Homeschool Archives | Joyful Messes

Homeschool September 28, 2022

Fun Fall Leaf Activities

Fall is the favorite season of many people throughout the world. Not only is it the season of everything pumpkin, but even nature also celebrates this time! From the cool, crisp breezes filling our lungs with refreshing air to the palette of colors on the trees as the leaves change, fall is a time of wonder and beauty. What better way to celebrate the changing seasons than by engaging in some fall leaf activities with your kids and family? Below are just a few ideas to help you and your little ones fully delve into the joy that fall and autumn leaves can bring! Leaf Art Projects There is nothing to soothe the soul like creating something artsy! One easy and fun leaf art project to do with your kids this Fall is to make a picture of leaf rubbings. Let your little ones collect their favorite leaves from the yard and lay them…

Healthy Kids December 3, 2021

STEM Lessons Your Kid Will Learn in their 1st Year of Kindergarten

Science abilities can be acquired through simple hands-on activities and tests performed right under the safety of your home. Studies show that even before age two, children have a robust understanding of the principles of science. Scientists have shown time and time again that kids are curious, want to explore, and want to learn by doing. Around the time they’re in first grade, they know how to work out a theory, and if time remains to investigate it on their own. According to your state’s program, you may expect your kindergartner to learn the fundamentals of experimental experiments, though, you can also expect to discover the following concepts: Physical Science Life Science Earth Science We’ve compiled a few helpful tips on how you can improve your child’s newly developed science skills at home. Weather & Seasons Young learners discover the physical phenomena they see in their day-to-to-day lives. Children will…

Homeschool July 12, 2021

Ways to Make Learning at Home Fun and Engaging

One of the greatest things about homeschooling is that as the teacher, you are not limited or confined to a desk and a blackboard. The world is your classroom! In this post, I offer simple and easy ways to make learning at home fun and engaging. So whether you are a homeschooling mama, or your child is currently a remote learner, there are so many ways you can take the sit-and-get method of learning and make it fun and magical for both you and your learner(s)! Manipulatives Matter Younger learners are always moving and grooving, and manipulatives really engage your tactile learner– the learner that likes touching and tinkering with everything. Manipulatives are always engaging. Some of my favorite manipulates are actually the simplest and easiest items to snag from the store. Below is a list of manipulatives you can easily implement in any of your lessons! Dry Erase Markers…

Homeschool June 7, 2021

Thinking of Homeschooling? Things to Consider

It’s that time of year again when you find yourself perusing the school supplies aisles of Target looking for pink pearl erasers, number 2 pencils, and the most perfect pencil case. Yes, I’m talking about school supplies! At this time, more and more parents are considering homeschooling their children instead of sending them back to school. This is a very important decision and there are lots of things to consider. First of all: I just want to say that I am proud of you for being here and wanting to learn more about homeschooling! As a homeschooling mama myself, I would like to suggest a few of the many things you should consider. I hope you find this helpful as you trek further on this adventure! Pin this image so you can find this article later! Okay, I have decided to homeschool my child. Where do I start? It can…

Homeschool May 10, 2021

How to Organize Your Homeschool + Free Homeschool Supply List!

I would have to say that the question I get asked most is, “How do you organize your homeschool?” And this is such a great question! I want to take a few moments to offer you tips, tricks, and ways for organizing your homeschool. An organized teacher is an organized learner We all come to homeschooling with different intentions, purposes, and reasons, and I love that! We each get to bring our own teaching and learning philosophies to the table. However, I think the one thing we can all agree on is the importance of being organized. Make no mistake, an organized teacher is an organized learner. You’ve likely heard the phrase, “More is caught than taught,” right? Being an organized teacher is essential for raising and teaching an organized learner. Children watch adults’ every move and almost always mimic what they see, so it only makes sense to do…

DIY September 28, 2020

Simple Halloween Homeschool Crafts That Are Cute – Not Spooky!

If you’re looking for super simple Halloween Homeschool Crafts that are cute and not spooky at all, you’re going to love these simple craft options. With the Halloween season right around the corner, you can easily find a way to give your child that Halloween feels without giving them the worries as well. All of these Halloween Homeschool crafts are fun and easy to do and are great for a wide variety of ages. Crafting together is a great way to bond so find time to sit down with your child and craft away with them as well. They’ll love the time together and you’ll love the creative time! Simple Halloween Homeschool Crafts That Are Cute – Not Spooky! All of these simple Halloween homeschool crafts are ones that any age can do. Some might need a bit more assistance than others but that’s what you’re going to be there…

Homeschool January 20, 2020

Educational Activities to Help Improve Toddler Math Skill

What an incredible coincidence! My little toddler just flips over and he noticed that mommy just happens to have a whole box of them in different flavors (superfoods to the rescue!) to use in our mini Math lesson today! Do you ever plan ahead and prepare to enrich the life of your toddler with fun and engaging lessons about Math? If you do, great! Give yourself a pat on the back right now, momma! Those extra steps to prepare our little ones for their life ahead filled with twists and turns and lots and lots of math, are vital stepping stones to their future success! I’ve got three kids that are all excellent at math and I know it’s partly because of early, purposeful lessons to kickstart their love for math, and to give them a strong understanding of many of its principles. Another great trick is to understand with…

Home Decor July 21, 2018

Back To School Organizing Ideas For A Tidy Home and Stress-Free School Year

Organizing your home for back to school season can make your mornings and afternoons a million times easier. I had my first school season experience last year, and I learned a lot of lessons…the hard way. Having organized spaces for school work, back packs, shoes, socks and papers is incredibly helpful! I can’t tell you the papers I lost, the shoes I couldn’t find and the mis-matched socks my oldest wore. He even wore a uniform, and I still struggled to keep him appropriately dressed. Luckily, my middle one didn’t need a uniform, but he did need a snack, which was more like a full-on lunch. Let’s get into some amazing, and simple organization tips and tricks for getting ahead of the game for the school year: First, plan a backpack center like these. They are simple, and allow for a special place kids can hang their backpacks up on…

Homeschool June 12, 2017

My Small-Space Learning Corner for Home Schooling

I’ve been slowly embarking/dipping my toes into the big waters of home schooling with mainly my 4.5 year-old. The almost-three-year-old is loving learning as well. I finally got around to setting up a learning corner for my boys to help keep them contained, focused and comfortable. It allows me to make the learning fun, and it’s a place they know they are sitting to learn. I’ve included the 5 items I needed to create my learning space for home schooling. Related: Preschool Curriculum Sets You Can Buy and Use How I’m Teaching My Toddler Kindergarten Early 3 Reading Games to Teach Your Toddler Boy to Read How I am Teaching My Toddler to Read Why is a learning corner important? Well, I don’t think it has to be a corner, that’s just what worked for us. I believe that having a space designated for a specific activity, like the table…

Homeschool May 16, 2017

Preschool Curriculum Sets You Can Buy and Use

I’m embarking on the home school journey. At first, I had a sense of urgency mixed with fear that I wouldn’t know what to teach my preschooler, and thus he’d be left behind, not learning what he should. I did some digging in Facebook groups, and I found some other moms to connect with who also home school, and depending on your state, mine was Washington, I had a difficult time finding a state-supplied curriculum. Like, I contacted and emailed school-district officials, who then sent me to sites I’d already visited with very vague resources on curriculum. I don’t know what state you are in, or the state rules, but the purpose of preschool is to prep for Kindergarten. There are a lot of Kindergarten tools out there, which you can use and back-track from. I’m actually planning on getting the A Beka K5 Homeschool set because it was referred to…

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