The Joy of Teaching – Page 10 of 46

February 11, 2021
by Evan-Moor
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How to Homeschool: 5 Steps to Get Started Homeschooling – Step 1: What do I Teach My Child?

Are you new to homeschooling, or are you thinking about homeschooling?

Maybe you have questions about homeschool curriculum homeschool schedules, or homeschool organization. If so, we will walk you through the first 5 major steps to becoming a homeschooler.

Your homeschooling journey likely begins with one question: What do I teach my child? This blog will answer that question and continue to guide you through your journey to becoming a homeschooler!

Find out your local and state laws

Depending on where you live, there may be certain guidelines or regulations that determine what you teach your child. This could include requirements for what subjects you teach, how you document grades, or other guidelines. Some areas have little to no requirements at all!

Make sure you research your area’s homeschooling requirements to help you build a foundation for your at-home curriculum.

What is your educational philosophy?

The next part of figuring out what to teach involves your own personal educational philosophy! The reason you’re deciding to homeschool is an important part in building your curriculum. This could be:

Religious reasons
To provide a specific learning environment for your child
To create a specific learning experience

Whether there’s a specific reason for deciding to homeschool, or you just want to watch your child learn and grow, your motivation can help determine what you want to teach your child.

What are your child’s strengths and weaknesses?

Now that you’ve researched regional requirements and figured out what you want to teach, it’s important to consider your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Maybe they excel in science but struggle with writing. Maybe they have a hard time with math but love art!

Consider these strengths and weaknesses when choosing what to teach; you can choose how in depth you go in each subject depending on what your child needs help with.

Remember that you don’t have to teach everything at one time! There’s time to spread out subject areas so that you can really cater your curriculum to you and your child’s needs. Later in this series, we will cover homeschool schedules and organization, so stay tuned for more tips and how-to’s!

Education is a journey that is going to last your child’s whole life! Enjoy the process as you begin your homeschool journey with your child!

Learn how to choose a homeschool curriculum in step 2: How to Homeschool: Choosing a Curriculum

Learn about all five steps to get started homeschooling in the How to Homeschool video series.

Amy Michaels is a former teacher turned homeschooler. She creates fun learning activities based on popular children’s books. Connect with her at BookBrilliantKids.com.

January 26, 2021
by Evan-Moor
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Celebrating Black History Month

African American History Month, also known as Black History Month, is observed in February and celebrates of achievements of African Americans. This important designation was created to bring to light and honor to the accomplishments of Black Americans in United States history who have not received adequate acknowledgement.

Included below are activities and books that highlight important successes of Black Americans in science, government, the arts, and sports who have been historically overlooked. In studying the lives of these talented individuals, students may develop an awareness of qualities of character common to those who have made a difference in the world.

Free Printable Activities

Holiday Art Projects: Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Paper Chain
Grades 1–5

This art activity provides a brief history and paper chain project to celebrate the contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Read and Understand Celebrating Diversity: Only One: A Story of Ruby Bridges
Grades 1–2

This reading unit presents a two-page story about six-year-old Ruby Bridges and her role in desegregating schools in 1960. It includes reading comprehension and vocabulary practice activities.

Read and Understand Celebrating Diversity: Jackie Robinson
Grades 3–4

This activity provides students with a biographical sketch of Jackie Robinson’s life as the first African American Major League Baseball player. This reading unit includes reading comprehension and language activities.

Read and Understand Celebrating Diversity: Thurgood Marshall
Grades 3–4

This activity provides a biographical sketch of the first Black Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. It includes reading comprehension questions, vocabulary, and writing activities.

Read and Understand Stories and Activities: Marian Anderson
Grades 4–6
This reading unit describes the experiences of the first African American opera singer to sing at the Metropolitan Opera House. This reading unit includes a story and vocabulary and comprehension activities.

Easy File Folder Reports: Black Americans
Grades 3–6

This social studies report provides ideas, directions, and patterns for creating a report on a Black American. It includes making a mini book, pipe cleaner person, and timeline.

Additional Activities on TeachersPayTeachers

Reader’s Theater: George Washington Carver
Grades 1–2

This reading unit teaches children about the notable African American botanist whose life began in slavery. It includes a reader’s theater script, background information, and extension activities.

Reading Paired Text: People Can Change the World
Grade 2

This social studies and reading unit helps children answer the big question, “Do I have the power to change the world?” Included in this reading unit are two lessons with reading articles on Cesar Chavez and the Grape Boycott and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Bus Boycott, with corresponding reading comprehension and vocabulary practice pages.

Reader’s Theater: Sojourner Truth: A Life Devoted to Justice
Grade 4

This play includes a reader’s theater script about a formerly enslaved woman who became a powerful speaker for abolition and women’s rights. This activity includes two extension activities.

Reading Information Text: Benjamin Banneker
Grade 5

This reading unit presents an informational article that includes how Benjamin Banneker’s scientific accomplishments in the 1700s helped change attitudes about African Americans. The unit contains a reading selection with supporting activities to guide students in close reading of the text.

Spanish-English Read and Understand Nonfiction: Jesse Owens
Grades 4–6

This reading unit presents a biographical article about track and field runner Jesse Owens. He won gold medals and broke track records at the 1936 Olympic Games. Written in both English and Spanish, this unit includes three follow-up activities with reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Top Kids’ Books to Read for Black History Month

Celebrate African American history with these stories of African Americans overcoming adversity.

Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine tells the true story of Henry, an enslaved boy, who mails himself to freedom.

This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt is perfect for young children and gives tribute to jazz history. Children will learn to count and move to the music with the fun jazz songs.

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox explores different lives around the world and helps young children understand that despite our differences, we are all still the same.

Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter gives children a glimpse into the Underground Railroad with the story of a sailor who teaches escaping enslaved people a song about the drinking gourd in the sky (the Big Dipper) and how to follow it north to freedom.

The Other Side by Jaqueline Woodson shares a sweet story about two girls who develop a friendship by playing on a fence that separates the African American side of town from the white side of town.

Let Them Play by Margot Theis Raven tells the true story of a group of young African American baseball players who join a little league in South Carolina only to find that all the white teams refuse to play with them.

Teammates by Peter Golenbock shares the story of Jackie Robinson, who became the first African American player in Major League Baseball.

The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko shares the true story of the Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court case that made interracial marriage legal.

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and The Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly tells the inspiring true story of four African American women who overcame gender and racial bias to help NASA put the first men in space.

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson provides a comprehensive children’s history of African American history in the United States. From early slavery through the Civil Rights Movement, the story recounts America’s journey to justice and liberty for all.

The individuals highlighted in this article are only a few of the many talented African Americans who have contributed to United States history. These lessons and activities are designed to not only inform children on important historical achievements, but to inspire them to advocate for equity, civic participation, and equitable access for every person.

In highlighting the importance of culturally responsive social studies teaching, W.E.B. Du Bois said it best in his Propaganda of History from Black Reconstruction in America 1860–1880, “Nations reel and stagger on their way; they make hideous mistakes; they commit frightful wrongs; they do great and beautiful things. And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all of this, so far as the truth is ascertainable?”

For more lesson ideas that celebrate African American achievements, check out these articles and free activities:

Black History Month Free Reading Printables

Celebrating African American Artists and Writers for Juneteenth

He Changed America by Talking: Classroom Activities to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.

Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative forstudents. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.

November 30, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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20 Ideas for a New Year’s Time Capsule

Starting the new year usually involves a little anxiety for students and teachers – getting back into the routine of school days, looking ahead to the busy spring, etc. This year is even more different, with students out of routine, distanced learning, and teachers trying to retain a normal classroom environment.

Preserve a moment in time and create an individual or classroom time capsule. Create individual time capsules for children to take home or create a class capsule to open at the end of the school year.

Here are a few ideas for items to include in your time capsule:

Download a free All About Me Report below!

For a Combined Class Time Capsule

A classroom time capsule is a great way to create a fun end-of-the-year activity to showcase how much students have changed over the school year.

Handprint Tracing: For younger students (grades K–1), trace their hands and have them write their names on a piece of paper. At the end of the year they can see if they’ve grown or if their writing has improved.
Photos from the School Year: If you have photos from earlier in the school year, include them in your capsule to look at later! This can be photos from the classroom, from learning at home, etc.
School Projects: Include small projects like art projects or papers in the capsule that students felt especially proud of or enjoyed doing.
Note to Self: Have students write a short note to themselves to read later. Younger students can see how their handwriting has improved over the months.
A Favorite Toy or Small Item: Each student can include a small item either from home or the classroom. Just be careful to sanitize each item!
Dear Future Historians: Have students pretend to write a note to future historians. Have them write about living in COVID times, what it’s like going to school during this time, etc.
New Year’s Resolutions: Make a list of things your students hope to achieve in the new year. These can be related to student habits, personal lives, etc.
Class Video: Make a class video saying “hi” to your future selves, documenting a fun project or record a Zoom session and store it on a USB in your time capsule.
Classmate Interviews: Partner students and have them interview each other about their favorite things, hobbies, etc. Partner them again at the end of the year to see how they’ve changed!
Predictions for the New Year: As a class, come up with predictions for the new year and the school year and see if they come true.

For Individual Student Time Capsules

Individual time capsules are a fun way to give students a memory box to open at a later date. Ask each student to bring a a moderate-sized plastic storage container or shoe box to school to store their keepsakes for the future.

All About Me: Have students write an “All About Me,” listing their favorite colors, books, movies, shows, sports, etc.

Download this free All About Me Report Activity from Easy File Folder Reports.
Letter to Future Self: Write a longer assignment of letter to self, where students can write about whatever they want. This can be a journaling assignment or just a writing one, where students can reflect on their past selves.
Mementos: Students can place any personal mementos, like medals, toys, special items, and a little note explaining why they left it in the time capsule.
Letter from Parents or Friends: Have students ask their parent(s) or a friend to write a letter to their future selves and place it in the time capsule.
Photos: Gather photos from around the house or take new ones and place them in your time capsule.
Personal New Year Resolutions or Predictions: Have students write their own personal resolutions or predictions to look back on.
Favorite Outfit: Students can describe or include a picture of themselves in their favorite outfit at that time.
Daily Routine List: Have students make a list or write a description of their daily routines in the new year so they can observe how it has changed.
Art Project: Students can select an art project that they’ve done in class or on their own that they want to reflect on later.
News Articles: Include news clippings of what’s going on in the world right now.

Other Tips for Your Time Capsule

Store it in a sturdy container and write a note on the top of the opening date.
For individual time capsules, you can set a date at the end of the year or encourage students to make a more long-term capsule for themselves.
Bury your capsule or store it in a high, dry place that’s out of sight, out of mind for students.
Include as much as you want! The more things you include, the more fun you’ll have later opening it.
If making individual student capsules, have students write a reflection at the end of the year after opening it.

Start your new year by creating a memory for students to look back on at the end of their year! Time capsules are especially important right now for students to document living through history and will be something they can look back on months or years later.

For more lesson tips and ideas, subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

November 23, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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3D Reindeer Arts and Crafts for the Holiday

Put a twist on your traditional holiday crafts by making three-dimensional reindeer crafts that are perfect for decorating the classroom or your home! These crafts are easy for online distance learning or at-home activities, making them perfect for this holiday season. For instructions on how to make 3D reindeer crafts, like pop-up cards, ornaments, and more, keep reading!

Rudolph Pop-up Card

Download your free Rudolph pop-up card template here.

This craft will make a fun and simple Rudolph pop-up card! In addition to the free activity page, you will need:

Construction paper (6″ x 8″ any color for folder)
Scissors and glue
Crayons/colored pencils

Follow these easy and simple steps to make this fun craft:

Color your reindeer brown with a red nose.
Cut out the reindeer pieces, pasting the ears and antlers to the reindeer head.
Cut out form A.
1. Fold it in half, hamburger style.
2. Cut on the dotted lines.
3. Fold back the small middle tab.
4. Open the paper and push the tab to the reverse side.
Cut out form B.
1. Cut on the dotted lines.
2. Fold on the fold lines.
3. Open and reverse folds by pushing them inside.
Put the card together.
1. Fold your construction paper in half.
2. Paste A inside the construction paper.
3. Paste B on top of form A.
4. Put paste on the tab and attach the reindeer so that the bottom of the reindeer touches the fold line.

Download your free Rudolph pop-up card template here.

Reindeer Card Holder

Download your free reindeer card holder template here.

This is a practical and cute craft for storing Christmas cards! You will need:

Red butcher paper
Construction paper
- Brown (7″ x 12″ for body, 5″ x 3″ for ears)
- Black (6″ x 8″ for antlers and eyes)
- Green (7″ x 3″ for halter)
- Red (2.5″ x 2.5″ for nose)
Hanger
Scissors, glue, stapler

Step-by-step instructions:

With the paper portrait style, place the hanger at the upper side with the hook sticking out above the paper.
Fold the corners of the paper down and staple the red paper to the hanger.
Fold up the bottom three times in 4″ segments, then staple the edges to create a pocket. Do this so the back of the staples are on the same side as the folded top edges of the paper.
Cut your reindeer pieces (body, ears, antlers, eyes, halter, and nose) from construction paper.
1. For the antlers, use your handprint outline to make it fun and personal!
Paste the pieces on the butcher paper so that the reindeer head is just below the hanger hook.
Store Christmas cards in the fun reindeer pocket.

Pinecone Reindeer Tree Ornament

For this classic craft, you’ll need:

Pinecones
Googly eyes
Brown pipe cleaner
Red pompoms
Hot glue
String or twine to hang ornament

Once you have all your materials, follow these simple steps to make your cute Rudolph tree ornament:

Using the pinecone as the base, hot glue the googly eyes and red pompom on the center of your pinecone ornament.
Use the brown pipe cleaners to make antlers by wrapping short pieces to a long piece so there are several short pieces sticking out.
Hot glue the antlers to the pinecone.
Tie or glue the string/twine to the back of your pinecone and hang it on your tree!
You can also use the same materials and substitute a toilet paper roll for the pinecone!

Milk Carton Reindeer/Rudolph Craft

This is another creative and original craft using leftover juice or milk cartons. For this activity you will need:

Milk or juice carton
Brown, white, and black construction paper
Red and brown paint
Glue
Markers
Scissors

Here are step-by-step instructions for how to make this craft:

Cover the entire carton in either brown paint or paper.
Take off the cap and paint it red. For extra sparkle, cover it in red glitter.
Trace you or your child’s handprints in brown construction paper and cut them out.
Glue the handprints/antlers and paste them to the back of the top tab of the carton.
Cut out eyes using white and black cardstock and paste them to the top tab of the carton.
Using the brown paper, cut out the ears and paste them to the sides of the carton.
Draw or paint on a smile!
You can also use red paper or paint to paint a collar, halfway down the carton.

Reindeer Books to Pair with Your Crafts

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Little Golden Book) by Rick Bunsen: This is a classic story of Rudolph, retelling the animated 1964 TV special.

Reindeer (A Day in the Life: Polar Animals) by Katie Marsico: Using vivid photos and descriptions, this is a great book to teach kids about the real-life creatures that pull Santa’s sleigh.

How the Reindeer Got Their Antlers by Geraldine McCaughrean and Heather Holland: This fun story describes how the reindeer, embarrassed and ashamed of their funky antlers, became heroes of Christmas.

Use these fun books and 3D crafts to bring reindeer cheer to your home or classroom this holiday season! Don’t forget your Christmas or holiday cookies to finish off your festive theme.

Check out 10 Holiday Activities from Around the World for more free holiday activities!

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November 3, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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50 Exercises and Activities for At-Home P.E.

Online school means hours of sitting in front of computers and screens, both for you and your children. One of the best ways to break up this screen time is with movement sessions, or simply at-home P.E.! One of the aspects of school that gets lost in the translation to online learning is P.E. Recreating physical exercise classes at home is very important for both mental and physical development. Here are some ideas and suggestions.

Why Is P.E. Important?

In addition to giving kids a break from online school, P.E. activities are extremely beneficial in development, and they improve:

Flexibility
Cardiovascular endurance
Muscular strength and endurance
Agility and balance
Coordination
Power and speed
Reaction times

Physical exercise also has a direct impact on the behavior and development of the brain. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, physical activity has an influence on cognitive skills such as concentration and attention. It can also improve children’s attitudes and behaviors.

Exercises for the Whole Family

It can be motivational and encouraging for children to do these exercises with you or the whole family. Take a break from your day to do some of these family-friendly exercises and activities!

Outdoor activities for the family

Pickleball
PE Shed: This online resource has many great ideas for at-home P.E., including activities, games, and other resources to keep kids active.
Color matching game: Draw circles on the sidewalk using chalk, each a different color. Challenge your children to find items of similar colors and place them in the circles.
Red light, green light: Line everyone up on one side of your yard and have one person calling out “red light, green light.” To make it more fun, change the instructions from walking or running to jumping, skipping, or spinning!
Create an American Ninja Warrior course at home: Watch this video for ideas on how to create your own backyard ninja obstacle course!
Fitness bingo
1. Fill out a bingo sheet with different exercises and call them out at random one at a time.
2. After children complete the exercise, they can mark it on their bingo sheet. First to get bingo wins!
Soccer juggling in a group
Create your own obstacle course in your backyard
Children lead an exercise circuit – their pick!
Get Kids Moving workouts: These fun workouts are made especially for kids, and have fun themes like Superheroes, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and more!
Beanbag toss (use paper plates or tape for targets).
Bowling (set up plastic cups or other objects as targets and roll or kick the ball)
Exercise stations: Set up four stations in your backyard, each with a different exercise (hula hooping, jump roping, agility ladders, hopscotch, etc.) and do each for 30 seconds before rotating.
Sponge race: Using two teams, set up a bucket of water on one side of the race (one to share or one per team) and on the other side, place a cup or bucket for each team to fill. Children must race from one side with a sponge full of water and squeeze it out into the cup on the other side. First to fill their cup wins!
Balloon/beach ball striking: Don’t let it touch the ground!

Indoor Activities for the Family

Paper airplane contest: Design and make your own paper airplanes and then see how far they’ll fly! Use long hallways or big rooms to test distance or do fun tricks inside.
Obstacle course using household items
Treasure hunt: Hide an item somewhere in your home and write out clues or riddles for children to solve and find the item! You can also play hot and cold with this game, saying “warmer” as the person gets closer to the hiding spot and “colder” as he or she moves away from it.
The floor is lava! Don’t touch the floor as you get to the other side of the room.
Indoor bowling: Using softer objects and a hallway or clear space
Balloon volleyball
Indoor basketball: Use rolled-up socks as your ball and try to make it in targets, using yarn, paper plates, or baskets.
Agility ladders (use painter’s tape to mark ladder spaces).
Make an indoor laser maze using a hallway and painter’s tape.
Beanbag toss: Arrange targets in a line or spread out and see if you can land your beanbag on the target.
Hide-and-go-seek
Wax museum: Assign one person to be the guard. While his or her back is turned, everyone can move around freely, but when the person turns around, you have to freeze in your position! Don’t get caught moving.
Active board games like Twister
Family yoga or stretching:
Cosmic Kids Yoga: This channel has fun yoga videos for kids and the whole family.
Indoor exercise routine (sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, etc.)

Independent Activities for Your Child

Solo Outdoor Activities

Jump rope challenges: Assign a challenge each day. For example: 30 jumps without messing up, 10 skipping jumps in a row, etc.
Soccer exercises: Practice passing against a wall or juggling (set goals like 10–30 juggles in a row).
Shoot baskets, taping marks for where you want to practice shooting from.
Tennis against a backboard
Agility ladder exercises: Write down which ones they should do.
Create your own workout calendar: Your child can check the calendar to see which exercise or activity is assigned (jump rope, ladders, basketball, yoga, etc.). Here’s an example of an exercise calendar.
Cosmic Kids Yoga can be done by kids by themselves!
P.E. with Joe: This YouTube channel supplies fun, kid-friendly workouts and exercises that can be done indoors or outdoors.
Ring toss: Use beanbags and paper plates or hula hoops and a cone or water bottle.
Soccer ball bowling

Solo Indoor Activities

Coach Wood Workouts: Coach Wood is a popular YouTube channel who does themed workouts for kids! He guides children through an activity or workout with a fun twist.
GoNoodle Games: With a variety of games and activities (for a short or long period of time) GoNoodle will get children moving and having fun throughout the day.
Balloon striking: Don’t let it touch the ground; challenge yourself by only using your foot or head.
Cup stacking: A challenge that improves dexterity and coordination
Workout circuit indoors: Assign each room an exercise (sit-ups, jumping jacks, hopscotch, etc.) and have your child complete the circuit.
Balance beam: Use a long thin object or painter’s tape on the floor and challenge your child to cross it without falling.
Put a twist on a regular indoor scavenger hunt by including a theme that your child enjoys! For example, make it a Pokemon, Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Princess scavenger hunt!
Balancing challenge: Balance items like beanbags, books, or other objects on your head as you walk across a room.
Find a guided workout for kids on YouTube for them to follow during their workout. Check out these free workouts for kids on YouTube:
1. Kids HIIT Workout
2. KIDZ BOP Daily Dance Break
Digital games like Just Dance get kids moving and having fun. Just Dance Videos are available on YouTube.

Also check out Evan-Moor’s blog, 10 Activities That Kids Can Do with a Soccer Ball for more simple and fun activities that can be done inside or outside.

For more lesson tips and ideas, subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

November 3, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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What to Do with All of Your Child’s Art Projects

As your child brings home art project after art project from school, you may be struggling to preserve and store them all. The refrigerator is a great spot for new art pieces, but when that starts to get crowded, where do you put the rest? Aside from a box on the top shelf of a closet, here are a few suggestions for how to efficiently store your child’s mini Mona Lisas, as well as some art project ideas to build up your collection:

Keepsake Portfolios: These are collapsible portfolio folders that can efficiently fit many art projects and other schoolwork that you want to hold on to. They are easy to store and colorful and can be easily labeled with names and grade levels. They are great for long-term storage and protection.
Designated Art Display Space: If your child is an avid artist, finding a spot in the house to display his or her work may be beneficial. If the front of your fridge is full, consider purchasing a bulletin board for your child’s room or a clothesline across a wall to efficiently display multiple pieces of art at once. Swap out the art with new projects your child brings home and store the extras in a portfolio!
Digital Collection: If you don’t have room in your house to store physical copies of your child’s artwork, take pictures of each project and make a folder on your phone or computer. You can store the photos or scan the artwork in order to make a digital gallery of anything your child made. Digital files can also easily be converted into photo books, calendars, online scrapbooks, and more, meaning they’re easy and fun gifts for birthdays, Christmas, and Mother’s Day or Father’s Day!
Scrapbook: Using a binder or other scrapbooks, create a scrapbook of your child’s art for him or her to see later. You can use specific art projects to illustrate different parts of the year, or just add it to your work-in-progress scrapbook if you’re a scrapbooker.
Online-Social Portfolio: If you want to easily share your child’s work with friends and family, make an Instagram, Facebook, or digital photo album to display your child’s work to those who matter! This makes it easy for family members to see without having to share it individually. It is also a great way to remember art projects and not have to store them for years.
Box on the Top Shelf: Though not the most efficient or fun way of storing art projects, it is a surefire way of keeping some mementos for the future. This will also work best for physical projects that may be 3D or can’t be scanned and stored digitally.

If you’re short on projects for your child to create and display, here are some blog suggestions for fun and free art projects:

Teaching Kids Art: Learning About Texture with Paint: (Comes with free download of activity) This blog is an introduction to painting with texture techniques and teaches children how to use different objects to get different textures when painting.
Teaching Art to Kids: Collages: (Comes with free download of activity) This blog teaches children how to make collages as a form of art, using different materials and ideas to do so. It also teaches them about collages and how they can be useful.
Using How to Teach Art to Children as a Homeschool Art Curriculum: This blog explains how to teach art in homeschool using Evan-Moor’s How to Teach Art to Children workbook. It breaks down the book to make it easy for parents and homeschoolers to use.

Using these fun art projects to build up your child’s collection, take advantage of these art storing methods to keep all of your child’s work safe. Your child will love looking back at his or her art from years ago, whether in physical form or digitally.

For additional activity ideas and educational lessons, subscribe to our free e-newsletter here.

October 14, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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How to Celebrate Halloween at Home

This year’s Halloween is going to be very different from traditional trick-or-treating, candy, and costumes. Even though children can’t go out and celebrate with friends, there are plenty of fun activities and traditions you can still host at home! Keep reading below for festive activities like in-house trick-or-treating, spooky movies, and an at-home costume contest!

Halloween Traditions at Home

In-house trick-or-treating: Can’t go out to trick-or-treat this year? Bring the tradition to you! Go crazy with the indoor decorations, and then set up bowls of candy scattered around the house. Each room in your home can have a different theme, like ghosts, witches, etc. Your children will love getting candy and going on a mini adventure. Decorate your home with the free spider and skeleton art projects (below)!

Costume Contest: Even costumes are going to be different this year. While your children may already have costumes picked out, make a game out of it by challenging them to come up with a costume with just items from their closet. See what they can come up with and hold a costume contest just for your family! Make it a virtual costume contest by including family and friends on FaceTime.

Halloween Scavenger Hunt: Put a twist on gathering candy with a scavenger hunt in your home! Write riddles or clues directing your children to a specific spot in your house, whether it’s a room, landmark, or object. When they find the object or room, reward them with candy! Here are some examples of clues you can write:

Find me in the room where you watch movies. I am small, white, and can fly. Answer: A ghost in the living/TV room.
As a witch, I think Halloween is really cool. Find me where you get dressed for school. Answer: witch in the closet.
Cut me up and make me glow. Find your candy if you know where to go. Answer: jack-o-lantern.

Trunk-or-Treat: Organize a small group of one or two other families and have a mobile trick-or-treat experience. This is a safe way to get out of the house this Halloween; your children can show their friends their costumes from a safe distance and get some candy while they’re at it! To make this more of an activity, drive around the neighborhood and look at the decorations!

Spooky Movie Marathons: Make your house and holiday extra festive by playing some classic Halloween movies! Here are some of my favorite Halloween movies for children:

Scoob
Casper
Mary and the Witch’s Flower
Halloweentown
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Hocus Pocus
Kiki’s Delivery Service
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Halloween-Themed Food and Recipes: Check out some of these fun recipes that you can make at home as a fun Halloween activity! From Harry Potter treats to Halloween snacks, there’s something for everyone! Eat or drink these during your spooky movie marathon:

Boo Bags: Send a little Halloween cheer to friends this year with a boo bag! Create a goodie-filled bag or basket! Secretly place the bag or basket on the front porch of a friend of neighbor. Include a note, “You’ve been booed.”

Basket Inspirations

Halloween candy
Evan-Moor Halloween art
Snacks
Mini pumpkin
A game or puzzle
Halloween-themed book

Other Halloween Activities & Free Printables

If you’re looking for some crafts or other hands-on activities, check out these free activities that are fun for the whole family!

Free Headband Craft for Favorite Story Characters and Halloween Costumes: Here’s an activity that brings well-known stories to life and is fun for Halloween celebrations! Your child can decorate and color one of the headbands as part of a Halloween costume, and is still able to wear a mask, if needed. (From Retelling Tales with Headbands, grades PreK-1.)

Download your free Headband crafts here.

Read the story to your child
Have your child do the activity page.
Have your child color the headbands. Help your child cut them out and put them together.
Have your child wear the headband and re-tell you the story!

Easy Hanging Spider Craft: This is a quick and easy craft project to decorate your home! Using construction paper, string, and other basic supplies, you can have little paper spiders hanging all around the house!

Skeleton Art Project: Check out this fun skeleton project to make silly dancing skeletons! Using the materials provided you can make all kinds of different looking skeletons. Click here to see the full blog on this project, which includes additional science and reading activities!

Pumpkin Shape Book: This is a simple shape book project that includes the reproducibles and a pumpkin poem for students in grades K–1 to enjoy!

Halloween Thinking Activities: Practice critical thinking and writing skills with this grade 1–level Halloween activity unit! There are writing, math, and thinking activities included.

Pumpkin Poems: For grades 2–3, this small unit uses pumpkin poems to teach students about rhyming, couplets, and more! It features reading comprehension activities, activities based on the poems, and a chance for students to write their own Halloween poems.

Halloween Language Activities: Children grades 3–5 will enjoy these word and language activities, such as solving word searches, unscrambling Halloween-related words, and solving a code!

Human Skeleton Cut-out: Cut out and paste together the pieces of the human skeleton to make a life-sized paper version! Great for grades 1–6!

Even though Halloween is going to seem different this year, children will still have the opportunity to enjoy the traditions they love! Perhaps they’ll even discover a new activity they love that will become tradition going forward. Enjoy your safe, at-home, Halloween celebration with Evan-Moor activities.

For more lesson tips and ideas, subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

October 1, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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Spooky Spider Web STEM Challenge and Fun Halloween Activities for Home

If you’re looking for a seasonal activity that isn’t as messy as pumpkin carving, check out this fun spider web craft that doubles as a STEM lesson! Keep reading for detailed instructions on how to do this spooky STEM challenge and for other fun Halloween activities you can do at home! Don’t miss the free downloads below.

How to Make a Spider Web

Download your free Spider Web STEM lesson here.

Spider webs follow a very specific pattern to catch their prey; spiders use multiple kinds of silk and weave certain ways to successfully catch visitors, like flies and other small insects. Spiders lay out a frame for their webs, followed by walkways for themselves and a trap for other insects. Following this pattern and using their own knowledge of math and science, students are challenged to create a spider web that captures food for a spider, using household items!

STEM Challenge: The goal of this project is for children to design, construct, and redesign their own spider web that can catch and hold up to three light items. When these items are removed from the trap, the web must stay intact. There’s a suggested materials list, but kids can get creative and use materials found around the house. The STEM challenge is for grade 3 and is flexible for other grade levels.

Some of the suggested materials:

Waxed dental floss
Thread or string
Wire
Glue
Honey or agave nectar
Duct tape
Paintbrush
Paper plate
Scissors
Test items: leaves, seeds, dried flowers, etc.

How to Make a Web

Form your frame first, outlining the area where your web will go.
Criss cross materials from one side of the frame to the other to form the “walkways”
Add a spiral that starts in the middle and works its way towards the outer layers of the frame. Try not to leave any large gaps where items could fall through.

Tips for Creating Your Web:

Use your stronger materials for the frame.
Use light and sticky materials when constructing your trap, coating whatever you use in honey, glue, etc…
Interweave your trap and walkways together so when you remove items, the web does not fall apart.
Try different materials to see which works best and try different combinations.

Download your free Spider Web STEM lesson here.

Evan-Moor’s STEM Lesson & Challenges: The Spider Web activity comes from STEM Lessons and Challenges, where students apply science, technology, engineering, and math concepts to solve real-world problems. Each book provides 15 STEM hands-on challenges for students to enjoy, covering life, Earth, and physical science concepts. Grades 1–6

Read Aloud Spider-Themed Books

Halloween and Spider read-aloud books the whole family can enjoy!

Aaaarrgghh! Spider! By Lydia Monks: This is a fun and colorful book about a little spider who just wants to be a family pet. She tries everything she can think of, but only ends up scaring her family instead!
Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss: Follow the adventures of a little spider, who’s just like me or you! He goes to school, plays sports, but his best friend is a fly.
The Eensy Weensy Spider by Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott: Based on the classic song, this story follows the adventures of a little spider as it journeys from home to the water spout.

Additional Spooktacular Halloween-themed Activities

Easy Hanging Spider Craft for Halloween: This easy spider craft consists of making hanging spiders for at-home decorations! It’s simple and quick, perfect for levels PreK-3 and to add a little Halloween decor to your home.

Skeleton Art Projects and Science Activities: Create a silly skeleton with this free skeleton art project and sciences activities!

Educational Halloween Activities: From pumpkins to skeletons to ghosts, these free activities practice math, writing, science, and other skills and subjects!

For more lesson tips and ideas, subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

September 30, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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How to Get Your Child Ready for Distance Learning in the Morning

Let’s face it. School mornings can be tough. With distance learning, it may be even harder for your child to shift to “school mode” while at home. After the breakfast dishes are cleared, our kitchen table becomes my daughter’s classroom. I had to find creative ways to motivate her to begin her school day.

I’ve found a simple approach that has made a difference for our family: Set aside 10- to 15 minutes at the beginning of the day for you and your child to sit down together to do a “warm-up learning exercise.”

Warm-up Learning Exercises

Academic warm-up activities should be short and engaging to get your child’s brain flowing and center him or her in a learning environment. These warm-up activities will also improve your child’s productivity throughout their school day and give him or her some hands-on learning before beginning online work.

Watch this quick video by Evan-Moor for a brief, visual outline of some activities and how to use them. The activities and products included in the video are listed below!

Evan-Moor Flashcards: Evan-Moor flashcards are available in different subjects and grade levels so you can focus your morning warm-up on whatever your child needs practice in! Flashcards are great for getting the learning day started or for breaks throughout the day. They are hands-on and give students a break from online or digital work.

Daily Math Practice Workbook: This Evan-Moor workbook provides math practice in 10- to 15-minute segments, making it easy and accessible for learning warm-ups and extra practice. Available for grades 1–6, this workbook practices Common Core math skills and strategies like placement values, word problems, and more! (This book is a teacher’s edition but children can use it as a workbook at home.)

Writing Prompts: Short writing prompts are another easy way to start the school day! Writing prompts promote creativity, imagination, and improve writing fluency. Children can write about anything, for example:

What they had for dessert last night
What they want to be when they grow up
Their favorite birthday party

For more writing prompt ideas, check out this Evan-Moor blog about October/Halloween Writing Prompts! Children can write about ghosts, pumpkins, and more!

Short activities that you and your child can do together will make the best academic warm-ups. Encourage activities that are hands-on and interactive to break up online work and transition your child to being an online student!

Additional Workbooks and Resources

Here are some other workbooks you can use for morning transitional work and for extra practice at home. These workbooks provide short unit-based activities and lessons for daily practice. These are teacher’s editions (which means they have an answer sheet in the back) but children can work directly in the workbook.

Daily Language Review: This workbook (available for grades 1–8) provides students with practice activities focused on language and vocabulary skills. Children can complete short activity sets before their online work to improve their language and writing skills.

Daily Reading Comprehension: Practice reading skills with this daily workbook. Reading skills like finding main ideas, plot sequence, compare and contrast, and more can be practiced with this book. Each unit supplies a text, nonfiction or fiction, and reading comprehension activities for students to practice.

Daily Word Problems: This workbook supplies practice with word problems using Common Core math standards. Practice concept application and problem solving with word problem sets that practice different skills for each grade level. Each weekly unit presents a theme that can be applied to everyday life.

Use time before each morning session of online distanced learning to prepare your child for the day! Short activities you can do together will ease the transition from a home environment to a school one and help you both get ready for the day of learning ahead of you.

For more lesson tips and ideas, subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.

September 30, 2020
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

TeacherFileBox Search Tips

Have you taken a peek inside TeacherFileBox yet? It’s a must-have for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents schooling at home!

TeacherFileBox is a robust collection of over 16,000 lessons from 600+ Evan-Moor titles. Wow, right?

You can access full curriculum options for all subject areas for grades PreK–6 in TeacherFileBox, too. Teachers, homeschoolers, and parents are thrilled with this budget-friendly option for lessons and activities.

Another benefit is that a single subscription gives you access to all grade levels of lessons, which is perfect for reviewing previous grade levels AND helping kids work ahead when they are ready.

See what just a few of our happy customers have to say:

TeacherFileBox wants you and your kids to have several options for learning a specific skill or concept when you use TeacherFileBox. If you’re looking for a very specific skill or type of lesson, Evan-Moor has provided some great search tips to find exactly what you need for your kids.

Searching by Keyword

When searching in TeacherFileBox, you simply type the topic or skill into the search bar on TeacherFileBox.com.

To search for activities that include certain words, simply type the phrase you would like to search for (e.g., westward movement).

To search for the exact phrase, use quotation marks around your phrase (“westward movement”). This is really helpful for holidays or seasonal activities.
To search for all units in a specific Evan-Moor book, enter the EMC# (e.g., 576). You can find the EMC for each book in its description on Evan-Moor.com.

Managing Selected Filters

With more commonly practiced skills (like addition), you can literally find over a thousand search results. Since you and your kids don’t need all of those options, it’s a good idea to add a filter to narrow your results.

What is a filter?

A filter can be any search word or phrase (like a subject, topic, grade level, standard, or keyword tag). Basically, it helps you narrow the search to find exactly what you want.

The Selected Filters area displays all of the search criteria that affect the results.

Every time you add a filter, you’ll receive a visual reminder to update your results.
If you want to remove a filter, just click on the “x” to the right of the filter term.
HELPFUL TIP: You can even use a combination of keyword searches, filters, and tags to quickly narrow down your results.
Good to know: Each time you perform a keyword search, the previous keyword search term in the Selected Filters area is replaced.
Always remember to select the “Update Results” button every time you add or eliminate terms.

Using the Grade-Level Slider

Need a specific grade level for your kids? The grade-level slider makes it easy!

Adjust your results using a grade range or a single grade by dragging the handles left or right.
To change from a single grade to a grade range, pull the handle to the left first, then adjust to the right.

Tips for Using Tags

Each unit is tagged with skills, formats, and teaching strategies. This makes it super easy to quickly find what matches your kids’ learning needs!

To include a tag in your search, simply click on a tag to add it to your Selected Filters area.

Something helpful to note: From the unit detail pane, you can view additional units that share the same tags. This is a terrific way to grab a lesson for future review!

PLUS, did you know you can use your own custom tags? Any unit can be tagged using your own words on the unit detail pane. How cool is THAT?
Your tags will then be available in the left navigation area to add to the Selected Filters area.

Using Filters and Standards

One last search tip: Evan-Moor has created some commonly used search filters ready for you to use! It’s another way to save even more time with TeacherFileBox.

The Available Filters area is responsive to any tags, filters, or search phrases in the Selected Filters area.

If you see the + symbol, it means that additional options are available to use as filters. Simply click on this symbol to expand your options. Easy peasy.
To search for units that are correlated to a specific standard, check each box under the standards option.

Good to know: A standard that is grayed out indicates that TeacherFileBox.com does not contain any units that are correlated to that standard.

All of these time-saving TeacherFileBox search tools make things so much easier for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents.

By the way, if you’re a homeschooler or parent schooling at home, you’ll find our TeacherFileBox Curriculum Guide another vital time saver!

If you haven’t tried your 14-day free trial of TeacherFileBox, be sure and sign up to get started. It’s an easy way to try Evan-Moor’s kid-approved learning activities and save time, too.

Amy Michaels is a former teacher turned homeschooler. She creates fun learning activities based on popular children’s books. Connect with her at BookBrilliantKids.com.