Welcome to our monthly Spotlight on Five!
“Cool” Summer Fun
Most kids have an opportunity to play with (and in) water during the warm months, but adding ice to the mix can give kids a whole new level of experimentation. Exploring with ice was always one of my kids’ favorite things to do when the weather got too hot. It is one of those things that many homeschoolers love. Kids end up having so much fun that they don’t realize what they are doing is filled with science and learning, and it works for multiple ages, singletons and large groups.
If you have little ones who are not really familiar with how ice is made, letting them make a tray or two of ice is a great place to start, even if they poke holes in the ice cubes while they are forming to see if they are “done.” You could experiment with whether water freezes at the same rate as other liquids. For older kids you could allow them to find out whether the temperature of the water affects how quickly it turns to ice.
Ice can be added to a kiddie pool, a large bowl or tub, or a sensory table and just played with (which is a valuable learning experience in itself,) but giving your kids a few other components in addition to ice and water opens up new possibilities and sneaks in some learning while they aren’t looking. Give your children salt, and challenge them to make a tower of ice (or a whole castle,) or put ice in a bowl of water, and give them string and salt, and challenge them to figure out how to lift the ice out of the bowl without using other tools.
You could also freeze water colored with food-safe dyes; (place a clothespin in each cube before freezing,) and allow them to paint with the ice. Be careful where you do this though, as the food coloring may not wash off well. Another fun thing to do is fizzy ice. For this you will need eye droppers, bowls of vinegar mixed with food coloring and crushed ice sprinkled with baking soda. Allow the kids to drip colors onto the ice, and watch it fizz.
Pinterest and internet search engines like Google are filled with really fun ice activities for kids; so if your kids love the idea of ice play, or you feel inspired, you can find a ton of other “cool” ideas on the internet.
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| Jennifer Holden |
Jennifer Holden began homeschooling when her daughter came home crying in fourth grade after a traumatic experience in the public school system. Her daughter is now 22 years old and the mother of two beautiful daughters of her own. Her three sons have always been homeschooled. Jennifer has an educational background in Early Childhood and Special Education and 20+ years of experience teaching and leading youth children’s activities.
Take a look below at this month’s resources for additional ideas. Be sure to let us know how you put summer fun into your homeschool. Email Paul and Gena Suarez and share your story. We’d love to hear about it!
June’s Spotlight on Summer Fun!
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Kinder Cottage Publishing
 Hello homeschoolers–my name is Howard. In 2012 my wife Ann and I started Kinder Cottage. Our goal is to create and offer products that help parents educate their young children. Ann and I have four boys–Adam, Josh, Luke and John. We currently homeschool Adam. Josh will start homeschool next year!
We started by publishing an excellent hardback Peter Rabbit series and have followed up with several paperbacks. This year we are starting to publish a history picture book series. This picture book series is targeting Primary and Elementary age children. The first book in the series is Alfred the Great!
We are currently featuring our Ten Peter Rabbit books. Children ages 3-8 years of age love these books! They are high quality hardback books with color illustrations on every other page. They are printed in the USA.
Homeschoolers – use coupon code TOS to receive 20% off the already low price.
www.kindercottage.com
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Niice Stuff Apparel
STAY COOL AND LOOK NIICE ALL SUMMER LONG!
School is out and it’s time to plan some fun, family-friendly activities! Naturally you’ll want to outfit the entire family in some fresh new active wear, and at Niice Stuff we’ve got you covered!
Our apparel and accessories come in a variety of fresh, crisp colors and are constructed from durable, easy-care fabrics that feel buttery-soft on the skin, yet are tough enough to withstand repeated machine washes.
Active families will appreciate the ease of our wash and wear apparel that looks fabulous and feels great . . . really great . . . because there is more to our products than just the aesthetics.
Niice Stuff is a company with a purpose. Our name is an acronym for “Nurturing Individuals Inspiring Children Everyday,” and we have a mission to raise awareness about the adoption of adolescent children. After our own amazing experience with adoption Niice Stuff was founded and a portion of every sale goes to The Community Partnership for Children.
Please visit us at www.niicestuff.com for more information about us and our mission, and to view our products. We know you will love what you see, and will want to make Niice Stuff the emblem of your life.
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MacPhail Center For Music
Add High Quality Music to Your Child’s Curriculum!
 Introducing an exclusive homeschool package that brings exceptional music lessons directly into your home through live, online lessons. MacPhail Center for Music is a national leader in music learning for all ages and abilities. Our extraordinary teachers can create a music curriculum that’s right for your child, from beginners through advanced students. Live online lessons are available on piano, violin, guitar, songwriting and 10 other instruments.
“While online lessons are available elsewhere, I think one incredibly huge factor makes MacPhail heads and tails superior to anything else I’ve seen: the teachers. While you may be able to find online lessons, you’d be hard put to find the quality level of the teachers I see are a part of
MacPhail‘s faculty.” – Gwen T., Waxahachie, TX
Save 25% on MacPhail’s Exclusive Homeschool Package
Four Online Lessons for $111! Receive four 30-minute individual online lessons from a MacPhail teaching artist, from the convenience of your home. All K-12 homeschool students are eligible to participate in this package, a 25% discount from standard tuition rates.
Visit our Live Online Lessons web page to learn more.
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Actors, Models and Talent for Christ
Actors, models singers and dancers, are you called to perform in the Entertainment Industry?
Actors, Models and Talent for Christ may be holding a talent search near you.
To see a list of when and where AMTC searches are held visit AMTCaudition.com or call 1-800-STAR-420.
AMTC is a non profit ministry dedicated to making good bolder in film, fashion, music and theater. It’s mission is to find, prepare and promote performers to go into the world’s most influential mission field: entertainment.
Actors, Models and Talent for Christ – Answer the call!
AMTCaudition.com
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B.R.A.V.E-Believer’s Recreation & Vacation Exchange
The Believer’s Recreation & Vacation Exchange (BRAVE), the first and only vacation exchange founded by Evangelical Christians for Evangelical Christians, eliminates lodging and restaurant meal expenses by allowing its member families to trade houses with each other.
A family of five requiring 2 motel rooms at $85.00 per room for two weeks and spending $50.00 per day on meals over and above the cost of those prepared at home would save $3,130.00!
BRAVE savings will allow your family to visit a major city, breathe the mountain air, feel the pounding ocean’s surf or to stand where Washington, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, or the Wright Brothers once stood.
All families joining by June 30, 2014, will do so ABSOLUTELY FREE OF CHARGE. That’s a savings of $80.00 with no obligation to rejoin BRAVE ever again. You risk absolutely nothing because the first year’s annual membership costs you absolutely nothing!
Whether you have a family of 4 or 14, BRAVE will allow your family to take a vacation that you otherwise simply could never afford.
To find out what other outstanding features BRAVE membership may offer you, visit our website.
BRAVE
Turning Vacation Dreams into Realities.
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