The Happy Housewife™ :: Home Schooling

homeschool tips, printables, curriculum reviews, and more

101 Things to Do on a Snow Day with Kids

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Growing up in Florida, I had no idea what a “snow day” was until I moved up north. I also had no idea of the importance of snow day activities, until I spent a winter stuck inside a tiny apartment with my toddler.

I also became very familiar with this routine:

  • Dress all the kids up for snow (30 minutes)
  • Watch kids play in the snow (10 minutes)
  • Make kids hot chocolate after they come in the from the snow (20 minutes)
  • Clean up all the wet clothes/ socks/ boots, toys, etc (2 hours)

I realized that I needed a Snow Day Plan, a list of activities that would keep my kids busy when they weren’t outside playing in the snow.

If you are going on week three of winter break, need activities for your kids because school’s been cancelled again, or maybe you live in Florida and want some fun snowy activities keep reading. I’ve compiled a list snow day activities for you.

Most of these snow day activities are simple, quick to put together, and use items you already have in your home.

Snow Day Activities for Kids

101 Snow Day Activities

Snow Day Book List

winter-reading-list-for-kids

Worksheets & Free Printables

winter preschool printables

Winter Crafts

Snow Painting | The Happy Housewife

Outside Activities

pinecone_birdfeeder8-2

Inside Activities

golf2

Snacks

Snow-Ice-Cream-Recipe

Snow Day Movies

happy-feet-movie

Tips for Planning Your Homeschool Day

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When I talk to parents who are new to homeschooling one of the biggest questions I’m asked is, “how do you plan your homeschool day?”

Since most of us grew up in traditional schools, we tend to gravitate towards a traditional schedule. However, one of the benefits of homeschooling is flexibility.

Over our almost 20 years of homeschooling, every year has looked a little different. High schoolers need significantly more structure than younger children, and no child needs to spend more than four to five hours a day on schoolwork.

Planning your homeschool day

While a traditional school might go for 7-8 hours, the actual learning time is significantly less. Remember that when creating your own homeschool schedule.

In traditional school the teacher must account for behavior disruptions, bathroom breaks, moving from class to class as well as a myriad of other issues that you don’t have in your homeschool schedule.

This isn’t to say that homeschooling removes the need for bathroom breaks and you won’t be dealing with behavior issues. You will. However they don’t take up as much time as they do in traditional school.

Top Tips for Planning Your Homeschool Day

Here are the things I did to help create a homeschool schedule that was flexible yet allowed my children plenty of time for learning and completing their assignments.

Remember, you have to be at home to homeschool. This is something I never understood in 20 years of homeschooling my kids. While I thought it was very important to “socialize my kids” I had friends who spent almost every minute of the day in the car.

I realize that certain seasons of life may require more time on the go than others, but in order for your child to truly learn the basics and have a great educational foundation you have to teach them. 

how to create a homeschool schedule

This is best done in a stable environment when possible. There’s nothing wrong with practicing math facts or states and capitals while running errands, but if you aren’t dedicating a specific amount of time each week to learning, your kids will struggle in the future. 

I use to joke that I would attend homeschool conventions and hear stories about people who took a year of schooling and only read to their kids because of an illness or family situation. They always bragged about how their kids scored better the next year on standardized tests or aced the SAT’s. 

I can tell you with complete honesty that this method did not work with my kids. The year my husband was sick and we spent most of our days in the car taking him to and from medical appointments was a disaster.

My kids DID NOT LEARN ANYTHING. They scored lower on standardized tests and I spent the next year doing “double school” with them to try and catch them up.

Decide your schedule. 

Will you homeschool 4 or 5 days?  For K & 1st we homeschooled only 4 days (sat down and opened books), for 2nd grade and above we have schooled all 5 days.

This is completely up to you! You can absolutely work on a 4 day a week schedule with older children, however you need to make sure they complete the hours required in your state to graduate.

how to create a homeschool schedule

Also remember that as a homeschooler, your child’s extra curricular activities can count for high school credit. If your child plays sports or is in gymnastics, marshal arts, or drama club, their house spent on that can count for high school credit. Make sure you document all of it to make sure you don’t have any issues.

Choose your school calendar.

Will you homeschool thru the summer? During holidays – school 6 weeks with 2 week breaks?

Your calendar should fit your family. It is miserably hot in central Florida in July & August – we gladly stay inside and jump into our new year earlier than some and take a “Fall Break”.

Knowing how long you will school will help you plan how many lessons you need – or if you need to find supplements.

Decide which subjects you will teach on which days.

Most curriculum offers a flexible schedule M/W/F or T/ Th plans.  Organize which subjects will fall on which days.

I am a stickler – Math, Reading, and Language Arts are scheduled all week with Science, History, and Spanish alternating.

how to plan your homeschool day

I printed out a cute planner so my son didn’t have to keep asking, “what are we doing today” or “what’s next”.  Laminate it and add a dry erase marker — he could happily check off when that subject was completed.

Find a document / planner that you enjoy using.

I’m a pencil and paper gal – I like to hold our schedule.  But there is something about a ton of blanks and boxes that scares me and I do not feel comfortable planning out an entire month.

I fear commitment!!

I prefer weekly calendars – you might prefer monthly or even 3 months!  I like to keep things flexible because if my son is into a lesson and wants to do another page – I’m not going to make him stop.

Once the weekly calendars are completed I transfer the information into a monthly calendar that is later printed for his portfolio and end of year evaluation.  It sounds like more work – but I’d rather be comfortable than stressed!

There are great online planners if you don’t want to deal with the mess of paper and printing page after page. Find something that works for you and stick with it! 

Schedule your homeschool hours

I’m not big on ringing a bell and starting class at a specific time each morning  – but I like to plan out which hours of the day will be at the table so I can say “no” to other things that pop up during that time frame. (It also helps to plan the harder subjects during little one’s nap time)

This past year I had to put a time limit on Math because my son was taking entirely too long.  If he didn’t finish an assignment after 30 minutes – we moved onto the next subject and he could go back and finish his work later during his “play time”.

Depending on the age of your children and your own work / activity schedule your homeschool schedule might need to be stricter or perhaps more flexible.

planning your homeschool day

Some families I know prefer to wake up early and get all the work done before noon. Other families enjoy working in the afternoon.

Whatever works best for your family is best, as long as the kids are completing their work and learning.

Create an outline for the day.

I’m the queen of flexibility but most children thrive in some sort of schedule or guideline.

Here’s a few things we did to keep everyone on track.

  • Start with a win: We always started with bible time or read aloud because no one was “bad at bible” that way we started the day on a positive note for everyone.
  • Next tackle something that’s hard: For many of my kids that was math. Many times math worksheets meant tears and those tears flowed freer at 3pm than 9am. I found that if we got the hard stuff out of the way first, the day went better.
  • Include lots of time for wiggles and stretching: This is super important if your kids are younger. Taking a 5 minute break every 30 minutes is so good for your kids. Let them run around, dance to their favorite song, play with a toy or anything fun.
  • Remove electronics during the learning hours: If your child has a phone or a tablet, I highly recommend keeping it while they are working on school. It’s so easy for a child to become distracted with technology. Make it easy for them to make good choices.

Write everything in pencil.

Do not print a calendar full of lessons unless you have a bottle of white out. I would print out months of scheduled work on calendars and after 2 days would have to trash it because we were usually a head of what I had planned.

I started writing everything in pencil because it was easier erase and make changes. Flexibility is CRUCIAL when you are homeschooling.

Don’t hate your planner.

Planners are to help keep you on task and organized not to make you feel shackled.

If a schedule is not working and you are not sticking to one – it’s time to find something else that works.

Donna Young is the queen of homeschool planners, and the resources are FREE. If you are computer savvy create your own excel spreadsheet.

If you would like something with a bit more muscle I suggest purchasing Homeschool Creations Reusable Homeschool Planner.  Not only have I been scheduling curriculum but field trips, chapter books, chores, and menu planning!

The main thing is to use what you are comfortable using! My first year homeschooling I mimicked a friend’s plans, lessons, curriculum, and homeschool classroom.  She’s a wealth of homeschool knowledge, but I was miserable.

Every family has different needs and different strengths and weaknesses. Find what works for you and go with it!

You might also like…

tips for planning your homeschool day

Properties of Water Experiments

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Water. It’s one of the basic elements of life. Living things need it every day to survive. It seems that water is everywhere and in all facets of life. We drink, bathe, and play in it. Sometimes, we take it for granted.

Since water is everywhere, let’s learn more about the properties of water and test them with a few simple experiments.

The Properties of Water

It seems that water is everywhere and in all facets of life. We drink it. We bathe in it. We play in it. We often take it for granted. Since water is everywhere, let's learn more about the properties of water and test them with a few simple experiments.

The Water Molecule

Scientifically speaking, water is a cool molecule to study.

Properties of Water Experiments at The Happy Housewife

Water is a polar molecule. Even though water is a neutral molecule in that it has an equal number of protons and electrons, there is an uneven electron distribution within each water molecule that makes it polar.

The oxygen atom in a water molecule attracts electrons more strongly than hydrogen does. This means that electrons tend to be at the oxygen end of the molecule. This makes the oxygen end of the molecule slightly negative. Thus, the hydrogen end of the molecule is slightly positive.

This polarity of water gives it some special properties, like cohesion and adhesion, that you can easily demonstrate right in your kitchen.

Cohesion Properties of Water

Cohesion simply means that water molecules like to stick to each other. This is caused by the slightly negative charge of the oxygen atom of one water molecule being attracted to the slightly positive charge of the hydrogen atoms of another water molecule.

Properties of Water Experiments at The Happy Housewife

Surface tension is a good example of cohesion at work. Have you ever seen a water skipper “skate” across the water of a pond? This insect literally walks on water because it takes advantage of the surface tension of water. Water molecules hold together tight enough to let these insects stay on top of the water.

Properties of Water Experiments at The Happy Housewife

You can test surface tension by filling a glass with water and gently laying a needle on the surface of the water using a fork. Since the needle has a higher density than water, it will sink if just dropped in the water. However, if the surface tension is not broken, the needle can be placed on the water in such a way that the surface tension of the water holds the needle on the surface.

Properties of Water Experiments at The Happy Housewife

Cohesion can also be tested by filling that same glass of water to the top and then gently adding more and more water until the water is actually forming an arc of water slightly over the top of the glass. The cohesive properties of the water are holding the molecules together so that they will not spill over the top of the glass. The weak hydrogen bonds between the water molecules will eventually give way.

Adhesion Properties of Water

Water molecules are attracted to each other (cohesion). They are also attracted to other charged molecules. This is adhesion. You can see this when it rains and water drops form on windows. These drops should be pulled to earth by gravity, but the force of the adhesion of water to that surface is stronger.

Properties of Water Experiments at The Happy Housewife

You can test adhesion by dipping a paper towel into a small bowl of water and food coloring. Watch the colored water as it climbs up the towel against gravity. Once again, the water molecules are drawn to other molecules and overcome the force of gravity.

What ways can you and your kids think of to test cohesion and adhesion?

Properties of Water Worksheet

Download this free worksheet to use in your water lesson and record your experiments.

It seems that water is everywhere and in all facets of life. We drink it. We bathe in it. We play in it. We often take it for granted. Since water is everywhere, let's learn more about the properties of water and test them with a few simple experiments.

Download your free worksheet



This inexpensive book is probably available at your local library or on Amazon if you are looking for more water experiments and homeschool lessons.

Learn more about water…

Sight Word Bingo (Free Printable)

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Games are a great way for kids to learn. Younger children typically have trouble sitting still for extended periods of time. Playing educational games is a great way for kids to learn and have fun at the same time.

Three of my children are dyslexic. We had to rely on memorization to help them learn how to read. One easy way I got my younger two children familiar with all the sight words was to play Sight Word Bingo.

I found the game at a yard sale and we basically wore out the cards and little red dots that came with it for marking the squares.

My children loved to play games, and didn’t even realize it was “educational.”

Sight word bingo was a favorite because my kids got bored of flash cards over and over. However they didn’t get bored of playing a game (instead of doing a worksheet).

When my children were first learning how to read and didn’t recognize many of the sight words they would have to hold the bingo card and try to find a match on their board.

As they got older and more proficient at reading they were able to identify words more quickly on their bingo card without looking at the word on my card.

If you haven’t tried Sight Word Bingo with your younger children I highly recommend it.

We’ve created two different sets of cards, one is dinosaurs the other is birds. Both work with the sight list word cards.

Grab your FREE Sight Word Bingo Game

Enter your email address below and we’ll deliver Sight Word Bingo directly to your inbox. 

Lapbook Ideas

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If you need some creative inspiration for the upcoming school year check out these awesome lapbooks.

If you are thinking, what is a lapbook? click over and read my lapbooking article. We’ve used them over the years in various subjects and my children always remember the concepts that were reinforced while making these books.

I only wish I was a little more creative and able to come up with ideas for creating lap books to go with our current curriculum.

Since I’m not a crafty homeschooler I usually search the web to look for inspiration. I’ve decided to feature several homeschool moms who have much more creativity than I do!

Click on the links to see how they put their projects together. Many of these lap book projects feature free printables to help your children make their own books.

Human Body Lapbook

Human Body Lapbook free printable

Tiger Unit Study and Lapbook

Parts of Speech Lapbook

 

Fall Lapbook

Double Lapbook Tutorial

American Government Lapbook

Presidents Lapbook

Character Project for Any Novel Lapbook (for your budding writer)

Dinosaur Cards and Lapbook

The Ten Commandments Lap Book

Fun Planets Flapbook Printable

Fun Planets Flapbook Printable

If you are new to lapbooking a fun way to being is to make lapbooks for each season. You can tie it in with your science lessons and lapbooks are great for portfolios. Last year I purchased The Ultimate Lap Book Handbook and used it for ideas and inspiration.

I also learned this summer that there is a whole series of  Apologia Lapbook products for those of you who are using the Exploring Creation Through… series. If you are looking for science lapbook ideas you might want to check out the curriculum.

Resurrection Eggs with Bible Verses: Easter Craft & Lesson

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Easter is a time to remember the sacrifice Christ made for us, and children are never too young to understand the true meaning of this holiday.

While Easter eggs and rabbits are fun, you can still incorporate a child friendly Easter craft and activity such as the Resurrection Eggs below to really teach the true meaning of Easter.

I’ve seen several version of Resurrection Eggs, but if you are pressed for time and like simple crafts, try this one. We’ve even included all the verses in a printable for you to download and use.

Easter Craft: Resurrection Eggs with Bible Verses

How to Make Resurrection Easter Eggs

Resurrection Eggs are a child friendly way to teach children the meaning of Easter. Not only will they have fun making this craft, you won’t spend a lot of money on supplies.  Take a peek below at how you can make your own set of Resurrection eggs with your child.

Supplies needed

  • 12 plastic eggs
  • egg container, optional
  • Glue
  • Egg fillings:
    • piece of bread (or crouton)
    • dime
    • string or thread
    • paper
    • toothpicks
    • purple felt or construction paper
    • nail or tack
    • sponge
    • wood craft stick
    • twig
    • rock
  • Printable verse cards (don’t forget to get yours below)

These are common household items that you should be able to easily round up. Plastic eggs can be found at any store around Easter time.

Easter Craft: Resurrection Eggs with Bible Verses

Directions

Fill the eggs as instructed below.  We’ve also included a printable sheet of the Bible verses to place in the appropriate eggs as well.  After you open the eggs and show the item to your children, take a moment to find each verse in the Bible and read it together as a family to further emphasize each important symbol of Easter.

1. Bread (use a small crumble of bread or crouton)

  • The bread in the first egg symbolizes the bread that Jesus broke and shared with His disciples at the Last Supper. We can remind children how Jesus wants to share eternal life with us, and is called “The Bread of Life.”
  • Bible verse: Matthew 26:17-19

2. Silver coin (use a dime)

  • The silver coin in the second egg reminds us of the silver pieces that Judas received for betraying Jesus.  (This can also be a good time to discuss with your children that Jesus knew He would be betrayed and knew it would be Judas.)
  • Bible verse: Matthew 26:14-15

3. Purple robe (use a strip of purple felt or construction paper)

  • The purple cloth represents the purple robe worn by Jesus prior to His crucifixion.
  • Bible verse: John 19:5

4. Thorns (use a thorn or piece of twig)

  • The thorn reminds us of the crown of thorns that Jesus was forced to wear prior to being crucified.
  • Bible verse: Matthew 27:29

5. The Whip (use your string or thread)

  • The string in this egg reminds us of the whipping that Jesus had to endure from the soldiers.
  • Bible verse: Matthew 27:2, 26

6. Cross (use your toothpicks, constructed into a cross using craft glue)

  • The cross in this egg reminds us of the cross Jesus died on. Explain to children how the cross is an important symbol of our sins being paid for through Jesus’ love.
  • Bible verse: John 17:18-19

7. Nails (use a small nail or tack)

  • The nail reminds us of Jesus being nailed to the cross and the marks that remained in His hands and feet after.
  • Bible verse: John 20:25

8. Sign (use a small scrap of paper)

  • The paper represents the sign that the soldiers hung above Jesus that said, “THIS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
  • Bible verse: Matthew 27:37

9. Drinking Sponge (use a small chunk of torn off sponge)

  • The sponge represents the drinking sponge held to Jesus’ mouth as He was dying.
  • Bible verse: Matthew 27:33-34

10. Soldier’s Spear (use a piece of wood craft stick broken off into a spear)

  • The spear represents the tool used to pierce Jesus’ side after His crucifixion. This was a fulfillment of prophecy in the Old Testament.
  • Bible verse: John 19:33-34

11. Rock (use a small rock or pebble from your yard)

  • The rock represents the stone used to close the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed.
  • Bible verse: Matthew 27:59-60

12. Nothing (leave the 12th egg empty)

  • This empty egg represents the tomb that Jesus rose from. When the women went to find Him, the tomb was empty and He was not there.
  • Bible verse: Matthew 28:5-6

Easter Craft: Resurrection Eggs with Bible Verses

How to use Resurrection Eggs

After you finished the craft, display the Resurrection Eggs in a basket or egg container. Then open an egg a day, in the 12 days prior to Easter. Discuss the object and what it represents, and you can even look for corresponding Bible verses to go with it.

Resurrection Eggs such as these are a family friendly way to discover the meaning of Easter, so give them a try this year and see how the real story of Easter can come to life for your children.

Sometimes kids can get overwhelmed with big ideas presented in church. Activities such as these help make big ideas relatable to kids. Combined with something like a sermon notebook, your children will have a much greater understanding of what they are learning each week.

Printable Verse Cards

Sign up to download the printable resurrection egg verses.

Resurrection eggs printable bible verses

Resurrection Eggs Printable Verses



More Easter Activities for Children 

How to Homeschool (even temporarily)

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Many. parents right now are finding themselves facing a temporary homeschool situation. If you’ve never homeschooled your children before this can seem exceptionally overwhelming. The good news is, it’s quite simple to homeschool your children, even if you have no teaching experience.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that homeschool should closely resemble traditional school. While this is definitely possible, many of the traditional classroom routines were created to manage 20+ children. Chances are you don’t have 20 kids at home (and if you do, you are probably don’t need to learn how to homeschool).

When I first started homeschooling I wanted to create a classroom, buy school desks and get a chalkboard. Thankfully we didn’t have the space or money so I had to try a different way.

If the thought of teaching your kids (or even having a larger role in their every learning due to virtual education) terrifies you, relax. Homeschooling can actually be fun. I wouldn’t have kept at it for so long if it wasn’t a little bit enjoyable.

How to Homeschool Your Kids

Lesson one: Focus on the basics

Chances are, this is not a permanent arrangement. Unless you absolutely love homeschooling, your children will head back to school in a few weeks or months.

Math

The most important thing you can help them with is math and language arts. Kids tend to forget math VERY quickly! Ever wonder what the first several weeks of your child’s math class is review? It’s because they have to make sure the kids remember what the learned before summer break.

Thankfully it’s very easy for your children to practice math. With resources like Kahn academy you don’t even have to understand higher level math, your children can watch lessons online.

To keep your kids’ minds sharp I recommend math drills, flash cards, and some supplemental website learning. (Check out all the free online resources here)

There are also many fun ways to practice math around the house. My favorite is recipes! Younger kids can help by counting out ingredients and older children can work on fractions by doubling or halving recipes.

Games are another way to practice math in a fun way. We love card games and even young children can join along and play and learn.

Reading

As I’ve said many times before, reading aloud to your children is one of the best things you can do for them. If you need reading resources, check out my 31 days of read-alouds.

relaxed homeschooling

One thing I learned many years ago is a 3 pronged approach to reading.

  1. Children should read to you books one reading level below their capabilities.
  2. Children should read alone books at their reading level.
  3. Parents should read books above reading level to their children.

This practice helps improve your child’s reading ability and comprehension. While your children are home, make sure they spend 30 minutes a day reading or being read to.

Writing

You know all those grandparents practicing social distancing right now? How happy would they be to receive a letter from their favorite grandchild?Encourage your children to write every day.

There are so many fun ways to encourage writing. You don’t even need to worry about grammar or spelling, just let them write. I’ve listed a few ideas below.

  • Write a letter to a relative. (Remember to mail it!)
  • Start a daily journal/ diary.
  • Have your kids publish a daily newspaper, detailing the previous days news and activities.
  • Give your child a daily writing prompt and have them finish it. (For example: I was walking down the street when suddenly a yellow bird flew in front of me carrying a rolled up piece of paper….)

Lesson 2: Science & History Can be Fun

For most of my homeschooling life we stayed away from traditional science and history curriculum. We focused on experiences and hands-on learning because that’s what my kids remembered most.

My adult kids still remember field trips and projects that they did 10-12 years ago, however not a single one remembers a workbook they did 2 years ago!

I also love lapbook learning for science and history. These are easy to make and you probably have the supplies in your home already.

US History Homeschool Lapbook

For science, focus on experiments, and if possible, looking around your yard or neighborhood for interesting plants, trees, and animals. It’s amazing how much you can learn right where you live.

I’ve included some of our favorite FREE science resources to get you started.

My children always tease me that we studied American History more than any other subject during our homeschool years. What can I say? I love History!

We spent a lot of time reading historical fiction and biographies when my children were growing up. We also did activities like making foods people ate 100 years ago and even baked our own bricks out of dirt and clay like the Egyptians.

There are also many great historical shows and movies that are available on streaming services and youtube. Remember to make sure they are age appropriate.

Lesson 3: Stay Active

In a traditional school day, kids are moving around every 45-50 minutes, changing classes, taking bathroom breaks, going to lunch, etc.

It’s important to keep your kids active while you are home as well. Whether that means taking a 20 minute break to play outside or having a dance party it’s important to keep moving.

Children, especially little ones, need to get their energy out.

When my kids were little, we rarely went over 30 minutes for a subject. Every 30-45 minutes we’d take a break, get a snack, run a lap around the house, or play with toys. This is crucial and allows your kids to focus when it’s time to learn.

Lesson 4: Create a Schedule

This is not an 8 hour school day schedule, this is a routine that will allow you to stay sane while your kids are at home.

I’ve included a sample schedule below, adjust it to fit your family’s needs.

  • 8am: Wake up, breakfast, morning chores
  • 9am: Math Drills
  • 9:30am: Fun with science or history
  • 10am: Reading-Aloud
  • 10:30am: Free play
  • 11am: More math
  • 11:30am: Art (coloring, painting, play-do, crafts, etc)
  • 12:00-1:30: Lunch and clean-up
  • 1:30pm: Writing
  • 2pm: Quiet time (silent reading)
  • 3pm: Free play, screen time (if earned)
  • 4:30pm: Clean up, afternoon chores
  • 5:30pm: Dinner

Lesson 5: Relax and Have Fun

Even if your children do absolutely nothing for the next four weeks, they will be fine. I recommend a loose schedule more for parents than for the kids.

I’m always amazed when my kids come to me with an interesting fact or something they’ve learned completely on their own. Kids are curious creatures and if you provide them with resources they will learn on their own.

Your house will be a little messier and your days will look different, but wouldn’t it be amazing to look back on this time and have awesome memories you made as a family.

Living room tents, movie nights, story-time, Nerf gun wars, epic Monopoly games will be what your children remember about this unexpected time off school.

Throw in a little math and reading every day and your children will be just fine.

Stuck at Home with Kids?

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Are you stuck at home with the kids? For most people, the recommendation of social distancing means no school, no extra curricular activities, and possibly working from home.

If your children aren’t use to being at home all day, this is a HUGE adjustment. For those of us who have homeschooled for years, life still seems fairly normal. However if you are used to watching your kids catch the bus every day at 8am and arrive back at 4pm things are about to real.

If you find yourself at home with the kids for the next few weeks, here are my recommendations as a homeschool mama of seven (some of them are grown) on how to stay busy. I can promise you, the more you have planned, the better your days will be. (I talked more about this on my Facebook Live yesterday)

Side note: If you are certified teaching English as a foreign language (or would like to get you certification) there is a desperate need for online teachers. Teach in your own home and make $20 an hour. Click here to find out more.

Guide to Survive Being Stuck at Home with the Kids

First, stay calm. These are your children. You love them. Really you do. Even when they use too much toilet paper and leave cups of milk half drunk on the kitchen counter.

One day they will grow up, move out and you will miss them. I promise.

Alright, now on to the tips!

Create a Chore List for the Kids

With your children home your house will get messy. It will be messy in ways you can’t imagine. One thing I noticed the year all my kids went to school was that my house stayed spotless all day. It was miraculous!

If your children aren’t use to doing daily chores, this may be an adjustment, but attach chores to the amount of screen time your child has and problem solved.

I have a FREE chore list that outlines all the chores your child should be able to do depending on their age. You can grab your copy here.

I use the chore list in coordination with a daily checklist. That way I make sure things are cleaned and organized on a regular basis and certain things don’t get forgotten (like ceiling fans).

I use the Home Planner from Passionate Penny Pincher (currently 50% off with the code JOY so under $9!). You could definitely make your own checklist, but who has time when you are trying to get everything else in order!

Home planner chore checklist

Check out the home planner here.

Make an I’m Bored Jar

Chances are, your children are going to be bored at some point. Just like summer and Christmas break, there will be times when your children think they have nothing to do.

Years ago I created an “I’m Bored” jar to help keep my kids busy. It’s very simple to create, you don’t need ANY SUPPLIES. All you need is a container and either 3×5 cards or paper.

mom im bored activity cards

To help you come up with activities for your kids we have a printable template with 85 ideas to keep your kids busy. We also included blank cards so you can add your own. Remember if you hate play-dough or finger painting you can always remove those cards from the jar.

Get Outside

If the weather is nice, get outside and play in the yard. The kids can draw with sidewalk chalk, build forts with sticks, roller skate in the driveway, and make mud pies. (You know, all the things we did growing up before the internet)

Most importantly don’t forget to get in a little exercise yourself. Click here to find a list of exercises you can do without any equipment.

Read Aloud

Reading aloud was one of my favorite parts of homeschooling my kids. I’m not even a great reader! (Meaning I don’t use different voices for the characters, etc)

Over the years I’ve compiled some of our favorite books for kids. Many of them are available on Kindle (if your local library is closed) or you may already have them on your shelf.

Years ago my kids and I went through 31 days of reading aloud. We had a different book each day and had crafts, activities, recipes, or printables for each book. It was so much fun. You can see the entire 31 days by clicking on the link below.

Educational Resources

Online Field Trips & Experiences

Games

Did you know some of your favorite games can be educational. Even if you don’t play an educational game, games are a great way to pass the time, and lessen screen time. Here are some of our favorites.

Scrabble: You probably have a scrabble game sitting in the closet somewhere. This game is great for helping kids learn how to spell! We played this game all the time when my kids where younger.

Another version of Scrabble that’s great for early readers is Upwords. Think of it as Scrabble without limits. You can stack tiles to make words and is great for kids between the ages of 8-10.

Rummikub: One of our favorite family games. Try to match up tiles get rid of all the tiles on your rack. First one to empty their rack wins! This game is easy to play and quick to learn. Great for younger kids to solidify number recognition.

Zingo: This is such a fun game for preschoolers! Players have a bingo style board and have to quickly match the next tile that comes up to a word on their board. Helps with word recognition, reading, and spelling.

Screen Time

I’m not a huge fan of letting my kids sit in front of the television or computer all day. In fact we lived without a television for almost 15 years. However, desperate times call for desperate measures.

I do recommended setting limits on screen time and connecting screen time to chores completed, minutes read, etc.

I realize many of you still have responsibilities to your jobs and Disney+ is a great babysitter. Remember to monitor what the kids are watching and limit news consumption. There are lots of scary news reports out there right now and it’s better if kids hear information from us, in a loving way, instead of on television.

10 Educational YouTube Channels for Kids

I tried to pick out channels that would encourage learning and let the kids have some fun. This educational youtube channel list contains some of our favorites.

U.S. Presidents for Tactile Learners

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With so many U.S. Presidents to celebrate and remember, it’s sometimes hard to find a way to introduce learning about them or even just their names!

An election year is a great time to study the U.S. Presidents because you can count on endless news coverage and more resources available.

When I was young we had to memorize all the names of the Presidents, but I tried to make learning more about our leaders a little more fun.

If you have a tactile learner in your house, you’ll want to try some of these fun learning activities when you study United States History.

Don’t forget to grab the free Presidential reading list at the bottom of this post.

How to Study the U.S. Presidents

Tactile learners love puzzles. One child learned the alphabet and numbers before he could talk mainly through puzzle pieces and magnets.

How was he doing it? It turns out that this child of mine learns by manipulating things with his hands. Once he could read and write, writing words down and drawing diagrams helped him learn things he’d never even tried before. 

Combine all these different activities to create a fun unit study on the U.S. Presidents. Show off your learning with a lapbook! 

Puzzles!

U.S. Presidents for Tactile Learners at The Happy Housewife

Our slightly out of date President puzzle

Our tactile learner was already doing our United States puzzle by the time he was four. Why should I be surprised that our old Presidents puzzle actually was interesting to him?

This is a wooden puzzle that we bought at a parent/child used clothing/toy store. None of my kids were very interested in it at the time, but I’m glad I held on to it! There are many other president puzzles you could use (like this one from Melissa and Doug).

Place Mats

U.S. History Ideas for Unit Study

We never use these as actual place mats but rather for entertainment on car trips or quiet time or just something to put on the table during homeschooling for the little kids.

They’re usually on the end of an aisle at Walmart or similar stores for a dollar or two, and while they don’t last forever, they’ve been used by all my children in their play.

I hadn’t noticed his love of the maps and the Presidents place mats.

Flashcards

U.S. Presidents for Tactile Learners at The Happy Housewife

I’m not a flash card person. It seemed a waste to me when we could make our own word cards and math fact cards personalized to our own needs.

However, I saw some fun animal picture cards, United States president cards. and United States state cards in the dollar section at our local Target and picked them up. I even bought another set when they were there again, just in case we misplaced some.

This tactile learner of mine did something I didn’t expect. He would line them up over and over in order on the floor, on the table, on the stairs.

He knew their faces and facts about them through repeated handling of the cards, turning them over, reading the back as he made these great arrays that would fit the available space.

Workbook

I also bought a workbook. I like the themed ones when it’s something my children are REALLY interested in.

American History Unit Study Ideas

I feel that while I wasn’t quite aware of his learning about the Presidents, that somehow I was prepared for his learning needs ahead of time, and it was also a great tool for discovering more about how my son learns difficult things and learns them in a different way than many in his family.

His learning has inspired the rest of my children and they talk about history and the Presidents more often.

When studying United States history, it’s great to incorporate a variety of teaching methods so the information really sticks with your kids.

If you want to learn more about the U.S. Presidents download our  library book list. This is a collection of all our favorite books 

Grab your free printable!



U.S. Presidents for Tactile Learners at The Happy Housewife

Educational Beach Activities

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Almost every summer my family visits the beach. While the beach is one of the most relaxing places on earth (in my opinion) there are still ways to sneak in some educational beach activities for the kids!

Learning while at the beach can definitely happen with out spoiling the vacation or day at the beach. The trick is to keep it fun and interesting. Don’t let the kids know they are learning.

Research The Beach Before You Go

What is that beach known for? Do sea turtles nest there? Is there a special kind of crustacean living on that beach? Do rare creatures inhabit the beach or water? Did anything historic happen on the beach or offshore? Use your findings to build some excitement about what you might find on your trip.

We travel to North Carolina beaches each year and there are tons of educational beach activities! The place we stay is only about an hour from the Wright Brother’s Museum and there are numerous other historic places along the trip. This year we climbed the historic lighthouse and learned more about how lighthouses have been a part of our coasts history for hundreds of years.

Some things stay the same at every beach. This year my kids were very interested in tides and currents. They followed the phases of the moon and learned when the tide would be low and high. Most nights they explored the beach late and night and early in the morning. They found washed up sea creatures and learned that crabs pick them apart before the sun rises each morning.

The kids thought they were just having fun, but they were learning a ton!

Hit The Library Or Bookstore

Once you have done your research, find books or internet sites about the creatures, places or events you discovered. One beach we went to was known for their sea turtle nesting sites. We read books about sea turtles and their nests. The kids couldn’t wait to search the beach for sea turtle nests!

ocean life at the beach

Bring Supplies

Pack a couple small beach buckets, shovels, nets (large and small), magnifying glasses and snorkel gear. Keep it handy and let the kids know it is available. You never know what the kids might find.

Bring Guidebooks

Once the kids use their supplies and capture a new creature or unidentified object, they are going to want to know what it is. Almost every area of the country has nature guides specific to that region. I highly recommend getting a few for your beach vacation. Sometimes you can pick up some site specific guides at local nature centers, park gift shops, or tourist centers.

Some nature guides to think about: birds, shells, fish, mammals, and specific beach guides.

Let the Kids Decide

My girls are very passionate about saving sea life. Several mornings on our trip they woke up early and collected garbage from the beach. I never mentioned this to them, but they thought it was important, so they did it. They are educating themselves on keeping the beaches clean and animals safe.

Have Fun

Don’t start the first day of vacation with “Welcome to class kids. Are you ready for some educational beach activities? Today, I want you to find and identify four kinds of shells, two fish and dig a crustacean out of the sand.” Let the kids play and have fun. Keep the supplies handy just in case they see something cool. Let them initiate the learning.

Our week at the beach was a great learning experience that lasted way past the trip. The kids brought back shells, pictures, and lots of questions that lead to more research on their part.

Preschool Beach Activities

There is so much to imagine at the beach, and with summer coming, why not have some preschool beach fun at home with a beach theme for a week coming up? It’s really not that hard to do, and your preschoolers will love you for it. Sand, tools, and surf–the beach was made for little ones!

Preschool Beach Fun at Home

No beach nearby? No problem. Simply gather a few supplies, and you can make your own beach experience at home!

Beach Supplies

  • Sand
  • Shells {from a trip to the beach or a craft store}
  • Spoons or small shovels
  • Small containers or buckets
  • Plastic fish
  • Arts and crafts supplies
  • Books

So, what do you do now that you’ve gathered all of these materials?

Make a Sensory Bin

Create a small sensory bin by filling a plastic lidded box one-fourth full of sand, and putting in some shells, plastic fish and other animals, and some small containers and scoops or shovels.

Kids love digging in the sand, and the sensory excitement of having a table-top sandbox can buy you some precious time to make dinner or have a cup of coffee and recharge.

Story & Craft Time

Read aloud some beach-themed books. I found this fun list of picture books by searching “beach activities for preschoolers.” This book list for The Sea unit study also has some good books.

Preschool Science Activity

How about a fun science demonstration? Years ago I worked on a book about coral reef animals and every child I tried out the activities on was fascinated by coral. It looks like a plant, feels like ceramic or hardened clay, and is really the hardened homes of thousands of tiny animals called polyps.

Polyps reproduce by budding, and while you don’t need to go into the anatomy and physiology with your preschoolers, you can explain that by budding, or building on top of each other, they grow and create amazing underwater structures.

Try this budding activity from my book, Survival on the Reef, with your little ones. They’ll love seeing the pretty crystals growing in their own home.

More educational beach activities for kids

  1. Math Worksheets – Beach themed for 2nd  – 4th graders
  2. 2nd Grade Beach Worksheets – General activities for 2nd graders
  3. Sand Volcanoes – One Perfect Day shows off a little water lava fun.
  4. Salt Water Egg Experiment – Brilliant Beginnings Preschool shows off some salt water learning.
  5. Sea Urchins –  The Crafty Classroom recreates these sea friends with toothpicks.
  6. The Science of Waves and Beaches – The Homeschool Scientist gets dirty creating waves.
  7. Animal Notebooking Pages – The Notebooking Fairy offers a free printable to learn more about all those wonderful salty animals.
  8. Oceans Preschool Pack – Homeschool Creations created a cute preschool pack for learning about the ocean.
  9. Beach Collage – Kids Nature Spot shares a fun way to keep all those beach treasures together.
  10. Summer Water Fun – The Homeschool Classroom shares a few water lesson ideas.

More Homeschool Trips & Vacation Tips:

by contributing writer Marci

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