Showing posts with label educational activities. Show all posts

Valentine's Day Graphing and Sorting Activity Sheets - Free Download

 Valenitne's Day is coming up, and I love to incorporate holiday fun into learning whenever I can. I have started subbing at a small hybrid homescool program and put together this fun activity for the kids to do the week of Valentine's Day.


Download your FREE Printables in color and black and white HERE. 

If you use them at home or in your classroom tag us on Instagram at @NaturallyCreativeHome so we know you like them and want to see more like this! 




No comments
Labels: , , , ,

Do I Really Have to Go? Printable BINGO Cards

Tell me I am not the only one who dreads taking kids out to run errands.... I love spending time with my children, don't get me wrong, but for some reason, the second we get out in public they turn in to different little people. 

They whine, they fight, they're hungry, they're bored, they don't want to go, their feet hurt, someone poked them, "they're looking at me"... and so on. Today I had to take my kiddos out for a quick errand, so I thought I'd make something fun for them to do while I shop.



Click here to read more!
No comments
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Summer Series: Creating a Plant Journal



My oldest only has 3 days left of school and I have been trying to come up with some ideas to keep my three little ones busy this summer!! Seriously... they are hard enough to keep entertained and happy during the school year when they are gone half the day.... how are we supposed to do it when they are home all day?!?!? I'm mostly kidding... but you know what I mean, right? 

One idea I haven't completely finished formulating yet is to have a theme day each day of the week. 

For example:
Monday - Reading Day:
Go to the library and read some new stories. Create our own story books.
Tuesday - Water Day:
Play outside water games or visit the local park with a splash pad.
Wednesday - Math Day:
Play math games and do puzzles. Try new recipes (measuring everything of course).
Thursday - Science Day:
 Do fun science experiments, learn about animals, take a road trip to the zoo, go bird or bug watching, etc.
Friday - Fun Day:
(not that the others aren't fun!!) A day for play dates, video games, amusement parks, etc.
{Somewhere in there I have to fit in all the dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, cooking, and everything else... hahaha!}

During the summer I will be posting some of the fun themed activities that we are doing so you can join in the fun too!!! I'm calling it my Summer Series -- though technically you could do these things anytime!


As part of my brainstorming I came up with this fun plant journal. Each week on our science day we are going to check on some daisy seeds that we have planted in germinating boxes. Right now they sit in the playroom. 

Here is what the journal page looks like: 


I planted the seeds this morning in germination boxes (purchased at Target). We will begin the journal today by taping one of the extra seeds (or maybe a couple) inside the box on the journal paper. Then each week on science day we will check on our seeds. My 6 year old can draw a picture and write a sentence or two about how it looks. 

My 4 year old gets a different page to use for his journal. A bigger box for a picture and only two lines where he can write a word (or a couple) to describe what he sees. 


{download here}

This is a great way to keep the kids in learning mode. They can practice handwriting, spelling, patience, and have fun with the coloring. It also encourages vocabulary development as they compose sentences. We can also study the stages of plants as they grow and talk about the different parts of the plant as it emerges from the soil. The littler kids can work on writing their numbers as they write the week number on the top of the page. 

I also created a simple cover for their journals. They can choose to decorate their cover or leave it as is.

{download here}

Our journal will be complete the week our plants get planted in the yard. I figure it will last through most of the summer. Then the kids will have a fun book that they have created all about the plants they watched grow. Now I just have to hope my seeds work. I am NOT known to have a green thumb... or even a green pinky toe!! 

Feel free to download your own pages and create a plant journal for your own kids!! 

Have a great summer!!!


2 comments
Labels: ,

Keeping a 3 Year Old Busy ... while teaching them some valuable skills!!

Do you have a toddler in your home? Well, then you know that sometimes it just isn't easy to keep them out of trouble!! 

Well, if you are looking for a simple, cheap, and fun way to entertain your toddler for 20-30 minutes, this is a great way to do it! PLUS... it's educational... always an added bonus!! 


Here's what you need:
• paper - scratch, scrapbook, colored, construction, lined {doesn't matter}
• safety scissors - you know, the ones that are kind of dull on the ends

... and that's all! 

** DO NOT leave your child alone... obviously... even though that are safety scissors they can still do some damage!! 


Look at that concentration!  

My little guy is usually bouncing off the walls, BUT he sat still... at our kitchen table... and cut small pieces out of his paper for a good 20-30 minutes! 

{This one looks like he's going to cut his finger, but I PROMISE it's the camera angle... I always intervened when it looked close!}

-  -  -  -  -  -  -

What is the BEST PART of this whole activity... it's educational!! Yes, not only is this great as a break for mommy, BUT it's really awesome for your toddlers development too!! 

Here's how/why:

• They are learning how to hold and manipulate the scissors.

• They learn about how to use the scissors SAFELY! 

• You can discuss the different shapes they cut -- either during or after their cutting spree! 

• Have them sort the cut pieces by size or shape.

• Count the number of pieces that were cut. 

• Count the corners or sides of a couple of the pieces that were cut. 

• For older ones {preschoolers or pre-k} give them a sheet of lined of notebook paper and have them practice cutting on the lines. This helps them with their control of the scissors -- a great skill to have in Kindergarten!

• Use the cut pieces to create a mosaic on some construction paper -- this is a great idea if you use different colored papers for the cutting. 

-or-

• Let them scribble or draw a picture on a plain piece of paper, them cut it all up and glue pieces together to create a mosaic. The more colorful the picture the better! 

• Teaches your child to stay on task. Toddlers {at least mine} are easily distracted. By focusing on ONE activity they learn to lengthen their attention span.

• They will love to do it again, and again, and again! It's not one of those activities that they do one time and get bored with. 

• Teaches them to clean up after making a mess. Little ones will need some help and encouragement with this, but learning that when we make messes we need to clean them up is a life long skill! Plus, kids love to use brooms and dust pans. It's a great way to start training them for household chores. ☺




1 comment
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)