Easy Ways to Get Ready for Back to School

I know different areas of the world are different in terms of when kids go back to school, and if you homeschool you could be on a completely different schedule, but where I live kids have been trickling back to school all month, and my daughter goes back on Thursday.

It seems like this time of year is perfect for getting your learning space organized (even if your space is just a corner of the kitchen table).

Kids Activities Blog has a great roundup of ideas for getting organized for back to school. From places to organize school supplies to ideas for storing all those papers that come home from school, this will get your years off on the right foot.

If you’re going to be helping kids with homework this year or are a homeschooling parent who could use a little extra help, these printable school “cheat sheets” from Princess Pinky Girl are something you’ll want to keep handy. There’s everything here from the parts of speech to algebra equations, multiplication tables, even cooking cheat sheets for homeschool home ec.

Speaking of homeschool, if you’re still trying to get organized for the year check out this free printable planner I shared earlier this summer.

And though it isn’t a free resource anymore, I absolutely love the printable desk mat from You Clever Monkey. My almost-7-year-old has one and it’s really helpful for writing common words, correct letter and number formation, even knowing left from right. There’s a lot of great information packed into one printable page (and it only costs $2, which is totally worth it).

Do you have any organization tips for back to school? We’d love to hear them!

[Photo via Kids Activities Blog.]

Leif Erikson Day is celebrated on Oct. 9, and it’s a great time to learn more about the Vikings and why we still remember Erikson all these years later.

If you don’t know about Leif Erikson (sometimes spelled Eriksson), he’s believed to have been born in Iceland, and is considered the first European to set foot on continental America, more than 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

123 Homeschool 4 Me has a printable mini book about Leif Erikson and the Vikings for kids to read and color. It talks about who the Vikings were, what kind of ships they used, how they got to America and more. It’s a good overview for younger kids to use.

A good unit study is available from Simple Living Creative Learning, which includes a page where kids can write what they know, what they want to learn and what they learned through the unit, as well as information on the Vikings, longships, helmets, clothing and more.

Get a printable Viking unit study with reading passages, comprehension questions and other activities aimed at grades 4-8 from Creative Classroom Core at Teachers Pay Teachers. (And see more Vikings content from TPT here.)

Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus has some great unit study ideas, too, including suggested books and videos. The post includes information about the Viking voyages, society, mythology and ships, as well as some vocabulary and a list of famous Vikings. While you’re over there also check out her free printable lapbook, which includes mini books on ships, a timeline, a Viking women coloring page, draw your own Vikings, geography, ancient runes and more.

Piqolo Kids has a lesson on Viking women with (available for purchase) worksheets about a day in the life of Viking women. Even if you don’t grab the printables there’s some good resources on that page and a link to a video on Viking women.

Learn how to draw a Viking ship with instructions from Drawing How to Draw, or grab Vikings coloring and labeling worksheets from Kids Puzzles and Games.

There’s a Leif Erikson Festival annually in Norway, Michigan, which you can learn more about here.

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