“Even a tiny drop of water can make a big splash.” -Unknown
Hello friends! This is the start of a series of homeschool newsletters utilizing basic items to enhance your homeschool lessons as a fill-in activity, as a jumping off point for a unit study or however you wish to use! But caution, these ideas may also lead you down other “rabbit trails” of learning!
In this week’s post we will explore WATER and I hope you are inspired to try one or many of the ideas presented. I’ve made it easy for you, just add water!
I’ve included several subjects/skills you can incorporate into your lesson plans and some helpful links, so have fun with these! Don’t want to miss out on future posts then click the button below:
BIBLE: For a Bible lesson discussing water, read the story of Noah’s Ark (Genesis 6-9). Talk about how it had never rained before on the earth, then it rained for 40 days and 40 nights flooding the whole earth! Learn how Noah made the ark, who shut the door and about their favorite animal! Do a watercolor painting of a rainbow, play outside in puddles during a rain shower or make a mini terrarium with your kids! How about a fun field trip or a summer vacation idea, then check out Ark Encounter near Cincinnati, Ohio in the states!
SCIENCE: With your younger children you can play a game of “Sink or Float”. Collect a large bowl or use your sink or bathtub to fill with water. Find some objects that will sink and float and have your children predict which ones will sink or float! Collect items like a rock, apple, toy car, pacifier, egg, ball, key, cup, etc. One by one, after the prediction is made, set the item on the water and see what happens!
For older kids, it might be interesting to learn about the water cycle! Discuss the journey of a rain drop then have them write a creative story about it, make a water cycle poster or a power point presentation illustrating evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection. So many learning opportunities!
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: Weather permitting set out the backyard sprinkler for the kids to run through (and why not join in!), have a water balloon fight or sign your kids up for indoor or outdoor swimming lessons. A very important life-saving skill that every child needs to learn!
HEALTH: Learn about hydration and how it helps all the body systems to function optimally. Get everyone in the home a water bottle of their own and drink water together instead of juice or soda. Find out how many ounces of water you should drink for your weight and track your water intake for a week. Especially stay hydrated on hot, humid days! These are the water bottles I get for my grandkids to have at my home, they come in over 40 cute designs!
MATH: Using water during a math lesson can be a new way to jazz up an old math lesson on measurement, ratios, displacement or volume! See what Khan Academy says about volume (and so much more)! This website is such a wealth of information, especially as you get into the higher levels of schooling.
LIFE SKILLS: Learning the academic subjects are important, but don’t forget to teach your kids valuable life skills too! Chores that include just adding water can be time well spent and give a break in between lessons as well as help around the house. Age appropriately assign duties such as washing the dishes, washing the car, or giving the dog a bath show our children and teenagers that everyone needs to pitch in and help in a family.
GEOGRAPHY: Teach your kids all the Great Lakes with this mnemonic “HOMES”: Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior. Locate them on a map or a globe, find out which one is the deepest, which one is the shallowest, learn about famous shipwrecks in the lakes, and whatever you do, do not miss out reading this WONDERFUL book to your kids, Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling! Add a toy canoe with this book and you’ve got a great lesson and gift idea too!
MUSIC: Explore using water as an instrument! That’s right, use different objects around the house and listen to the sound of water hitting each of them. Things like a metal bowl, plastic tub, and a glass jar make great starters. Then have your kids round up other items around the house on their own and try them on for sound! Or find songs that talk about rain, a rainy night, a rainy day and sing or listen to them together!
LITERATURE: There are many interesting books that have settings in and around great bodies of water! Here are some wonderful books to get you started: Kon-Tiki , Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Treasure Island, The Swiss Family Robinson, and The Island of the Blue Dolphins! You may even enjoy reading these aloud with your children and teens!
Tip: these books also make great gifts for Easter baskets, birthdays, trips or anytime!
ART: Watercolor painting is an easy and fun activity for nearly any age! Grab some quality watercolor paint sets, watercolor paper and just add water for a relaxing activity during the day with your family. Get one set per child (and one for you too, Mom!) and label the case with their name. And again you have a great activity or another unique gift idea for anyone ages 1-101!
HISTORY: Study about rivers, how they help in navigation, how and why cities developed near them and focus on the Louisiana Purchase. Who was president then, how much was the land purchased for and learn more about Lewis and Clark and their expedition up the Missouri River. So many fun jumping off places your kids can “explore” on their own after watching this video overview:
HYGIENE: Explain and demonstrate how washing hands helps prevent the spread of germs. Then practice helping your children wash their hands to the count of 20 before meal time and after using the restroom. Older kids might enjoy studying germs and how they spread, learning about how soap works and then maybe even making some soap to use with this glycerin non toxic soap kit!
If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful, then please let me know in the comments and feel free to share this with a friend or family member! If you received some great lesson planning ideas, which I sincerely hope you did, then please vote in the poll below and subscribe so you don’t miss out on my future homeschooling posts!
Until next time sweet friends,
Brooke
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