Monday, May 13, 2013

After School Linky Party!


Welcome to the After School Linky!


Last week's party had SO many great ideas! Here are some of my favorites.


Science Activity for Kids: Air Race! by The Pleasantest Thing
(This simple experiment teaches kids about air resistance. Plus, there's no prep!!)



Virtual Flat Stanley/Sophia at Crafty Moms Share
(This activity is rich with  educational lessons: reading, writing, art, and geography!)


Create an Outdoor Activity Jar that 'Rocks'! by KC Edventures
(Banish boredom. Get kids outdoors. These rocks do both ... and their beautiful too!)



Static Electricity {Fun Balloon Experiment for Kids} at Kids Activities Blog
(The Quirky Mommas never disappoint. Stop by for loads of ways to observe static.)


Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

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.

Link up your After School Activities, Crafts and Adventures! We'd love to see them!

Friday, May 10, 2013

We've Flipped Over Homophones!


Who's kidding who? Homophones can be confusing. What's the difference between pair and pear? You're and your? And wheel and we'll? Oy.

To make our homophone drills fun, I made some flip sticks. It's simple. Grab some jumbo wooden craft sticks and square Post-It notes. Write the homophones down, one on each of two notes. Place one face down and center the craft stick on it, so the top of the stick catches the adhesive part of the Post-It. Now place the other note on top (sticky side down), sandwiching the craft stick between the two notes.

Make several of the homophone flip sticks. Use the words in sentences and have your child flip the stick to the right word.

Our List of Homophones
Hour
Our
Are
Ate
Eight
For
Four
Pair
Pear
Knew
New
We'll
Wheel
You're
Your

Note: Since we had an odd number of words, are had a blank post-it on the back of its flip stick.

Our Practice Sentences
It was a gift for her father.
I was tired of waiting for him.
Practice was going to start in four minutes!
All I needed was four more cards to win the game.
I loved my new shoes.
Come and meet my new baby sister.
I knew all the answers to the problems.
She knew I was lying.
Swimming lessons started in an hour.
The cakes takes an hour to bake.
Our teacher told us to be quiet.
She rode in our car to the piano recital.
The flowers are bright yellow.
Are you feeling alright?
I ate my entire hamburger, I was so hungry.
My dad ate the pickle even though it was sour.
There were eight children lined up waiting to go outside.
I finish school in eight days.
There were lots of shoes by the door, but I couldn't find my pair.
I lost my pair of mittens at school.
I had my choice of an apple, orange, or pear.
The pear tree had lots of fruit.
We'll be out of town that weekend visiting friends.                         
I guess we'll eat at the football game.
The toy car was missing a wheel.
The bike's wheel was bent.
Your brother tells funny jokes.
I like your shirt.
You're the first student to complete the assignment.
You're making a mess!


I went through the list randomly and kept track of how many my son got right; he was anxious to know his score as practice progressed and so excited to only get two wrong. (Too bad you're and your tripped him up!)

Looking for even MORE fun with homophones? Download my FREE homophones memory game.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Reluctant Writer's Story in Four Days


Writing is painful for my son. It's his Achilles heel.

During the last parent-teacher conference, his teacher told me all the things I already knew. My son's writing needed work. A LOT of work. So even though it was agonizing for him (and it was a little for me too) we forged ahead.


I created a story-in-four-days file folder. (Download a free 2-page PDF here and make your own file folder progressive story.) The idea was that the story would unfold over four days. He didn't need to know where it was going. He needed to answer questions, use descriptive words, and craft those answers and adjectives into sentences - writing a story in small pieces.

The question prompts page was glued to cover of the file folder and it was cut into four sections: 1) character & setting, 2) problem, 3) solution, and 4) conclusion.


The lined story paper was glued to the inside of the folder, directly underneath the other page.


Each day he completed a section of questions on the outside, opened the flap, and wrote three or four sentences about the details he'd just provided on the inside.


This activity reminds me of the cliché, "There's only one way to eat an elephant - one bite at a time." Writing stories is like eating an elephant for my son.

Day 1 there was crying.
Day 2 there was no crying, just whining.
Day 3 there was reluctance, but no whining.
Day 4 there was willingness and an end.

My son had written a short story. I was elated. But more importantly, he was extremely proud.

Monday, May 6, 2013

After School Linky Party!


Welcome to the After School Linky!


I'm SO excited to be joining four amazing blogs as a new host for the weekly After School Linky.

Here are a few of my favorite activities shared during last week's linky.

Beyond the Great Wall - Dai Peacock Dance at Marie's Pastiche
(What a clever and beautiful peacock craft!)


How to Get Kids to Love Writing at The Measured Mom
(If you have a reluctant writer, you MUST read this. Great tips, suggestions, and advice!)


Science for Kids: Planting a Bulb at Buggy and Buddy
(This is wonderful hands-on science. Just exactly the way I like it.)


Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

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.

Link up your After School Activities, Crafts and Adventures! We'd love to see them!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

One Very Charming Snake [a Static Electricity Experiment]


The ancient art of snake charming concocts wonderfully imaginative visions of faraway places and exotic music. 

When I saw this activity in 50 Science Things to Make & Do by Georgina Andrews and Kate Knighton, I knew we had to give it a try. We already had all the supplies we needed!

What You Need
Tissue paper
Scissors
Small plastic ruler
Markers
Wool fabric (I used a wool winter coat)

Here's how to be a snake charmer, with the help of static electricity.

Step 1
Use a plate to draw a circle on your tissue paper. Use a marker to do this, since a pencil or pen will be more likely to tear the thin tissue. Cut the circle out. 

TIP: If your tissue paper has folds in it, use an iron on a low temp setting to smooth it out some before drawing your circle.


Step 2
Draw a spiral inside the circle. Add eyes and a pattern to your "snake" with markers. (NOTE: My son neglected to decorate the snake's body until after Step 3 was complete and it was a challenge.)


Step 3
Cut along the spiral lines. Once you've finished cutting, recoil your snake.


Step 4
Take your ruler and vigorously (I'm talkin' hard and fast, folks) rub one end of the plastic ruler back and forth against the wool material for 30 seconds or longer.


Step 5
Now touch the end of the ruler that you rubbed to the snake's head. Watch the snake rise up and uncoil itself!


The extra particles transferred from the wool to the ruler cause a build-up of static electricity that is strong enough to lift the lightweight tissue paper.

If you weren't convinced to check out 50 Science Things to Make & Do when you saw the amazing kaleidoscope we made, hopefully you are now!