May Calendars are Up!

There are 6 different syles to choose from.

Visit our Free Calendars page to download yours.

Free Printable Chart System for Kids - Part2

In an effort to help keep myself and my kids focused and productive throughout the day, I designed an activity chart for each of my older children. My daughter chose a butterfly theme and my son asked for a firefighter theme. I'm happy to share these resources with you. Today I will post the fire engine chart pages.  Click the link to find the butterfly chart pages in my previous post.

[Some of the information in this post has been copied from the previous post and will be repetitious if you have already read part 1.  Just skim through.]

Part of the fun of this project is involving the kids as much as possible. Children [and adults too] tend to take more of an interest and ownership when they are involved in the process. Whether you're introducing a new food, welcoming a new family member, or learning a new schedule, try to find ways to include them. My kids may not like to eat zucchini...but when they planted, watered, harvested and cleaned their own zucchini, it became exciting and they had fun eating it - even though it's not their favorite vegetable.

My kids love coloring. I asked my kids to color in the pictures on a few pages and to help me think of activities we could list for them to accomplish. [I already had my own list in mind, but allowing them to talk about it with me and agree on our list was engaging for them, gave them an opportunity to analyze and negotiate their activities and enabled them to take ownership of our selection.] For older children [or if you're not a hopeless perfectionist like I tend to be] you could let them cut out their shapes too...and write out their objectives.

The objective we agreed on were: "get dressed", "make my bed", "exercise", "Bible time", "school time", "pick up toys", "help Mom & Dad" and "be kind and obey".

Use the chart for whatever projects you would like to. I've left them blank for you to add your own chores, daily activities, or school subjects - whatever you want.

To download the charts, simply click on each page and then right click the image. Select "Save Picture As..." and determine a destination and name for each file. Then save the file to your computer.

Print each page on cardstock paper. I chose two tones of a single color [red] for the fire trucks and the firetruck background pages and then I printed the remaining pages on white cardstock, with the exception of the calendar [or chart page, depending on your preference], which I printed on plain white paper.

Once the pages are printed, I suggest letting your children color first, then cutting out the shapes.  My son colored in his large fire engine and the fireman seals & badges as well as the small fire department seals.

In the banner on the first page, write in your child's name or a title for your chart [or have your child write it]. And cut out the small fire department seals along the bold lines, leaving you with 50 1-inch squares. Cut out the large fire engine along the outer edge of the shape.

Cut out the small bold fire trucks along the outer edge of each shape. Attach magnetic tape to the BACK of each bold fire truck.

Cut out the small faded fire engines along the outer edge of each shape and write out your objectives on the FRONT of your fire engines; one objective one each. Attach magnetic tape to the BACK side of each faded fire engine - being careful to align the magnets so that the polar attraction of all magnets line up with your bold fire engines' magnets, with both fire engines placed face up - bold on top of the faded.

I formatted the badges and seals so you can choose which to use as the pad to place your fire trucks on.  You could use just one type or any combination of 8 per set of fire trucks. Have your child color each badge or seal you have chosen to use. [You could write in your family name or your child's name in the blank space on the Fire Chief badges...or have your child do this.] Then cut along the outer edge of each shape. Attach magnetic tape to the BACK side of each badge [or seal]; as you do this, consider how you would like your fire engines to be positioned and align your magnets accordingly, with your bold fire engines face up on top of your badges/seals [also face-up].

Determine what type of grid you would like to use for your chart. I have provided several options; a January 2011 calendar [You can download more styles and other months from my Printable Calendars page.], a blank calendar, or a plain blank grid. You could trim these if you'd like to, or simply use them as they are.

I used double-stick tape to adhere my chart pieces to the inner door of our "school armoire". You could use a magnetic board, poster board, wall, inner closet door...or even place your chart on the fridge - use your imagination! Here is a picture of how I have mine set up, but you could certainly place yours differently. My placement was not very well thought through. [I kinda got excited and just started taping.]

Tape or glue all your faded fire engines and the large [not the small squares from page 1] fire department seals/badges face up to your chosen surface. Leave the bold fire engines unattached, but place one on top of each seal/badge.

As your child accomplishes each task [or at the end of the day - whatever routine you choose] let him remove a bold fire truck from a seal/badge and place it on the task he has successfully completed. At the end of the day or week [depending on your chart] if he has achieved whatever goal you set [i.e., completing all objectives or completing a specific number of objectives etc.] award him with a tiny fire department seal square to be placed on the appropriate box on his grid.

In advance you should determine if you would like to give your child a goal to work toward. My husband and I decided that for every 30 fire fighter seals [or butterflies for the butterfly chart] our children earn, they will be give a set amount of money to spend and be taken out for a special day with Mom or Dad. You can set your own award system for your family; maybe the kids earn collective "points" to get to plan a family activity, like a game night, pizza party, movie night etc. Rewards make it fun for the kids and give them something to work towards...it keeps them engaged which encourages their interest and consequently their participation. Plus, if you throw in a chore or two as objectives on their charts, their involvement in the program could end up being a load off of your shoulders too! :)

I hope you enjoy these activity charts and find them helpful in your own family, school or daycare! If you think of a fun & creative way to use them, would you let me know about it? I'd love to hear your ideas. You can leave a comment on this post or email me at homeeducationjournal@hotmail.com. Thanks so much!

credits:

fire engine image; banner image; fire department seal image; volunteer firefighter badge image; fire chief badge image; fireman image; AlexandriaFLF, by Casady & Greene; 101! Block LetterZ, by Nght's Place also: Fire & Rescue Decals

Free Printable Chart System For Kids - Part 1

I struggle with keeping my family on a schedule.  This is unfortunate, since I have recognized that my children thrive when they know what to expect next.  My son [who is 5] appears more relaxed, generally happier and functions with more efficiency when he has a clear understanding of what he is expected to do ahead of time.  He likes to look at the clock and see that it is 1:38...and prepare himself for whatever activity begins at 2:00.  We realized early on that he needs time to prepare himself for change.  I assume part of this can be attributed to his age, however I recognize that much of it is his own personality.  [Maybe it is a familiar trait...? :) ] A schedule is not just helpful for the kids; anyone can benefit from clear expectations and timed guidelines.

My husband's schedule has changed, which of course affects our family's routines.  One of my challenges these last few weeks has been to set a schedule that will work for my family.  I'm not terribly rigid - at least not as dogmatic as my 5-year-old about start and stop times for each activity; however, the structure our schedule provides is truly beneficial for all of us.

Along with writing out and posting a schedule [which includes wake up time, mealtimes, school time, playtime, family activities and a bedtime routine], I wanted to find a fun way to encourage my children's participation.

I designed an activity chart for each of my older children.  My daughter chose a butterfly theme and my son asked for a firefighter theme.  I'm happy to share these resources with you.  Today I will post the butterfly chart pages and I will post the fire truck pages later in the week.  [update: the fire engine chart is now available.]

Part of the fun of this project is involving the kids as much as possible.  Children [and adults too] tend to take more of an interest and ownership when they are involved in the process.  Whether you're introducing a new food, welcoming a new family member, or learning a new schedule, try to find ways to include them.  My kids may not like to eat zucchini...but when they planted, watered, harvested and cleaned their own zucchini, it became exciting and they had fun eating it - even though it's not their favorite vegetable. 

My kids love coloring. I asked my kids to color in the pictures on a few pages and to help me think of activities we could list for them to accomplish. [I already had my own list in mind, but allowing them to talk about it with me and agree on our list was engaging for them, gave them an opportunity to analyze and negotiate their activities and enabled them to take ownership of our selection.] For older children [or if you're not a hopeless perfectionist like I tend to be] you could let them cut out their shapes too...and write out their objectives.

The objective we agreed on were: "get dressed", "make my bed", "exercise", "Bible time", "school time", "pick up toys", "help Mom & Dad" and "be kind and obey".

Use the chart for whatever projects you would like to.  I've left them blank for you to add your own chores, daily activities, or school subjects - whatever you want. 

To download the charts, simply click on each page and then right click the image. Select "Save Picture As..." and determine a destination and name for each file. Then save the file to your computer.

Print each page on cardstock paper.  I chose two tones of a single color [orange] for the butterfly and the butterfly background pages and then I printed the remaining pages on white cardstock, with the exception of the calendar [or chart page, depending on your preference], which I printed on plain white paper.  My daughter colored in her large butterfly and the flowers.  She would have colored in the tiny butterfly "awards" except that I happen to have a handy little Martha Stewart butterfly paper punch and decided to punch out pink butterflies rather than cut out the squares.

Once the pages are printed, I suggest letting your children color first, then cutting out the shapes.

In the banner on the first page, write in your child's name, or a title for your chart [or have your child write it].  And cut out the tiny butterflies along the bold lines, leaving you with 50 1-inch squares.  Cut out the large butterfly along the outer edge of the shape. 

Cut out the medium sized bold butterflies along the outer edge of each shape.  Attach magnetic tape to the BACK of each bold butterfly.

Cut out the medium sized faded butterflies along the outer edge of each shape and write out your objectives on the FRONT of your butterflies; one objective one each.  Attach magnetic tape to the BACK side of each faded butterfly - being careful to align the magnets so that the polar attraction of all magnets line up with your bold butterflies' magnets, with both butterflies placed face up - bold on top of the faded.

Have your child color each flower.  Then cut along the outer edge of each shape. Attach magnetic tape to the BACK side of each flower; as you do this, consider how you would like your butterflies to be positioned and align your magnets accordingly, with your bold butterflies face up on top of your flowers [also face-up].

Determine what type of grid you would like to use for your chart.  I have provided several options; a calendar [you can download different styles and other months from my Printable Calendars page], or a blank calendar, or a plain blank grid. You could trim these if you'd like to, or simply use them as they are.

I used double-stick tape to adhere my chart pieces to the inner door of our "school armoire".  You could use a magnetic board, poster board, wall, inner closet door...or even place your chart on the fridge - use your imagination!  Here is a rather poor picture of how I have mine set up, but you could certainly place yours differently.  My placement was not very well thought through. [I just got excited and started taping.]

Tape or glue all your faded butterflies and flowers face up to your chosen surface.  Leave the bold butterflies unattached, but place one on top of each flower. 

As your child accomplishes each task [or at the end of the day - whatever routine you choose] let her remove a bold butterfly from a flower and place it on the task she has successfully completed. At the end of the day or week [depending on your chart] if she has achieved whatever goal you set [ie, completing all objectives or completing a specific number of objectives etc.] award her with a tiny butterfly square to be placed on the appropriate box on her grid. 

In advance you should determine if you would like to give your child a goal to work toward.  My husband and I decided that for every 30 butterflies [or firefighter seals for the fire engine chart] our children earn, they will be give a set amount of money to spend and be taken out for a special day with Mom or Dad.  You can set your own award system for your family; maybe the kids earn collective "points" to get to plan a family activity, like a game night, pizza party, movie night etc. Rewards make it fun for the kids and give them something to work towards...it keeps them engaged which encourages their interest and consequently their participation.  Plus, if you throw in a chore or two, their involvement in the program could end up being a load off of your shoulders too!  :)

I hope you enjoy these activity charts and find them helpful in your own family, school or daycare! If you think of a fun & creative way to use them, would you let me know about it?  I'd love to hear your ideas.  You can leave a comment on this post or email me at homeeducationjournal@hotmail.com.  Thanks so much!

credits:

butterfly image; banner image;  flower images; Broadsheet LDO, by Luke Owens; Baskerville Old Face, by Isaac Moore; AlexandriaFLF, by Casady & Greene; Lobster, by Pablo Impallari; Scartan Floaben, by P. J. Cassel

also:

abcteach; and The Coloring Barn

Free Printable 2011 Calendars

I hunted the internet for free printable calendars for my kids, and found a few...but none I liked.  Sooooo...

...I made my own..and am happy to share them with you too. 

You can download other months from my Printable Calendar page. I will continue to post each month as I finish it. 
Happy 2011! 

[To download the calendars, click on the image. Right click and select "Save Picture As...". Choose a destination and name for the file, then save to your computer.]

 

[Update:] Here is link to some free printable 12 month calendars I just found!  Love these, by Lula Louise - she has two styles; one with blank space for your kids [or yourself] to color in their own pictures for each month.

  The second syle features patterns that can be colored in. 

I think the "Sketch it Yourself" calendar would be a great way to document and archive the year.  Make notes of special days or events on the calendar and keep a precious art-piece by your child for each month.

Calendar 1 - Broadsheet LDO, by Luke Owens & Baskerville Old Face

Calendar 2 - Scartan Floaben, by P. J. Cassel

Calendar 3 - 101! Block LetterZ, by Nght's Place

Calendar 4 - Extra Ornamental, by House of Lime

Multiple Calendars - AlexandriaFLF, by Casady & Greene & Lobster, by Pablo Impallari

And, if you're wondering why I made calendars for my kids [who are all 5 and under], I will be sharing our fun project soon!  [Well, hopefully soon...with 3 kids under 5, "soon" could mean a few weeks. Ha!]

Labeled

Part of my children's education includes things like cleaning up their toys after playtime, clearing dishes from the table after dinner, bathing themselves and folding laundry. 

These are some basic life skills...necessary for them to eventually be able to function independently as adults...and also for my sanity during their childhood. I need them to help me out. It is healthy for them to learn responsibility and to take ownership of their belongings. And they gain confidence and feel that they are a valued and important part of our family when they are included.

One way I try to make it easier for them to be involved with these chores is by marking where items belong with labels.  Now that my son is reading, this is a simpler task.  When everything has a place, items are easy to find and easy to put away.  It eliminates the stress of wondering where "that thing" is as I'm heading out the door, 10 minutes late, crying children in tow.  Labeling allows me to hold my oldest a little more accountable when it comes to properly stowing his toys and clothing; no more "I didn't know where to put it" excuses.  It say's right on the drawer: "shirts".  And it is useful for my husband too.  Since he's not here as often as we are, he is sometimes unsure of where to find their clothes, toys or school books, and where to put them away.

Actually, I also kind of have an infatuation with letters and words...so I happily label whatever I can, I think words are pretty.  [Is that weird?  Idk...I've always liked words...I can't be the only one, right?]  In fact, I've often joked that it would be great to label EVERYTHING in our house sometime and invite our parents or friends over.  [You know, for fun.]  Could you imagine walking into a home where the tissue, the couch, the sink, the toilet, the door - everything - was labeled?  That would freak. me. out.  I label more than normal people do I think, and maybe freak some people out.  Anyways, I think my idea is funny...and I'm sure, one day, when I'm bored - you know maybe in 20 or 30 years, I will actually do it.

Ok, back on track...

I do not have a label machine.  So, what I do is format a document with text [for each item I wish to label] aligned in columns.  I set the font to a size that will allow me to cut my labels about 1/4 inch thick.

I print the page and cut each label out.

Next, I cut a piece of plain, clear tape just slightly longer than my label and center my label with the face of the label against the sticky side of the tape.

Then I press the tape onto my drawer [or wherever its destination may be] and that's it. 

When I label items in our wooden drawers, I place the label inside, or along the top edge of the drawer, so it can't be seen. You could also purchase hardware made to hold labels, and fix that to the front of your drawers. However, most of my children's items are stored in clear plastic drawers...so the tape is less obvious and the look of it doesn't bother me at all. [Remember, letter fetish...]

The labels come off easily, so I can change them when I need to. Because they are easily removed, I am cautions about labeling with tape when I have little ones around who will put things in their mouths - it can quickly become a choking hazard if a toddler removes the tape.

Well, it's nothing fancy, just a quick and easy organizational tip that is helpful to us...

What do you do to stay organized?

Simple Solution for a Puzzling Problem

My children LOVE puzzles! And consequently, we seem to have accumulated many. Some were Christmas gifts, others were received on birthdays...a large majority have been acquired at rock bottom garage sale prices. But regardless of HOW they were obtained, the bottom line is: they were ALL OBTAINED. And now must each be issued a space to reside in our home. 

I truly enjoy watching my kids arrange puzzles.  And I am amazed at their ability to reconstruct the images.  But beyond their developmental value, I enjoy puzzles and naturally find pleasure in observing their enjoyment also. 

My house is actually a bit of a puzzle itself. We have a small space to function in and a growing number of people who function in it...and so every little nook has either a purpose in its emptiness, or else its contents are methodically planned with intentional precision as to how to gain the most use of its area. And oftentimes items in my home must be placed in a specific order in order to appear orderly otherwise one thing or the other inevitably ends up utterly orderless and with no place to be placed. [Now read that 10x fast - haha...jk...don't hurt yourself. Ps - I may have *ahem* used a non-word...orderless, I liked it though…and I kind of feel like a Minnesotan saying it.]

So...this plethora of puzzles had me puzzled.  "Where can I possibly store all these?!", I wondered. 

I have several puzzle spaces.  Wooden baby puzzles are placed in a bin.  Large floor puzzles and puzzles with many small pieces are placed in a game cabinet.  And the stack of about 15 boxes of smaller 24-100 piece puzzles were shoved randomly in whatever space could be claimed for them on the educational shelves.  Those not lucky enough to be squished in somewhere were generally either dumped on the floor or piled on the counter.  This was not gonna fly.  Either the puzzle stash needed to be well thinned out - or I had to get more creative with my organization of them.  So, here is what I did...

I found a stash of plastic zip-closure bags. [I used up all my quart sized bags, so the image just shows sandwich bags...which may be big enough - you'll have to try it out and see.] I transferred all the puzzles into the bags. Then I filled an empty shoebox with the puzzle bags. I was able to fit 10 puzzles in the space that less than six puzzles would normally fit into. Not extremely drastic, but like I said, every inch of space counts around here.  

Before I tossed the boxes, I cut out the puzzle image from the top of each box and one of the smaller images from the side of each box.  The smaller images I taped to that puzzle's bag.  And the larger image I placed inside the bag. 

I also labeled all the puzzles with unique numbers. Sometimes the kids like to complete all the puzzles and line them up in the kitchen. That's great...until they disassemble all the puzzles at the same time. So, to alleviate some of the difficulty in regrouping mismatched pieces on occasions such as these, each puzzle was given it's own number. I wrote both the puzzle's # and the number of pieces in the puzzle on the cardboard back of the larger image I had cut from the original box. And then wrote the corresponding # on the back of each piece of that puzzle. Very easy. Takes just a little bit of time - but for the time and more so the frustration I know it will inevitably save me, I sure thought it was a worthwhile project. 

[uhhh...just realized this photo says 666...weird, and unintentional, just so ya know...]

So now, instead of random stacks like this everywhere...

I have one box...with a place...and a space, in my residential puzzle.  Ahhhh...nice.  [Sometimes it's just the little things, ya know?]