How We Incorporate Nature Study I found this resource at our local homeschool store. It's currently out of print, but a search online might lead you to a used copy. Nature Study through Living Books: A Multi-Level Study Guide for Studying Nature Through Literature Using Pagoo by Holling C. Holling is a twenty-day unit study written for … [Read more...] about Nature Study Through Living Books: Pagoo
Language Arts
The Surprising Imagination of C. S. Lewis
Discovering the Genius of C. S. Lewis The Surprising Imagination of C. S. Lewis: An Introduction by Jerry Root and Mark Neal is a different look at the mind and works of C. S. Lewis. The authors describe and illustrate Lewis' ability to harness the power of imagination and enlighten readers by giving us a different way to think and look at the … [Read more...] about The Surprising Imagination of C. S. Lewis
Teaching Dictionary Skills: Free Printable Spooky Words Worksheet
Teaching Dictionary Skills Do your kids know how to use a dictionary? In this day and age of being able to hop on a phone or tablet to find out any information you need to know, is it still important to know how to open up a dictionary and learn something? As an English teacher, I can wholeheartedly state that it is not only important, but … [Read more...] about Teaching Dictionary Skills: Free Printable Spooky Words Worksheet
Lessons from A Christmas Carol
Our teen literature group is reading A Christmas Carol in December, and we will be looking at many literary and life lessons from the book. Charles Dickens' classic is already familiar to almost everyone, but once you really start to research and analyze it, there is so much to discover that you might not realize. 52 Little Lessons from A … [Read more...] about Lessons from A Christmas Carol
Writing Research Papers
High School Skills Learning how to write effective research papers is an important skill for students to master before they head off to college. Research paper writing is a very different type of writing than most students are accustomed to, and the process can seem daunting to both students and homeschool parents. Writing Research Papers: The … [Read more...] about Writing Research Papers
Hamlet for Kids (Free Printable)
Reading Shakespeare with Kids This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. It's Shakespeare month for our homeschool literature group. We've been reading Hamlet and learning more about Shakespeare's use of language. Many of our teen members have younger siblings who are listening in and learning about Hamlet along with the … [Read more...] about Hamlet for Kids (Free Printable)
Writing With Daily Journal Prompts
Daily writing is vitally important for young writers. But it's often difficult to motivate them to do it. By flexing their creative muscles, students gain confidence in their writing, get better at organizing their thoughts, and learn to play around with words and sentence structure. Providing daily journal prompts is an easy way to encourage kids … [Read more...] about Writing With Daily Journal Prompts
Show Me a Story
Hands-On Language Arts Activities Emily Neuburger's Show Me a Story may change the way you look at storytelling and teaching writing skills. This unique approach showcases forty hands-on activities that are fun, creative, and doable. Using simple materials, Emily Neuburger shows parents and teachers how things like rocks, panels cut from cereal … [Read more...] about Show Me a Story
The Day is Waiting
My son's favorite picture book when he was little was Corduroy by Don Freeman. The combination of a wonderful, loving story, and beautifully engaging illustrations drew him in and made him fall in love with the book we read over and over again. We went on to collect and read other Don Freeman classics, like Gregory's Shadow, Norman the … [Read more...] about The Day is Waiting
Tales from the Circle C Ranch
Susan Marlow has a genuine enthusiasm for writing, and this shines through in Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch. This short story collection serves as a bridge between the Circle C Beginnings and Circle C Milestones series of books. Inspired by questions from her fans, Susan wrote Tales from the Circle C Ranch as a companion book to … [Read more...] about Tales from the Circle C Ranch
Exploring a Classic: Rasmus and the Vagabond
Astrid Lindgren is a childhood favorite of mine. I devoured her books as a child and felt a particular kinship to the beloved Pippi Longstocking. (Try as I might, I was never able to get my braids to do just like hers!) I've already shared Pippi with my boys, as well as The Tomten and the Noisy Village stories. Thanks to Handlebar and Plough … [Read more...] about Exploring a Classic: Rasmus and the Vagabond
How to Write Letters
The Art of Writing Letters In this day and age of texts, tweets, and quick emails, is the art of letter writing still relevant? It is important to actually pick up a pen once in a while (well, daily), and put it to paper to express your creative self. There's just something about the handwritten word that nothing else can duplicate. Letter … [Read more...] about How to Write Letters
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2015
Multicultural Children's Book Day Learning Table is excited to be part of the 2nd Annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day. Read on for information about the purpose of this event and it’s creators and sponsors as well as how you can participate. Our mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get … [Read more...] about Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2015
American Literature
What I Use for High School Literature Today, I'm sharing a language arts curriculum with you that is college prep, high school, affordable, and easy to use. Our Real Teens Read literature group has read many of the titles included in this course, and I use it as a resource to enrich our literature discussions. It is a complete stand alone … [Read more...] about American Literature
Ten Movies to Watch for School
If you're feeling like you're in a slump, especially on a cold gray day, or if the kids are out of school with "nothing to do," watching a movie might be just the thing. Pop some popcorn and spend the afternoon taking a break from the books. Movies can add another elements to your studies, especially if you read the book version first. Discuss the … [Read more...] about Ten Movies to Watch for School
Real Teens Read: Poetry
In April for National Poetry Month, the Real Teens Read group focused on poetry all month long. We've been reading poems each month along with our book selection, but for April, we decided to spend some time on poetry alone. For 2015, I'm planning to continue to incorporate poetry, because the more we read it, the more the teens seem to be … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Poetry
Real Teens Read: The Book Thief & Number the Stars
Our teen literature group has been busy all summer, reading some great literature and going on several amazing field trips. We've added some younger students to the group, so we are now Real Teens Read/Real Kids Read. These students are a joy to spend time with, and it's been wonderful to watch how they are making connections to the literature as … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: The Book Thief & Number the Stars
3 Easy Steps for Teaching Your Child to Read
Super excited to have my article featured at Crosswalk. Here's an excerpt -- head over there to read the rest! 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 … [Read more...] about 3 Easy Steps for Teaching Your Child to Read
Real Teens Read: Russia
Our latest books for our Real Teens Read literature group were One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin. The younger kids only read Breaking Stalin's Nose, but both groups got together for our activity and discussion day. These books pair together very nicely. We learned … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Russia
Real Teens Read: Code Name Verity
Hands-on Literature Our Real Teens Read literature group read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein and learned more about WWII and aviation by attending two awesome field trips along with our kid's literature group. If Code Name Verity hasn't been on your radar, it is definitely worth considering for your teen readers. It is on my list of all … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Code Name Verity
