It's hard to believe that October is almost half way over! Here are some ideas for the third week of this month:

16th- Dictionary Day- Today is a perfect day to utilize the handy dictionary! While online dictionaries are easy to use, looking up words the old fashioned way (using the book) is great alphabetical order practice. Offer a list of challenging words for your child to look up definitions for, or maybe one new word each week, or day! Use spelling words, holiday words, or words your homeschooler asks about throughout your weekly studies. A great children's dictionary is the Merriam-Webster Children's Dictionary by DK Publishing. My son loved viewing the pictures alongside the vocabulary words, and appreciated
the sophisticated layout. By no means is this a babyish dictionary! Older homeschoolers will likely favor a picture free dictionary, like the traditional Merriman-Webster edition.



17th- Dog Day- Today is a wonderful day to acknowledge how fantastic our furry friends are. If possible, arrange a family or homeschool group trip to an animal shelter or dog training location, like Canine Companions for Independence. My son always enjoys reading fun books to our Chinese Sharpei,
even though he does not need that read aloud practice any longer. I even like to read to the dog- it is comforting and fun! You can find at the end of this article some wonderful books about dogs, to read to one another or your furry friend at home.

18th- Wolf Awareness Week (17th-23rd)- Visit the International Wolf Center (the link can be found at the end of this page) to learn about these amazing animals. The Wild Kids section of this website offers facts, crafts, puzzles and more to enjoy while learning about the wolves in the world. There is even a cool wolf cam for you to enjoy viewing these creatures daily real time!

19th- Adopt a Shelter Animal Month- If you were able to visit a shelter on "Dog Day" that is super, or take some time to visit a shelter today to see and maybe adopt any of the animals they have. There are not only dogs, but lots of cats, kittens and bunnies, too. If adoption is not possible, encourage your child to gather goods for a donation to the local shelter, and maybe collect supplies from fellow homeschoolers. Helping all of God's creatures is an encouraging way to promote charity and giving for all family and friends.

20th- Mickey Mantle's Birthday- Yer Up! Your younger homeschooler will enjoy reading Mickey Mantle (Baseball Superstars) by Ronald A. Reis. Play an impromptu game of baseball or t-ball outdoors to celebrate Mr. Mantle's birthday and legacy.


21st- Reptile Awareness Day- Who doesn't love our slimy friends? Complete a slithering lapbook with your homeschooler on snakes. You can find a link to a free unit full of printables for your lapbook at the end of this article from Homeschool Share.

22nd- National Pizza Month- I look for any excuse to get pizza- so National Pizza Month fits the bill! Here are a few creative ideas to use to celebrate and learn, too:

1. Schedule a field trip for your homeschool group to a local pizza parlor. Many pizza chains offer free field trips if you ask, like CiCi's and Pizza Hut. You can often get a reduced lunch price and sometimes free goodies, too.

2. Play an awesome Pizza fraction game, like Learning Resources Pizza Fraction Fun Game. Your homeschooler will have a blast practicing with these tasty looking manipulatives!


3. Writing Activity- Assign your homeschooler the task of creating a Pizza Restaurant. They must create a menu, ad campaign and price list. If desired, you can let them make one of their creations at home for the family- but they cannot charge dad!

I hope you have fun with these ideas for October!
Here are some entertaining books about dogs:

International Wolf Center-www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/justkids/kids.asp
Snakes Lapbook Resources-www.homeschoolshare.com/snakes.php