Showing posts sorted by date for query Cat. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Cat. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Cat. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Cat. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Lesson on Money for Homeschool: Budgeting and Online Games

Need an Online Lesson on Money and Minting for Homeschooling or Class Curriculum?


Do you homeschool or plan curriculum for afterschool programs? We've come up with some fun, online lessons that teach about money, budgeting, financing, and the U.S. Mint. The links lead to kid-friendly websites for online learning. We're also sharing the link to our original Google doc lesson so that you can make a free printable. Enjoy!


This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, we get a small commission. This is how we provide free lesson plans and curriculum for homeschoolers. Thanks!

Money Lesson Plan Curriculum for Homeschooling.
Money Lesson Plan Curriculum for Homeschooling.

Money Lesson Online

Want access to the Google Doc? Click here and you can print out your own homeschool money lesson.

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Grades 3-5



Watch How Money is Made by How Stuff  Works




Bennie's Pennies is also a good resource on spending for children ages 9-12.



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Language Arts:  Story Starter -  If you made a million, would you share it with others?
Explain why or why not with details. How would you save it? List out the ways.


Watch Scholastics Video on Netflix - Amazing Americans - “If I made a Million.”


How Paper Money is Made Video - Field trip to money factory  


How Coins are Made
When you get there, click roll em to see.


Also watch, The Birth of a Coin (Cool activities here too.)

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Math Activity:
Time Machine American Revolution: Fun with Fractions






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Art Activity: 




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Science Component:


Cat and Mouse Game from the US MINT.


Inspector Collector plays Cat and Mouse.

Place two coins of the same size, (quarters, nickels, whatever you have) on a flat, smooth surface.  Put a third coin of any size in front of them, making sure they all touch.  This is the "cat."  Place a fourth coin, the "mouse," about a foot away.  (You could even add a tail to this coin with a piece of dental floss and tape.)
Make your hand into a fist with the index and middle fingers pointing out.  Then tap down quickly on the first two coins with these fingers.  The kinetic force will propel the "cat" toward the "mouse."  Play with a friend, and see who can get the cat to the mouse with the fewest hits. 
Find more games and activities like this at the U.S Mint.



Recommended Reading:

Bennie's Pennies


Online Homeschooling Projects



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Money Lesson Plan Curriculum for Homeschooling Budgeting US MINT




Elementary Homeschooling Science and Health Resources Online: From Netflix to Khan Academy

Online Elementary Science and Health Resources for Homeschoolers

I scour the Netflix episodes to find a title that coordinates with our daily Science or Health lesson. Below, I've highlighted some Health Resources for Homeschoolers with episodes we used to study the Human Body and Human Growth and Development which can be a touchy teaching subject. Enjoy!


Elementary Homeschooling Science and Health Resources Online: From Netflix to Khan Academy
Online Science and Health Resources for Homeschoolers.

Those old Saturday edutainment programs are an excellent resource for companion videos. Reward children who don't like to read with a video upon completion of their reading assignment. The video will reinforce what they've read. 

Don't do the video first, or they will say things like, "I know this already."  "I don't need to read it; I just watched it!"  "This is boring me!" The video can help them remember key points of information. They may even have to refer back to what they've read to make sure the two media forms agree. My kids are always looking for mistakes in school books!

Beakman touches on many things to do with the body like flatulence (super fun for kids), lungs, allergies, the skeletal system, and much more. When studying about health, especially for fourth-grade, with those all important hygiene lessons (remember those cheesy movies about getting your period and raging hormones?) and the birds and the bees, Beakman's world is a good place to start.

Free Online Homeschooling Options
We signed up for Time4Learning and love it!

Previously, I had searched for a companion video to teach about the senses. There were plenty of videos out there, but all of them targeted preschoolers. Beakman's World had many great videos on Science and Health. (We started with Season 4 to learn about Human Growth).

Is an awesome resource that public school teachers often use as their go to video to fill in some curriculum time. In the past, it was available only on DVD through Netflix, but now it comes in the streaming version too.  Inside Ralphie and Goes Cellular are two episodes that focus on the body. We paired Flexes its Muscles (Season 2 Episode 2) with Beakman's World on Human Growth.

Khan Academy is an online school of sorts. It is every bit as good as some of the popular academies for online learning (We previously attended Connections Academy), but it isn't an official school.  Kids can learn at their own pace. It is TOTALLY FREE! Lessons are set up for grade levels. Children can watch videos, do practice problems, and take quizzes until they've mastered the subject.

Exploring, can be a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it is an AMAZING educational resource. Kids earn badges in each subject matter. Lessons are targeted on core learning principles. Some of the video are a snore, but they are consistently getting better. They even offer an online scratch pad, hints, and more to insure your child doesn't get frustrated by taking the tests. A lot of it is for older children, but they have been adding new material for early elementary age students. Our favorite lessons are Computer Coding, but there are some videos on health and the senses too.

Speaking of Coding, you might also enjoy Minecraft Summer School Camps. These is an online learning experience, you  won't learn about the human body, but you will learn about Wonder of the Natural World!

Recommended Reading:










ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


Sergeant's Calming Collars for Cats

The Calming Collars from Sergeant's Helped Calm a Crazy Cat and Soothe a Stressed One

The Sergeant's Calming Collars really worked for our little furball. She is constantly scratching and rolling off tables and generally acting crazy, so when Mom it Forward contacted me about doing a compensated post for them I was excited!  Sergeants Facebook page, Pet Health Central is also going to have a sweepstakes when they reach 500K followers. Hop over, because they are really close. Like Sergeant's on Facebook.

This is sponsored content.


Sergeants Calming Collars for Cats Do they work?
Fluffy Bunny wearing Sergeant's Calming Collar.  That's right, Fluffy Bunny!


7 Unique Egg Carton Craft Ideas: Not just for Easter

These 7 Egg Carton Crafts aren't just for Easter!  

These Unique Craft Ideas with Egg Cartons make Great Pinterest pins and will keep the kids busy too.


Easter is coming and we expect you will have lots of extra egg cartons to recycle. We won't! We have ducks and chickens and we are always in need of new egg cartons. I decided to spare just one and make some fun preschool Easter crafts with egg cartons. I also took a tour around the Kid Blogger Network and Pinterest and found a few more things to do with egg cartons.  Enjoy!


Egg Carton Craft Ideas: Fairy Blossom Lights
Egg Carton Fairy Lights from Red Ted Art blog.

These egg carton crafts can be made year round to help recycle all those pesky cartons. They just beg to be used up, just like the drink carriers at fast food restaurants.

  • This one is perfect for anytime, but EXCELLENT for Halloween. Mayhem will adore this one. We made a bunny (see below), sure, he's cute, but we didn't think very far outside the box. You can find this little egg carton kitty over at Storknet.com.

Cute Cat from Egg Carton for Halloween.
Egg carton craft for Halloween.
  • Are you looking for a truly unique, Easter art project for your classroom? This one from Unicorn Hat Party blog artsy enough for older elementary school kids and easy enough for preschoolers.

Egg Carton Art Project for Kids.
Egg Carton Art Project for Kids.
  • How about an Egg Carton Pirate Ship craft? This one from Craft Project Ideas blog is fairly easy, little ones might need some help, but make two and you can have a race in the bathtub! If your bathtub isn't easy to navigate a baby pool or a wallpaper tub make a perfect ocean for your creation.

Egg Carton Pirate Ship Craft for Kids from Craft Project Ideas blog.

Egg carton gardening with kids.
Egg carton gardening with kids.
  • We also made mini-masks, maybe you could try it on your cat like we did with our mini-chef hat? Perhaps, you could tape it to a popsicle stick or wooden craft stick and call it a puppet, or a little mask for your face?
egg carton mask puppet
Egg Carton Mask - just add a craft stick.
Egg Carton Bunny Craft for Kids.
Egg Carton Bunny Craft for Kids.

Egg Carton Bunny back, we used scraps, but you could add a cottonball tail
Egg Carton Bunny back, we used scraps, but you could add a cottonball tail.

Mayhem's egg carton "Rainbow" bunny. He lost an ear, poor thing.

Recommended Reading:

What Is Easter?

Make a Phineas Mask with an Egg Carton

Happy Easter, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff

Fun Things to Make at Home

March Calendar of Special Days and Holidays for Planning Activities for Kids

2017: Need some unique holidays to add to Classroom curriculum or After School Activities? 

We've got those and the traditional ones too. March 2017  is almost here. March brings the promise of Spring!  What activities will you plan? Did you know March is National Craft Month in the United States. Here are some fun days and an editable printable calendar for MarchEnjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*

March Calendar of Special Days and Holidays for Planning Activities for Kids
March Calendar for Planning Kids' Activities.

March Holidays and Special Days






Recommended:


Great Read for eReaders: Alicewinks eBook is a modern update to Alice in Wonderland. apps

Did you know it is the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, the legendary Lewis Carroll children's novel? 

Looking for ebook recommendations for kids? In celebration, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is now a multimedia iBook. Alicewinks brings the timeless illustrations of Alice’s Adventures to life for a new generation. Take a look and check out this interactive media book in iBooks.

Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit Read Alicewinks on tablet
Alice Winks is a great ebook recommendation for kids.

The beautiful, early 20th-century pictures include one-hundred and ninety-three original, animated illustrations from twelve different artists, and the images are brought to life by nineteen voice actors. It is more like watching a movie than reading an ebook.

What we love about the book:
  • Cultural Immersion. My kids associate Johnny Depp with Alice and Wonderland. While, they love the Cheshire Cat, they thought he was the "Thresher Cat".  With Alicewinks, they learn about classical literature in it's purist form.
  • The voice of Alice brings the story to life. Hearing the inflection as she speaks makes some of the subtle humor easier for kids to understand.
  • The story is long, but reading the iBook version allows you to pause whenever you like.
  •  In May of 2013, Alicewinks received the Kirkus Star for exceptional merit.
  • The book is interactive. Kids can easily skip forwarded and back among the pages.
  • When I asked the kids if they wanted to skip ahead, they both shouted "no".  Translation = 1-hour of peace and quiet.
"Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it." 
- The Duchess.  

So, what is the moral to this post?  "One story is good until another is told."  The re-telling of Alice in Wonderland in digital format is a great way to share a good, classical story with your kids.

In celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland, Alicewinks brings the story’s classic illustrations to life for digital audiences through animated video and rich narration. To download this one of a kind app iBook, click here.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alicewinks. The opinions and text are all mine.


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ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


Cardboard Tube Crafts (Hey, it's a Toilet Paper Roll) Turned Holiday Hat Craft Activity

Cardboard Toilet Tubes turned Holiday Hats

How many rolls of toilet paper do you go though each month? We've got to recycle that cardboard for something. How about these cardboard roll holiday craft mini-hats. They are an easy craft for kids that can be used for birthday party favors, holiday place settings, or Ken and Barbie on a holiday parade. Enjoy!


toilet tube cardboard activity for flag day craft American, Independence, Memorial
Cardboard Tube Crafts: Toilet Roll Hats!

Looking for Free Printables? Have you heard about the site Free Printable Online?

Free Printables and Coloring Sheets? Yes, please!

Oh, how we love free things to print out. I know you do too. You must meet, Jenny at Free Printable Online. Jenny knows free printables. If you're looking for games and activities for kids, you'll find coloring pages and worksheets perfect for homeschool and preschool lessons. There are coupons and clipart to print out too.


Customizable Christmas Tree Card from Free Printable Online.
You can customize Christmas and holiday cards and invitations right on the website.  In the printable craft category, you can print tons of cute origami activities. There's even a section dedicated to music with sheet music you can print out to play the piano.


Shape Matching free printable worksheet for preschoolers from Free Printable Online
Here's a sample preschool worksheet printable.
The site is super easy to navigate. Printable categories are clearly listed in the sidebar including: invitations, cards, worksheets, lessons, calendars, coupons, calendars, music, games, crafts, activities, and quotes and sayings. There's even a category listing the most recent printables added to the site.


free printable cat template craft activity
We printed templates from Free Printable Online for a paper craft.
The kids and I printed out the printable activity templates and made paper silhouette art with the animal templates. We cut out the animal templates, traced them onto colored construction paper, and pasted them onto our background. Mayhem loved customizing the animal templates, so  the mouse was scaled for the cat.


Template cat and mouse papercraft activity for preschool kids
Mayhem made a catosaur and mouseosaurus with the free printable templates.
Tag, you're it! Hop over and create something wonderful with your little ones. It makes preschool paper projects easy. There is so much to print out!  You might also like are Free Printables and Coloring Pages page.

Coloring Book Pages for Teen Girls: Teenagers

Coloring Pages for Boys and Teens: An Expert Level Coloring Book

Recommended Reading:

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How to Make Snow Cones or Sno Cones or Ice Cones or Shaved Ice Slushy Slush Puppy

Make a Snow Cone with Shaved Ice


So how do you make an Ice Cone? I mean it's just ice and syrup, right? Isn't a slushy the same thing?  What is a Sno-cone; is it really made out of snow?  Well, we made one from real snow.  It's springtime in Indiana, so anything goes.  Here's a list of everything you never wanted to know about the tasty shaved ice treat.


How to make a rainbow slush for a kids party Pinterest
Rainbow Slushy Popsicle Ice.

Wikipedia defines snow cones as a North American variation of shaved ice commonly served in paper cups. Shaved ice is finely crushed ice. Hawaiian's call it Shave Ice. Baltimorians call them Snowballs.


Slushies are all about freezing water. Snow is frozen water, right?



Homemade Snow Cones from Snow how do you make syrup?
Authentic Snow Cones.
We cheated. We scooped up some Indiana snow and added the Hawaiian Punch syrup we found on clearance at Walmart. They put it on clearance when snow is in season, go figure. This was the easiest snow cone recipe ever. Start with clean snow. 

Mayhem leaves out collecting bowls whenever they are predicting snow. Was it good? Um... yes. It is softer than shaved ice, and oh so perfect for a snow cone. Just like the real thing, if you live in Baltimore.


Snow cone syrup: Get this, the first flavor of syrup for shaved ice was EGG CUSTARD. Apparently, during the American Industrial Revolution  New York ice houses started selling ice to Florida. When the truck passed through Baltimore, kids started asking for free samples. Each time the truck came through they got their wish. The mothers decided to flavor the ice. Since eggs, butter, and sugar were readily on hand, they made egg custard flavor shaved ice. Of course they did. Yep, Baltimorians invented this tasty treat. Later during the Great Depression, it was an inexpensive snack earning the Baltimore Snowball the name "Hard Times Sundae".


The Hawaiian's added a scoop of ice cream at the bottom of a cup and poured a little milk on top. Thank Hawaii for the rainbow colors too. Thank India for Salt and Pepper flavored shaved ice popsicles known as Kala Khatta. Hmm... I'll just stick to the colored, sugary syrup.




When I was a kid, growing up in Indiana the Slush Puppie was the cat's meow. What a treat to get a $1.00 from Grandpa and head into the corner store for a Slush Puppie.



Slush Puppie Snow Cones Sno Cones Shaved Ice Shaved Recipes
Slush Puppies.

Snow Cone Syrup Recipes (How to Make)


You need Sugar, lots of it, for a healthier alternative you could try Clear Corn Syrup or Light Maple Syrup. That's funny right there. For a healthy alternative how about ice and food coloring.


2 C. Sugar, 1 packet Kool-aid Drink Mix, 1 C. Water


Stir sugar and water together in a saucepan (or substitute one of the syrups above). Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in Kool-aid. Cool and store in a recycled glass bottle. Wait for a snow storm or use one of those nifty ice shaving contraptions or use the crushed ice from your fridge dispenser. Now pour the syrup over the ice. Tada! You should start your own snow cone biz 'cause you are officially a pro.




Recommended Reading:


Snowmen at Night*


Kids Creative Chaos Cooks: Kitchen Kids Series: Holiday Recipes*


Big Red Barn Coloring Sheet and Creative Country Sayings: Farm Edition

Don't you love Margaret Wise Brown Books? One of my favorites is "The Big Red Barn" about animal life on the farm. 

Here's a free printable coloring sheet and some cute country sayings from down on the farm.


Big Red Barn Cow Coloring Sheet for Preschool Creative Country Sayings Farm Edition
Cow coloring page to use with Big Red Barn activity.
Click here for Printable Cow Barn Farm Coloring Sheet
"Moo to you!"



Creative Country Sayings and Farmer Quotes:

What happens in the barn stays in the barn!
Well that just dills my pickle.
What part of moo don't you understand?
Don't go digging for water under the outhouse.
She's so tall if she fell down she'd be halfway home.
How did the farmer fix his jeans? With a cabbage patch!
Knock Knock. (Who is there?) 
Interrupting cow. Knock Knock. 
(Who is-) 
Moo!
He's as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Well butter my behind and call me a biscuit!
They are off like a herd of turtles.
It's slicker than snot out there.
Well slap my head and call me silly!

Recommended Reading:

Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Farm Children's Book

Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald Had a Farm Book for Kids

Saint Patrick's Day Party Games for Kids: Perfect for Circle Time

Planning a themed Saint Patrick's Day Party? 

These easy games can be played with one child or moreTry some leprechaun approved games for kids. Use these Saint Patrick's Day games in a circle time setting with preschoolers or early elementary school. Enjoy!


This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*



saintpatrick'sdaypartygamesforkidspreschoolhomeschool
Saint Patrick's Day Party Games for Kids.

How to make a Kitchen Stove for Kids Pretend Play from a Cardboard Box

Recycle Boxes and Bottle Caps for the Best Cardboard Play Stove Ever.


Is there anything better than cardboard box for creative play? A box is the best toy ever so we made a cardboard kitchen stove for kids pretend play. Here's a 'how to make' picture tutorial.

Cardboard Kitchen Stove Pretend How to Tutorial
Cardboard Pretend Stove with all the Recycled and Upcycled bells and whistles, ahem, knobs and handles.
How to make a pretend stove from cardboard and reused items


DAY ONE
First, measure a width of wax paper and trace onto cardboard front of your box. Nevermind, if a flap is in the way, we'll fix it later. Now cut out the window (for your oven door) and reinforce the flaps with duct tape. Tape the wax paper on the inside. You can also use plexiglass and duct tape. Get a cardboard paper towel tube and attach to top of oven door. This will become your handle. 

The difficult part is attaching the interior shelf. Get a glue gun and attach strips of cardboard to each side to serve as the ledge the shelf sits on. Make them 2-3 pieces of wide, glue together, and attach face side to the right and left walls of oven. Cut shelf to fit. I used flaps from another box. Now it will slide in and sit atop your pieces of cardboard. I also added "legs" for extra play durability. (The cat likes to climb in and sleep on our shelf!)

Now tape up the bottom and back side flaps of the box. Leave the top box flap up to serve a the area for a clock and knobs. See the photo above, I also added a flap from another box to hold this flap upright, otherwise it likes to fall closed. You are tired and worn out from all of the cutting, taping, and thinking. Sleep on it and save the rest for day two.

DAY TWO
See picture below. Now, trace the fast food cup holders on the top of your box. You may have room for four burners. Cut the hole about 1/2" smaller than the tracing. I used duct tape to attach the burners, but I encourage you to use hot glue and reinforce with tape... BUT NOT YET.

First, cover the sides and the door with some leftover wrapping paper. I used a glue stick on the box and secured the edges with tape. Then, cover your cardboard tube with foil. Cover your stove top with foil. Yes, the whole top. Poke a hole in the center of each opening and cut a small "x". You will have a slit opening with triangles. Fold the triangles in and tape on the underside to the "stove top". Now you can attach your fast food "burners". Tip: I cut the foil about 3" more than what I needed to cover the top of the stove and neatly folded it down forming a chrome edge. 

Go take a break; it will look better after you've had some time away from it.

When you return, attach your knobs (soda and milk lids glued together) and your clock front (Numbers printed off from a Word Document). Let these dry for at least 15 minutes. Remind the kids not to really turn the knobs these are the push to start variety :) We lost one on the first play!

Now, call the kids! It's time for a session of creative play. We save the little french fry containers, small cereal boxes, and juice containers to pretend.

And... the Mommy you are awesome hugs and rewards are worth the frustration :)  


upcycle cardboard boxes to pretend play kitchen stove
Make a cardboard kitchen stove.

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