Winter Fun for FREE Plus Extras!

We all need mid-year boosts--teachers, parents, and learners! 

Celebrate Simple is all about encouraging and equipping parents and families; adding spring in your winter steps! 

We have created several winter-themed, inter-related learning resources for your family--all ages preschool to high school. The contents of the resources are related, nothing is duplicated. 

Our first FREE winter resource is FREE to subscribers! If you are a current subscriber, you will receive this resource in the next newsletter. If you haven't yet subscribed, please do! We would love for you to have this handy, practical winter-themed unit. The contents are related to all of our NEW winter items listed below. The content of Simple Winter Family Fun includes

• conversation starters for family members of all ages,

• winter-themed book lists for preschool through high school,

• practical ideas for family team building,

• learning activities for Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (different from those included in Math Adventures: Experiencing Math in Snowflakes),

• a four-year plan worksheet for families walking the home education high school journey,

• winter-related spelling words with fun spelling practice ideas, and

• math practice for patterning, counting by fives, and solving word problems.

Our second FREE winter resource can be found in our FREE RESOURCES tab. Math Adventures: Experiencing Math in Snowflakes is a shorter math study similar to Math Adventures: Experiencing Math in Parks and Math Adventures: Experiencing Math in Nature. Click on FREE RESOURCES to download your copy!

Whether your winter days will be spent outdoors making snow forts or putting a little spark and refreshment in the mid-year, winter blahs, check out these fun new ideas and resources. We would love for your family relationships to grow and for this to be your best winter EVER!

Remember, every moment matters when using what is intentional, real, and relational! 

Celebrate Simple- Learning from Discovery

Imagine the discovery of a lifetime (at least from a little learner's perspective).

That moment when you think you've discovered something no one else has...or ever will! 

A dead baby black racer!

Thankfully, our friends had a Brock Magiscope. With it, they took a closer look!

I asked my friend if we could share her family's discovery.

Mom Janet says,

“The kids found the snake in our front yard. We couldn't find any reason for its death, no puncture wounds, etc. We had no idea what type of snake it was and quickly went to our Florida Fabulous Reptiles book. One learner immediately identified it non-venomous. It didn't have any fangs. We identified the snake and were all amazed! This colorful baby looked nothing like its parents. It was a baby Black Racer! It was so cool to hear my four children marvel at God's creation. That's when we got out the Brock microscope to take a look at the scales and check out its face and eyes. The microscope and Florida Fabulous books are a must have to explore science, nature, and foster the love of learning!”

Taking a closer look!

Intentional Mom. 

Real-life, relational learning. 

Summer Adventure Must Haves

I love summer! 

My children love the adventurous, uninterrupted play summer brings. 

Over the years we have accumulated a plethora of adventure must haves, tools and resources which purposefully foster curiosity and enhance discovery and wonder. 

Though some of our resources are specific to summer, most are used and loved year-round. 

What are the Bastian adventure favorites? 

• Brock Magiscope. This is by far our number ONE favorite. This amazing tool is easy-to-use and portable for on-site pond, beach or forest adventures. Its sturdy build makes it a useful tool for all ages (yes, parents too!). 
• Magnifying glass. Though  we LOVE our Magiscope, there is something about adventuring with a good old fashion magnifying glass. Perhaps it's the "fits in a pocket" feel. Small wonders for small hands. 

• Sand bucket. Sand buckets make perfect adventure companions for beach and shore experiences. Buckets help us collect shells, bring home tadpoles and minnows or carry water to and fro across the backyard. We purpose to have buckets of every size, some for little learners and others for big helpers.
• Sieve. Sieving sand fosters curiosity while building motor skills. The back and forth movements of shoulders and wrists are essential components for preschool and little learner developmental milestones. Great tool for the mind and body.
• Shovel. My boys loved digging. Like many boys, their dream was to dig a hole through the center of the Earth. Indeed, they tried! Eventually, Mike and I provided a specific area for the boys to dig, a place where they could dream, dig together and build motor skills.
• Bug catcher or habitat. Children love critters. Critters provide opportunities for observation and study. We have collected a variety of aquariums, screen-topped carriers, clear plastic habitats and containers in order to be prepared for impromptu safe care and release of any small creatures that perk curiosity.  Hand-held, portable carriers are our favorites. 
• Butterfly nets. Another handy tool for young adventurers, our butterfly net has been used for grasshoppers, crickets, lizards and tadpoles. 
• Field guides. We have a variety of field guides ready for immediate and on-site study. Having the guides handy offers opportunity for in-depth, intrinsically-motivated learning. 
• Nature journal, pocket notebook or sketch pad. Explorers take notes of their discoveries. Our children have enjoyed drawing their favorite finds. We have used everything from a simple notebook and colored pencils to detailed nature journals. Having a means by which to record or draw interesting finds has not only enhanced our study but provided engaging contents for our portfolios. 

• Water. Explorers need water. Discuss how water will be accessible on the pending adventure: canteen, water bottle, garden hose.  
• Sun hat, sun screen. Protecting oneself from heat-related illness is essential while on an adventure, especially in the middle of summer. Have conversations about how to stay safe while exploring and adventuring. 

These are our favorite adventure tools and resources. 

We would love to hear about your favorites in the comments. 

Happy Adventuring!

Owl Pellets and a Magiscope = SIMPLE Discovery Science

Owl Pellets from Carolina Biological Supply Company

Disposable gloves, a paper plate and tweezers.

Our Magiscope.

Opened windows to small wonders.

We invited another family to join us for discovery fun! Children standing around the kitchen table. Quiet mostly, with an ah-ha here and there. They were engaged, learning. 

An dissection lab we found online guided us through some thought-provoking steps. 

Did we have feather, fur or both? 

Our Magiscope helped us take a closer look. 

A few extra online resources helped us answer all our curiosities, and more! 

Older learners benefited from other resources.