It’s that time of year again when the weather is warming up and people are heading outside to enjoy the fresh air! This means fun outdoor games, playing on the beach, and sipping ice cold lemonade in the sun. It’s also the time of year that we end up with sunburns.

How to Treat Sunburns Naturally

It’s hard for some of us to avoid and it can be even harder finding something that actually works to treat it. I’ve put together a list of three all-natural remedies that you can use to treat your sunburn right away. No need to suffer through it when these three easy steps will help offer immediate relief. Let’s get to it!

1. Apply tea to the sunburn for 5-10 minutes.

I’m talking about regular tea with the dark brown color. Simply brew up 4 large tea bags (or 6-8 small ones). Allow it to cool for 15 minutes and add 2 cups of ice. Now grab an old wash cloth (it will stain) and dip it into the mixture of tea and ice.

Wring out the washcloth and place it on top of the sunburn until the washcloth gets warm. Once the cloth is warm, put it back into the mixture and re-apply. Keep doing this for 5-10 minutes until the pain stops. Tea will also help to speed up the healing of your sunburn.

2. Apply aloe vera ice cubes to the sunburn several times a day.

To make the aloe vera ice cubes you will need a bottle of aloe vera gel and a silicone ice cube tray. Simply fill the ice cube trays up with the aloe vera gel and allow to freeze. Once they are completely frozen, pop the frozen cube out and gently rub the aloe vera cube onto the sunburn.

Aloe is a great remedy for sunburn because it soothes the skin while adding in much-needed moisture. This will also help to speed up the healing of your sunburn. Personally, this is my favorite way to treat sunburns naturally. Plain aloe vera gel works great if you’re in a pinch, but the coldness of it feels great to your skin.

3. Apply apple cider vinegar to the sunburn several times a day.

Be sure to use the RAW apple cider vinegar for this treatment. This remedy will help take the burning sensation away almost immediately. Be sure to shake the bottle well before each use. Simply use a cotton ball to apply the vinegar to the sunburn several times during the day.

I also like to follow up this treatment with a little coconut oil to help hydrate the skin. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so you can gently apply it easily to your sunburn.

You can use any one of these steps above or you can also use a combination of the three.

Try them all and see which one works best for relieving your sunburn. It’s great to keep these remedies on hand throughout the summer for quick and easy treatment.

The post How to Treat Sunburn Naturally first appeared on True Aim.

5 Fun Educational Summer Activities

Summer Reading Programs

Libraries and businesses around the country encourage kids to read. Kids are rewarded for reading a number of books or a number of hours reading. Avid readers adore these programs, but they also encourage your reluctant reader to read. And they motivate a non-reader to learn.

But don’t just send your kid to their room to read. Make it a family activity with everyone curling up on the front porch with a good book. Show kids you value reading enough to spend an afternoon reading.

After all, more is caught than taught!

Butterfly Catching

Chasing butterflies with a net keeps kids going for hours.The kids follow the butterflies from flower to flower, hunting them as they go. Once a butterfly is caught, carefully examine the insect with a magnifying glass before letting it go. Keep a nature journal detailing the types of butterflies you’ve discovered.

Now that the kids are interested in butterflies, put a butterfly feeder in the yard. Keep track of the different types of butterflies attracted to your feeder.

How many different types of butterflies live in your region?

Make a Kite

Add a STEM activity to your summer by making kites. The first challenge is to make a kite which can fly. Start with a simple windsock kite. Does it fly? Now try adding decorations and change the shape. Does it still fly?

Encourage the kids to make a traditional diamond shaped kite. Can you get it up in the air?

Making and testing kites will keep your kids busy and learning all summer long!

Grow Flowers

Kids love growing flowers. You can dig a small plot in the yard or use pots. My suggestion is to do the easiest method for you. Purchase a few different types of seeds to start. I like to start my seeds in small paper cups filled with potting soil. Put them somewhere sunny and warm until they sprout.

As the flowers grow, point out the changes in the plants. Show the kids a diagram of the various parts of plants, such as roots, stems, and leaves. Don’t be surprised if your kindergartner uproots a plant in order to study the roots more closely! Once the flowers have grown to a good size, replant them into your plot or the pots.

You may even attract a few butterflies!

Use the Sun as a Compass

Point out to your kids that the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west. This makes it possible to find which direction is north using only a stick and two rocks. Send your kids running outside to find their sticks and rocks and follow these easy directions!

It’s a fun way to introduce orienteering to your children.

There’s no better way to spend a summer afternoon than reading a book, chasing butterflies, making kites, growing flowers, or learning orienteering with your kids. Just think of the memories you’ll share!

What fun educational summer activities do you enjoy with your kids?

The post 5 Fun Educational Summer Activities first appeared on True Aim.

Here are 3 Summertime Tasks to Make Next Year a Success!:

1 – Recordkeeping

Before you completely clear out last year’s books, you need to record what each of your children has completed during that year.  Some states require specific levels of recordkeeping.  Even if your state doesn’t require this, it’s good to keep at least some level of information about the work your kids have done.

Fortunately, keeping homeschool records doesn’t have to be painful.  I’ve been homeschooling for 13 years and I’ve found some simple ways to keep track of what my kids study each year that I’m happy to share with you.

Elementary and Middle School – When kids are at this age, record keeping is very straightforward. You might want to keep a binder for each child with their records in it.  Keep any forms which your state requires, such as a letter of intent to homeschool.  Write down which classes your children have taken for each subject.  Create a book list of every book that they have read themselves as well as everything you have read to them.  You might also want to keep track of any extracurricular activities they have participated in as well as any volunteer hours they have accrued.  By the way, volunteering at church counts for this one!

If you’d like to organize this information into an official looking document for each year, you can do so by downloading this FREE Microsoft Word Template.

FREE Printable – Student Record Template

High School – Once your kids reach high school, recordkeeping rises to a whole new level.  Now, it’s not only important to keep records for yourself or for your state but also to help your kids gain a better chance at college entry and to earn scholarships.  When they get to this age, you should also consider creating course descriptions for each of your child’s classes as well as a transcript and book lists.

This sounds extremely difficult but it doesn’t have to be.  High school record keeping is do-able as long as you keep on top of it.  Lee Binz at TheHomeScholar.com has some wonderful resources that you should check out.  Her FREE sample course descriptions and transcripts are very helpful!

2 – Evaluate Last Year 

Homeschooling is an amazing educational choice because each year can be different.  There is no need to pick a curriculum and stick with it.  If you’ve found something that works well for your family, by all means, continue using it.  But, if there are aspects of your school year that just didn’t work for you or for your kids, then you have the freedom and flexibility to change that up for next year.  Here are the best ways to evaluate your school year:

• Talk to your kids – Find out what your kids enjoyed about schoolwork last year and about what they didn’t enjoy.  What are their favorite subjects?  What are their least favorite?  Do they have any suggestions for ways to make schooling better?  Are they getting everything they need from you?  Be sure to get your kids’ feedback, especially as they get older.  Remember, this is their education and the more input kids have, the more engaged they will be throughout the year.
• Talk to your spouse – Even though moms generally do the lion’s share of homeschooling, dads also have a lot of wisdom we need to tap into.  Ask them what areas they feel are going well with their children’s education.  Ask what they think you should be concentrating on at this stage of schooling.  Do your best to come to an agreement on how things have gone in the past as well as anything that might need to change for next year.
• Talk to God – Hopefully, you are doing this throughout your school year.  God is the one who knows exactly what our kids need and the best way to get them there.  He has a unique plan for each of our kids!  And he has said that he will give us wisdom if we ask.  James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.“

3 – Plan for Next Year

Planning for next year can be super simple. If you’re using a big box curriculum, the lessons will be planned out for you.  If you’re using textbooks, look at the Table of Contents to see how many lessons each book contains.  Divide the number of lessons by the number of weeks you plan to homeschool and this will tell you how many lessons you need to teach each week for that subject.

If you’re going to be using textbooks, look at the Table of Contents to see how many lessons each book contains.  Divide the number of lessons by the number of weeks you plan to homeschool and this will tell you how many lessons you need to teach each week for that subject.

If you plan to have your child read books and do hands-on activities or other delight-directed learning for a subject, then there are a few more steps involved.

• First, pick which books you will want your child to read.
• Next, you can either decide how many chapters you can reasonably expect him to read per week or count up all of the chapters in each of the books and divide them by the number of weeks you’ll be homeschooling so you’ll know how many he or she needs to read each week to complete them all in one year.
• Then, you can sprinkle in hands-on projects, field trips, and other relevant learning activities to go along with your child’s reading.

Once you’ve wrapped up last year’s recordkeeping, evaluated your year, and gotten your planning done for next year, there are two more things every homeschool mom should do:  relax and enjoy those kiddos.

Sometimes the days and weeks feel extremely long but the months and years really do fly by.  Enjoy this downtime that you have with your kids!  Be sure take the time you need to recharge so that when it’s time to start homeschooling again, you’ll be energized and ready to dive in and make learning fun!

The post 3 Summertime Tasks to Make Next Year a Success! first appeared on True Aim.

Here are 7 Super Fun Staycation Ideas for Families Who Homeschool:

1 – Camping in the Backyard – If you have a backyard, you can enjoy the best parts of a camping trip without ever leaving your home.  Pitch a tent in your backyard.  Roast marshmallows over a campfire.  Lay on a blanket and look up at the stars.  Give your kids a jar with holes in the lid and let them catch lightning bugs.  Run through the sprinkler with them.  Try to do as much as possible without entering your house to make the experience as authentic as possible.  Lots of fun memories can be made in this way!

2 – Movie Night – It can get quite expensive to take an entire family to the movie theater.  It’s so much less expensive to rent a movie and watch it at home.  To make the experience special, be sure to pop some popcorn.  Dim the lights.  You can even buy movie theater candy at most grocery stores and offer that to the kids as well.

3 – Game Day – There are all kinds of variations you can make for this one.  Have a Wii U Marathon.  Play a bunch of board games back-to-back.  Play touch football or soccer in the backyard.  When we have a game day around here, we like to accompany it with an All Day Buffet.  I premake some of our favorite foods and set out a delicious spread on the counter.  Then, everyone is allowed to help themselves to food and snacks while we play.  The added benefit to this scheme is that I get the entire day off from cooking.  Be sure to have paper plates and plastic silverware available so that cleanup is also a breeze.

4 – Reading Aloud – Choose a favorite book and have dad read it aloud to the entire family each night before the kids go to bed.  This is a wonderful time for family bonding and it’s a great way to experience some of those books that you meant to get to during the school year… but didn’t.  Another variation on this idea is for the entire family to listen to an audio drama together.  Lamplighter Theatre and Heirloom Audio Productions are some of our favorites!

5 – Biking – Depending on the age of your kids, you can get elaborate with this one as well.  You can take short bike rides around your neighborhood.  Or, you can have everyone wear backpacks filled with food and drinks and make a day out of it.  More and more cities are making bike trails through Rails to Trails and other programs which make it easier to get to various destinations safely by bike.

6 – Hiking – Most areas have vast networks of hiking trails as well.  While hiking, you can learn all about the flora and fauna in your area.  Point out various types of trees and wildflowers to your kids.  Try to walk quietly so that you can observe wildlife as well.  Hikes are also good times to have great conversations with one or more of your kids.

7 – Day Trips – Usually, the most expensive part of a vacation is the lodging.  Rather than taking overnight trips, consider taking several smaller day trips instead.  Try to view your area as a tourist and seek out activities that your family would enjoy doing together.  Are there any festivals or other special events taking place?  Is there a zoo or a museum nearby?  Special events are usually publicized in local newspapers and on the radio.  I know some families who jump in the car and simply go wherever the road takes them.  They read the signs and pull off at whichever destinations look interesting.  If you’re really stuck for ideas, consider driving to a nearby rest area and look at the brochures that are in the lobby.  State Welcome Centers are especially good for this sort of fact finding mission.  You can even make a family adventure out of doing your research!

Whether you have the funds to take a family vacation or not, you can still come up with all sorts of fun and memorable activities to do as a family.  With a little bit of planning and ingenuity, this summer could very well be filled with the most family fun you’ve had in a long time!

The post 7 Super Fun Staycation Ideas for Families Who Homeschool first appeared on True Aim.

Fun Nature Activities

Catch Butterflies

Catching butterflies and moths with a net is a wonderful way to learn more about both types of insects. You and your children can study the wings, the antennae, the body, and the legs. Take a magnifying glass and study the pollen on the butterfly’s legs. Use a butterfly book to discover what type of insect you captured.

Keep a journal to draw and write about the butterflies and moths you see. What types of flowers are they attracted to and what shape and coloring do their wings have? Journal about the fascinating creatures. It will be fun to read and remember a summer chasing butterflies in a couple of years.

Study Flowers

Summer is blooming with flowers. There are wildflowers, cultivated flowers, dandelions, and daisies just to list a few. Make a point of learning the various flowers in your area one plant at a time. Kids love being able to identify the various plants they see. Knowing this is a rose, this is a dandelion, and this one is a marigold encourages children to want to learn more about the flowers they see.

Learn about the different wildflowers in your area. Wildflowers may be simple and delicate flowers, but they are just as pretty as the cultured flowers. Don’t try to memorize them all at once, simply choose one and look for it where ever you go this summer. Once you’ve learned it, choose another one. Eventually you will know most, if not all, the wild flowers in your region.

Hikes

Head outside and spend as much of the summer hiking and exploring the outdoors. Look for the butterflies and moths you’ve studied. See if you can identify the wildflowers the butterflies most enjoy.

Also keep an eye out towards interests your children may be showing in nature. One child may develop a fascination about ants and spend hours tracking the ants to their anthills. Another child may be curious about snails and slugs.

Encourage your kids to watch the various creatures and to study the plants.You’ll find your children will gradually grow into small naturalists.

What is your favorite summer nature activity?

The post 3 Fun Nature Activities for Summer first appeared on True Aim.

Solar Oven S’mores – What Do We Do All Day

Instead of frying an egg on the cement on a hot day, try making s’mores with this solar oven!

Learn about Dirt with Sediment Jars – Read Science

Learn about dirt, soil, and how plants grow with sediment jars!

Watermelon Volcano Activity – Little Bins For Little Hands

Try this twist on an exploding volcano; this time with a watermelon! Plus, it only requires three basic household ingredients!

Chalk Rockets – Growing A Jeweled Rose

With homemade sidewalk chalk, create rockets that can explode!

Mentos and Diet Coke – Keeping It Simple

Mentos and Diet Coke is a simple and fun exploding science experiment! There is almost no prep involved, and it’s great for kids with a short attention span.

Dirt Battery Experiment – Teach Beside Me

Grab a copper wire and create a battery to light up an LED light..out of dirt! You can also try this lemon battery experiment.

Color Changing Flowers Experiment – Go Science Girls

Grab some food coloring to change the color of flowers, with this fun experiment. This experiment takes a few days of mostly waiting, but the results are so pretty!

Balloon Rocket Experiment – What Do We Do All Day?

With a balloon and some basic household experiments, create a balloon rocket! This experiment is for younger children, but has some easy variations for older kids.

Human Sundial Shadow Science Experiment – Rhythms Of Play

Before clocks were invented, people could tell the time from the sun. On a sunny day, go outside and create a human sundial! All you’ll need is some sidewalk chalk and a tape measure

Leak Proof Bag Experiment – Paging Fun Mums!

For a hot day, try this fun leak proof bag experiment, with pencils!

Earth Day Science: How to Make a Butterfly Feeder – True Aim Education

With a simple plastic container, create a butterfly feeder!

Ice Volcanoes – Reading Confetti

Create ice volcanoes with only four simple ingredients for a bright and colorful outdoor science experiment!

Rocks & Minerals: A Fun Testing Experiment For Kids – EDventures With Kids

Test rocks to see if they are limestone with this fun experiment! Limestone rocks are typically found around creek beds, beaches, or other wet areas.

Landscaping With A Green Thumb: Composting – Family Education

Combine science with homemaking, and learn how to compost with this guide, that walks you through why certain things can be composted, and why certain things can not be.

Baking Soda & Vinegar Powered Boat – Sugar Aunts

Baking soda and vinegar can be used for just about everything. Now, power a boat with baking soda and vinegar! As an extra bonus, it doesn’t cost much to make.

Pop Rock Science Experiment For Kids – 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Combine Pop Rocks and soda in this fun science experiment for kids! Kids will love their bright colors!

How To Make Bubble Snakes – One Little Project

Bubbles are a no fail experiment for all ages. Try these bubble snakes, made with a sock and a water bottle!

The post Top Outdoor Science Activities first appeared on True Aim.

The beauty of summer is that there is no need to hurry up and get schoolwork done, cook dinner, do laundry, etc. While these tasks still need to be completed, summertime allows for more freedom in our days. Summer days need to be filled with fun, outdoor adventures; reading by the lake, roasting marshmallows in the campfire and playing outdoors until the sun fades away.

Yet, summers end too soon…especially when you consider that we get so few of them with our children in our homes. So, how do we learn to slow down summer and embrace these few laid back months we’re given?

5 Ways to Slow Down Summer

• Allow minimal scheduled events

While summer may seem like the perfect time to get away, if you’re not careful you’ll be too busy jumping from one thing to the next and then summer will be gone. Take time to chat with your family and choose 2-3 big outings that you want to do over the summer. Then, leave the rest of your calendar open for life’s simple daily pleasures.

• Have weekly family nights

Don’t just pop a movie in the DVD or turn on Netflix! Think outside the box! Head to the lake and go fishing, play charades, have a cooking or baking competition – make sure that you enjoy lots of laughs together!

• Pick a summer family project

Try your hand at gardening, build a picnic table or paint/stain the deck or your kids’ bedrooms together! Not only will you be teaching your children the values of teamwork and hard work, but you’ll be creating memories that will last a lifetime too!

• Explore!

Head out on an unplanned road trip for the day (or the weekend!) and stop at all the unique sites along the way! Historical markers are always educational and fun, so don’t pass those up.

• Take in as many sunrises and sunsets as you can

Beginning each new day by watching the sun rise fills you with awe and thankfulness for the gift of another day. Sunsets are not only beautiful but they also cause you to remember all of the blessed moments from your day.

Summertime doesn’t have to fly by. As with everything in life, the choice is up to you. This life we are given is a gift and we only get one shot at making the most out of every moment.

Slow down your summer, friend. This one won’t come around again. If you let it fly by, what moments will you miss?

The post Slow Down Summer first appeared on True Aim.

There will be some summer days that being outside just isn’t possible. Whether thunderstorms roll in or the heat is just too much to tolerate, there will be times throughout summer that your kids will not be able to play outside. When those days happen, encourage your kids to share their thoughts on summer days with fun writing prompts like these! While it will be a “school” type activity, writing prompts can be a lot of fun and your kids will enjoy sharing their papers with you when they’re done!

Summer Writing Prompts for Kids

Summer Holiday Themed Writing Prompts

• What I love most about the 4th of July
• What freedom means to me
• I’m proud to be an American because
• What I’ve learned about 9/11
• When I work hard and accomplish my goal I

Summer Themed Writing Prompts

• I dreamed that I was a mermaid and I
• If I met a pirate while out sailing on the sea
• Things I’d like to do this summer
• When the campfire is crackling I wonder
• When I am sitting by the ocean listening to the waves crash by
• With the sand beneath my toes and the sun on my face I think
• If I could travel anywhere this summer I would go to
• If I were a butterfly I would go to
• When clouds roll in and spoil a sunny day I feel
• I would like to invent a new ice cream flavor and it would be
• My favorite summertime activity is
• On a warm summer day I like to
• When I play in the ocean
• When I go swimming in the lake I think
• If I could build an amazing sand castle it would have
• Making s’mores on long summer days is fun because
• If I were a dragonfly I would
• Sitting on the dock as the summer sun sets I think
• Why I love summer
• My favorite memories from this summer

I hope that these fun summer writing prompts encourage your kids to share their thoughts and dreams with you over the summer months! Writing prompts are a great way to help your reluctant writers by giving them a spring board to get started with writing, and your avid writers will enjoy being given a fun topic to write about too!

Below you’ll find a link to a set of printable notebooking pages featuring these writing prompts. I hope your kids have a great time sharing their thoughts and hearts with you all summer long.

What are you favorite summer writing prompts?

The post 25 Summer Writing Prompts first appeared on True Aim.

Tips for Summer Planning

1. Read Inspiration Homeschooling Books

By the end of the school year, I’m worn down and tired of homeschooling. So this is the time I read inspirational homeschooling books. I’ll review my favorite books and renew my vision for my family’s homeschool.

It’s time to remember why we’re homeschooling.

2. Pick Curriculum for the Year

Summer is also when I finalize my curriculum choices and make my purchases.While you’re ordering for your older children, don’t forget to plan a preschool program for your youngest children. They’ll enjoy the lessons and time with mommy.

Let me tell you, there’s nothing as motivating as making the order for next year’s curriculum and eagerly awaiting it’s arrival. Once it’s here, I’m eager to start the new school year.

3. Thumb through Curriculum

I don’t however. Instead I thumb through the curriculum and make notes. What projects would I like my family to complete? Are there supplies I should be keeping on hand such as tempura paints, cardboard, and glitter?

What about science supplies? Make a list of all the extra supplies you’ll need to go along with your curriculum and pull together some easy lesson plans. Prepare now for a smooth school year.

4. Divide into Quarters or Thirds

As I’m thumbing through the curriculum, I divide it into quarters. You can also divide it into thirds if you prefer the trimesters to quarters and semesters. Most of my curriculum divides neatly into quarters, so that’s what I choose.

Once I’ve made my division, I set goal markers for the end of each quarter. Remember to add an extra week or two into your plans for surprises, crisis, and illness.

5. Pick Up Supplies

Make an appointment with yourself to go shopping for supplies. I like to go during the summer back to school sales. They’re a great time to stock up for the school year and save a bit of money.

Remember to pick up plenty of pencils, scissors, paper clips, paper, art supplies, science supplies, craft supplies, and any other item your family enjoys using over the year. You may still need to stock up again in the spring, but you’ll be set for the winter.

6. Back to School Transition

In your summer planning, include a back to school transition. It’s hard for kids and parents to go from a relaxing carefree summer day to a packed, busy homeschool day. Don’t do it to yourself or your kids. Plan a gentle back to school transition to ease into your new homeschool routine.

Most importantly, relax and enjoy your summer. Go exploring with your children. Study flowers or plant a garden. Most importantly, recharge your batteries and get excited to homeschool your children again in the fall!

What’s your best tip for summer planning?

The post 6 Essential Tips for Summer Planning first appeared on True Aim.

5 Fun Ways to Study Flowers with Your Kids

1. Grow Flowers Together

Pick up some seeds at a local store and plant the seeds in a pot. Watch the seeds sprout with your children, and measure the plants as they grow and bloom. Once the flowers are blooming, put them outside, and add a butterfly feeder above them. You can also plant sunflower seeds outside and plan a sunflower unit study. Sunflowers are a lovely flower to enjoy in the fall and kids are fascinated by eating the seeds.

2. Find Flowers on Nature Walks

As you head outside on walks or to the local parks, look for flowers. What types of flowers can you find? Don’t just look for dandelions, keep an eye out for blooming trees. See how many flowers you and your children can name. Can you find roses, lilies, clover, cherry blossoms, and marigolds?

3. Press Flowers

Pressing flowers is an fun and easy way to study flowers with kids. Find clean, dry flowers with no spots or blemishes which mar their beauty. Early in the morning after the dew has dried is the best time to pick them. Put the flowers between two sheets of paper and press them with large, heavy books such as the telephone directory. Don’t use wax paper, as it’s not absorbent enough to draw the moisture out of the flowers. Parchment or another absorbent paper works best.

4. Label Flowers

As you find and press various flowers, take the time to label them. What types of flowers have you found, what are the different parts, and how do you classify flowers? A young child may do well just labeling the various types of flowers. Older children can label the parts and classify the flowers into the two major groups of monocots and dicots.

5. Flower Crafts

Flower crafts are another wonderful way to augment your study of flowers. Try your hand at making a daisy, a watering seed can, or a flower painting with berries. See if you can color using different types of flowers. Check out these marvelous crafts for more flower activities you can do with your kids.

Spring is a marvelous time to study flowers with your children. Plant, press, and label flowers before using them in various crafts.

What is your favorite way to study flowers with your kids?

The post 5 Fun Ways to Study Flowers with Your Kids first appeared on True Aim.