Author: Tina Bell

Teaching Sentence Structure in First Grade with Silly Sentences

During a fishing trip this weekend with our daughter, my husband and I were discussing how we could improve her journal writing assignments in first grade.  One of the things she is struggling with is understanding when she’s putting words down on paper that they need articles, nouns, and verbs, along with proper capitalization and punctuation.   This is all very

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Setting Realistic Writing Expectations for First Graders

First Grade Writing Expectations & Samples

I never dreamed I’d be homeschooling my first grade student.  In fairness, I’m doing virtual school.  But my child only gets 30-60 minutes of instruction a day from the teacher, and the rest of her education falls on me.  In the last five weeks I have taken a crash course on everything from how to teach number bonds and improve letter

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Free Homeschool Resources from the Homeschool Buyers Co-Op Webinar

This week I received an email to attend a webinar on the “Best Homeschool Freebies” hosted by Shiller Learning and presented by Cailin Sandvig from the Homeschool Buyers Co-Op. Cailin went over several freebies that she enjoys using as a homeschool parent, many of which I didn’t know about.  I thought I would share some of them here. Homeschool Buyers Co-Op

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First Grade Writing Prompts & Story Starters for Journals

Are you looking for first grade writing prompts because you know that writing can improve grammar and spelling? This collection of fun and easy journal writing prompts for 1st grade students can be also be used to improve their writing and reading skills. Whether your’e working on coming up with 1st grade writing activities or looking for first grade narrative

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Grow A Rainbow First Grade Science Experiment

This first grade science lesson is not only a great STEM activity that they can do independently, it’s also sure to have your child excited about doing it each step of the way. Similar to the “Walking Rainbow Experiment”, this activity teaches how water moves molecules utilizing color.  The activity also helps teach kids the colors of the rainbow and

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Driveway Chalk Obstacle Course Ideas

Are you looking for an easy way to keep your kids active, a fun outdoor PE assignment that also incorporates art, or just a great outdoor activity for the entire family? Driveway chalk obstacle courses are an easy way to utilize sidewalk chalk creatively while inspiring kids to get active. Below are some ideas to get you started in creating

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Teaching How to Count Coins to Kids

Are you looking for a fun way to teach your kids how to count coins? In this fun math activity, your kids will Race to Get Wheels on their car. WHAT YOU NEED: 2+ Players Car game board for each player 1 die Assortment of pennies, nickels, dimes, & quarters OBJECT OF THE GAME: Be the first one to collect

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Best Educational YouTube Channels for Kids

Whether you’re looking for a new way to teach your child a skill, you need a break from anything but another round of Frozen on Disney Plus, or you’re simply looking for a way to supplement your child’s education, YouTube has a ton of educational channels designed to keep your children inspired to learn. So if you’re here because you’re

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Girl doing school work sitting beside a globe for an article about best websites to print worksheets for kids.

Print Free Worksheets for Kids

Are there any websites where I can print worksheets for free? If you are looking for free worksheets for homeschool students or for supplemental work to help your children practice skills, I’ve listed sites I use to access worksheets. Most have free worksheets and paid worksheets. Sometimes I create my own worksheets utilizing Adobe Photoshop. Websites with Free Worksheets for

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How to Teach Child to Read: Letter Sounds

The other day I saw a post on a homeschool forum that I’m part of that said, “I’m totally frustrated and lost!! My six year old doesn’t know the sounds of his letters, and his attention span is about 1 minute! … I feel like I’m completely failing him. He’s six and doesn’t even know the sounds of the letters.

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