Category Archives: Holidays
Mom Advice For Myself
I hate this video, because it made me get all emotional and I HATE that. What would you tell your just-about-to-become-a-mommy self? I think I’d tell me, Enjoy every minute, it’ll be gone so quick. Happy Mother’s Day Bookmark on … Continue reading
Happy Easter!
Hope your Easter holiday is wonderful! We’re planning a few fun things for the weekend. A mini egg hunt – We’ll have our regular egg hunt on Easter, but the kids are so excited that they want a pre-show event. … Continue reading
Easter Blocks
I’ve always adored holidays. I was almost heartbroken the year I found out my parents didn’t dye Easter eggs after all their kids were grown and gone. I have this dilemma though — I hate clutter, but I love holiday … Continue reading
Resurrection Rolls
Su over at The Intentional Home is pretty constantly amazing me with her insight about being a mom and her great ideas on saving money too (if you haven’t been there, you HAVE to read her intentional posts), and today … Continue reading
Exotic and Easy Easter Eggs
There are so many cool things to do when you dye eggs. Try a few this year… Put bits of colored art tissue paper on a square of plastic wrap. Wet the hard boiled egg, then set it on the … Continue reading
Writin’ With the Irish
Here are a few fun writing ideas for some St. Patrick’s Day fun: Imagine you found a lucky four-leaf clover that will bring you great luck for only one day. Write about your perfect lucky day. At Christmas time, Valentine’s … Continue reading
Green Pepper Shamrock Stamping
Getting excited for St. Patrick’s day around here! The kids and I {yeah, me too – I couldn’t stay away from the paints for this cool project} made these very cool shamrocks using green peppers as our stamps. I made … Continue reading
Pi Day
Happy Pi Day! It’s 3.14, so today, you’ve got to teach your kids about Pi! For every circle, no matter it’s size, the distance around the edge (the circumference) is about 3.14 times longer than the distance across the circle … Continue reading
Leap Day
Leap Day is coming up! Legend has it that St. Bridget struck a deal with St. Patrick to allow for a little role reversal on leap day. She bargained that women be allowed to propose to men instead of the … Continue reading
What’s Special About February 2nd?
We’re all watching for that cute little groundhog to come out and tell us what kind of weather to expect, but why is Groundhog’s Day on February 2nd anyway? Well, the 2nd of February is a cross-quarter day celestially speaking, … Continue reading
The North Pole May Not Be As Far Away As You Thought
For a fun twist on geography, instead of learning all about one place in the world, pick a theme and see how many places in the world have names around your theme. Since it’s Christmas time, right now you could search for places named, North … Continue reading
The History of Christmas
I love learning about the history behind the things we take for granted. It gives an insight into aspects of our daily lives that we wouldn’t even consider without the background information behind it. It’s like stepping back and seeing … Continue reading
Reindeer and Caribou…What’s the Difference?
There are MILLIONS of species of animals on our planet. So many in fact, that no one knows exactly how many there are. Many of the species are very similar to each other, with only slight differences. Caribou and reindeer … Continue reading
The Night Before Christmas
Every year we read several versions of “The Night Before Christmas,” the classic poem by Clement Clarke Moore. It’s really interesting to read the same poem over and over, but with different interpretations by various illustrators. Today we read a … Continue reading
Planet Ornaments
Every year my kids and I make ornaments. They love making the glass ball ornaments that you swish paint and rubbing alcohol into for a marbled look. This year they got the brilliant plan in their noggins to create the … Continue reading
NORAD Tracks Santa
Every Christmas we check out the NORAD site. They’ve got stuff about Santa up there already. They keep track of how he’s coming with toy production, how the reindeer and the elves are doing and so on. They have a … Continue reading
Christmas Stories To Read Together
Here’s a list of some Christmas stories to check out. Many of them you’ve heard before, but a few may be new. Read some together as a family. The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore The Story Behind the Hymn … Continue reading
Santa Hat Craft
Make a super simple Santa hat craft. You just need red and white construction paper, a white pompom or cotton ball, and staples, glue or tape. Cut out the Santa hat shape twice. Cut out a white brim. Staple the … Continue reading
Snowmen At Night–The Rest Of The Story
One of our favorite wintertime books is Snowmen At Night by Caralyn and Mark Buehner. We love the roly poly pictures including snowmen with their parts knocked off, snowmen tumbling down hills, and snowmen being dragged home after a rough … Continue reading
Book Project: The Gingerbread Man
We continue to have school time and do lots of learning activities throughout December, but we also spend a good deal of time focusing on the holidays and just enjoying the time we have as a family. We lighten our … Continue reading
President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
In 1863, in the midst of a terrible civil war and when all seemed darkest, Abraham Lincoln made this proclamation for a national day of Thanksgiving to God. Read this before your Thanksgiving Feast: By the President of the United … Continue reading
The First Thanksgiving Activities
It is generally the people who have the most trials that feel the most gratitude toward God. This was certainly the case of the Pilgrims. It was because of their heavy suffering of that first year that they felt such … Continue reading
Teaching Gratitude
Of all the things you can teach your kids the most important may be gratitude. Human nature has a tendency to expect much and give little. It takes effort to turn that around and instead be humble and grateful for … Continue reading
Veterans Day Learning
Four US soldiers watching the allied bombing at Normandy. Veterans Day was first known as Armistice Day and celebrated the day the treaty was signed ending WWI, November 11, 1918. In 1954 the congress declared the day be renamed Veterans Day and that it … Continue reading
Our Hogwart’s Feast
As promised, here’s the skinny on our Hogwart’s Feast. I sent the kids upstairs while I made all the fixin’s so they could come down and see it all ready at once. I set our table with a black tablecloth, … Continue reading
Origami Bats
1. Fold an 8 by 8 inch square of black paper in half on the diagonal.2. Fold down the top 2 inches of the triangle.3. Fold each side flap in along the inside lines you see here, and then back … Continue reading
Remembering 9/11/01
It’s September 11th, the tenth anniversary of the Twin Towers destruction and an act of war committed by radical Islamists. Most kids even up through high school barely remember the event or weren’t even born yet. My oldest, now a … Continue reading
Flag Day
It’s Flag Day in the United States. I hope that no matter where you live, when you see your flag, you feel the same feeling I do when I see my flag. I remember even as a child watching a Boy Scout flag ceremony … Continue reading
Memorial Day Learning
Crafts are fun and can fill time, but if you want to really learn about Memorial Day, you have to learn about why America is worth fighting for and why people in the past have pledged their lives, fortunes and … Continue reading
Eggs-cellent Eggs
No one knows for sure where the tradition of dying eggs came from, but it’s a craft that has been practiced all over the world. There are lots of cool ways to do it, but the most basic just uses … Continue reading
Rabbits
With Easter coming our way I thought we’d all better brush up on our rabbit knowledge. They are much more than just cute, furry little hoppers. Rabbits are mammals. Many people mistakenly think they are rodents, but in fact, they … Continue reading
Felt Shamrock Game
I’m re-entering the world of teaching a per-schooler after a few years without one. . . I had almost forgotten how much I love to teach this age. My 3 year-old, Isabel, just seems to be delighted with the world. … Continue reading
Groundhog Forecast: Spring Weather?
On February 2nd my kids eagerly waited for the news . . . would it be six more weeks of winter or not? I burst their expectant little bubbles by telling them that in North Idaho there is never any uncertainty about whether winter will … Continue reading
Meaningful Activities For Kids On Washington’s Birthday
When teaching my own kids I don’t just look for cute activities around a theme, like Presidents Day. I mean making a puppet of George Washington would be fun, but what would they learn? I always approach a lesson from the idea … Continue reading
Valentine’s Day Origins and Customs
St. Valentine illegally marrying Christian couplesafter the Roman Emperor forbade all marriages. Valentine’s Day goes back clear to 500 AD when it was established as a Catholic holiday by Pope Galasius I. As with many other of the Catholic holidays, … Continue reading
Baucis and Philemon, A Greek Love Story
Near a swampy lake in Phyrgia there is a low wall enclosing tow trees–a linden and an oak. Long long ago Zeus visited this land with his son, Hermes, the messenger god. The two gods traveled through the land, disguised as ordinary … Continue reading
Homemade Valentine Cards
This year let your kids get creative making their own Valentine cards. It’s great practice cutting, pasting, and writing, and they’ll also learn to put a little of themselves into the gifts they give. Over the years I’ve kept ideas for … Continue reading
Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement
Every homeschool and every classroom and every family in America should spend time on Monday learning about and talking about the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King. Once a year is certainly not too much time to spend on a chapter of our history both so recent and … Continue reading
Christmas Art
Look for great art revolving around a Christmas or winter theme. Here are some to start with: A Christmas Party by George Henry Durrie Christmas by Grigory Gagarin Christmas Night: The Blessing of the Oxen by Paul Gauguin Santa by … Continue reading
Christmas Island
Christmas Island is a territory of Australia and lies over 1000 miles northwest of Perth, Australia. It has a small population of around 1400 people. Most of the island is still in a state of pristine nature, including the Christmas Island Nature Preserve, which takes up most of the island. … Continue reading
Writing Letters To Santa
Getting kids to write this week should be easy! It’s the perfect time of year to send letters to Santa, and it shouldn’t be too hard to get little ones motivated to finish this writing assignment. Make sure their letters … Continue reading
Christmas Traditions Around the World
Get a map of the world and help your kids find a nation which celebrates Christmas. Next do a little research about the Christmas traditions in that country. Finally do a project or make a recipe for one of those … Continue reading
Classic Christmas Reads
Every year as we get out our Christmas decorations we also get out our Christmas story books. All year they lie in storage waiting for us to re-discover them. Of all the things we do at this season I think … Continue reading
Educational Gift Picks
We love making at least some of our kids Christmas gifts educational ones. They love it too. Here are some of our picks for this year: My World and Globe by Ira Wolfman Comes with an inflatable globe to add … Continue reading
Haunted America
Take a break from your state studies and find these places on a map or in an Atlas of the US: Waverly Hills Sanatorium Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Jefferson County, Kentucky US Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio Devil’s Promenade, Hornet, Missouri Winchester … Continue reading
Visit to the Pumpkin Patch
My daughter at the pumpkin patch! In our world of grocery stores and fast food, we’re often very distanced from where food actually comes from. Halloween provides a great time to go “visit the farm” because nearly every town and … Continue reading
Pumpkins
How do you mend a broken jack-o-lantern? With a pumpkin patch of course! A pumpkin that grew in my pumpkin patch this year! Pumpkins are a long-standing and important element in our fall holidays. They are a member of the … Continue reading
Witch Hunting
We think of the European middle ages as a time of superstition, ignorance, and filth. That is partly true. There was a great deal of superstition, but probably not more than there is today. We still know of many people who trust … Continue reading
Halloween, A History
All this week we’ll be posting for Halloween, and to get us all started and on the same page we’ll talk about where this oddest of America celebrations comes from and what it means. The earliest origins of Halloween began with the Celtic … Continue reading
Happy Constitution Day!
This much ignored holiday should be one of our most celebrated. The United States Constitution is the supreme achievement of mankind in the area of government to date. We have never done better than when we followed its guidance and governed ourselves with the limits placed … Continue reading
Earth Day Exploration
Today is earth day. I’m not a fan of pushy environmentalists or the trendy “going green” thing, though I do value our planet and its many natural resources. I do believe we should take care of the planet, though I … Continue reading
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Shamrocks are Ireland’s most recognizable symbol. Here are a few fun tidbits… St. Patrick used them to explain the trinity concept–The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, 3 entities, but all joined as one just like the 3 leaves joined … Continue reading
President’s Day Activities
Today is President’s Day in the USA! Learning about our past leaders gives great insight and understanding into who we are as a nation. Looking at past leaders, their strength’s and weaknesses, their characters, their triumphs and failures also helps … Continue reading
Halloween Activities
Today my son hosted a Halloween party for some of his friends. We’ve been gathering all kinds of cool Halloween art projects, games, and treats to get ready for it. So much of our learning is serious, planned, and in … Continue reading
