How long will it take you to unscramble these summer-related words?
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Summer Word Scramble
Category Archives: September
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.
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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.
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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.
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Summer Word Find
How quickly can you find the 12 summer-related words hidden in the puzzle below?
Keep track of the words as you find them, write them down, or type them into something.
Right mouse button click on both images if you would like to print them out.
What do all these words have in common?
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Start A Three Sisters Garden
Have you ever heard of companion planting? Native Americans grew certain vegetables together because they benefited each other during their growing cycle. Start a gardening project that includes plants that will benefit each other during their grow cycle.
Check out the related posts below for more information about the Three Sisters.
To begin your gardening project, find out when your last frost date will be:
https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates
Then, find a place to plant your seeds or plants directly in the ground, or in a container or a bucket. Put drainage holes in your bucket, or learn how to plant in a self watering container.
The Three Sisters are: Corn, Beans, and Squash
You can decide to grow:
Corn: A type that can be cooked and eaten off the cob, ground up into a meal, or used to make popping corn.
Beans: A type that grows as a bush, called a bush bean, or a type that climbs called a pole bean. There are types that can be picked and eaten fresh and others that need to be shelled.
Squash: There are many varieties of squash available to grow. You can try a vining variety, such as pumpkin, butternut, spaghetti, acorn, watermelon (part of the gourd family),or cucumber.
Another type of squash “bushes” such as zucchini, where the plant grows wide and large, but does not vine out. Fruit is grown close to the main stem of the plant. Yellow crookneck is another squash that bushes.
Learn more about planting a garden so you know when to water, how much sun your plants should have, and how to take care of pests and other problems naturally.
While you are waiting for your veggies to grow to maturity, look up some delicious ways they can be enjoyed.
Related Posts
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Hot Cocoa Fun Page
How many words can you make from the words:
CHOCOLATE WARS
Note: Add some fun twists and turns to your game with the info in this post.
Hot Cocoa Crypto
Finish The Phrase
Hot Cocoa Related Activities
Online Activities
Online Puzzle: Hot Cocoa – How long will it take you to do this online puzzle?
Coloring Pages: Hot Cocoa – Choose from a variety of pages to print.
Hot Cocoa Recipe Idea
Do you have a favorite hot cocoa recipe that you like to make? If not, this link has one you can try and tweak to make it a little more special.
If you would rather not make your own cocoa, use a commercial brand you enjoy.
If you decide to invite a few friends over for cocoa and a movie or game, consider making a cocoa bar filled with some of the suggestions below.
Fun treats to add:
Marshmallows – Peanut Butter – Flavored Creamer – Chocolate Chips ( or any flavor baking chip)
A Mint or Candy Cane – Carmel Candy – Toffee Candy – Almond Joy or Mounds
Whipped Cream – Cinnamon – Cayenne Pepper – Powered Ginger Milk – Honey
Instant Coffee – Vanilla Extract – Hazel Nut Spread – Almond Extract – Maple Syrup
And anything else you can think of.
Ask your guests to bring a favorite treat to share.
If you invite friends, ask if they have a special diet that they follow so you can have an alternative beverage, treat, sweetener, milk, etc. or ask them what they would like you to provide for them.
If someone doesn’t eat candy or sweets, cinnamon and whipped heavy cream without sweetener may be nice to offer. Don’t forget the unsweetened cocoa powder or cocoa mass.
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The following topics can be found on FranW.com
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The 3 Sisters: Squash – Pumpkins
Did you know…
Native Americans called pumpkins, “isqoutm squash”
Recipe: Original Pumpkin Pie (with a modern twist) and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
One of the first pumpkin pies were baked right in the pumpkin shell! A delicious custard was prepared and poured into a cleaned out pumpkin and the whole thing was baked until the pumpkin flesh was tender and the filling completely cooked.
Would you like to make this uniquely interesting desert?
Here is what you will need:
1 5-8 lb Pumpkin
6 Eggs
3/4 c Brown sugar
1/4 c Raw sugar
2T Molasses
2 1/2 c Heavy whipping cream
1 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
3 T Butter
Aluminum foil covered cookie sheet
Aluminum foil
Preparing the pumpkin:
Cut the top of the pumpkin off and reserve, this will become your lid. Remove the stringy fibers and seeds – save seeds for roasting. Once the inside is clean, scrape out 4 cups of the inner flesh and reserve.
If your pumpkin has a stem, leave it on.
Preparing the filling:
Place eggs, sugars, molasses and spices in a blender and mix together. Next add the 4 cups of reserved pumpkin flesh, butter and the heavy cream – blend until smooth.
Filling the pumpkin:
Place pumpkin on a foil cookie sheet and pour filling into the pumpkin. Do not overfill, leave about an inch of space to allow the custard filling to expand. Put the lid on the pumpkin and cover the top and sides with aluminum foil. Place the cookie sheet in a 350 oven for 2 hours or until custard in done – a metal tester will come out clean.
Allow to cool in oven to prevent splitting. When cool, place pumpkin in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. Pie can also be served warm.
Serving the pie:
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| Pumpkin pie slice with whipped cream |
This unique pie can be served two ways and will feed 6-12 people depending on the size of the pumpkin and the portion taken.
1. Remove the lid (or cut it off) insert a spoon and have everyone serve themselves by taking a spoonful of custard and cooked pumpkin flesh.
2. Cut around the stem of the pumpkin with a knife and serve by cutting slices of the pumpkin. Do not eat the skin.
Add a modern twist to one of George Washington’s favorite deserts!
This pie is not overly sweet and for some, may not be sweet enough, if you find this to be the case, feel free to use any of the following suggestions:
- Before adding whipped cream, drizzle with maple syrup
- Top with sweetened whipped cream
- Serve with vanilla ice cream
- Drizzle with a warm caramel sauce and top with sweetened whipped cream
- Top with honey roasted pecans.
- Serve with spiced whipped cream by adding a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to the whipping cream
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
You will need:
Raw pumpkin seeds
Sea salt
Aluminum foil covered cookie sheet
Sea salt
Aluminum foil covered cookie sheet
What to do:
Place seeds in a colander and wash in cool water. Shake off excess water before spreading seeds on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet, and lightly salt seeds before placing in a 425 degree oven for 10 -12 minutes or until golden brown. Watch them carefully around the 10 minute mark so they don’t burn. When cool enough to touch, enjoy.
Question of the day:
Pumpkins are one variety of squash, how many other types of squash are there?
Learn more:
Information about how to grow.
Pumpkins, pumpkin facts, pumpkin education and more.
Activities that can be done with young children.
List of Gourds and Squashes
Pumpkins are a gourd-like squash, find out who their cousins are.
Pumpkins are a gourd-like squash, find out who their cousins are.
Related posts on FranW.com…
Funschooling News #9
Hi! Welcome to Funschooling News!
I’m offering more great family-friendly activities that will help make your week a little more fun. This week’s activities include a lot of balloon related resources. This very inexpensive item can be turned into an awesome learning tool!
Be sure to scroll all the way down to the Special Days section where you’ll find a fun activity to do or an interesting topic to learn about each day of the week.
Pop & Play Dart Game
Have you ever played the dart and balloon game at a carnival? This game has been inspired by that game…and of course I offer a creative twist to keep the fun going a bit longer after all the balloons have been popped.
For this activity you will need: A large thick piece of cardboard, paint, paint brush, darts, staple gun, staples, and water balloons
For the twist: Paper and pen.
I hope something in this post makes you smile!
Homeschool Humor
Funschooling Videos
Balloons
Balloons are not only great at making a party more fun, they are an awesome learning tool! Below, you will find 3 videos that show how useful and versatile balloons can be and a few educational activities. The last video features 6 optical illusions you can learn how to
draw.
21 Cool Hacks with Balloons
Balloons
Balloons are not only great at making a party more fun, they are an awesome learning tool! Below, you will find 3 videos that show how useful and versatile balloons can be and a few educational activities. The last video features 6 optical illusions you can learn how to
draw.
21 Cool Hacks with Balloons
Balloon Rocket Science Experiment
Amazing Balloon Tricks and Science Experiments
6 Optical Illusion Drawing Techniques & Patterns
🎈Balloon Resources🎈
Information about balloons and instructions for the game Balloon Badminton.
Water balloon games, science projects, and information.
Special Days & Holidays Aug 26-Sept 1
One of August’s food themes is Coffee. Find out more about this tasty little bean. Watch a short informational video: The Journey of the Coffee Bean I #TheCoopWay
🐶August 26: Dog Day – Show your dog how much you love them by making them a homemade treat. Other pet treats can be found in the link offered.
Watch the documentary: Dogs: Big and Small (Documentary).
August 27: 1st Tarzan story published 1912 – Read the classic story on line, or download a copy to enjoy. Watch the classic version of Tarzan too: New Adventures of Tarzan (1935) – full movie
August 28: Dream Day – Still Learning Something New offers Teaching Resources for Martin Luther King Day. Resources include: Background information about the holiday, a quiz, historic site info, civil rights timeline, and more.
August 29: According to Hoyle Day – Learn about Edmond Hoyle – Wikipedia offers a short biography about the man who wrote the rules down for many of the well known card games we play today. Play some of the card games he wrote the rules for!
August 30: Toasted Marshmallow Day – Find out how marshmallows were made, make a batch of your own, then use them to create a new twist on s’mores.
Frankenstein Day (Author Mary Shelly born 1797) – Learn about Mary Shelley, and use the links to read her literary works, including her most well known novel, Frankenstein .
🎞August 31: Kinetoscope patented 1887 – Learn about the Kinetoscope and take some time to watch a few of the early films created with it: YouTube: Kinetoscope Playlist
September 1: Self-University Week begins – Commit to lifelong learning! Learn more about this day by clicking on the link provided.
Thank you for stopping by, please feel free to share this post with others!
Have a wonderful week!
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25 Fun Activities You Can Do Inside, When It’s COLD Outside!
When the temperature drops, and it gets toooo cold to play outside for long, here are some fun things you can do inside!
Below, you will find drawing activities, brain games, dice games, science experiments, paper folding projects, and other fun things that can be found on FranW.com.
1. Learn about Fractals – There’s a good chance that you’ll find frost on a window or a snowflake or two to look at for this activity! After you observe them, draw/make a few of your own.
2. Make your own Geometrical Designs – Draw a variety of shapes, add some lines, and grab your coloring supplies for this fun activity!
3. Try Zentangles! – If you enjoy drawing while you’re chilling out, you may find this activity de-stressing.
4. Observe Spirals – Spirals are fun to draw and there are a few different types. Find out more by visiting this page…but before you do, make a list of something of the things you can think of that are naturally shaped as a spiral…fruits, animals, plants….
5. Ten Fun Projects You Can Do With Symmetry – Make one half of a picture and give it to someone to finish off in the same way! Draw it, use building toys, Tangram pieces, or something else.
6. Play with Circles – Grab your craft supplies and find out how many cool things you can make from a simple circle.
7. Tangrams – Can you believe that over 5900 puzzles can be made with the 7 shapes offered in this puzzle-game! How many can you make? Find out with the resources on this page. Turn those puzzle pieces into a work of art too.
8. Make Folded Hand Puppet – Create a few puppets, decorate them, and make a puppet show with them.
9. Paper Airplanes – Learn how to fold some simple planes and cool stunt planes, check out the plane that won a world record, and get helpful flying tips.
10. Rainbow Code – Grab a friend and play a game where colors reveal the code.
11. Yatch – Dice Game – There are so many cool dice games out there and this is definitely one of them. Play with a friend, on your own, or on line.
12. Make your own: Bottle Cap Stamps – Take a minute to raid the recycling bin and take all the bottle caps you can find, big and small, then put on foam sticker on it and get ready to have some fun. Stamp a story or play the brain game offered in this post.
13. Holiday and Winter Origami – Fold a sled, snowman, pine tree, penguin, or a snowflake and make a wintery scene with them.
14. Magic Square Puzzles – In the mood for a brain teaser? Try the Magic Square puzzles in this post, then make some of your own to share.
15. Roman Numerals – Spend some time learning how to add, subtract, and multiply in a fun new way.
16. Hangman/House – Use a whiteboard and colored whiteboard markers to play this old favorite…with a fun twist of course.
17. Solitaire Challenge #1 Peg Solitaire – Whether you decide make your own game board or print one out, have fun trying to finish this puzzling game with one last piece in the middle.
18. Make Your Own What’s Missing Picture – You can use stamps, stickers, or draw something out to play this tricky observation game.
19. Petals Around The Rose – Play this brain game on line or with a set of dice. If you figure out the pattern, don’t tell anyone, give them a set of dice and let them figure it out for themselves.
20. Snowflake Activities & Resources – Learn about snowflakes in fun new ways, make some of your own, and look at some cool photographs of these elusive little wonders!
21. Mini Marble Run – This mini marble run is great for older kids who want to do something different. How long can you keep your BB from getting to the end of the run?
22. Make Your Own Tic-Tac-Toe Game Board – Did you know that Tic-Tac-Toe is a strategy game? Grab your craft supplies and make your own board to play on with a friend over and over again.
23. Inspiring People Cardstacker – Make sure you have a few decks of cards ready to use after watching what this man can do! Amazing!
24. Bubblegum – Find out who invented bubblegum then how big of a bubble can you make with the activity offered in this post. There’s an experiment you can do with chewing gum as well.
25. Shadow Puppets – Create your shadow puppets during the day and tell your story while you show them off at night. Perhaps a story about cold wintery night!
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Tomatoes
GeoChemBio: Tomato fruit
Pictures and information about the anatomy of a tomato.
Virtual Crops: Tomato Anatomy Atlas
Click on the part you want to learn about.
Wikipedia: Tomato
History, cultivation, consumption, botanical description and more.
Rutgers: Tomato Varieties
An A-Z list of the types of tomatoes that can be grown. Click on a name for information, the words with a camera have pictures.
Smithsonian Magazine: Article: Why the Tomato Was Feared in Europe for More Than 200 Years
Videos
Ghost in the Graveyard – Game
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| Graveyard-Ghost by Freeclipartnow.com |
Ghost in the Graveyard is a tag-like game that can be played with many players or just a few. It is best played at twilight into night, but it can also be played during the day.
How to play:
The game starts with one ghost, once the players determine who that will be, he/she will stand in one place and give the other players 1 – 3 “days” to hide by counting up to midnight out loud (“1 o’clock, 2 o’clock…12 o’clock, noon-time, 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock…….12 o’clock, MIDNIGHT!”). When the “ghost” finishes counting the days, they should call out, “The ghost comes out at night!” or something similar to indicate that the “ghost” is ready to find the hidden players. When the “ghost” finds one of the hidden players, the player can run, but once they are tagged, they will become “stunned” and won’t be able run away again. The “ghost” will then gently place his/her hands on the player’s shoulders and say, “You are now a ghost in the graveyard!”. That player will then become a “Ghost in the Graveyard” as well, and together the two “ghosts” will go around looking for the other hidden players and turn each of them into ghosts. After all of the players are turned into, “ghosts”, the last player caught becomes the new, “Ghost in the Graveyard” and the game can begin again.
Important note: The hidden players can change their hiding place at any time and may run when they are found, but they must freeze once they are tagged.
There is no home base or safe zone in this game.
Feel free to change the rules as needed!
Happy Haunting!
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