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Which get FREE eBook looks interesting to you today?

Get FREE and Discounted eBooks Daily – 6/19 is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

Hurry!  My Journey is FREE today only!

Book Description:

My Journey with Jesus Christ is a personalized devotional, designed to help a child grow in their relationship with Christ while teaching them the key principles of the Christian faith.

With places to write the child’s name and sections to paste photos, draw pictures, and write the child’s thoughts as they learn, the book is sure to be a life-long treasure in their heart. Please note, this books works best if you print it out. There are instructions at the end of the book on how to print it.

Have you read my eBook, Instilling Biblical Character:  100 Tips and Resources to Train Our Children?

FREE eBook – My Journey! is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

One of my fondest memories as a child was creating book reports and sharing my favorite books with my classmates.

I like to encourage my children to be creative and have FUN after reading their own independent books or ones that I assign for their school work.

For some of these ideas, my children do the book reports on books we read during our  read a louds.

21 Creative and FUN Ideas for Book Reports

1. Make a diorama – these still my children’s favorite
2. Create a book jacket –  different than the original
3. Present an oral book report – dress up as your favorite character
4. Make a poster – pretend your book is going to be made into a movie
   
5. Write the author a letter – state why or why not you liked the book
6. Illustrate and design a comic book
7. Make a mobile – create your favorite scene
8. Create a timeline – include the important topics
9. Create a magazine ad for the book
10. Make a board game
11. Put together a Power Point Presentation
12. Write a letter to a friend informing them why they should read the book
13. Make a bookmark of your favorite chapter
14. Create a wordsearch – use vocabulary words in the book
15. Make a crossword puzzle - let someone who’s read the book work the puzzle
16. Make a memory game – use index card with vocabulary words
17. Outline your favorite chapter
18. Interview someone who lived in the time of the setting or has experienced the plot
19. Make a True or False quiz – have someone take the quiz who has read the book
20. Make a lapbook – use these templates
21. Create a Poem

Here a few of our favorite books!

Have you read my eBook, Instilling Biblical Character:  100 Tips and Resources to Train Our Children?

Do you require your children to do book reports?

21 Creative and FUN Ideas for Book Reports! is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

It’s okay to admit you are a homeschooling mom in a RUT!

But it’s not okay to stay in one!

The definition of a rut: “a fixed or established mode of procedure or course of life, usually dull or unpromising” (Dictionary.com). This is not how I want my children to remember their homeschool years.  Do you?

Have you gotten in a rut with your homeschooling as I have? As you begin to plan your next school year, will it be business as usual or filled with vitality and freshness?  How about adding hands-on active learning?  I have much better organizational skills than I do creative skills. It is easier for me to come up with a daily schedule of book work that fits into a time frame, than to come up with exciting and new learning activities. I would like to get out of our homeschool rut.  If you are in a rut and tend to lean toward, “this is the way we have always done it” we, at the Yellow School House, have a few ideas. I invite all of you organizers to step out of your comfort zone and try something new with us.

With younger children, you can find so many active learning ideas on the Internet. Pinterest is a great place to start.  Children learn best when they can put what they learn into action. God gave use five amazing senses. The more of them they can use in the learning process, the better it will be remembered.

With older children, it takes a little bit more thought and planning. It usually takes more to amuse our older children. What are their interests? What are their career objectives? Start there. Here are a few ideas.

If possible, find adults that work in areas that your children are interested in pursuing and ask if they can shadow each one for a few days

Have them take a “fun class” at the local community college.

Make up a list of choices (let them help). For a semester, they may build, paint, draw, cook, grow something, learn a new instrument, etc. and it will count as an elective.  No book work involved just pure hands on learning! The organizer, homeschool mom in me will of course, set limits and time frames as well as come up with a learning objective. But you get the picture.

Even older children enjoy many of the activities that the younger ones do, they just don’t want to admit it. Let them help or supervise with the hands on learning of your younger ones.

If you are like me, pray as you plan this next school year.  Ask God to lead you as you make time, on purpose, in your school schedule for learning in a new way.  Organizers need to plan times for fun activities. One of  the joys of homeschooling is the flexibility.  Remind yourself of that. And as I tell myself, and you, don’t be hard on yourself when you default back to the “work, work, work” mode.  When you realize it, say a prayer and relax.

Michelle is a homeschool mom of four, two, now in college, and two at home. She is the owner of Yellow House Book Rental, a new service to homeschool families.  RENTING is now an option for homeschoolers!  Rent, buy new or used, rent-to-own, sell back or download!  All your options in one location!  You can follow the Yellow House Book Rental on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Michele would like to offer a 25.00 gift certificate to Yellow House Book Rental to one of Blessed Beyond a Doubt’s readers.  I will be picking a random winner on June 27th at 12a.  Winner will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of this site and not to Facebook.

Don’t be one of those homeschooling moms that stays in a rut!

Are You a Homeschooling Mom in a Rut? is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

It’s hard to find good books for emergent readers that aren’t totally silly.

The Measured Mom has designed FREE books for emergent readers with the letter “a’ and the word “the.”

She always has FUN printables!

Have you read my eBook, Instilling Biblical Character:  100 Tips and Resources to Train Our Children?

Where do you find books for emergent readers?

FREE Books for Emergent Readers! is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

Do you have a homeschool mission statement?

If not, you need to create one each year!  There a numerous reasons why it’s imperative that you and your family should always revise a homeschool mission statement before you begin the new school year.

5 Reasons a Homeschool Mission Statement is needed:

1. It will help you make realistic goals for your homeschool year.
2. It will encourage you to continue to run the race when you are discouraged.
3. It will give you freedom from comparison.  Each homeschool is unique.
4. It will help you stay focus on the main reasons your on the homeschool journey.
5. It will help you to spend your money wisely on the resources that will meet your goals.

So you might be thinking this sounds like a great idea, but where do I begin?  Here is a How to Create a Homeschool Mission Statement printable to help you keep your thoughts organized.

5 Things to Ponder when creating your homeschool mission statement:

1. What are the reasons why you decided to homeschool?
2. What are your short term goals for this school year?
3. What are your long term goals for your homeschool?
4. What are the spiritual and character goals you would like to instill in your children?
5. What are the life skills you want your children to master?

I recommend you and your family spend time brainstorming these ideas together with the How to Create a Homeschool Mission Statement printable.  Second, have your entire family praying over these ideas for at least a week.  Next, come together and come up with a homeschool mission statement as a family.  Print and place in a visible location.  It also might be a good idea for the family to each sign the homeschool mission statement.

Have you read my FREE eBook, Instilling Biblical Character:  100 Tips and Resources to Train Our Children?

Do you create a homeschool mission statement each year?

Why and How to Create a Homeschool Mission Statement! is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

Get FREE and inexpensive ebooks daily!

Homeschool Your Preschooler on a $1 a Day is 99¢.

FREEbies

If you do not have Kindle, download a FREE app to start reading in minutes!

Which get FREE eBook looks interesting to you today?

Get FREE and Discounted Ebooks Daily – 6/17 is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

Putting together DIY homeschool science kits are very inexpensive and are always a hit with children!

They make FUN presents, too!

Almost all the supplies you can purchase at the dollar store. 

Here’s a few items to get you started:

• Baking Soda – several baking soda science experiments
• Marshmallows – What happens to the water after marshmallows dissolve?
• Balloons – balloon blow up
• Gelatin – make electric gelatin
• Dry Yeast – blow up a balloon
• Drinking Straws – stab a potato
• Coffee Filters – several science projects to choose from
• Food Coloring - test the speed of water moleclues 
• Vinegar - volcano experiment
• Funnel Cups
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring Cup
• Film canister
• Basket to put all the supplies in
• Science Notebook binder and printables (you can also print out the experiments)
• Test Tube – you can buy a sugar granulated 
• Safety Goggles
• Eye droppers
• Magnify glass

It’s FUN for the children to record their observations and experiments in their very own science notebook.

For additional gifts, you could add science experiment books for them to continue with their science projects year after year.

I can’t think of a better and inexpensive gift than DIY homeschool science kits, can you?

DIY Homeschool Science Kits! is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

This FREE Unit study would be perfect to do the week before you go on a family vacation.

Head on over to Homeschool Share to download this FUN Family Reunions Unit Study!

Description:

Make Family Reunions a memorable study as you discuss family traditions, examine your family tree, make a map of where your relatives live, share family stories and create a scrapbook or photo album together.

Looks like an interesting unit study!

Have you read my FREE eBook, Instilling Biblical Character:  100 Tips and Resources to Train Our Children?

FREE Family Reunions Unit Study! is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt

It’s FREE Printable Friday!

Feel free to add your FREE printables to the link.  We don’t care how many you add to the linky, but please just make sure they are FREE.

We do not have any rules for linking up but would appreciate your PIN-LOVE, hint, hint!

You will definitely want to grab this FUN THree Letter Word Writing Activity to keep your kiddos busy this summer.

And don’t forget to visit my cohost, Meet Penny!  She always has FUN ideas and creative printables!

FREE Printable Friday – 6/14! is a post from: Blessed Beyond A Doubt