Week 3 No-fail Lesson Plans: Laughing and Learning With Fashion Week

Maybe you’ve noticed: homeschooling shifts the center of gravity. Suddenly, our little family was no longer scurrying around between activities. Instead, we were laughing and learning at home with time to spare. Hopefully, Week 3 No-fail Lesson Plans encourages even more laughing and learning in your week.

Back then, when David walked in at the end of the school day, our young girls threw themselves into his arms. Delightedly, they shared all discoveries of each day. While we fixed dinner, the family chatted at the kitchen counter. (For more ways to inspire your children in the weeks to come, click here.)

However, if laughing and learning does NOT characterize your first two weeks of homeschooling, no panic. Certainly, a little chaos and push-back is a normal part of homeschooling, too.

With joy, I’m offering Week 3 No-fail Lesson Plans. Yep, totally free, too. Because I love you! (For Week 1, click here. For Week 2, click here.)

Laughing and Learning

Speaking of laughing and learning, here are some great sites for silly jokes to get your week off to a terrific start. For example, here’s a sample from Red Tricycle:

• What do you call a dinosaur that is sleeping? A dino-snore!
• What is fast, loud and crunchy? A rocket chip!
• Why did the teddy bear say no to dessert? Because she was stuffed.

Or these from Parade:

• What does a cloud wear under his raincoat? Thunderwear.
• Two pickles fell out of a jar onto the floor. What did one say to the other? Dill with it.
• How does a cucumber become a pickle? It goes through a jarring experience.

Laughing Makes a Better Learner

“Humor activates the brain’s dopamine reward system, stimulating goal-oriented motivation and long-term memory, which means that humor can improve retention in students of all ages,” according to an article by Sarah Henderson.

So, while it may seem silly, laughter and even corny jokes can get your child’s brain ready for learning. Plus, what mom doesn’t need a little natural dopamine boost herself? Therefore, I really hope these Week 3 No-fail Lesson Plans fill your heart with happiness and relief!

Mom is the Rock Star at School

So, do you need a little laughter in your backpack, too, Mom? When mom is a home educator life can get stressful. Especially if, like me, homeschooling was not your original plan. 

Seriously, if you need evidence that kids are mom-proof, just check out my amazing children. For instance, I can’t tell you how much I worried about teaching them math. Fortunately, I soon discovered they learned almost in spite of me. (If your child struggles with reading, click here. To create intentional morning rituals, here.) 

Now I look like a champion educator! But honestly, all our kids had terrific teachers along the way who deserve credit for stirring up their passion for self-learning. 

Your Child’s Natural Interests

When our son did well in economics and business math in college, my husband asked him how that happened.

“Math makes more sense when you put dollar signs in front of all the numbers,” he replied. Ah! Clearly, it’s about knowing your kids’ interests. With that in mind, here are Week 3 No-fail Lesson Plans, just for you! (Check out what Cynthia Tobias has to say about learning styles. Or, find our interview with Cynthia about strong women here.)

Please know I’m rooting for you! Mom, you are a rock star at homeschool!

Palm Sunday Followed by Good Friday

Sunday marks Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem followed closely by His eternity-changing death on the cross and resurrection. For Christians everywhere, the resurrection is the central focus of all history; God’s provision for the forgiveness of our sins. (Why Easter is important in the Christian faith? Click here.)

Week 3 No-fail Lesson Plans reflect an awareness of God’s purpose in human history. Okay, that’s serious stuff. But, just to keep things kid-friendly, who doesn’t love a fashion show? 

Week 3 No-Fail Lesson Plans

Monday—

1) Memory Work: If you haven’t settled on memory work for your family yet, why not learn scripture? In particular, our family loves Psalm 23. Even now, our grown daughters still say Psalm 23 in the lilting cadence of Loretta Van Cleave. Tenderly, this amazing kindergarten teacher poured immeasurable love into their little hearts in one short year. 

2) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math): Review your kids’ math flash cards. What did you discover about any Math deficiencies your child may experience last week? Have you chased down some new, creative ways to inspire your child to love Math? As you research artists and paintings this week, include Galileo in the mix. First, you can look at his amazing drawings of machines and inventions. Next, note his clothing and the years of his life. What history corresponded to his time? Who were his contemporaries? What later inventions, like the helicopter, correspond to his original designs?

Also, please consider playing Math games or do fun activities that take the focus off how hard Math can be for those of us who are Math-challenged. Additionally (see how I did that), it’s a terrific time to chase down a Math tutor in your neighborhood. Yep, my kids love their Math tutors. But I did, too! (For inexpensive resources, check out all the stuff Mentoring Minds offers. They provide resources by subject. Don’t forget their wonderful individual assessment testing if you wonder where to start!)

Lunch

Naturally, lunch can be a happy, informal laughing and learning time, too. Happily, nothing relaxes kids like helping make lunch. In addition, to enhance your family’s relaxation, conversations at lunch can center around the convergence of technology and art. For instance, using Galileo as a terrific example, consider all the ways art from science fiction literature points to the future.

Now Back to Work…

3) Language Arts, History: Hopefully, your family is loving the classic chapter book you chose. If not, never be afraid to switch gears. Also, I loved teaching history through great classic paintings. Plainly, Mom deserves to reward herself with a little online research for favorite paintings throughout history. To prep for the fun, keep reading Fashion Week’s Art-themed games explained below.

4) Innovation, Ingenuity, and Stewardship: For some sneaky history lessons, I’m suggesting a fashion themed week, including an historic style show on Friday. Just for fun, let your older children help you research appropriate, famous paintings on the internet. (Luckily, I found some great examples at BrushWiz.com and Pinterest, particularly here.) Please keep reading to get a head start on what you need for your Fashion Week Art-themed games this week. 

5) Emotional Intelligence: Clearly, building individual quiet time into your day allows everyone to decompress, especially Mom. (For ideas to create a kid-friendly, outdoor sanctuary in your own backyard, click here. Or for cross-cultural holidays at home.)

While you have a quiet moment, reward yourself with a little time on Pinterest, Mom. Of course, mommies need creative inspiration, too! (I like to save Easy Craft Ideas for our family here. Or go to my board, Glory! Easter Happiness!)

Raising Creative Kids: Fashion Week Art-themed Games

Truly, all your kids are creative. Of course, their creativity expresses itself in lots of different ways, though. So, you may be getting resistance to some of the new structure around homeschooling. Ouch! Ideally, you can conquer rebellion and make school fun by adding unpredictable touches to the consistent schedule.

Who could resist Fashion Week? First, pour through all the appropriate, historic paintings you can find online. Next, print off your favorite paintings for the fun, Fashion Week Art-themed games starting on Tuesday. 

Match the Century.

Tuesday: Have the kids guess when each painting was created based on the clothing styles. How does fashion give us clues about which European paintings coincided with great moments in American history? How do Asian and Latin cultures differ from other cultures in their paintings? How do they correspond?

You’re the Artist.

Wednesday: First, give your kids coloring pages of great masters. Second, let them choose the colors of their artwork. Third, compare their decisions to what the original artist chose.

Create Your Unique Collage.

Thursday: Today, cut and paste a whole new contemporary piece together in a collage. Please, use any art from previous days. Naturally, gather up extra art supplies, especially anything that can be repurposed. (For more about how your creativity can find expression in the coming months, click here.)

Since God designed us each to be uniquely creative, have your children explain the idea of sacrificing one painting to create a collaborative, new piece. How does God use other people to influence each of us? What does it mean when people make sacrifices for us? How has someone helped you by making a sacrifice? My, this should be a fun discussion. If only I could listen in to hear your bright children thinking out loud!

Art Parade. (Friday) David and I were privileged to see a wonderful Roman Catholic blessing of artists’ work. (Click here for that inspiring video of artists bringing their creations to the alter in Santa Fe’s Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. For more on the cathedral, click here.) Your children create a little alter in your home, then present their art to God to honor Him. Perhaps, you could then leave each collage on a neighbor’s doorstep to pass along another kind of blessing.

Tuesday

1) Memory Work: Review your memory work together out loud several times. You can even do so while setting up your art supplies. Something about art supplies always captures children’s attention.

2) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math): Now is a great time to enlist the help of a tutor, or at our house, Dad. Maybe you can also use my trick: Trade art and history with a science-gifted mom or dad. The subjects you dread don’t have to be hard! Kids love watching neighbors or friends on the screens of their devices.

3) Language Arts, History: Play Match the Century with the artwork you printed off the internet. Read another chapter of your classic book. You may want to read while your kids shuffle and sort your pictures of famous paintings. Help them guess which paintings represent each century. Create a timeline with ribbon or chalk on a blank wall and add other important moments in history on sticky notes next to your favorite paintings.

4) Innovation, Ingenuity, and Stewardship: You’ve already had a full day of activity and learning. Pat yourself on the back, Mom.

5) Emotional Intelligence: As a little experiment, drop a hint about an upcoming fashion event. See if limiting the information you give them gets their brains anticipating with excitement. Some kids may respond with frustration about not getting enough info. Don’t spoil the surprise, though. Instead, let them begin to think about how they could share an event with grandparents or close friends. This also checks #2 for technology. Great work!

Wednesday

1) Memory Work: Review your family memory work.

2) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math): Review their math flashcards quickly today. Think about how numbers are used in the Bible, especially how the concept of infinity corresponds to unending eternity. I like Revelation 21 to launch a fun discussion with kids about heaven. How does the passage refer to God’s immeasurable nature? Also, your kids can count anything mentioned or measured, like the gates, the people, the city, etc. Young children love to use tape measures. Older kids can enjoy teaching the little ones. They can measure their Art timeline, too.

3) Language Arts, History: Today’s Art-themed game is You’re the Artist. Continue your discussion of the basic principles of self-government. How does self-respect relate to sacrifice? How does sacrifice prove the value of others? What does Jesus’s sacrifice tell us about the way He values each one of us?

As they color, ask your kids thought-provoking questions about how the people in the pictures are dressed. In what ways can clothing choices communicate? I love the Dutch Masters for this discussion because their fashion choices connect to the Puritans.

4) Innovation, Ingenuity, and Stewardship: Today is a great day to reflect on how Good Friday can inspire us to be good stewards of all the bounty of God’s blessing. I hope you have rich discussion with your children, particularly about how prayer is the privilege of conversation with God.

5) Emotional Intelligence: You are an amazing parent and I am proud of you!

Thursday

1) Memory Work: Review your family memory work together out loud.

2) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math): Quickly review Math flashcards. Take up the Math flashcards. 

Next, have your kids brainstorm ways to create their own Historic Fashion Show and what history teaches us. They will have a ton of fun raiding closets for clothing to recreate history’s great moments. Let the younger children dress up like heroic firemen, soldiers, or nurses, as a tribute to this historic moment.

Remember to pray and ask God to bless your family as the kids create a sweet memory to share with others they love via video. 

3) Language Arts, History: Today’s Art-themed game is Create Your Unique Collage. Read a few chapters of your book. Keep them thinking about historic heroes they would like to represent in their Fashion Show tomorrow. Help them decide on how they can recreate fashion of the past with clothes in their closets today.

4) Innovation, Ingenuity, and Stewardship: Your children can even dress up for a dress rehearsal of the big event tomorrow. They can double-check their technology by creating a promo to send to the grandparents or neighbors today.

5) Emotional Intelligence: I hope you are laughing and learning together so much your kids beg you to homeschool forever! 

Friday

1) Memory Work: Remind the children to quickly find and recite their Math cards, perhaps even before breakfast. Their reward is getting to go right to work on their Fashion Week Historic Style Show. Next week, I’ll share our silly scavenger hunt, since it’s a perfect fit with Easter. 

2) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math): You’ve already covered a ton of Math and Science this week. Stay focused on teaching your children the important engineering and administration skills learned when bringing a project from beginning to end. Repurposing “trash” into art supplies and costumes reinforces important lessons about #4 stewardship.

3) Language Arts, History: Save your chapter book for bedtime today or skip it altogether. Instead, record a quick video of your child telling about their favorite painting or person from history. Hint that you will do something really fun with it next week. (For many more ideas about how to encourage your kids to love creative writing, click here.)

4) Innovation, Ingenuity, and Stewardship: Show Time! Help your children create a runway with masking tape or chalk. They can select music they love. Lights! Cameras! Action! Remember to video the whole thing—laughing and learning was never so fun! Let them dramatically explain their fashion statements. They can be free–as funny, clever, or serious as they choose to be.

5) Emotional Intelligence: What a hoot! Could you ever have guessed how much fun you would have laughing and learning together? In three short weeks, you narrowed down what you really, I mean REALLY, want your children to learn. All the while, you’re creating lifetime memories. Not bad in a week focused on the self-sacrifice of a Savior who loves us. Congratulations, Mom!

A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.”~ Proverbs 17:22 NKJV

More Stories and Wisdom to Bless Our Hearts!

If Week 3 No-fail Lesson Plans helped you, please let me know. I’m going to create Week 4 No-fail Lesson Plans for sure. I wonder, though, should I keep going? Let me know your opinion, please. Do we need Week 5?

If creativity and self-learning fascinate you, too, you may want to check out the podcasts we’ve done with Whitney Patterson, Frankie Picasso, Neita Fran Ward, or anything with Anna Krafve Pierce! If you are sandwiched between generations, we suggest our interview the amazing Charlotte Canion (Parenting Your Parents). To be sure you don’t miss a thing, you can sign up for our blog by clicking here (and we sure hope you do!)

Check out one of my favorite leaders in the field of homeschooling, Susan J. Stewart for a myriad of wisdom and practical help.

May I pray for you?

Dear good Father, Your creativity inspires us as we homeschool. We take a hard look at creative artists of the past and see Your hand throughout human history. Make us aware of the blessings we enjoy today because of sacrifices made in history. More than any other sacrifice, Jesus’s death on the cross secured us an invitation into intimate companionship with You, Lord God. We love You so much! We celebrate His resurrection. Glory hallelujah! In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen.

We LOVE to hear from YOU!

If your kids learned only one thing this week, what would it be? Do we need to create Week 5 No-fail Lesson Plans? How can Camp Krafve tweak our free, weekly No-fail Lesson Plans to fit your family’s needs?

Cathy Krafve, Columnist, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, and Christian Writer, invites your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com. Truth with a Texas Twang.