reading Archives

10 Children’s Books about Construction

October 29, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Roo is a HUGE fan of construction, and I mean, HUGE. You know how kids change what they want to be when they grow up almost every other day? Well, Roo has said that he wants to be a builder for the last two years. He is unwavering on that point.

Whenever we go to the library, he asks to find books about building. So I thought I’d round up 10 children’s books about construction we’ve found – just in case you’re also living with an aspiring builder in your family. 😉

We’ll also be sharing a construction unit study later this year, so be sure to stay tuned for that!

10 Children’s Books about Construction

1. A Day with the Animal Builders by Sharon Rentta

2. Construction by Sally Sutton

3. Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres

4. Pete the Cat: Construction Destruction by James Dean

5. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker

6. How a House Is Built by Gail Gibbons

7. B Is for Bulldozer: A Construction ABC by June Sobel

8. Building a House by Byron Barton

9. Amelia Bedelia Under Construction by Herman Parish

10. Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail by James Horvath

For more construction-themed fun for kids, try our Construction Contractions Language Arts Pack!

Construction Contractions Language Arts Pack – Look! We’re Learning! Store

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

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!

Fun Kids’ Books about Farms

September 28, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Spring and fall are perfect times to talk about farms with kids! In the spring, new baby farm animals are born and in the fall, farmers get out in the fields to harvest their crops. So farms are pretty busy all year round!

As one of our homeschool unit studies, we’ve done a farm unit study before. During the unit, we read plenty of farm books for kids. After all, what better way to introduce farms to kids than by reading about them?

Today I’m sharing some fun kids’ books about farms that we’ve found! I hope you find some great ones to read with your family as well!

If you love these books, don’t miss our free Farm Do-A-Dot Shape Mats! They’re awesome for introducing toddlers and preschoolers to shapes!

Fun Kids’ Books about Farms

1. On the Farm by David Elliott

2. Pete the Cat: Old McDonald Had a Farm by James Dean

3. Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm by Joy Cowley

4. Around the Farm: Play A Sound by The World of Eric Carle

5. Before We Eat: From Farm to Table by Pat Brisson

6. World of Farming: Jobs on a Farm by Nancy Dickmann

7. Farming by Gail Gibbons

8. Down On the Farm by Merrily Kutner

9. Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

10. Farm Vehicles: My First Sound Book by Annette Rusling

And here are 10 more to choose from!

1. Thump, Quack, Moo!: A Whacky Adventure by Doreen Cronin

2. Down by the Barn by Will Hillenbrand

3. The Farm Book (A Golden Super Shape Book) by Jan Pfloog

4. Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig

5. A Year at a Farm (Time Goes By) by Nicholas Harris

6. Lullaby Farm by Stephanie Shaw

7. Biscuit’s Day at the Farm by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

8. National Geographic Readers: Farm Animals (Level 1) by Joanne Mattern

9. Tractor Mac Arrives at the Farm by Billy Steers

10. The Berenstain Bears Down on the Farm by Jan and Stan Berenstain

For more farm-themed fun, check out some of our farm learning ideas!

And find more tips to make your kids into readers on my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

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!

Our First Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

August 28, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Well, we’re down to our final reading list for the new school year and it’s time to show off our books for first grade! Roo is reading much more fluently than he was last year, but he’s still not really a leisure reader. He’ll read when I tell him to, but he’d rather play than anything else. Of course, he is six. 🙂

But I really want to encourage him to develop the habit of reading for fun, so I’ve selected stories he can read on his own and stories we’ll read together. Here are our first grade reading list homeschool picks for this year!

Our First Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

Roo, like many young boys, loves construction, so I included a book with that theme. I also included a couple of books that are funny, since those hold his attention the best.

Several of the books below will be part of unit studies we’ll be completing as a family, so they’ll fit in nicely with some of our themes.

1. Pete the Cat: Construction Destruction

2. Ocean Babies

3. Harry the Dirty Dog

4. Ramona the Brave

5. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

6. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy

7. The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit

8. Aesop’s Fables for Children

9. The House at Pooh Corner

10. The Story of Ruby Bridges

11. Where the Wild Things Are

12. Curious George: Snowy Day

And those are our first grade reading list homeschool picks! Do you have any “must-read” books for first grade? Share your suggestions in the comments!

To see our other book suggestions for this year, check out our Fifth Grade Reading List and our Second Grade Reading List!

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

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!

Our Second Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

August 19, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Last week we shared our choices for Tigger’s fifth grade homeschool reading list. Today, I’m sharing our second reading list homeschool picks for Pooh!

Pooh is at a point in his reading journey when he’s definitely ready to take on some chapter books on his own. However, I still prefer to read most of our books together, so that he will slow down and really absorb the story. Sometimes he tends to rush through a book and only pick out the parts that are instantly amusing to him.

So we’ll be covering these books in-depth this year. Take a look at our choices for second grade below!

Choosing a Reading List for Second Grade

First grade was really a stepping stone that helped Pooh become a more fluent reader. And because we took a short break to try public school, he got a chance to read for his class pretty often. I really think that’s helped him step outside the box and take on more challenging books.

So I wanted him to read some books with me this year and some on his own as well. He likes mysteries and funny stories and this list features plenty of both!

Our Second Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

1. Ramona and Her Mother

2. Oliver Twist

3. Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing (Yes, I realize the title character is in fourth grade. But I think Pooh will relate very well to Fudge…lol.)

4. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme

5. The Mouse and the Motorcycle

6. The Boxcar Children

7. What’s Cooking, Jenny Archer?

8. The Wind in the Willows

9. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

10. Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures: The Intrepid Canadian Expedition

11. Freckle Juice

12. Geronimo Stilton: The Race Across America

And those are our second grade reading list homeschool selections! Unit studies for these books will be coming soon!

Catch our other reading list selections for this school year below!

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

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!

Do you have any books you think second-graders should read? Share them in the comments!

Our Fifth Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

August 14, 2015 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

If you follow the Charlotte Mason method strictly, then you already know about what she called “twaddle”. Mason felt that kids should avoid books that had no educational or intellectual value. Instead, kids were to read “living books” – works that enlightened them and taught them new concepts.

Even though I love the CM method, I believe that there’s a place for “twaddle”. I’ve always been of the opinion that I want my kids to develop a love for reading. We can help them choose challenging selections later.

Eventually, however, it is definitely time to ease away from twaddle and into books that are designed to make kids think or dream. And that’s where we are with Tigger. So – here’s a look at our fifth grade reading list homeschool picks!

Choosing Our Reading List Picks

This year with Tigger, I wanted to encourage her to focus on some of the classics. She likes modern books like the Ramona series and “Smile” by Reina Telgemeier. And those are great books, but for her school reading list, she needs to be challenged.

During our public school experiment last year, Tigger got tested with the LEXILE reading system. Her score was within the 10th-grade range. However, she’s not quite ready for the advanced topics covered by high school books, so classics it is! I also added a few books featuring characters of color so she can have some figures to whom she relates.

I’ve only included 12 books on our “official” list, because I want her to finish one per month. We’ll be doing unit studies for each one (stay tuned!), so that will give us time to drop anchor and really explore each work.

Our Fifth Grade Reading List Homeschool Picks

1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

2. Charlotte’s Web

3. Anne of Green Gables

4. The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

9. Kidnapped

10. The Secret Garden

11. The Mighty Miss Malone

12. Where the Red Fern Grows

And those are our fifth grade reading list homeschool picks! To get a look at our other reading lists for this school year, visit the posts below!

Get even more of our homeschooling tips by following the board Homeschooling with Look! We’re Learning! on Pinterest!

What’s on your homeschool reading list this year? Share your picks in the comments!

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!

Exploring Mexico for Kids with Pack-n-Go Girls Books

June 23, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Hi everyone! This week our Laugh and Learn linky is going global! We’re sharing a review of one of the entries in the Pack-n-Go Girls Books: “Mystery of the Disappearing Dolphin.” We decided to use the book as a springboard to exploring Mexico for kids!

As you might know, Tina and her family live in Mexico, so be sure to head over to her blog Los Gringos Logos (listed below) if you want to learn even more about the country. 😉

In addition, we’ve all chosen our favorite posts from last week’s linky. Read the features and then check out the newest parenting and homeschooling posts below!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Exploring Mexico for Kids

When I read the description of the Pack-n-Go Girls book series, I knew it would be a great fit for Tigger. She loves to read, she loves learning about world cultures, and she really loves books with female characters. Win-win-win! 🙂

Naturally, we started our lesson by reading the book.

I have to say: It’s a very well written book. Izzy, the lead character, is traveling on a sailboat with her mom and dad. They’re docked in Barra de Navidad, Mexico, where she’s made friends with Patti, a Mexican girl who lives nearby.

After Izzy’s uncle, who is uncomfortable with other cultures, comes to visit, the trip takes a turn for the worse, especially when Izzy is accused of stealing a handmade glass dolphin from the local market. We talked about the value and beauty of handmade items with the kids. Coincidentally, a dear friend of ours just returned from Mexico last week and brought our kids some handmade toys.

Aren’t they gorgeous? I’m seriously considering placing them on the mantle and never letting them play with them all. 🙂

After reading the book, we gathered around the computer to learn even more about Mexico and dolphins.

We took a virtual tour of La Merced, the famous outdoor market in Mexico City, so the kids could get a look at the huge variety of things that are available for sale.

Then we watched this video showing pictures of Barra de Navidad. Unlike Izzy’s uncle, I don’t think I’d ever complain if I had the chance to visit. It looks absolutely beautiful.

Finally, we watched a very interesting video from National Geographic Live about the way dolphins communicate with one another. Scientists are discovering that they have very advanced methods for cooperating and feeding. It’s a little advanced for younger kids, but you can definitely watch pieces and look at the pictures. (That’s pretty much what we did…lol.)

Finally, we headed to the table to draw pictures of dolphins based on the pictures we saw. It was a great lesson, an adorable book, and a wonderful way to begin exploring Mexico for kids!

To learn even more about Pack-n-Go Girls and support the Kickstarter campaign (Open through June 25), click the image below! 🙂

Now for the linky!

Welcome to our 38th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!
Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning. We will pick our five favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on five blogs.

We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup – homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help moms learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids and funny things that happen. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Pinterest
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter

Lindsey

Lindsey is a joyful mother, happy homeschooler, scatterbrained housewife, and passionate blogger. She writes about the joys and challenges of home educating, conscientious parenting, and “loving the simple life”. Get inspired with Lindsey at Simply LindseyLoo.

Find Lindsey at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Instagram
Pinterest

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of June 22th:

Hands-on Homeschooling: Outdoor Language Arts Games

Reduce Screen Time With These 3 Easy Steps

10 Tips on How to Paint to Music

PRE-HOMESCHOOL YEAR PLANNING CHECKLIST – 7 STEP HOMESCHOOL PLANNER

PATIENCE, CONFIDENCE, KNOWING ALL THE ANSWERS – NOT REQUIRED TO HOMESCHOOL

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image.
[bctt tweet=”Come join the #laughlearnlinkup and share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post!”]

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week, so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up

Lovely Children’s Books about Butterflies

June 2, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Butterflies are one of my very favorite animals. They are beautiful to look at, fun to chase, and they go through one of the most amazing transformations ever observed by scientists. In the space of a few days, caterpillars turn into butterflies – completely different animals with elegant wings. It still amazes me.

The past few weeks we’ve been exploring butterflies with the kids, as you might have noticed from our Butterfly Identification Cards and our free Butterfly Unit Study, so I wanted to share some lovely children’s books about butterflies! Check these out to add to your booklist!

If you love these selections, check out this list of fun insect activities for kids you can try!

Lovely Children’s Books about Butterflies

1. The Butterfly Tree by Victor Biton

2. The Life Cycles of Butterflies by Judy Burris

3. National Geographic Readers: Great Migrations Butterflies by Laura Marsh

4. Caterpillars, Bugs, and Butterflies: Take-Along Guides by Mel Boring

5. My, Oh My, A Butterfly! (Cat In the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe

6. Are You a Butterfly? by Judy Allen

7. A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston

8. Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison

9. The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Butterflies and Moths by Sally Morgan

10. Butterfly Colors and Counting by Jerry Pallotta

Here are ten more butterfly books for kids to try!

1. National Geographic: From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh

2. Pinkalicious and the Little Butterfly by Victoria Kann

3. Butterflies by Seymour Simon

4. DK Readers: Born to Be a Butterfly by Karen Wallace

5. Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly by Jane O’Connor

6. Flutterby, Butterfly: A Slide-and-Seek Book by Emma Parrish

7. Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow by Joyce Sidman

8. A Butterfly’s Life (Time for Kids) by Dona Herweck Rice

9. Explore My World: Butterflies by Marfe Ferguson Delano

10. From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let’s Read and Find Out Science) by Deborah Heiligman

Try these other spring learning ideas!

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

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!

10 Children’s Books about Flowers

March 24, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

It’s officially spring! And it’s a great time to read about spring flowers with kids! Today, I’m sharing 10 children’s books about flowers that are perfect for this time of year. 🙂

If you enjoy this list of books, check out some of our other spring learning ideas! We’ve got spring crafts for kids, spring books for kids, and a list of 50 free spring printables you can use for homeschooling!

10 Children’s Books about Flowers

1. The Flower Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta and Leslie Evans

2. Flowers are Calling by Rita Gray and Kenard Pak

3. The Reason for a Flower: A Book about Flowers, Pollen, and Seeds by Ruth Heller

4. Zinnia’s Flower Garden by Monica Wellington

5. Garden Flowers Coloring Book by Stefen Bernath

6. Fran’s Flower by Lisa Bruce and Rosalind Beardshaw

7. Flowers and Showers: A Spring Counting Book by Rebecca F. Davis

8. The Life Cycle of a Flower by Molly Aloian and Bobbie Kalman

9. How Flowers Grow by Emma Helbrough et. al.

10. Xochitl and the Flowers by Jorge Argueta and Carl Angel

Love these selections? Don’t miss our other book lists!

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

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!

Beautiful Children’s Books about Bees

March 3, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

If you liked our Busy Bee Scissor Practice sheets last week, we hope you’ll love even more learning about pollinators with these children’s books about bees!

I’m so, so excited for spring (can you tell?) and I’m ready to read, learn, and explore bees with the kids, especially since they seem to be obsessed with the hedges in our front yard. 🙂

I started out with a list of 10, but I’ve added even more kids’ books about bees below! Check out these beautiful storybooks and picture books with the children this year and then try these fun spring crafts for kids as well!

Children’s Books about Bees

To introduce your kids to our helpful friends in the bee world, try these children’s books about bees!

1. Are You a Bee? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries

2. Flight of a Honey Bee by Raymond Huber and Brian Lovelock

3. What If There Were No Bees? A Book about the Grassland Ecosystem by Suzanne Slade and Carol Schwartz

4. Bee & Me by Elle J. McGuinness

5. The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns and Ellen Harasimowicz

6. The Very Greedy Bee by Steve Smallman and Jack Tickle

7. In the Trees Honey Bees by Lori Mortensen and Cris Arbo

8. The Buzz on Bees: Why Are They Disappearing? by Shelley Rotner and Anne Woodhull

9. These Bees Count! by Alison Formento and Sarah Snow

10. Buzzbee’s School Day by Penguin Random House Company

And now – even more books about bees for kids!

11. When the Bees Fly Home by Andrea Cheng

12. You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Bees by Professor Alex Woolf

13. Thomas and the Buzzy Bees (Thomas & Friends) by Christy Webster

14. National Geographic: Bees by Laura Marsh

15. The Bees (Down In the Garden) by DC Swain

16. Bee Dance by Rick Chrustowski

17. Little Honeybee by Katie Haworth

18. Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup

19. A Season to Bee by Carlos Aponte

20. The Life and Times of the Honeybee by Charles Micucci

Don’t miss these other learning ideas!

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

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!

20 Lovely Children’s Books about Birds

November 24, 2014 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

We were riding home the other day and Tigger spotted a flock of geese flying south for the winter. She shouted “V formation, Mom! V formation!” She was super excited to see that birds actually make the V formation when they fly together.

Since that was such a big hit, I thought we’d look up some great children’s books about birds to share with our kids over the next few weeks. And today I’m sharing the same list with you all.

These are great for learning about birds during fall when birds are migrating to warmer weather or during spring when they’re returning home and making nests!

Read on to make up your own booklist featuring these wonderful bird books for kids. And, for more animal learning fun, don’t miss our printable Nocturnal and Diurnal Animal Sorting Activity!

20 Lovely Children’s Books about Birds

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1. The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess

2. Birds by Kevin Henkes

3. National Geographic Kids’ Bird Guide of North America: Second Edition by Jonathan Alderfer

4. About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill

5. DK Eyewitness Books: Bird by David Burnie

6. The Cat in the Hat’s Fine Feathered Friends: All About Birds by Tish Rabe

7. The Bird Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta

8. Bird Talk: What Birds are Saying and Why by Lita Judge

9. The Birdwatcher’s Coloring Book by Dot Barlowe

10. A Children’s Guide to Arctic Birds by Mia Pelletier

Originally, I only had ten books about birds for kids in this list, but so many new children’s books about birds were released that I wanted to add a few more. So here are another ten to choose from!

11. The Little Book of Backyard Bird Songs by Andrea Pinnington

12. Birds, Nests, & Eggs by Mel Boring

13. Backyard Birds: Field Guides for Young Naturalists by Karen Stray Nolting

14. Birds (Hello, World!) by Jill McDonald

15. Sounds of Nature: World of Birds by Robert Frank Hunter

16. Bird Watching for Kids: Bite-Sized Learning & Backyard Projects

17. Bird Builds a Nest: A First Science Storybook by Martin Jenkins

18. The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of North America by Bill Thompson III

19. Birds and Their Feathers by Britta Teckentrup

20. Birds: A Fully Illustrated, Authoritative, and Easy-to-Use Guide by Herbert S. Zim

Since some of these books are for younger readers, they’d be excellent for introducing birds with great birding crafts or projects! If you plan to write a unit study about birds, these would also be a great foundation for science facts and activities.

Do you have any favorite children’s books about birds in your family? Be sure to share your suggestions with us in the comments!

Don’t miss these other learning ideas!

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

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!