In our home, summer break has always been an opportunity for more reading rather than less. With the obligations of regular school lessons on hold for awhile, we often get lost in a stack of picture books or chapter after chapter from a current read-aloud (or two.) I don't necessarily plan for learning during all this extra reading time, but living books tend to have a way of making one impression or another that's long lasting. I recently took part in a challenge with some friends on Instagram to choose five of my very favorite sneaky summer learning books for five different subjects. Because I know how much we all love booklists, I've gathered those 25 suggestions into this post for ... Read More
Get Your Free I’m Bored Activity List to Save Sanity This Summer
Do you take a long summer break from homeschooling? If so, you NEED the I'M BORED Activity List! Because we live on a farm that requires a lot of attention in the summer, it's always been necessary to take a "traditional" long break from school. Even though we stay busy with farm, mowing, and gardening tasks, there is still plenty of time for children younger than 13 to say, "I'm bored!" While I certainly appreciate reading good books aloud on the porch swing and playing board games under a shade tree, I don't have time to be the constant director of activity or playmate for bored children. Many years ago, I started creating a yearly list of 100 activities that my children could ... Read More
The Best Games to Teach Geography
Geography doesn't have to be boring. It also doesn't have to be a tough subject. In fact, A LOT of geography can be learned through something as simple as regular game time! After years of trial and error, here's our list of the best games to teach geography. I think you'll find some wonderful options to make learning geography a blast for your entire family. Best Games to Teach USA Geography 10 Days in the USA mixes strategy and luck as you race other players to plan a 10-day trip through the United States. It's easy enough for 3rd graders to play, but challenging enough that adults don't get bored. This is one of our favorite geography games to play (along with its world geography ... Read More
Fairy Tales Boys Love
Boy oh boy.... take a look at this list of fairy tales boys love. And why wouldn't they? These stories are filled with adventure and mystery! I don't know if you've noticed, but quite a lot of fairy tales have wonderfully strong female characters. There's not a thing in the world wrong with that! However, when I set out to write my Character Building Chapter Books for Boys post, I had a hard time finding wonderful fairy tales with strong male characters to include in that list. So, I went on a quest to locate the best of the best fairy tales that will capture the interest of boys and include adventures that define good from evil. Where magic takes place and lessons are learned is a ... Read More
How To Improve Bad Attitudes in Your Homeschool
Do you ever have bad attitudes in your homeschool? I love homeschooling and my children usually do, too. But, sometimes the homeschooling attitudes in our house just stink. Have you ever wanted to wring the necks of grumpy kids who whine about every single task set before them. Or dole out about a hundred chores every time you run up against obstinate behavior? Me, too. I’m here to admit today, though, that it's not just my children with the bad attitudes. I have my moments, too. You know, the days (or weeks…or months) where homeschooling seems like a life sentence? You can listen to this post if you prefer! Improve Bad Attitudes in Your Homeschool When everyone seems ... Read More
12 “All Boy” Gifts Your Son Will Love
Do you have a rough and tumble son? Me, too. Two of them, in fact. It's always been hard on this momma to watch them "do what boys do" without cringing. While I certainly would rather keep them perfectly safe, my husband has convinced me that boys really do need to "be boys" so they can grow up to be men. With that in mind, I've watched with an anxious heart on many occasions. Whittling with sharp knives. BB guns aimed at doves. Slingshots aimed at squirrels. Overnight fishing trips. Fort building with real tools. Frog gigging. Deer hunting. Chopping wood. Backpacking trips. Shooting skeet. Riding horses bare back. Climbing trees. Starting fires. While some moms may wonder why these ... Read More
Why the Jotham’s Journey Series is NOT to be Missed
What do you get when you mix historical fiction with lots of adventure then add daily devotionals for Advent? The Jotham's Journey series of books! These books are simply NOT to be missed. This post contains affiliate links. Wow. That's the best word I can think of to describe these page-turning, spine-tingling adventure stories meant to be read in December to point the way to the One who was our ultimate Christmas gift! They are our all-time favorite living literature for the Christmas season! There are four books in the Jotham's Journey series which are written as daily read-alouds for Advent (aka: the days leading up to Christmas.) You only read one book per year - meaning the ... Read More
Planning Homeschool Bible Time
We homeschool for many reasons, but one of them is more important than all of the others combined. It's our desire to pass on a bold Christian faith that finds our children seeking God with all their hearts and sharing Him with others from here to eternity. While I know it's God who does the work in my children (Phil. 1:6), I also know He called us to teach my them about Him and His ways (Prov. 22:6.) My husband and I don't pretend for one minute to have all the answers to training little or big soldiers for God's army. We have tried, though, to be pretty consistent with a plan of action and that's what I'd like to share with you today. This post contains affiliate links. The ... Read More
100 Educational Games for Homeschooling
During my workshops about creative homeschooling and living math, I often talk about incorporating games into the school schedule. If your family has an established game night, you probably already know how educational many board and card games really are. Math, language, history, science, logic and so much more can be practiced without your kiddos ever catching on that real learning is taking place! Games for Homeschooling We take games seriously in our homeschool and use them at least a few times a week! To get fidgety minds focused, we might play a brain training game like Blink. To review US geography, we might play 10 Days in the USA. Or, to quiz recollection of animal groups, we ... Read More
Living Literature and the Bible
(This post contains affiliate links.) If you've been around here long at all, you know there's living literature out there to help teach ANY subject. Did you know that's true for the Bible, too? Over the years, I've found some FABULOUS books to go along with our Bible studies. Now, I'm not saying we read literature instead of the Bible - no way! But...these books have opened doors to Biblical conversations and reinforced Biblical studies we've already completed. Some people ask, how do you fit in Bible study and living literature? Well, our Bible study time tends to take on two "methods." The first method finds us diving deep into the Word - reading, discussing and/or ... Read More