Wednesday, June 29, 2022

60 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet {Review}


This biographical collection touches on a variety of individuals from multiple walks of life and across historic eras.  These 60 American Heroes come from politics, science, entertainment, athletics, and more.  Geared toward preteens and teens, each hero has a two page spread which includes a biography, quote, and info on additional resources for further investigation.  Illustrations and pictures add interest as well.  There were a handful of people who might not necessarily be considered heroes, but for an introductory read, these biographical sketches will do the trick.  Just be aware that there are controversial figures and guide your children as you see fit.  All in all, it's a nice collection for peaking your child's interest and introducing some lesser known pioneers in American history.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this title from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Don't Waste Your Money On Preschool Curriculum ll Real Homeschool Talk


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 Ready to embark on this journey of homeschooling? Anxious to get preschool started? Great! But hold on just a minute before you pull out that credit card.

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑20yrs led to 👱16 yrs, 👧14 yrs, and 👱 10 yrs. Homeschooling Preschool Favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw8_-SW4Glo How to Make Dancing Ribbons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tqoorr_xpk Color Sorting Activity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OinS-2oNcE Marble Painting Activity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDm_I8jb1uY Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com C O N N E C T subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com like me on http://www.facebook.com/creative2xmom follow me on https://www.instagram.com/creative2xmom/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/52903?ref=nav_mybooks Music Attribution: Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod FTC Disclosure: This video is not sponsored. *This video is not intended for audiences under 13 years.

Monday, June 27, 2022

10 Goals This Week

Last week's goal list actually helped me get a few things done around here.  It was a crazy week with fair projects and recital so I didn't accomplish all I wanted, but it's a work in progress.  I'm pulling over a few items from last week and adding a few more in hopes of establishing routines over this summer.


 Parenting/Homeschooling:

*Plan next year's read aloud list

*Send out 7 more states postcards

*Plan out summer homeschool tasks

*Take one kid on a parent date


Homemaking:

*Get into the chore zone habit

*Send 15 min/day working on storage


Marriage:

*Keep working on our prayer habit


Personal:

*Scrapbook 1 kid's layout

*Order more school photos


What goals are you setting this week?

Friday, June 24, 2022

Weekend Links ll June 24, 2022












                                                                            This Week:

What I'm Cooking:
Well, the weather turned VERY HOT this week and the boys requested potato soup.  :-)
They make me laugh.
But I'm MOM, so what does MOM do?
She makes potato soup.

A friend of mine shared her potato soup recipe with me years ago and it's so fun to play around with the flavor, adding different cheese, bacon... sometimes green onion.
It's definitely a family favorite!

What I'm Reading:
I finished Fault Lines by Voddie T Bachman a few days ago and it put into words all the thoughts and emotions that I've been feeling for the past few years.  It's very deep, very heavy, but incredibly insightful and well worth the read.

What I'm Doing:
We've been enjoying lazy summer days, but I've been trying to plan an activity each day.  My favorite this week was when we pulled up some sketching videos and learned how to draw Mickey Mouse.  Those guided cartoon videos always amaze me because the end product is always so much better than I could ever make on my own.  I guess that's the sign of a good teacher.

What I'm Enjoying:
Air conditioning... ;-)
Helping the kids with fair projects...
Watching my kids step out of their comfort zones...

What are you up to?

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Favorite Toys for 0-3 Year Olds

*This post was originally published on 11/4/08.  Enjoy!

 So Shannon, at Rocks in My Dryer, challenged us to list some of our favorite toys for our kids.  I'm happy to rise to the challenge 'cause, frankly, I was drawing a blank on topics this week.  So here you have it, a list of tried and true items from our household (children 0-3 years):


With a fun song and reinforcement of the letter and sound, kids can't help but get into learning their letters.  The initial set includes all upper case letters, but lower case letters are available and the next set up focuses on 3 letter words.  This is used daily in our home.

Highly durable, we have a set that is used over and over again.  Big Boy received his for his first birthday and now over two years later, they are in perfect condition and being passed on to his sister.  The older ones are just now his speed (3 years) and with stand a lot of wear and tear.

We have a couple of sets: the school bus, the dump truck, and the fire truck.  We've also bought the airplane for a friend who loves it.  Also highly durable, these toys provide hours of imaginative play.  Big Boy also received this one around age 1 and the original batteries are still in all three pieces.  We've gotten a lot of miles out of them.

 Purchased at age 2, this gift was perfect for my train obsessed son.  The Thomas Train finds the track easily and the track can still change every time.  Again, a toy that encourages lots of imaginative play.

We have this particular design that is used almost exclusively in the car.  Although I make sure it gets in for long car rides (it was one of the toys that went to Disneyland with us), it is still fun enough to be used in the car daily.  It practically resides there.  The shapes magnetize on to the board for easy storage.  

Magnet Sets
I could find an example of this one, but we have a Lightning McQueen set.  So the tin is shaped like a book with a hinge.  All the characters are magnets and "race" around an imaginary scene.  There are also additional scenes provided to change.  Our set came with dozens of characters and keep Big Boy quite busy for large periods of time.

What baby wouldn't like these large, colorful beads to play with?  They are durable enough to withstand a young child and imaginative enough to entertain an older one.  Great for developing eye/hand coordination.

A few others to look into:
Baby Swing for Swing Set
Canvas Tunnel to Crawl In




Monday, June 20, 2022

10 Goals This Week

Time to get back into the goal setting habit.  Hoping to get some summer projects done, but it just won't happen if I don't set some goals.


 Parenting/Homeschooling:

*Help the kids with their fair projects

*Take the kids to the lake

*Plan next year's read aloud list

*Send out 7 states postcards


Homemaking:

*Get into the chore zone habit

*Organize bulk items

*Fertilize the lemon tree


Marriage:

*Get back into the prayer habit


Personal:

*Scrapbook 1 kid's layout

*Order more school photos


What goals are you setting this week?

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Summer Reading List ll 2022


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Sharing my summer reading list... so many good looking titles here... have you read any of these?

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑20yrs led to 👱16 yrs, 👧14 yrs, and 👱 10 yrs. How We Use Spectrum Spelling In Our Homeschool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKnds_GN-Cg&t=10s Spectrum Vs Evan Moor Spelling {Review}: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbP15JDWqeA&t=32s DIY Charlotte Mason Book of Centuries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN9mcel_Xwg Tips for a More Affordable Homeschool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_3sTqtakac&t=2s Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com C O N N E C T subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com like me on http://www.facebook.com/creative2xmom follow me on https://www.instagram.com/creative2xmom/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/52903?ref=nav_mybooks Music Attribution: Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod FTC Disclosure: This video is not sponsored. *This video is not intended for audiences under 13 years.

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Atlas of Cats {Review}

 


Calling all cat lovers!  Ready to learn all about cat breeds?  Like which breed has six toes instead of five?  Whether you're dedicated to your pet cat, or just an animal lover in general, this Atlas of Cats is sure to delight with fun facts, history, and stories of notable felines from around the world.

Atlas of Cats came at the perfect time as we were studying cats in our homeschool this past spring.  This reference book discusses 25 different breeds with a ton of in-depth information.  Learn about their personalities, where the breed came from, which cats are more social, and which ones are more independent.  There's also information about how to take care of your own pet.  Atlas of Cats is marketed to ages 6-9, but I would suggest this one for a slightly older audience.  Perhaps the tween years.  But in all honesty, I learned a lot as well.  My only word of caution is that the illustrations and graphics didn't show up on the kindle version.  It was a sad disappointment.  However, I think the print version would be substantially better.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this title from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.  

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Seven Homeschool Curriculums We Love Under $20


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 Homeschool curriculum can get so expensive. But these are seven curriculums that we've loved over the years for under $20. Did we include one of your favorites?

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑20yrs led to 👱16 yrs, 👧14 yrs, and 👱 10 yrs. How We Use Spectrum Spelling In Our Homeschool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKnds_GN-Cg&t=10s Spectrum Vs Evan Moor Spelling {Review}: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbP15JDWqeA&t=32s DIY Charlotte Mason Book of Centuries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN9mcel_Xwg Tips for a More Affordable Homeschool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_3sTqtakac&t=2s Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com C O N N E C T subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com like me on http://www.facebook.com/creative2xmom follow me on https://www.instagram.com/creative2xmom/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/52903?ref=nav_mybooks Music Attribution: Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod FTC Disclosure: This video is not sponsored. *This video is not intended for audiences under 13 years.

Monday, June 13, 2022

Our Favorite Preschool Learning Games

 We love games in our house.

From a very young age, we've been a family
who loves enjoying an evening over a board game or puzzle.

As the kids have grown, our game collection has as well.
But some of our favorites are still these preschool learning games
that we often come back to again and again.

Some of our favorite preschool games include:



Rory's Story Cubes--
These fun dice are great for all ages.
Just throw them and make a story out of the pictures.
When your kids get older,
have their write their story.
Great for imagination, building vocabulary,
and story telling.

Hullabaloo--
Great for following directions
and having fun doing it.
Bonus:
Includes movements like "slither,"
hop, and crawl for gross motor skills.

Hi-Ho-Cherry-O--
Great way to learn about taking turns, counting,
and rules of game play.

Lego Duplo--
So much fun for building, imagination,
logic, and construction.

Thinkfun Roll and Play Game--
Great beginning game for learning colors,
emotions, gross motor skills, counting,
and so much more.

CandyLand--
Classic game of colors, turn taking, and general game play,
all packaged in the fun imaginative world of candy.

Memory--
Wonderful for building memory and logic.
This game comes in such a variety of subjects and
the classic version as well.
We've had three variations of this game 
and all have been well loved.

Chutes and Ladders--
Be careful going up, you just might come right back down.
Great game for counting and learning to
take the ups and downs of game play.
Love the older version that matches behavior 
with rewards and consequences.


Go Fish--
This is a fun game to learn about pairing,
based either on color, number, or symbol.


Uno--
This game comes in several variations as well,
including a Cars edition which is really fun.
Uno is great for identifying numbers, colors, 
and has the added fun of the "skip" card.


Animal Upon Animal--
This wooden game challenges kids to stack animals 
in crazy configurations.
Focused on logic and fine motor skills,
Animal upon Animal is one that my older kids still enjoy.

So what would you add to the list?
Do you have a favorite preschool learning game?

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

What We're Reading and Our Homeschool Read Alouds ll May 2022

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 Sharing our reads from May including homeschool, cultural reads, and lots of fiction!!!

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑20yrs led to 👱16 yrs, 👧14 yrs, and 👱 10 yrs. Spring Reading List: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTtD8nmN_k8&t=201s Five Books that Shaped Me as a Parent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P59UdxwXA6o&t=2s 2021-22 Homeschool Read Alouds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5AXS5J4AcY&t=531s Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com C O N N E C T subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com like me on http://www.facebook.com/creative2xmom follow me on https://www.instagram.com/creative2xmom/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/52903?ref=nav_mybooks Music Attribution: Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod FTC Disclosure: This video is not sponsored. *This video is not intended for audiences under 13 years.

Monday, June 6, 2022

Top 10 Must Have Items for Your Homeschool Craft Cupboard

Summer's here!  The weather is warming up, the school books have been put away (mostly), and our days are slow and easy.  But wait.... no school for the next 10 weeks???

Well, sort of.  While we're taking time off from traditional schooling for a summer break, that doesn't mean that the learning stops in our home.  Nope, we're just getting creative.  

Summer is the perfect time to get creative. And while I love learning handicrafts with the kids, there's also something to be said for just having a well stocked craft cupboard.  From your toddlers to your teens, no one can resist a little freedom to just be creative.  These are ten items that we keep in our homeschool craft cupboard to encourage those crafting moments.

1. Variety of Paper--
  Different stages have introduced different types of paper to our craft cupboard.  From butcher paper for life-size drawings to tracing paper for perfecting our drawings.  Currently with teenagers and a preteen, we go through lots of kite paper and origami paper.  But paper is always an essential.

2. Variety of Writing Utensils-- 
  Over the years, we've tried lots of different writing utensils as well.  We started out with classic crayons, but over time, we've added mechanical pencils, thin markers, chalk pastels, and oil pastels.  All of my kids have gravitated to different mediums at different points in their lives.

3. Buttons--
  This is a funny one, but buttons can be used for so many projects.  From eyes on drawings to creating Christmas ornaments, my kids have come up with some pretty cool projects just from digging in the button jar.

4. Stencils--
  This is a personal favorite of mine.  I'm not the best artist, but stencils help me bring my visions to life.  At least most of the time.  I try to keep a variety on hand... from plants to holidays to animals.

5. Adhesives--
  There are as many adhesives out there as you could ever imagine.  Over the years, we've used our share of scotch tape, glue dots, hot glue, Elmer's glue, velcro dots, and so much more.  

6. Felt--
  We love having felt sheets and scraps around the house for creating everything from dolls to puppet clothing to ornaments... and more!  My favorite is to create Christmas ornaments every year.  This is a great beginning sewing project for elementary kids as well.

7. Foam Sheets--
  Foam sheets are great for creating play scenes for those peg dolls to enter into as well.  Or what about a homemade door mat for your child's bedroom?  Or a sun catcher for the window?  These are nearly as inexpensive as felt, and provide hours of entertainment.

8. Paints--
  Summer is a great time to experiment with different painting techniques and mediums.  Watercolors, for instance, are on my personal experiment list for this season.  But what about acrylics or oil pastels?  Pick up some inexpensive canvases at the Dollar Tree and give your kids a chance to see what they can create.

9. Blank Books--
  Blank books can often be found at the dollar spot in Target or a teacher's supply store.  These books are great for encouraging budding writers.  With the pages already bound, young writers can feel like they're creating real work.  You'll be amazing at the stories that will flow out of them.

10. How to draw books--
  For those creatively challenged individuals like myself, how to draw books give some guidance in getting started.  I love to keep a variety on hand from popular cartoon characters to realistic animals to facial expressions.  Sometimes having that starting point is just enough to get a young artist creating.

What items do you keep on hand to encourage creativity in your kids?

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