I had the pleasure of introducing my daughter to Writing Wheels, by Maupin House. Teaching a child to write composition papers, biographies, reports, etc., can be a daunting task. Children often have trouble knowing where to begin and what steps to take. After using plenty of workbooks and other helps, I found that Writing Wheels were the most useful and easiest to keep on hand. They are … [Read more...] about Writing Wheels Keeps Your Child on a Roll
Learn Addition and Subtraction Facts with Sum Swamp
Around our house I can easily tell how much a game is loved by the condition of the box. As you can see in the photo, our Sum Swamp game is being held together with duct tape! I can't even begin to count how many times my husband and I played this gem of a game with our children when they were younger. I am actually convinced that my youngest child memorized many of his addition and subtraction … [Read more...] about Learn Addition and Subtraction Facts with Sum Swamp
The Human Body by Seymour Simon
Prolific children’s non-fiction author, Seymour Simon has teamed with HarperCollins Publishers and the Smithsonian Institution to produce a series of books about the natural world. Tucked into the prolific and still-growing library of scientific information produced by Simon and the Smithsonian is a sub-series about the human body. The books in the human body series provide a treat for the eyes … [Read more...] about The Human Body by Seymour Simon
Garden Projects
When this time of year rolls around, there's one thing my kids ask for more than anything..."When are we going to plant our garden, Mom?" I have to admit, I'm just as excited to get my hands dirty as they are. There's something about sticking a tiny plant or seed into the dirt and a couple months later, enjoying the best salad or handful of strawberries ever! I decided to end out our school … [Read more...] about Garden Projects
Get Ready for the Code: Pre-Literacy Primers
There are a few curriculum choices that have and will remain consistent through all three of my children. One of those is the Get Ready for the Code pre-literacy primers series of workbooks from Explode the Code. Get Ready for the Code: Pre-Literacy Primers As I'm planning ahead for my little guy who will probably jump into simple workbooks within the next year, Get Ready for the Code, Get Set … [Read more...] about Get Ready for the Code: Pre-Literacy Primers
Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills
Have you ever read to your children a book that explains an old fashioned way of doing things? Maybe a book about a family that makes their own maple syrup, goats milk cheese, raises cows or sews quilts? Have you ever wanted a resource book that will help you learn more about living a simple life? Maybe you want to grow organic tomatoes or make bread without preservatives? Back to … [Read more...] about Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills
A Little Classical Teamwork: First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease
After publication of their classically-based homeschooling guide, The Well-Trained Mind, mother and daughter Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer continued their streak of parent-friendly curricula with a variety of texts, including Mrs. Wise’s First Language Lessons and, more recently, Dr. Bauer’s first installment in the series The Complete Writer, which is titled Writing with Ease: Strong … [Read more...] about A Little Classical Teamwork: First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease
Science Sleuths
Have we ever had fun with this Science Sleuths mini-unit! My children love a good mystery, so I knew this science-related study would be just up their alley. Written for grades 6-9, Science Sleuths includes three detailed cases for your children to solve based on clues and evidence that slowly trickle in over the course of a few days time. Using critical thinking, inquiry skills and the … [Read more...] about Science Sleuths
Apologia Science: Exploring Creation with General Science
Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science has been a perfect fit for our son, Nathanael, who's in the eighth grade (age 13/14) this year. It is the first course of the Exploring Creation with... upper level Creation-based science curriculum series written by former University Professor, Dr. Jay Wile, especially for homeschool students. Here's a description of the course from … [Read more...] about Apologia Science: Exploring Creation with General Science
Preschool Activities are as easy as 1, 2, 3
Preschool is all about keeping little hands busy and making the most out of little attention spans. For a small task it isn't always so easy to accomplish without big plans. For my preschooler, I would spend quite a bit of time finding just the right projects and lessons to keep her interest. When given the opportunity to review 123 Preschool Projects, I jumped for joy! The projects looked … [Read more...] about Preschool Activities are as easy as 1, 2, 3
A Child’s Geography
Searching for geography curriculum has been a fruitless pursuit for me, so I dabbled in creating my own. We discussed earth being our home, looked at maps, and located places on the globe from our history and literature studies. That was enough, but I wanted to go more in depth. When I was introduced to A Child’s Geography, Explore His Earth by Ann Voskamp, I thought, “Maybe this is … [Read more...] about A Child’s Geography
Schoolhouse Rock Helps Learning Stick
Not everything has to become a formal lesson at our house, but I love being able to sneak in some learning with a helping of fun. I have seen in my own life that songs I have learned as a child I can still remember to this day. While this has many applications to homeschooling I only want to talk about one today, called Schoolhouse Rock. Schoolhouse Rock is series of short musical cartoons … [Read more...] about Schoolhouse Rock Helps Learning Stick