Book Review: Miracle on Voodoo Mountain by Megan Boudreaux
Alright, have any of you read Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis? If you haven’t, you need to read it, cry, cheer, and be inspired by how God is using Katie and Amazima Ministries. I read it several years ago and I clearly remember the strong urge I felt to drop everything and move to Uganda myself and pray God use me the way He was using Katie to touch the hearts and lives of children in Southern Uganda. (That didn’t end up happening, by the way… I think just about everyone who reads her book feels the way I did.) Miracle on Voodoo Mountain ignites the same ‘I…
All About Reading Level 2 – Full Review
The very first thing I want to mention (and I’ve said this before!) is that I absolutely love the people behind All About Learning Press . They are authentic, kind-hearted, wonderful to speak with, and they truly care about children and parents. They really, seriously, are in this to help kids read and spell well and the help parents help their kids succeed in literacy and in life. And that is a very good starting point for the kind of products I want to use in our home every day. I’m sure you agree! As for the program? We really LOVE All About Reading. Audrey completed Level 2…
A Review of SQUILT {Composer and Classical Music Study}
We have really enjoyed SQUILT -which stands for Super Quiet Uninterrupted Listening Time. I was pretty excited to review this Composer and Music Study from Homegrown Learners. Music and Composer study is something we try to do weekly and have attempted to establish as a regular part of our Morning Time routine. Many Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschoolers embrace Composer and Music study for many different reasons.In its simplest function, it introduces children to the beauty and depth of classical music as well as nurtures an appreciation and understanding of composers and musical eras. But Composer and Classical Music Study does so much more than this for our kids.…
A Review of the Plan Your Year Homeschool Planning Kit from Pam Barnhill
Homeschool Planning is a huge topic. I mean, if you and I went out for tea (I’d have coffee but saying ‘let’s go for tea’ sounds nicer) I could talk for HOURS about homeschool planning. And if you’re a homeschooler, I’m sure you could too. Let’s face it – it is FUN to plan. It’s FUN to dream. There’s something about having a whole year ahead of you with wide open space to fill with learning and adventure to share together with our children. (Honestly, I feel so blessed to have the privilege to Homeschool my kiddos!) But the whole planning thing is also very overwhelming at times and can…
Thoughts on “Homeschool Planning Season”
So, it’s that time again – Spring is technically (according to the calendar) here and with the approaching warm weather comes the season of Homeschool Conventions, Curriculum Sales, and the potentially all-encompassing “Homeschool Planning Season”. We are entering into our 7th official year of homeschooling. It’s hard to believe we’ve been on this journey for that long. I have spent a good 5 years out of our 7 completely stressing in the Spring. Because, you know, it’s when us homeschool Moms have to figure everything for the next year out. I’ve spoken to so many Moms who have walked through the same journey I have over the past several…
Words to Dream On {Books Worth Reading Review}
I am always on the look out for meaningful, beautiful books to read at bedtime. We are at a stage in our lives now where I will often trade off with my husband and we will try to each spend a little time with each child separately. This means we sometimes read three different books after our family read-aloud. My daughter and I absolutely loved Words to Dream On by Diane Stortz. At first glance, you might think it is a book for very young children, but, even at nine, Audrey really enjoyed having this read to her. I would say this book would work for children age 3-8 or…
A Review of Living Literature Grammar Packs from Shining Dawn Books
If you’ve hung around this little blog for very long, you’ll probably already know how much I love the stuff from Our Journey Westward. I have several posts where I’ve talked about and reviewed the fantasticNaturExplorers Series. I was excited to try out the Living Literature Grammar Packs for Language Arts. Grammar is something I have always struggled with as it always feels forced… it’s just one of those subjects that I always felt simply ‘needed to be done’. Which, let’s get honest, it IS one of those subjects. How many people LOVE Grammar? Well, maybe some people do… but not most. And especially usually not 10-year-old-boy people. So, searching for…
All About Reading Level 1 {A Full Homeschool Review}
Alright, here we go, my heartfelt full review of All About Reading Level 1. The very first thing I want to mention is that I absolutely love the people behind All About Learning Press . They are authentic, kind-hearted, wonderful to speak with, and they truly care about children and parents. They really, seriously, are in this to help kids read and spell well and the help parents help their kids succeed in literacy and in life. And that is a very good starting point for the kind of products I want to use in our home every day. As for All about Reading – our family absolutely LOVES this…
All About Reading Level 1 {A Review Update – we’re almost done!}
We ‘homeschool’ all through the Summer. It’s just a family routine that works well for us. So, this Summer, Alex has worked through All About Reading Level 1 . Audrey has been working through Level 2 . We absolutely LOVE this program. The children actually ask if they can do All About Reading in the mornings. It is their go-to ‘work’ that they truly do enjoy. These photos were actually taken a couple weeks ago (it has been a very busy time in our home). I wanted to share this update because I think it’s important to show how a child can progress through the program. At this…
Planning Five in a Row {Some ideas, free downloads, and my first video…}
I have had so many of you ask about planning Five in a Row. I have tried and tried to take enough photos to properly explain how I plan, but I never felt satisfied. I finally had the idea to try to put together a little video. This video is by no means perfect (I’m such a newbie to videos!) but I hope it will be helpful to some of you in implementing Five in a Row in your home. I plan quite extensively for everything we do in our homeschool. And yes, this includes our Five in a Row units. I would say I typically spend about 2-3 hours…