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Holidays, homeschooling, joy

Squishmallows are Perfect for a Valentine’s Day Party!

Hello, Everyone ~

What a busy couple of months it has been… After the Thanksgiving and then Christmas holidays, starting back up with school and music activities really was a whirlwind and then we had lots of Adulting Problems (why do central heat and air conditioning systems have to be SERIOUSLY fixed for bagillions of dollars when they are merely 6 years old… and right when Texas decides to have a heat spell in winter? Thank goodness for amazingly thoughtful friends who loaned us a portable air conditioner so that my ❄️snow-craving-yet-🤠Texan Self was able to not wilt too terribly much waiting a week for the fix), but here I am!

See? I did the above just for you. That sentence right there proved that I’m not an AI Robot. Would a robot write a sentence that long? Absolutely not. In a world where so much is AI, you can trust that I’m genuine and here for you with Real Person Ideas! Plus, I have 2 degrees in writing and literature – small brag – so therefore I have permission to write whatever I want. Or even make up words! Like this: Squishmallowtastic! See!?

We have been having fun inventing a small Valentine’s party for a few of my daughter’s friends and we thought, What better theme than Squishmallows for Valentine’s?! Their cute cuddliness and pastel colors just magically lend themselves to Valentine’s Day perfectly.

Here are several ideas for celebrating, whether you are having people over or just want to make the day stand out with a bit more sparkles and glitter than usual for your homeschoolers!


For littles, these Squishmallow color sheets have lots of activity pages that help them practice their scissor skills as well as coloring.


Here are 68 (yes, 68!) coloring sheets of varying vibe and difficulty from Simply Love Coloring! She notes that they can be used for crafts like greeting cards, to create banners, mobiles, storybooks, and more.


This adorable Squishmallow name art from Stardust Digital Finds even has name tags. It would be a fun and easy party centerpiece.

Just to be *extra*, note that these are not just made up names…

“The names were created from actual Squishmallow names. The names listed on each month are from Squishmallows who were created during those months.”


These Squishmallow clip art graphics are all perfect for making your own Valentine’s or doing other projects. Each one fits with the theme! Created by Kangey Squishmallow, they are only $6 for 50 images! Older kids can enjoy doing digital projects on their own on Canva or similar software.


We choose to make this Rainbow punch from BitzandGiggles, which looks really fluffy and Squishmallow-y!

H.E.B. magically has sherbet that doesn’t have all those fake colorings and actually uses natural flavors, too. We are not using her exact recipe and using seltzer water to avoid caramel coloring in ginger ale. Curious why? Head over to Food Babe’s Master List!


Among other snacks, we will also be having this Unicorn Dip from SimplisticallyLiving. We will be using natural colors from Natural Candy Store to create ours.

The fluffy texture is definitely Squishmallowtastic!!


The thing that I’m most proud of is this Icebreaker Question game! I tried to make up questions that were not hard to answer – i.e. Tell us your ultimate favorite thing right now! – and also help the kids get to know each other.

As far as how to play, I printed off the cards, one set for each guest. The person who is “it” will read a question off the card. The other kids will write their answer on the back and then hand the cards back to her in a basket.

The person who is “it” has 2 tries to figure out whose answer is whose! If they get it right, they get to keep that card and gain a point. After that, the answerer can let everyone know who they were.

I have the Squishmallow Icebreaker Game cards as a free printable if you’ll become a subscriber to Homeschool With Joy!

You can also have my coordinating Squishmallow Valentine Cards!

Once you subscribe, you’ll get a password to our download library with those printables and others are they are built.

Hope you have a fun Valentine’s Day in your homeschool and that these ideas will help you create a more joyful home environment.

Scatter Joy,

Jessica Lovett

Need some ideas on starting your own warm, cozy Morning Music Playlist to scatter joy on busy homeschool mornings?

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Holidays, homeschooling, joy

Creative and Stress-Free Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities for Kids

Hi, there! Yes, I’m alive… It’s been an extremely busy couple of months, whack-a-mole-ing lots of health stuff and other big to-dos. Sorry for being missing in action a bit there. Oh, well – I’m here now! And, now Thanksgiving is almost upon us!

Thanksgiving week can be a busy time as we prepare to visit family, especially when you’re packing for Grandma’s house!

But don’t worry, I’ve got a list of creative and fun activities to keep your kids happily occupied.

They’re all 100% engaging and enjoyable ways to celebrate the season and make meaningful memories without spending a lot of money on supplies or needing lots of prep.

Hint: These aren’t just busy work kinds of things like word searches… I remember dreading those and crosswords as a kid. Holy booooring, Batman!


Thanksgiving: Celebrating the History & Traditions with Dave Stotts | Drive Thru History Special

This special episode from Drive Thru History dives into the history and traditions of Thanksgiving. Dave Stotts brings history to life in a way that’s entertaining and educational.

Cue the dad joes!! His engaging storytelling will capture your kids’ attention and provide a deeper understanding of why we celebrate this holiday. It’s perfect for keeping your kids engaged and learning while you handle travel preparations. It’s also entertaining for littles as well as older kids. Can’t beat that!


Thanksgiving Mats for Pattern Blocks

I know you probably have pattern blocks around the house somewhere. When you decide to homeschool, your Official Pattern Blocks arrive on your doorstep almost instantly. Well, just kidding… but it feels like everyone has these!

These Thanksgiving printable mats from This Reading Mama are fantastic for hands-on, creative play. Kids can use pattern blocks to create festive shapes and designs, combining art with a bit of geometry. It’s a wonderful way to keep their minds active and their hands busy with a fun, educational activity.


Fall Playdough Mats

These printable fall playdough mats, also from This Reading Mama, are a great way for kids to use their imaginations and fine motor skills. The fall-themed mats add a seasonal twist that will keep them entertained while you pack. I recommend laminating them or putting them in a page protector, taping the end.

They have the following pages to print for free:
● apple basket- add apples to the basket
● apple tree- add apples to the tree
● scarecrow- add a hat, scarf, straw, a face, etc.
● fall tree- add colorful leaves to the tree or ground
● raking leaves- add the prongs or handle to the rake
● pumpkin- add a face or vines to the pumpkin
● turkey- add colorful tail feathers
● Mayflower- add sails to the ship or water below


Printable Fall Leaf Crafts

This fall leaf craft from The Secret Life of Homeschoolers is perfect for busy homeschoolers, requiring only a few common supplies and a printer. Kids will collect fall leaves, hole-punch them, and glue the pieces onto printable worksheets to create beautiful fall pictures.

With three different worksheets to choose from, children can color their pages first, then use the hole-punched leaves to decorate. This craft not only encourages outdoor activity and fine motor skills but also provides opportunities for additional learning, such as leaf identification and creative storytelling. It’s a fun, engaging, and educational way to enjoy the fall season.


Easy Watercolor Resist Fall Leaves Art Project

This art project from Deep Space Sparkle is perfect for kids of all ages! Older kids can be more detailed while younger kids can focus on making the art more basic. Using watercolor paints and a simple resist technique, they can create beautiful fall leaf artwork.

It’s a great way to let their artistic side shine – while you take care of packing or stirring the cranberry sauce on the stove! Wait, you don’t do that? That’s my favorite thing, oh my goodness… It makes me feel like a Gummi Bear making Gummiberry Juice.


Free Printable Thanksgiving Poetry Book

I’m a HUGE fan of the Homeschool Compass! Poetry can be a soothing and introspective activity and as an English major, I don’t see poetry itself as an option. Our homeschool has always had lots of poetry in the air!

This beautiful, lush watercolor free printable includes beautiful poems perfect for the season, allowing your children to explore language and expression. Reading and discussing these poems can also provide a calming break in the midst of holiday hustle and bustle. We usually use these after dinner, covering one a night.


Read Aloud Revival November Book List

This carefully curated list of Thanksgiving-themed picture books is perfect for cozy reading, putting temptingly in a basket by the couch. Reserving these books from your local library can provide hours of engaging and educational content for your kids. I always love the picks from Read Aloud Revival! Many of them have become family favorites year after year.


These activities are more than just time-fillers… they are invitations for your children to dive into the spirit of Thanksgiving with creativity and joy.

As you get everything ready for your family gathering, these engaging tasks will not only keep your kids happily occupied, but also deepen their appreciation for the holiday’s rich traditions and values.

Let the fun begin!

Scatter Joy,

Jessica Lovett

Need some ideas on starting your own warm, cozy Morning Music Playlist to scatter joy on busy homeschool mornings?

Subscribe to download your music playlist ideas printable!

Your password to the resource library will come in instantly after your email is confirmed.

homeschooling, joy, parenting

Cultivate a Joyful Home Environment

In a way, your home environment is just as important as your homeschool curriculum. You’re not going to feel like doing your curriculum to the fullest if your homeschool environment lacks joy.

However, doing that takes a lot of work. It doesn’t just happen!

🖼️Not to sound materialistic at all but merely artistic, making sure to have objects around you that lift your spirits is something worthwhile.

If you spend tons at Hobby Lobby but none of it speaks to you personally, it is in vain… The stuff becomes like a clanging cymbal yelling at you to clean them as they sit and collect dust – if you don’t actually have love for them. (Extremely loose paraphrase of 1 Cor. 13:1)

🐿️I have lots of irons in the fire at any given moment and can also tend to be kind of… SQUIRREL! So, having practical helps to keep me on task are extremely useful.

⏲️The kids use Time Timers for their schoolwork and I have been known to steal one and use to it time myself for tasks around the house, too! Generally, takes longer to worry about washing all the dishes (also do avoid washing the dishes and make more dishes pile up while not actually washing them) than it does to march over and just do it.

🧼The Clean With Me podcast sounds like an extremely silly idea, but it is actually really useful, too. It is basically a Comforting Mom Voice telling you, “Ok, do the next thing! Good job! Now, on to folding those towels…” and my brain actually needs this or I’ll get distracted and go off and forget what I was doing because I’ve decided to paint a scratch I see on the wall or teach my dog to do a new trick or something that popped into my mind. Just bein’ real, here!

📖Beyond keeping chaos reasonably banished so it isn’t a distraction while doing schoolwork – or a hindrance to actually finding the schoolwork – try to incorporate things in your home that make your kids see the uniqueness of your family – maybe photos of things you’ve done together, books that you’ve read together, and things that even have an inside joke kind of nature.

In honor of my it’s-none-of-your-business-th birthday being yesterday, and my reflecting on our home a bit, here are some things that spark joy for me around our house!

Treehouses! And, art from music, movies, and books that we love. Epic tales add an epic vibe to your home.

Adding your passions to your home adds joy. Love Jane Austen books? Decide to make your home more romantic and add some Regency-era touches. Love books about Scotland? Add some plaid here and there, some tin whistles on the bookcase! You get the picture!

I love energizing quotes from people who give me inspiration. This is merely a World Market greeting card that jumped out at me, with a sneaky fortune cookie fortune peeking out from the bottom. It reads, “A house without books is like a room without windows.”

This is the same as above – a World Marketing greeting card… They fit perfectly in standard 5×7″ frames.

Flowers from my family for my birthday! I love the exotic vibes of this vase, too. I love to get flowers from our garden to add some life to our home.

Having a signature scent is also useful. The kids said it didn’t smell like home when we moved until I lit these Sherlock’s Study candles from my beloved Frostbeard Studio Candles!

The Forest Feast, Gatherings is an amazingly beautiful and artful cookbook that my parents gave me for my birthday! Erin Gleeson is a photography and cullinary genius.

You can never have too many candles… Well, maybe you can. But, I haven’t found that place, yet!

Books from family and from random used bookstores, plus an Aladdin’s Lamp from a friend who traveled overseas add a bit of whimsey. No one has come out of this lamp in a cloud of purple smoke as of yet.

As a wise person once said, “It’s not hoarding if it’s books!” Especially C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien ones.

Don’t be afraid of a little silliness or books that may not fit everyone’s standard of Books that Smart People Read. You can learn a lot in Star Wars and Star Trek books. Hey! Wait a second… Who put Pride and Prejudice in there?!

Lastly, artistic creations by your own kids – like this Lego rendition of our family – are always welcome editions.

Scatter Joy,

Jessica Lovett

Need some ideas on starting your own warm, cozy Morning Music Playlist to scatter joy on busy homeschool mornings?

Subscribe to download your music playlist ideas printable!

Your password to the resource library will come in instantly after your email is confirmed.