Poking around Amazon, we found these deals on some super-neat toys that will help foster your child’s love of learning.  Take a look!

Was $83.99 Now $31.99

EB Excalibur EI5851BL10 Einstein Science Build Your Own Radio Lab
Learn to build your very own FM radio in a fun and safe way. The Einstein DIY Science Kit comes with everything you need and has easy-to –follow illustrated lab-style instructions. All parts are made from non-toxic materials, and electronics experience is not required. The Einstein do-it-yourself Science Kit lets you learn from the ground up.

Was $34.99 Now $18.73

LeapFrog Read & Write LeapPad®
Bring the magic of books to life with the world’s best reading and writing system. The Read & Write LeapPad® learning system is uniquely designed to make stories come to life right on the page through talking characters, engaging narration, music and playful sound effects. Choose from a library of wonderful interactive storybooks featuring your child’s most beloved characters. Children simply touch the books pages with the dual-function Magic Pencil to hear letter sounds and words read aloud, make characters come alive and play exciting learning activities. With LeapPad Plus Writing books, your child can also practice writing letters and words correctly, play games and even solve mathematics problems. The Read & Write LeapPad learning system works with ALL LeapPad books and cartridges, including LeapPad Plus Writing, Quantum LeapPad and LeapPad.

Was $29.18 Now $17.83

Grow A Frog
Grow a Frog Kit Experience aquaculture–grow your own frog from a tadpole to adulthood. This kit contains the aquarium, food, instructions and a coupon. Send the coupon off and receive your tadpole in the mail. Watch him grow into the cutest little frog. The translucent skin of the tadpole allows you to see the inner organs. Keep him with the goldfish, he’s harmless and never leaves the water. A gift that brings joy for years. Ages 4 years and above. Not for children under 3 years: small parts: choking hazard. Made in USA

The days of reading with Dick and Jane are a thing of the past. Sure, traditional reading and traditional teaching of reading still happens, but technology is vastly impacting the way our children learn to read. The everyday use of ipads, laptops, smartphones, and other devices have transformed the way kids receive their early literacy. Just yesterday, I was reading a story to my two-year old on my Kindle — and she carries a Leap Frog toy around (that has a screen a buttons on it that are similar to my device) and calls it “Fia’s Kindle.” It’s because of things like this that I think the ClickN KIDS programs are an excellent resource for today’s plugged-in families.

ClickN READ Phonics and ClickN SPELL online learning programs have everything you need to teach reading and spelling guaranteed or your money back. Try 4 lessons with your child now, absolutely free! ClickN READ Phonics and ClickN SPELL are designed to teach beginning reading and spelling for children as early as the age of 3 years old. ClickN KIDS products are also a great solution for older children that may be struggling with their reading and spelling skills and have also proven to be very successful working with learning disabilities as well as individuals learning English as a second language.


ClickN READ Phonics and ClickN SPELL online learning programs have everything you need to teach reading and spelling guaranteed or your money back. Try 4 lessons with your child now, absolutely free! ClickN READ Phonics and ClickN SPELL are designed to teach beginning reading and spelling for children as early as the age of 3 years old. ClickN KIDS products are also a great solution for older children that may be struggling with their reading and spelling skills and have also proven to be very successful working with learning disabilities as well as individuals learning English as a second language. Kids Love to Learn at ClickN KIDS. Save $5 on ClickN READ and ClickN SPELL Code: CLICKN5 exp. 3/31/11

Crystal P. lives in Illinois with her many children, pets, and her husband. She is a former (and probably future) middle school language arts teacher. She is currently working from home as an independent copywriter,editor, and Lesson Pathways team member. You can follow her blog at http://houseofsloth.blogspot.com/.

Welcome to  Meet & Greet Monday!  Today, and every Monday, we want to mix it up, mingle and have some fun!

Participation is easy – each week, we’ll post a “get to know you” type of question.  Just answer the question in the comments section and add your blog url to Mr. Linky!

When you’re done, visit the blogs of your new friends.

This week’s question: How do you celebrate spring with your children?

Take your child on a journey to the moon with this free homeschool theme unit all about Neil Armstrong!

Description of Learning Unit:
In this week’s unit, your child will become familiar with the first person to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong. You will see the video of those famous first steps and hear what was said. Throughout this unit, your child will learn about Neil Armstrong’s life, the Apollo program, and the moon. You will build a moon habitat out of paper, learn why we float in space, and find out how we get messages from the moon to Earth. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

List of Objectives:
Your child will learn about Neil Armstrong’s life and about his walk on the moon.
Your child will also learn about gravity, spacesuits, and their weight on the moon.
Your child will learn about the Apollo Space program.

Check out these great homeschool freebies!

Learning Through History

Sign up for the free newsletter from Learning Through History to receive a free mini-unit study within one of these historical periods on a monthly basis: Ancient History, Medieval Period, Renaissance to Revolutions, and Modern World.

Science Freebies from Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute offers a variety of award winning publications, videos and other materials – all free!

Make a Farm

This free educational software download is a fun, hands-on learning experience for kids. Print the farm buildings out on regular paper from your printer and kids can build their own farm and learn about how farms produce food and what farmers do.

…Of Shamrocks and Shillelaghs

From Currclick, Teacher Book Bag has assembled a mini-unit study of Irish beliefs and customs in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

It’s always a good idea to stick with what you know. You’ll never, ever read a blog post from me about particle physics or about household organization tips. That’s why the folks over at Teacher Created Resources are so successful at what they do. The name is right there in the title – they are teachers, creating resources, lesson plans, school supplies, and materials for the people that use them – parents and teachers!

“Teacher Created Resources is a leading publisher of high quality educational products, such as lesson planners, classroom decorations, and other teaching materials “created by teachers for teachers and parents.” Our products are used in early childhood, elementary, and middle school classrooms and cover all aspects of the curriculum–language arts, social studies, math, science, technology, and the arts.”

At Teacher Created Resources, you’ll find a wide selection of curriculum items, decorative materials, books, and other teaching aids. This Web Based Lesson Planner is really cool: Create, edit, and store lesson plans online! Find out more!

There is even a Free Stuff section with lesson plans, daily events, a newsletter, and more. Subscribe to Teacher Created Resources’ free newsletter to find out about exclusive special offers and get free e-books!

Crystal P. lives in Illinois with her many children, pets, and her husband. She is a former (and probably future) middle school language arts teacher. She is currently working from home as an independent copywriter,editor, and Lesson Pathways team member. You can follow her blog at http://houseofsloth.blogspot.com/.

*every purchase you make through the links in this blog post will help keep LessonPathways free

Welcome to our first edition of Meet & Greet Monday!  Today, and every Monday, we want to mix it up, mingle and have some fun!

Participation is easy – each week, we’ll post a “get to know you” type of question.  Just answer the question in the comments section and add your blog url to Mr. Linky!

When you’re done, visit the blogs of your new friends.

This week’s question: Why do you homeschool?

Don’t forget to click Mr. Linky to add your blog!

Spring is almost here!  Take advantage of the changing weather patterns to study cloud formations, with this week’s Featured Pathway.

Description of Learning Unit:

In this unit, your child will learn about clouds, their names and how they effect the weather. She will make a cloud in a bottle, create fog, and create condensation. Your child will also learn how precipitation from the ocean creates clouds, which in turn produce rain and falls back to earth. In addition, your child will learn how to observe the clouds and make predictions on what type of weather will be occuring in your neighborhood. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach science.

List of Objectives:

To be able to understand cloud formation and the specific names of clouds.
To understand the cycle of water, from earth to the clouds and back to earth.
To understand the concepts of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, as well as their roles in the earth’s atmosphere.
To be able to predict the weather by looking at the clouds.

Right now, the Scholastic Store Online is offering an additional 20% off science items!

While you’re there, check out their sale & clearance section, we found the LeapPad gift set on sale for 50% off!

LeapPad Learning System Gift Set

Normally $99.99, it’s now on sale for $49.97!

Enjoy BIGGER DISCOUNTS at The Scholastic Store’s Outlet Center!

Thursdays just wouldn’t be the same without homeschool FREEBIES!

Free SAT Test Quiz
From Parliament Tutors, this FREE SAT Test Quiz will help you see what areas you need more help and areas where you excel. Either print the test out or enter your answers online.

Create Your Own Tests
Download this free software from Schoolhouse Technologies to create your own tests and quizzes. This makes the job of creating tests very easy and you can use eight question types including multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, matching, short answer, list, order, true/false, and long answer.

Design and Discovery
Are you looking for a way to build your child’s interest in engineering? This curriculum from Intel is designed to engage students in hands-on engineering and design activities.

Parties with a Purpose
Free downloadable PDF guides help you plan parties with a purpose while utilizing books from the Watering Can Press in a group setting. You party will be fun, memorable and inspiring.

Free Menu Planning Guide

From this week’s partner spotlight merchant, a FREE menu planning e-book.  Learn how to menu plan for a full month to save time and stay in budget!