into our homeschool learning this year is games. Board games, file folder games, online learning games, app games you name it. It is amazing how much kids can learn through fun, educational games. This week I am sharing FREE file folder games. I have included a picture of some of our file folder games. I actually prefer to use binders instead of file folders.

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

File Folder Games:
File Folder games are great for Pre-K through about 3rd grade. Even though some older kids may also enjoy them.
-Living Life Intentionally shares her 7 favorite file folder games
-Greater And Less Than Alligator Math - Montessori Now
-File Folder Fun has lots of great FREE printables
-Hear of Wisdom shares her favorite file folder games
-File Folder Heaven
-Kindergarten Kindergarten adorable file folder games for boys and girls
-Bible file folder games
-Homeschool Share file folder games
-Activity Village file folder games
-Lots of fun printable game boards
-Giggly Games

Busy Bags:
Busy bags are another great item especially for toddlers.
-Toddler Time has lots of great ideas

I hope you find these resources useful. If you ever have any questions feel free to leave me a comment or email me. Also be sure to follow my FB page where I post FreeBEEs daily.

Link up: FreeBEE Fridays with Kathy's Cluttered Mind and Gricefully Homeschooling

Remember when it comes to FREE resources the internet and a good search engine are your best friend.


*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with 3 Boys and a Dog

Blue Jay Dissection

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Monday is errand day for us, yuck. But on the way home from our final errand I spotted a road kill bird and since we just happened to pick up about 35 books on birds at the library for next months unit study I couldn't resist....yup I bagged it. The bird was located just around the corner from our home so we parked the car at the apartment and then took a short walk to where I saw the bird. Turns out it was a Blue Jay...pretty cool right?  It was laying in a turning lane on the road so while the kids waited on the sidewalk I cautiously picked it up using a grocery bag. I also collected a few pretty blue feathers that were laying nearby too. It was pretty decomposed already but it was still an opportunity to get in some science learning fun. We took the bird out on the balcony, grabbed the goggles, magnifying glass, baggies, a few tools and then had fun exploring. All of the bones were too brittle to preserve but we did manage to save a foot, the beak, wings and some feathers. I bagged the items and will be following the directions from this website to preserve them for our bird board.

So have you ever explored or dissected dead critters?



Linking up with:
Educating Laytons

Exploring Nature and Nature Journaling

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We had a great time yesterday exploring and learning about nature at Autrey Mill. Nature walks and nature journals are a GREAT homeschool activity. It amazes me how much the kids learn on one of our outings. This year I plan to do a lot more of these kinds of days (maybe 3-4 times a month) check out our photos to see why.....

Rescued a box turtle from the road. Dr. Gwyn Balman determined he was fine (it just so happened they brought the toy stethoscope along).

We saw some pretty flowers. We talked about their colors and pollination.

Collected mushrooms for a mushroom specimen board we are going to create (don't worry I will share our finished project right now we are drying out the mushrooms).

We examined interesting bugs. I have not clue what this little white bug is. We tried to figure out what he was using our Audubon Insect App but had no luck. If you know what it is can you leave a comment please.

Worked in our nature journals. Yup even little ones can have a nature journal. Ours consist mostly of pictures with some labels. You don't need anything fancy to do nature journaling just a journal or notebook of some kind, a pencil and/or some colored pencils/crayons. Rowyn decided to use a little notepad he took out of one of the caches we found.

Played with a slug. Gwyn really loved him and found his eyes so fascinating.

Climbed a tree. Yup that's me in a tree this was a Geo Challenge.

Fed the ducks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore. You are not allowed to feed them bread (since it is unhealthy) but luckily it was feeding time sot he park employee let the kids throw some corn to the ducks.

Explored Native American dwellings.

Learned about historic buildings from the 1800-1900's.

Checked out turtles, snakes and lizards at the visitors center.

Examined seeds from trees like a Chinese Chestnut (ouch they are prickly).

Completed 2 Geocaches and a couple of Geocache Challenges.

And most importantly we spent time together.

We also saw pretty butterflies and fascinating lizards but I couldn't get picture of them.

So do you and your family take nature walks? If so what kinds of things have you discovered on your walks?



Linking up with:
Educating Laytons