Community helpers are such an important theme in early childhood education. After all, it’s important for children to learn how their local community works and who provides the services we all rely on each day. So when you’re ready to teach a community helper theme in class, make sure to use some of these community helpersKeep Reading…
We just posted a fun solar system unit study a couple of weeks back, so while there are a few weeks of summer left, I thought I’d share some wonderful books about the solar system for kids of all ages! I love videos and technology, but there is just nothing like turning the pages of a bookKeep Reading…
Summer is here! It’s been a very long wait. Very, very, very long. Really felt like last winter was the longest in history. We try to keep our kids learning and reading over the summer, but even that can get a little boring if we’re not careful. So, I thought they’d have a little moreKeep Reading…
We’ve been featuring a lot of summer fun lately – and what says “Summer” better than ice cream? Nothing. Nothing says “Summer” better than ice cream. It’s true that ice cream is a favorite with kids everywhere, but it’s also an opportunity to learn! It’s just a super fun subject to learn about. To makeKeep Reading…
Charlotte’s Web is one of the books that I automatically associate with childhood. I listened to it read aloud in elementary school (third grade, I think) and I read it myself so many times I lost count. When our six-year-old and I started reading it as part of our BookShark Level 1 curriculum, she discoveredKeep Reading…
Learning to count is one of the most important skills for early learners. After all, until you learn to count, you won’t be able to tell that your sibling got more cookies than you. Which, if you ask any three-year-old, is one of the world’s greatest injustices. We loved using manipulatives and printables to helpKeep Reading…
Since we’ve been working through BookShark Level 1 with our youngest, we’ve gotten to read plenty of wonderful stories. When I looked at the bookshelf and noticed we had yet to read Green Eggs and Ham, though, I wanted to jump for joy. As a child, I read The Cat In the Hat first. ButKeep Reading…
My youngest son is obsessed with making things. He’s built a working fishing pole, a wobble racer, and even a 3-D paper basketball playset, complete with players who actually shoot the ball into the hoop. We’ve always encouraged our kids to learn about their history, so I thought it would be cool for him toKeep Reading…
Learning to read is one of the most important and celebrated milestones in education. And with good reason! If you can read, you can do anything else you want in life. If we want our kids to become readers for life, though, we have to start teaching them to love reading while they’re young. ThereKeep Reading…
Fall is just around the corner! And that means it’s a great time to break out some classic kids’ books about fall. One of our favorites is “When the Leaf Blew In”, a sweet sequencing story that describes how one leaf blowing into a barn set off a chain reaction that involved all the animals onKeep Reading…
Reading is a huge part of our homeschooling experience. I’m a bookworm and nothing would make me happier than to raise four little bookworms of my own. In second grade, one of the objectives is for children to learn to retell the main idea and details of a story. So I put together a printableKeep Reading…
We all know that reading is (probably) the most important skill a child should learn. Without reading, you can’t really do, well, anything. But we don’t just want our kids to read because they have to. We want them to read because they want to. And that means making free reading an important part of everyKeep Reading…
My little one has taken to reading much quicker than I imagined. I hoarded so many books for learning to read with the specific intention of using them with her. And then she never needed a single one. Go figure. One thing that has been a little difficult for her to grasp, though, is rhyming.Keep Reading…
As a mom to four African American children, I’ve been hard pressed to find great kids’ books that feature black characters (at least in our local library). They’re there, but it’s hard to find them, unless you have a few author names to start with. I strongly feel it’s important for my kids to “see” themselvesKeep Reading…
We have a very active little one in our family. She’s running around learning everything she possibly can. But, because she’s so excited about what’s she learning to do, getting her to settle down for bed has become a bit of problem. Every time I walk her into her room at night, she says “IKeep Reading…
We’re getting into our study of classical music in our homeschool lessons, so we’re sharing children’s books about composers! These are perfect for circle time stories or unit study resources, especially if you want your kids to learn more about the music and the lives of these musicians. While there are classical composers in thisKeep Reading…
We’ve had fun studying about nocturnal animals and one of those animals is…the owl! There are owls here in Georgia, but we hardly ever see them because they’re up when we’re asleep. 🙂 Since we’ve been talking about animals that are night “owls” (get it?), I rounded up some beautiful owl books for kids that weKeep Reading…
Our kindergartner is off to the reading races! She’s really progressed in her ability to read over the summer and now there’s no stopping her. She reads street signs and menu items and instructions on gas pumps and – basically, any word, anywhere. Which thrills me. There is no more important skill in life than theKeep Reading…
We’re getting well into the harvest season and it’s a perfect time to read about this time of year with the kids! We’ve already featured a harvest unit study, but I wanted to share a few more children’s books about harvest that feature picking apples, pumpkins, corn, and all kinds of fall produce. There areKeep Reading…
My seven-year-old is well above grade level at reading comprehension, math, and writing, which thrills me. But his reading fluency needs a little help. Because he has ADHD, he’s super active. (And I mean, super active.) And that makes him rather…impatient. When he tries to read aloud or spell words, he gets frustrated whenever he can’t doKeep Reading…
New York City is one of our favorite places to visit. One of our family members lives in Queens and the kids always love traveling through the big city, staring at the buildings, and trying to spot the city’s most famous features. Usually, though, we don’t have enough time to tour all of the NYCKeep Reading…
