Mama's Musings

I loved themed learning at any age!  From reading Teddy Bear's Picnic and eating outdoors with babies, right through to teens writing essays inspired by concepts in a sci-fi movie they watched or novel they read...  

Last week I read The Rainbow Fish to Zeah and the little ones I babysit, then we did some simple related activities.

The Rainbow Fish, with his shimmering scales, is the most beautiful fish in the ocean but he is proud and vain and none of the other fish want to be his friend—until he learns to give away some of his most prized possessions.

Sometimes the activity is so simple it's completed by the end of the story, and other times, we can spend a week or more immersed in the theme of a much-loved book.

When I looked online for activities related to The Rainbow Fish, there were hundreds of free ideas including arts & crafts, colouring pages, worksheets, games, loose parts play, snack ideas, and more!  Learning like this is a little like a...

Have you used Khan Academy?  Our teens have used it so much over the years (and still do), especially for Maths!

I used Khan Academy myself recently as I needed some further explanation on some Maths concepts for one of my university subjects.  The lessons complimented the uni content perfectly and filled in the gaps I had so I could proceed with my assignment.

And something for my readers who aren't Aussies - they have a great section on Personal Finances with US information and links.  So if you were a little let down by the Australian-centric info I shared here on Wednesday, check out Khan Academy!  it's FREE!

Gratitude is a bit of a buzz word again, isn't it?  As we are faced with a lot of fear and change, isolation and information, I figured it might be a good time to share one of my favourite mental health tools...

I first started consciously practicing gratitude when I read Simple Abundance in 1995.  More than any other tool, gratitude has helped improve my mood and mindset consistently during the past 26 years of motherhood.  Gratitude journals, gratitude meditations, gratitude lists, gratitude apps - I've tried them all!  I also like to ask my children about their favourite part of their day, an outing, a trip, or an activity.

Today's freebie is a gratitude worksheet - a big brainstorming session you can do alone or with your children, family or friends.  Afterwards, if you don't already, you might like to try recognising "three things" you're grateful for, do this in any way you like - on your phone or a notebook, out loud or in your head before...

5 Social Lessons Every Child Must Know

with Nicholeen Peck

In order for children to be successful socially they need good examples to model after. And what better model to use than yourself? In the webinar, 5 Social Lessons Every Child Must Know, avid homeschool and parenting expert Nicholeen Peck will go through the tools children need to interact with peers while learning social conduct from the best examples they have, their parents.

I almost always find useful tips and tools, and of course encouragement in parenting workshops, webinars and books.  I've been parenting for 26 years and I'm still learning!

This FREE WEBINAR with Nicholeen Peck is on TODAY!  So book now!  It may be recorded for later viewing, check back for more info.

We love anything to do with DIRT here!  And we love resources collated by others!  So I was pretty excited to see that another homeschool mum (Jeannette) had shared these:

FREE RESOURCES ALL ABOUT SOIL

Did you know that there are FREE worksheet generators online?  I don't have a preferred one, I just search and use whatever appeals.  I just tested this one though, to make a handwriting sheet  for Zeah, and it worked fine.  I printed a page, and also saved it as a pdf.

I used to use worksheet generators when my older kids were young too, to make wordsearches and other activities they enjoyed related to their current unit study or topic of interest.  For little learners, I'd often make pages using our names and address words, because they liked things related to our family, and it was useful for them to know these words.  You can make worksheets and other games for learning at any stage.  Flashcards are awesome for adults learning a language, for example.

Worksheets aren't necessarily the boring, futile teaching tool they're often made out to be.  Personalised worksheets, in particular, can be lots of fun!  Happy printing!

I share printable resources I've made to my email subscribers and on my Facebook page and group.  There are three up on the Resources page right now too!

As a Friday Freebie this week, I'd like to share a new one for the littles (or young at heart)... an animal-themed super-simple weekly planner page - ideal to print, laminate and use with a whiteboard marker over and over again!  

Here's a great opportunity...

A free video workshop - 7 Simple Steps to Create Your Own Homeschooling Curriculum

HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO LEARN
– How to create a curriculum based on real life
– How to meet the needs of homeschool registration while remaining flexible and family-centred
– How to easily integrate skills for adult life in your curriculum

The Educating Parent Home Education Resource Directory is distributed through Beverley Paine’s website  and is freely shared among home educating families and support groups. 

Download your FREE 45 page copy from www.theeducatingparent.com

The directory is edited and published by Beverley Paine and April Jermey (Beverley's daughter).  They are also the family behind very popular Australian homeschooling book company Always Learning Books.

Home educating on a budget may seem like a challenge at first, especially if you are attempting to gather as many resources as your average classroom. There is no need to rush out and buy a lot of equipment that you may not need. First, sit down and write a “wish list”, then highlight the items you feel are most necessary to begin.

There are many alternatives to expensive educational resources. Here are some ideas to help you save money in setting up your home learning space.

- Buy furniture which has multiple uses. Consider a large, second-hand dining table over individual desks, for example - or just use your dining table! Use open shelving rather than cupboards for storing supplies and books. This allows the children to see what is available for their use and is less expensive.  We've used bolt-together galvanised steel five-shelf units to hold games, puzzles, and construction kits.  The children can see everything on the shelves and they remain...