We’re one of those crazy families that does school through the summer. But there’s a reason to our madness! It’s so hot that going outside is just not feasible for long periods of time. PLUS we take off LOTS of time in the winter to be able to enjoy the outdoors and the holidays.

This past summer, I was looking for a short topic to study in both science AND history. Then I thought, “Why not combine them?” Hence, our study of famous scientists and inventors.

As Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, we’re always looking for books that tell an engaging story. These living books live on in our minds and hearts, help us not just take in information, but the develop character.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my full disclosure policy HERE. 

Here are some of our favorite picture books about scientists and inventors. They cover a broad span of history, location, and people groups. I hope you dive into these books and inspire the next generation of scientists and inventors!

Picture Books about Scientists and Inventors:

Early Scientists and Inventors:

The Gravity Tree: The True Story of a Tree That Inspired the World

This first book is unique in that it covers hundreds of years of history and how one discovery leads to more. Really fascinating! I had no idea!Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia

A really neat story about an ancient Egyptian woman who was a genius for numbers and astronomy as well as philosophy.

I, Galileo

Even with the whole world against him, Galileo bravely look into the night sky to see what God had created. His story is one of courage that turned the world upside down.

Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci

I knew Leonardo da Vinci was brilliant, but I had no idea how many things he thought up WAY before they were invented. This book also reinforced the importance of keeping a journal.

Newton’s Rainbow

An indepth look at the life of the man who revolutionized our understanding of physics. Cool to see what his younger years were like!

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning

Such a fun book! This book pairs nicely with the one about Tesla and a study of electricity.

Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin

Another fun story about the genius of Ben Franklin. No problem was too big or too small for Franklin to tackle.

Dear Benjamin Banneker

Learn about the courageous man who strove to write a farmer’s almanac with accurate measurements and calculations. He also wrote a stunning rebuke to Thomas Jefferson on his views on slavery that have been preserved for young readers to see. Illustrated by one of the amazing Pinkneys, this book is not to be missed!

Snowflake Bentley

This book is GORGEOUS and won the Caldecott. When art and science come together, it’s awe inspiring! You’ll never look at a snowflake the same way again!

Biologists: 

Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre and His World of Insects

The french naturalist, Jean Henri Fabre sure had the habit of attention down! Amazing how just observing what’s around you can lead to big things!

The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just

We enjoyed learning about Dr. Just and his discoveries related to sea creatures! I thought it was noteworthy how many different fields he studied before finding his niche. 

Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist: The True Story of a World-Traveling Bug Hunter

Thoroughly enjoyed learning about this determined and observant entomologist! Fun pictures!

Buzzing with Questions: The inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

This book will warm every teacher’s heart that wants to raise curious students!

Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas

A delightful book about the man who is considered the world’s first geneticist. This was basically our first introduction into genes, dominance etc and there was so much to glean from this gem of a book. 

Modern Inventors:

Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World

Fascinating story about Nikola and his battles with Edison over AC and DC current. We learned a TON about electricity.

Samuel Morse, That’s Who!: The Story of the Telegraph and Morse Code

Communication would never be the same after Samuel Morse invented morse code! Great illustrations!

Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge

A fascinating look at the self taught woman who kept the Brooklyn Bridge project running during her husband’s long illness. 

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin

Awesome story about one of MY hero’s Dr. Temple Grandin who is autistic and leading the way in bringing about awareness and acceptance. Her brain is a gift! Great encouragement to kids that don’t fit the mold or think outside the box.

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

Follows the lives of four women that ROCKED at math and brought the US space program to new heights, despite prejudices.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Picture Book Edition

When a young man’s village suffers a drought and all the crops die, he doesn’t give up. Study library books and gathering materials from the dump, this heroic young man saves his people with his windmill. (Note: there is a full length novel of the same title that my boys gobbled up! Like read it three times in one week!)

Marvelous Mattie: How Mar­garet E. Knight Be­came an In­ven­tor

Great story about a determined young girl who wouldn’t let other intimidate her! Nicknamed “Lady Edison” Ms. Knight’s story is not to be missed!

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont

Did you know there’s a debate about whether the Wright brothers should hold the title for the first flight? Find out the story of Alberto Santos-Dumont and his incredible accomplishments to the field of aviation.

Fun Inventions:

The Hole Story of the Doughnut

A whimsical story about the invention of the doughnut! What’s not to love! It reminds us that all sorts of things are invented for all sorts of reasons.

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel

Stunning illustrations highlight the story of the first Ferris wheel and the world’s fair. In this book we were reintroduced to other inventors of the time like Edison and Tesla.

The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

I’ll never look at a crayon in the same way again! Kids everywhere will cheer their gratitude for not having to use charcoal, paint, or pencils to create artwork.

Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum

Another fun one about perfecting the art of bubble gum. Warning: this book got my kids on a bubble blowing kick!

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth

Very interesting book about an invention that changed the way the world relaxes. My boys think he’s a hero!

Mathematicians: 

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos

Fun book about a boy that made friends with numbers. The book highlights that even though we’re all different, we all have strengths.

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein

Einstein’s mother was told that her son was an idiot. I loved this book for the hope it brought to folks that don’t do well in traditional schools yet excel at thinking beyond the norm.

Fictional Inspiration:

Papa’s Mechanical Fish

One of our all-time favorite picture books EVER! This is a fictional take on a true story about a man who tried to invent a submarine in Chicago’s Lake Michigan. The illustrations are vivid and hilarious! The father is never deterred by failure and his family is full of grace and good ideas! Absolutely LOVE!

Rosie Revere, Engineer

Another fictional story that encourages kids to try crazy things and that failures are just stepping stones to success. I really enjoyed the rhyming text!

Ada Twist, Scientist

We didn’t read this one yet, but it’s by the same creators of Rosie Revere, so I expect good things!

Collections:

Picture History of Great Inventors

This is a great reference book with over 50 inventors highlighted! Great introduction to whet a child’s appetite to explore the life of more inventors.

Brilliant Ideas From Wonderful Women: 15 incredible inventions from inspiring women!

Fun collection of a bunch of women and their contributions and problem solving skills!

Do you know of any other picture books about inventors and scientists? Let me know in the comments below! We can’t have too many!

The post Living Picture Books about Inventors and Scientists appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

This homeschool math curriculum has NOT disappointed!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my full disclosure policy HERE.

My oldest has been using Right Start for 3 years now. My middle son is keeping pace with him, and my youngest just started level A this Fall. 

Here’s what we love about Right Start Math:

Repetition without Boredom 

One of my boys can grasp a concept one day, but by the next day need a refresher. With Right Start , there’s a “warm up” session everyday that does a quick verbal Q & A to help solidify the previous couple lessons. If we were using a curriculum that never circled back, I’d be afraid to keep going with new lessons until I was sure they had everything down pat. Instead, if a concept is a bit rocky for my kiddo, we can keep progressing with lessons, and they usually get the idea within a couple days without adding to their frustration or pressuring them!

Another way that they “drill” facts without being joy sucking drill sergeants is by playing math games. Nearly every lesson includes a game to play that makes repetition FUN! It’s perfect for kiddos that are hesitant to try things that make them feel dumb. It breaks down those barriers and I’ve seen my kids flourish in confidence. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Division and Fractions in kindergarten? They’re getting such a better foundation in math than I did! @rightstartmathematics just makes sense! It de-emphasizes counting while using an abacus to make even large numbers concrete. With other curriculums we ran aground at place values and just couldn’t master it. Right Start’s approach made all the difference. Plus it’s hands on and game oriented! Perfect for my out-of-the-box learners!⁣ ⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #homeschooling #homeschoolmama #wildandfreechildren #charlottemason #charlottemasonirl #education #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonsoiree #homeschool #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolrocks #motherculture #livingbooks #childrensbooks #math #stem #steam #ad #gameschooling #handsonlearning #dyslexia # #sensoryprocessingdisorder #specialneedsmom #homeschoolmom #learningthroughplay

A post shared by Julie Nixon (@mymundaneandmiraculouslife) on Apr 9, 2019 at 7:52pm PDT

Emphasis on Concrete Ideas, Not Memorization or Mindless Calculation

Right Start Math  presents concepts in a very non-traditional order. It’s hard to explain the brilliant way they gently touch on multiplication or fractions in Kindergarten and then slowly build on that foundation as the months and years go by.

It’s a bit like a spiral staircase.

I, as the teacher, am aware that, “Hey, they’re actually practicing multiplication!” but my kiddos just know that their adding more quickly.

So by the time they formally introduce multiplication, kids feel confident. I regularly hear my boys say “Yeah, I know how to do that!” even thought it’s the first formal introduction to the concept. 

When I first started, it was hard to trust the process.

I felt like things were a bit slow and I was comparing my kids to others (wah wah. We all do it!) But now that we’ve been at it for a while, it’s so obvious to me that my boys UNDERSTAND what they are doing and aren’t just acting like a calculator. Word problems are a breeze because they’ve worked with concrete ideas from the very beginning.

Do they have their times tables memorized? No, though I’m sure they will some day.

But they know how to approach real life problems, and their gaining to tools to solve those problems!

No Busy Work and Low Prep

We love Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education and one of her methods is short lessons. With Right Start, the worksheets are few and far between and certainly don’t have a ton of similar problems. I’m able to keep our lessons between 15 and 20 minutes every day (minus any games we play) and that helps keep math from becoming drudgery! 

Right Start is well structured and organized with a script for parents to read. Each lesson has a short list of any manipulatives needed for that particular lesson. I’m able to look over the lesson literally two minutes ahead of time and feel prepared, and I’m no math wiz! 

I’m super happy with our decision to switch to Right Start Math . It’s given my boys such a solid foundation and kept things enjoyable. I’m so very thankful! 

Let me know if you have any questions about the curriculum in the comments below. Be sure to read my original article about why we picked Right Start Homeschool Math Curriculum in the first place since it explains many more specifics about the curriculum. 

The post Review of Right Start Math Curriculum After Three Years appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

When I think back on my homeschool math curriculum as a kid, I instantly get sweaty palms.

Dull textbooks, endless worksheets, and an overall sense of doom because I had no idea what was going on!

Now that I’m homeschooling my own kids, I knew I needed to pick a better math curriculum, if not for my boys, then at least so that I could be able to teach it!

I had three requirements.

The best math program had to be:

• Hands-On for my always-moving, sensory-seeking boys who have dyslexia and SPD.
• Engaging and fun so that I wouldn’t have to beg and plead for them to do math.
• Practically No-Prep for this Type B mama who needs something that’s “open and go”.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my full disclosure policy here. 

RightStart Math fits those requirements and SO many more!

(HEY THERE! We’ve been using Right Start Math for three years now! After reading this post, click over to see our updated review. Spoiler alert: we still LOVE it!)

Unique Approach

Dr. Cotter, who created the Right Start math curriculum, was greatly impressed by the Japanese education system, especially when it came to mathematics. And rightly so, as the Japanese consistently score among the highest ranked countries in the world.

Noticing how the Japanese school systems de-emphasized counting and introduced concepts in a very different order than American schools, Dr. Cotter knew she had to spread this approach in the US.

When I say that Right Start Math de-emphasizes counting, I mean that numbers are not memorized in a list order, divorced from their physical meaning. Instead, children are encouraged to visually recognize groups of five so that large sums can be added quickly, especially on their classic tool, the abacus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I know my son can’t be the only one that struggled with the names of the teen numbers. Right Start Math has a brilliant solution that grounds kids in the ideas BEHIND the numbers’ name. They use regular names AND math names for the numbers, starting with the math names first. Just like in the Japanese language, twenty three becomes two tens three. Or eighteen is one ten eight. And 76 is called seven tens six.

And folks, this approach made place values a breeze! We used to hit a brick wall every time we had two digit numbers or more (because my son has dyslexia and would struggle with number order). But once we switched to Right Start, he was finally able to move on and catch up to his peers. Hallelujah!

Right Start introduces mathematical concepts in an unconventional order. For example, factions are introduced in Kindergarten because studies have show that younger students readily accept that 1/8 is less than 1/2. Yet, if students are unaware of written fractions until later, they may struggle with the concept. Everything is backed by research and makes so much sense!

Hands On and Sensory Friendly

Because I have boys, because they have sensory issues, and frankly, because they’re kids, I knew our homeschool math curriculum had to be all about kinetic learning and tactile manipulatives.

Right Start Math does not disappoint. We got the “RS2 Math Set” so that we’d have EVERYTHING we’d need for all the levels as the years go by. Even though I have multiple kids using Right Start, the only thing I got doubles of was the abacus, since we often do math together.

Their manipulatives aren’t simply cute little counting bears (remember, they de-emphasize counting). Instead their manipulatives are meant to help a child take the abstract, make it concrete, and then give them a visual they can always use in their mind.

Dr. Cotter says, “A good concrete manipulative is one that a child will internalize, so that it becomes available for the child to use in her imagination.“

One of my favorite math manipulatives from Right Start is their “Math Balance” which made the concept of a balanced equation literal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fun and Engaging

No Right Start math review would be complete without talking about the treasure trove that is their “Math Card Games book”. There are 300 (yes that’s three HUNDRED) cards games that cover topics like

• Number Sense
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Money
• Clocks
• and Fractions.

There are so many benefits to playing games, but mostly, it combines practice with pleasure and eliminates anxiety, helping the brain retain the information better. While there are the occasional worksheets with Right Start, the majority of math practice happens through games!

Since my boys have learning disabilities, I love that there’s very few worksheets requiring them to sit still and do fine motor skills. Those days will come, but in the mean time, they can still excel at math!

Nearly Zero-Prep for Teachers

I’m not a planner. I need a homeschool math curriculum that’s just “open and go.”

Each Right Start math lesson is scripted, yet easily scannable. All you have to do is gather the required materials from the list before each lesson (it’s usually just the abacus and some other manipulative or tool) and then just read the lesson aloud to your kids. There’s notes in the margin about common mistakes or errors in a child’s thinking that I have found very helpful.

The lessons don’t take long either. As Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, we try and keep lessons quite short. We’ve been able to get most lessons done in about 10 mins. If the kids are still eager to do numbers, we play a math game afterward. It’s wonderful and keeps it from becoming a chore.

So tell me, what are you looking for in a homeschool math curriculum? Do you have any questions about Right Start Math? Let me know if the comments below and I’ll try my best to answer them!

(HEY THERE! We’ve been using Right Start Math for three years now! After reading this post, click over to see our updated review. Spoiler alert: we still LOVE it!)

The post Homeschool Math Curriculum: Right Start Math Review appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

This post contains affiliate links that help support my family. Read more about that here.

After you’ve made your light table, (or maybe you’re blessed enough to have a real one!) purchase some see-thru goodies to use as manipulatives. I decided to make my own by cutting shapes out of these Transparent File Holders. I traced a Christmas tree on a green sheet with a dry erase marker and cut it out.

 

The post Christmas Tree Light Table Play appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

I have been dreaming of this day for 20 years.

My oldest is about to start kindergarten and I get to be his teacher!

As a girl that was homeschooled from K-12th herself, I have always planned to homeschool my own kids for a number of reasons. But now that the rubber is about to hit the road, I find myself having to make specific choices in philosophies and curriculum for my son.

After reading these books on homeschooling schools of thought, I settled on our own unique mix between the Charlotte Mason model and the Classical model. While I’ll probably write a more detailed post on this later, suffice it to say that I love Charlotte Mason’s approach to learning. It centers on “living books” and interest lead studies. It’s a low stress way to get students to fall in love with learning and literature. The Classical method is more structured but is also literature heavy. My biggest draw to it is the Logic and Rhetoric stages of middle and high school, that teach kids to think well. Students are taught to communicate, persuade, and debate. Because what good is knowledge without influence? I also love their approach to history. They go through the whole of history every four years in chronological order (which is surprisingly lacking in most curriculums that tend to start with American history first.) Another plus is their study of Latin and a strong focus on the arts.

So with these philosophies in mind and my goals firmly planted, I settled on these books to aid us in our first year of formal education. I hope it will help you make your selections of the best kindergarten homeschooling curriculum. 

Please note: while I’m an experienced participant in homeschooling, this is my first year teaching. I have enough humility to know that things won’t always go as expected and I may need to change my approach drastically. This is my best first attempt based on my research and my understanding of my unique son’s needs.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my full disclosure policy here. 

I’m very grateful to Veritas Press, Cornerstone Curriculum, and Berean Builders for providing me with my very top first choices in kindergarten curriculum at my request. The opinions that follow are my honest assessment. 

Language Arts Curriculum 

Let me admit upfront; I may have gone a bit overboard in this category. I love all things language and literature, so we’re coming at this on all fronts.

We are going to learn phonics using the Veritas Press “Phonics Museum Combo Kit” curriculum. It’s an incredibly thorough program with a Classical approach. This curriculum has the premise of a knight named Percival who guides children through an art museum as they collect sounds and phonics rules. It comes with primers that were written with only the sounds that students have already learned up to that point. It does a great job of getting kids ready to read their first book early so they get a taste of how fun it can be and are motivated to keep learning.

The curriculum set comes with all sorts of addition games and tools besides the workbook. There’s a board game, a CD with phonics rules set to music,  flashcards, puzzle pieces with all the different letters and blends so you can piece words together, and much more. There is a copious amount of material with 155 lessons and each one jam packed with activities. I highly doubt we’ll be able to finish each lesson each day, but I’m cool with that. (Check back in a couple months when I give this curriculum a more thorough review after we’ve used it a while.)

Since my mom lives close by, she is stoked to help me homeschool for her second round of teaching. Some quick background first. My brother struggled to read until 5th grade. Back then, not much was known about learning disabilities, but my mom didn’t let that stop her. She heard about the LiPS: The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program for Reading, Spelling, and Speech and knew it would help my brother. It’s a totally different approach to language arts and focuses on sensory and kinetic learning. For example, instead of simply memorizing sounds with their letter symbols, students are taught to look in a mirror to see what their mouth, lips and tongue must do to form each sound. It works totally different areas of the brain and was the turning point for my brother who is now a highly successful engineer. So while my son may not have dyslexia like my brother, I’ve decided with his SPD it certainly won’t hurt to try this approach to reading and language development. My mom is chomping at the bit to do it, and as a very experienced homeschooler, she believes this is the best way to learn to read. I’m undecided, so we’re just going to do both! Ha!

And since I’m a huge Charlotte Mason fan, I’ve set aside an entirely separate subject hour for reading aloud to my boys. I’m currently gathering a list of great works of literature that spark the imagination. We’ll spend our low key afternoons reading and exploring new worlds together. I must say, out of all the subjects, I’ll looking forward to this the most!

Science Curriculum

A lot of the books I read advised me to put off science in kindergarten, but I just can’t do it. My son is enthralled with the idea of experiments, and I just can’t say no to his curiosity!

I really enjoyed science when I was homeschooled, especially in high school. I used textbooks written by Dr. Jay Wile and found them great at explaining concepts. I was pleasantly surprised to see Dr. Wile is still writing science books.

We are going to be using “Science in the Beginning“. It is organized around the seven days of creation, so the first section focuses on the study of light, the second section on water and air, and so on. Nearly every lesson has a very doable experiment. It’s written from a Christian perspective with the goal being to know God better by exploring His creation. I really love that’s it’s meant to be used for various age groups at the same time. Any child, K-5th will get plenty out of it and can do it with their siblings. When my other boys are school aged, this will save me a lot of time and work!

The curriculum kit has review questions at the end of each chapter. There are two basic ones for the young students, as well as more involved follow up assignments for the middle and oldest students. There are tests included in the “Helps and Hints” book, but they are not required. The author recommends this material only for older students that need some practice preparing for the scholastic rigors of exams.

Because there are so many lessons and because this curriculum can be used for all grade schoolers, I’m sure we’ll take more than a year to complete it and probably cycle back through it more than once.

Math Curriculum

Numbers give me the cold sweats. I attribute some of my fear to the curriculum my parents used with me when I was homeschooled. (So yeah, definitely not going the Saxon route!) My brain doesn’t work that way, and I don’t think my son’s does either.

I wanted a curriculum that’s more than just more memorization and more testing and more boring. I think I’ve found it in “Making Math Meaningful Level K“. Also founded on a Biblical worldview, MMM by Cornerstone Curriculum strives to help kids understand and apply mathematical concepts, not parrot back facts without understanding. The main focus of the first year is on understanding the concept of equal/not equal and knowing how to make things equal. Sounds simple, but the concept is often lost on students if they’re not taught it. They’ll be getting the WHY behind math, and that is something I can get excited about!

While the books might not be flashy, there’s a TON of manipulative work with real life objects. The tactile, kinetic learner will love it. There are 36 weeks of lessons and can be easily completed in 15 mins a day. It keeps math from being a mystical idea and makes things concrete through observation, interpretation and application. (Cornerstone Curriculum has other subjects including a Science program that we will use as a supplement. It focuses on using the scientific method to learn about the world around them.)

History/Social Studies Curriculum

After reading up on Classical education, I really wanted to follow the way they layout history by going in chronological order and covering everything from start to finish every four years. But as you might expect, that’s a little too much for a kindergartner to handle.

When I saw Bede’s History of ME from Veritas Press, I knew it was the perfect stepping stone to help my boys be ready to handle a vigorous study of history. Meant to be used once a week, this short book is gorgeous and kid friendly. Students are introduced to the concept of a timeline and over the course of the study make all sorts of them. What kid won’t enjoy making a timeline of toys! Kids will also learn about family trees and understand the basic geography of where they live. There are lots of fun projects without taking up gobs of time. It’s the perfect foundation to lay the more serious study of history upon.

Bible Curriculum

I still don’t see the need to follow a curriculum at this point. We have a bunch of our favorite children’s story Bibles that we read from during breakfast. I want to add more reading of the actual Bible. While it may seem boring to young ears, I want them to learn young how to glean treasure from its pages.

We’re going to try again this year to memorize the New City Catechism. It’s great for learning theology systematically and help kids understand how to view the world. We’ll also spend some of our read aloud time learning about the lives of famous missionaries. I’m also really excited to use The Big Picture Bible Timeline. It will help my boys visualize the full scope of the Biblical narrative, and they get to color the highlighted stories!

The boys are involved in the AWANA program as well so they’ll be memorizing scripture regularly. And of course, I will by God’s grace, bring the gospel into every situation we find ourselves in, both academically and otherwise.

Extra Curriculars

My son will be spending one day a week with other homeschooled students, learning social skills and some extra fun electives. He’ll be taking art, music, speech, gym, even Spanish. I’m excited to watch him excel and make some friends while he’s at it. We’re apart of a support group that gets together for social events and field trips as well.

So that rounds out our plans for the coming school year. Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it. 

If you have questions about any curriculum mentioned above, email me at julie@mymundaneandmiraculouslife.com.

If you’ve tried any of curriculum I’ve talked about, leave a comment in the section below. I’d love to know what parts you found helpful or that your kids loved learning about.

The post Our Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Choices appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

How can something so seemingly plain have endless possibilities?

Pin this post and then the next time you’re in the dollar store, grab a couple of those bad boys. May your summer be filled with tons of FUN with these learning and play ideas with pool noodles. 

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my full disclosure policy here.

*Posts featured in the pinnable image are denoted by an asterisk. 

Learning

Pool Noodle Fine Motor Skills Development from My Mundane and Miraculous Life

*Pool Noodle Word Search from Easy Peasy and Fun

*Pool Noodle Engineering Wall from Left Brain Craft Brain

*Outdoor Pool Noodle Letter Line from Adventures of Adam

Five Little Ducks Pool Noodle Play from Adventures of Adam

*Teach Volume Control with this Pool Noodle Phone from And Next Comes L

Fact or Fiction Pool Noodle Learning Game from Lasting Thumbprints

Pool Noodle Upper and Lowercase Matching Game from Pre-K Pages

Marble Run with Pool Noodles from Little Bins for Little Hands

Remote Control Car Sight Words “Knock Down” from Hands-On as We Learn

Outdoor Pool Noodle Abacus from Happy Hooligans

Play

Pretend Play with Pool Noodles from My Mundane and Miraculous Life

Pool Noodle Lightsabers from Kids’ Activities Blog

Make a Pool Noodle Shark from JDaniel4’s Mom

Pool Noodle Bath Playtime from The Jenny Evolution

Pool Noodle Airplanes from JDaniel4’s Mom

*Mix and Match Monster Blocks from And Next Comes L

Pool Noodle Sculptures from School Time Snippets

*Pool Noodle Balance Board from And Next Comes L

Messy but Awesome Pool Noodle Jousting from Adventures in Mommydom

*Building with Pool Noodles and Shaving Cream from Little Bins for Little Hands

Seaside Sensory Bin from Chaos and the Clutter

Pool Noodle Sensory Bin from Sugar Aunts

And the perfect Pool Noodle Boats to go along with it from Simple Fun for Kids

Make Your Very Own “Art Bot” from Hand Made Kids Art

*Pool Noodle Poppers from The Joys of Boys

My buddy Menucha has found a ton of ways for ADULTS to craft with pool noodles. I can’t believe the classy ways you can decorate, yes DECORATE with them!

Find even more ideas for fine motor play below!

The post Tons of Learning and Play Ideas with Pool Noodles appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

Little kids LOVE them!

This simple STEM activity for preschoolers is great for budding little engineers.

Less than a minute to set up and hours of fun!

Supplies:

Mini Marshmallows

Apples (Chopped)

Bananas (Sliced)

Toothpicks

Any other food that suits your fancy!

Instructions: 

Lay out the materials and invite the children to build structures!

As they played, we discussed the pros and cons of each building material. The bananas were heavy, slippery but stable. The apples were a bit lighter and had the fun element of having a curved surface. The marshmallows were the best choice for the upper levels of the structures.

The boys have asked me to do this nearly every day this week!

There’s fine motor skills, engineering concepts, and a sweet treat at the end. What’s not to love!?!?

Want more science activities for preschoolers? Click the images below!

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Supplies:

Bin

Colored Rice

Dinosaur Counters

Dice

Directions: 

Fill the bin with colored rice and at least 12 dinosaurs. For younger kids, give them one die and have the roll it. After recognizing the number they’ve rolled, they can pick out that many dinosaurs. Make it harder by having them only pick out a certain colored dinosaur.

Older children can learn simple addition by rolling two or more dice, adding to find the some and then grabbing that many dinosaurs. You could even practice multiplication if you have enough dinosaurs. We turned it into a competitive game by seeing who was the first to complete “excavate” the last of the dinosaurs in the bin.

Join our private group on Facebook exclusively for homeschooling preschoolers! It’s a great place to share ideas and encouragement!

The post Dinosaur Sensory Bin: Counting and Math appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

With these monster activities for preschoolers, monsters  can be fun and silly again! They’re also a great way for kids to explore emotions and how to express them. There are tons of ways to play AND learn with monsters!

* Crafts that were featured in the collage are marked below by an asterisk. 

Monster Activities for Preschoolers

Play

Monster Sensory Bottle My Mundane and Miraculous Life

* Mix and Match Monster Magna Tiles And Next Comes L

* Mix and Match Bath Time Monster Play Childhood 101

* Mix and Match Felt Board Monsters And Next Comes L

* DIY Monster Blocks Adventure in a Box

* Monster Play Dough Fantastic Fun and Learning

Monster Sensory Bin The Chaos and the Clutter

Learning

Grow a Monster Science Activity Joys of Boys

Monster Marble Game Mom with a Lesson Plan

Roll a Monster Game Happy Brown House

Monster Number Recognition Mini Monets and Mommies

Feed the Monster Counting Game P is for Preschooler

Feeding the ABC Monster Line Upon Line Learning

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So many things that you already have at home can be used as educational tools for your children!

One of my favorite places to look for preschool supplies and manipulatives is our game closet…

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Board Games that Double as Educational Supplies…

Rummikub is a great game to with grade school kids, in involves sequencing and patterns. But while my kids are still in preschool, we like to use the numerical tiles for all sorts of math related fun! The numbers go 1-13 and there are four colors as well. Number recognition, counting, addition and more can be practiced with these fun tiles!

Bananagrams is one of my favorite games. It’s basically a fast paced Scrabble that doesn’t make me feel like an idiot for only using short words. I love using the squares in our preschool learning! All the letters are upper case and there are plenty of repeats. We practice letter recognition, spelling and more!

Jenga is a classic dexterity game. But they’re also easy to find and the thrifty store and personalize for your educational needs. Write on the wooden blocks with a permanent marker, things that you’re working on like sight words, vocab words or whatever. If you’re child is capable of playing the regular game, have them spell or define each word after they pull out that block. Or if they’re not quite ready for that fine motor challenge, have them do the same thing while BUILDING the tower.

Qwirkle seems like a simple game, but the longer you play it, the more strategies you’ll come up with! We love using it for pattern play with our preschoolers. Instead of letters or numbers, each wooden tile has a colored shape. For younger kids, I have them copy the pattern I make. For older kids, they have to continue the pattern that I’ve begun. The possibilities are endless!

Dominoes another great math manipulative. It certainly assists with counting as the numbers are not written out. It’s a great way to get kids matching, or adding/subtracting!

Dice may seem boring, but there are about a million ways to play with them. Kids find them especially intriguing. Role two dice and add or subtract them. Roll six dice and put them in order of least to most. Some die even have more than six sides so the number combinations can get pretty advanced!

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to educational supplies you can find in your home. Let me know what you use to help your kids learn at home, in the comments below!!!

The post Family Board Games that Double as Preschool Educational Manipulatives appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.