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Books about Turtles for Kids

June 28, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago, we shared a Turtles Unit Study. So I thought I’d keep the fun going with a list of fun books about turtles for kids that you and your little ones will love reading together!

Naturally, any booklist about turtles has to include little Franklin. 🙂 But there are also a few contemporary classics and some non-fiction selections in the list too! If I missed any of your favorites, let me know in the comments!

Books about Turtles for Kids

Books about Turtles for Kids

  1. Franklin in the Dark by Paulette Bourgeois
  2. Old Turtle by Douglas Wood
  3. Why Do Sea Turtles Look Like They are Crying? (The Book of Why) by Jennifer Shand
  4. Look Out for Turtles! by Melvin Berger
  5. National Geographic Readers: Turtles by Laura Marsh
  6. Good Night Little Turtle by David Cunliffe
  7. How the Turtle Got Its Shell by Justine Fontes
  8. Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! by April Pulley Sayre
  9. Turtles by Jodi Huelin
  10. Turtle Time: A Children’s Photo Story about Flatback Sea Turtles by Dr. Dale Michael Cotton
  11. The Turtle in His Shell by Mr. Bryan Waytula
  12. Turtles and Tortoises: What’s the Difference? by Lisa M. Herrington
  13. National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles by Laura Marsh
  14. Turtle Splash! Countdown at the Pond by Cathryn Falwell
  15. One Tiny Turtle: Read and Wonder by Nicola Davies

Turtle Books for Kids

Learn more about turtles for kids with our Turtles Unit Study!

Turtles Unit Study

Plus, get our Tiny Turtles Prewriting Pack – free!

Tiny Turtles Prewriting Pack

Want more books for children? Follow my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!


Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: book lists, books, books for kids, kids books, reading, reading for kids, turtles, turtles for kids, turtles unit study

25 of The Best Beach Books for Kids

June 10, 2016 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

The Best Beach Books for Kids

Summer’s here and we’re getting into a “beachy” frame of mind around here.

I’m from Florida and I absolutely adore the beach, so for this book roundup, I decided to feature the best beach books for kids!

There are 25 books about the beach for toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary-aged kids to look at, read, and enjoy.

25 Awesome Beach Books for Kids

What I love about these books is that they focus on the beach itself, not just stories that take place there.

So, if you’re doing a beach unit soon, these are excellent reading choices!

Read on to see the full list. And, keep reading to pick up a fun beach themed counting resource too!

If these are a hit, check out some other summer reads, including some cool ice cream books for kids!

Share some of these lovely beach books for kids this summer!

25 of the Best Beach Books for Kids

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

Whether you live near the shore or not, the beach is a wonderful theme for early learners.

There are so many animals that live near the beach to learn about.

Plus, we get to find out about incredible scientific principles such as buoyancy, erosion, and evaporation.

There are also plenty of beach crafts for kids and beach-y treats to make. Take a look at some of our favorite beach crafts for some inspiration!

Fun Beach Books for Kids to Read

25 of The Best Beach Books for Kids

Share some of these lovely and fun beach books for kids during read aloud time this summer!

1

At the Beach by Anne Rockwell

2

Beach by Elisha Cooper

3

Hello Ocean by Pam Muñoz Ryan

4

Beach Day by Karen Roosa

5

Curious George Goes to the Beach by Margret & H.A. Rey

6

Hide and Seek Harry at the Beach by Kenny Harrison

7

Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach by James Dean

8

If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't! by Elise Parsley

9

Llama Llama Sand and Sun by Anna Dewdley

10

A Day at the Seashore by Kathryn Jackson

11

Fancy Nancy: Sand Castles and Sand Palaces by Jane O'Connor

12

How Will We Get to the Beach? by Brigitte Luciani

13

Duck & Goose Go to the Beach by Tad Hills

14

Beach Baby by Laurie Elmquist

15

On My Beach by Sara Gillingham

16

Beach Bugs: A Sunny Pop-up Book by David A. Carter

17

Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman

18

Daniel's Day at the Beach (Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood) by Becky Friedman

19

Biscuit's First Beach Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

20

Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach by Tish Rabe

21

Daisy Dawson at the Beach by Steve Voake

22

Beach House by Deana Caswell

23

A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams

24

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt

25

Hum and Swish by Matt Myers

Printable Beach Ball Counting Cards

Add even more beach learning fun to your beach theme with these printable beach ball counting to ten cards!

Printable Beach Ball Counting Flashcards

These feature beach balls in groups of one to ten with number words underneath.

There are also a set of cards with blank spaces for attaching number word labels.

Beach Ball Counting to Ten Cards

Perfect for early math centers!

To get your set of these beach ball counting cards free, just click the image or the link below to have them sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our newsletter this Sunday!

Click here to get your free printable

>>> Beach Ball Counting Cards <<<

Did you enjoy these beach books for kids? Don’t miss these other beach ideas to share!

Try some of these easy and fun prek beach crafts with early learners this summer!
Make this simple DIY play beach sand recipe to share a summer sensory activity with the kids!
Share a fun and easy summer craft with the kids when you make this easy coffee filter crab craft! Perfect for summer afternoon crafting!

This post is part of the Beach Unit Study blog hop! Check out more awesome beach posts below!

Beach Unit Study Resources
  • Beach Letter Find Printables from 3 Boys and a Dog
  • Ocean Books for Kids from The Jenny Evolution
  • Songs About The Beach from Tales of Education at Home
  • 5 Ways to Learn at the Beach from The Usual Mayhem
  • Beach Scavenger Hunt Printable from CraftCreateCalm
  • “At the Beach” Emergent Reader from The Letters of Literacy
  • Sand Pail and Shovel Alphabet Match from The Kindergarten Connection
  • Beach Letter Dot Printables from Living Life and Learning.com
  • Colorful Sand Paintings from Schooling a Monkey
  • Sand Science Experiment from iGameMom
  • 15 Things to Do at the Beach with Kids from FrogMom
  • Easy Egg Carton Sea Creatures from Homeschool Preschool
  • Beach Mystery Bag from Bambini Travel
  • Printable Beach Bingo Cards from Year Round Homeschooling
  • Beach Pail 1-20 Number Recognition from Something 2 Offer

Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: beach, beach books, beach books for kids, book lists, books, books for kids, reading, reading for kids, reading lists for kids

Homeschool Unit Studies: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

May 14, 2016 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Springtime is an excellent season to talk about weather. Spring pretty much has it all: cold weather in the beginning, windy days, thunderstorms, light drizzles, rainbows, sunshine, and (down here in the South) high temperatures!

Since one of our family movie night features last year was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, we made it into a weather unit featuring the story and weather activities! Check out our Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs unit study – one of our fun homeschool unit studies!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

Of course, we started by reading the story Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit

As you probably know, the book features a tall tale told by a grandpa about a town called Chewandswallow – where food literally rained down from the sky. At first, everything was nice and predictable, but something awful happened and the town became deluged with food that drowned, crushed, and ruined everything. People had to escape on stale pieces of bread. It was pretty rough. 🙂

Since the book centers on the concept of weather, we decided to start our unit with some simple weather charting. I got this simple weather observation chart from the Notebooking Nook. (It’s free!)

Weather Observation for Kids

On the chart, you can note the forecast for each day of the upcoming week.

Tracking Weather with Kids

Then you do a comparison to see if the actual weather is close to the forecast.

Weather Charting with Kids

Ours ended up being pretty close. What I really like about this chart is that you can use actual temperature readings, weather words, or just let the kids draw pictures. It’s easy to adapt it for everyone’s level.

We also started talking about some common weather phenomena. These resources are super handy:

  • What is a tornado?
  • What is a hurricane?
  • What is a flash flood?
  • How do weather forecasters predict the weather?

After our discussion about weather, we watched the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

And that sparked a lively discussion about how books often differ from their movie versions. The movie was wayyyy different, but still good. Plus, it featured a wonderful message for young girls to be comfortable with themselves, even if they’re “nerdy”. I loved it.

Of course, you can always make spaghetti and meatballs with your kids. 🙂

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study for Kids

For more weather learning fun, check out these weather lessons for kids!

Printable Spanish Flashcards Weather @ Look! We're Learning!

Learn about extreme weather in this hurricane unit study for kids!

And to learn more about what makes up a town, grab our Spanish community word flashcards!

Printable Spanish Community Words Flashcards @ Look! We're Learning!

Don’t miss all of our other unit study resources on Pinterest!

Fun Weather Resources for Kids

Get more ideas for learning about weather from these great bloggers!

DIY Weather Binoculars – Adventures of Adam

Books about Weather for Kids – Craft Create Calm

Cloud Formations Tracking Log – Teach Beside Me

Free Weather Chart – Kiddy Charts

Traveling to Countries with Tropical Weather with a Toddler – Maria Magdalena Living Ideas

This post is part of the Movie and a Big Idea linkup from iHomeschool Network! Click over to read more movie-themed activities for kids!

Movie and a Big Idea linkup

Notebooking Pages LIFETIME Membership

Filed Under: Unit Studies Tagged With: book extension activities, cloudy with a chance of meatballs unit study, homeschool unit studies, reading, reading for kids, unit studies, unit study, units for kids

10 Books about Monster Trucks

May 3, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Do you have a child who LOVES big trucks? My boys are huge fans of monster trucks right now, which is why I decided to use big trucks to teach them about measuring last week.

But if you want to encourage them to read, why not check out some fun and educational kids’ books about monster trucks? There are plenty available, but these are super for finding out how trucks work and getting your little ones excited about reading! Trust me. We have a few of these in our home library. 🙂

Kids Books about Monster Trucks

10 Books about Monster Trucks

  1. Monster Trucks! (Step Into Reading)
  2. I’m a Monster Truck! (Little Golden Book)
  3. Monster Trucks (Pull Ahead Books)
  4. Mighty Monster Machines (Blaze and the Monster Machines
  5. How Do Monster Trucks Work?
  6. Ultimate Sticker Book: Truck
  7. Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania!
  8. My Little Book of Big Trucks: Packed Full of Cool Photos and Fascinating Facts
  9. Axel the Truck: Beach Race (I Can Read)
  10. Monster Truck Mater (Disney/Pixar Cars)

10 Kids Books about Monster Trucks

For more monster truck learning fun, check out our free Monster Truck Measurement math pack for kids!

Monster Truck Measurement for First Grade Printables

And be sure to follow my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest to find more awesome children’s book roundups!


Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: book lists, children's books, kids books, reading, reading for kids

10 Kids’ Picture Books about Bugs

April 19, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Bugs are super popular with kids, especially during the warm months when we start to see more ants, bees, and other creepy critters around more often. Personally, I’m not a fan. But my boys (in particular) think they’re super cool!

So, I’ve worked up the nerve to start putting together a bug unit study. And part of that unit is reading some great picture books about bugs!

Here are ten kids’ books about bugs that are awesome for showing kids different kinds of insects and helping them learn about how they live and co-exist along with us.

Picture Books about Bugs

10 Kids’ Picture Books about Bugs

  1. Bugs: A Stunning, Pop-Up Look at Insects, Spiders, and Other Creepy-Crawlies by George McGavin
  2. Bugs A to Z by Caroline Lawton
  3. Ultimate Bugopedia: The Most Complete Bug Reference Ever by Darlyne Murawski
  4. Bugs Galore by Peter Stein
  5. Big Book of Bugs by DK Publishing
  6. On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe
  7. Everything Bug: What Kids Really Want to Know about Bugs by Cherie Winner
  8. Caterpillars, Bugs, and Butterflies: Take-Along Guide
  9. Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo by Rosetta Stone
  10. The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields

10 Picture Books about Bugs

If you try one of these, let me know which one is your favorite! And if I missed a great bug book, tell me your pick in the comments!

For more buggy fun, check out these posts!

Free Bug Printables Pack

These fun insect activities for kids are perfect for learning about our creepy-crawly animal friends!

Activities for the Grouchy Ladybug

And get more ideas for science learning from my It’s Science board on Pinterest!


Filed Under: Book Lists, Science Tagged With: book lists, books about bugs, books for kids, bugs, children's books, learning about bugs, reading, science, science for kids

Simple Harry the Dirty Dog Activity for Tots

April 12, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Piglet and I read the classic children’s story Harry the Dirty Dog together and she absolutely loved it.

So, we decided to share a simple art activity together that would help her connect with the events in the story.

And that’s how this super easy Harry the Dirty Dog activity came about.

Fun Harry the Dirty Dog Activity for Toddlers

This prewriting activity is simple enough to try with toddlers, tots, and preschoolers and you can prep it in just a few minutes.

Read on to get your copy of this fun toddler prewriting activity free!

And, for more fun with early education, don’t miss our list of 20 fun printable resources for preschool!

Share this fun and easy Harry the Dirty Dog prewriting activity with toddlers and preschoolers after reading the storybook together!

Harry the Dirty Dog Activity for Toddlers

This activity is extremely easy. Honestly. Plus, it’s guaranteed to get your little ones into the story!

What You’ll Need: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • The book Harry the Dirty Dog
  • Crayola Dry Erase Crayons
  • A copy of our Clean the Dirty Dog Printable
  • A laminator

Harry the Dirty Dog Activity Supplies

Once you print the Clean the Dirty Dog printable, run it through the laminator.

Then get out your dry erase crayons.

Harry the Dirty Dog Activity Dry Erase Supplies

You’ll only need the black one. 

I like the Crayola Dry Erase crayons, because they come with the cleaning mitt, which you’ll also need.

Harry the Dirty Dog Activity Coloring

In the story, Harry hates taking baths, so he hides his scrubbing brush and runs away from home.

While he’s away, he gets super dirty – running through a construction site, sliding down a coal chute, and so on.

Harry the Dirty Dog PreK Activity

So our first step was to get our white dog dirtied up!

Coloring Harry the Dirty Dog Activity

I just turned Piglet loose with the crayon.

Harry the Dirty Dog Extension Activity

Boy, he really got dirty, didn’t he?

Tot Harry the Dirty Dog Activity

Making our white dog dirty was probably Piglet’s favorite part of the entire activity. 

Clean the Dirty Dog Activity

When Harry returns home, he’s so dirty that his family doesn’t recognize him.

Frightened, he digs up the scrubbing brush, runs into the house, and jumps into the bathtub.

Harry the Dirty Dog Activity for Tots and PreK

Once he’s all clean and scrubbed, the kids know that the black dog with white spots is actually Harry, their white dog with black spots.

Naturally, we had to clean Harry up too! And that’s where the dry erase mitt came in handy.

Harry the Dirty Dog Activity for Toddlers

Aw…look how clean he is!

To do this art activity with your littles, get a copy of our free Clean the Dirty Dog printable below!

>>> Clean the Dirty Dog Printable Activity <<<

Harry the Dirty Dog Activity for PreK and Tots

Want more book-related learning fun? Check out these posts!

Reading Charlotte's Web with your kids? Bring the story to life with this fun Charlotte's Web craft little ones can make!

Introduce kids to the helpers in your town with these kids' books about community helpers! Great for read-aloud time with early learners!

Hands-On Learning about Taste Buds

This post is part of the Read It, Make It Book + Craft Week linkup from Emma Owl! Get 50 ideas for arts and crafts based on children’s books!

50 Childrens Art and Craft Ideas Themed Around Books

Filed Under: Homeschooling Printables, PreK Homeschooling, Reading Tagged With: children's books, kids books, prek, prek homeschool, reading, reading for kids, tot school

50 Beautiful Spring Books for Kids to Read

April 7, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Spring is a wonderful time of year for sharing stories! Read some of these spring books for kids with your little ones!
50 Spring Books for Kids
These beautiful spring books for kids are wonderful read aloud selections for springtime! There are spring board books, spring picture books, and spring chapter books to choose from!

I absolutely adore spring…mostly because I detest winter. (Cold weather turns me into an actual bum.)

But once the days start to get longer and the weather starts to get warmer, I come alive! And it’s a wonderful time to explore changing seasons with our students.

This year, I want to put a greater focus on spring reading, so I put together a list of 50 spring books for kids!

50 Fun Spring Books for Kids

These spring books for kids are great for talking about the change of seasons. They’re also a nice introduction to weather, spring animals, and plants!

Want to share more spring learning with your students? Don’t miss our All About Flowers printable unit study!

Share this list of 50 spring books for kids with early readers!

50 Engaging Spring Books for Kids

This list of books about spring includes both board books and picture books. So there are appropriate selections for preschoolers and early elementary students.

Some of the non-fiction books may even be good for upper elementary students, depending on their reading level.

How to Use Books about Spring with Early Learners

When you’re ready to share one of these spring books for kids with your students, try opening by asking the class what they already know about the topic.

For example, if you’re reading the book “How Do We Know It’s Spring”, start by asking questions like:

  • How can you tell springtime is here?
  • What does the weather look like?
  • What do the trees look like?
  • Are there any animals you see around us?
50 Engaging Spring Books for Kids to Read

As your students answer, help them remember what’s been said and then compare what they already know with what they learn from the book later.

If you are working on a spring-themed unit, share a book together and then complete a craft. Here are a few spring crafts that may work well with these:

  • Coffee Filter Flower Craft
  • Toilet Roll Baby Chick Craft
  • Paper Cone Bee Craft
  • Coffee Filter Rainbow Craft

50 Beautiful Spring Books for Kids to Read

This list of beautiful spring books for kids features picture books young readers will love! Both fiction and non-fiction selections are included.

Note: This list includes affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

1

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Photo Credit: Amazon
2

Flip, Flap, Fly!: A Book for Babies Everywhere

Photo Credit: Amazon
3

A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman

Photo Credit: Amazon
4

Cherry Blossoms Say Spring (National Geographic Kids)

Photo Credit: Amazon
5

Storm Is Coming! by Heather Tekavec

Photo Credit: Amazon
6

The Very Busy Spider (Step into Reading)

Photo Credit: Amazon
7

Curious George Plants a Seed (CGTV Reader)

Photo Credit: Amazon
8

Kitten's Spring (Kitten: Seasons)

Photo Credit: Amazon
9

Scholastic Reader Level 3: Poppleton in Spring

Photo Credit: Amazon
10

Spring Is Here, Corduroy!

Photo Credit: Amazon
11

It's Spring by Linda Glaser

Photo Credit: Amazon
12

Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story

Photo Credit: Amazon
13

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano

Photo Credit: Amazon
14

In Like a Lion Out Like a Lamb by Marion Dane Bauer

Photo Credit: Amazon
15

Everything Spring (Picture the Seasons)

Photo Credit: Amazon
16

Spring Stinks: A Little Bruce Book (Mother Bruce Series)

Photo Credit: Amazon
17

Plants in Spring (All about Spring)

Photo Credit: Amazon
18

National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant

Photo Credit: Amazon
19

The Tiny Seed/Ready-to-Read Level 2 (The World of Eric Carle)

Photo Credit: Amazon
20

Mouse's First Spring (Classic Board Books)

Photo Credit: Amazon
21

Let It Rain by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Photo Credit: Amazon
22

It's Spring! by Samantha Berger

Photo Credit: Amazon
23

Weather in Spring (All about Spring)

Photo Credit: Amazon
24

When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes

Photo Credit: Amazon
25

Little Blue Truck's Springtime by Alice Schertle

Photo Credit: Amazon
26

Spring: A Pop-up Book (Seasons Pop-up)

Photo Credit: Amazon
27

How Do You Know It's Spring? (Rookie Read-About Science: Seasons)

Photo Credit: Amazon
28

Bear Wants More (The Bear Books) by Karma Wilson

Photo Credit: Amazon
29

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Oak

Photo Credit: Amazon
30

Worm Weather (Penguin Core Concepts) by Jean Taft

Photo Credit: Amazon
31

Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson

Photo Credit: Amazon
32

Lola Plants a Garden (Lola Reads) by Anna McQuinn

Photo Credit: Amazon
33

Spencer Knows Spring: A Charming Children's Book about Spring by Tiffany Obeng

Photo Credit: Amazon
34

A Little Book About Spring (Leo Lionni's Friends)

Photo Credit: Amazon
35

Spring in the Forest (Lift-a-flap Surprise)

Photo Credit: Amazon
36

Pete the Cat and the Cool Caterpillar (I Can Read Level 1)

Photo Credit: Amazon
37

What Can You See in Spring? (Seasons) by Sian Smith

Photo Credit: Amazon
38

Spring According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney

Photo Credit: Amazon
39

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Photo Credit: Amazon
40

Happy Springtime! by Kate McMullan

Photo Credit: Amazon
41

Llama Llama Very Busy Springtime by Anna Dewdney

Photo Credit: Amazon
42

Spring is Here! by Heidi Pross Gray

Photo Credit: Amazon
43

All About Weather: A First Weather Book for Kids

Photo Credit: Amazon
44

A Windy Day in Spring (Springtime Weather Wonders)

Photo Credit: Amazon
45

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons

Photo Credit: Amazon
46

The Thing About Spring by Daniel Kirk

Photo Credit: Amazon
47

Spring Walk (Seasonal Walks) by Virginia Snow

Photo Credit: Amazon
48

Finding Spring by Carin Berger

Photo Credit: Amazon
49

Curious George: The Perfect Carrot (CGTV Reader)

Photo Credit: Amazon
50

Spring is Here: A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand

Photo Credit: Amazon

Did you love this list of spring books for kids?

If you’re looking for more ways to talk about the season with your students, check out some of these spring learning ideas!

All About Flowers Early Elementary Unit
Get ready to welcome warmer weather with these fun spring crafts for kids to make!
These spring science ideas are wonderful for teaching science to the kids this year!

Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: book lists, books, books for kids, reading, reading for kids, reading list, spring, spring activities for kids, spring books, spring for kids

The Best Picture Books for Three Year Olds

February 1, 2016 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Piglet turned three last winter. And, while she’s always been part of our family storytime, she’s really started to take an interest in storybooks lately. She constantly asks “Can you read this to me?” It melts my heart every time.

Naturally, she loves picture books. So I started looking for the best picture books for three year olds that I could share with her. So far, these are her absolute favorites! And, since many of these were classics when I was a kid, they were my favorites back in the day too.

By the way, these are all books that I’ve actually read. Trust me, they’re pretty great.

The Best Picture Books for Three-Year-Olds

Image c/o: vadimphoto1@gmail.com via depositphotos

The Best Picture Books for Three-Year-Olds:

  1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  2. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
  3. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
  4. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
  5. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr and John Archambault
  6. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
  7. Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town
  8. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
  9. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean
  10. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
  11. Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn
  12. The Little Red Caboose (Little Golden Book)
  13. Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
  14. Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney
  15. Mr. Happy by Roger Hargreaves

15 of the Best Picture Books for Three-Year-Olds

Did I miss any of your favorite picture books for three-year-olds? Share your family’s favorites in the comments!

For more tips to make your kids into readers, check out my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

And catch some of our other book lists for kids below!

10 Kids Books about Monster Trucks

10 Kids’ Books about Monster Trucks

10 Children's Books about Butterflies

10 Children’s Books about Butterflies

10 Picture Books about Bugs

10 Awesome Picture Books about Bugs


This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

ReadingLists


Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: booklists, books for kids, books for preschoolers, books for three year olds, kids books, picture books, preschool books, reading, reading for kids

How to Make a Unit Study with Magazines for Kids

November 9, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

We’ve been using unit studies in our homeschool since the very beginning. I love the idea of “settling in” to a specific topic and tying our school subjects into the topic, instead of the other way around.

Over the years, I’ve started creating our own homeschool unit studies. Often, I use a book or a video as the basis for the unit. But, recently, I’ve also found that I can create a unit using kids’ magazines! Here’s how to make a unit study with magazines for kids!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

How to Make a Unit Study with Magazines for Kids

Choosing a Good Set of Kids’ Magazines

First, you’ll have to find a great set of magazines for kids. Most recently, we used Fun for Kidz magazine as a starting point for some of our units.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

If it’s been awhile since you’ve perused a children’s magazine, I can tell you that times have seriously changed since I read them as a kid. Many kids’ magazines nowadays have a LOT of advertisements, and they may be for products or entertainment that you’d rather not show to your children.

Fun for Kidz is different. There are NO advertisements at all. So I can hand the magazine to my children and let them read without having to tear out questionable content in advance.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Fun for Kidz is available in three versions:

Fun for Kidz – the original magazine, which features stories, comics, games, activities, and non-fiction articles

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Boys’ Quest – geared toward boys aged 6 to 14 and featuring exploration and discovery

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

and Hopscotch for Girls – geared toward elementary and middle school-aged girls and featuring articles, stories, craft activities, and puzzles.

As you can see, there is something in Fun for Kidz for everyone. In fact, the content was so good that my kids ended up swapping magazines after they were done! So girls can read Boys’ Quest and boys can read Hopscotch for Girls without feeling weird. 🙂

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids’ Magazines

Okay. So you have your magazines. Now, how do you make them into a unit study? Simple. You find an article that features a broad topic and you build your unit around it.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

For example, this edition of Fun for Kidz has an article on China. That’s a super broad topic for a unit study. You can use the information in the article to research additional topics and find matching activities, movies, and books. Since the article mentions Beijing, learning to write and speak Chinese, and Chinese currency, those are excellent areas to focus on in the unit.

Maybe you could read a few books about Beijing (reading), watch a video about what the city looks like and how it was built (geography/history), learn how to calculate the currency exchange rate (math), try to cook an authentic Chinese dish (cooking), and brush up on how to write and pronounce a few words in Chinese (foreign language). That sounds like a pretty good unit to me!

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

This was a short article about Pi. Why not use it as a starting point for a Pi Day unit?

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Piglet loved this poem about exploring outer space. Naturally, this would be a good fit for an outer space unit.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Anne of Green Gables is on our homeschool reading list for fifth grade this year. Tigger started reading this article about Lucy Maud Montgomery, which I think will end up being part of our Anne of Green Gables unit.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

We’re talking about forest animals right now in our homeschool, so this article on raccoons would be a great intro to a raccoon unit!

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Of course, when the kids are reading the magazine, sound effects are encouraged. 🙂

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

When Pooh saw the articles on firefighters, though, he was hooked. He’s wanted to be a firefighter for the last several months. So – that was our most recent unit study: a Firefighter Unit Study. And we used the Fun for Kidz articles as our inspiration!

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

After we read the articles, we watched a video about firefighters and then we were off on our latest learning journey! Get a look at our Firefighters Unit Study to see what we learned!

Firefighter Unit Study - Look! We're Learning!

We loved exploring Fun for Kidz, Hopscotch for Girls, and Boys’ Quest! And with so many great educational articles, we can use these kids’ magazines as the basis for several unit studies in the future!

If you’d like to try Fun for Kidz for yourself, you can get an awesome deal on your subscription through December 15, 2015! Order two subscriptions and get 50 percent off your order, including back issues, with the promo code HOMESCHOOL.

Terms:

  • This deal is only valid through December 15, 2015.
  • Postage for shipping magazines outside the U.S. is not included in the offer.

To learn more about Fun for Kidz, visit the company’s Facebook page and “Like” it to receive updates!

Filed Under: 2015-16 Curriculum, Curriculum Reviews, Homeschooling, Unit Studies Tagged With: fun for kidz, kids magazines, reading, unit studies

10 Fun Children’s Cookbooks

November 2, 2015 by Selena Robinson 8 Comments

Now that the weather is turning colder, I’ve started baking more often. And my three oldest are definitely ready to help out more in the kitchen. So I thought I’d look for some fun cookbooks for kids that would encourage them to want to learn how to cook.

Today I’m sharing 10 children’s cookbooks that are easy to use, full of pictures, and feature yummy recipes! After all, if the recipes aren’t good, the kids aren’t going to want to make them, are they?

If you and the kids enjoy these books, don’t miss our ideas for using a lapbook to teach kids to bake!

Teaching kids to cook is simple with these great children's cookbooks!

Fun Children’s Cookbooks

1. The Disney Princess Cookbook by Disney Book Group

2. Baking Kids Love by Sur La Table

3. My First Baking Book by Susan Akass

4. Cooking Class: 57 Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (And Eat!) by Deanna F. Cook

5. ChopChop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family by Sally Sampson

6. Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens

7. Kids’ Fun and Healthy Cookbook by Nicola Graimes

8. Sesame Street: C is For Cooking by Susan McQuillan

9. The Williams Sonoma Cookbook for Kids by Lisa Atwood

10. Pillsbury: Kids Can Cook! by Pillsbury Editors

10 Fun Cookbooks for Kids and Parents - Look! We're Learning!

For even more ideas on cooking with kids, check out how we used a cooking lapbook from Knowledge Box Central to get our children started in the kitchen!

Learning to Bake with a Cooking Lapbook

Plus, find some sweet desserts to bake together in this list of cookie bar recipes!

25 Delicious Cookie Bar Recipes @ Look! We're Learning!

Follow my Sweet Treats for Kids board on Pinterest for more sweet desserts to prepare with the family!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

ReadingLists

Filed Under: Book Lists, Recipes Tagged With: baking with kids, book lists, children's cookbooks, cookbooks, cookbooks for kids, cooking with kids, kids' cookbooks, reading

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