Tagged with 'tips'

There's no quicker way to add extra fun to at-home learning than to turn your lessons into a game. If you're working on sight words in your house right now, check out these fun games that turn sight word identification into a friendly, fast-paced competition for family members young and old. We've even got some suggestions for games you can make yourself with common household items!

Sight Word Bingo

Want an easy, free sight word game you can make at home? Try Sight Word Bingo! This customizable game helps you tailor your fun to your kids' ability level. Simply make some 5x5 grids (enough for everyone in the family to play a few games) and fill the squares with a random assortment of sight words. Have one family member act as the caller, and the rest as players. When the caller says a sight word aloud, look for it on your card; if it's there, mark it with a marker. The first person to make a straight or diagonal line wins!

Sight Word Memory

Here's another easy sight word game you can make at home! Grab a stack of sticky notes, and fill 20 of them with 10 pairs of sight words. Then, arrange them in a random order with the words facing. Have your kids flip over a card, say the word, and look for the match. The player who finds the most pairs wins! Want an additional challenge? Add more word pairs to accommodate extra players or advanced learners!

Pop for Sight Words

Our Pop for Sight Words game bundle helps you and your family discover snackable, munchable learning fun every time you spot a sight word! In this fast-paced game, players pull and read popcorn-shaped sight word cards from the popcorn box to see who can collect the most. Watch out for the POP cards, though; if you draw one of those, all of your pieces go back in the box! With two full game sets, the fun keeps popping!

Sight Words Swat!

Grab a swatter, listen up, and start learning sight words! During games of Sight Word Swat, plays have to pay close attention to the words called out by the reader. When they hear a word, they have to search the bug-shaped cards for the right sight word, and be the first to slap it with their swatter! The player who collects the most flies wins!

@mrs.ashleyann

Slam Ships! Sight Words Game

These sight words are out of this world! Early language skills go intergalactic with Slam Ships!, the sight word game where each player controls a super slammable spaceship. When they spot the right sight word, the race is on: the first player to grab the card with the spaceship's suction cup is one point closer to victory!  

@kbteacherstore

At Learning Resources, we’re here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds. 

Has your child ever pushed back when it comes to school or homework? My oldest daughter has always been a “workbook kid”. She absolutely loved worksheets and printables. We definitely do a ton of hands-on projects, but when it came to core subjects, like math and reading, she was completely content working in a book…until a few months ago. A daily battle began. She no longer wanted to sit at the table and breeze through concepts on paper. I gave her a few days off, but her resistance continued. I decided that I needed to reach her another way, so I decided to start Gameschooling.

Gameschooling is where you basically teach your child through playing games. What I love about homeschooling is that I can change our curriculum whenever necessary to meet the needs of my children! I sat down and made a list of topics that were age and skill-appropriate for my daughters, and then set out to find games that covered those subjects.

At their ages, a heavy focus is placed on numbers, counting, addition/subtraction, telling time, handling money, letter sounds, sight words and reading. Today I’m going to share a few of our favorite games that teach these concepts!

Sum Swamp™ Addition & Subtraction Game

Sum Swamp was one of the first math games I found that was appropriate and fun for both of my daughters (aged 4 & 6). Many games were either too advanced for my 4-year-old or too easy (and “boring”) for my 6-year-old. I was having a hard time finding something they could play together.

This game is fun, engaging, and competitive - even adults will enjoy it. It easily teaches addition and subtraction, which is something my 4-year-old had never been exposed to prior to this game. You can play a round in 10-15 minutes and there isn’t any complicated setup.

I Sea 10™ Math Game

I Sea 10! is another quick game we like to use to practice addition. The point of the game is to spot numbers that add up to 10. It can be 2 or more number groups and you race to make a number combination first. When you spot a combination, yell out I Sea 10! and the winner keeps the tiles. Watch out for sharks! If you flip one over, they will take your collected tiles along with them back into the box.

Money Bags™ Coin Value Game

We love Money Bags for practicing money concepts. It is a little more advanced because you have to add up the coins to make the correct money amount, so I will team up with my 4-year-old to play against my 6-year-old. I love how realistic the money is and it’s one of the only games I could find to teach this topic. It’s a really fun way to practice math and making change!

POP for Sight Words™ Game

I

really love the “POP” game line and was excited to grab POP for Sight Words. Let’s be honest, sight word practice can be really boring. The problem is, you can’t just skip it if you don’t feel like doing it. Sight words are necessary for reading. I play this game with my 6-year-old and it has made this subject a lot more enjoyable.

You pull popcorn out of the box and race to read the sight word. Obviously, a parent would win, so I give her about 5 seconds to “beat me” otherwise I answer. You try to collect the most popcorn. If you pick a card with POP! on it, you have to put all your popcorn back in the box. We also let her try to race through the popcorn on her own, making a pile that she knows and a pile that she doesn’t.

Snap It Up!® Phonics & Reading Game

Another game that we love playing together is Snap It Up! To make it easier for my 4-year-old, I read out the ending sound for the word family and we race to see if we have a card that would make a real word. The winner takes the card and a new word family card is displayed. The racing element and competition turn another mundane subject into a really fun game. 

Even though we homeschool, Gameschooling can be used with any child or family! It’s a great way to practice subjects from school or work on areas your child might be struggling to grasp. This has been a wonderful teaching option for our family, and it’s so successful that we’ve completely ditched workbooks for the remainder of this year. I highly recommend trying out this method of learning with your little ones.

Save it for later!

We're living through an unprecedented moment in history right now. People are sick, our lives are upended, and our communities are being tested like never before. It's easy to feel overwhelmed at a time like this, but it's also easy to take a minute to find your own personal bright side. Below, you'll find a few tips that we're employing to stay positive while dealing with the challenges we face.  

Stick to a Schedule

Even when you're working and learning from home, it's important to maintain a predictable schedule, preferably one that looks as much like your normal routine as possible. That means getting up and going to bed at the usual hours, starting and stopping work at the same times each day, and honoring things like breaks and mealtimes the same way you would if you were out of the house. This predictability helps this unfamiliar situation feel a little less chaotic, and will help you and your kids maintain the good behaviors you've developed at work and school without backsliding.

Celebrate the Good Stuff

When you're dealing with excess stress and change, it can be really easy to overlook the things that are going well. Our team at Learning Resources has been meeting each day via video conference, and the first thing we do on every call is share one positive or exciting thing that happened during the previous day. Whether it's a movie we watched or a project we finished, it's an excellent way to focus ourselves on the positive things that remain despite the craziness. Try it with your family, and you'll be surprised at how much goodness you'll uncover.  

Plan Special Occasions

Just because there aren't any major holidays on the calendar for a while doesn't mean you can't find an excuse to celebrate. If you're stuck inside for a while, we recommend planning special occasions of your own that give you a little something extra to look forward to throughout the day. It may be something as simple as a favorite home-cooked meal or game night, or as elaborate as a made-up holiday of your own; whatever shape it takes, these little treats help your family buy in and come together during a difficult time (Need inspiration? Check out National Today for fun ideas!) 

Start a Family Project

With everyone home for an extended period of time, families have a unique opportunity to turn this downtime into something memorable. Maybe it's a scrapbook, photo album, journal, or art project that everyone contributes to. Maybe it's a new vegetable garden for the backyard. Maybe it's something as simple as quick daily vlogs that capture your lives in the moment. Whatever the case, these family-level projects give you the chance to build new skills, engage with your kids, and create something that you can look back on in the years to come. 

Make Time for Me Time

Look, we get it: togetherness can be stressful, even under normal circumstances. With everyone under the same roof for an extended period of time, it's even more important to carve out some alone time for every member of the family. That can take many different shapes: maybe you can designate a room in your house that family members can reserve for solo activities, or maybe you can designate a quiet hour every day where everyone works on their own independent projects. Whatever shape your me time takes, it'll help you stay refreshed and maintain your sense of self while everyone's together. 

Get Outside

It's finally spring, which means that nature is getting ready to put on a green, flower-filled show. That's why it's so vital to remember your outdoor options as you pass your time at home. As the weeks go by, your backyard will likely become a wonderland of bugs, critters, and new plant life that's worth explore (or just viewing with a cup of coffee from the porch). Don't have a backyard? Take a walk through your neighborhood. As long as you maintain proper social distancing, these little trips outside your home will reconnect your with the world at large and help you take in some bright springtime life all at the same time. 

At Learning Resources, we’re here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds. 

Time to bring outdoor fun indoors during this springtime sequester. Make the best of it by planning a family camping adventure inside with the three “F’s” of fun: forts, flashlights, and food. With no bugs and access to running water, sounds like a perfect combination for some memorable family time! 

Below are ideas to plan your overnight, indoor excursion – complete with a delicious S’mores recipe!   

FORT 

If your family is already campers, you can always pop your outdoor tent inside. Fill it up with sleeping bags and you’ve got a home away from home…inside your home.

No tent? No problem! Build your own fort. Have the kiddos grab these supplies for creative, engineering fun: 

• Folding or kitchen chairs 
• Blankets 
• Sheets 
• Pillows 
• Books (for weight) or clips 
• Twinkle lights 

Set up chairs about 4-5 feet a part, backs of chairs facing each other. Throw blankets down on the “floor”. Make it as fluffy and comfortable as possible. Drape a sheet over the chairs as a roof. Secure the ends of the blanket wit heavy books or clips. String up twinkle lights as your stars, or grab your Primary Science® Shining Stars Projector to shine the heavens on the walls of your fort.

FLASHLIGHTS 

Turn of the lights and let the fun begin. Have the kids grab their flashlights or lanterns and host a shadow puppet show or flashlight scavenger hunt. Shine the lights across each other and play flashlight limbo (the light beams serve as a pole). And if space allows, play everyone’s favorite nighttime summer game: flashlight tag!

Grab the Pretend & Play® Camp Set - complete with battery-operated lantern – creates the perfect glow for all your indoor camping needs.  

FOOD 

Plan for an indoor picnic during your campout. (Bonus! No chance of rain!) Have the children help you pack it all in an actual basket! Or maybe you can fire up the grill outside for some real campsite food. Either way, spread out a blanket by your tent and make it special. 

Since no campsite is complete without this mainstay, here’s a S’mores Dip recipe, minus the fire!  

Ingredients: 

• A skillet 
• ½ tablespoon of butter 
• 1 ½ cups of chocolate chips, or 5 chocolate bars diced up 
• 15 jumbo marshmallows cut in half, or a quarter of a bag of mini-marshmallows 
• Graham cracker squares 

(Little ones can help prep this delicious treat, but be sure all handling of the skillet and oven are done by a grown-up). 

Place the dry skillet in the oven and turn on to 450 degrees. In the meantime, chop your chocolate (if using actual bars) and measure out your marshmallows. 

Once the oven has reached the desired temperature, take out the hot skillet with an oven mitt. Again, keep little hands away from this part! The skillet will be extremely hot.

Throw your pad of butter in the skillet and swirl it around.  

Pour in your chocolate, and top with your marshmallows. If you are using jumbo marshmallows, you can place in a uniform pattern around the skillet to ensure every inch is covered, just sure to steer clear of the hot pan. 

Place in the oven for five to seven minutes. Break up your graham crackers into “dippable” serving pieces. 

Remove dip from the oven and let the skillet sit on the counter for a good 10-15 minutes. Because your skillet is your serving dish, you’ll want it to cool off. Enjoy! 

After everyone is fed, takes turns playing cards like Go Fish, or an old-fashioned game like Charades or Telephone. And just because there isn’t a campfire doesn’t mean there can’t be stories. Bring out your favorite books to read by flashlight or lantern.

The idea is just to be together…and make some fond memories during this unique time! 

Happy Camping! 

[Updated on 3/17/21] Even though we're staying inside these days, we've still got ways to explore the wide world from home! Add some extra fun to your spring break plans with these virtual field trip ideas, which let you and your kids travel to museums, zoos, and even outer space from the comfort of your living room.

Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems

It's not every day that you get the chance to take a drawing lesson from one of the world's most beloved children's book authors. Usually, that is. With kids out of school, author Mo Willems (creator of the Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggie, and more) is hosting a lunchtime drawing program on YouTube that connects kids with their artsy side every afternoon. 

Virtual Museum Tours

Have you ever wanted to take your kids to the world's great museums and architectural sites? Thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can do with without ever leaving the house! Their Museum Views collection lets you take virtual tours of more than 3,400 sites across the United States and around the world. You can even treat your little learners to a trip to the Boston Children's Museum!

Story Time with Michael Chabon

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon knows that what the world needs now is a good bedtime story. That's why he's spending his evenings at home reading the classics of children's literature, voices and all. Available on Youtube, the author's series updates every evening; past selections include Olivia, The Story of Ferdinand, and Harry the Dirty Dog.

Cincinnati Zoo Home Safaris

Although we can't go to the zoo right now, we can bring the zoo home online! At the Cincinnati Zoo, keepers are hosting daily Home Safaris to introduce viewers to the wild, wooly worlds of their animal residents. Tune in on Facebook Live each day, and you might meet hippos, cheetahs, rhinoceroses, and more!

Dutch Hollow Dairy Farm

A trip to the farm is always enlightening, even from the comfort of your home! Take your kids on this virtual tour of New York's Dutch Hollow Dairy Farm for an inside look at the secret lives of cows. Produced in cooperation with the American Dairy Association, the tour is geared for kids in grades K-4.

Ellis Island

As America faces its current challenges, we can take this opportunity to reflect on the nation's status as the world's melting pot. With Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today, the folks at Scholastic have put together a virtual tour of Ellis Island, the immigration station that welcomed more than 12 million future Americans between 1892 and 1954.   

International Space Station

When it comes to virtual field trips, you're not limited to places here on Earth! Led by the astronauts stationed there, these virtual tours of the International Space Station give you and your kids an inside look at the scientific goings-on happening far above the planet.

Yellowstone National Park

It's springtime, which means our national parks are waking up from their long winter slumbers. Thanks to the National Parks Service, you can take a virtual visit to the country's oldest park. The tour takes you to seven different sites around the park, including the Mud Volcano, the Mammoth Geyser, and the Flower Paint Pot.  

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Adventure under the sea with this virtual visit to one of America's premiere aquariums. Thanks to the live cams set up around the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you can catch glimpses of animals from jellyfish and penguins to sharks and sea otters. There's even a feed that shows you the open waters of the bay itself!

Discover Ancient Egypt

As you explore these virtual field trips, don't miss the opportunity to travel back in time! Discover Ancient Egypt brings one of humanity's most storied societies back to life with cool interactive online recreations. Explore 3D temples, learn about the pyramids, or even study hieroglyphics! 

At Learning Resources, we're here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds.