I can’t wait for you to meet my friend Jimmie today at 3pm ET. I’ve been stalking ahem following her forever! Her site is one of the main reasons I started notebooking and lapbooking with my kids. Today she’ll be co-hosting our weekly homeschool Twitter chat as we discuss how you can make notebooking work in your homeschool.

You don’t want to miss this chat, so join us at 3pm ET for our 30 minute chat.

This Week

Topic: Notebooking

Co-host: Jimmie Lanley

Date: May 22, 2013

Time:  3:00-3:30 pm EST

Hashtag: #homeschool

You can find downloadable transcripts of all the homeschool twitter chats here.

by contributing writer Marci

I have to admit to you that I am the world’s worst play dough maker. Seriously. When my kids were in pre-school the school gave me a pass on my turn as play dough mom. That was after three different “fail proof” recipes turned out runny or crumbly. That was the beginning and ending of my homemade play dough career.

These days, my 12 year old daughter makes the play dough. She’s pretty good at it. Her favorite recipe is one that uses Jello. The kids love the color, the sweet scent, and the smooth texture. We like it better than store bought!

Jello Play Dough Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup extra
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1-3ounce package of Jello

Directions

1.  Combine all ingredients (except the extra amount of flour) in a bowl.

2.  When mixed, pour into non-stick sauce pan and heat on low. Stir until a ball of dough forms. Be patient. It might take a while, but it does happen.

3.  Place ball of dough on wax paper to cool. When cool, knead dough adding extra flour as needed until dough is smooth and not sticky. Store in a zip top plastic bag up to two months.

Enjoy! 

What’s your favorite fail proof homemade play dough recipe?

More Homeschool Science from Marci

This month’s free worksheets focus on a beach theme.  The math worksheets in this packet are geared towards 2nd-4th graders.

Math Worksheets Overview

In this 3-page math printable set, you’ll find:

• Estimating Numbers – Determine if estimation or actual numbers should be used in each beach-themed situation
• Averaging Numbers – Determine the average of each set of numbers; contains 1 beach-themed word problem
• Geometry Practice: Circles – Practice naming each circle, radius, and diameter with the beach-themed items

Click the Image to Download

Beach Themed Worksheets and Printables
Beach Themed Printables May 2013.pdf

License:	CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Date:	April 21, 2013

593.7 KiB
Details...

More Worksheets from Lauren

You Can Do It Too! is a series of interviews with 25 homeschool families answering questions of ‘Why do you homeschool?’ ‘What does it look like?’ ‘How do you find what to teach? ‘What do your kids think?’ and much more. Our goal is to share with you the how’s and why’s – the successes and failures.

I was graciously asked to be a part of this book as well as these other amazing homeschooling parents:

• Kristen – The Frugal Girl
• Lee – The HomeScholar
• Nancy – Family on Bikes
• Natalie – Visionary Womanhood
• Carlie – So You Call Yourself A Homeschooler?
• Lorilee – Loving Simple Living
• Liz – The Hesitant Housewife
• Jill – Tiny and Small
• Stephanie – Keeper of the Home
• Heidi – Mt. Hope Chronicles
• Heather – OMSH
• Wendy – Homeschool Blessings and Hip Homeschool Moms
• Teri – TommyMom
• Tabitha – Meet Penny
• Bambi – Nursery of the Nation
• Marcy – Ben and Me
• Carisa – 1+1+1=1
• Joy – Five J’s
• Megan – House of the Rising Sons
• Toni – The Happy Housewife
• Mandi – Life Your Way
• Danielle – Organized Hysteria
• Kerry – How to Homeschool My Child
• Nicole – By Word of Mouth Musing
• Leo – Zen Habits
• Kelly – Generation Cedar

You Can Do It Too! – 25 Homeschool Families Share Their Stories is on sale until May 19th for only $0.99!

Order your PDF copy today!

Or if you’d prefer to purchase through Amazon or would like a hard copy, then you can order it here.

Join us Wednesday for a homeschool Twitter chat about all things art! As you know I struggle with crafts and art projects in my home so I’m bringing in an expert to help us this week! Tricia from Hodgepodge will be joining us this week to talk about all things art!

Tricia has created her own art curriculum, A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels. I just got this and am excited to dive in. My friend Erin has been using it with her kids for a while and loves it! You won’t want to miss this homeschool chat about art! Happy Housewife readers can save $5 off this awesome curriculum when you use the code ARTFUN.

This Week

Topic: Art with Kids

Co-host: Tricia from @HodgepodgeMom

Date: May 15, 2013

Time:  3:00-3:30 pm EST

Hashtag: #homeschool

You can find downloadable transcripts of all the homeschool twitter chats here.

by contributing writer Tabitha

Sometimes I say “yes” to my kids even when I really, really don’t want to. One of those times is when they ask to play with Play Doh (or clay, or paints, or other messy art projects.) I dread the clean up. I dread the mess. I dread the colored bits ground into the rug or carpet.  However, there is not one time that I have regretted saying “yes.”

Play Doh is something that has no boundaries, no age barriers, no gender specific roles, no rules.  You have a lump of some colored gunk and you get to make something out of it.  Does that faze anyone?  No!  And it shouldn’t, other than the millions of moms (not just me?) who don’t want to clean it up.  But we do!

There are many benefits to Play Doh.

Helps Tactile Learners

The best way for tactile learners to learn is to get messy. They need to feel things in their hands for it really to take shape. Even if it’s rolling a snake while Mom is talking about colors, or smashing a ball into a cookie while overhearing an older brother talk about algebra. It’s mastering that power over a substance and making something new with your own hands!

Provides Down Time

Both students and teachers (moms) need down time. Who doesn’t love squishing things once in a while? Play doh (and some other materials) are great for playing with your kids. You can make a monster and chase around your child’s creation. You can laugh and giggle with your child(ren) as they make up elaborate stories around their creations, because…

Play Doh is an Ever Changing Medium

You don’t make something and then it sits there. A tower morphs into a ball which changes into a chair, which somehow becomes a snowman. And there’s a reason for every change. I love hearing all about it. My older kids, my younger kids, my middle kids, all of my kids can’t say no to playing with it and making new things.

Play Doh Sparks Creativity

The number one reason I have to say yes to a medium I really don’t like is this: it is one thing that always, always, always brings creativity into action. Sure, there are “sets” that you can use that only have a few outcomes, but even with those, it is always different. I can definitely see it as I’ve watched my kids grow with Play Doh. 

From 16 to 3, boys and girls, everyone brings out their creative sides when you pull out the Play Doh, homemade or store bought, bright colored or plain.  The stories told are different. The colors are different. The guy with the purple pants has a different adventure with the walking flower and the polka dot snake in the green mountains that sparkle. The monsters eat each other and somehow everyone is still friends. The end.

Once the floodgates to creativity are opened, it helps in all areas of our homeschool adventure. Reading is fun because it brings us new characters to make out of Play Doh.  Math problems are even easier because we can think outside the box. Story ideas flow from the characters we’ve created on the table. Art is easier because we can both see and create new things. 

A good day turns into a great one because “Mom let us play with Play Doh!”

More posts from Tabitha

I have a love-hate relationship with Play Doh.

I love:

• that my kids have fun with it.
• that it is great for sensory and imaginative play.
• that it works my little ones’ fine motor skills and finger/hand muscles.

I hate:

• everything else about it.
• the mess.
• the little pieces that get all over.
• the dried and impossible-to-remove Play Doh that gets in the rug under the table no matter what precautions I take to have my kids keep it on the table.

This edible peanut butter play dough is one play dough I don’t mind though, and one that can do double duty as a sweet protein-packed snack. (Okay, is also pretty sugary, but once in awhile is okay, right?)

It takes three simple ingredients — peanut butter, honey, and powdered sugar — and some muscle power from your little helpers.

Call it a homeschool math lesson, and you’ll be the best. mom. ever.

Edible Peanut Butter Play Dough

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Have your kiddos measure the ingredients and put them in a large mixing bowl.

2. Give them a wooden spoon and let them mix it all together. If it gets to be too tough to mix, have them use their hands — it’s play dough, after all.  (Or you they could just forget the mixing all together and just eat it straight from the bowl like my little one did.)

3.  Once the ingredients have all been incorporated, they’ll be left with a ball of peanut butter play dough. Break out the rolling pins, cookie cutters, and plastic knives, and let them play and eat until they’re tired of it (or wired from all the sugar).

You can store the play dough in the refrigerator for about a week and pull it out to play with from time to time.

Let me know if you give it a try — or if you have other ideas for edible play dough. I’d love to have some new rainy day activities to pull out with my kids.

More Posts from Colleen

So, I LOVE Pinterest. I mean really, I do. Sometimes I might love it a little too much, but there are so many great ideas it is crazy! I know people can and do waste a lot of time on Pinterest, so today my friend Tabitha is going to help me share how you can use Pinterest in your homeschool.

If you aren’t using Pinterest in your homeschool you are missing out! It is an amazing free resource for homeschool families and this afternoon we are sharing how it can help and inspire your homeschool.

This Week

Topic: How to use Pinterest in your homeschool

Date: May 8, 2013

Time:  3:00-3:30 pm EST

Hashtag: #homeschool

Co-Host: Tabitha Philen

You can find downloadable transcripts of all the homeschool twitter chats here.

They are currently offering 1-month FREE access to a complete grade level Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH curriculum of your grade level choice choice.  If you have an account already or want to sign up for a free account, then sign in here to get free access.  Or you can download a trial version for free here.

Plus, a couple of free download software offers:

• FREE Early Elementary Subtraction CD Software ($21.99 value) with coupon code: FREEMATH by May 7, 2013.

• FREE Elementary & Middle School Multiplication CD Software ($21.99 value) with coupon code: FREEMATH by May 17, 2013!

Plus, all of my reader’s can get 20% off the lowest listed prices on ALL software products on their website using coupon code:  HAPPYHW at checkout!

Take a look around and shop for math curriculum at A+ TutorSoft here.

I was never a play doh fan.  It smells weird.  You can imagine I never wanted to incorporate play doh into our homeschool lessons.

Eventually, after much pleading, I set aside special time for play doh fun under serious surveillance so no one accidentally mixed colors.  Surely mixing colors is against play doh law.

Rather than see how my tactile students loved to use play doh, I treated it like a viral infection.  Pick up every single tiny piece, pack it up tight, complain about it, wash hands, and set the containers on a high shelf.

Once I got over the squishy weird texture and wonky smell, I decided to dump it on the table and incorporate it into every subject.

10 Easy Play Doh Activities for Your Homeschool

1. Play Doh Letters - Roll out play doh and form letters for preschoolers.
2. Play Doh Numbers - Roll out play doh and form numbers, put them in order.
3. Play Doh Shapes - See how many shapes you can form without a cookie cutter.
4. Play Doh Anatomy - Sculpt inner organs and let your mad scientist have fun.
5. Play Doh Animals - Create ocean animals, farm animals, or wild animals.
6. Play Doh Planets - Round up rock formations and have out-of-this-world fun.
7. Play Doh Countries - Form continents and make a 3-D map.
8. Play Doh Food - Get friendly with the food pyramid, learn the difference between vegetables and fruits.
9. Play Doh Creation - Mold something from each day of God’s Creation.
10. Play Doh Stories -  Let them create a story with crazy play doh creations such as aliens or bugs.  You can write it off as speech class and score points for being the coolest mom ever.

Surprise your children and pull out the Play Doh tomorrow!

More posts from Stef