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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
In our family, black history is history. We teach it along with every other topic. We’ve covered African history, civil rights, and even jazz history with our children over the years. But we’ve also enjoyed sharing African-American storybooks that help them “see” themselves in stories. As part of learning about history, we’ve read some wonderful blackKeep Reading…
I’ve been a parent for nearly 13 years and we have four children. So I can tell you that it’s easy to get into the “routine” of parenting – just kind of going from day to day trying to keep your head above the water. But something happens when your last child begins preschool. Personally,Keep Reading…
It takes a while for cold weather to reach us all the way down here in the South. But once it comes, it tends to stay for the rest of the season. Around the middle of November, we pull out our coats and we typically wear them without a break until April. 🙂 Last year,Keep Reading…
When I think of fall, I start picturing taking a long, long nap. Hey, a mother of four can dream, right? But for some animals, hibernation is a necessary part of life and that includes bears! At the library recently, our preschooler found several books about bears that were just downright adorable and that gotKeep Reading…
Since we have a sixth grader this year (our first middle schooler!), I’ve been looking around for great kids’ books for her age range for some time. If you have a tween, I don’t have to tell you that it actually seems as if you’re parenting two different children: one that acts about 20 andKeep Reading…
Reading is a huge part of our homeschool. Huge. The kids spent time reading literally every single day. Based on my experiences in life, I think that the most important part of a good education is learning to love reading. Think about it: If you love to read, you can truly learn anything you want, wheneverKeep Reading…
When I was in elementary school many years ago (I have no intention of saying how many years ago), I remember third grade as being a kind of pivot point in my early education. In our first grade reading and second grade reading classes, we read lots of books, but they were mostly easy readers and aKeep Reading…
We’ve been sharing lots of fall fun for kids lately, including apple tree playdough mats, plenty of fall leaf activities and crafts you can make as a family, and kids’ books about camping. But we’ve been missing leaf books! Doh! I love watching the leaves change during autumn. It’s like the whole world just explodes withKeep Reading…
Can you smell it? That’s the smell of fall in the air! Fall is my absolute favorite season of all. The air gets cooler, the leaves start to turn colors, and you just feel like baking delicious food and snuggling up with family. It’s beautiful. So what better time is there to read gorgeous pictureKeep Reading…
Are you planning a camping trip this year? Get your kids excited for the trip with these fun kids books about camping! Honestly, I’ve never been camping. My parents weren’t really outdoor-sy and, frankly, the thought of sleeping outdoors doesn’t thrill me either. 🙂 But my kids have said that they want to try it,Keep Reading…
