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. […]
Language Arts
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: […]
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 ‘big kids.’ In […]
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 […]
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 boxes, catalogs and magazines, pine […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]