You know what time it is? It’s time for FOOTBALL….. FOOD! Haha! Unfortunately, sports really aren’t my thing, but I do love football season because of all the yummy recipes. Maddie and Lorelai aren’t really into football either, so I’m not sure why I designed this one a couple years ago. But here it is! Free to print off for all the football lovers out there. Grab some paints, stickers, and maybe even *glitter* and let your kid go ham on this printable. Who is your favorite sports team? Mine was the Texans/Cardinals, but then JJ Watt retired so I gave up having a favorite team. =(

Open & Print: Football Helmet Template

I’ve been working with Maddie on animal classification for a while now. It’s one of those concepts you hit on a little every year. Third grade has been no exception! I decided to make this printable mammal worksheet aimed towards elementary-aged kids to help Maddie remember mammal characteristics/facts/etc. There’s a place where they can write down their favorite mammals and draw a little picture. Maddie chose to draw a furry Maine coon. Cats are by far her favorite animal!

Open & Print: Mammals Worksheet

What is your child/childrens’ favorite animal? Please let me know if you found this worksheet to be helpful, and if you’d like me to do other animal types — reptiles, amphibians, etc. Also, please check out the Animal Crafts Section for a lonnnnnnng list of mammal crafts you can do with your child in addition to this worksheet!

Animal photos in this worksheet © Unsplash!

Third Grade is here, ready or not! I finally have all of my ducks in a row and am going to share which curricula I’ve picked for Maddie this year. We have a BUSY semester ahead chock full of fun museum classes and extra-curriculars.

This post is more for record keeping than anything. Just know that what works for my kid/family may or may not work for yours. I’ve linked everything that’s linkable if you’d like to check out any of my picks for her this year.

Math

This year for math, Madeline is taking Year 3 with Teaching Textbooks. We’ve used this online math curriculum in the past before with my older daughter, Lorelai, and have had great success with it. I’m excited for Maddie to try it out this year!

We also supplement our math curriculum with basic math facts worksheets, games like Sum Swamp & I See 10, Race to Planet X, and Yahtzee.

Language Arts / Reading / Writing

For the third year in a row, we are using The Good and the Beautiful’s Language Arts curriculum. This is not a secular program, but it’s easy to skip parts as needed. I can’t say enough good things about TGAB curriculum. It just WORKS with Maddie.

For reading, Maddie will be following the novels that came with their third grade language arts set.

For our read-aloud selections, check out this post. We love reading and spend a good chunk of our homeschool day enjoying novels!

The curriculum I picked above will also have writing projects. However, I also bought this Scary Writing Prompts workbook to try with Maddie. It’s recommended for kids a little older than her, but I feel like she’d be up for the challenge.

Science

This year I picked Noeo Science (Physics I) to use for Maddie. It’s experiment-heavy and is ready to go right out of the box. It came with a bundle of interesting science resource books and materials for the experiments, along with the workbooks and teacher guide. We are so excited to get started on this one!

In addition, we’ve been working our way through the Magic Schoolbus science experiments. I found a PDF online years ago with tons of worksheets and guides, but I haven’t been able to find it again to link it properly. If anyone finds it, let me know! They are simple and follow the episodes. Maddie loves them!

Maddie will also be taking classes at nearby nature centers, as well as at a natural science museum. The museum classes range from early elementary up through high school, with basic classes for the younger students and dissection classes for the older kids. (Lorelai has dissected a sheep’s heart before, among other things!)

History/Social Studies

The Story of the World, Volume One, is what we’ll be using with Madeline this year. I used this with Lorelai during her first year homeschooling and we really enjoyed it. Read a chapter about ancient history, and then do the activity/craft and answer questions. I plan to design supplemental worksheets and crafts to help drive the lessons home for Maddie.

Art

Maddie will be taking a weekly art class at an art museum this fall!
I also have a ton of art reference books, guides, and Youtube art tutorials to supplement.

Physical Education

Staying active won’t be a problem! Maddie is joining a swim team that will meet 3-4 days a week (she’s doing lessons first to get the basic swim strokes down). We also are planning to do park days, trampoline park trips with friends (we have a membership), and basketball & tennis at our neighborhood rec center.

Other Stuff:

• Handwriting: she will be working out of this cursive handwriting workbook.
• Typing: We will use this website to help her learn to type faster and more accurately.
• Piano: Hoffman Academy is a wonderful resource for beginner piano players!
• Co-Op: Unfortunately, co-op with our local homeschool group doesn’t fit into our schedule this fall, but we’re hoping to be able to add it in the spring!

Extra Curriculars:

• Swim Team
• Girl Scouts
• Choir

This school is gearing up to be full of fun and learning (and fun learning!). I’ll be sure to share updates and recaps of our homeschooling adventures. What curriculum did you pick out for your kids? I’d love to hear about your choices!

How is it already time for back to school posts? This summer seemed to fly by for me and my girls, but despite that, we are all ready to get back into the swing of things. Having our days structured and planned out will help keep things in order and moving along.

Madeline is starting third grade this year, and we will be homeschooling. I started a Word document to start planning out the next week, but it wasn’t cutting it for me. I decided to design this Lesson Plans printable to help keep us on track!

This is a 2-page printable, with Monday – Wednesday on the first sheet, and Thursday, Friday, & a notes section on the second. There was no getting around this; the sections being any smaller would mean there wouldn’t be any room to write the actual lesson plans! I also designed this is a calming blueish-grey, but feel free to select Black & White in your printer settings to make everything grayscale.

We have a full schedule this fall. I’m so excited with our curriculum picks and will share those soon! What are you most looking forward to this school year? For me, it’s actually homeschooling again! Maddie went to public school for the majority of the last school year. She wasn’t a huge fan of it (neither was I!), so it’s safe to say we are BOTH looking forward to learning at home, at our own pace. =)

Open & Print: Blank Lesson Planner

Third grade is upon us! One of my favorite parts of planning for the school year ahead is picking out the books Maddie and I will read together. We’ve already read many classics and are looking forward to adding more to our list this school year.

Books We’ve Already Read & Recommend for Third Grade:

• Charlotte’s Web
• Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
• The BFG
• Matilda
• A Bear Called Paddington

The books mentioned above are some of our favorites! I highly recommend you read those with your first graders and beyond!

Books We Will Be Reading This Year

The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate

Synopsis: Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living in a shopping mall, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Age Range: 8-10 years
Grade Level: 3-7

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
by Kate DiCamillo

Synopsis: Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . . Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

Age Range: 7+
Grade Level: 2-5

Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo

Synopsis: One summer’s day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries—and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It’s because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it’s because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal was three. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie. 

Age Range: 8-10 years
Grade Level: 4-7

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
by L. Frank Baum

Synopsis: “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” follows the magical adventure of Dorothy, a young girl who lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a farm in Kansas. One day when Dorothy is caught up in tornado with her little dog, Toto, she finds her farmhouse has been magically transplanted to Munchkin Country in the mystical Land of Oz. Her house lands on the evil Wicked Witch of the East, killing her, and freeing the Munchkins from her rule. As a reward the Good Witch of the North gives Dorothy the magical Silver Shoes that belonged to the Witch and sets her on her way down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard for help in returning to Kansas. Along the way she meets several interesting characters including the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion who join her on her travels to ask the Wizard for help of their own. The journey is not without peril though, as the Wicked Witch of the West, who wants revenge for the killing of her sister and to regain the magical Silver Shoes, unleashes numerous dangers against Dorothy and her companions.

Age Range: 4-10 years
Grade Level: 3-6

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis

Synopsis: Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

Age Range: 5-10 years
Grade Level: 3-6

Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine

Synopsis: At her birth, Ella of Frell receives a foolish fairy’s gift—the “gift” of obedience. Ella must obey any order, whether it’s to hop on one foot for a day and a half, or to chop off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not accept her fate…

Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse forever.

Age Range: 9-12 years
Grade Level: 3-7

Shiloh
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Synopsis: When Marty Preston comes across a young beagle in the hills behind his home, it’s love at first sight—and also big trouble. It turns out the dog, which Marty names Shiloh, belongs to Judd Travers, who drinks too much and has a gun—and abuses his dogs. So when Shiloh runs away from Judd to Marty, Marty just has to hide him and protect him from Judd. But Marty’s secret becomes too big for him to keep to himself, and it exposes his entire family to Judd’s anger. How far will Marty have to go to make Shiloh his?

Age Range: 8-11 years
Grade Level: 3-7

The Amazing Panda Adventure
by Todd Strasser / Jeff Rothberg

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ryan has never cared about saving pandas. That’s always been his father’s job. In fact, Ryan’s father seems to care more about the pandas than he cares about his son. But when Ryan goes to visit his father, the pandas’ troubles become his own. Poachers have stolen a cub from its mother. Without her, the cub will die. Once Ryan lays eyes on the cub, he can’t help but get involved. With his father injured and poachers on the trail, it’s up to Ryan to save the little panda. He risks his own life for the cub and discovers that there are some things worth fighting for. *Book adapted from the movie!*

Age Range: 9-12 years
Grade Level: 4-6

Holes
by Louis Sachar

Synopsis: Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes. It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.

Age Range: 9+
Grade Level: 5-6

*This one might still be a bit old for Madeline on her own, but I think she will definitely enjoy it as a read-aloud.

Saving Winslow
by Sharon Creech

Synopsis: Louie doesn’t have the best luck when it comes to nurturing small creatures. So when his father brings home a sickly newborn mini donkey, he’s determined to save him. He names him Winslow. Taking care of him helps Louie feel closer to his brother, Gus, who is far, far away in the army.
Everyone worries that Winslow won’t survive, especially Louie’s quirky new friend, Nora, who has experienced loss of her own. But as Louie’s bond with Winslow grows, surprising and life-altering events prove that this fragile donkey is stronger than anyone could have imagined.

Age Range: 8-9 years
Grade Level: 3-7

Stone Fox
by John Reynolds Gardiner

Synopsis: Based on a Rocky Mountain legend, Stone Fox tells the story of Little Willy, who lives with his grandfather in Wyoming. When Grandfather falls ill, he is no longer able to work the farm, which is in danger of foreclosure. Little Willy is determined to win the National Dogsled Race—the prize money would save the farm and his grandfather. But he isn’t the only one who desperately wants to win. Willy and his brave dog Searchlight must face off against experienced racers, including a Native American man named Stone Fox, who has never lost a race.

Age Range: 8-10 years
Grade Level: 2-6

There you have it. Those are our reading picks for this year. In addition to the books listed above, Maddie will have independent reading where she will enjoy favorite series like The Magic Treehouse, The School of Good & Evil, Junie B. Jones, Goosebumps, and more. Reading is a huge part of our focus as homeschoolers and I’m so lucky that she really loves it!

What will you and your elementary-aged kids be reading this year? I’m always looking for more books to add to our rotation, too!

Have a great school year, everyone!!!

Okay, I’m going to be honest. We’ve been sitting on this craft for a looooong time. I’m not going to say exactly how long, but this was part of a series of crafts I’d mentioned in this post. I paid Lorelai to draw out some cute animals for me to turn into printables and this was one of them.

I showed Maddie this one and she squealed and said she had to do it ASAP. Who can blame her? This baby giraffe craft is adorable! Print out a copy of the free template below!

Open & Print: Baby Giraffe Craft Template

Not the cute baby animal or giraffe craft you were looking for? Check out some others we’ve made before…

Leatherback sea turtles are truly fascinating reptiles! They make up the world’s largest turtle species and can grow to around 2 meters, or 6 feet long! They also weigh-in around 2000lbs, or 900kg. Another fascinating fact is that their shells are not hard like most turtles; their speckled backs are a leathery texture that is soft and flexible.

It’s been a minute since I’ve posted here on LCL, but I’m happy to announce that we’ll be putting up content more regularly now. If you have any suggestions or requests for printables, please be sure to fill out this form.

Maddie enjoyed crafting this leatherback sea turtle and learning some fun facts about the animal. We had quite the audience while we were making this craft- our pets! Aren’t they so cute hanging around?

Grab the printable below and enjoy!!

Open & Print Leatherback Sea Turtle Template

Leatherback Sea Turtle Facts

• Leatherbacks’ favorite food is jellyfish!
• They migrate very long distances between their ‘feeding’ and ‘breeding’ grounds.
• The female turtle will crawl onto the beach, dig a hole, lay her eggs, then return to the ocean.
• It takes about 2 months for the baby turtles to hatch, and when they do, they have a perilous journey to the ocean. There are many animals that like to prey upon baby turtles, including birds, crabs, snakes, and more.
• Leatherback turtles are sadly classified as critically endangered due to destruction of their nesting beaches, pollution, illegal egg collection, etc.
• To learn more about leatherback sea turtles, click here!

Every morning we do school, I have Maddie, my now first grader (!!), add a sticker to the day. When we reach 100, we have a fun day to celebrate! We LOVE stickers here, so that’s the route we go, but you could just color in the numbers. I hope this is useful for you!! Have a great school year, and see you soon with some fun printables!

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Hey crafters! Sorry for disappearing again. Life has been a little chaotic and we’ve been (still) trying to adjust to this new pandemic lifestyle. Anyway, onto the craft… This is a printable scientist craft. Your kiddo can choose either gender for this craft – there is an optional ponytail. Or, of course, you could use the spare bits of cardstock to make your scientist their own unique hairstyle!

Are your kids fascinated by science? Mine definitely are. Maddie’s in Kindergarten and science is by far her favorite subject! The week before Thanksgiving, we made a wormery with a jar, dirt from our garden, and some earthworms. We observed them for a few days and watched as they made tunnels through the soil. We even found a little garden spider running around on top of the soil! It was a neat little project that was perfect for a kindergartener.

Looking for other people crafts? Click here!

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Grab this free printable tree kangaroo craft below. Looking for a regular kangaroo craft? Click here.

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I made this handy reading log to keep track of the books we read together this year. So far, we’ve read two Junie B. Jones and have begun the Rescue Princesses series. I plan on introducing some classics at some point this year. For now, we are going to keep reading the quick, fun ones to hold her attention.

Grab the printable below and keep track of you (or your child’s) reading progress through the year! For more motivation, check out our Reading Challenge printable to get them reading more!

I hope everyone has a wonderful school year! I know there are many challenges with the worldwide pandemic going on. Especially for the public school families who are suddenly doing distance learning… my heart is with you and your children as you try to figure everything out. And HUGE props to all of the teachers who are trying to hold things down amidst this craziness. Love to you all! Stay safe, friends.

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I hope you get a chance to make some of these super simple flowers with your kids. Happy crafting!

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This year, we made this super cute “happy earth” craft. We are still socially isolating ourselves due to the virus that’s running rampant through the world, but we definitely look forward to the day we can see our family and friends, go hiking in the many parks nearby, and just enjoy this great planet in which we reside. For now, we’ll continue to make happy crafts, homeschool (we homeschooled before all this started), and continue chugging along as usual. We have recently planted our first garden. The kids are enjoying watching the vegetables they planted grow larger and larger by the day. I’ll share more on that later. For now, grab the printable below, and as always, enjoy!

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Other Amphibian Crafts: Newt, Tree frog, Paper Roll Frog, African Bullfrog, Paper Bag Frog, & Poison Dart Frog

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