Yay!

J found a blank book I'd made a few years ago, and was very excited when I told her that it was blank so that she could fill it up with her own story. She worked diligently, narrating her story to me, and then copying the words into the book. I like the surprise ending. 

"Yay, we're going to have a new baby."

"Yay, the baby came out." and "Yay, the new baby is having a birthday."

There are no more words, but the baby continues to grow and have birthdays. 

We must stack tables on top of tables to make the cake high enough for the baby to reach.

Finally, the baby has grown taller than the chimney,
which says puff, puff, puff, and the Mommy stands nearby.

Printable Cards to Color and Share for Thanksgiving, Winter, and other Greetings

I made these printable-coloring Thanksgiving cards a few years ago, and the girls and I just came across them again. Our plans this year are up in the air, and so I thought writing cards to all the family we won't see would be fun (although a challenge for little ones who don't like writing!)

These are an easy, low-ink printable, that fold in half to make cards. While I'm getting organized here's a list of all my printable coloring cards:

Thanksgiving

Animal Greetings

Rare Animal Greetings

Bon Hiver (Good Winter)
Update: Cards have been updated and improved, and can now be found in my shop. 

I think I made the last two, but never shared them, so they are brand new. Check out the new Bon Hiver cards below. 

Old Testament Timeline Printable

Okay, I'll admit it: I started playing Christmas music yesterday. 

I'm getting ready for one of my favorite family traditions. During Advent we do a Jesse Tree, with readings and ornaments from the Old Testament that lead to the birth of Christ. I've noticed my children don't always have a good sense of how the different events relate to one another. For years, I've wanted a Bible Timeline to provide a context for the stories we tell. There are several commercial ones: most have a lot of text and dates and are more involved than I need. I really like this one with all the pictures, but its 10' long! That just won't work for our home. 

So I obsessed over it for 48 hours, and made my own. I drew a simple cartoon history of the Old Testament. It doesn't include every prophet and king and favorite story (because otherwise it would be 10' long!), but it provides a big picture, so when you're reading your favorite story you can point and say, "this happened here." I'm hoping it will help my kids develop a sense of the continuity of the story.

I drew the timeline over 5 sheets of paper, but through the magic of Adobe, I've squished it onto a single printable page. Yes, ONE page. The pictures are tiny, but they are simple and readable, so I think it works. 

And its for you, too! Wishing you a good Advent and blessed Nativity! Grab the printable PDF here - it includes a black and white page, and one with a little color.

If you don't want the teeny-tiny version, you can order it in poster from Zazzle in various sizes and paper qualities.  Its also available as this pretty 17 x 24" poster printed by Fine Art America. (Be sure to select: Size: natural.)

Activities for Siblings during Homeschool

This is one of the most common questions for new homeschooling parents (like me): What do I do with the younger kids while I teach the older ones? I've been collecting some great resources that are making our school time richer and more fun (with special thanks to my big sister Christa). I give the sibling activities in the same subject as the other student (its not always the older one!). The activities are so much fun, that the other child often joins in when their lesson is finished!

I have tried really hard to find free activities or printables that stand alone, or complement some of the manipulatives and materials I already own - so if you don't own some of these, you may have to invest in a few good materials. Also, the activities need to be fun for many many sessions, not just once or twice, and something the child can do without a lot of supervision. Print and laminate (if you can) printables ahead of time so you can pull activities out as need. Below is my list of ideas and activities for siblings during homeschool.

Math
We already own lots of manipulatives from Right Start Math and goodwill, so finding good printables and ideas is a great way to use that investment, and prepare them for formal lessons later.
Pattern Blocks and free printable activities from learning resource
Cuisenaire rod and free printable games
Geo-boards and printable shape patterns

Reading/Grammar
Keeping fun, special use books and games on hand makes learning to read feel really special - and Bob books are definitely a favorite around here!
Bob Books and free printable activities from by Bob Books and more from Royal Baloo
Independent Reading for older kids with my reading chart
Sight Words flash cards games (make up sentences with cards, or read through and make piles of "words I know" and "words I don't know")
Explode the Code books

Literature
After we read something together, older children sometimes have to do a writing activity following the reading. Younger children can muse on the story by recreating scenes with special materials reserved for this time. The special materials and story prompt  keep children focused.
Modeling Clay like plastillina - encourage them to mold shapes on their own with out extra colors
Drawing with special materials like Beeswax crayons

Coloring and Puzzle Printables
There are tons of free printables online, but finding really great quality coloring pages and worksheets from thoughtful designers is always a bonus. I print lots of these and keep them in a folder, only giving one at a time so each page is valued.
Made by Joel printable Coloring Sheets and Worksheets
Mr. Printables Puzzles and Coloring
Fancy coloring pages from D. Palmer

Do you have more resources to add?