Tag: family time

Little House In The Big Woods Adventure: Week by Week Geography and History Lessons

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog3 Comments

**This post may contain affiliate links to some of the products and resources that we have used. These are provided at no extra charge to you and help to support our blog and family if a purchase is made through these links. -Thank you!

Here are our Lesson Plans For Geography and History

On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.

Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.

We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States. 

 

Week 1: Chapters 1 & 2

1. State Study

  • Print out this map HERE or this one HERE. You can color in the states as you learn them and track Laura’s journeys.
  • This week we will study Wisconsin.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

 

2. Research Pioneer Life.

 

  • Discuss what you learned.
  • What would you take with you? (Remember it can only fit in a shoe box!)
  • Could you like like a pioneer?
  • What would be the hardest thing for you to give up? Why?
  • What would be the most fun? Why?

Week 2: Chapters 3 & 4

1. State Study

  • This week we will study Arkansas.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

 

2. Research the history of firearms.

  • Watch this video:

 

  • And this one:
  • Discuss what you learned.
  • Write out the steps to cleaning a gun as told in the story. Use this Sequencing Worksheet.

3. Start researching Louis Pasteur for a Speech.

  • Take notes about what you learned.

Week 3: Chapters 5, 6, & 7

1. State Study

  • This week we will study New Hampshire .
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

2. Research School in Pioneer Days.

  • Discuss what you learned.
  • How do the schools differ from our schools now?
  • Make a Venn Diagram to compare the differences and similarities.

3. Continue researching Louis Pasteur for a Speech.

  • Watch this video:
  • Take notes about what you learned.

Week 4: Chapters 8 & 9

1. State Study

  • This week we will study Indiana.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

2. Research the history of Square Dancing

  • Discuss what you learned.
  • Is this something you would be interested in? Write about why or why not you would be interested.

3. Continue researching Louis Pasteur for a Speech.

  • Watch this video:
  • Take notes about what you learned.

Week 5: Chapters 10 & 11

1. State Study

  • This week we will study Texas.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

2. Research Pioneer Life

  • Discuss what you learned.
  • Would you like to travel by covered wagon?

3. Continue researching Louis Pasteur for a Speech.

  • Watch this video:
  • Take notes about what you learned.
  • Finish Your Report!

Week 6: Chapters 12 & 13

1. State Study

  • This week we will study California.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

 

2. Start Researching the California Gold Rush – Speech due next week!

  • Take notes about what you learned for your speech next week.
  • Draw pictures and diagrams to go along with your speech.

Week 7: Finishing Up

1. State Study **

  • Review the states we learned about and choose a state to research more.
  • Write a report about the state and include at least 3 interesting facts about the state.

2. Continue to Research the Gold Rush. **

  • Finish your speech!
  • Give your speech!

Bonus: **

Research the main ways of pioneer transportation.

  • How do our methods of transportation differ?
  • What ways, if any, do we still use today?

Here is an interesting video about transportation methods you can watch.

Fun things to do:

The Scrambled States of America Puzzle and Book Set

**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR  PORTFOLIO!  TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!

 

 

 

Little House In The Big Woods Adventure: Week by Week Science Lessons

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

**This post may contain affiliate links to some of the products and resources that we have used. These are provided at no extra charge to you and help to support our blog and family if a purchase is made through these links. -Thank you!

Here are our Lesson Plans For Science

On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.

Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.

Week 1: Chapters 1 & 2

1. Read about bears or watch a video about bears.

 

For the Little Ones:

 

2. Read about panthers or watch a video about panthers.

 

 

3. Research Microbes and Bacteria.

 

  • Discuss what you learned.
  • How do they affect us?

4. What is Density?

 

Bonus Lesson: Why did the fire burn different colors? (Parental supervision needed for some activities!)

  • Discuss what you learned.
  • Ask your parents if you can have a campfire and use these Cosmic Magical Flame packets to watch the flames change colors.

Week 2: Chapters 3 & 4

1. Read about owls or watch a video about owls.

2. What is Rust?

  • Discuss what you learned.

3. Study the respiratory system.

Watch a video and older kids can do some independent research.

Week 3: Chapters 5, 6, & 7

1. Study the Digestion system.

2. Research Maple Trees

  • Describe how to identify a Maple Tree.

3. Research about collecting maple syrup.

  • Discuss what you have learned.
  • Write out the process for making Maple Syrup. Use this Sequencing Worksheet.
  • Bonus: Draw a picture to go with your project.

Week 4: Chapters 8 & 9

  1. Research and Study animal tracks.

2.  Study the skin.

3. Study the sun.

Week 5: Chapters 10 & 11

1. Study the moon.

2. Research Yellow Jackets vs. Bees.

 

  • Discuss what you learned. Why are Bees so important?
  • Make a Venn Diagram to show the similarities and differences of these two species.
  • Example:

Image result for venn diagram example

 

Week 6: Chapters 12 & 13

1.Research Deer.

  • Watch a video and older kids can do some independent research.

2.Research Thresher and Discuss what horsepower means today.

  • Watch a video and older kids can do some independent research.

 

  • Discuss what you learned.
  • What does a thresher do?
  • How has the meaning of horsepower changed?
  • We used some gears to show how a thresher worked.

3. Research germs.

Week 7: Finishing Up

1. Pick out a previous topic to research more and write a report about it.

2. Check out some other forest animals. Which ones have you seen before?

3. Check out these other videos for more information for you Gold Rush Speech.

  • How is Gold Mined?
  • How is Gold processed?
  • How is Gold used?

 

Fun Projects:

  • My kids also enjoyed reading:

 Bears on the Brain (Science Solves It!)

**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR  PORTFOLIO!  TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!

 

 

 

Kirby’s Kids Grade by Grade Homeschool Reading List

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog30 Comments

**This post may contain affiliate links to some of the products and resources that we have used. These are provided at no extra charge to you and help to support our blog and family if a purchase is made through these links. -Thank you!

Here is a list of books that we will be reading with our homeschool. I will update the list as we go through this journey. Many of these books can be found at your local library for FREE but I have provided Amazon links where you can find most of them ‘used’ for cheap. We also keep an Amazon list of books that we would like to purchase and sometimes they are gifted to us for Christmas and/or birthdays.

You should keep a record of the books read. You can do this in a notebook or using this printable HERE. (My kids like the plain ones so they can doodle around the margins but I may try to come up with a ‘prettier’ one later.)

I have also been using a lot of these books with some of the Novel-Ties Study Guides and other unit study guides that I have found online. I try to find as many FREE guides as I can but that isn’t always possible.

Remember that even though I have included Amazon links to these titles you may be able to purchase them used or at a different site for a better price. You may also have access to these books on your Kindle or other reading devices. Be sure to check back in as we will update this as we add more books to our own favorites here!

You may also like to check out these links for book reports:

Pre-K/Kindergarten

These will need to be read-alouds

First Grade:

Some of these may need to be read-alouds

Second Grade:

Third Grade:

Fourth Grade:

Fifth Grade:

Sixth Grade:

Seventh Grade:

Eighth Grade:

Ninth Grade:

Tenth Grade:

Eleventh Grade:

Twelfth Grade:

Updated May 31, 2022

printable-reading-listDownload

Loop Scheduling Made Simple With An Easy DIY Post It Note Loop Schedule

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog10 Comments

**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!

Instructions for the Easy DIY Post It Note Loop Schedule at the end of the post.

Many of us have started back to school and some of us started and then quit…errr… well, maybe I’m the only one that did that but I am happy to say that we are well on our way to getting back on track. The big project I have been working on is finished (YAYYYYY!!!!) and I am hoping it will be ready to post this weekend so keep an eye out for it.

In preparation of our new school year I pulled out our old Loop Schedule so I could change it out for this year. What a better time to show you how I do it?

Click HERE to see our most recent LOOP SCHEDULE CHANGES.

Last year one of the sanity savers I used was this Loop Schedule. You may have heard of Loop Scheduling and I thought it was something new but actually it was something I had already been doing and you probably have too!

I always start the year out with all kinds of fun activities, games, and ideas for us to work on. Before our Loop Schedule I was always trying to make sure we got the ‘meaty’ subjects like Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science finished before we moved on to anything else. If we didn’t get those areas completed we would just not do the other areas.

(These links will update soon and take you to our first Kirby’s Kids Academic Adventure!)

I always felt like we weren’t getting everything done that I wanted to get done. Our days got so BORING! We would be doing the same things over and over and never had time for the fun activities that I had planned for us to do. There’s only so much time in the day so what is an overwhelmed Momma to do? Continue reading “Loop Scheduling Made Simple With An Easy DIY Post It Note Loop Schedule” →

DIY Giant Tic-Tac-Toe Game

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

**This post may contain affiliate links to some of the products and resources that we have used. These are provided at no extra charge to you and help to support our blog and family if a purchase is made through these links. -Thank you!

My kids love to play Tic-Tac-Toe and they love to be outside so this combines both of their loves into one great game.  It’s really simple to make also. I really like the fact that most of the items can be found at the dollar store too!

DIY Giant Tic-Tac-Toe Game

Materials Needed:

  • Shower curtain or liner
  • Permanent marker
  • duct tape, you will need three different colors
  • a few old cereal boxes
  • dried beans
  • ruler or measuring tape

**Note: You can omit the boxes, beans, and two colors of duct tape if you happen to have 2 sets of bean bags (four of each color)

Directions:

  1. Cut a 5 ft x 5 ft or 4 ft x 4 ft square out of the shower curtain liner. Lay it flat and draw lines to divide it into 9 equal sections with the marker. Use one color of duct to cover the lines.
  2. If you don’t have bean bags you will need to make some really simple ones. Cut the cardboard into twenty 7 inch x 7 inch squares.
  3. Place two pieces of cardboard together and use one color of duct tape (different from the liner grid) to seal three sides. Fill the ‘bag’ with beans and seal the remaining edge. Cover any visible cardboard with duct tape. Repeat to make a total of 5 bean bags for this color. (You can mark these with x’s, if you want.)
  4. Repeat Step 3 with the remaining squares, beans, and colored tape. (Mark with o’s, if desired.)
  5. Grab a friend and start playing by standing a bit away from the ‘board’. Take turns tossing the bags and try to make a row of the same color/symbol. The row can go across, up or down, and/or diagonal.
  6. Have fun!

 

If you have a sidewalk or concrete you could also draw the board with chalk and use chalk/bean bags to play.

Not a DIYer? No fear you can buy something similar from Amazon:

 

Toysmith Giant Tic-Tac-Toe Game                                 Cardinal Toss Across Game