Creative Writing for Pirates! This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Creative writing is an important part of language arts, but I talk to so many homeschool moms who have fallen into the trap of not teaching enough writing and feeling overwhelmed. The common reason is the difficulty of finding a curriculum that […]
Language Arts
Early Chapter Books for Young Readers
Summer Book Choices for Young Readers This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. It isn’t easy to find really good chapter books for young readers. When a great book comes along, we tend to hold on to it and re-read it over and over again. Even though we continue to “do school” […]
Which Version of The Odyssey Should I Read?
How do I choose which version of The Odyssey to read? This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. If you have been assigned The Odyssey to read for literature class, you may be wondering how to choose the correct version to read. Some things to consider are your reading experience, your reading […]
The Berenstain Bears Friendship Blessings Collection
Five Favorite Berenstain Bears’ Living Lights Stories This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. The Berenstain Bears Friendship Blessings Collection is a five-books-in-one collection from the Living Lights series. This series from Zonderkidz is written from a Christian worldview and includes Scripture references and Christian values as the stories teach life lessons to […]
5 Ways to Motivate Middle School Writers
Ah, middle school! A time of hormone surges and living in a sort of limbo stage between childhood and adulthood. As a parent, I do sometimes feel like we’re living in the Matrix when it’s time to sit down and focus on “schoolwork.” And English gets a bad rap anyway as a “boring” required class. […]
Circle C Stepping Stones
Andi Saddles Up & Andi Under the Big Top This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Set in the wild west of the 1800s, the Circle C Stepping Stones books by Susan K. Marlow are geared toward early elementary age readers. The first two books of the projected six-book set are Andi Saddles […]
Make Language Arts Fun with a Library Scavenger Hunt!
Guest writer Jenny Herman joins us today with a wonderful way to make language arts fun for any age child with a library scavenger hunt. I love finding ways to make learning fun and practical. One thing I like to incorporate into my homeschool is scavenger hunts. Last year, I came up with the idea […]
Q & A a Day for Writers
Writers’ Prompts for Creative Inspiration This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Using writing prompts is a wonderful way to exercise your creative muscles by getting something on paper every day. Q&A a Day for Writers: 1-Year Journal is a fun book of writers’ prompts in a daily format, with prompts for each day […]
Jensen’s Vocabulary
Middle and High School Vocabulary This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Gaining new words does much more than give students an edge on standardized tests. Vocabulary development is essential for unlocking better communication. Students who study vocabulary gain skills for better reading comprehension, as well as an improvement in their writing. […]
The ABCs of Reading
Teaching Young Learners Does the thought of teaching your young learner how to read make your heart race? I’ll admit that my two biggest fears when we started homeschooling were the prospects of teaching my child how to read and of one day having to conquer algebra. After all, reading is the basis for everything […]
Lightning Literature & Composition: Grade 8
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Middle School Literature and Composition When I first looked at the reading list for Lightning Literature & Composition: Grade 8, I was impressed with the range of choices. This program is designed to teach both literature and writing at a high school preparation level. […]
7 Tips for Teaching Teen Writers
Guiding Teens through the Writing Process Do you teach writing in your homeschool? As the facilitator for a homeschool teen literature group, I have discovered that many homeschool moms don’t even know where to begin teaching writing to their teens. It is an often neglected subject, dwarfed by algebra, sciences, and high school elective requirements. […]