Jamestown, Jokes, and Journaling - Blogging from A to Z Challenge - Letter J

This year for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I'm focusing on going through my homeschooling files that I've created from the time that Sophia and Olivia were in preschool.

Some of the files are still relevant while others I will be decluttering and recycling in the process. Each day during April, I will pick one of the files to focus on - either doing a hands-on activity or sharing some information from one of the files.

For the tenth day - Letter J - I am focusing on Jamestown, Jokes, and Journaling.

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Jamestown

Back when postage stamps were 41 cents each, there was a collection of stamps about Jamestown. The stamps were triangular in shape (which isn't typical of stamps in the United States).

On the back of the collection, there was a drawing of Jamestown with the following description: "In 1607, colonists about the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery arrived in Virginia and founded Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The painting shows how the fortified town may have appeared during its early years."

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Jokes

Found some jokes that I kept in a file. Here are some of them:

How does a homeschooler change a lightbulb?

First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library. Then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison, and do a skit based on his life.

Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles.

Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they’ll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill.

On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill.

Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed.

And there is light.

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I also had some kid jokes for the girls when they were younger. These are the kind that kids love, but adults silently (or not so silently) groan at:

What do you get when you cross a bee with a seagull?
A beagle.

What do you call a dinosaur that destroys everything?
Tyrannosaurus wrecks.

Who do fish see when they need an operation?
A sturgeon.

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Journaling

One of the journal pages I had for the girls when they were younger was titled "How I Feel On...." (and then they would write the date on a blank line.

There were prompts that they would fill in:

- I feel good when...

- I feel sad when...

- I feel scared when...

- I feel worried when...

- I feel angry when...

- I feel silly when...

- I feel happy when...

- I feel loving when....

- Today I feel...

I wish I would have done this on a more regular basis. The girls and I would enjoy going back and reading what they wrote back in elementary

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Trip Journals are useful homeschooling tools that incorporate geography, handwriting, art, creative writing, and science. If a child helps with tracking expenses and mileage, math also is covered. Other potential areas covered: nature study, history, music, and literature.

Use a three-pronged folder with pockets. The pockets can store brochures, ticket stubs, and other trip mementos.

The title page tells the destination, the travelers, the dates, and author.

Insert a highway map of each state in which you will travel.

Include a map of the country with the states outlined and/or labeled. Color in the states of license plates seen on the trip.

Insert lined notebook paper. Write or sketch an entry at each stopping point (e.g., rest areas, meal breaks, or at the end of each day). Flat, thin items can be glued to paper and put in this section.

Free Travel Journal Page Printable

Add a trip budget section. Record the amount of money the child spends. Write the item(s) purchased, the price of each items, and a running balance of how much money is left in the trip budget. An envelope can be fastened in this section for a convenient receipt holder.

The last section of the trip journal, should have plain copy paper to fill in after the trip. A child should choose what photos s/he wants to include in her/his trip journal. Affix them on the pages along with captions to describe them.

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In the process of going through the files that began with "J," I recycled about a half a bag of papers. Not quite as much as with other letters. However, there weren't as many J files either.