Create a “No-fail” Unit study

Recently Hannah Savage shared her “no-fail” Viking unity study on Instagram. She wisely shared,

“When I see my job through the lens of laying a feast without tying my success to an idealized outcome, I free up my heart to enjoy the unit with them for however long it lasts and whatever it ends up looking like. My “low stakes” approach feels like a friendly invitation to them rather than a tight-knuckled force feeding. It’s an awareness many (many) fumbles in this homeschool life have taught me.”

@hannahsavagewrites

Lovely, right? It sounds like my recommendation to offer a learning buffet and allow your children to choose what they want from a delightful array of books, projects and options.

Among all her wonderful resources she found for her unit study, she linked to my free Viking Paper Men and Dolls.

If you looking for a wide variety of ideas for your children to express their learning, I have created a Narrations Ideas Booklet filled with over 100 creative project options, alternative suggestions, practical tips and templates for every age and learning style. You can order your booklet on my Packages page.

May Hannah’s “no-fail” unit study approach inspire you to be brave and creative and curate your own “no-fail” unit study on themes or topics your children are passionate about!

Blessings and much grace, Nadene

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Fun Activities For Kids At Home

Here are some creative and fun learning activities links from my blog for your children to enjoy at home as we move into unprecedented changes in our lives with self-isolation and lockdowns due to the global covid-19 outbreak.

May I offer a few practical suggestions with these at-home activities?

• Look for items that your children would enjoy.
• Plan for 1 activity per day.
• Keep things informal.  Don’t try to do school at home!
• Take your time.
• Don’t rush through a list.
• If something sparks joy and delight — stay there and look for other similar activities rather than moving on to the next thing on your list.
• Repeat.  Especially young children love to repeat an enjoyable activity.  Don’t be afraid to print things out and do it again if your child loved it.
• Photograph and video them doing their activities.
• Display their finished work each week on a door or shelf “gallery”.
• Share their activities with grandparents and social groups to stay connected.

So here we go ~

1. Paper dolls and paper men from different historical eras to colour in and cut out.  Use these as puppets for narrations.
2. Narrations are the child “telling back” what he heard in a read-aloud. Narrations are the cornerstone of a Charlotte Mason education.  Children must pay close attention while they listen to the story so that they can make it their own and express what they remember and understood as they narrate.   I have collected over 100 narration ideas for every learning style.  In this Ebook, you will find lists of suggested activities for audio, visual, kinesthetic and creative learners along with templates and printouts.  You can see examples of the templates and ideas in the original post.
3. Letterboxing – a great “treasure hunting” geography game to practice in your house and garden. Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring skills.
4. Current Affairs is the study of social, political and important happenings in the world at the present time.  Use this Current Affairs download with calendar pages, maps, flags and symbols to chart the events around the world during the coronavirus crisis.
5. Nature Study and enjoy the great outdoors with fun nature activities in three Smash Nature Journals.  Go to my  Packages page to order your Smash books.  If you order all 3 you get the third book free!
   
6. 3D models such as the Little House in the Woods.
7. Art appreciation activities of famous artworks and famous artists~
   •  Famous Artists lapbook
   • Famous Impressionist Artists lapbook
   • Tracing Outlines of Famous Art Works
   • Van Gogh “Starry Night” ~ Art Appreciation
   • Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
   • 3D Model of Seurat’s “Bathers at Asnieres”
8. Creative projects ~
   • Morse code bracelets
   • Make a rag doll family
   • Make a Polly Pocket in a soap dish
   • Painted heart rocks
   • Corn starch clay ornaments
   • Toy car travel mat
   • Pretty beaded candle jars 
   • Marshmellow paste cake decorations
9. Bible activities ~
   • Colour in a young man in armour
   • A young woman in armour
   • Easter ~ here is an awesome “Easter pictures and hands-on activities“ download using all  5 senses.
   • Parables lapbook with almost every parable in complete NKJ scripture quotes in a variety of colourful square-fold minibooks with blank pages for the child’s own notes.
   • Book of James Lapbook
10. Sight Words are frequently used words that your child should easily recognize in his reading.  In my Sight Words Ebook, you will have all the word lists, words in sentences, games and activity templates.
11. Handwriting practice with laminated charts and games. I have created a 20-page E-book is packed with practical tips and it includes helpful activities and fun pre-writing games to build up your child’s gross motor strength, develop fine motor control and develop their spatial awareness, correct posture and pencil grip for maximum control and minimum stress while learning to write.   
12. Hands-on activities ~ Here is a list of some of the many hands-on activities and posts on my blog ~
    • Make memories with hands-on activities
    • Easter hands-on activities
    • End of year activities
    • How to fit in hands-on activities
    • Hands-on knots
    • Ancient Egypt Lapbook and hands-on activities
    • Vikings hands-on activities
    • Ancient China hands-on activities
    • Hands-on Sonlight
    • Having fun with maps
    • Action!
    • Tailor-made
    • Around the world mobile

I hope that these posts and links and downloads inspire you in your homeschooling!

Wishing you all health, happiness and precious family times.

Blessings, Nadene

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Knights – New Paper Dolls

We have updated our Middle Ages paper dolls and men.

I have created a new page with a Knight and his armor and weapons.

The young squire dressed the knight, layering all the underclothes, chain-mail, armor and coat of arms tunic and weapons.  If kids follow the list of armor given on the page with the knight man, they will dress the knight correctly.

There are also 2 pages with a Medieval Man’s clothes, including clothes worn by the poor peasant, merchant or wealthy man.

The Middle Ages lady pages now include clothes worn by peasants, merchants and the wealthy Medieval lady.  These detailed illustrations and labels will give a child a real understanding of the clothing and lifestyle of the era.

This is a wonderful ‘keep-those-hands-busy’ activity for kids to make while you read aloud!

Pop over to my Free Pages and check out all the paper dolls & men!

Blessings,

Paper Men of Ancient History

At last!  The paper men of Ancient History are here!

Featuring Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Vikings, Ancient China and Japan and Ancient India, these paper men will complement your Paper Dolls of Ancient History.

My children to love colour in while I read aloud to them – and what better way to keep hands busy while studying Ancient History than to colour, cut out, laminate and play with these paper figures?

Your children can use these figures for narrations.  Somehow, focusing on a paper doll/ figure helps the child remember and retell the details. Children could make plays and dramatize their stories.  I am always fascinated by homeschooled children’s imaginative games ~ how they often use historical names, places and events in their creative play.

This is what the paper men look like:

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Click here for your download ~ Paper Men Ancient History

If you haven’t downloaded all our Paper Dolls, please go check out what you are missing on my Free Pages.

As I am constantly creating more paper dolls to add to our collection, please subscribe or click on my RSS feed under my Gravatar to receive notification of the latest posts.

Enjoy!

Paper Dolls of Ancient Japan, China, India and North American Indians

Here are paper dolls from different ancient nationalities to use when you …

study Sonlight’s World History, or

read stories from these countries, or

study different nationalities, or

just want to expose your children to clothing from Ancient times, or …

just for fun!

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Have you downloaded all Practical Pages’ Paper Dolls?

If not, check out the Paper Dolls of Ancient History which include Ancient Egypt, Ancient Vikings, Ancient Rome and Elizabethan Era.

Also look at our first Paper Dolls ~ Fashions Through Past Eras which include Jane Austen fashions of the 1800’s,  Victorian era, Edwardian eras of 1900’s, the Medieval era, King Louis French fashions and the 1960’s fashions.

I’m sure that you’ll read how we colour in, then cut out and then laminate our paper dolls.  There are several methods to attach the clothing to the dolls, but if you wish, add the conventional tabs to the shoulders and the sides of the garments.

I hope you have signed up for an email notification or put my RSS feed on your homepage! (You’ll find this on my sidebar just under my Gravatar.) because, as promised, I will continue to upload our latest paper dolls. I am busy developing the men paper figures even as you read this!

Here’s the Paper Doll download ~ Paper Dolls Japan China India NAIndians

Paper Dolls of Ancient History

Here are our latest Ancient History Paper dolls:

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Vikings

Ancient Rome

Elizabethan Era

These paper dolls are the latest addition to our paper doll series ~

Click here for your 4 page pdf download ~ Paper Dolls Ancient History

We were inspired to draw these paper dolls while we read our Sonlight World History Usborne books. Included with most the paper dolls are some ancient artefacts or jewelery.  Children should also know the how to place the clothing articles on the dolls in the correct order.

We colour in the pictures, cut them out and then laminate everything ~ see here.  We attach clothing with prestick (sticky stuff).

Look at our historical eras paper dolls that included fashions from the 1800’s,   Victorian styles from 1865. clothes from the Edwardian eras of 1900’s,  fashions of the Medieval era, the French fashions of Louis VIV and even styles from the 1960’s.

Here are some suggestions to enjoy the paper dolls:

• One mom pasted magnetic tape on the backs and her children play on a fridge or metal tray with their dolls.
• Another mom stuck felt on the back of their paper dolls so they could stick on a felt board.
• These paper dolls could be coloured while the children listen to history stories. (To keep hands busy while ears are listening!)
• Children could use them when telling history narrations.
• Children can play with them with as they do with finger puppets and create / act scenes from plays.

Ok, I know you’ll ask me, “Where are the men/ boys?” I am planning them!

The paper dolls from different nations will be coming soon …  I’ve done North American Indians, Japan … oh, the list is too long …

New Paper Dolls ~ Fashions through the Past Eras

A few weeks ago the girls created some paper dolls with clothes.  As their creativity flowed, we decided to make clothes from different eras.

Based on fashions seen in classic movies like Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice they created the fashions used in the 1800’s.  They loved Little Women and used those dress styles from 1865. My Fair Lady inspired clothes from the Edwardian eras of 1900’s.  The classic movie of Romeo and Juliet gave inspiration to the fashions of the Medieval era. Amadeus inspired the French fashions.  One of the girls loved Hair Spray of the 1960’s and made a page of these fashions!

Here is the 10 page pdf. download ~Paper Dolls & clothes.  As you will have seen in the earlier paper doll post, the girls colour in, then cut out the clothes and accessories before we laminate the pieces.  They use prestick to paste each article on the dolls.  (You may want to add shoulder tabs as the vintage paper dolls have instead.)

Paper Dolls Rachel & Rebecca

Romeo & Juliet 1500's

Romeo & Juliet

Jane Austen 1800's

Jane Austen 1800's

Marie Antoinette French 1789

Edwardian 1900's

Little Women 1865

'Little Women' 1865

1960's Hair Spray

Of course we intend to cover more eras and styles …  I have Ancient Egypt, Rome, Vikings and the Elizabethan eras in mind. And of course the modern era needs a page or two … And then I could think of different clothes from countries around the world … plus we will eventually need to include some men …  Maybe I should plan 1 new download per month?

Bible Study ~ Priest’s Garments

For Bible Study we are using “Picture This!” from www.bibledraw.com and the children have enjoyed drawing their overview pages of each book of the Bible we have done so far.

All the stories from Genesis on 1 page

Exodus summarized in pictures as we read

Because this is a visual reference or overview, we often stop to ~

* study a story, event or characters in more detail (even dramatize ~ do puppet shows – finger puppets are quick and fun!)

* do some hands-on activity eg.: build models, do lapbook or minibooks

* memory verse practice

* sing songs or hymns

* write in our notebook  pages

* place our timeline pictures (from Sonlight) on the timeline

* pray!

The Tabernacle

I made a Tabernacle cross minibook shaped like a cross; with the outer court and Holy Place and Most Holy Place’s articles.  There is place to write how Jesus fulfilled the Tabernacle’s purposes on the minibooks.

Cross-shaped minibook of the Tabernacle's articles

Writing about Jesus' representation on the outside of each flap

Cover representing the Outer Court enclosing the cross-shaped minibook

To go with this theme I made a Priest’s garment paper figure with all his priestly garments separately to dress him as described in Exodus.

High Priest's Clothes

I pray and trust the Holy Spirit to show us where to stop and listen to Him and obey what He is saying to us.  He alone can make all of this word Light, Life and Truth!

Paper Dolls ~ something spontaneously creative!

Today my girls made these gorgeous paper dolls.

Doll with top and shorts

Cutting out paper doll

Doll with bits and bobs in an envelope and prestick

Paper doll, clothes and accessories on 1 page

After all the drawing, colouring and cutting we decided to laminate the lot.  Each doll with all her hairstyles, outfits and accessories fit on one page which my girls have graciously agreed to share here ~ PaperDolls.

"Theresa" and her things

"Emily" and her things

Once the girls cut each piece out, they stick the pieces on the doll with prestick. (I just love the laminater – it really makes things last so much longer and prevents tearing when they remove articles or accessories.) Miss K. made an envelope to store all the bits and bobs in.