Savage Stone Age Unit

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in the Stone Age? Here’s a hint… They lived in caves, hunted wild animals, and cut holes in their own skulls to cure headaches (ouch!). Check out my Savage Stone Age Unit, and discover more of the Stone Ager’s savage ways!

Disclaimer: “Homework and Horseplay is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”

Savage Stone Age {Horrible Histories} by Terry Deary

Savage Stone Age by Terry Deary discusses how Stone Agers lived, the type of animals they hunted, and their savage solutions to every day problems. We also learn about how they cooked their food, their weird beliefs, gruesome burials, accidental discoveries, and stone circle legends. 

Suggested Schedule:

We only had four days during our first week of school, and followed this reading schedule:

• 1st Day-
• 2nd Day-
• 3rd Day-
• 4th Day-

This book could easily be stretched over a whole week (or more) if that would work better for your family. Remember- the beauty of homeschooling is flexibility!

Extras…

This year I am using the whole Horrible Histories set with Julia and Jack as our core history curriculum. As I am sure you have already figured out these books are not a curriculum on their own, so I will be adding extra materials to our schedule to take our learning a step further. Want to join in on the fun? Here is everything I added in this week:

Books

In addition to Savage Stone Age, we read:

• Stone Age Boy by Satoshi Kitamura 
• You Wouldn’t Want to be a Mammoth Hunter! by John Malam

 

Since I am using this unit with two of my children I try to mix in a variety of materials for both of their grade and ability levels. These books were more for Jack, and he absolutely loved You Wouldn’t Want to be a Mammoth Hunter! by John Malam. 

Videos

This week we watched Horrible Histories, Season 1 Episode 2 on Prime Video. Just like the book this episode is full of humor, fun facts, and mini quizzes!

Wondering what the answer is? Guess you’ll have to watch the video! Just kidding… The answer is: “A: Crawl through a hole in a boulder”.

Every week we have a family movie night. Here are the movie choices I allowed my children to pick from to go with our Stone Age Unit:

 

We have seen all of these movies before, but this week we decided to go with Encino Man. I am sure we will watch the others again soon too though!

Websites

This week Julia is working on he writing skills, and focused on how to summarize an article found on a website. She read Paleomythic: How People Really Lived During the Stone Age at the beginning of the week, and submitted her final summary on Friday. 

We also took a virtual tour of Stonehenge before taking on our STEM challenge. 

Thank you for checking out my Savage Stone Age Unit…

Make sure to check back for more of our Horrible Histories Unit Studies soon!

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{Guest Post} Planning Your BookShark Homeschool in 3 Steps: From Box Day to Daily Lessons

Are you new to BookShark? Or perhaps simply preparing to use the next level of BookShark, and feeling a little overwhelmed? Check out my {Guest Post} Planning Your BookShark Homeschool in 3 Steps: From Box Day to Daily Lessons to see how simple it is to get started.

Sneak peak…

So you did it… You placed your order, eagerly stalked your shipment, and finally celebrated your BookShark Box Day! Whether you are new to BookShark or a longtime homeschooler, after happily unpacking your boxes and exploring the piles upon piles of books you just received, you may find yourself feeling a little intimidated. You might even be asking yourself:

• Where am I going to put all of this?
• Where do I begin?
• How will we ever make it through all of these books?

If you find yourself wondering about these things, don’t worry! You are not alone, and I am here to tell you it is not as scary as you might first think. With just a little bit of organization and preparation, you will quickly feel as though you have been using BookShark forever and maybe even have a few of your own tips to share.

Head over to BookShark to see how I prepared for a year with BookShark.

Thank you for checking out my {Guest Post} Planning Your BookShark Homeschool in 3 Steps: From Box Day to Daily Lessons…

How do you prepare and organize your BookShark materials?

Did you miss my past guest posts?

• How to Manage Multiple BookShark Programs in a Single School Year
• How Homeschooling Helps Me Manage My Bipolar Disorder
• 4 Reasons BookShark is Perfect for My ASD Child
• 3 Reasons I Treat My Homeschooled Teen as an Adult
• 3 Homeschool Picnic Ideas to Take Your Learning Outdoors
• How to Manage Your Time While Homeschooling
• 4 Ways to Commemorate and Celebrate the First Day of Homeschool

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Chibi Chip Love to Code Starter Kit Review

Favorite Fall Children’s Books

The cooler weather has arrived here in Michigan… The nights are chilly, and before I know it the leaves will begin to fall. This time of the year just calls for cozy read aloud times in front of a fire, so today I am sharing my Favorite Fall Children’s Books!

Disclaimer: “Homework and Horseplay is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”

1. Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson

Mouse and Minka venture out to play on a beautiful fall day, and Mouse learns all about what makes fall such a special season! 

2. Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

Fall has come, the wind is gusting, and Leaf Man is on the move. Where is he going? No one knows, but one thing is for sure… A Leaf Man has to go where the wind blows.

3. The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll

Desmond the field mouse wants to carve the biggest jack-o’-lantern in the neighborhood with his pumpkin. Clayton the house mouse wants to win the Biggest Pumpkin contest with his. Unfortunately they both have fallen in love with the same pumpkin! Desmond and Clayton decide to work together to grow the biggest pumpkin ever.

4. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert

Lois Ehlert uses watercolor collage and pieces of actual seeds, fabric, wire, and roots in this introduction to the life of a tree. Find out how roots absorb nutrients, what photosynthesis is, how sap circulates, and other facts about trees in this beautiful book.

5. Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert

This rascally squirrel is up to all sorts of tricks. He digs and eats and zips and hides, but when he sneaks inside an apartment window, it’s time for a nutty solution to get him out.

6. There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed Some Leaves! by Lucille Colandro

That wild old lady is back swallowing fall-themed items. What can you make from leaves, clothes, a pumpkin, and rope? That’s right, a scarecrow!

7. Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney

It’s Thanksgiving time for Llama Llama and his family. That means yummy foods, autumn leaves, and being thankful for everything from pumpkin pies to blue skies. 

8. The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin by Stan Berenstain

Will the Bear family win the blue ribbon for their entry in the pumpkin contest during the annual Bear Country Thanksgiving Festival? Not this time, but life is not always about winning! The Bear family gains a new appreciation of the true spirit of the holiday and all they have to be thankful for. 

9. Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage by Jane O’Connor

Fancy Nancy loves fall—the fashion, the weather, and especially the colors of the leaves! While helping her parents rake leaves she gets a stupendous idea to do something unique with the most beautiful leaves she finds. What could it be?

10. Clifford Loves Autumn by Norman Bridwell

Join Clifford as he enjoys all of the fun of autumn- leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and visiting relatives!

Thank you for checking out my Favorite Fall Children’s Books…

What are you favorite fall children’s books?

Looking for more H&H book lists? 

10 Books Every Middle Schooler Must Read
15 Banned Books Every High School Must Read

The post Favorite Fall Children’s Books appeared first on Homework and Horseplay.

GrammarPlanet Review

Welcome to Homework and Horseplay. Are you looking to be more hands off when it comes to your student’s grammar lessons? Check out my GrammarPlanet Review to see if this online grammar program is right for your family! 

What is GrammarPlanet?

GrammarPlanet is a completely online grammar curriculum from the creators of Analytical Grammar. This program is designed for students (ages 10+) with all ranges of grammar knowledge. GrammarPlanet uses a mastery approach. This means that if your student is struggling with a concept they will receive more practice problems to work through before taking the unit test. Best of all- GrammarPlanet is free as long as you don’t mind a few ads! 

How did we use GrammarPlanet?

My 8th grader, Julia, used this program for 15 minutes 3-5 times a week depending on our schedule. Each lesson begins with a 5-10 minute instructional video that has quizzes built right into it. Before watching the video students need to click the orange note button on the bottom left corner of the screen, and print the notes for the unit. To save on printing costs I had Julia simply download the notes. Since my computer screen is rather large she is able to have the notes and GrammarPlanet open at the same time. 

After the student watches the instructional video and completes the quizzes, they will then move on to the practice problems. As I mentioned before GrammarPlanet is a mastery based program, so the number of practice questions will vary depending on how your child is performing. Julia was a little cranky about the number of questions to complete. I had to remind her a few times that she does not need to complete all the questions in one day. This program is meant to be used in only 15 minute sessions. 

If the student answers too many questions incorrectly the unit will be locked, and an email is sent to the instructor. I found this incredibly helpful because Julia completes the lessons on her own while I am working with her younger brother. I usually receive the email and unlock the unit from my phone before Julia is able to make her way to the school room to tell me about it.

After successfully completing all the levels in a unit the student moves on to the unit test. Just like the lessons the unit tests are graded immediately. The student is able to see their results before moving on to the next unit.

Homework and Horseplay’s final thoughts…

I have to admit that I mixed feelings when it comes to GrammarPlanet.  The concept of having a completely online curriculum that is self-grading is wonderful, but Julia has been struggling through this program quite a bit. I am not sure if she was just rushing through the lessons or if she wasn’t completely understanding the questions. I had to unlock units multiple times because she had so many incorrect answers. Julia is my sensitive child and a perfectionist, so this was hard for her to handle . However, with that said I think it is good to take our children out of their comfort zone and push them a little harder. I plan to have Julia continue completing GrammarPlanet lessons a few times a week. 

I really do enjoy the layout of this program, and Erin (the video instructor) has a wonderful speaking voice. GrammarPlanet is definitely one of the most difficult grammar programs we have ever used, but we have learned so many new things. For example, do you know what a gerund is? If you don’t you’re not alone. I have never heard of this concept before. After researching why one of Julia’s practice questions was marked wrong we discovered a whole new realm of grammar.

The teacher dashboard is also a wonderful resource. After clicking on the students name you can easily see how they answered practice and test questions. Additionally, you can download unit reports.

This simple layout makes it very easy for the teacher to navigate the program, and find the problem areas for their student. Although it was hard to watch my daughter struggle so much in the beginning, I am really thankful that the Review Crew introduced us to GrammarPlanet. With the new school year about to begin I am considering adding both of my boys as students. I think their grammar skills could use a little practice too.

Thank you for checking out my GrammarPlanet Review…

Do you want to read more from other members of the Review Crew?

As always, I just want you to know…

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Space Sensory Bin

Calling all astronauts in training… T-5 minutes and counting- Start auxiliary power units and prepare to blast off into outer space with this fun space sensory bin!

Homework and Horseplay’s Space Sensory Bin

This year we are studying astronomy, and I thought it would be fun for Jack and the girls I babysit to have a space themed sensory bin to go along with our studies. To create this bin I used:

• Dried black beans
• Marbles
• Yellow “diamond” vase filler
• Tinfoil balls
• Galaxy bounceballs
• Space themed erasers
• Plastic bowl
• Ice cream scoops
• Clear and blue glass rocks
• Astronaut action figure (ok-I know this isn’t really an astronaut, but sometimes a girl uses what she has on hand!)

I was able to find all of the supplies for this space sensory bin at my local Dollar Tree store. I don’t know what I would do without this place!

Helpful Hint:
Purchase a vinyl tablecloth to put on the floor under sensory bins. I have a rule that ALL sensory materials must stay on the tablecloth. This helps prevent a major mess since some sensory materials are quite small. When your child is done playing you can pick up the corners of the tablecloth and pour everything back into the bin. I also highly recommend using a bin with a lid for easier storage.

Thank you for checking out my Space Sensory Bin…

I hope your children enjoyed their trip around the moon and back!

Are you looking for more sensory bin ideas?
Follow me on Pinterest 

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Reading Eggs Review

Do you have a child just learning to read? Or perhaps a struggling learner who needs a little extra reading practice? You’ve come to the right place! Check out my Reading Eggs Review to see if this interactive reading program is the right fit for your family and to learn all about their new workbooks.

What is Reading Eggs?

Reading Eggs is an online reading curriculum that focuses on the five essential keys to reading success:

1. Phonics
2. Phonemic awareness
3. Vocabulary
4. Comprehension
5. Fluency

 

The reading lessons use colorful animation, songs, and games to keep your child engaged and wanting to learn more. The program also includes over 2,000 online books with quizzes for your child to read and test their comprehension. Reading Eggs recently released a whole line of colorful workbooks for your child to use independently or along side their Reading Eggs subscription.

What age is Reading Eggs for?

Reading Eggs is designed for children ages 2-13 years old. This program has three different levels:

• Reading Eggs Junior for 2-4 year olds
• Reading Eggs for 3-7 year olds
• Reading Eggspress for 7-13 year olds

Not sure what your child’s reading level is? No problem- Reading Eggs has a placement test, so you know exactly where to start.

How did Jack use his Reading Eggs subscription and workbook?

Jack spends about 20-30 minutes a day working on Reading Eggs. That time is split pretty equally between the online lessons and his new 200 Essential Reading Skills for Second Grade workbook. This workbook is meant to be used 5 days a week for 36 weeks, and covers the following areas weekly:

• Day 1- Comprehension
• Day 2- Comprehension
• Day 3- Spelling
• Day 4- Spelling
• Day 5- Grammar

Just like their online counterpart, the workbook is bright and colorful. I was happy to see that a lot of the workbook pages have multiple sections. Due to his fine motor delays, Jack has a really hard time writing more than a few words at a time. I usually have him complete just one or two small sections, and then take a break to complete the online lesson. After he is done on the computer he returns to the workbook to complete the rest of the page. 

In addition to his assignments, Jack also spent quite a bit of time playing in the “arcade”. These extra games are a perfect example of learning through play, and put Jack’s reading, spelling, and vocabulary skills to the test!

Homework and Horseplay’s final thoughts…

Jack has used Reading Eggs on and off over the last few years, and it is always a great addition to his school day. Although he just started his 6th grade year, Jack struggles greatly with reading and writing due to his disabilities. I dedicate a large portion of our school day to reading lessons with Jack, and I try to offer a variety of activities for him to complete. I am so happy with the addition of workbooks to the Reading Eggs curriculum line up since Jack is already familiar with their online lessons. The extra handwriting, comprehension, spelling, and grammar practice is just what he needs to round out this amazing reading program.

Students can use both the online portion and the workbooks on their own, but what I really love is that Reading Eggs has mixed the two together. For example, after taking the placement test Jack completed Lesson 21 online and started week 1 in his workbook. Both of these components focused on Go, Go Gecko and “think marks“. 

The workbook focused on comprehension passages for Go, Go Gecko.

However, online Jack tackled tasks, such as:

• cover story
  
• dictionary work
  
• alphabetical order
  
• vocabulary and usage
  

The lesson ended with the 10 question quiz you see above. I really enjoyed the variety of areas that Jack was tested on and the reward system.

My only complaint would be how some of the letters appear in the workbook.  The q’s and u’s do not have tails on them, which did confuse Jack a little bit. This is very common in workbooks, but it is something that always bothers me.

Special Offers!

Reading Eggs has generously offered two deals for me to share with all of you. Do you want to try out Reading Eggs? Start your Free 4 Week Trial  and get 10% Off Workbooks {Code: WK10CIUPIGI } today. 

I definitely plan to take advantage of this coupon and purchase the next level in this workbook series for Jack to use after he completes this one!

Thank you for checking out my Reading Eggs Review…

Read more reviews from the Crew…

As always, I just want you to know…

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