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D is for D-Day: American History Resources for Kids

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Welcome back to our fourth week of the ABC’s of American History. This week we have Samantha from Le Chaim on the Right sharing her resource list for D-Day. She used her affiliate links to provide you a quick resource on Amazon.

“The eyes of the world are upon you.” -Eisenhower

WWII is my passion. With this tough time period, it’s easier to find resources for high school students rather than elementary, but I tried to compile a list for grades 1-6.

D-Day was the Allied invasion in Normandy, France during World War II. It began on June 6, 1944, with 150,000 Allied forces fighting for freedom. The Germans knew what the Allies would attack soon, but they didn’t quite know where. The Allies had staged a fake attack quite north of France, where Hitler awaited their attack. The Allies took Germany by surprise, and D-Day was a huge success – and the turning point of WWII.

D is for D-Day

Interesting facts to make your D-Day study more interesting:

  • The “D” in D-Day stands for Day. There is also “H-Hour”
  • D-Day is known as Operation Overlord.
  • D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history.
  • George S. Patton did not fight during D-Day. Instead, Patton was benched and led a fake army to distract Hitler from the real battle plans in Normandy (D-Day). This stunt was called Operation Quicksilver. The Germans then got wind of Quicksilver – and prepared for such. This came as a major shock to Hitler, and greatly contributed to D-Day’s success.

Books
There are many books written about D-Day. Check out your local library for more ideas! Along with the book, I tried to list an approximate age range.

Projects
Teachers Pay Teachers is full of fun projects for all grade levels. You can sort projects by grade level, or by price.

D-Day for Kids is a nice $5 app targeting kids ages 6-8.

Movies
There aren’t too many WWII films for younger kids. However, a few years ago I was lucky to stumble upon Valiant, a G-rated animated film about Britain’s messenger pigeons and the part they played during D-Day. It was the first and only time I have seen facts at the end of an animated film. Molly, An American Girl, explores WWII, and although not necessarily D-day, is still a great clean, family movie.

WWII

For students old enough, the obvious two classics are Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers and for students old enough, those are must-watches. No exceptions. Here are a few alternatives, but still not really for anyone under 10.

For More Resources:

abc American History series

Come back next week to see what new resources we have to share while we learn all about the  letter E during the ABC’s of American History.

Y is for Yoga Gross Motor Ideas from A to Z

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I do not post about fine motor or gross motor skills very often. I am not sure why since my kids are always on the move! Maybe that is the problem with unplanned motor skills that are always happening. This time I decided to plan some gross motor skills as part of the Still Playing School’s A to Z Gross Motor Blog Series. I have included links to Amazon resources in case you are needing to purchase some items for your gross motor time.

Y is for Yoga gross motor collage

I choose Y is for Yoga because it’s something we’ve never done.  I must be totally honest right now and say we are not into meditating or using Yoga as a spiritual practice. SO those of you who know us do not need to fear. The rest of you just take it for what it’s worth but we like the stretching and strengthening that yoga can provide if done on a regular basis.

We do happen to own a book called Yoga for Kids which was bought many years ago at one of those discount book stores. You know the ones that have super cheap books that you just MUST buy,lol. This book has been sitting on a shelf for a handful of years but proved helpful for this yoga exploration.

At first my kids groaned at the mention of the word YOGA? I am not really sure why but they did. Then Princess saw a very unique pose on the front of the book that she wanted to try right away. Here is her posing like a “flower”.

yoga folded hands

I then decided to grab hubby’s yoga mat that was bought for his birthday a few years ago and only used a couple of times. He wants to tone and strengthen his back and abs and feels that Yoga could be just what he is looking for. The little boys both thought that the mat was more of a running and landing strip. If only I had taken some video footage instead of blurry pics,lol.

Princess tried to engage Big Red ( 4 1/2 yrs.) and Lil’ Red ( 1 1/2 yrs.) in a few simple stretches and poses. They still didn’t quite get the idea of this being a calm and relaxing event. They still were jumping and wrestling and horse playing around. I would have demonstrated a few simple poses but I have never done Yoga and someone needed to take the pictures!

Yoga pose Collage

I would definitely have a book or a yoga video handy as well as a clear and soft surface for your little acrobats. Also be sure that each person has their own mat even if it’s just a beach towel. That will hopefully help keep each little body in their own space a little better.

I hope you enjoyed seeing our first attempts at Yoga and what you can do during the cold weather months to get some energy out or practice your gross motor skills. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other A to Z activities!

gross motor series

 

Some of our favorite INDOOR gross motor items:

Mini Trampoline I bought ours for $10 at a consignment shop and it was brand new!
Tunnel I picked one of these up with a tent for under $15 from an After-Christmas sale.
Hopper Balls We bought our’s from Amazon January 2014 and still use them! I love to keep only half of what we bought inflated. The other half stays tucked away since storage is at a premium at our house.
Plastic Slide or climber We have been known to have a slide or climber equipment in our livingroom from time to time.

Honestly I am one of those crazy mom’s who has been known to allow roller skating  and tricycling around the kitchen table from time to time. Or the new and ever popular couch diving. I will have to share that in another post because words do not describe, lol.

Weekend Brew, Sat Soiree, Missional, Worshipful Living, Dare to Share, We Love Weekends, Amaze Me, Clever Chick, Happiness is homemade, Week’s End, Sunday FUNday, Link & Learn ,Art of Homemaking, Mommy Moments, Thoughtful Spot, Mon Musings, Funday, Inspire Me, Modest Mom, MYHS, Good Morning, Turn it Up, Titus 2 Tues, Totally Terrific, Tues with Twist, Talented Tues, Monday Madness, Mama Mon, Good Tips Tues, Too Cute, Little Bird, Wise Woman, Pin Worthy, Creative Ways, Turn to Shine, Shine, Great Ideas, WFMW, Mommy Club, R & R, TGIT, BFF, Creative Exchange,Fridays Unfolded, Family Fun, Front Porch, Everything Else, That Friday, No Rules, Sat Sweet, SYC

 

Tips for Making Homeschool Easier with a Voice Recorder

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I saw a super cute and tiny 8GB voice recorder from Etekcity and WANTED IT but really needed to find a good excuse to use it, lol. We love tech and new tech is always fun. How can a tiny thumb sized voice recorder be a very important homeschool tool? Well, that’s what I am going to share with you!

reasons to use a voice recorder

These are just a few simple ways to use a voice recorder that popped into my head while my younger two sons and I tried it out. (We were making a silly chicken and duck singing recording thanks to Little Bear’s Diva Hen episode)

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Tips for attending Tech Fest

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We are nerds and love our tech but I am the biggest Science Geek of the family. Upon initial appearance I am just the usual homeschool mommy but I really do love Math and Science. I am also a MAJOR deal freak and uber frugal. I keep my eyes and ears open at all times for free and discounted activities that our entire family can enjoy.

tips for tech fest

 

Our local Tech Fest held each February is no exception. Since we are so very frugal, partially out of habit from when we lived on below poverty level wages, we pack food and drinks to save money eating at events. I thought it would be a great idea to share tips for attending a tech fest just in case you are thinking of going.
1. Print a map- Just in case your cell phone hits a dead zone or runs out of battery or the kids use up the battery playing Jetpack Joyride or Brain Pop on the way. Be sure your map includes parking and exactly where the entrance to your event is. Our event is help on a small college campus that has over 20 buildings. You definitely do not want to spend all day driving around to find your event. If you have small children you don’t want to park super far away either.
2. Bring a change of clothes for babies, tots, and potty training preschoolers- Yes, this sounds like a given BUT I know many friends and relatives who do not keep a spare change of clothes with them. Nothing like getting to your event to find out your baby geekling had a major blow-out in his car seat on the way!
3. Pack food and drinks- Be sure to have something for each person to drink and a healthy snack. Even if you only plan to attend for a hour or 2 between meals you’d be surpirsed at how hungry youget when your brain is all fired up learning about STEM! Water, juice boxes, cheese sticks, and nuts are very good options.
4. Extra set of car keys- Just saying this is a very good idea unless your spouse is a professional locksmith. Get a vehicle door key made for your spouse to carry.

SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA
5. Special dietary or medical supplies-Now that Eldest is Type 1 Diabetic he brings his blood glucose meter and insulin wherever he goes. Be sure you have what your child or family needs just in case you are away at your event longer then planned.
6. Bring money- Yes, even to free events be sure to have cash in case of pay parking or in the event you need a snack to make it through the day or event.
7. Charge your phone AND bring a charger- You never know how much you’ll need your phone until it’s about to shut down from a dead battery.
8. Bring extra batteries for your camera- Are you wanting plenty of pictures of the event? Be sure to bring backup battery or charger for cameras.

simple machines table at tech fest STEM
9. Have a plan if you get separated! Make a point to find a place for your children and spouse to go if you become separated. If you want to create an ID for your child to carry and you homeschool you can print one off for free. I share how to do this and what to include on my post entitled: Homeschool Conventions and Lost Children. If you do not homeschool then you can easily create your own ID for your family on your PC.

10. Keep expectations simple- Remember you will NOT be able to see and do EVERYTHING this year unless you attend the entire event and can move about at warp speed. The Tech Fest we attend we just try to get to 1 thing each person wants to do. If I see freebies being given out I tend to steer in that direction before they are gone.

If you need more STEM ideas then check out the entire A to Z STEM series via Little Bins for Little Hands or my H is for Heart RateTec post.

A to Z STEM