Wordless Wednesday: Star Wars-Themed Christmas Ornaments Part 2

 

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Be sure to check out my other Wordless Wednesday posts to see more ornaments on our tree including Star Wars-Themed Ornaments Part 1 and Favorite Ornaments. 

Homeschooling Second Grade

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This was our second time around homeschooling a second grader in our house. So, what did we do this time? Since this was our daughter's second-grade homeschool year, we used Adventures in U.S. History from My Father's World as our spine. We also used a variety of other resources to make this year educational and fun. 

Resources for Second Grade 

With Adventures in U.S. History as our starting point for our daughter's education, we added in lessons from Math Mammoth, Skill Sharpeners Geography – Grade 2, Stepping into Science Kit, and Science: Lessons and Investigations - Grade 2. We also used Math Challenge from Memoria Press and I Can Do All Things Book and DVD for art.

We read wonderful books for history and as read-alouds. These included: 

• Pilgrim Adventures 
• The Courage of Sarah Noble
• On the Banks of Plum Creek
• Sarah Whitcher's Story
• In Grandma's Attic
• Mountain Born
• Farmer Boy
• Squirreled Away (The Dead Sea Squirrels) 
• Crossroads at Galilee 

One of our favorite resources was the Patriotic Songs of the U.S.A. CD that was part of the second-grade curriculum. It contained the following songs: 

• God Bless America 
• America
• Yankee Doodle
• America the Beautiful 
• There Are Many Flags
• The Star-Spangled Banner 
• You're a Grand Old Flag
• The Stars and Stripes Forever
• Columbia the Gem of the Ocean 
• The Battle Hymn of the Republic 
• Armed Services Medley 

We spent the year listening to each song for two to three weeks and learning the words. It was fun singing along with the songs with our children. We also spent time looking for different versions of the songs to hear the different lyrics and musical choices. 

Homeschooling Second Grade Science 

We used a variety of science resources including those that are part of Adventures in U.S. History: 

• First Encylopedia of Science 
• Science in the Kitchen 
• Sicnece with Air 
• Birds, Nests, and Eggs
• Fun with Magnets Kit 

And a fun science kit we reviewed, courtesy of Timberdoodle, brought science to life with more experiments. There were quite a few experiments from all these resources that our children loved doing! 

A Fun Year 

Homeschooling second grade was so much fun. Our daughter built upon the skills she started in kindergarten and first grade with My Father's World. We spent time working on speed and accuracy in math. We read more books and dug deeper into U.S. History with Drive Thru History, our read-alouds, timeline, and more. And we also worked on adding more Scripture to our memorization work. 

Adventures in U.S. History was a great curriculum for both our daughter and son. It was our spine for our daughter and we used the history, scripture, and read-alouds for our son. I can't wait to see where Exploring Countries and Cultures will take our family!

Including Geography in Your Homeschool: A Review of Skill Sharpeners Geography - Grade 2

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page for more information. Thank you.

There are several subjects that sometimes get pushed to the side when planning homeschool lessons. Electives like music and art, along with studies that are more like sub-subjects (word?) such as spelling and geography. These subjects may be skipped or shortchanged. With Evan-Moor's Skill Sharpeners Geography - Grade 2, you can easily incorporate educational, interesting, and fun geography lessons. Including geography in your homeschool has never been easier!

Timberdoodle includes Skill Sharpeners Geography – Grade 2 in their second-grade curriculum kits. We were lucky enough to receive both the second-grade and the fifth-grade books to review and use in our homeschool. Our daughter has been using the second-grade workbook for several months as part of her normal homeschool lessons, and it has been very useful.

About the Book 

Skill Sharpeners Geography – Grade 2 is a 144-page consumable paperback book. The pages are perforated, so you could pull them out to work on specific pages. And some of the pages are meant to be pulled out, so you can use those with the hands-on activity at the end of the lessons. Including geography in your homeschool with this workbook is easy, as the units include a lot of different topics and ideas. 

There are six units that include: 

• The World in Spatial Terms 
• Places and Regions 
• Physical Systems 
• Human Systems
• Environment and Safety 
• The Use of Geography 

Each lesson with the unit has a specific concept and skills that will help your child learn about the world around them. The lessons include: 

• reading selections
• vocabulary and vocabulary activities 
• visual literacy 
• what I learned from activities 
• hands-on activities 

A Look at a Lesson 

In the "A World Map" lesson, our daughter learned about continents and oceans. She is now able to define the ocean, world, and continent, as well as interpret a map of the oceans. Her hands-on activity had her cutting out the continents and properly gluing them on the map. 

My Thoughts 

I enjoyed using Skill Sharpeners Geography – Grade 2 to include geography in our homeschool lessons. The fact that each lesson included a hands-on activity was great! Because our daughter was finishing up second grade when we started the book, I could easily assign lessons to her, and she would work on those independently. Sometimes, she did have questions, and they were easily answered. I didn't even need to refer to the answer key at the back of the book. 

While some workbooks are geared more toward school than homeschool, I didn't find any activities or questions that we needed to adapt as homeschoolers (although we haven't finished every lesson yet). Questions were about the state or neighborhood and not the school or classroom. 

The pages are very colorful. All the graphics are colorful clipart or photographs. This makes it easier to identify what each image is of when completing exercises. Sometimes, workbooks are only in black-and-white, which makes assignments difficult to complete. 

While the lessons do build on each other, you could do them out of order to accompany your history or social studies lessons with a few modifications. For example, you could include the reading for "A Product Map of Kansas" with lessons on the state of Kansas or "An Ocean Habitat" when studying coastal states or islands.

Our daughter enjoyed this workbook so much that she would complete extra pages after dinner. She asked me on more than one occasion, "How many more pages can I do?" What parent doesn't love it when their child willingly and excitedly completes homeschool assignments? 

Skill Sharpeners Geography – Grade 2 is perfect for ages 7-9. You could easily use it with an older first grader or a younger third grader. I would recommend second grade for use in your homeschool. This was a perfect way to help us include geography in our homeschool. 

I'll be sharing my review of the fifth-grade book soon! 

If you are interested in more from Timberdoodle, please check out my posts about other products here: 

Art History for All Ages: A Review of Have I Got a Story For You! Downloadable Art History Video Series (Renaissance)

Dice, Decks, and Boards: Penguins Huddle Up™ Game

Learn to Code in Your Homeschool

Dice, Decks, and Boards: Challenge Your Mind With Horse Academy

Holidays: Veterans Day – Honoring and Remember Our Heroes

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Learning about holidays is an important part of homeschooling. We can spend as much or as little time on learning about the history and celebrating cultural, historical, Biblical, national, and state holidays. In the past, we have spent time using My Father's World to study Thanksgiving, completed Christmas-themed activities with Homeschool Complete, and learned about Memorial Day through readings and lap-book activities. Veterans Day is another essential holiday to learn about in our homeschool. 

History of Veterans Day 

We honor the Veterans of our Nation on November 11 every year. The date originates from the armistice between the Allied Nations and Germany during World War I. Hostilities ceased on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. So even though the official treaty to end World War I was not signed until June 28, 1919, November 11, 1918, is considered the date that brought the end to the war to end all wars.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that November 11 would be Armistice Day, when Americans would honor those who had fallen and share their gratitude for those who helped achieve the victory. In the early years, November 11 was only a day to honor those who had served in World War I, but with time, it would change to honor American veterans in all wars. In fact, President Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation on October 8, 1954: 

"On that day, let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain." Proclamation 3071—Veteran's Day, 1954

Over the years, the holiday has been moved to the Monday nearest to November 11 to allow for an extended three-day weekend, but it eventually was moved back to being observed on November 11. Although state and federal offices still close on the Monday or Friday when the holiday falls on the weekend. 

Activities for Your Homeschool  

There are many ways in which you can celebrate and honor Veterans Day. From lessons, poems, and readings to community service and visiting historic sites, there are many options depending on the age of your children. There are even more options if you or a member of your family are a Veteran. For example, the National Park Service offers special admission for Veterans with their Military Pass. And for everyone else, you can visit parks free on several holidays, including Veterans Day. 

Many towns and other locations hold ceremonies with wreath laying at monuments, speeches, and parades. There is a Veterans Day National Ceremony held every year at Arlington National Cemetery that starts with the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Fleet Reserve Association in Annapolis, Maryland, will hold a special ceremony in 2023 with CDR La'Shanda R. Hawkins, the U.S. Coast Guard's first African-American woman helicopter pilot. The Killeen Veterans Day Parade, held in Killeen, Texas, is recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs as a regional site to celebrate Veterans Day.  Look in your local newspaper, town website, or Veterans News to see what events will be held in your area. 

Other ideas for your homeschool: 

• Read "In Flanders Fields" and make poppies. 
• Observe a moment of silence on November 11th at 11 a.m. 
• Send a thank you card, letter, or care package to a veteran. 
• Talk to a veteran about their experiences. 
• Research the history of Veterans Day or a past war. 
• Pray for peace. 
• Visit a local veterans memorial. 

How will you celebrate Veterans Day this year? 

Learning Year Round: Autumn Homeschool Plans

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How do you homeschool in the autumn? In about half the world, the temperature is dropping, and homeschooling outdoors is becoming more difficult. The cooler weather might bring sneezing due to seasonal allergies or rainy days. On the plus side, leaves changing and animals preparing for the winter allow our children new things to study. 

Homeschool Plans Outdoors 

Leaves falling brings a new way to study trees. It might be easier to identify specific leaves and trees when you can easily hold the leaf in your hand. Your children can also collect leaves without having to pull any off the trees! 

Two of my favorite courses at SchoolhouseTeachers.com offer options for studying trees: 

• Let's Do Science Outside
• Let's Do Art Outside 

In Let's Do Science Outside, there is a Tree ID Activity and a Tree Tally Chart, which are perfect for early elementary-aged children. For even more ideas about how to use trees and leaves in your homeschool lessons, Let's Do Art Outside offers activities such as 'how to make a leaf owl," "playdough leaf prints," and more. 

If your children collect a lot of leaves, there are numerous craft possibilities. From creating a leaf-themed turkey to making a letter craft, the options are endless. As long as the leaves aren't too brittle, you can even use them for painting. 

Working as a Family 

The change in seasons offers a time for children to learn more about what it takes to care for their home and property. Have them work alongside you as you rake leaves, put away summer toys and tools, and prepare your home for the winter. They will learn valuable skills as well as enjoy the time spent with their parents. 

Autumn homeschool plans can also include harvesting the last of the garden's bounty and preparing the ground for the next season. Pick those last pumpkins or other crops and plan out recipes to use up the last of the harvest. Or learn about canning and preserving food as a family. There are so many lessons we can teach by working together as a family. 

Learning Year Round About Animals 

The autumn season also allows you to focus on different animals with your family. Depending upon where you live, you might be able to track the migration of birds or how mammals in your area prepare for the winter. Read about hibernation, migration, and more to study how animals adapt to the seasonal change. 

For your little ones, have fun creating a bear craft or an owl craft while you study those animals. Or add some simple toys to their collection for imaginary play. The ideas are only limited by how much time you want to spend on studying animals and following your children's interests. 

Reading Books 

Don't forget to include books in your autumn homeschool plans! We've shared a few favorites in past years, and we are always looking out for new ones. If you have any, please share in the comments.