Homeschool

  • Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables

    Download and print these free Amphibians worksheets for kids!

    Whether it’s for homeschool, supplementing lessons, or ensuring your kids don’t experience educational summer slide, enjoy these Amphibian worksheets for kids. All you have to do is download and print; they’re all free of cost. These science worksheets are perfect for younger children, whether you choose to use them to introduce amphibians or to review or retain lessons from school. Feel free to share these worksheets with other parents or teachers in your network.

    Download Free Amphibians Worksheets for Kids Here!

    Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables
    Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables
    Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables
    Amphibians Worksheets for Kids | Free Printables

    If you like these Amphibian worksheets for kids, you may also like:

    I hope your kids love these Amphibian worksheets as much as my children do and it’s helpful for them. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest where I share more worksheets and resources for families.

    There are lots of worksheets and educational resources on this blog! Download and print as many as you like and be sure to share with all of your friends who are moms, teachers, etc. You can find all worksheets here!

    Print and Download these worksheets!

    Free The Nervous System Worksheets

    Free Science Worksheets

    Free Solar System Worksheets

    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    Sea Turtles Activity Sheets

    Sea Turtle Activity Sheets

    Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet 

    FREE Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet

    Plant Life Cycle Worksheets Free Printables for Kids

    You can also receive new free printables worksheets delivered directly to you email inbox by subscribing to my newsletter here!

    Interesting in our homeschool journey? Learn about our homeschool journey and favorite homeschool resources here.

  • Free Science Worksheets| The Nervous System

    Free Science Worksheets | The Nervous System

    My second grader is currently learning about the nervous system as part of homeschool, and he’s a tad bit obsessed. I have to admit that the nervous system is one of the most exciting scientific topics about the human body, so I understand his fascination. If you’re a regular reader, you will know by now that we use Time4Learning for science, but I’m always finding other resources or creating challenging worksheets for my children to reinforce their lessons. These nervous system-free science worksheets are informative yet fun for elementary school children. Print them for your kids to learn, practice, or improve their knowledge on the topic.

    Enjoy these free worksheets! If you’re a parent, teacher, or homeschooler, please take advantage of all of the free worksheets on this website for your young scholars. I linked a few more at the bottom of this post.

    The Nervous System | Parts of the Brain

    Functions of the Parts of the Brain

    Label the Parts of the Brain

    The Nervous System Diagram

    The Nervous System Word Search

    Draw the Nervous System

    As you can see, these worksheets are a mix of challenging and fun for kids. Please share there with any teachers, parents, or homeschoolers in your life who you think will benefit from them. Don’t forget to check out the other free science worksheets on this website and download them.

    You may also want to download these free worksheets:

    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    https://adannadill.com/free-solar-system-worksheets-for-kids/

    Plant Life Cycle Worksheets Free Printables for Kids

    Sea Turtles Activity Sheets

    Sea Turtle Activity Sheets

    Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet FREE

    FREE Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet

    Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter, following me on Pinterest and Instagram for more free printables!

  • Supporting Kids’ Dreams with a NY 529 College Savings Plan

    Thank you NY 529 for sponsoring this post. It’s never too early to get growing! Learn more about opening a NY 529 Plan for your child today.

    I met my husband while I was still in college; he was fresh out of college and, naturally, a lot of our conversations revolved around our college experience. We both worked full-time while attending full-time college, and we didn’t get the chance to take advantage of experiences like study abroad programs, internships, or even to network on campus. Of course when we became parents, we wanted our children to have options we didn’t have. So, we started a NY 529 Plan for our oldest when she was only a few months old and began making contributions at every pay period. It’s one of our ways of supporting our children’s dreams. Over the last few months that we’ve been quarantined and spending more time together, we’re learning more about their dreams of becoming a filmmaker and scientist (at least for now) and want to encourage them in every way we can.

    WHY WE CHOSE A NY 529 PLAN.

    The NY 529 was the best option for our family for many reasons, as we learned when we did our research. First, it’s tax-deductible forus NY state taxpayers, so we can deduct contributions of up to $10,000 annually from New York state taxable income for married couples filing jointly and $5,000 for single taxpayers.* It was the best option for us to save for not one, not two, but three kids’ college education and we found it simple to get started. 

    NY 529 College Savings Plan

    NY 529 PLAN IS FLEXIBLE. 

    The NY 529 Plan is flexible; you can save as much or as little as you want, and if your income is ever affected like many of our friends and family are experiencing now, you can make lower contributions than usual. For instance, you can set aside as little as $10 or $20 per week, which can still add up over time. 

    PREPARED FOR THE UNKNOWN. 

    None of us could have predicted a global pandemic in 2020, and there is the possibility that other events would occur that may impact our finances in the future and our ability to save for our kids’ higher education. Having an NY 529 Plan means that we can worry a little less, knowing that we’ve prepared for the future.

    ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS SPAN MORE THAN 4-YEAR COLLEGES.  

    My kids are only 10, 7, and 3 right now, so their interests may change as they grow older. A NY 529 Plan can be used to pay for any eligible higher learning institution, not just 4-year colleges. That means you can use it to pay for a graduate degree, community college, or a trade/vocational school. Whatever your child dreams of, you can support it.

    NY 529 College Savings Plan

    SAVING OVER BORROWING.

    We’re the generation crushed by student loans, so we know how stressful it can be. That’s why we wanted to start saving early and focus on saving versus borrowing to pay for higher education.

    Thanks to the NY 529 Plan, we’re grateful that we’re able to give our kids the opportunities we didn’t have when we entered college. Like most parents, we want to give our kids the best shot at achieving their goals, and we’re glad that the NY 529 Plan allows us to do just that on our terms. I hope this helps your decision making if a NY 529 Plan would be right for your family. If you need more information, you can download a NY 529 Plan booklet here or call 877-NYSAVES (877-697-2837) to request one. 

    * Contributions of up to $10,000 are deductible annually from New York State taxable income for married couples filing jointly; single taxpayers can deduct up to $5,000 annually. New York State tax deductions may be subject to recapture in certain circumstances such as rollovers to another state’s 529 plan, federal nonqualified withdrawals, or withdrawals used to pay elementary or secondary school tuition, registered apprenticeship program expenses, or qualified education loan repayments as described in the Disclosure Booklet and Tuition Savings Agreement. State tax benefits for non-resident New York taxpayers may vary. Please consult your tax advisor about your particular situation.

    Earnings on federal nonqualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local income taxes.  Tax and other benefits are contingent on meeting other requirements.  Please consult your tax advisor about your particular situation.

    Investment returns are not guaranteed, and you could lose money by investing in the Direct Plan. For more information about New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan, download a Disclosure Booklet and Tuition Savings Agreement or request one by calling 877-NYSAVES (877-697-2837). This document includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other information. You should read and consider them carefully before investing.

    Before you invest, consider whether your or the beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in that state’s 529 plan. Other state benefits may include financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors.

    The Comptroller of the State of New York and the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation are the Program Administrators and are responsible for implementing and administering the Direct Plan.

    Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, LLC, serves as Program Manager and, in connection with its affiliates, provides recordkeeping and administrative support services and is responsible for day-to-day operations of the Direct Plan. The Vanguard Group, Inc., serves as the Investment Manager. Vanguard Marketing Corporation provides marketing and distribution services to the Direct Plan.

    No guarantee: None of the State of New York, its agencies, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), The Vanguard Group, Inc., Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, LLC, nor any of their applicable affiliates insures accounts or guarantees the principal deposited therein or any investment returns on any account or investment portfolio.

    New York’s 529 College Savings Program currently includes two separate 529 plans. The Direct Plan is sold directly by the Program. You may also participate in the Advisor-Guided Plan, which is sold exclusively through financial advisors and has different investment options and higher fees and expenses as well as financial advisor compensation.

    ©2020 New York’s 529 College Savings Program

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    Homeschooling Materials: Curriculum, Online Classes and Workbooks

  • Tips for Creating a Digital Homeschool Portfolio

    As many of you know, I started homeschooling my children back in September, so we’re still new. We just finished our first quarter, and I have to say it’s been a good experience for us so far. Of course, it was challenging since I have three children of different age groups. I did a lot of research before we started homeschooling, but I’m learning what works best for us as we go along. I initially started to create a homeschool portfolio in a big binder for recordkeeping. Still, I soon realized it wasn’t a good fit for me, especially since I need to submit our records digitally. S o I’ve switched to a digital homeschool portfolio. If you’re thinking about doing the same, I wanted to share a few simple tips for creating a digital portfolio that I’ve found helpful so far. 

    Tips for Creating a Digital Homeschool Portfolio

    Choose a platform to save your digital homeschool portfolio.

    The platform will depend on what’s best for you and what you’re comfortable using. It can be anything from a working Google document, spreadsheet, or even a full WordPress blog like this one. You can also utilize apps like Childfolio to create and manage your child’s digital homeschool portfolio from your smartphone. I love this app because it can be used to log field trips, activities, and any size creative projects plus it’s inexpensive.

    Take photos of everything you want to add to your child’s digital portfolio.

    Homeschool Portfolio

    I think most of us millennial moms naturally take lots of photos, so it’s easy for us to get into the groove of taking pictures of everything we need as a record. While I try not to throw out physical copies of the kid’s schoolwork, I take photos for their digital homeschool portfolio. This is also a great way to reduce clutter if you have little storage space like myself.

    Make regular notes of your child’s progress and struggles.

    This is the best way to track your child’s progression to take note of subject areas they struggle with and seek extra help. It’s also good to make these notes to determine if you need to change your teaching style, the curriculum, or find other supplemental resources to help your child.

    Use video to capture your child’s progress.

    Don’t be afraid to use all types of media in your digital homeschool portfolio. Videos are great as you can capture your child reading out loud, showing off an exciting science project, and their expression
    when they work out a challenging math problem or field trip experience. These videos are fantastic for our memories as well as the digital homeschool portfolio.

    Download online transcripts for virtual classes and curriculum.

    If your children also take online classes, you can download that information to add to your digital portfolio. As I shared in this post, we use Time4Learning and Outschool classes for my children. I can download my children’s transcripts from both platforms and add them to their portfolio, plus the certificates of completion they’ve earned from Code Advantage.

    Backup your digital homeschool portfolio.

    As we all know, technology isn’t always dependable so be sure to backup your digital homeschool portfolio. My preference is cloud storage like Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple iCloud, etc. because it’s easy to access them from anywhere and any device. You can also use an external hard drive in addition to saving it on your computer.

    I hope you find these tips helpful in putting together a digital homeschool portfolio for your children. As our homeschool journey continues, I’m going to share more of our experience, and what’s works best for us be sure to follow me over on Instagram where I share a daily look at our homeschool experience in my stories.

  • Sea Turtles Activity Sheets

    Print these Sea Turtles Activity Sheets!

    It’s time for our activity sheets share! I’m so happy to share these printable Sea Turtles Activity sheets for the kids in your life. These activity sheets are appropriate for elementary school aged children. I hope your kids enjoy them!

    sea turtle activity sheets
    sea turtle activity sheets

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    Soil Layers of the Earth Printables

    Plant Life Cycle Printable

    Solar System Worksheets

    Connect with my on Instagram for daily posts!

  • Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet FREE

    FREE Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet

    Are your kids learning about the layers of the Earth? These free layers of the Earth printable worksheets are perfect for helping kids learn and revise the layers of the Earth. Feel free to print as many as you need and share them with other moms you know. These Layers of the Earth printables are perfect for elementary school kids.

    Download your free Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet below:

    FREE Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet

    FREE Layers of the Earth Printable Worksheet Packet

    I hope your kids have fun learning about the layers of the earth with these worksheets. Don’t forget to download out of our other free worksheet packets to keep your kids busy. Also, follow me on Instagram where I share more of our homeschool journey.

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    Plant Life Cycle Worksheets

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    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids
  • Plant Life Cycle Worksheets Free Printables for Kids

    Plant Life Cycle Worksheets Free Printables for Kids

    Need plant life cycle worksheets for kids? Download these free printable for homeschool, lesson planning, supplementing or to keep your kids busy.

    Plant Life Cycle Worksheets
    Plant Life Cycle Worksheets

    Make sure you’re following me on Instagram as I share a peek into our homeschool life in my stories and my Pinterest homeschool board.

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  • Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    I’m always on the lookout for fun free printable worksheets for my kids. Now that I’m homeschooling, I thought it would be great not just to find some good ones but also to share some with those who need them to review, supplement, or keep your kids busy. I’ll be sharing them weekly moving forward.

    Free Solar System Worksheets for Kids

    Download Solar System Worksheets for Kids below:

    Make sure you’re following me on Instagram as I share a peek into our homeschool life in my stories and my Pinterest homeschool board.

  • Homeschooling Materials: Curriculum, Online Classes and Workbooks

    Last week I shared on Instagram that I’m homeschooling my children for the 2020-2021 school year. This wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but after many hours of research, meetings, and emails with my kids school, I knew it was the best option for my children. I wanted to share all of the homeschool materials we’re using for those of you who are also considering homeschooling your children or looking for supplemental material.

    Homeschooling Materials: Curricula

    Selecting a homeschool curriculum for my children was challenging for me. As a mom new to homeschooling, I didn’t know where to start, but I leaned on some of the moms I interviewed in this post. Ultimately, I decided on Time4Learning and Oh Freedom! A Conscious US History Curriculum (mainly for my 5th grader). 

    Time4Learning

    Time4Learning is a secular online curriculum and learning program. Before we officially started homeschool on September 1st, we tried out Time4Learning for one week to ensure it would be a good fit for us. The kids immediately loved it! Time4Learning makes the lessons fun for both kids and covers four subject areas language arts, math, science, and social studies. Time4Learning costs $40 monthly for both kids. 

    You can customize Time4Leaning to suit your family’s needs. This includes setting the length of their lesson times, playground time (they have educational games under this section), your school year dates, re-take quiz score, etc.

    The kids and I have separate logins, and we’ve found the dashboard is user-friendly on both ends for us. My only issue is Time4Learning sometimes freezes in the middle of instruction or a quiz. I’ve contacted them, and they suggested using Google Chrome, but that doesn’t seem to prevent it.

    Time4Learning also offers foreign languages as an elective, Time4Languages. My son signed up for Spanish while my daughter is taking French. Other languages offered include Chinese (Mandarin), German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Hebrew, and Latin. It’s $59.95 per student for 6 months and powered by Rosetta Stone.

    My friend Bianca Dottin, who homeschools, pointed out that one of Time4Learning best features is recordkeeping. Here in NY, I’m required to submit quarterly reports. Using Time4Learning, I can generate reports of the work the kids completed on the website.

    Oh Freedom! A Conscious US History Curriculum

    I majored in History and African American Studies in college, so I wanted a history curriculum for my kids with an African American emphasis created by a Black homeschooling mom, Delina Pryce McPhaull. I’m excited about Oh Freedom! A Conscious US History Curriculum. It was $40 and is a digital download; I purchased the secular version. We’re going to be using a few textbooks with this curriculum that I bought on Amazon. I think this curriculum is also a good option as a supplement if your kids are enrolled in school.

    If you don’t think either curriculm would work for you, Eva Wilson of Socamom did an excellent video in her new and very informative homeschool Facebook group on choosing a homeschool curriculum. 

    Homeschooling Materials: Online Classes

    Outschool Classes

    The kids started taking online classes over the summer break to keep them engaged and prevent summer slide. I needed to incorporate them into our homeschool plan for the year as I am juggling a lot and caring for my toddler and running a business. The kids started Outschool classes in August. Outschool offers both ongoing as well as individual courses. They’re affordable, the class sizes are usually about 4-6 kids, and the teachers make them fun and exciting. This quarter, the kids are taking ongoing Math, French, Art, STEM, and ukulele.

    The cost of classes does add up, so if you’re not in a financial space to pay for them, Outschool offers financial assistance for eligible families. Get more information here. Like Time4Learning, you can also download a transcript from Outschool for record keeping.

    Use this link to get a $20 credit towards your child’s first Outschool class.

    CodeAdvantage Coding Classes

    My kids started taking CodeAdvantage classes over the summer. Initially, it was a partnership that I shared here on my Instagram. They teach coding in live interactive courses where the kids can get immediate feedback. My kids loved the classes and have been coding daily on code.org since. I signed them up to continue coding classes at CodeAdvantage this fall. Use the code rattlesandheels20 for $20 off of a coding class.

    Homeschooling Materials: Workbooks

    Even when they were enrolled in school, my kids always used workbooks for practice so naturally I got them a few for homeschool:

    Highlights Big Fun Books Second Grade Big Fun Workbook

    180 Days of Geography Workbooks

    180 Days of Writing

    Spectrum Spelling

    Scholastic Success with Writing

    We also use YouTube, Disney+, games, puzzles, Time4Kids, National Geographic books for learning. As I learn my kids learning styles over the next few months, I’m sure I will add or change so of the homeschool materials we’re doing. Of course, I will continue to share more about our homeschool journey as these changes occur.

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