Our Journey Westward » Literature

Thanksgiving Resources

Cindy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:13:51 +0000

We won’t be doing a Thanksgiving unit this year, but several books will be in books baskets and book nooks around the house. Here are some of my favorites.

Here are a few internet resources that have been useful in the past.

Cindy Downes’ Pilgrim Unit

The Homeschool Mom’s Links

LaCelle Family Unit Study

Eclectic Homeschool Online Resources

Favorite Toddler Books

Cindy — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:01:36 +0000

These are some of our literature favorites for toddlers!

Winter Book List

Cindy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:29:24 +0000

Our favorite winter books!

Westward Expansion Resources

Cindy — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:33:49 +0000

We’re nearing the end of our Westward Expansion unit, so I’m moving the resources from my sidebar into a post for future reference. I’ll be adding Slavery and Civil War resources to the side bar over the next few days.

My Spine – Amanda Bennett Pioneers Unit

Research Questions

Teacher Planet Links

Louisiana Purchase Game

Lewis and Clark Lessons

Lewis and Clark Mapping Activities

Easy Fun School Lewis and Clark Unit

Easy Fun School Santa Fe Trail Unit

Easy Fun School Gold Rush Unit

Winter Learning Centers

Cindy — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:17:29 +0000

The time has come to set out some winter learning centers. Even though the kids get outside almost everyday still, it’s just too cold to stay out for long. Without friendly reminders around the house, one of my sweet children will do nothing but beg to watch the TV for hours. (Anyone who knows us can guess which of my lovely children that might be!)

So, in different places around the house, I have stashed a few small boxes and baskets of creative things for my children to do if the desire strikes. (Or if I’m so sick of hearing the TV question that I demand their desire to strike. )

The first four were inspired by LaPaz Home Learning. A small sample of abstract art and oil pastels for recreating the artwork. Another small sample of abstract art, this time with chalk pastels. A few cards of architecture/machines, Sculpey clay and some “around the house” tools for recreating 3-D models. And a bag of marshmallows and toothpicks for creating…. whatever.

There are also math manipulatives that we don’t use often during school time scattered about. Fraction circles, pattern blocks and geo boards.

A few science kits – electricity, chemistry and magic tricks. (Thank the Lord for grandparents who buy these fun kits for gifts!)

I’ve also been checking out more books on tape/CD for the kids to listen to as they knit or sew or clean their rooms.

Don’t get me wrong. My children don’t always flock to these things. If I let them, they (well one of them) will always choose TV over the wonderful extra-fun learning activities I’ve so diligently and thoughtfully placed around the house. Sometimes, real boredom has to be experienced before any of these things seems inviting.

Child Labor – Industrial Revolution Lesson

Cindy — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:40:39 +0000

In researching and making plans for our unit on the westward expansion, I was reminded about another important event in history that I couldn’t possibly leave out of our learning time – the Industrial Revolution, including the subject of child labor. My children were very much moved by the thought of children working so hard, especially when they found out that so many children around the world are still effected by this practice.

We found and read two living literature gems that I had to pass along.

Set in England rather than America, we found The Gate In The Wall by Ellen Howard to be an excellent piece of living literature as well as giving us a clearer picture of the effects of child labor.

Set in 1830′s New England, The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCulley is a superb picture book on the topic.

And not living literature, we found Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor by Russell Freedman and Growing Up in Coal Country by Susan Campbell Bartoletti at our local library. Both gave information and pictures that made the topic real to my children.

While reading, I found a coloring sheet in The Story of the World Activity Book Three: Early Modern Times to occupy busy hands and the back served as a nice place to notebook about child labor.

If you’re interested, Homeschool Share has a unit on The Bobbin Girl. Mr. Donn has several interesting links, too. And this site looked intriguing, although I haven’t used any of the activities yet.

December Reading

Cindy — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:41:15 +0000

Great December Reading

Oh, and have you met God? Apparently Eli has! Every time he gets his busy little fingers on a Santa ornament he says, “God.” (Very reverently, I might add.) His innocent little eyes looking up at us with complete seriousness that he is holding God right in his chubby little hands.

Book of the Month Club – The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Cindy — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:25:58 +0000

We take part in a Book of the Month Club (which is actually a book every two months) that met last week to discuss The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. My children loved this book!

Mrs. Lisa had prepared some very fun activities to go along with the invention – drama – secrecy theme of the book.

Invisible ink messages.

Mask making.

Candy and toothpick inventions.

Next up – The Twenty-One Balloons PMC (Puffin Modern Classics) by William Pene du Bois!

Good Literature

Cindy — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Fill your children’s life with good literature and you’ll find the little ones doing their best to tag along, too.

Isn’t schooling in your pajamas once in a while one of the best parts of homeschooling?

It’s Good To Be Home

Rethinking Reading Assignments

Cindy — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:15:00 +0000

I don’t think I’ve required enough reading time this year. We listen to a ton of books on tape as we travel and read many books together that go along with our units. Mahayla also devours books on her own, but I don’t think I’ve been planning very well for making sure particular books are read. Good books, classic books, books that every child should read at some point or another.

As I’ve gone through lists like:

Ambleside

Classical Christian Homeschooling

Paula’s Archives

I’m happy to say that I’ve not done as badly as I suspected, but planning for the future is required. I need to be making sure that a wide variety of wonderful literature is assigned and not just hope that I’ll get around to it some day.

So, that’s a new goal I’m setting from here on out. I plan to print off the living literature lists and keep them in a file near my computer. As I do my online library book searches for our units, I want to

1.) be sure I’m choosing the best literature to go along with the units.

2.) be sure I’m slowly, but surely, checking off the lists.

I’m just now beginning to understand that I don’t have to be a part of every book read. Looking at the long lists of living literature could seem overwhelming if I thought I had to read them all aloud. Instead, I’ve started choosing one chapter book read-aloud, one chapter book for Mahayla to be working on by herself and some of the shorter living picture books for Caleb to read with me. I’m also going to try to knock out many of the books on the lists as books on tape. I believe books on tape are one of our favorite pasttimes. I couldn’t tell you the last time we’ve listened to K-Love in the car! We make up for that by playing the radio as we cook and clean, though.

Multi-Sensory Reading and Spelling