If you asked me to name a few things that have made THE most impact in our homeschool over the years, one of the answers I would give without hesitation is living literature. Many precious hours have been spent together around books. Those moments have built strong bonds between us, created warm memories, and sparked…
This momma has a huge affinity for picture books. Over the years, we’ve read more than I would want to count. I promise you that I don’t regret a moment spent inside these books with my children! While we certainly have a long list of favorites from many, many different authors, there are just some…
As I sat down to plan what to write about this coming year here at Our Journey Westward, I took a peek to see what your favorite posts of 2016 were. As you’ll see below, it’s pretty clear you like living literature and creative teaching ideas. And, since I love those things, too, I’m happy…
It’s time for another post in my series about using picture books to teach writing to middle and high school students! Today’s topic is using picture books to teach text structure. What is text structure? It’s how the information written in a text is organized. Learning to identify text structure as a reader can significantly improve…
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…
Homeschooling in December can be rough. We all need a bit of a break from the monotony of the regular homeschooling schedule, don’t we? Some people choose to take the entire month off to focus on the preparations of Christmas and turning the hearts of their children toward the One that Christmas is all about….
I {heart} picture books for so many reasons. One giant reason is their ability to teach so many in depth concepts in such non-intimidating ways that students often don’t see fear in the lessons that follow. One such example is writing. I can’t tell you the times I’ve been asked by homeschooling parents to tutor…
I’ve been sharing a little series of posts about how to use living literature to teach writing – specifically, narratives and persuasive pieces. In this post, I’m focusing less on a particular style of writing and more on writing with style – otherwise known as literary techniques. No matter the age of your children, you…
When you think of teaching grammar to your elementary student, does the word “boring” pop into your head? Maybe not your head, but your children’s perhaps? Well, I have two pieces of good news for you! 1. Formal grammar lessons aren’t all that important in elementary school! Really. A little here, a little there and…
As I began making plans for 2015 here at Our Journey Westward, I naturally took a look back at 2014. I jotted down my personal favorite top 10 posts in an effort to see if it’s clear where my heart is in this little cyber space. Most of you know my heart is to share…
What a fun 7th birthday celebration we had for my little Christmas man. Grinchy green was everywhere thanks to the wonderful ideas I found on Pinterest. Even if you don’t have a December birthday babe in your house, these ideas would be great for a lighthearted gathering this Christmas season or a fun book/movie night….
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…