Toddlers learn best through play, whether it’s everyday free play or the occasional more structured activity. Timberdoodle’s My Big Farm Stickers books offer the perfect mix of structure and play.
What Are the My Big Farm Stickers Books?
This set of two sticker books includes pages of big, bright, colorful illustrations of various things found on a farm. This includes animals, trees, plants, tractors, and more. Each page has several circular outlines where the toddler can place a sticker based on the color around the outline or the picture inside the circle. Each book contains 75 stickers for lots of fun!
For example, there might be a circular outline on a brown cow, and the toddler would find the brown circle to place there. Another circle might include the outline of a bird, and the child would find the bird sticker to place in that spot.
Before Adding StickersAfter Adding Stickers
How Did We Use the My Big Farm Sticker Books?
We used these books with my 2-year-old. He is an older 2-year-old who will be 3 in two months. For my son and most 2-year-olds, these books are best done with the help of a parent or sibling.
We sat down together and looked at all the pictures, and then I demonstrated how to find the right sticker and place it on the picture. Then I let him help me work through more stickers. I showed him the pictures and asked what color we were looking for or what the picture on the outline was, then showed him the sticker page and let him help me find the sticker.
Next, he would place the sticker in the right spot on the page. He didn’t always get it perfectly, but he could either leave it as is or peel it off and reposition it.
My son loved them and kept asking to do more stickers. He is a huge farm animal fan, so the bright farm pictures really drew him in, and he enjoyed placing the stickers. He loved them so much that we are considering purchasing the other books in the set for Christmas.
What Are The Benefits of the My Big Farm Sticker Books and Who Should Use Them?
These sticker books can help you work on multiple skills. Placing the stickers builds fine motor skills. You can also use the books to work on colors, animal identification, visual matching, and more.
The books are recommended for ages 2+, and I think that is an accurate age range, as long as you understand that children on the younger end will likely need help. It is a great activity to do with your toddler and could even be a good way for a grandparent or other family member to spend time with the child.
Large Easy To Use Stickers
As a parent, I loved that they are mess-free, with no glue, scissors, etc., needed. The books are small and lightweight and can easily be brought to appointments, older siblings’ sports practices, etc., as a quiet activity.
I also really appreciated how well the stickers did when repositioned. This is so important when dealing with young children.
If you have a toddler or preschooler who loves stickers or farm animals, I highly recommend going to Timberdoodle and checking out these sticker books.
Sometimes learning isn’t just about academics; it’s also about life skills, character qualities, and artistic pursuits. This Sea Turtle carved from soapstone is a beautiful art project, but it also teaches patience, dedication, and precision. In addition, carving is a life skill you can use for many other projects.
What is the Sea Turtle Soapstone Carving Kit?
First, it is important to note that soapstone is a real stone. I know there are carving projects that use bars of soap to teach beginning carving, but this is an actual stone carving project. Soapstone is a soft, smooth stone that is reasonably easy to carve, making it a great option for students.
This carving kit takes students from a block of stone to a finished sea turtle, waxed and ready for display. This is a project that can be displayed for many years to come or gifted to a friend or family member.
Everything you need for the project is included in the kit.
What is Included in the Kit?
One partially shaped block of soapstone
Carving Tool
Sandpaper
Finishing oil
Step-by-Step Instructions
Our Experience with the Sea Turtle Soapstone Carving Kit
My twelve-year-old loves art and making things with his hands. He was super excited to get this kit and try it out. I decided to give it to him and see how it went, letting him know I was available if he needed help.
He used the included paper instructions and worked his way through it without any assistance from me. Video instructions are also available via a QR code, but he didn’t feel like he needed them.
Overall, it took him a couple of hours over several days to complete the project. Working his way through the steps and the detailed work at the end.
He has requested that I find him additional kits to complete, as he really enjoyed that one.
The only thing I would change is asking him to use one of our disposable tablecloths or an old crafting tablecloth to contain the dust from the sanding.
“It was very fun and unique. It was fairly easy, though I learned to be a little more careful after I accidentally snapped one leg off while filing it down.”
Conclusions
Overall, I think this was a great kit that contains everything you need to complete the project (always a plus in my book). It builds artistic carving skills, as well as patience and perseverance. It can also strengthen fine motor skills.
The kit is recommended for ages 8-99 and I think that is a good guideline. You need the person completing the kit to have good fine motor skills and to be able to work carefully with the tools. A younger child may be able to complete the kit for more assistance.
Visit Timberdoodle today to learn more, purchase your Sea Turtle Soapstone kit, and explore the other soapstone kits they offer.
FAQs
What ages is this kit for?
The company recommends ages 8-99, which suits the skill and dexterity required.
How Many Projects?
This kit includes one project.
Does the kit require reading?
Ideally, the student should be able to read the instructions, but there are also video instructions or someone could read the instructions for the student. There are also detailed pictures included.
We love building toys of any kind in our house; my boys will build with wooden planks, Legos, magnetic tiles, and more. However, Fischertechnik Junior Max from Timberdoodle is more than a building toy; it is a chance to learn basic engineering concepts through play.
What is Fischertechnik Junior Max?
This fun, hands-on building kit lets children use the same components to build multiple projects. More than just blocks that click together, these pieces slide in and connect in different ways and include wheels that turn, etc.
The kit includes about 90 components that can be put together in a variety of ways. Students can use the included manual to make 8 different models.
How Do You Use Fischertechnik Junior Max?
Students begin by following the step-by-step instructions to build whichever model they choose. They can build the models in any order that they choose. Once they have tried some or all of those, students can use their imagination and come up with their own projects to build.
The pieces slide into place and stay securely. The wheels move and move the components, just like in real simple machines.
The box shows all of the fun projects included in the kit.
Our Experience with Fischertechnik Junior Max
My eight-year-old was excited to try these. He loves building, machines, and anything hands-on. We looked over the instructions together, but then he completed the projects independently.
We loved that the projects could be completed in just a few minutes, and the instructions were fairly easy to follow. They use colored instructions that gray out the pieces you’ve already put together, making it easier for the student to see each new step. This also allows even non-readers to work on the projects independently.
The components fit together easily and were not too challenging for young hands; the sliding mechanisms made things fit securely without a lot of pressure or strength required.
Once he had done a few projects, he was excited to play with the different components and put them together to make his own creations. My two-year-old enjoyed playing with the “machines” that his brother created, but he is too young to really build anything with the kit.
Who Would Enjoy Fischertechnik Junior Max?
I recommend this kit for children ages 5-8, or possibly as young as four with adult assistance. It is especially great for those who enjoy building things or are interested in different machines and equipment. They can build the projects and then play with the machines they have built. Unlike many other kits, the wheels actually turn and the parts move, which makes them more fun for play after the build.
The parts were easy for small hands to work with.
Overall Thoughts
We really enjoyed this kit. The age range is fairly narrow (they do have other, more complex kits for older students), but it is a perfect introduction for younger students. It encourages creativity, imagination, and fine motor skills. You can find out more and get your set at Timberdoodle, where you can also see other Fischertechnik sets.
Note how the color contrast and graying help students see which steps need to be completed.
FAQs
What ages is this set for?
Recommended for ages 5+. I would recommend it for ages 5-8, possibly 4 with assistance.
What skills does this set teach?
Problem-solving, fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and basic engineering concepts
Does the set require reading?
No, the instructions are illustration based and can be followed by non-readers.
We have used some educational games off and on throughout my years of homeschooling, but I often wished we had more time to incorporate them. We typically either used them as evening family activities here and there, or we intentionally included one on a day when it fit well with whatever else we were studying. I also said we would play them more when we had “extra” time.
The truth is there is no “extra” time; there is always something that can fill that time, and if I do not schedule it, it most likely will not happen.
Scheduling Game Time in Our Homeschool
When talking about events, schedules, and such, I often tell people that if it is not in my Google Calendar, then it is not happening. I rely on that calendar to keep me on track. With our homeschooling day, I could say if it is not in my planner, then it is not happening.
Thus, this year, I am intentionally including educational games into our homeschool plan. For morning time this year, I am including our two “staple” subjects (World Watch and Bible) as well as one additional subject for each day of the week.
On Fridays, game time will be that extra subject for our morning time. So, each Friday we will set aside at least 30 minutes to play an educational game together. I believe this intentionality will help ensure that we actually get game time most weeks.
I also believe the game time will add something fun that the boys can look forward to during the school week.
A Fun History Game
What Do You Mean by Educational Games?
A wide variety of educational games are available. Some of them are very specifically educational, such as the Math Sprint Game or the history game, “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”.
Other games are less specific in their educational goals but are still valuable educational tools. For example, there are many logic games (like the ones from Fun Squared Games) that help students build logic skills that help them across many subject areas. Other games might build memory skills, fine motor skills, or imagination.
Whether it is a specific content area or general brain building, all of these games provide valuable tools for your child’s education.
Go to our educational game page to check out more game reviews and ideas.
Other Ways to Incorporate Games in Your Schedule
Friday morning might not work for your schedule, but there are lots of different ways you could add them in.
A few examples:
One afternoon after your regular subjects
Plan a time for them after so many days of successfully completing a goal.
Set aside a whole day for them once a month or once a quarter.
Use the shorter ones as a break between subjects.
Have some children play games while you get one-on-one time with a different child and then rotate.
FAQs
What do educational games teach?
There are so many different options; you can use games for logic, counting, spatial awareness, math, history, science, and more.
What ages can use educational games in your homeschool?
Games can benefit all ages, even high schoolers.
Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure
When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library, you will get a link and password to the library. We add new items to the library each month. You will also get a monthly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on and occasional extra newsletters about special events or deals.
This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.
Deals and Freebies
Schoolhouse Teachers is now offering a lifetime option! They are a great place for a one stop shop curriculum or a way to have a lot of options to fill in different electives and courses into what you have already chosen.
My son loves to build and create. He has buckets of Legos that will entertain him for hours on end. So when I heard about iBrick’s LEGO-compatible STEM kit from Timberdoodle, I knew we needed to check it out!
What is iBrick?
The iBrick STEM kit is a set of LEGO-compatible bricks, a battery-operated motor, wheels, and other parts. It is accompanied by online lessons and instructions to create a year-long STEM adventure.
What is included in the iBrick STEM kit?
This kit includes everything you need for the builds, except a few AA batteries for the motor. All the bricks are included, and there is a nice organizing tray that makes it easy to find what you need as you build.
The kit also includes 12 months of online access to the program, with 52 different weekly lessons.
What do the weekly lessons entail?
Digital Booklet of Instructions (much like the physical booklets that come with many brick kits)
Rotatable Picture Model Instructions (Use your mouse to rotate the digital pictures to help the builder understand how things are put together.)
A Short Video Lesson About the STEM Project (This gives background, history, and science behind the item being built.)
A series of challenges to use with the build
Our Experiences: The Car Safety Challenge
To help you better understand the iBrick program, let’s walk through one of the weekly lessons: The Car Safety Challenge.
In this lesson, students first follow instructions to build a car and test it out. My eight-year-old needed a little bit of help getting the hang of following the digital directions, but once he understood how they worked, he was able to complete the project independently.
Next, they watch a short (about 4-minute) video about the history of cars and car safety, including steering wheels (who knew the first cars didn’t have those), seat belts, airbags, etc.
Finally, they take the car they made in the first section and work through several challenges related to making it safer. There are instructions for building a brick person to go on the car, and then they “wreck” the car and see how he fares. Next, they try adding several safety features to see if the brick person survives the crash better with the added features.
Overall, the lesson took about 90 minutes for him to complete from start to finish. This will vary for the different lessons and based on how long it takes your child to complete the builds.
The car complete with the brick person, ready for testing.
Other iBrick Lessons
Some of the other lessons include:
A carousel
Crocodile
Roadster
Space shuttle
Hockey
Fishing game
And so much more
Overall Thoughts
Both parents and children give this product two thumbs up! As a parent, I loved that it engaged him in active learning and problem solving while he thought he was just having fun.
My son loved building, trying out the different challenges, and making things that actually move. The step-by-step instructions, rotating views, and short videos made it easy for him to use. Once we helped him get everything set up, he was able to do it independently.
“I love building the cars and other things and then having fun with them by doing the challenges.” Joseph, age 8
I’d recommend this for upper elementary and middle grades students to do independently. They also offer subscriptions for younger students with easier builds. The different levels use the same brick kit, so you only have to purchase additional lessons, and not an entirely new kit, if you want to complete multiple levels.
This STEM kit is a great way to encourage problem-solving, building, and other learning through brick play.
FAQs
What ages is this kit designed for?
The kit we reviewed was specifically designed for ages 7-9. They have other ages available, and I believe you could use it for children slightly older or younger than the recommended age range.
What makes the iBrick STEM kit different from other brick kits?
The lessons really make this kit stand out. It is not just building with bricks (which is beneficial on its own), but the challenges and the informational videos that make this a complete course.
Find out more and order your iBrick STEM kit from Timberdoodle today.
*Some of these links are affiliate links please see disclosure below for more information*
I hope you are doing well this holiday season. I have compiled this list of sales to help you get the best deals from the comfort of your home. There are sales, freebies, and deals of homeschool curriculum, extras, and a few ideas for moms!
I will be adding to the list as new deals, including Cyber Monday deals become available. Our family is grateful for your support through buying from my links. We hope deals are a blessing to your family and also support the blog.
CYBER Monday Specials
25% off our hymn studies, field trip journal, and everything else in my store with code ChristmasSchool
25% off any of our hymn studies and other products now through Cyber Monday! Code: ChristmasSchool (We have some great new Christmas Hymn Studies.)
Tuttle Twins is offering several big sales through December 6th.
Not Consumed is offering some great deals including 30% off November 20-29, 2025 , Bible Studies are $10, $5 Shipping with $50 purchase, Free NC tote with $75 purchase, and Free shipping with $100 purchase. We love their missionary study and their Bible studies.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com has a great Black Friday Sale from 11/28 to 12/1. Get the Ultimate Annual Membership for just $249 using the code BlackFriday2025
All About Learning is offering this brand new FREE Christmas Pack full of fun activities!
#LifeSkillsNow has a couple of great deals right now!
Maestro Classics has some great Black Friday deals on Nutcracker and more.
You Are An Artist has this great FREE Grinch art lesson if you want to have a little fun after all that shopping! Or if you need a gift for a budding artist, their Membership is a great value.
For Mom
Tummy Team has some new low prices on their amazing membership. Give yourself the gift of healing and health. This online abdominal and pelvic floor rehab is well worth the cost.
Fit2B is my favorite online fitness program and they are offering 50% off almost all of their memberships and courses! This is a great deal on some excellent fitness options.
HomeschoolStyleCo. is having some great sales this week. They have some cute shirts for the children and for moms!
Looking for ideas for keeping Christ in Christmas? Check out this FREE class!
When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library you will get a link and password to the library, we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on.
This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.
*Some links are affiliate links; see full disclosure below*
My eleven-year-old is going into sixth grade! How is he already old enough for church youth group and moving up to the Navigators group in our Trail Life troop?
He also enjoys fishing, hiking, and all things science. This is his first year running cross country for the local homeschool team. He would love to be able to skip math, but alas, I feel math is an integral part of his education.
Reading:
Since his reading is solid and he loves to read, we are going to do a fun and easy (for Mom) Book Bingo for his literature this year. The book bingo will give him a lot of autonomy in his reading, but also make sure he is getting in a variety of different books.
We are also continuing to use the Family Book Clubs from Read Aloud Revival, which are always fun and engaging.
Finally, don’t tell him that it’s actually school work, but he is participating in a local book club where they read a book each month and gather together to discuss it. Last month, they read Robin Hood, and this month, they are reading Sense and Sensibility.
Spelling
We have been working on All About Spelling, and he will continue to work his way through that. He really struggled with spelling, but over the last couple of years, he has shown tremendous progress, and we are excited to continue. We discovered All About Spelling years ago when my oldest child was struggling with spelling, and it has been our family’s favorite ever since.
Writing
For writing, we will be finishing Master Books Handwriting A to Zoo to review some handwriting skills. He will also be doing the next level in First Language Lessons to work on some grammar.
I printed out a huge selection of fun journaling prompts, and he chooses one each day to write about in his journal to work on his creative writing. He will also be entering some essays into several contests, including those sponsored by our junior historians and the state fair, to work on those skills. Those real-life applications have been so beneficial in encouraging my children to write solid essays.
Math
He will be finishing Math for a Living Education this year. We both love the format; it worked very well for him. There is generally enough practice for him without it being too much busy work. If there are concepts where he struggles, we can add in some extra practice.
Science:
I needed to be realistic this year about the amount of time and focus I have available for schoolwork, while also managing a toddler and multiple speech and physical therapy appointments each week. Of course, it is also important to me that my children get the solid education that they deserve.
This is where Journey Homeschool Academy solved my problem. We are doing one of their elementary science courses (which is solid enough for a sixth grader) with both my second and sixth graders. The boys wanted to learn about Astronomy, and we are loving the Elementary Astronomy course so far.
The video-based content makes it easy for them to do while I’m focused on the toddler, but then we can do the hands-on activities together. The course has solid science content with a Christian worldview that is also easy for me to implement. It has been a win for all of us.
Additionally, we will conduct a nature study at least once a week (we often do it more frequently when the weather is favorable). Sometimes our nature study is as simple as going outside and observing. Still, we also love to use our Homeschool Nature Study subscription to take things a little further and help me find some great activities and ideas.
History:
We are jumping back into Story of the World Volume 3 this year. We love all the hands-on activities and recipes included in the workbook, and we have the audio version of the text that allows us to listen while riding to appointments during our busy weeks.
Our first field trip of the year combined our history and science studies! Astronomy in the 18th Century
Art
This son is the one I refer to as my little artist. He loves to draw, paint, and create. We will continue to use our membership with You Are An Artist chalk pastels for his online art lessons and provide him with lots of time and materials to be creative.
He also requested the opportunity to learn more about drawing, and so he is going to be trying some lessons from Timberdoodle’s Simply Draw.
Morning Time:
Morning time is my favorite part of our school day. We will do our daily Bible study and watch World Watch for current events each day. In addition, we plan to do a rotation of fine arts studies, poetry, Tuttle Twins books, and more. You can find out more about the resources we are using this year at Morning Time Plans 2025.
We have a toddler in the house and seven standing appointments each week, so I am holding all of our plans in an open hand and praying for the best. We will do what we can, when we can, and trust that God will fill in the gaps.
Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure
When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library, you will receive a link and password to access the library. We add new items to the library each month. You will also receive a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on our current posts.
This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always, I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in, and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.
Morning time has been one of the few constants in our homeschool. As my children have changed, our schedules have changed, and our goals have changed, we have adapted our homeschooling curriculum in many ways, but having a morning time has remained a constant.
There have been years when morning time more typically happened in the evening (we should rename it family time), but we tried to keep that time of learning together. We have incorporated a variety of subjects, and it looks a little different each year.
Still, two things have remained the same: we learn together as a family, and we incorporate some type of Bible study.
What is Changing in our Morning Time Routine?
Last year, I worked hard to make sure we were consistent each morning with our time, even if we kept it simple some mornings. This year, we are keeping many of the same things in our “morning time.” However, between some speech and physical therapy appointments and my daughter having an early morning dual enrollment class twice a week, the timing is going to be a bit different.
I still want to be consistent because this is one of the most essential parts of our school day, but instead of a consistent time each day, I am working on a consistent time for each day of the week.
So, for example, on Mondays and Wednesdays, we will do morning time just after breakfast, but on Thursdays, we will do our “morning time” after dinner, and on Tuesdays, it will be after lunch. The value in morning time comes from the content and family togetherness, not the time of day.
What Do We Include In Our Morning Time Studies?
Our two main priorities for morning time will remain our daily family Bible reading and World Watch. Over the years, we have used a wide variety of Bible curricula and enjoyed many of them, but often I found it hard to be consistent when using curricula and trying to make it work for all ages. However, several years ago, I read Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, and realized I was over complicating things.
Our Bible Study
Now, as a family, we read one chapter a day from the Bible, going through an entire book. This keeps it simple and easy to maintain, even during busy seasons. We read (or listen to it on my phone app) the chapter and then discuss it.
My husband bought me an excellent set of commentaries that we pull out if we have questions or want to dig deeper into a verse. We have found this to be hugely impactful and easy to maintain.
World Watch
World Watch is our second priority. We even kept these two components throughout most of our summer break. If you are not familiar, World Watch is a student news program with a Christian perspective. It is ten minutes a day and covers a variety of both major news topics and fun interest stories.
It has opened the door for many conversations, helped my teens better understand what is happening in the world, and given us all more perspective. We have found that watching and discussing works well for our family, but I did want to mention that they now also have downloadable worksheets that you could add to your World Watch time if you felt your student needed that or to help you use it for high school credit.
In addition to our two main components, we will incorporate one additional subject each day. Those will include fine arts, hymn study, logic, poetry, books of the Bible, and any other topics that I want to fit in as a family.
Sometimes we may do the same subject each day for several weeks, and other times we may rotate daily depending on our needs. This allows us to cover a variety of topics without trying to add in too many different things in one day (which would make it unmanageable).
Our Morning Time Rotations
Fine Arts: We will be using the Fine Arts program from You Are An Artist. They have a variety of fine arts courses that focus on different eras and topics.
A few of the many fine arts options that are available!
Hymn Study: For hymn study, we will be using the studies that I have already written, as well as some new studies that I will be adding throughout the year.
Logic: We use the book, The Fallacy Detective, for our study of logic and logical fallacies. While I don’t particularly care if my children can remember the exact name of a fallacy, I appreciate how it helps them identify fallacies in different arguments. (And they have come to love calling them out by name.)
Poetry: For poetry, we love the Poetry for Young People series. It is a great way to learn a little more about a poet and their poetry through reading aloud.
We are entering this school year amid a hectic life season (we have six scheduled appointments each week for speech and physical therapy), and the routine is going to look a lot different. Still, I am excited to get back into a routine.
I pray that our morning time helps keep us focused and working together and provides an anchor in the busyness of this season.There are so many different options for morning time. I’d love to hear how you incorporate it into your homeschool and if you have any favorite resources.
Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure
When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library you will get a link and password to the library, we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on.
This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.
Find Christ-centered homeschool curriculum at SchoolhouseTeachers.com and set their hearts on the right path.
Tuttle Twins is having their BIG Back to School sale. They have up to 70% off book bundles and major discounts on their academy classes (which now has World History offerings). We love their books and their American History curriculum.
I’ve been telling you how much I love Journey Homeschool Academy for high school science ever since my son tried out biology several years ago. He went on to college sciences and said that he was well prepared because of his experience with Journey Homeschool Academy.
High School Biology
*links are affiliate links, see full disclosure below*
First, I love that the lessons use a Christian worldview. As a busy mom of five, I appreciated that at the high school level, they were designed for my students to complete independently with video instruction, lab guides, and online tests. It was so simple for me to set them and get them started. Finally, I appreciated that it was approachable, engaging, and rigorous.
What’s New in Our Journey Homeschool Academy Experience?
I am excited to try out one of their elementary courses this year. I have generally done teacher-directed science in the elementary years (mostly with Apologia and the geology course I created). However, in this particular season of life, I really wanted a science that could get done even when I needed to have my attention focused on a busy toddler or when I needed to be shuttling the baby to physical therapy or other appointments.
We will officially start Astronomy in September with our new school year. However, I have been checking out the video lessons and materials to get ready and to share more with you guys in case anyone else needs a helping hand with science this year.
The Basics of Elementary Astronomy with Journey Homeschool Academy
This elementary astronomy course has thirty lessons. Each lesson includes a video (around fifteen to twenty minutes long), a hands-on activity, memory cards (with a two to three-minute memory video), copy work, and suggested additional reading.
The videos cover the concept for the week and often share footage from a different location, like a virtual field trip. They are very reasonable in length and engaging, not just rote lectures.
A sample of the resources included in an elementary astronomy lesson.
The hands-on activities use primarily materials that would be found around most homes (especially homeschool homes, which tend to have a nice crafting collection). They are simple enough to complete but help reinforce the concept for the week.
The memory cards include a few of the most important facts from the week, and each week, a short two—to three-minute video discusses them.
There is copywork for each week in cursive or print form, and there is a quiz that you can use if you wish.
There is a lot of flexibility built into this curriculum, and you can use as many or as few of the resources as you choose and go at whatever pace you would like. Unlike the high school courses, you have lifetime access to this course.
Seven Things I love About Elementary Astronomy
I love that the video lessons are long enough to cover the material well but short enough to keep the attention of my active boys!
I love that they honor the Creator and give glory to God.
I love that it includes hands-on projects that are easy to complete.
I love that the course is only 30 weeks long, so we can easily complete it in a school year while still taking December off for Christmas schooling.
I can use it with multiple ages at one time.
It will give us another excuse to go outside and study God’s creation.
I love that I have lifetime access so we can go as slow or fast as we want, and I can use the course again in a few years with my youngest.
What Will I Add to Journey Homeschool Academy’s Elementary Astronomy?
This course easily stands on its own as a science course and would not need anything added. However, we love art in our house, and Nana over at You Are an Artist has some wonderful space-themed art lessons that will be the perfect complement to this course. You can purchase them separately as a course, or they are included in the art membership (which we love because we can choose whatever strikes our interest that day).
Overall, I am very excited about using elementary astronomy next year. It will simplify science instruction and help me ensure that it does not get pushed to the back burner. My children are excited about astronomy, a topic that I think the whole family can enjoy. Overall, I think the Journey Homeschool Academy elementary courses would be a great fit for families struggling to make time for science, wanting something easy to implement, or having a strong interest in astronomy.
Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure
When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library you will get a link and password to the library, we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on.
This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.
Last year, my focus word was Savor, and it was perfect for the stage I was in. We had highs and lows last year, but overall, it was a year of many beautiful changes.
We had baby number five on January 11th, 2024, we took an epic seven-week road trip in March and April, my oldest graduated from our homeschool in May and began college in August, my daughter got her driver’s license in January, began dual enrollment in August, and so much more.
Through it all, I tried to savor and enjoy the experiences and make memories with my family. It was a good year, but I want to focus more on being intentional this year. With the baby and so many things going on last year, I feel like I let some things slide (out of necessity). However, as we begin a new year, I feel like I am in a place to begin to be more intentional.
What Does Intentional Look Like For Me?
I am making conscious decisions about different areas of my life where I want to grow and spend time, and instead of just hoping to get to those things, I am making intentional plans but still holding those plans with an open hand.
Bible:
While we continued with our family Bible reading last year, I feel I was not intentional about spending personal time in the word. So, this year, I started a very simple Bible plan to read through the New Testament in a year. It should take me about ten minutes daily, which is doable even with the baby.
Family:
Making realistic but intentional plans to spend time with my husband and children. I know I can’t plan weekly date nights out at this stage of life, but we can plan to walk 4 or 5 days a week and do something special together once a month or so. I can’t take each of my kids out one-on-one each week.
Still, I can make sure to spend a few minutes checking in with them each week and be diligent about finding opportunities to spend one-on-one time, even if it’s just taking one of them with me to run errands or grabbing a quick treat together.
Hiking with My People..Savoring the Moment and Intentionally Focusing on my Health.
Health:
Complications from my pregnancy caused me to really focus on my health in 2023, and I was doing a great job eating well and getting in movement. However, the busyness of life with an infant and teenagers caught up with me last year, and I noticed I was not as intentional about making good choices.
So this year, I want to get back on track by being intentional about drinking more water, staying active each day, and getting plenty of protein. When I do those things, I feel better and have more energy for the other things on my list.
Social Media:
I believe that social media is a double-edged sword. I love being able to keep up with friends who aren’t physically close to me anymore; I enjoy learning from other homeschool moms and seeing encouraging posts and scriptures. However, it so easily becomes lost time.
When the baby was born, and I was up with him at night, I felt too tired to read, but I hated just sitting there, so I often would watch silly videos on Facebook. However, I really want to focus on intentionally using social media to keep up with the people in my life and to share and learn from other homeschoolers.
So, I will limit my time on social media (using an app on my phone) and be intentional about what content I view while using social media.
Blog:
Finally, I want to be more intentional about sharing ideas and resources on the blog. I was very quiet on the blog for the first half of 2024 because I needed to focus on the baby, my other children, and our travels. However, this year, I am intentionally putting work time back on my weekly calendar to be more consistent about sharing in this space.
My seventeen-year-old daughter will be babysitting a few hours each week in exchange for car insurance and gas, and I will be able to return to sharing new content with you each week.
I am looking forward to 2025 and continuing to savor the time with friends and family while also being more intentional about how I spend my time and making sure that my priorities are getting the attention they deserve. I would love to hear your word of the year or your resolutions or tips on how you are intentional with your time.
Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure
When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library you will get a link and password to the library, we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on.
This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.
Journey Homeschool Academy is offering sale if you need a new science program! We love their high school programs and plan to try their elementary astronomy next year.
This is a great resource for lots of amazing printable materials from pre-k to 12th grade and they are offering 40% of lifetime access.
