A new post featuring a Christmas Songs Cryptograms has been added here:
https://brainrecker.substack.com/p/christmas-songs-cryptograms
Subscribe for free today!
Category Archives: Funschooling
Fall Recipe Word Search: Warm Cranberry Punch
How long will it take you to find the 12 words hidden in this puzzle?
Fall Recipe: Warm Cranberry Punch
Connect with FranW.com!
Summer Word Wheel 
Observe Life At A Pond
During the summer, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water are full of life. Take some time to observe what’s going on. Use the following suggestions to create a one of a kind summer study.
Visit a pond, lake, river, creek, or ocean (if another body of water is not available). Observe life at the pond, lake, etc. and take pictures, videos, write, and/or draw what you see and hear.
Study the pond for the rest of the season into the next or for the rest of the year into next spring. Notice how life changes while you are watching.
Bring a chair and observe for as long as you can – unless the bugs are too awful.
If you take pictures or videos, take time to identify, via books, websites, or knowledgeable people, what you observed but could not identify.
Start a pond study and take time to learn about all of the plant and animal life that can be found in the area. Bring a friend.
Bring a magnifying glass or a pocket microscope along with you so you can take closer look.
Adult supervision suggested for this activity.
Connect with FranW.com!
Summer Words Within Words
Make A Night Of It!
Take advantage of some especially nice summer evenings with a fun family activity under the stars.
Here are some suggestions:
· Observe the moon. Find out when the full moon will be and take some time to moon gaze. Bring a telescope along with you if you have one or view it through a cardboard tube. A spotting scope or binoculars can also prove useful.
· Have a bonfire. Take time to gather up some wood or purchase some from a local store. Find a safe place to start a fire and consider telling stories, roasting marshmallows, hot dogs, or bring a grill that goes over a campfire and cook up something your family will enjoy. Don’t forget a thermos full of hot cocoa! Alternately, some parks offer charcoal grills that can be used by the public. Check your local park for closure times.
· Star gaze. Take advantage of a moonless night. Set up a blanket or some chairs and take time to watch a clear night sky. Bring your telescope, binoculars, spotting scope, or cardboard tube so you can take better look. Print out a SKYMAP and take it with you to help navigate the evening sky.
· Have an evening picnic. Do something different by having a picnic in the early evening instead of the afternoon. It’s a great way to beat the heat of the day! Bring a flashlight along so you can play a game of flashlight tag. Glow sticks/items can be fun to play with too as it gets dark.
· Plan a camping weekend. Plan a camping weekend if possible. This can be at a real campsite, or in your own backyard. Some national parks offer cabins to rent as well. Take time to get away from the rat race and enjoy nature for a while. Being able to listen and watch nature without the traffic and bright lights can give you a new perspective and fresh your senses. Don’t forget to take time to moon and or star gaze while you are there.
· Watch and listen to what’s around you. Sit outside on a pleasant summer evening and take time to watch and listen to what’s going on around you. See how many sounds you can identify: Owls, birds, scurries, leaves rustling in the breeze, ect. How many night creature you can identify such as lightning bugs, mosquitoes, raccoons, opossums, frogs, cats, etc..
Connect with FranW.com!
DIY Backyard Tic-Tac-Toe
Getting outdoors to play while the weather is nice is great for everyone!
Game Board
To play tic-tac-tac you will need a game board. This can be made from any of the following suggestions, or something of your own choosing.
· A PVC pipe and four 4-way connectors the same width as the PVC pipe. To cut the PVC pipe, you will need a PVC pipe cutter, or a hack saw
· Pool Noodles
· Thick rope cut to the desired length of the tic-tac-toe board
· 9 Hula hoops
· Wooden pieces cut to length
· Painters Tape
· Spray Paint
· Chalk
Playing Pieces
A quick word about playing pieces. You do not have to use a traditional X and O, use whatever shape or letter you like. You will need 5 for each player.
· People: If the board is made large enough, people can be used as playing pieces. Each player can choose 5 players for each team. Give players a colored ribbon to indicate what side they are playing on.
· Rope: Duct tape can be used to keep whatever shape desired together.
· Bean Bags or Socks: Outdoor bean bags or socks can be made or purchased. Toss or place them on the board.
· Frisbees: Use different colors or paint a shape or symbol on them.
· Large Rocks: Paint them before you play.
· Colored Water Balloons: Colored balloons can be purchased and used to play. Filling them with less water will make them less fragile. Store balloons in a bucket. Players can place rather than toss…unless tossing causes the player to lose the space if it breaks as part of the challenge/rules.
· Strong Paper Plates
· Wood: Simple wood blocks can be made and painted or written on.
· Cardboard: Cut into squares, or circles, or to shape, and painted.
· Sea Shells: Use large shells.
· Water Bottles: Fill water bottles with colored water or spread paint inside.
· Use Whatever Works For You!
How can the board be used for other games?
· Last one standing: Place one playing piece in each space, each player will take one or two pieces off the board on their turn. The player that needs to take the last piece loses the game.
· Red, White, & Blue: Make 9 pieces: 3 red, 3 white, and 3 blue, and get them in that order for the win. The first person to make a set match wins.
· Go Together Shapes: Use triangles, circles, X’s, Squares, ect. Players can decide what goes together to make a match. For example:
· Number Match 3 In A Row: The first player to get to a number, decided on by the players before the game begins, wins.
· Color Mix and Match: To get 3 in a row, you will need to know how to mix colors:
Black + White = Grey
Blue + Yellow = Green
Yellow + Red = Orange
Red + White = Pink
Blue + Red = Purple
· Make up something on your own.
Connect with FranW.com!
A Summer Adventure
Use the following questions to create a one of a kind summer adventure that can be used to inspire a story (written or told), comic, video, or some other kind of writing or drawing projects. It can also be used to plan a real life adventure, a tour, or to jog a memory.
What would you do if you came across a cave or cavern?
Where is this cave located? In a park, in the woods, under water, on the water, ect.?
How did you come across this cave? Walking, diving, hiking, boating, a tour, ect..
Would you go in? Alone or with someone?
Who would you bring with you?
What would you bring with you?
Would you plan to go in or go in spontaneously?
If you plan to go in, what would you take, who would you take, and who would you tell?
If you decide to go in spontaneously, what items do you already have with you?
What do you think the inside of the cave/cavern looks like?
What is the temperature within?
How would you document your adventure?
Have you ever been in a cave or a cavern? What was your adventure like?
Write about, draw, tell someone, or record (audio/video) the story of your adventure.
How did it feel to go into a cave or cavern?
If you planned a tour of a cave or cavern, how do you think the tour went? Write a review or talk to someone about your experience.
I hope you enjoy creating or reliving this adventure.
Connect with FranW.com!
DIY Backyard Skeet Ball
Make your own skeet ball themed game for the backyard or to take to the park.
The follow ideas are only suggestions, please feel free to come up with your own way of making a game with this theme.
Suggestions:
Something to make a ramp out of: A box, small slide, wood and a few bricks, wood and nails, etc.
A large ball: Playground ball, soccer ball, beach ball, etc.
A Target: Buckets, baskets, or boxes that your ball will fit into
Paint, paint brush, markers, razor blade, or whatever tools are needed to cut wood or cardboard
Options for a small scale game:
Ramp: Cardboard box or wood and some bricks
Target: Bucket/Pail/Laundry Basket
Ball: Tennis, soft balls, baseballs, splash balls, etc.
Some rocks or sand may be needed at the bottom of a container/bucket, etc. to prevent the ball from bouncing out and the container from falling over as easily.
The basic idea is to set up the game so that a ball jumps a ramp and lands into a target. Make up a point system and encourage players to keep track of their own score, or have a whiteboard and marker handy to keep score, or chalk and a chalkboard or sidewalk.
Try to get different sized containers to use as a target.
Connect with FranW.com!
Recycling Project: K-Cup Challenge
How can these little cups be reused in fun, creative, and interesting ways?
You will want to collect a whole bunch of cups, with and without holes, for this project.
No K-Cups? Use a small Dixie cup, bathroom cups, or disposable shot glasses for the following challenge ideas.
Here are your challenge areas, choose as many as you want…try them all if you can…
Make A Game – Think about how one cup or a few cups can be used to make a carnival type game or a guessing game. We made a stacking cup game with ours. Try to create an opportunity to collect points or use a scoring element. Don’t forget to write down or draw instructions if you need to.
An Organizer – Can you think of a way they can be put together to help organize something small? How can they be used for something larger?
A Craft – Make a simple or complicated craft.
A Musical Instrument – What kind of instrument can you make with a K-Cup or two?
Gardening Tool – How can a cup or two be used as a gardening tool?
An Experiment – There are lots of cool experiments that require small cups, see if you can find one, or make something up on your own.
Bird Feeder – You may need to put a few cups together for this.
A Puzzle or Brain Game – How can these cups be used to create a puzzle or a brain game?
A Magic Trick – There are lots of DIY magic tricks you can do with simple household objects. Make one up if you can too!
A Flower – How can a cup be turned into a flower?
Hint: This may require a scissor.
Something of Your Own Choosing – Take a minute or two to look at a small cup and allow your imagination to go wild. There are a great many things these little cups can be used for. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil, and draw or write down any ideas you may have. Don’t worry if some of them are silly or complicated.
Tip: Use the holes to your advantage whenever possible.
Some of the extra things you may need for this challenge:
Rubber Band – Clear Wrap – BBs or Beans – Bottle Tops – Old Rice – A Die (or dice) – Seeds and Soil – Chopsticks – Ping Pong Ball – Cardboard Box – Playing Cards – Hot Glue – Bird Seed – Craft Supplies – Paper – A Small Ball – Scissor – Baking Soda & Vinegar – Permanent Marker – Small Hole Punch – Twine or String
Connect with FranW.com!
Spring Word Find 2022
How quickly can you find the 12 words hidden in this puzzle?
Connect with FranW.com!
Spring Word Scramble 2022
Unscramble the spring related words below:
Connect with FranW.com!
FranW.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.