Homeschooling My Kinetic Kids

My husband has been telling us for weeks that we wouldn't be getting Disney Plus, since he didn't think we needed another video streaming option in the house (perhaps you've had similar discussions in your family).  Then, he started hearing about Mandalorian, the D+ exclusive Star Wars series, and how well done it is.  He signed us up for the free trial, and we watched the first two episodes as a date night.  He was hooked!  The next day, he bought the Ruku stick to watch Disney Plus on our TV. Since it's almost Thanksgiving, I thought this would be a great time to make a list of Christmas movies that you can watch on Disney Plus.  Besides, we already have our tree up, so we're ready for some snuggly family movie nights.  Scroll to the bottom of the post for more movie night ideas! Santa Buddies My kids enjoy movies with puppies in them, so this video is exactly the thing they like to watch.  Addition videos in the series include Searc...

Several years ago, I posted a Six-Sided 100 chart printable on this blog.  It was a good project, but I never got it to full usefulness, because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to use for a tray.  Now that my kids are ready for 100-chart work, I thought I'd remake the set and actually finish it. I started with an old Last Word Game from the 1980's, which has a 10x10 grid with little crevices for supporting the blocks.  Then, I bought a pack of 100 0.75" wood cubes  and printed my dice sides off my computer.  Working in small batches, I placed packing tape over the printed numbers and then cut them out and affixed them to the wood with a glue stick. I tried to make every dice exactly the same so that it was easier to turn them from one side to another when they were already on the board.  For example, the black and white side was side 1, then the rainbow side was to the left of that and the monster was to the right.  I tried to keep the o...

Over the past week, I've published several learning activities featuring the world's favorite mouse.  For the last day, I wanted to do a big round-up with lots of Mickey ideas and printables to make your Mickey-themed learning unit even more fun.  This post is filled with lots of Mickey magic, so I hope you enjoy! Preschool Pack // 1+1+1=1 Shaped Pretzels // Liz On Call Printable Number Flashcards // Disney Family Light Tray Counting // Epic Childhood M & M Pretzel Bites // Two Sisters Crafting DIY Learning Clock // Counting Coconuts Eye Spy Bag // Liz on Call Color Matching Game // Party Through the USA Mickey Slime // Ruffles and Rainboots Use this confetti to make a Mickey-themed squishy bag like the one in the picture.  I used cheap hair gel from the Dollar Tree and a name-brand zip top bag (pro tip- rubbing alcohol takes off the label).  I added the blue duct tape around the edges of the bag to help reinforce them.  Lots of gel, like the one I made, is...

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!  Mickey Mouse!  Mickey Mouse!  If you haven't guessed it, this week is all about America's favorite mouse!  I've got lots of fun and educational ideas for you and your Disney loving kid.  Whether you're heading to Disney World to visit Galaxy Edge or staying home and watching Disney Channel, you'll find lots of portable and printable resources here. My kids really enjoyed using the Mickey head shaped trays for the sensory writing activity.  I used  red sequins  as the substrate, which were very beautiful but didn't give a very clear image.  Salt or sand works the best for making a clean letter, so that's what I recommend especially for new writers.  A sand art kit would give you lots of color choices for many themes (or they can be mixed for more fun), since you only need a teaspoon or so for the tray.  Kids can then shake the tray to erase their markings and start over.  Challenge kids to wri...

For day two of Mickey week, I thought I'd do some  Mickey play food !  I ended up with two felt food pattern ideas, although their shapes are very similar.  It's not an easy shape to sew, but the results are fun, and I'm sure your kids won't care too much how it looks.  I know my kids love these projects.  Scroll down for supply lists and directions! Mickey Ice Cream Bar SUPPLIES: - black felt - DMC floss - large popsicle stick - stuffing or extra felt Cut out the Mickey heads from the pattern (I used the medium ones for my ice cream) and cut out two heads from black felt .  I like to use packaging tape to hold down the paper pattern while I cut it out.  If you're using fabric (like extra felt) or quilt batting for stuffing, cut out extra heads out of that material, too. Decide which thickness you want to make your ice cream bar and cut two 12" x N pieces of black felt.  Also measure around the width of your popsicle stick and the length of you...

We love Altoid tins around here!  Every time we have a new project or need to organize something, I first ask if it will fit in a tin.  As readers of this blog know, I have a lot of math activities in Altoid tins , so I thought I'd add one more!  This week, we're celebrating America's Favorite Mouse with a bunch of educational printables and ideas featuring him. This printable math activity features Mickey head math counters in three colors.  The number cards can be used to build a number line or to name a quantity of Mickeys on the 10-frame.  Use the cards to "write" out addition and subtraction problems, too.  My kids like to use their homemade math counters for their math workbook. > > > Click Here to Download < < < Reminder- this printable is only available for newsletter subscribers! Sign up below to get access to the entire resource library! One of the reasons I started making homemade math counters was because my daughter (7) was ...

I've had this post ready to be published since last winter.  I have many grown-up Disney princesses in my life that I was thinking about when I made this list.  The focus is on four classic girls- who would you have chosen? For this gift guide, I'm trying a different style of blogging.  As an Amazon Affiliate, I'm using their official product guide format.  Click on the product in the picture strip or on the links below. Belle As a little girl, Beauty and the Beast was my favorite Disney movie.  I related to Belle, the bookworm, who didn't fit in with her community.  This princess collection was the easiest and most fun to assemble. 1- Chip is such an adorable character, and this ceramic mug would be perfect in any grown-up Disney princess's kitchen.  I love his silly nose and colorful, almost stained-glass base. 2- This working Cogsworth clock is amazing!  The face tells time and the pendelum swings in time.  I love the pose, like it's fro...

Today's All Wrapped Up Pre-Christmas post continues the Elf-on-the-Shelf theme with 100 Disney Ideas!  It was such a fun challenge to scour Pinterest for every Disney elf reference I could find, without repeating any ideas.  The list includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars references, so there should be something for every Disney-loving elf. 1- Do You Want to Build an Olaf with Toilet Paper? 2- Oh, No!  Elf Got Tangled in Rapunzel's Hair! 3- Looks the the Army Men from Toy Story Captured Elf 4- Tinkerbell and Elf, Sitting in a Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G 5- Hanging with the Emotions from Inside Out 6- Frozen by Elsa (bonus science experiment to thaw him out) 7- He Upset the Empire and got Frozen in Carbonite 8- Visiting Epcot in Florida 9- Using Cars to Pull his Sleigh 10- Snowball Fight with Buzz Lightyear 11- Pinned to the Wall by a Gaggle of Spidermen 12- Turned to the Dark Side as Darth Vader 13- Let It Glow with a Glow Stick Chain 14- Go Under the Sea in a ...

For the fourth day of Star Wars week, I've joined with the wonder writers of the Kid Blogger Network to bring you their best Disney play dough ideas.  Kids love to squish, kneed, and roll dough.  These creative kits should keep them entertained and happy for hours.  Most of them use homemade recipes, but store-bought ones can be utilized as well.  Put together a few kits for grandma's house, birthday presents, vacations, and wherever else you end up this summer. Star Wars Seeing as it's Star Wars week, I thought I should dedicate a full section to the Galaxy far, far away. BB8 // Left Brain Craft Brain The orange, white, and grey in this invitation to play is so striking. Star Wars // Frugal Fun for Boys My boys love this little metal spaceships.  They would really enjoy playing with them in the sand play dough, too. Galaxy // Imagination Tree The silver stars look so inviting! Death Star // Little Bins for Little Hands Lego pieces and shades of grey play dough ...