education

3 Ways To Get Your Kids Excited About STEM

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Image Credit: Parker_West from Pixabay. Many of the problems around the world can be minimized – if not eradicated – with the help of well-trained scientists across various areas. It often seems as though there aren’t enough of these scientists, however. By encouraging younger generations to get interested in the STEM fields, it’s possible to build a better future. Figuring out how to get your kids excited about STEM and to actually build this future can be complicated. It doesn’t need to be. You can do multiple things to encourage your kids to go this route, with a few top strategies being recommended for this. What Is STEM? Before diving into how you can get your kids excited about STEM, it’s worth looking at what the field actually is. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, with each of these areas sharing an emphasis in critical thinking, innovation, and problem-solving. They also comprise a few major areas of study, including: That doesn’t mean all fields that people can study are labelled as these. There are countless related disciplines, as well as more than a few college majors to choose from. Psychology, pharmaceutical sciences, and similar disciplines all fall into this. These can be used to help build a better future, with many scientists in these areas already doing exactly that. It could be a great reason to get your kids excited about STEM. It’s worth looking into three ways you can encourage that interest. Get Your Kids Excited About STEM: 3 Top Strategies 1. Know Where STEM’s Used As mentioned above, STEM can be used in quite a few obvious places, but they’re far from the only areas where it’s used. Your kids – when adults – don’t necessarily have to work in laboratories in the future, and there can be quite a few places where they could work and impact the world. To get your kids excited about STEM, find areas they’re already interested in that are STEM-related. By doing this, they’ll already be relatively interested and they’ll be more likely to try things out. It’ll be a quicker and easier way to get your kids excited about STEM. It could be worth starting off with this before trying anything else. 2. Use The Resources Using STEM resources is a great way to start getting your child interested in these fields. Videos, movies, and similar options are great for this. They show your child exactly what’s involved in the areas while highlighting how interesting they can be. When going this route, choose options that are as child-friendly as possible. Generation Genius is a great option for this, especially for the STEM fields. You can go through different areas and focus on ones that might interest your child the most. Consider this a way to plant the seed for your child’s interest, and you shouldn’t have a problem helping it grow long-term. They’ll learn in a fun way that actually encourages them to learn more about these fields.. 3. Instill Confidence There’s a chance your child could already be interested in a specific field, but they mightn’t have done anything about it yet. Because of a lack of experience in it, they mightn’t be confident about their abilities in it. They could think they’ll fail if they try. Aim to counteract this. Let them know that failure is okay when they’re starting out and that it’s part of the learning process. Giving them examples of how you would’ve failed in certain areas but recovered and continued onward. It’s a great way to encourage them to try something new, and they’ll be much more willing to try. By showing them how to learn from any mistakes, you can encourage this passion even further. Get Your Kids Excited About STEM: Wrapping Up If you want to get your kids excited about STEM, it’s easy to feel as though it’ll be a complicated process. The field itself can be relatively confusing as it is. It doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to get your kids more interested in it. Instilling confidence in their abilities, knowing exactly where STEM is used, and using the right resources, you can do exactly that. With how important STEM can be for overcoming problems society faces, there’s no reason not to encourage your kids to get more involved in them. They’ll help to build a better future, giving all the more weight to the field.

Homeschool Tips for a Great Back-To-School Year

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School is starting! Some families will drop off their children or help them catch the school bus every morning. Some will homeschool or work at online school. Whatever way school is done, it’s about time for learning to begin. Are you ready? Homeschool Tips for a Great Back-to-School Year 2. Prepare Your Supplies – Have your textbooks, living books, or online subscriptions ready to get started on Day 1. Make sure to have notebooks, paper, pencils, art supplies, etc… in place and stored in an organized manner. This is a great time to go through last year’s stash and see what may need to be replaced. Those old markers may be dry. It’s also a good opportunity to let children help you put things in order. 3. Prepare with your Planner – Do you use a digital or a paper planner? Get this ready to use. My best tip is to prepare six weeks of lesson plans before the first day of school. This will help things to go smooth and take so much stress off of you. 4. Prepare your Heart – This should probably be the first thing! The last year and a half has been hard on everyone, even our children. We need to prepare our hearts for a good year at home with our families and with our homeschool. We always prayed together for a year of blessings and liked finding a new verse in the Bible to have for a theme verse. 5. Architectural Digest has recently written “How To Set Up Your Homeschool Room 2023 Guide.’” You’ll find some refreshing ideas to keep it neat and organized. GIVEAWAY Also, I am thrilled to bring you the 2021 Rainbow Resource Center Giveaway! The winner can win a $200 Gift Card to Rainbow Resource Center. Another (home) school year is about to start! Many homeschool moms are busy preparing and finalizing curriculum choices for the upcoming school year. And many are trying to stick to their tight homeschool budget, hoping it will cover all the books and resources they will need. Winning a gift card to a major online homeschool retailer would surely help you check some things off of your curriculum wish list. Well, I’ve gotten together with a great group of homeschool bloggers to bring you a chance to do just that!  Three homeschool families will win a $200 gift card to Rainbow Resource Center!! We know homeschooling can put financial strain on families – whether it’s from living on one-income or buying curriculum for multiple children – the financial aspect of it can be stressful.  Our hope is that we can bless a few homeschool families (although we wish we could bless many more) so they can buy curriculum, books, games, puzzles, or whatever educational supplies they might need, with a little less stress. To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.  Now I know this is quite a few entries, but each of these bloggers has generously chipped in their own money to make this giveaway possible, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries.  And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning! Giveaway ends July 30, 2021 at 11:59pm ET.  Must be at least 18 years of age.  Must be a resident of U.S. or Canada to enter.  Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn.  By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers (see the Terms & Conditions on the Rafflecopter form for the complete list) .a Rafflecopter giveaway @2021, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner & Accessories

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Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed these products and affiliate links are included. All opinions are 100% my own. I’m thrilled to bring you the new launch of the Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner and Accessories! When these planners and accessories arrived I truly couldn’t believe my eyes! I never had anything so amazing to use when I was a homeschool teacher or a certified public school student teacher. These products are of such high-quality that you’ll feel like you just got a raise when you use them. They have everything you’ll need to stay organized, plan lessons, and keep track of everything…..and you’ll actually enjoy using these items. The color choices, the great sturdy construction, and designs are simply perfect! Let me show you what’s new. I know you’ll be as excited as I am! Instead of starting with the basics, let me first show you some of the luxurious items. The zippered pouches are connected and can fold up to take up very little space or can be fully expanded (as shown). This Accordion Zipper Pouch is shown in the Blush Ombre color. It’s silky-soft and has beautiful gold zippers on each pouch. Keep all those little things safe and organized. You’ll also feel even more beautiful wearing the Love Is Golden Stackable Bracelet. It can even be worn as a necklace if you prefer. This Clipfolio is an ingenious idea! It serves two great functions. Use the front as a clipboard. When you move the elastic closure, you’ll find the envelope enclosures to hold some loose paper or forms safely inside. This is a very sturdy clipboard/folio and you’ll use it for years to come. The teacher quote is cool, too. be a Leader – be the Difference – be the Light – be a Teacher! The Rainbow Heart Coiled Teacher Record Book is really wonderful! The laminated cover is so cute with the heart shaped by colored pencils. It just makes me smile! It has my initials, and I really think it’s great that these can be personalized. Below you can see inside the Rainbow Heart where you’ll find some of the graphs for keeping student records. Now, here is the big, bright, and beautiful Coiled Teacher Lesson Planner. This one has the Mid Century Circles Cover, but you can also purchase other interchangeable covers. You’ll love finding the one that suits your very own personality. Here’s a close-up of the corner of the Coiled Teacher Lesson Planner. The heavy paper is super quality and the laminated covers and page separators will impress you. You have nice big pages that give you plenty of room for writing! Take a look at the Softbound Teacher Lesson Planner with Layers style cover. It’s sturdy, even though the cover is softer than the larger Teacher Lesson Planner above. I love the design and would make good use of either one. I absolutely love lesson planning (I really do!) You’ll be able to order a Teacher Lesson Planner Bundle in the Layers style and in the Mid Century Circles Style. It’s so much cuter to have matching sets, isn’t it? A teacher can never have too many note pads. These two on the left have specific uses: One is a Substitute Teacher form notepad. When you plan to be gone, you can have everything in one place to make it easy on the substitute teacher. The middle notepad is Note From The Teacher. It’s pre-made so that you can quickly jot down a note for a parent. Just tear off the note and send it home with the student. These are cute but also very professional. The third pad can be used in any way that suits your needs. Just clip it on to your Clipfolio and you’ll be ready for anything! Accessories are always more fun if they’re cute and colorful! This group has lots of both! I love the set of 3 Bookmarks: Mid Century Circles. They are called the Mini Snap-In-Bookmark Trio and snap right in to your coiled planners. What a stylish way to save you time! The sticker book is called Too Cool For School, ED. 5. It’s a sticker book of amazing-quality stickers! Many of them have foil highlights. There are many different types….don’t you love the letters? Check out the

Homeschool Planning & Christianbook Giveaway

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christianbook giveaway

Homeschool life is about to ramp up with the fall semester. If you are a new or veteran homeschool mom, you know how important planning is. To get started right it’s absolutely necessary to have some type of plan. Homeschoolers come in every shape and size. I don’t mean your body shape, but I’m just talking about your philosophy. No matter your teaching style, you will want to plan things. Some of you may have put off planning your curriculum. Don’t worry, it’s never too late to get started! When I was actively homeschooling (my children are now adults), I loved to attend homeschool conventions and browse through all of the new curriculum options. It was so much fun to meet the authors of many great books and hear them speak about their products. There was always a ton of information! Where to Shop One of my favorite homeschool suppliers was Christianbook.com. They carry the best curriculum, resources, and more! All types of curriculum can be found there at great prices! I’ve never been more thankful for the freedom to homeschool my kids as I am this year.  I can’t imagine the uncertainty, stress, and overwhelm that many families are feeling right now with not knowing what the upcoming school year will look like.  As homeschoolers, our plans for the upcoming school year have likely not been disrupted or derailed, schooling will take place in our homes this fall (or year-round if you are in that camp).  Plans may have changed some as jobs and financial situations may have changed; so many families, homeschoolers or not, are feeling the strain of the economy’s decline.  Maybe you don’t have the funds to get your favorite or usual curriculum this year, or maybe you don’t have the budget to buy any at all.  Maybe you are brand new to homeschooling; you’ve decided to take your child’s education into your own hands, to have more control in what and how they’ll learn, and you had to cut back your work hours or quit altogether to do just that. Get the Back To School Bundle Free Giveaway I’ve teamed up with a great group of homeschool bloggers that would like to bless a few homeschool families this year and help lighten the financial load, even if it’s just a little.  ‘We wish we could bless more, but we will be able to give THREE families $200 to spend at Christianbook.com to buy curriculum, resources, and supplies for their homeschools. To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.  Now I know this is quite a few entries, but each of these bloggers has generously chipped in their own money to make this giveaway possible, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries.  And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning! Giveaway ends August 14, 2020 at 11:59pm ET.  Must be at least 18 years of age.  Must be a resident of U.S. or Canada to enter.  Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn.  By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers (see the Terms & Conditions on the Rafflecopter form for the complete list). a Rafflecopter giveaway @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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