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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Top Social Studies Activities for After School 2013


The After School Linky Party Co-Hosts are taking a reprieve during the holiday. But that doesn't mean learning has to stop, right? Good golly, no! We've pooled our great ideas to help you keep the kids' brains and bodies busy during the break.

Our linky party will return on January 6, 2014.

Here are our top social studies posts from 2013. Pin away!


1. 10 Ways to Travel the World with Kids at The Educators' Spin on It.
2. Books about Bullying from Boy Mama Teacher Mama.
3. Comparative Geography for Children - Korea and Norway at Afterschool for Smarty Pants.
4. A Quick and Simple Way to Learn History at This Reading Mama.
5. Chinese New Year Tea Ceremony at Little Wonders' Days.
6. Tips on Raising a Multicultural Child at The Educators' Spin on It.
7. Presidential 4-in-a-Row Game at Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational.
9. Election Day Activity for Kids: Voting at What Do We Do All Day?


Stop by some of my fellow co-hosts' blogs for more of our top posts!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Snowflake Rubbings Art


Paper cut snowflakes are so magical. We like the interactive snowflake designers online like this one here, too.

To leverage my oldest son's love of creating his own snowflakes, I thought we'd make some rubbing plates.

I grabbed chipboard (think empty cereal box) and printed some six-pointed templates on sticker paper which I adhered to the cardboard. Now I grabbed some yarn and we traced the lines with white school glue and laid yarn pieces over top, making sure none overlapped.

Then we embellished, using nothing but our own creativity, clipping small lengths of yarn and gluing them on in our own patterns.

When we decided our snowflake rubbing plates were done, I traced over the yarn with the glue to really secure them and harden the yarn. Now we let them dry overnight.


The next day, I peeled off the paper labels from two white crayons and grabbed some large blue construction paper. My sons placed the rubbing plates beneath their paper and began rubbing the side of the crayon back and forth over the snowflake plate until its design appeared like magic!


Our four year old wanted a tree in his picture so I cut one from a newsprint advertisement. We added a snowy foreground from torn paper and voila! A winter wonderland that can be recreated year after year with our new rubbing plates!


Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Nesting Spoons: Upper and Lower Case Letter Matching


Flash cards have never been one of my favorites. My oldest son shares my sentiments. So when I saw this great idea for alphabet spoons on From Kindergarten With Love, I knew it would be a great way to work with my youngest son on letter recognition.

This activity is inexpensive and comes together quickly.

What You Need
26 White plastic disposable spoons
26 Clear plastic disposable spoons
Upper case and lower case letter stickers (or good handwriting and a Sharpie)

Adhere the upper case letters to the white spoons toward the tip of the spoon. Adhere the lower case letter stickers to the bottom part of the clear spoons.

Now determine, based on your child's readiness, how many pairs of spoons to play with. My son and I worked on the first half of the alphabet (a-m). He was overwhelmed, so I separated the upper and lower case spoons to make it easier.

These can easily slip into a plastic zipper-sealed bag for a great take-along game. And for kids proficient in letter work, can be used for alphabetizing practice!


Want a great book to accompany this activity? We like Alphabet Mystery!

Monday, December 16, 2013

After School Linky Party (12-16)


Welcome to the After School Linky!



Our trusty linky party has its regulars but each week it also has some newbies.
I love to see ALL of your ideas!

Here are just a few that caught my eye from last week.


 Christmas Unit Week 2: A Christmas Carol at Every Star is Different.


 Silly Santa Gross Motor Challenge at The Inspired Treehouse.




 Math Stars Christmas Ornament at Highhill Education.

Paper House Ornament Template at Kitchen Counter Chronicles.


Free Printables Shared at the 12-9 Linky



We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool, or on the weekend! When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board or Feature on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Cute-as-a-Button Craft Stick Snowflake


Every year, the kids and I make a homemade ornament or two. This year, given my sudden infatuation with snowflakes, I zeroed in on this winter craft.


It was perfect for my four-year-old who could always use a little fine motor practice.

What You Need
Wooden craft sticks
Hot glue gun
White acrylic craft paint and brushes
Buttons (white, pearl, glittery, etc.)
White school glue
Yarn or thread

Making this lovely little snowflake is simple.



1. Paint three wooden craft sticks and let dry.
2. Arrange them in a snowflake shape and use hot glue to hold them together.
3. Apply white school glue to the six points of the snowflake. Position the buttons on top.
4. Break for hot cocoa. (optional)
5. Keep gluing buttons on until the whole snowflake is covered.
6. Let dry and attach a loop of yarn to the back with hot glue so you can hang it on the tree.

While we waited for the glue to dry, we read two excellent books.


Snow by Uri Shulevitz is a charming book that tells the typical tale of a child who is excited for snow when the grown-ups are not. It's a simple book with enchanting illustrations.

The Little Snowflake by Steve Metzger chronicles the journey of a snowflake as it falls from the sky, hoping to land in a field and become part of a snowman. It's a heartwarming story with a beautiful (and happy) ending.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

How Snowflakes are Made (craft & science)


We got our first real snowfall of the season last weekend. It inspired these two activities - one science, one craft - both equally amazing.


First, I challenged my oldest son to put the process of how a snowflake is made in order.

I used one of our jumbo paint stir sticks that has velcro attached (see our last activity using them here). I printed the steps on cardstock, cut each out and attached a small dot of velcro to the back.

My son read them all and then guessed their order. He only had two switched around!!



Print the steps of a snowflake that I used here. They are in order on the printable. These were created based on information provided by the website geology (dot) com.

Next, we looked at some phenomenal photography of real snowflakes in the book The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty. I think both of us must have uttered "Whoa! Look at that one" at least a half a dozen times!


When we'd each found our favorite flakes in the book, we read It's Snowing by Gail Gibbons. The book provided more detail about the formation of snow, types of winter weather advisories, and weather-related vocabulary (e.g. whiteout). Gibbons' books always deliver.

Lastly, we made a paper snowflake. This was new to my son. He's made paper snowflakes with scissor cut designs, but never one that involved tape and some simple paper manipulation. He was really excited to see the final result and has already asked if we can make another.


The one we made is pretty big (maybe two feet around) and since we used office paper, a little floppy. (We are using it as a centerpiece.) I think our next flakes will be made a little smaller and with sturdier paper.

I like this project for multiple reasons. Supplies are minimal (paper and tape), the snowflake is six-pointed like real flakes, and the final result is stunning! Here's how we did it:


  1. Download the template, print, and cut away excess paper so you're left with a square. Fold the points of the square together so you've got  a triangle with lines on just one of the sides that touch the fold.
  2. Cut along the lines.
  3. Open the triangle and lay the square out flat in front of you.
  4. Take the two flaps of the innermost cut square and bring them together.
  5. Overlap them slightly and attach a small piece of transparent tape to hold them in place.
  6. Flip the paper over.
  7. Take the two corners of the medium square and bring them together. Tape.
  8. Flip the paper over once again.
  9. Bring the corners together on the remaining square.
  10. Tape together. One-sixth of your snowflake is complete.
  11. Repeat steps 1-10 five more times. Roll a piece of tape and adhere to the tip of one of your snowflake points. Attach to another snowflake point. (Make sure each piece you tape together is oriented in the same direction.)
  12. Continue attaching all six points together at the center tip until your snowflake is complete.

Monday, December 9, 2013

After School Linky Party (12-9)

Welcome to the After School Linky!



Take a break from holiday baking, card writing, and gift wrapping and check out last week's party if you missed it. There were LOADS of great ideas shared. 

Here are five of my favorites.

 Lemon Lime Adventures' Upcycled Craft: Tie Snakes




 DIY Math Puzzlers at Kids Activities Blog


Mom and Munchkins' Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt




Free Printables Shared Last Week



We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool, or on the weekend! When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board or Feature on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Building with Straws & Recycled Cardboard


It's been ages since I posted a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activity. This is a great one and cheap, cheap, cheap. Did I mention it costs pennies?

Buy some disposable plastic drinking straws and grab several empty cardboard boxes (like cereal boxes) from the recycling bin.

Now cut all the straws into shorter lengths; just make them as equal as possible. Then cut 1/2-inch slits into the ends, trying as hard as possible not to rotate the straws so the cuts are not at different angles from each other.

Cut the recycled cardboard into squares and rectangles of equal width. Fold some of the rectangles in half to use as corners.

Now hand over the building materials to a child. Show them how to slip the cardboard shapes into the straw ends and let them go wild connecting the pieces and building whatever their imagination allows.

My son added a crazy chimney to his building and some clear plastic I'd cut down from a plastic produce container for windows.


He learned quickly that in order to add stability, the folded pieces should be used on the corners (he tried using the jointed part of the straws at first but it kept falling apart).

This idea came from Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts for Kids. This book is loaded with great craftivities!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Human Body Trivia (printable board game)

There are so many truly phenomenal (and  wacky) things about the human body. To help my son explore all these wonders, I made a true/false trivia game with some pretty weird facts. Playing is simple.


The game board is made from six sheets of paper. Tape them together so it folds easily for storage. The game pieces are made from sticker paper and wooden disks (3/4-inch in diameter). Once you've found a die and cut the game cards apart, you're ready to play.

Download the game board, game piece cut-outs, and 50 game cards (a 14-page PDF) here.
And don't forget to download and print the answer key, too!



Players put their game piece on the red dot on the game board (at the top of the head). The youngest player goes first and picks a card off the deck, reads the statement, and decides if it is true or false. 



He/she tells the opponent and announces the number in the lower right corner of the card. The opponent checks the answer sheet, and if they are correct, the player tosses the die and moves forward the number of spaced rolled.


Play alternates between players. Whenever the player guesses incorrectly, no move is made. 


The first player to make it all the way back to the start wins!

Looking for a great book to pair with this activity? Check out one of these three. All of them got our stamp of approval!


NOTE: Since I created the game and, therefore, knew all the answers, my husband got the privilege of playing this with our oldest son. Needless to say, BOTH of them were stunned by what they learned!!

Monday, December 2, 2013

After School Linky Party (12-2)


Welcome to the After School Linky!


There were LOADS of great ideas shared last week.
In case you missed the 11-25 party, here are just a few of the amazing activities
and ideas shared.




Bug Books and Craft at Doodles and Jots.


Tutorial: How to Make a Kite at Marie's Pastiche.


Fun Family Game Night: Classification at The Pleasantest Thing.


Colorful Tape Menorah Craft at Creekside Learning.


Free Printables

Gift Guides

We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool, or on the weekend! When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board or Feature on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.