Pollywogs Place Homeschool – Page 89

Free Supplies for NSCW Celebration 2020

Published on April 30, 2019April 26, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

I just got an email letting me know about this exciting opportunity to help celebrate the importance of homeschooling during National School Choice Week 2020, which will be held from January 26–February 1.

Homeschooling groups and homeschooling families can sign up to receive FREE NSCW Celebration Supplies which include yellow fleece scarves, signs, and more!

Click here if you represent a homeschool group and would like free supplies.
Click here if you are an individual family and would like free supplies.

There is a simple sign up form to receive the supplies and how you decide to use them is completely up to you!

I just signed up for ours and you can do the same right now. Let’s show our support for homeschooling!

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Bugs Bunny Day Specials, and Cinco de Mayo Specials at UnitStudy.com

Published on April 30, 2019April 30, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

We love using Unit Studies here in our homeschool but sometimes life gets the best of me and I just don’t have time to gather the materials and activities together. Instead of beating myself up and feeling bad about it I know I can trust the folks over at UnitStudy.com to have something already made up that I can use for whatever adventure we are leaning towards.

This week they are having some great specials on the Mother’s Day unit studies as well as Father’s Day, and Bugs Bunny Day which I know my kids will be wanting to celebrate. They will also be having a Cinco de Mayo special from May 3-5 so be sure to check out that deal too!

Check out the specials below and then make sure to head over and enter into the giveaway! Good Luck!

Mother’s & Father’s Day Set 40% Off!

The package includes the following two unit studies:

Mother’s Day
Father’s Day

Mother’s Day 26% Off

“The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Mother’s Day is a fun day for children of all ages—from the excitement of making and giving gifts to planning special surprises for Mom. Why not enjoy a week-long Mother’s Day celebration? Really!

Quest 1: What Is Mother’s Day
Quest 2: The History of Mother’s Day
Quest 3: Celebrating Mother’s Day
Quest 4: Preparations for Mother’s Day
Quest 5: Goodies for Mother’s Day

Mere, Madre, Moeder, Mother—whatever language you say it in, love abounds. A mother’s nature is to nurture . . .

Use this opportunity to help your children understand more about your special relationship with them, learn a little Mother’s Day history, and help them prepare for a fun celebration in honor of the mothers who enrich their lives, whether that’s their own mother or grandmother or another special woman. It’s worth the extra effort to make Mother’s Day a special adventure—an exciting week that everyone will remember for many years to come!

Father’s Day 26% Off!

“Honor your father and your mother,
so that you may live long in the land
the LORD your God is giving you.”
Exodus 20:12

Dads are so important to families, and Father’s Day provides a chance for children to learn more about their dad and recognize all that he does for them.

From some of the fathers in the Bible to the history of Father’s Day, this study is rich with lessons in character, appreciation, and love.

Quest 1: What Is Father’s Day?
Quest 2: The History of Father’s Day
Quest 3: Celebrating Father’s Day
Quest 4: Preparing for Father’s Day
Quest 5: Goodies for Father’s Day

Celebrate Dad with this memory-making study!

Today Only! Crazy Cartoons 62% Off!

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
Do you have a doodler in the house or a budding artist that loves to create? An obsessed designer of construction blocks? Help bring out their creativity with Crazy Cartoons, and watch their eyes light up as they learn!

Quest 1: What Is a Cartoon?
Quest 2: The Story of Cartoons
Quest 3: Science Secrets of Cartoons
Quest 4: Cool Things About Cartoons
Quest 5: Goodies and Gadgets of Cartoons

I just grabbed my copy of the Crazy Cartoons and the Mother’s & Father’s Day Set …

the kids are gonna love these!

Don’t forget to check back during May 3-5 for this special:

Expedition Mexico

Are you ready for an education vacation? Not a vacation from education, but an educational vacation, without ever leaving home!

Which country boasts jungles, volcanoes, and Mayan pyramids?

Studying a country is a great way to discover amazing animals and geographical features with your children. Here are a few of the things that they will explore with this study:

Quest 1: Where on Earth Is Mexico?
Quest 2: Some of the Special Places in Mexico
Quest 3: A Bit of History
Quest 4: Cool Things to Know About Mexico
Quest 5: Fun and Games in Mexico

Mariachi bands often bring Mexico to mind, but what are they?
Exciting dances can be incredibly fun, and you may already know some of them.
X marks the place on the map—some you will have heard about . . . others will be new finds!
Iguanas are often green, but how long are they?
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday in Mexico, but do you know why?
Old pyramids remain after the Mayan civilization—no need to go all the way to Egypt!

**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission. Thank you!

Escaping Today’s Stress By Taking A Step Back In Time

Published on April 29, 2019September 15, 2025 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

WARNING: This post may contain a picture overload as I did take quite a few pictures while we were out on our adventures!

Over the weekend we had been invited to attend a small festival at Camp Milton where they were going to be having a battle reenactment. The time period was the 1800s which just happened to fit in with our Kirby’s Kids Academic Adventures and the Little House On The Prairie Adventures we’ve been doing with our homeschool so of course, I said we’d go. Plus it was a chance to see one of our friendly square dancers in action as he is an avid participant at these events.

I think we surprised him by showing up but he was more than happy to give us a tour through the camp and show us all the neat things they had out. They also shared some of their rations of beef jerky and bread with us for breakfast.

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After the camp tour, we headed over to the village where we got to shop at the General Store. I bought a cone of brown sugar there for the kids to try out later. We also ‘priced’ some other supplies and staples while we were there.

Then the kids got a peek at the small cabin, it was even smaller than our house, and they had the chance to ask a lot of questions which they did.

(Sorry guys there was no Google in the 1800s … lol.)

After the store, we headed over to the small museum where we got to check out a lot of interesting items.

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We checked out the school tent and bought a couple of toys, of course. Each kiddo had the chance to pick out a small wooden top and I also picked up a flute and a slingshot, what was I thinking?

Continue reading “Escaping Today’s Stress By Taking A Step Back In Time” →

Sign up Today! Raising Adventurous Eaters – 3-step solution even for picky kids

Published on April 28, 2019April 28, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

Image by tookapic from Pixabay

Ah, dinner time.

That moment in the day where the whole family comes together, enjoys a nourishing meal, and takes a genuine interest in one another’s day…

(or maybe…not?)

If your mealtimes feel a little more like Looney Tunes let the Tasmanian Devil loose around your kitchen table…or the princess from the pea-under-the-mattress story stopped by to give commentary on each item on the plate…you’re not alone.

And I might have a solution for you.

I’ve been checking out some tips from the teacher behind the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse, an online cooking class for kids. She’s got so many ideas about strategies for peaceful dinners, fostering healthy eaters, and dealing with picky ones, and she’s sharing them all in a (free!) live online event next week:

Raising Adventurous Eaters: Proven 3-Step Process to End Mealtime Madness and Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy (even if they’re picky!)

Katie Kimball, who is a teacher and mom of 4, will show you:

How to WIN Every Time You Play the Game of Dinner with Your Kids (and your kids win too!)
THE Snacktime Rule That Will be Your New Best Friend
Why WHEN You Serve Veggies Totally Matters
Power Struggle Diffusers to Make Family Mealtimes Peaceful (even if you have picky eaters)
How to Make the Clean Plate Club Totally Unnecessary
3 Choices to Give Your Kids That Will Make Healthy Food a Reality in Your House — but They Still Think They’re in Control
Quick Phrases for Your “Parenting Toolbox” That Ease Decision Fatigue at the End of the Day
How to Leverage Your Unfair Advantage in the Kitchen (= More Veggies in Your Kids!)

Are you ready to experience a family dinner that everyone enjoys – even the adults?

You won’t want to miss this free event – it’s time to flip the script on “kid food” and raise healthy, adventurous eaters!

RESERVE YOUR SEAT FOR THE LIVE EVENT

P.S. The training has 4 times to choose from so it’s even easier to get there:

Monday, April 29 at 7pm EDT (4pm PDT)
Monday, April 29 at 10pm EDT (7pm PDT)
Tuesday, April 30 at 2pm EDT (11am PDT)
Thursday, May 2 at 10am EDT (7am PDT)

It will be recorded but signing up is the only way to get the replay!

Google Home: The Ultimate Homeschool Helper

Published on April 27, 2019April 26, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog3 Comments

We have often shared things that we love and use on a daily basis. We’ve been sharing about our Kirby’s Kids Academic Adventures as we read through the Little House on the Prairie stories. (More lessons to come soon, I promise.) We’ve also done our share of ‘free schooling’ and schooling-on-the-fly lately as life can often times get very crazy at the drop of the hat.

You know we’ve had our own share of struggles with special needs, speech issues, and learning disabilities too. We’ve shared a lot of the great programs we use like ABC Mouse, Mystery Science, Kids Cook Real Food, and Character Concepts, plus many great resources like NotebookPages.com, Skill Trek, UnitStudy.com, Kiwi Co, Green Kid Crafts, and Positive Parenting Solutions that have really helped us out with our homeschooling journey.

One of our favorite resources lately has been our Google Home device that we received last year through a product testing opportunity. This thing is AMAZING! Not only has it helped to relieve some of my stressors as I have been able to integrate our Cozi calendar into the system, look up recipes in a pinch but it has also helped out in so many other ways.

Google is a talking encyclopedia!

Mr. Joey (7) asks approximately 31,252,374 questions a day! I may be on the low side of that estimate though… lol. Mr. Jacob (5) asks at least half that many questions too. This means my mind is constantly in a whirlwind trying to remember how many teeth a timber has or how big a blue whale baby is when it’s born. They are so inquisitive and curious about everything which is where Google has helped out. Now they can just ask Google!

Since I have my Cozi calendar integrated into it, Google can even tell the kids what we are having for dinner. Okay, sometimes I do feel a little bit sorry for Google and tell the kids that Google needs a break.

Google is a speech therapist!

Not only has this feature helped the kids learn some amazing facts it has also helped them with some of their speech issues. Yep, that’s right. If they don’t say something correctly then Google doesn’t recognize it. This means they must slow down and practice speaking more clearly. Continue reading “Google Home: The Ultimate Homeschool Helper” →