How do I balance antsy hands with my desire to include read-alouds and educational videos in our school days? I do not require my children (or myself) to sit completely still and just listen. I provide a wide variety of quiet activities that can be done during read-alouds or educational videos for my children. In our homeschool, busy hands help my energetic boys to focus on a book or video. Busy hands help my daughter and I to be productive and multi-task during our school days.
My teenage daughter usually knits during our read-alouds and educational videos. With the warmer weather, she has taken a break from knitting, but over the winter she knitted a multitude of beautiful hats for Christmas presents.
I am usually the one reading the read-aloud book but if we're watching an educational video, I usually keep my hands busy with cutting. Yes, cutting. We lapbook regularly so I usually have mini-books that can be prepared ahead of time.My boys, on the other hand, engage in a wide range of quiet activities during read-alouds and educational videos.
Modeling with Sculpey III clay
My middle son, Mason, is passionate about modeling with clay. Because he spends time every single day modeling with clay, I keep a "clay station" set up for him in the living room.
Patterning with Perler Beads
Perler beads are fun and relatively inexpensive. After the pattern is created on the pegboard, an adult covers the pattern with the paper included in any Perler bead kit and irons it according to the directions. The beads fuse together and make a small piece of art. Endless patterns can be found on the internet for everything from food to holiday themed pieces to animated characters and video game favorites. Our favorite site for Perler bead patterns is Making Friends.Building Blocks
A wide variety of different building blocks could be used to keep hands busy and minds engaged. My youngest enjoys building different patterns with a pegboard block kit. While both of my boys enjoy building with Legos, we have found that building with Legos is too noisy during read-alouds and videos. The digging through the box of Legos sounds are simply too distracting.
A wide variety of different building blocks could be used to keep hands busy and minds engaged. My youngest enjoys building different patterns with a pegboard block kit. While both of my boys enjoy building with Legos, we have found that building with Legos is too noisy during read-alouds and videos. The digging through the box of Legos sounds are simply too distracting.Equilibrio
I highly recommend this incredible kit for keeping little hands busy for long stretches of time. Using the blocks, a child builds a three-dimensional structure using the patterns. Some of the patterns are VERY challenging! Of course, a child can also use the blocks for creative building of their own design as well.
I highly recommend this incredible kit for keeping little hands busy for long stretches of time. Using the blocks, a child builds a three-dimensional structure using the patterns. Some of the patterns are VERY challenging! Of course, a child can also use the blocks for creative building of their own design as well.Educational Coloring Books
When planning a unit study, I always make sure to include at least one educational coloring book in my plans. My very favorite educational coloring books are from Edu-Press, the Color and Learn series. My boys don't choose to color as often as they did when they were younger, but coloring is still an activity they enjoy during read-alouds and educational videos.
Do you have any other quiet activities that are good for keeping little hands busy and minds engaged during read-alouds and educational videos?
When we were done at the visitor's center, we headed out for a hike. My plan was to stay on the easy, paved trail due to the mud and snow on the longer trail. My two older children quickly decided they wanted to take the more adventurous hike so I followed along. 
At the end of the hike, we all sat and rested on some lovely benches. In a few months, this area will be particularly lovely and filled with flowers. For today, though, it was enough to notice some small patches of greenery starting to come to life in the pond and buds starting to form on the trees. Ever my artist, Mason sketched the scene in front of him.
I think our Signs of Spring walk was just a little too early for many visible signs of the coming greenery, warmth, and new life but the sound of the rushing water from the quickly melting snow held great promise. 
We also took advantage of the warmer weather and took a hike at a nature center. My boys really enjoyed the hike and my oldest easily finished the hike, often leading the way. I, on the other hand, struggled on the hike as my feet kept slipping on the snow-covered trails! 
(See, there's proof - we do have fun sometimes during school!)
I was very pleased with their final portraits, both for the art itself and the thought that went into each portrait. 
Mason would love to be an artist when he grows up. Hopefully, he can work in a field that allows him to express his artistic side!
Lastly, Duncan wants to manage our family business when he grows up. Yes! There IS hope for my husband's retirement someday!
The "smooshing method" worked very well and allowed the paint to seep into all of the little holes in the styrofoam to obtain good paint coverage.
I think all of my children enjoyed the tactile sensation of the paint smooshing!
For our home planet, Earth, the children wanted to paint it blue and green following a model of the Earth. 
The painted planets were quite bright and colorful. As suggested in the directions,we used toothpicks to remove the painted planets from the "paint bags." I had some old floral blocks so we used those to hold the planets for drying.
The finished solar system models turned out really well!
My sweet husband even took the time to hang all of the solar system models for us in the school room. I smile everytime I walk in there and see the often slowly twirling models.
On the other side of the lapbook, there are minibooks about:
My favorite part of this lapbook is my son's drawing of the Box Turtle. While I had wanted a realistic drawing, I have to admit I find this cartoon-like drawing of the Box Turtle enchanting. I also thought he did a good job with his paragraph inside the mini-book.
The Box Turtle can lay up to 8 eggs. The Box Turtle is found in the woodland habitat. The male turtle usually has red eyes, and a long tail. The female (and male) usually has a black or brown shell. If the turtle got flipped over it can't get up.
I was first struck by this lovely plant, a Firebush.
Then, the Smooth-Sided Toad caught my eye. I think I may have caught the Smooth-Sided Toad's eye as well!
The bottom floor houses primarily reptiles and amphibians like the Northern Spider Tortoise...
and the Mossy Frog.
The upper floor houses a wide variety of animals including ducks...
We didn't visit the gift shop but Mason really wanted a small souvenir from the zoo. He was happy to get a souvenir penny!
