Great Finds for Moms and Teachers (Homeschoolers, that includes you too!)...

I decided this week that my secret to successful homeschooling is going to be teaching through thematics. With two boys aged 3 and 6 and my daughter who is 8, I found I was bouncing around between the three of them going in all different directions and at the same time trying to juggle their different developmental abilities and interests. It was totally exhausting and while we were getting a little bit done here and there, I can't really say we were having much fun!

After I had my light bulb moment of Thematic Teaching, I sat down last night and made a huge list of every possible subject my children might be interested in (I'm all about lists lately as I am sure you have noticed in my last two posts :Þ) and made sure at the same time I would be able to incorporate just about any subject matter into each theme as well.

I thought the easiest and most interesting way to get started was looking around more at our community and and all the wonderful people who make it such a great place to live. Thus, we are starting next week with "Community Helpers". I am sooooo excited and I am hoping it will grab Matthew and Noah's attention when I focus on Police, Fire and EMS, and anything related to big trucks that dump sand, plow roads and go fast with lights and sirens, while also meeting Maria's need to help out and be and active part of her neighbourhood at large. The great thing is, is that it is a huge topic with so many great directions to go in and so many fantastic resources available out there.

After doing an extensive search last night I found two wonderful websites that are excellent when it comes to teaching specifically with a thematics approach.

The first one is Teach-nology.com This is an exceptional teaching resource with *thousands* of free worksheets, lesson plans, teaching tips and more, in addition to a great section on teaching with themes. There is an option to get a membership, but from the poking around I've done in the last day or so it seems like there is plenty for free!

The second wonderful site that will support our thematic approach to learning is EnchantedLearning.com. Here I simply typed "firetrucks" into their search box and came up with everything I need to teach Math, Spelling, Phonics, Art, Science and more that revolves around...you guessed it, firetrucks! Matthew and Noah will be thrilled! I'll probably have to tweak it a bit for Maria but either way it is a great start with hundreds of ideas to use and work off of. There is also a membership option and while there is a lot for free there, there isn't as much as say Teach-nology in the free section. I did get a membership though and it has been well worth the $25 already!

Last but not least in my quest to make my homeschooling life easier (aka Noah entertained for longer than 5 minutes!!) I found I found a brilliant Etsy shop called Time for Tots that specializes in and I quote:

"... creating dynamic, durable, and hands-on activity kits for young learners. Each game and activity includes colorful manipulatives, counters, and fun learning tools that will provide rich learning opportunities for each and every tot."

Look at these adorable little kits!

Early Toddler Learning Kit by Time for Tots on Etsy

Word Games Kit by Time for Tots on Etsy

Those are just two examples of the unique and distinctive learning kits they offer (in addition to offering customizable kits to meet your specific needs), so definitely check them out to see everything they have to offer! I noticed on their Facebook Page that they have some great deals for the month of March, so be sure to head there too!



I just stumbled across their site yesterday so I have not yet had the chance to order from them (I will be this weekend for sure!) but they come highly recommended by fellow Mothering.com members and have a perfect Etsy feedback score.

If you are looking for other great learning resources on the web, be sure to go back and check out our post from January 28, 2011!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Spring is almost here, woohooo! :D

With love and light ♥,