• glue sticks
• stapler
• 3 hole punch
• reward stickers
• E-Z grader & red pen
• Dry Wipe markers, eraser & cleaner
• Sticky notes
• brads & paper clips
• tape
• hole reinforcements
• scissors
• small Bible

I also created a paper caddy with an accordion folder. In there I have all kinds of papers and handouts. It’s grab-and-go easy. These two little tools make homeschooling a little easier for us.

1. Flash cards. That’s a no-brainer, right?
2. Matching games.
3. Making puzzles.
4. Making 3-D objects.
5. writing out lesson plans.
6. collecting ideas for a paper or a book. they can be shuffled in any order until you are happy
7. Phonics: putting parts of words on cards to match up together.
8. Mental math. Put answers on cards and scatter on the floor. Read problem aloud and when they solve it they pounce on the right answer.
9. Life size board game. Put directions on index cards and create a path through the house. Use big dice and the kids become the playing pieces, following the directions on the cards.
10. For preschoolers: pictures on the cards help them communicate their feelings. They can point to the face that matches how they feel.
11. Use them like soccer warnings. They get cards as discipline. Green, then yellow, then red. You can assign discipline as your family sees necessary.
12. Create a flip book.
13. Write chores to check off.
14. Cut a slit in the end and wind stray ribbon on it. The slit holds the end of the ribbon.
15. Keep a grocery list in your pocket.
16. Lay several out and draw a road on them. Now your boy has a portable road he can assemble anywhere he goes.
17. Make bookmarks for a friend.
18. Recipes. Put one on the quick bread you give to a friend.
19. punch holes and they become lace up cards.
20. Keep a card file organized by month. Use it for birthdays, seasonal chores and other monthly duties.
21. Use them as little canvases for mini fridge art.
22. Make a countdown calendar. Number and decorate the cards and put them in order. Fold one card to make an easel and lean the cards on it. Each day the kids can move the card to the back and see how many days are left.
23. Make a speech. Practice it and then give the speech in front of friends and family.
24. Write or draw your clothes on the cards–Bottoms, tops. Mix and match to create new fashions from your same old clothes.
25. Write your memory work on the cards so you can put them in your pocket for memory work on the fly.

What’s your idea?

The Science Mouse is a homeschooled kid with a penchant for all things scientific. With a little help from her mom she publishes The Science Mouse, a terrific monthly ezine for kids with a different theme each month.

Tell us about you/your family. (hobbies, stuff you like, stuff you can’t stand)

I have two sisters and two brothers. I like to swim and really like when my dad takes me out for a bike ride. I just started softball and my brother is in t-ball. I have my own dog named Copper. He is a beagle and he is named after the puppy in The Fox and the Hound. We also have gerbils and chickens.

One of my least favorite things is sitting next to my six year old brother in the car because he won’t leave me alone. He always wants my attention, but sometimes I like to do things he isn’t big enough to do or to just read.

What you do like best about homeschooling? What do you like least?

What I like about homeschooling is not having six hours of school. What I don’t like about homeschooling is that I don’t have many friends in my neighborhood.

Have you always like to write? What’s your favorite subject?

No, I haven’t always liked to write. It depends on what I am writing about. I like it more when it is something I thought of. My favorite subject is reading.

Is starting up an online magazine what you thought it would be? How is it the same/different?

It isn’t quite what I thought it would be. It is more work than I thought it would be and I was hoping that I would get more contributions from other children. Mom says to be patient. My favorite part of the e-zine is getting to stay up late to work on it when the deadline is close.

Where did you get the idea for The Science Mouse?

I wanted to start a blog and I like science. My mom talked to me about maybe an e-zine and I liked that idea.

What does “creative” mean to you?

Creative means to make up something and draw it or make a model or create something new.

Do you think you are creative? Why or why not?

I think I am very creative. I am always thinking of how to use things in new ways. For example, I made a stable for my horses out of things my parents were going to throw away.

What other creative dreams do you have?

I would like to write a book and have it published. I am writing a book right now called “The Horse Chronicles.”

What inspires you to be more creative?

The things I see.

What advice would you give to other kids who may want to start their own magazine? (How much time does it take to create an issue, what do you need, what’s the most important thing to know, etc.)

It takes a lot of time. Writing takes a lot of time, and so does typing. My mom helps me with that, but it still takes time. It takes time to let people know your magazine published. It takes time to answer emails and to learn about different things. Sometimes there are other things you want to do, but you have to work on your magazine if you want it to be successful. You also have to make sure you spell things right.

If other kids want to write for your magazine, how can they get in touch with you?

They can email me at thesciencemouse@gmail.com. Articles can be any length and it is OK for parents  to help like if a young child wants to dictate something. My mom helps me, too.

Please take a minute to visit The Science Mouse. She has videos, crafts, recipes and lots of articles that your kids will really enjoy, along with a FREE downloadable issue in PDF each month.

photo courtesy Wooties!

Younger kids:

• play post office and use it for the mail.
• cut out words, pictures, numbers for learning and review as flash cards
• use the grocery ads to create a pretend shopping list. Cut out the pictures of the items and glue to index cards. Tape a piece of bent index card to the back like a picture frame so it will stand upright. Set up a little store and practice shopping.
• Use the same cards to sort items by color, shape, food group, etc.
• Cut up junk mail for collage.
• Cut out words for creating new sentences or poetry.
• Play “I spy.”
• Use the mail to learn your address.
• Create a mailbox for them and fill it with junk mail they can open.
• When you get mail with stickers or stamps, let them play with them.
• Catalogs are great for clipping pictures for picture books and flash cards.
• Cut pictures from catalogs and give them as pretend gifts to each other.

For older kids

• Open up those credit card offers and analyze them. Calculate fees and interest and compare them against one another. Practice filling out the forms. Use it as a teaching tool.
• Compare grocery store ads and find the better bargain.
• Create a menu from the ingredients in grocery ads.
• Use sales letters as a template and write one of your own. Dissect it–grammar, word choice, use of punctuation and even the layout.
• Practice sticking to a budget with grocery ads and catalogs.
• Research unfamiliar foods and where they come from.
• Count how many different countries the grocery items come from.
• Use catalog pictures as writing prompts.
• Catalog item descriptions are great examples of concise, descriptive writing. Try to write your own.

• Money for counting. Make change at your bank. For $5, which is about the same cost as the plastic coins from the teacher store, your kids can get the feel of making real change. Or let them count their piggy bank.
  lacing cards. You can recycle cereal boxes or large plastic lids. Cut into the shape you want and punch holes all around the edges. Use an old shoelace and let them go to town.
• buttons, macaroni, beans, bottlecaps, candy pieces or anything small can be used for counting, sorting, predicting and quantitative measurements. Mini muffin tins are great with these. You can also use these for simple math operations, like adding and subtracting.
• Make your own place value sheet on a paper divided into place values with a marker (in “landscape” position). They can lay the beans or candy pieces in the proper place value.
• Color rigatoni or other large pasta with a little alcohol and food color. Lay them out to dry and then use some twine or yarn to string them together. (A little tape around the end like a shoelace will make stringing easier.) You can teach patterns and fine motor skills.
• I found a small food scale at the dollar store. This is great for predicting and comparing amounts.
  Use your measuring cups and spoons to measure all sots of things.
• I also got a ruler at Wal-Mart for 50 cents. And a fabric tape measure for a dollar. Kids love to compare and predict measurements. T-charts are simple for recording their results.
• Make your own flash cards. There are free programs online or you can get out your markers and index cards and have a great time creating your own. You can make silly word problems too.
• Another fun idea is to get two large tubs. Fill one with uncooked rice and use different size containers to see how many it takes to move the rice from one tub to another. Little kids really like to scoop the rice. You can keep preschoolers busy for a long time with some fun tools like a big spoon and a cup or some sand box tools.

Originally posted at PrincipledMom blog.