Sharla Kostelyk

Bug Action Cards for Kids

Help kids get their wiggles out using these bug action cards with prompts for fun gross motor play. Kids can use these inside or outside. This is such an easy activity for parents to set up. You can easily add some exercise into your child’s day in a fun way.

With prompts for climbing, marching, hopping, and more, kids can get some all important sensory input. These actions engage the visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory systems.

Bug Action Cards:

Supplies needed:

printer
paper
Bug Action Cards (you can download those here)
scissors

Directions:

Download the action cards.
Print them.
Cut them apart.
Create a small stack with them. Each child can pull one from the pile and act out the instructions on the card.

These action cards make a fantastic brain break. You can use them right in the middle of schoolwork to have a five minute break before they get back to their task. This will help them refocus and have better concentration.

Get the whole body moving in a fun way. Help kids burn off some of that extra energy they have from being stuck inside or from sitting for too long. These action cards are also a cute activity to add in to a unit on insects. Kids can take the learning a step further by reading up on each of the bugs on the cards.

Another great way to expand on this activity is to have kids create their own cards with ideas they come up with. You can have them stick with the bug theme or choose something else.

Type your email in the box below to get your bug action cards so that the learning and fun can begin!

Check out these other gross motor activities for kids:

Dinosaur Action Cube

5 Trampoline Games

Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Easy At Home Science for Kids

By Sharla Kostelyk

If your kids are like mine, they prefer hands-on science experiments over staring at a textbook. I used to be leery of messy experiments because of all the cleanup we had to do afterward, but after giving some a try, we all fell in love with this way of learning. I wish we had tried them sooner! You’ll be amazed at how fun at home science for kids can be. I’ve compiled an amazing list of science experiments that you can make in your own home. They are fun, hands on, safe for kids and many of them use materials you probably already have!

I think that you’re going to really enjoy setting up a schedule for science experiments with your children. They all focus on different topics in science and you will be amazed at how much they are going to learn. Chances are, you’ll learn a thing or two along the way too.

And both you and your kids will have fun along the way. That is learning at its best!

Easy At Home Science for Kids

10 Jello Science Experiments

These Jello experiments are so fun. Make science discoveries using just kitchen supplies.

Melting Ice Experiment

Kids are fascinated with this classic experiment. It makes a great science fair project too.

How Do Folded Mountains Form?

Sensory Sound Eggs

Use up those plastic Easter eggs and discern different sounds with this easy activity. It only takes a few minutes to set up.

Simple Science: Making "Groundwater"

Simple Science: Earthquake Experiment

Layers of the Earth Hands on Science Activity

Human Body Sensory Bin

Easy Science for Kids - Gravity Defying Beads

Easy Science for Kids - Chromatography

Magnets Unit

Balloon Rocket Boat

Texture Balloons

Sensory Smell Bottles

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

Easy Lemon Battery Science Experiment for Kids

Photo Credit: babbledabbledo.com

Amazing Science: How to Make Elephant Toothpaste

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

Make a Compass - Magnetic Science Experiment for Kids

Photo Credit: thestemlaboratory.com

Leak Proof Bag - The Stem Laboratory

Photo Credit: leftbraincraftbrain.com

How to Do the Egg in a Bottle Experiment

Photo Credit: www.darcyandbrian.com

Balloon Air Pressure Experiments for Kids

Photo Credit: thetiptoefairy.com

Teaching Kids about Tooth Decay

Photo Credit: www.messylittlemonster.com

Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment

Photo Credit: team-cartwright.com

At Home Chemistry: Cleaning Pennies with Ketchup

Photo Credit: www.redtedart.com

How to Make a Papier Mache Erupting Volcano for the Science Fair

Photo Credit: homeschoolpreschool.net

How to Make a Rain Cloud in a Jar

Photo Credit: www.happinessishomemade.net

Easy Rock Candy Tutorial

Photo Credit: www.naturalbeachliving.com

Lava Lamp Science Project - How to Make a Lava Lamp

Photo Credit: www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com

Amazing Dying Flowers Experiment

Photo Credit: craftsbyamanda.com

Make your own fossils from coffee grounds

Photo Credit: www.funwithmama.com

Easy Rainbow Skittles Science Experiment

Photo Credit: gosciencekids.com

Can you dissolve the eggshell of a raw egg? – Go Science Kids

Photo Credit: www.science-sparks.com

Edible Butterfly Life Cycle - Life Cycles

Photo Credit: teachbesideme.com

Moon Phases Activity for Kids

Photo Credit: www.pre-kpages.com

Building Bridges Engineering Activity

Photo Credit: www.thenaturalhomeschool.com

Erosion vs Weathering STEM Activities

Find the difference between weathering and erosion and use the scientific method worksheets.

If you’re new to teaching your child at home, it is easier (especially if you have more than one child) to do things in unit studies. That way, you can explore through books, sensory play, printable activity sheets, hands-on science experiments, and watching videos online.

Science Kits for Learning at Home:

Human Organ Apron Primary Science Lab Activity Set Dino Egg Fossil Dig Kit Steve Spangler Science Geyser Tube Experiment Crystal Mining Kit Gem Excavation Smithsonian Crystal Growing Kit National Geographic Break Open 10 Premium Geodes Geology Kit Lego Chain Reactions Science & Building Kit Snap Circuits LIGHT Electronics Exploration Kit Toysmith Mineral Science Kit DIY Solar Power Rover Anatomy Models Bundle Set, Brain, Body, Heart, Skeleton

You may also be interested in reading:

Your Complete Guide to School at Home

Indoor Sensory Activities for Home

Where to Find Free Homeschool Printables

School at Home Sample Schedules

By Sharla Kostelyk

Kids need the security of routine. Right now with everything in their world a little off kilter, they need it more than ever. I know that some of you suddenly find yourself teaching school at home unexpectedly. That may feel overwhelming and scary, but I’m telling you. You can do this.

You were your child’s first teacher. You cheered them on as they took their first steps. You helped them learn their colours and shapes. You know your child best. I’m telling you. You can do this.

I homeschooled for 19 years. Ironically, this year, most of my kids were in school and I now find myself with them all home again!

One of the things the most common questions I’m getting about schooling at home is how to set a schedule. This is obviously something that will vary by family due to circumstances, age of kids, and other factors. But I wanted to give you some general sample schedules to help you plan and find something that’s right for your family.

While it’s okay to relax and not keep a perfect schedule, right now, kids are needing some kind of a routine. With all the changes happening, one thing you can do to create a feeling of security for your child is to give them a routine they can count on.

When school were first cancelled, I just assumed we would settle into some kind of natural routine because of all our years spent homeschooling. The first few days were chaos! There were lots of big emotions and little squabbles. It soon became obvious that we were not going to just naturally slip into anything positive.

At the end of day three, we sat down and had a family meeting. We talked about the current situation and its challenges, acknowledged and validated everyone’s feelings, and laid out the new plan. We allowed the kids to have some input into the schedule and I wrote it up on the white board.

The next day went much more smoothly as the kids knew what was expected of them, what was coming up when, and they had the security of some structure.

I’ve kept the time slots blanks on these sample schedules so that you can fill in what works for you. Some families are early risers and others, not so much. This is only meant to be a guide and jumping off point to help you create the best routine for your unique family.

It’s important to note that depending on their age, grade, and ability, kids only need between 1 and 3 hours of actual sit down schoolwork per day. You are not attempting to recreate a school in your home. Play and connection are still the most essential things you can provide your child with.

If you’re looking for information on how to help your kids learn during this time, check out Your Complete Guide to School at Home.

School at Home Sample Schedule:

Wake Up

morning routine

Breakfast

Mindfulness

breathing, mindfulness exercises, positive affirmations

Movement

walk, stretches, crossing midline exercises, bike ride, play outside

Reading

silent reading or read aloud

Snack & Water

Schoolwork

Sensory Break

stretches, playdough, sensory bin, moon dough

Lunch

Chores

include heavy work for mood and anxiety

Schoolwork

Play

board games, puzzles, toys, scavenger hunt

Snack & Water

Art or Craft

drawing, painting, paper crafts, art tutorial online

Movement

Dinner

Free Time

reading, electronics, family fun, baking

Bedtime

School at Home Sample Schedule (religious):

Wake Up

morning routine

Breakfast

Devotions & Prayer

Movement

walk, stretches, crossing midline exercises, bike ride, play outside

Reading

silent reading or read aloud

Snack & Water

Schoolwork

Sensory Break

stretches, playdough, sensory bin, moon dough

Lunch

Chores

include heavy work for mood and anxiety

Schoolwork

Play

board games, puzzles, toys, scavenger hunt

Snack & Water

Art or Craft

drawing, painting, paper crafts, art tutorial online

Movement

Dinner

Free Time

reading, electronics, family fun, baking

Prayer

Bedtime

Preschool at Home Sample Schedule:

Wake Up

morning routine

Breakfast

Mindfulness

breathing, mindfulness exercises, positive affirmations

Music & Movement

songs, action songs, stretches, crossing midline exercises

Storytime

Snack & Water

Fine Motor

busy bags, threading, tracing, sorting

Sensory Stations

playdough, sensory bin, auditory station, sensory play

Lunch

Chores

include heavy work for mood and anxiety

Gross Motor

dancing, jumping, animal walks, hokey pokey, yoga

Play

board games, puzzles, toys, scavenger hunt

Snack & Water

Art or Craft

drawing, painting, paper crafts, collage

Movement

walk, stretches, crossing midline exercises, hopscotch, play outside

Dinner

Free Time

reading, electronics, family fun

Bedtime

Preschool at Home Sample Schedule (religious):

Wake Up

morning routine

Breakfast

Prayer & Scripture

Music & Movement

songs, action songs, stretches, crossing midline exercises

Storytime

Snack & Water

Fine Motor

busy bags, threading, tracing, sorting

Sensory Stations

playdough, sensory bin, auditory station, sensory play

Lunch

Chores

include heavy work for mood and anxiety

Gross Motor

dancing, jumping, animal walks, hokey pokey, yoga

Play

board games, puzzles, toys, scavenger hunt

Snack & Water

Art or Craft

drawing, painting, paper crafts, collage

Movement

walk, stretches, crossing midline exercises, hopscotch, play outside

Dinner

Free Time

reading, electronics, family fun

Prayer

Bedtime

To get printable versions of these sample School at Home Schedules, simply enter your email below. You’ll also receive our Parenting in the Pandemic email series designed to help you through these strange times.

You may also be interested in reading:

Your Complete Guide to School at Home

Where to Find Free Homeschool Printables

mother sits at table teaching a boy in a green shirt and girl in a purple shirt. Text reads "Mega List Free Homeschool Printables"

How to Talk to Your Kids About This

How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus

By Sharla Kostelyk

Addressing sensitive topics such as the coronavirus can be tricky, especially if your child struggles with anxiety. These are scary times for people of all ages. Learn how to best talk to your child about the current pandemic and quarantine and help them better cope.

I know that personally, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and worried. It all seems completely surreal. I have a hard time wrapping my head around how much has changed in such a short period of time. If I’m struggling, I can only imagine what kids are thinking.

I’m going to preface this article with the reminder that this advice is coming to you parent to parent and if you have further concerns, you should consult your child’s doctor or therapist.

Children who have anxiety or who have experienced early childhood trauma and are therefore hypervigilant, pick up on the emotion and unspoken fear in a room more than other kids do. We as parents may think that we are shielding them from things when we don’t talk about something when in fact for kids like these, that is the worst thing we can do. They are already aware that something is going on and without us addressing it, they will fill in the blanks with their worst fears.

So how do we talk to them? What should we say?

Be as straightforward as you can in an age appropriate way. Talk about facts, stay away from rumours. Ask them what they’ve already heard and how they feel about it. Tell them that you will continue to talk to them openly and they do not need to be afraid of you keeping secrets from them.

They may fear that a family member has it or that they have it. It’s important that they know that if the situation changes, you will let them know. That can ease a lot of their anxiety.

Avoid turning on the news with them in the room as some of the panic that is being created such as people hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer will only compound their worries.

Discuss why there is an effort to reduce the curve of the virus by shutting down schools and large gatherings. Be direct in how this will affect them. Is their school closing down? For how long? (it’s okay to say that you don’t know but will update them when you do know) Who will watch them with the schools closed? Will you or their other parent be going to work?

When I talked to my kids about the likelihood of schools closing next week, I assured them that we had enough food to last if we were stuck at home for weeks and showed them the freezer and pantry (some of our kids went hungry prior to coming to our family, so concerns about hunger are very real to them).

I asked my kids what they had heard and what their concerns were. Some of them talked about the toilet paper shortage and I explained that we had quite a bit of toilet paper, but that if we ran out, we could use paper towel and throw it in the garbage or even use rags and wash them in a worst case scenario. That made sense to them.

One of our sons was concerned about his Oma as he had heard at school that the virus is more dangerous for older people and she is in her 80s. That’s a very valid concern and it would have done more harm to lie about it or try to minimize his feelings. So I acknowledged the risks, explained what she is doing to try to limit her chances of exposure, and dove deeper into his feelings to allow him to fully explore those.

Kids have so much uncertainty and may be afraid to ask questions. I think a question that a lot of kids have and may be afraid to even voice is “will someone I love get sick?” Address the underlying emotion behind this one.

Allow your child to grieve. Change is hard. They may need to grieve the loss of their routine, their school friends, their graduation ceremony, their dance competition, whatever it is they have lost through this situation. Validate that loss and help them move through the emotions of their grief.

I really like this video for talking to kids about the virus. It doesn’t sugar coat, but it also doesn’t catastrophize. It is in Vietnamese, but has English subtitles. The song is super catchy and gets stuck in your head for days!

Summary of how to talk to children about COVID-19:

be direct
be honest
talk specifically about ways the situation affects them and your family
ask what they’ve heard
ask how they feel
allow kids the opportunity to grieve all the changes
it’s ok to not have all the answers
repeat every day until the situation is resolved

Specific Resources to Help Kids Understand:

Demonstrating the Importance of Hand Washing – Great hands-on activity that really drives the point home.

For children who struggle with anxiety, autism, or other special needs, this Coronovirus Social Story is a wonderful (and free) resource to help guide them through.

This Outbreak Factsheet from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has some excellent suggestions on helping children cope and also about reducing your family’s risk.

It is normal for something like this to cause additional anxiety, so it is important to spend time each day helping them talk through their emotions about this.

Resources for you to help kids work through those big feelings:

Talking to Teens and Older Kids about Coronavirus:

Teens are a tricky demographic when it comes to the pandemic. Early research shows they have mild symptoms and are at high risk of not realizing they are carrying the virus. This means they could be potentially spreading the illness while oblivious to the danger.

It’s also a very social age and that all important frontal lobe hasn’t fully developed yet so they are not as cognizant of risks. In simple terms, they feel pretty invincible.

When you combine mild symptoms for most teen carriers, an underdeveloped frontal lobe, and a strong desire for social connection, you can see why it’s especially important to help this age group grasp the gravity of the situation and the need for social distancing.

One thing that really helped one of my teen sons to change his mindset is the meme: “Your grandparents went to war to protect you. You’re being asked to sit on the couch to protect them. You can do this.”

Teens are older. Invite them into the discussion. Answer their questions with honesty. Validate how much they’ve lost. Some of them have lost graduation ceremonies, part time jobs, birthday parties, school, and all of them have lost the routines and certainties they had before the world turned upside down.

But after you’ve listened and validated, help them to understand that their actions could save lives. Because they really could.

Easy Indoor Sensory Activities at Home

By Sharla Kostelyk

Sensory play is so important. It helps not only with fine and gross motor development, language and communication, and boredom, but it also improves mood and lowers anxiety. And I would say that right now, those things are very needed. I wanted to provide you with a list of easy sensory activities at home that you can do starting today.

No matter how old your kids are from toddlers up to teens, sensory play can make a big difference in how your days go. If you incorporate sensory play opportunities at regular intervals throughout your day, you’ll be surprised at how much calmer the house will be. I encourage you to participate in some of the play yourself as it will also help lower your anxiety.

These sensory activities don’t need to be complicated. A lot of the supplies you need are probably already in your home.

Easy Indoor Sensory Activities at Home

Dinosaur Fossils in Playdough

Scented Bubbles: Calming Lavender Bubble Recipe

Condensed Milk Painting

How To Make Squishies

How to Make Sensory Balls

How to Colour Moon Dough

How To Make Kinetic Sand At Home

Rainbow Soap Foam

Seek and Find Sensory Bin

Squishy Shark Sensory Bag

Tactile Sensory Play with Texture Balloons

Sensory Smell Bottles

How to Make Slime - A Comprehensive Guide

Lemonade Oobleck Summer Sensory Play for Kids

Nature Inspired Spring Sensory Soup

Sensory Sound Eggs

Lego Sensory Bottle

Seaside Sensory Bin

Tactile Sensory Cards

Calming Lavender Scented Playdough

Photo Credit: teachingmama.org

Homemade Puffy Paint

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

Hide and Seek Oobleck: Sense and Chemistry Science Challenge

Photo Credit: busytoddler.com

Salt Writing Tray Activity

Photo Credit: www.growinghandsonkids.com

Sensory Processing Play: Laundry Basket Push Game

Shaving Cream Painting

Get your free printable alphabet playdough mats by entering your email address below. You’ll also be signed up to receive our email series Sensory Activities and Solutions.

Huge List of Free Homeschool Printables

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Whether you are looking for free homeschool printables to supplement what your child is learning in school or to create an entire curriculum, I’ve got you covered. I’m sharing a reference list for finding the best online printables for free or almost free.

Please note that if you are new to having your kids learn at home, you can find everything you need in Your Complete Guide to School at Home.

Free Printable Websites:

The Chaos and The Clutter – Right here on this site, you can find free printables. You’ll find unique printables such as relaxation cards for kids, emotion games, calm down tools, copywork, notebooking pages, and more.

Get your free printable alphabet playdough mats by entering your email address below. You’ll also be signed up to receive our email series Sensory Activities and Solutions.

Teaching Mama – Angela is the author of the very popular preschool curriculum Home Preschool Made Easy but she also offers free preschool printables on her site (as well as great craft and activity ideas!).

STEAM Powered Family – Find free STEM activities for your child or students. Whether it’s science, technology, engineering, or math that you’re looking for, you’ll find the coolest project here.

Productive Homeschooling – Productive Homeschooling has an awesome membership feature that I use, but they also offer some free notebooking pages as well. Notebooking is such a great tool for learning and especially good if you’re new to homeschooling. My kids love it!

Math Geek Mama – As someone who is math challenged, I appreciate this resource SOOOOO much! Bethany has incredible math activities that kids actually like to do and help moms like me who aren’t confident in their own math teaching abilities.

Left Brain Craft Brain – This is the perfect place to go for budding engineers. Find easy craft ideas, educational projects, and printables.

Growing Hands-on Kids – Heather offers printables related to sensory, homeschooling, fine motor and preschool.

Donna Young – Donna Young is often thought of as the original site when it comes to homeschool printables. It is best known for planners and home and school organization sheets but there are homeschool printables there as well.

Free Homeschool Deals – Free Homeschool Deals is one of my favourite homeschool sites (and not just because I’m a contributing writer over there!). I like that they share about free printables that you can find elsewhere on the web as well as their own free printables. I appreciate that they look at homeschooling families as a whole and realize that providing articles about saving money on household items also allows you to have more to put towards homeschooling and that providing encouragement for homeschool parents trickles down into the schoolwork too.

Frugal Homeschool Family – Frugal Homeschool Family also provides both their own free printables and shares printables from others as well as deals for homeschoolers.

Confessions of a Homeschooler – This is the original place I discovered free printables! I have used her Letter of the Week printables as well as many of her others, including lapbooks.

1+1+1=1 – This site has really good quality printables and printable packs, especially for Preschool and Kindergarten.

123Homeschool4Me – This site offers free printables in all homeschool subjects and even includes some in Spanish.

Blessed Beyond a Doubt – There are a lot of free printables here and Jill seems to add more almost every day!

3 Dinosaurs – Cassie creates some of my favourite printable packs and I am very thankful that she keeps them free. Many of them are huge packs and they work well for us for unit studies especially and for seasonal times.

This Reading Mama – Spend a few minutes poking around Becky’s site. She does have a few resources and printables that she charges a fee for and she also has a ton of free printables. Her focus is on literacy and her printables are extremely good quality ones that will enhance your homeschooling.

Homeschool Share – Ami from Walking by the Way runs this site and it is a great place to search for any topic of printable you can think of. It has notebooking pages, educational printables, mini books, and more. I’ve used this site to find sheets to go along with topics we are studying because of its easy search feature.

Picklebums – Some of my favourite printables are from Picklebums. They are cheerful and fun.

Homegrown Learners – Homegrown Learners is best known for their free Lego printables. I am especially a fan of the minifig writing prompts.

Kids Activities Blog – I love this site for so much more than the printables but thought it is known more for the activities, they do have free printables and good ones at that!

Homeschool Creations – Perhaps best known for its great Homeschool Planner which is available for purchase, Homeschool Creations also offers free printables. There are a LOT but it takes a bit of navigating to find them all.

Living Montessori Now – There is a very large list of places here to find free printables Montessori materials.

Every Star is Different – Renae is regularly adding free printables for Montessori style unit studies.

Montessori Print Shop – While many of the printables here need to be purchased, there is a section for free Montessori printables.

Teach Beside Me – There are a wide range of printables here and I like that there are some that can be used for older kids which are generally harder to find.

Simply Vicki – Vicki has some nice out-of-the-ordinary free printables.

Education.com – Education.com has a large variety of free worksheets for all age levels. The selection is huge but you do have to put up with there being a fair amount of ads and many are only available through membership.

Handwriting Worksheets.com – Make your own handwriting printables.

Royal Baloo – Royal Baloo has free printables that focus mainly on preschool, kindergarten and the lower grades.

File Folder Fun – If file folder games is what you’re looking for, this is where you’ll want to visit.

In All You Do – This site has a selection of free homeschool printables, particularly for holidays, even the more obscure holidays.

Free Printable.com – While not expressly homeschool focused, there are printables here that can be used.

Homeschool Encouragement – Many printables available including some Lego printables.

Gift of Curiosity

The Crafty Classroom

Making Learning Fun

Of course Pinterest is a huge resource all on its own and a good source for finding printables.

Membership Sites:

Membership sites can still be a frugal choice because many have a one time fee so once the cost is recovered, everything else after that can be considered as free.

Productive Homeschooling – We have a lifetime membership to NotebookingPages and use them often for all kinds of learning opportunities. They have a huge selection and what’s even better is that you can even use their creator to make your own.

Enchanted Learning – I haven’t used this membership site myself but it looks to have a lot available.

Education.com – Education.com has a membership option.

Teacher Share Sites:

Many of the products on teacher share sites such as these are paid but there are also free unit studies and printable worksheets that can be found. Some of them allow you to search by cost so it’s easy to find the free resources.

Teachers Pay Teachers

This list is by no means exhaustive, but by using the links on this list, you can create curriculum, organize and plan entire homeschool years, and best of all, save a lot of money doing so.

You may also want to read Your Complete Guide to School at Home.

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