Thoughtful Thursday...

Here it is Thursday already and I have rudely left you all hanging! We have been out of town on a marathon field trip, shopping, visiting and driving spree. Our homeschool group has left the local area to hit up big cities and take classes, tours and a variety of other things. We are finally headed home tomorrow to prepare for our big Winter Wonderland party!

Traveling does not stop the learning, it just has us bring it on the road with us. One thing I love to bring is a floor mat of the USA that allows the kids to play on it and then we made up popsicle stick states on one side an abbreviations on the other. Pick an abbreviation and find it's state. It's large enough for all 3 kids to fit on the mat but portable enough that it all folds into a gallon size ziploc bag. We also have USA puzzles in a variety of types so that when they build them, they are not bored by what they are doing! We LOVE State Learning as you can see HERE!

As I sit here enjoying my cuppa, I always seem to notice that no matter how old my children get, they seem to always gravitate towards the same toys. Yes, interest in cooler and more mechanical things will always arise but when told to bring things when we go out of town, I realize that the basics of books,crayons, pencils and paper always make it and if we are there for an extended time, blocks and cars make the list too. These tree branch blocks my husband made them always seem to be along for a ride and their montessori style sound and color blocks as well. They are 7,8, & 9 and yet they are still my babies...

LEGOLAND is one of our very favorite homeschool hot spots. They have great classes, awesome employees and their customer service before you even arrive is top-notch. The kids always have such a blast at these classes that I decided to mention the latest one to our homeschool group and many people made the 1.5 hour trek with us and what fun we all had! LEGOLAND Schaumburg is out of this world in our book!

Crazy Charlie is up to his old antics as he too comes with us when we travel! Sometimes he is already in the hotel room when we arrive and sometimes we arrives at our destination some time the next day. Silly elf made a swing of the Ceiling fan! Good thing no one turned it on!! See what else Charlie has been up to in 2014 HERE!

Enjoy every minute my friends!!

   Follow Me On Facebook!
   Follow Me On Pinterest!

Travel & Learn the 50 States!

If there is one thing I love to do, it's travel. I am not satisfied just staying in 1 place and I do not believe any one place is better than the other. I would love to be a nomad, wandering the world on a dime, travelling the States by RV and then flying around the world to catch the rest. I got my taste of Europe, Mexico and South America quite young and was able to visit many places more than once in my life so far. I don't want it to be the end and cannot wait to introduce my children to them. Travelling teaches far more than one can learn in any classroom or from any book and I hope my children get bit by the travel bug as well. 

In Geography we are studying the World with a taste here and there. At the moment we are focusing on the 50 states. The kids are coloring this large map but they had to do a few things first. The states on here are in abbreviations, first they had to figure out the name of the state and write it in under the abbreviation. Next, they had to color in the states as they knew them.

As the kids studied and colored, we played the 50 states song from this book and it's such a catchy tune that the kids LOVED listening to it and even my youngest was singing along by the end of the class. The book and CD can be found HERE!

I made up this sheet of states & capitals for a game but it also make a great review sheet for the kids to work on their memorization. You can get your own copy HERE! 

50 States Pick em Up Game! Use the other sheet, print it out and cut out each state and capital. Place a state on one side and a capital on the other side. Dump all the sticks out in a pile and take turns picking up a stick (or you can easily play alone!). Pick it up and look at it, if it's a state then you have to say the capital aloud. If it's a capital, you have to say the state aloud.

With each stick you uncover, find that proper abbreviation and fill in this worksheet. Once that is found, color the state by finding it's location. This is a game that takes time, but is fun and the kids learn so easily! It's great because it can also be played alone. This sheet can also be found HERE!

Have a great Thursday my friends and remember to enjoy every minute of it!

   Follow Me On Facebook!
   Follow Me On Pinterest!

Thrifty Thursday!

Thrifty Thursday is here again! I always have to seem so many ideas that when Thursday rolls around, there is just no time for a post about thrifting! These finds are some of my best yet! Maybe because many were found in free boxes, but mostly because they are all excellent learning tools!

The 4 books were each had for .25 each: (For more info on each title, just click on it)

A trip to the Zoo

Guide to South Korea

BATS

Bats Night Fliers

3 Fraction Dice were in a free box! Can't wait to come up with a fun game to use these with!

Animal Counters and Math Cards were also in the free box! These are perfect for my kindergartner and pre-k kiddos, since they need to get started on learning these!

The 4 board games were .99 each and are each complete, in fact 2 of them were NEW IN PACKAGE!!

(For more info on these, just click on the title)

The Scrambled States of America

My kinder and 1st grader need to know all the states and their capitals and this is a fun tool to teach, while having a blast! I already own the game, so this backup is perfect for using in different ways! I plan on laminating the mini maps so that they become portable and wipeable! (New in package!)

Quiz-N-Learn Sight Words, I unfortunately cannot find any information on this game online, but it is fantastic! 

It's a sight word BINGO game that really helps to reinforce what they are learning through reading and flashcards. It makes word recognition and recall quicker!

Match It Shape Shuffle this was the other new in package game with everything still shrink wrapped! It's a great pattern and matching game! My youngest has a ball with it, but there are enough pieces and cards that multiple children can play it together!

Wiggle & Giggle, not quite a learning game, but it's awesome physical activity and these balls are perfect for a  variety of activities!! I'm actually taking them with us for an obstacle course I made!

 
Thrifty doesn't always have to mean thrift shop! I sometimes find and love great deals found in stores or make my own with coupons! I found these blocks at a church tag sale for .49 and they are FANTASTIC phonics block. I figured I would make up a great game for them and added in a 4 pack of dry erase boards from Office Max (.99!!!!) and a pack of Dry Erase Markers from Michael's! (1.50 with 40% off coupon AND an additional 20% off entire purchase coupon!!). This game has proven to be a favorite already! There is something about kids and wiping writing off a board!

Link up in the comments with your Thrifty Finds!!

Have You Added Me Yet?

Twitter: @MichellesCharmW

Facebook: MichellesCharmWorld