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Teaching Practical Skills? Here's a FREE Quilting Course!

In our little homeschool, learning practical skills is just as important as learning academics.  Your children - and you! - can learn quilting at the new site, Craftsy.  This quilting course is 100% free and ongoing throughout the year.  It is taught by expert quilter, Amy Gibson, through video tutorials. 

Students are able to view the tutorials at any time (they are about 30 minutes long) and as often as they like.  Students are able to interact with other students and ask the instructor questions. At the end of the course,  you will have created a full size, unique quilt!

How to Get this Free Quilting Course:  Visit Crafty for the ongoing free quilting class.

Click "Free, Sign Up!"  in the upper right of the main banner.

Do you teach practical skills in your homeschool or school?

 

Free Paper Toys: Math, Learning Games, Gifts, & Other Toys

At The Toymaker, you will find instructions on how to create many paper toys, learning games, and more. It is a beautiful website, full of so many ideas that I cannot wait to spend a lot of time there!

 You don't need to be "crafty" or "creative" or have in your possession any other overblown idea of what it takes to create.  Children's author & illustrator Marilyn Scott-Waters, the site creator, says, " My goal is to help grownups and kids spend time together making things." Simply watch or read the tutorial, download the pdf, and print out the paper that you will use to create the toy.  

I found these educational paper toys among the dozens of other toys:

How to Get this Freebie:  Visit the Toymaker

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Thank you, Joy, for sharing this high quality, 100% free, educational find with us!

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An Easter Embroidery Project (and a Call for Your Projects & Traditions!)

I just sent an email to our 13yo ballerina (I know.  But. She's sleeping.  Email will do).  My email said,   "Let's do some Easter crafts & cut-out cookies with lil sis this weekend.  Wanna?" 

We noticed recently that we sort of stopped doing some memory-making things as the older two got older.  I guess our (non) thinking was sort of been-there, done-that, what's next?  But our younger two, now ages 11 and 8, need to have those happy memories, too. 

I found this adorable project - embroidered eggs! - tonight from Design*Sponge.  It's a great project for fitting in "practical skills" (my favorite class to teach!):

Do you have any other Easter holiday ideas or favorite traditions to share with us?

Happy Easter to you and yours!

Free Halloween & Harvest Recipe and Craft eBooks

Halloween is this weekend, on Sunday, October 31st.  Even if you don't celebrate Halloween, you might enjoy today's freebies - 2 recipe ebooks and 2 craft ebooks - which do have the Halloween theme but could be modified to fit a Harvest theme instead.  See also, below, for several Halloween candy coupons.

22 Healthy Halloween (Harvest, too!) Recipes:

This ebook of healthy recipes includes recipes such as roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin oat pancakes, and hearty pumpkin soup.

 

Look at Samples, read Reviews, and Download the free recipe ebook here.

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TWO free craft ebooks for Halloween crafters:

There are two ebooks available for Halloween crafters.  They are described as: "From homemade costumes to scary decorations, easy Halloween crafts are a great way to prepare for the festivities."

Here are some of the crafts found in the books:

      

Look at Samples, Look at Samples, read Reviews, and Download the 2 free Halloween & Harvest Craft ebooks here.

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23 Spooky Halloween Recipes:  A 48-page ebook described as "[Our recipe book]  includes snacks like pumpkin cookies, brownies and rice-crispy inspired treats shaped like bugs. Check out the other unique Halloween recipes like very un-ordinary sandwiches and savory soups."

Look at Samples, read Reviews, and Download the book here

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Here are some Great Candy Deals!

Your children would want you to know that now is the time to get great deals on candy!  We found the following excellent coupons off candy.  Support your local dentist. ;)

- $2.00 off ONE (1) Nestle Candy Variety Bag
- $1.50 off ONE (1) Wonka Mixups
- $2.00 off ONE (1) Wonka® Best on the Block
- $2.50 off TWO (2) Nestle Candy Variety Bags
- $1.50 off any THREE (3) bags Skittles, Starburst, Lifesavers

To get the coupons, visit Coupons.com

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Free Comic Books on Finances (in the mail or online)

Think our students need to study finances?  You bet they do!  The Federal Reserve has published quite a few comic books on the topic of money (banking, foreign trade, saving, and more). 

You may view the comic books online or order hard copies of them to arrive in your mailbox.  I went through the ordering process today and found both methods hassle-free and 100% free, no catches, not even a registration requirement.  You may order up to 35 copies of each comic book.

Here is a peek at one of the comic books:

 

How to Get This Freebie:  Visit the Federal Reserve Comic Books site (while there, you may want to browse around for other free, non-comic-book, publications)

For:  Elementary, Middle, and High School Students

Update added 7/23/2010:  I wrote this post on Saturday, the 17th, and ordered two comic books that day as a review of their process. We received the comic books on Thursday, the 22nd!  Our teen was immediately interested in them and claimed them as his own.

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Today's high quality, 100% free, educational find comes from reader Carrie Bon. Thank you, Carrie! 

Have a resource to share, too?  Email me at freelyeducate@gmail.com

Practical Skill: A Unique Geography Idea

It's hot.  Let's stay indoors this weekend and embroider a globe, shall we?

This idea comes from the Piece Work magazine site.  They offer full instructions, a history of embroidered globes (1840s schoolgirls used to do this), and stitching details.

If you embroider a globe, please comment below with a link to a photo so we can admire your piecework!

To Get the Instructions:  Visit this Embroider a Globe page 

For:  Students over age 9, give or take, should be able to handle a needle without difficulty.

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Free Job Chart System to Help Motivate Kids

 

To complete a child's education, he or she needs to learn practical skills as well as academic skills, right? Academic skills usually come with motivations such as A+ grades, a teacher's encouragement, or the privilege to participate in sports.  But what motivates a kid to get their chores done?  With My Job Chart, a free online chore chart, you choose the reward that your student or child should receive, while the student enjoys the freedom of increased responsibility. 

Here is more about the program:

My Job Chart is a FREE online Chore Chart that teaches kids to work in a fun and productive way. Using an easy and fun online system, My Job Chart inspires kids to do their chores on time. An interactive point system tracks your child’s progress, creating excitement and enthusiasm among kids. And the fully customizable chore chart allows you and your child to decide upon mutually determined rewards, fostering communication and developing responsibility. You even get an email or text message when your kids finish their chores or they earn a reward!

Signing up for My Job Chart is easy.  You'll only need to use an email address to register. 

 

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