Sometimes a good Science lesson just seems to fall into your lap or neighbor’s yard. I hear mom’s complain about the mess of Science experiments. I know some are worried if they are studying enough or the right stuff. Well, today we got to view two very special species of insects: cicada and praying mantis.
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I recently joined Instagram and am amazed how little time it takes to share images with the world. I dug my feet in for a long while trying NOT to join but once I found the Instagram app on my hubby’s phone that did it! I joined Instagram and the rest is history.
I love how I can dual post to Facebook as well and save me time sharing some fun stuff. Now for all of you who aren’t on Instagram or Facebook here are some pics that I could have shared there but chose to share with my loyal readers instead! Here’s a recap of the first half of August. So these pics are all in Instagram style (square 600×600) from August 1 -15. Hope you enjoy seeing what we have been up to IRL (in real life!)
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What does a resourceful mom do? Figure out ways to create your own rock tool kit including common household tools and ask around for anything that could be handy that is currently being unused. This post will show you a little bit of our evolving rock collection kit and how we have gotten so many nice rocks for free!
Today I would like to share with you some ways to create your own homemade rock kit. Yes, you can buy all types of rock kits, mineral kits, classroom sets, and even rock hound backpack’s but most of those are quite expensive. Since these pre-made kits aren’t in a frugal homeschool budget I wanted to give you ideas of what we have done.
First determine how much your children are really into rocks. Do they really want to learn about them OR do they just want to collect them and play with them? Either way your child can learn, observe, and explore rocks to their hearts content!
If your child really want’s to learn to identify and collect them for further study then I suggest you print rock identification charts or cards from below or visit our post with over 40 free resources for rocks and minerals. Keep an eye out at garage sales or used book sales for rock books. We splurged and paid full-price for Rocks, Gems and Minerals (A Golden Guide)
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As Summer winds down and the school supplies fill the shelves, you might wonder how to pay for all those back to school expenses. Since we homeschool and hubby is no longer in college we can keep our Back to School list short and sweet, or go BIG and crazy. I am a frugal shopper and WILL NOT PAY full price for anything I know will be discounted or free after rebate. I know that sometimes patience wins out during all these weeks of Back to School sales. I have a file cabinet drawer of school supplies to prove it.
This year is a little strange with the local public schools heading back to class early around August 18! I just hope all the national chain’s are aware of the trend to start a week earlier then normal. Keeping my fingers crossed for free or nearly free paper at Staples like last 2 years!…
Homeschoolers need Back to School supplies just like any other student. We don’t even us that many worksheets or do that many lapbooks but still use lots of supplies. This school year Big Red will need to “officially” become a Preschool Student and do school work. I envision him using lots of pencils, markers, and colored pencils like Eldest and Princess.
(Check to see if YOUR State has a TAX-FREE Shopping Weekend!)
I want my children to be free to use as much variety of supplies as well as whatever they need to create all year long. If you have children that use an art product as much as they breath like Eldest then you better stock up when items are cheap. Eldest loves to draw comics and write short scripts and stories. He likes to keep each of his ideas in a SEPARATE Composition Notebook! This can be pricey if you run out mid-year or have to keep a tight ration UNLESS you buy 10-15 just in case.
I also like to stock up for Operation Christmas Child, Christmas presents, and birthday’s for my nieces. Who doesn’t like fresh school supplies mid-year? So what does a homeschool family with four children put on their Back to School list? We keep the basics of printer paper, pens, glue sticks, and colored pencils but add in a few fun items as well.
We already own a nice stock of art supplies which include watercolors, chalk pastels, oil pastels, colored pencils, crayons, and paper. We use TONS of colored pencils since we do not allow crayons in our vehicles and we can NEVER EVER EVER have enough watercolor paper to satisfy my children’s artistic sides! I feel like we do not do art as much as we should due to the dilemma of high priced paper. (This is where those 40% JoAnn’s coupons come in handy!)
Here’s what I am keeping an eye out to find the best deals this season:
(Using our Amazon Affiliate links in case you want to order without heading out to the store!)
Composition Notebooks– 10 Eldest, 2 for everyone else + 5 for Princess’ birthday party
Colored Pencils– 4 packs + 5 for birthday favors + 2 for Christmas refills
.7 mm Pencil Lead– only if super cheap
Twistable Crayons– any count for Big Red AND van for Ramble Quest’s
Glue Sticks– not sure cause we ran out due to some that dried out
Colored Notecards– just because they are fun and a great size for review & games
Post-it Notes– both colored and shaped IF on sale for MOM
3-ring Binders– gotta assess what we have versus what we might need
Super Glue– lots since Eldest needs this for stop motion video stuff
Washable Markers– skinny & regular packs 2 for Big Red plus extras for Giving Back Pack
Sharpie Markers– never seem to have enough for Eldest!
Fabric pencil pouches for 3-ring binder– great for Busy Bags and drawing on the go kits
Back Pack– Big Red needs one that can double as overnight bag or Bug Out Bag
Protractor & Compass– brand new in package
Basic Sketching Tools– pencils, charcoal, etc.
Rulers– plastic, wooden, and flexible
Pencils- partial 5 gallon bucket from old business
Erasers, Kneadable & Art Gum– from last 2 years Back to School sales
Construction Paper– .25 per pack at a garage sale
Lunch Boxes– we own 6 or 7 from previous years and YES we do use them!
Backpacks- regular school bags, nature packs, and sling bags from Big Red’s birth
Did you miss out on our NOT Back-to-School posts from last year? Don’t worry you can check them out below:
Our Students
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