I am so excited to share this unique nature study freebie with you! You’ll love using autumn play dough mats in your elementary homeschool for all sorts of meaningful fun and learning. Play dough mats provide various benefits. At the most basic level, molding and sculpting dough helps to exercise fine motor skills. This is…
I’m so excited to share these free winter play dough mats with you! They can help elementary students learn nature study observation skills through hands-on play. You might think play-based learning is mostly for the preschool crowd, but there are still plenty of benefits of playing in the elementary years. Learning through play is more…
Math is so much fun and means so much more to little ones when it concretely builds understanding. So many times, we skip over “the tough stuff” because we think our little people can’t handle it. Below are a few activities I have done with my five-year-old to begin building two of the “tough” concepts – division…
No matter what has changed in our homeschool over the years or how old my children have grown, one thing has remained constant… read-aloud time. My children still remember so many of the books we’ve enjoyed as a family – and so do I! Sometimes snuggled under blankets on the couch, sometimes lounging on a…
This post lists more than thirty educational games for preschoolers that our crew has enjoyed over the years of homeschooling. This post contains affiliate links. Eli, soon to be four, is beginning to love playing games as much as the rest of us. We typically play at least a few games a week during his…
Some people love to spend the month of December Christmas schooling. This simply means they take a break from the regular lessons of school to spend time doing lessons and activities that celebrate Jesus, the reason for the season. Nature Study Through the Holidays: Advent can help you enjoy precious learning time that is fun…
Did you know March is National Reading Month? Because living books are so very good, every month is all about reading in our house! But in honor of this annual celebration of reading, I thought I’d take some time to share some of my best tips for raising readers. 11 Tips for Raising Readers Not only…
Do you have a child who began reading well at three or four years old? A child who reads far above grade level? Early readers who soak in more books in a year than you’ve read in your entire life? Do you wonder what to do with all that advanced ability? Just how do you…
This hands-on, literature-based math activity will help your younger students concretely understand the concept of standard measurement. Target Age Range: K-2 Skills Covered: non-standard measurement, standard measurement, making comparisons, fine motor skills, reading Understanding measurement doesn’t have to be hard for little ones. In fact, teaching it early with concrete materials builds an in-depth understanding that…
If you’ve been around here much, you know the importance I place on nature study. The real-life science lessons that offer a consistent “lab” experience are unmatched compared to simply studying the same topics from a textbook. But, just as important, nature study reaches so naturally into other academic areas that it’s priceless for gently integrated learning….
We’ve talked a lot about brain training for cognitive skills here at Our Journey Westward. Closely related to cognitive skills are social skills. This article focuses on some easy ways to improve social skills in the homeschool. Don’t get “social skills” confused with “socialization”. One of the biggest thorns in the side of any homeschooler…
We’re striving for more independent reading time with my 2nd grader. As an emergent reader, he still reads aloud daily to me so I can teach, cheer him on and keep tabs on his progress. But, he’s finally doing well enough that it’s time for him to find his own pleasure in books. Transitioning to…