I hike with my kids (currently ages 3, 5, 7, and 9) kind of a lot. We are definitely a nature-loving family. We like to camp. Our house backs up to a forest. We live near a lake and spend a lot of time there every summer. I try to take my kids on hikes to some fun destination at least a couple times ...
Free Printable
Visit the Getty at Home
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Not long ago, my kids and I hosted a book club party in which we transformed our home into the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Living in California, it will probably be a long time before we visit the actual Met. However, to get the art museum experience in real life, my family recently went to the ...
Visit The Met at Home
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Last month, my kids and I hosted a Bravewriter-style party school for the book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. You can see the Michelangelo-inspired soap sculptures we made here. As part of the party, we decided to pretend like our guests were coming to the Metropolitan ...
Michelangelo Soap Sculpture Activity
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Recently my kids and I finished reading From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. (Click here for full review.) We decided to do this soap sculpture activity inspired by Michelangelo as part of a book club party school our family was hosting. If you are interested in this fun way of ...
Illustration Paper for Kids
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My kids are always wanting to write their own stories. For awhile, I was typing them up as they told them to me, printing them, then letting them draw pictures underneath. (You can see some examples in this review of a binding machine.) However, using this illustration paper for kids, they can be a ...
Multiplication Practice Sheets
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I'm a big fan of using games and other fun techniques for helping kids learn math facts. (This book is AWESOME for that.) However, sometimes I don't have time to play games. Sometimes, I just want my kid to practice his multiplication tables without turning it into a big thing. I made these free ...
Plant Cell Model
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A few weeks ago I published a post on how my family made an animal cell model. We actually made a plant cell model the same day. Plant and animal cells are very similar. There are a few key differences, however. I'm planning to do a post soon explaining how you can use these models to explain these ...
Animal Cell Model
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Cell biology can be hard. Cells are too small to see and the science contains a lot of long, complicated words. How is anyone supposed to remember ANYTHING having to do with cells, when there's nothing to visualize? I'm hoping this animal cell model activity will solve that problem. (I've also made ...
Birthday Interview Form
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A while back, I was listening to this episode of the Bravewriter podcast, when the mother being interviewed mentioned a family tradition that sounded incredible. She took each child out to dinner the day before their birthday. Just the two of them. Additionally, she would ask the child the same ...
Alphabet Star Charts
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When I made a multiplication star chart for my 8 year old and a sight word star chart for my 6 year old, I didn't want my 3 year old to feel left out. I decided to make him this uppercase and lowercase alphabet star chart so that he could learn his letters and be rewarded for his hard work as ...
Michelle has a PhD in Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor's Degree from the California Institute of Technology. 