Oh my gosh! I was so excited last night when we got home from the dance. I had a couple of big boxes sitting on my recently cleaned off porch… another story for another day as we’ve been doing a lot of changes around here and may have even more to come.
Ya’ll know that we’ve really been trying to make some healthier choices around here and one of those is to drink more water. Now we did drink our fair share but I know that I need to increase my water intake a bit because water is so vital to being healthy and I want to set a good example for my kiddos. I just had a harder time with it for a couple of reason.
Our water is hard water and even with the water system, it has had a kind of smell and taste. Well, to me it does. There are a few people who don’t seem to notice it at all but I grew up on spring water from the mountains and this water is not spring water! On top of the smell and taste, it has had a bit of an orangey color to it… GROSS! TRIPLE GROSS!
This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crockpot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.
I have started trying to do easier meals on days that I have square dancing obligations. This helps me to be able to put a nice meal on the table without feeling guilty about having some much needed ‘Mommy Time’. Some of these meals may also help with those that have busy or irregular schedules due to work or extracurricular activities.
I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.
We have also been using the Trim Healthy Mama books to try to convert some of our favorite recipes to be healthier. Meal planning really does help keep this tired Momma from completely losing her sanity. It also helps when I can quickly locate the recipe and ingredients I need for grocery lists and meal prep. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the supplements and such that we are using. You can always buy them a few at a time or many of them can be substituted or even omitted, if necessary.
Some recipes are from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table. These will have a link to the product on Amazon as I can not post the recipes online without prior permission. In many cases, I have tried to tweak our recipe to be more in line with THM but I can’t guarantee that they would be 100% on the plan but I can say that they are healthier than their previous versions.
I do still have a lot of recipes that I need to convert so this will be a bit of a process for us as well. Some recipes are better as they are and we will try to make them work as best we can. I know the kids need a few extra calories and nutrients so we do usually have a few extras (like bread and rolls) that us grown-ups will need to exercise caution with but other than that it has been pretty easy to follow along with this plan so far.
I know the THM plan says that you may not see any weight loss at first but that your body will be healing from the inside. I know that we are eating much healthier than we were before and I’ll try to be content knowing that we are getting healthier one meal at a time.
++I have a few kids who seem to be going through growth spurts right now and are always HUNGRY. I have been keeping a pot of beans, blackeyed peas, or another vegetable as a side. I also have been buying a few extra snacks like fruit, veggies, yogurt, etc.
Meal Prep Ideas
Brown hamburger meat, drain and place in containers for the week
Buy a rotisserie chicken or cook a few chicken breasts and shred
Marinate the pork roast the night before for extra flavor
You could also mix up the pancake and muffin batters the night before to make your mornings a bit easier.
**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy-weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.
This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crockpot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.
I have started trying to do easier meals on days that I have square dancing obligations. This helps me to be able to put a nice meal on the table without feeling guilty about having some much needed ‘Mommy Time’. Some of these meals may also help with those that have busy or irregular schedules due to work or extracurricular activities.
I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.
We have also been using the Trim Healthy Mama books to try to convert some of our favorite recipes to be healthier. Meal planning really does help keep this tired Momma from completely losing her sanity. It also helps when I can quickly locate the recipe and ingredients I need for grocery lists and meal prep. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the supplements and such that we are using. You can always buy them a few at a time or many of them can be substituted or even omitted, if necessary.
Some recipes are from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table. These will have a link to the product on Amazon as I can not post the recipes online without prior permission. In many cases, I have tried to tweak our recipe to be more in line with THM but I can’t guarantee that they would be 100% on the plan but I can say that they are healthier than their previous versions.
I do still have a lot of recipes that I need to convert so this will be a bit of a process for us as well. Some recipes are better as they are and we will try to make them work as best we can. I know the kids need a few extra calories and nutrients so we do usually have a few extras (like bread and rolls) that us grown-ups will need to exercise caution with but other than that it has been pretty easy to follow along with this plan so far.
I know the THM plan says that you may not see any weight loss at first but that your body will be healing from the inside. I know that we are eating much healthier than we were before and I’ll try to be content knowing that we are getting healthier one meal at a time.
Rolls w/butter (As long as you aren’t on the weight loss plan. I am working on a few bread recipes because I know it is one of the hardest things for me to give up.)
Rolls w/butter (As long as you aren’t on the weight loss plan. I am working on a few bread recipes because I know it is one of the hardest things for me to give up.)
++I have a few kids who seem to be going through growth spurts right now and are always HUNGRY. I have been keeping a pot of beans, blackeyed peas, or another vegetable as a side. I also have been buying a few extra snacks like fruit, veggies, yogurt, etc.
Meal Prep Ideas
Brown hamburger meat, drain and place in containers for the week
You could also mix up the pancake and muffin batters the night before to make your mornings a bit easier.
**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy-weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.
These are some of our most recent meal plans after converting some of our favorite recipes to be healthier with inspiration from Trim Healthy Mama. I find it easier to plan out my meals so I can make fewer trips to the grocery store. I always hate it when it’s almost dinner time and I have no idea what I should make. A little planning goes a long way to help me keep my sanity… well what’s left of it that is.
I also find it easier to go ahead and plan a day or time to prep some of the items ahead of time instead of waiting until the last minute. I will boil eggs, cook chicken and ground beef, prep veggies and all ahead of time so that when it comes time to make dinner it seems to go so much easier.
When I have time I also try to make a couple of extra batches of our favorites so I can put some in the freezer for emergency or quick meals. I’ll try to include some tips and tricks along with the menu plans to make your life a little easier too.
This recipe just happened to come about as Mr. Awesome decided he wanted to start eating healthier. I had already done my grocery shopping for the week so I just decided to tweak a few recipes to make them a bit healthier. I needed a name for this and he said it was a ‘manly meatloaf’ so that’s what we’ll call it from now on. It has also earned a repeating spot on our meal planning calendar.
I have been scouring the Trim Healthy Mama books for some inspiration as well and will be posting many more recipes soon! This one was adapted from my recipe for Upside-Down Meatloaf.
Manly Meatloaf
Ingredients:
3 lb ground beef, ground turkey, or a mixture of ground beef and turkey/pork
3 1/2 c. oatmeal (or 14 packs of the instant oatmeal)
1-1/2 c. buttermilk (or add 1 T. vinegar to regular milk)
4 eggs
2 t. salt
1 onion, chopped
1-2 c. veggies, chopped (I used the California blend veggies and some baby spinach from Walmart this time but you could use just about anything you like.)
Lightly grease a 13 x 9 pan or 2-5×9 inch loaf pans.
Mix remaining ingredients and put into the pan(s).
Top with shredded cheese, if desired.
Sprinkle with nutritional yeast before or after baking, if desired.
Bake 45 minutes or until juices run clear.
We served this with some caulitaters (Mr. Awesome says he actually likes them better than real potatoes) and a salad.
**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy-weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.
I know I just recently posted about a bad dream I had but yet again I have another topic that we really don’t want to think about. Just recently a story made the news in our area about a young child who had wandered out and the result was a tragedy.
The babysitter had fallen asleep and the little one wandered out the door without her knowing. In our area we have a lot of retention ponds as we have a lot of wet areas and when it rains the extra water needs somewhere to go. Many of these ponds are fenced in but there are many that are not.
This little guy somehow managed to find his way to a pond that wasn’t fenced in and he fell in. No one knew he was missing until it was too late. A family has lost something that can never be replaced and a whole community is grieving.
The news has countless stories of children who have wandered away from home. Sometimes they are searching for days before they find them. Other times they never find them at all and the searches are called off. For every happy ending, it seems that there are a few with tragic endings.
I know how hard it is when you have young ones. They love to explore and they love to be outside. Even older children love these things too but generally, they have been taught some safety rules. Then you some of the special needs children, like one of mine, who are drawn to the water. They will do anything to get to the water and all they can think about is how much it is to play in the water. It can be very challenging to help them overcome their urges. Continue reading Do you have a wanderer?→
It seems that every week is a crazy week around here lately and I know that part of that is probably my fault for trying to squeeze so much into my days. It’s definitely a juggling act around here with the kids, homeschooling, square dancing, blogging and the list of things that need to be done to keep up house and I then I add in things like trying to revamp some of our favorite recipes to make them healthier, working a couple of part-time jobs from home to earn a little extra income and trying to start up my own notary business. Yeah, no wonders things are so crazy right? Not to mention I’ve signed up for a multitude of online classes like the Positive Parenting Solutions which has really helped out when I remember to use the tips and tools I’ve been learning about.
Sigh… parenting is hard. When you add the special challenges of raising two special needs children (ODD, ADHD, Down’s Syndrome and a few others) to the mix it can be even harder on some days. It may be because I am making some progress with our class that I am seeing a little bit more rebellion or ‘testing of the waters’ but whatever the reason it has been quite the challenge here lately. It is enough on some days to make a Momma wanna through up her hands in defeat but I know that God is here and He is going to help us all get through this.
They’ve also learned some important lessons about obeying rules and right now I have a couple of little girls who have lost some privileges and are under constant supervision similar to what Laura experienced at the beginning of our On the Banks of Plum Creek Week 1 Lesson Plans.
Another book they are really enjoying is Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders from Nature which are reading through as part of our science lessons. It is full of facts and illustrations that they love. The jacket also unfolds to make a huge poster for them to look at. The next best part of their science lessons was looking at bugs with their Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Bugnoculars. (pictured above)
We haven’t finished all of this week’s lessons as this week has been a bit busy and it was hard for some people to get back on the school routine. We still have a few like skills lessons which include our new Herb Fairies books and some dog training lessons from Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days. These might not be things you’d normally expect to find in your school lessons but the kids asked for them so I have included them to keep them interested in learning. Plus we can all benefit from these lessons and I find them pretty enjoying myself.
The best part of our homeschool experience this week is at the bottom of the post so you can keep reading or scroll through to find out what it was.
Getting back the week we’ve had, we had an amazing day at the zoo last weekend followed by a birthday party at my sister’s house. The kids had a lot of fun and a bit too much sugar that day. We had to deal with the after effects for a few days afterward. No fun!
On Monday we had our usual square dance and then back home. Tuesday I decided to make a grocery run with my favorite Walmart Grocery Pickup service. Mr. Awesome had announced that he was starting a new diet after I had already made up my grocery list so that meant we needed to run into the store for a couple of last minute items. I already had the menu planned out as well so I just decided to tweak a few of the recipes to make them a little more diet-friendly and healthier for everyone. Be on the lookout for some upcoming recipes that we have been trying out.
I know we can’t undo all these years of unhealthy eating in a day but we can make one change at a time to become a little healthier every day. I also know that my kids will be learning how to eat healthier and hopefully, they will pass some of these habits down to their kids. I’ve added some healthier options to our breakfast menus like omelets with mushrooms and a side of sauteed spinach. While Mr. Awesome passed on the spinach at breakfast I did manage to sneak in some greens and A TON of veggies at dinner time. That’s not potatoes on that plate but you wouldn’t know it if I hadn’t told you.
I’ve also done a lot of food prep so that we would have some healthier choices when we needed a quick meal or snack. We made a few boiled eggs and our own bagged salads for the week. I made one bag special for Mr. Awesome as he said he wasn’t ‘Popeye’ and he didn’t want spinach in his salad.
We cut all the lettuces, a mixture of iceberg and romaine, into bite-size pieces. Then we washed everything and spun it dry in the salad spinner. (You want to make sure it is as dry as possible before bagging it.) We layered a couple of big baggies with a paper towel and carefully placed our lettuce and spinach inside. Then we squeezed out all the air and sealed them. They have been in the fridge all week and still look pretty. (You will also want to change out the paper towel frequently.) The kids really enjoyed practicing some of the kitchen skills they’ve learned and it seems to make them more interested in trying out new things when they are involved in the process.
I also decided to try my hand at making some sourdough bread again. My first starter died when I neglected it a few months ago when I was sick. I wasn’t really feeling like attempting my own so I ordered some San Francisco Sourdough Starter from Amazon. It was quite easy to get the activation started by using the instructions provided. We’ve named our starter ‘Fran’ and she seems to be doing well. We’ve got some dough rising right now so maybe we’ll have a bit of sourdough bread to go with dinner tonight.
The kids are really excited about our new ‘sourdough baby’ and they keep checking up on her to make sure she isn’t hungry … lol. They even wanted to try out a new recipe for muffins using some of the leftover sponge we had from the bread dough. Here’s a couple of pictures of the batter and the finished product:
This recipe still needs a little bit of tweaking but I did manage to use some whole wheat flour with these muffins and I snuck some greens in there as well! The kids said they liked them but personally, I think they need a little something more before I want to share the recipe.
I was also excited to get my Grove order this week as I ordered several items I’ve never tried before. I did get the room spray for FREE and I love that it comes in a reusable glass bottle. You can even order the concentrated sprays to refill it.
The body wash smells amazing and the brushes have helped out a lot with some of the cleaning we’ve been doing around the house. I bought the washing machine cleaner to help get rid of the mildew on the refrigerator seals … yuck. It has helped somewhat but it may need to be used several times to get rid of it completely. I may cave and get some bleach to get rid of it because I just really hate seeing it.
And now for the best part of our week! We had gotten the Insect Lore Deluxe Butterfly Garden with 2 Live Cups of Caterpillars & Feeding Kit at Easter and the kids have really enjoyed watching their little caterpillars grow up. I don’t know if you can see in the first picture but they were small enough to fit on my pinky nail but boy did they grow quickly.
The kids have been excited to observe the whole process but they were also very excited to let them go. This was easier said than done as a couple of them didn’t want to leave their little home. A couple of them have been spotted hanging out near the pond so we still get to see them just not as often as we did before. The kids are begging to this again.
Well, I guess I better finish up here as the boys are begging me to ‘let the dough out of the bowl’ so they can work with it. They already have some plans for bread and jelly when it gets finished!
We just want to wish everyone a very Happy Mother’s Day and we hope that you have a wonderful weekend!
Remember that sometimes motherhood, or even parenthood, is not the way we had it pictured that it would be and we can get overwhelmed and stressed but it is so much more rewarding than we could ever hope that it would have been!
Here’s a picture of our finished bread:
**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.
I woke up crying this morning from a dream that shook me to my soul. My heart was trembling and I felt so sick to my stomach. I was immediately relieved to realize it was only a dream but also saddened because I know for some families it has been a reality.
I’m not sure what caused me to have such a horrible dream but maybe some of it came from recent news stories about the children who were recently recovered in Georgia. I don’t really know why I would have such a horrible dream but it did make me realize that we all need to watch our children closely and keep them safe everywhere we go.
My dream started out that we were visiting family and there were lots of kids around. I had sent my kids to go have their quiet time and one of my daughters had asked if she could read a book during the quiet time which I agreed to. all of the adults sat around chit chatting and such while the kids were down for naps.
After quiet time everyone came down for snacks and then some of the kids went with one of the adults to a friend’s house for some games and swimming while some of the others went with another adult on a shopping trip. My daughters had both opted to go swimming and I had stayed home and kept an eye on the ones who stayed home.
Later in the evening, around dinner time, everyone started returning to the house and as they sat down to eat I realized I had a child missing. Noone had seen her since they’d left. The people who had gone swimming said she had changed her mind at the last minute and said she was gonna stay home to read her book. Panic started to set in, even now the panic grips my heart just retelling the story, as I knew I hadn’t seen her all afternoon.
We started calling her name and then began a room by room search of the house. After we searched the inside someone offered to search inside again and a couple of us split up outside. I went door to door at the neighboring houses but no one claimed to have seen her. There was one house playing extremely loud music and had a pickup truck running in the driveway. No one answered the door so I continued on my way.
On my way back through I met a couple of guys at the pickup who seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. One was putting something in the back row of seats while the other was throwing stuff into the front. I managed to stop them to ask them if they had seen my daughter. I showed them a picture and they commented on what a pretty girl she was and that they had not seen her.
The one guy went on to claim that they had just been staying with their friend and that he had been catching up on sleep as he had been driving the whole day. He suggested that maybe she had run away because we had yelled at her or had some kind of disagreement. I said, ‘No’, we were visiting with family and having a really good afternoon.
Then the other man chimed in and said that it was sad to see how many kids are neglected because of adults not paying attention. He went on and on to talk about how he had seen so many adults who were attached to their phones and not paying a bit of attention to their kids or their surroundings. It was not helping the fear I had as I had assured him that this had not been our case.
I left as they were getting into the vehicle and driving away. I noticed that they slowed down near the house we were staying at but I lost sight of them when I rounded the driveway. I went to the house praying that she had been found while I had been out. I knew that if she hadn’t been found by then we needed to call the police as something had definitely happened.
As I neared the house my phone rang and I could hear a lot of commotion in the background. There was a lot of crying and screaming and I couldn’t make it out. As I walked into the back door I saw a group of people crowded around something in the floor. As I got closer I saw that it was my daughter and the memory of this part of my dream stills shakes me. I won’t go into details other than to say that someone told me my youngest son saw her laying on the curb in front of the house. He managed to pull her out of harm’s way and yelled for help.
One of the adults had picked up her seemingly lifeless body and brought her inside where they laid her on a blanket in the floor. She wasn’t moving at all and I knelt down beside her. Another adult came in to say that the police and the rescue were on the way. I started doing some CPR even though her little body felt chilled but it didn’t seem to be working. Everyone tried to console me but I refused to give up. I prayed and prayed and she did begin to breathe. As she started to regain consciousness she became hysterical.
I took her in my arms and did my best to comfort her and assure her that everything was okay. Someone came in to let us know that the paramedics had arrived and I felt relieved. As I held her I wondered who could have done this and immediately I thought of the two men that I had seen who had been all too eager to tell me about where they had been and what they had been doing. It had seemed a little strange as everyone else had just simply said that they hadn’t seen her but that they would keep an eye out for her. I was trying hard to remember as much as I could while I held her in my arms and that’s when I woke up.
This didn’t happen but at the time it felt so real. The emotions I felt are still affecting me right now. There were some details that I did leave out but I’m sure you can imagine how it felt.
Sadly this is a reality for so many parents. They have a child go missing for whatever reason and they never see them again. On occasion, they are recovered but so much damage has been done that they are never the same again. Even worse is when they find out that their child has been killed. It’s such a sad thing to think that there are people around us who would do such horrible things to our children but we need to face up to that fact.
We need to make sure we are 100% attentive to our children and our surroundings wherever we go. We also need to make sure that we truly know the people we are around and the people are children are around. If something about a person or situation feels off or strange then we need to start trusting our gut instincts and check things out a little more thoroughly or completely remove ourselves from the situation.
We also need to make sure that our kiddos know the important safety lessons like not wandering off or talking to strangers. My kids always use a buddy system where each child holds hands with another everywhere we go. I will hold the hand of anyone who is left out and if I have another adult we will usually have an adult in the front of our group and another in the back as walk.
In this case, they also need to make sure they let an adult know where they are and let an adult know if the plans get changed around. I could see this happening especially as school lets out and routines are changing. Many parents are so busy juggling work and school schedules that it could be easy to think that a child is one place when they are actually somewhere else or plans can change at the spur of a moment.
I just wanted to share this with everyone because I want us all to be safe and I don’t want anyone to go through an experience like that. I am including a few links to articles below for the steps to take if a child goes missing and I am praying that none of us ever need to use this. It might be a good idea, if you are planning to travel or have a busy summer schedule, to go ahead and have a current picture of your child and your child’s information in your phone in case it is needed for an emergency.
**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!
NOTE: My kiddos were 5, 6, 9, 11, and 15 at the time we created study unit. Some ideas may need to be changed/adjusted for older kids.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
Introduction:
We have been using the Little House on the Prairie Books for our homeschool this year and my kids are loving it. I have scoured the internet for resources to make our learning experience as fun and exciting as possible. This series of posts is a compilation of different resources we have found and used in our home. Please note that some of these may have been FREE at the time I found them and prices and/or availability may have changed. Feel free to leave your own links in the comments section below.
I also want to take a moment to thank all of these wonderful people who put together so many wonderful resources for all of us to use with our children. I know that many hours, blood, sweat, and tears went into these projects but your work is greatly appreciated!
We will be reading the noted selection for the week as well as discussing what we have read. I may come up with other questions as well. Kids are curious and I know we will have many questions which may lead to some research in other areas.
We will also be working on reading through a few books, see Kirby’s Kids Grade by Grade Homeschool Reading List , for each different grade level. The older kids (ages 9 & 11) will have some independent reading while the younger ones (ages 5,6, and my special needs son who is 15 but at a Kindergarten level) will have a mixture of read alouds, read alongs, and independent reading.
You should keep a record of the books read. You can do this in a notebook or using this printable HERE.
You may also like to check out these links for book reports:
My kids are loving these new pencil grips we got recently!
Vocabulary/Spelling:
We will be doing various activities for this area. We will be looking up definitions, matching words, putting the words in alphabetical order, and a variety of other activities.
The vocabulary words could also be used as spelling words, if you choose to do so. We are also using these resources below:
There will be a variety of creative writing ideas as well. I have tried to vary them and offer choices to help encourage writing. We will also be doing various writing assignments in some of other areas as well.
These are just some of the other activities that I am incorporating into the lessons with my kiddos as we are all at different learning levels. I put these in here to keep me organized so I don’t ‘forget’ something. In our Group activities I include a lot of reading out loud books that may seem ‘young’ but my older kids missed out on some of these nursery rhymes and such when they were younger due and they really enjoy listening to them as they work. Many of the titles can be found at your local library too!
I will add links to worksheets I find or make as we go through the unit. For a general guideline of skills your child should know by grade level click HERE.
I have pulled a lot of the material from the book for the worksheets listed down below.
Many of the ideas have been pulled from the following resources:
We use Ray’s Arithmetic Books for Lessons (Newer versions available here.) but you can also find free lessons online or simply buy a workbook from your local dollar store.
Note about Ray’s Arithmetic Books: These can be a little confusing at first but the Parent/Teacher guide is so useful! I have found that the books are in order as follows:
1st/2nd grades: Ray’s New Primary Arithmetic
3rd/4th grades: Ray’s New Intellectual Math
5th/6th grades: Ray’s Practical Arithmetic
7th/8th grades: Ray’s Higher Arithmetic
I have used a lot of the examples from the book to create the worksheets you will find listed below. **ANSWER KEY password: momsrock (highlight blank area)
You can also find FREE Lessons with these links:
You can find FREE math lessons at Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool and we have used this for a few years and will probably go back to it at some point.
Many of the ideas have been pulled from the following resources:
Which Way Usa Magazines by Highlights (This link is for the whole subscription set but I have provided links on each week for puzzle books that go with the lesson.)
We will also be studying different lessons from Mystery Science which is a site that the kids LOVE! We have found a lot of FREE lessons on this site. (You do need a membership to access all of the site.)
YouTube can be a great resource for educational videos.
We often have some ‘Free Play’ outside whenever the weather allows as well.
Life Skills:
This area contains our lesson plans for a few different areas that I have included with our ‘Life Skills’. You will find lessons on cooking, cleaning, and organization as well as bible memory work and character training. All of these will go together to help raise our children into the responsible and caring citizens of tomorrow.
You can find a FREE printable log for keeping track of memory work here:
We will be discussing some of the character qualities that are displayed in the book but if you would like to do a separate character study lesson you can download one HERE.
Music, Arts & Crafts:
These lesson plans include Music, Arts, and Crafts. Choose one or two ideas/day as desired.
Many of the ideas have been pulled from the following resources:
Remember: These are the lessons and activities that we used while doing this study but you can do anything your heart desires to make this a great adventure for you and your kids!
These lessons were made to go along with ‘On The Banks Of Plum Creek‘ written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are planning to go through the whole series and I am keeping track of the different topics we are learning about here on my blog. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have!
This page contains our lesson plans for a few different areas that I have included with our ‘Life Skills’. You will find lessons on cooking, cleaning, and organization as well as Bible memory work, manners, and character training. All of these will go together to help raise our children into the responsible and caring citizens of tomorrow.
On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.
We will be discussing some of the character qualities that are displayed in the book but if you would like to do a separate character study lesson you can download one HERE.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or subject simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
Week 1: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
1. Memory Verse
We will be memorizing Psalm 51 during this unit study. Print it HERE.
Work on memorizing two verses during the week for a special prize.
Verse 1: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Verse 2: Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.
2. Character
Complaining:
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. – Philippians 2:14-15
We will be memorizing Psalm 51 during this unit study. Print it HERE.
Work on memorizing a verse during the week for a special prize.
Verse 3: For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Verse 4: Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.
2. Character
Did you know that questioning the law or rules can be a sin?
Did you know that telling half-truths is a sin?
Laura led Mary astray. Why is it so important for us to be careful of what we do?
Why should we do what is right?
– Read Proverbs 20:11:
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
Why do you think Laura suggested reading this when you are faced with trouble?
– Read 1 Timothy 5:7-8
And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
We will be memorizing Psalm 51 during this unit study. Print it HERE.
Work on memorizing a verse during the week for a special prize.
Verse 12: Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Verse 13: Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.
2. Character
Discuss what you learned.
What commandment did Laura break?
God is good and he takes care of us.
How did God give Laura what she had wanted?
– Read Joel 2:25-26
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
How does this apply to the story?
Read Proverbs 27:10
Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
We will be memorizing Psalm 51 during this unit study. Print it HERE.
Work on memorizing a verse during the week for a special prize.
Verse 18: Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Verse 19: Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.
Work on saying everything you have memorized.
2. Character
Have you ever heard of the Golden Rule?
What are some examples of how the Golden Rule was shown in the story?
What are some ways that you can use the Golden Rule?
**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR
PORTFOLIO! TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!
**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.
Here are our Lesson Plans For Music, Arts & Crafts
These lessons were made to go along with ‘On The Banks Of Plum Creek‘ written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are planning to go through the whole series and I am keeping track of the different topics we are learning about here on my blog. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have!
On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or subject simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
These lessons were made to go along with ‘On The Banks Of Plum Creek‘ written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are planning to go through the whole series and I am keeping track of the different topics we are learning about here on my blog. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have!
On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or subject simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
Week 1: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
1. Water Purification Safety
Drinking unpurified water can sometimes make you very sick.
**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO! TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!
**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.
![Being Selfish (Help Me Be Good) by [Berry, Joy]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61dfTicGVcL.jpg)
