What is a friend? Webster's 1828 Dictionary of the English language defines a friend as, "One who is attached to another by affection; one who entertains for another sentiments of esteem, respect and affection, which lead him to desire his company." I can easily apply that definition as I make friends with books and I definitely seek to pass that friendship on to my own children. This post contains affiliate links. Living Book Characteristics Charlotte Mason advocated the use of living books. We can define a living book by some of these characteristics: A book that has the power to say what would be said in such a way that we're not likely to forget it. It becomes forged in ... Read More
6 Tips for Teaching Early Readers
Do you have a child who began reading well at three or four years old? A child who reads far above grade level? A child who soaks 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 proceed with gifted early readers?? Here's what I did. You can listen to this post if you prefer! Teaching Very Early Readers My oldest was an early reader. She blew my mind as she reached for book after book, able to tackle nearly everything on her own. As her teacher, I wondered how to handle her reading instruction. Should I still teach phonics? Should I force reading comprehension lessons? Should I hold her back ... Read More
11 Tips for Raising Readers
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 we want to raise kids who can read well - we want them to want to read for years to come, right? Here are some things I've found to be really helpful for both teaching reading and instilling a love for reading. You can listen to this post if you prefer! 1. Read to your children from the very beginning. It's never too early to start reading aloud to your children. Early ... Read More
Emergent Readers: Transitioning to Independent Reading Time
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 Independent Reading At this stage in reading, things can get tricky - especially with boys. New readers can be hesitant to believe in themselves enough to want to read alone. There's also that nagging stigma (even amongst homeschoolers) that it isn't cool for boys to read. And, there's the long standing problem of finding books that hold the attention of busy boys. But boys or girls, the ... Read More
Charlotte Mason Phonics and Spelling
(This post contains affiliate links and links to my business, Shining Dawn Books.) In Charlotte Mason Homeschooling in 18 EASY Step-by-Step Lessons, I obviously discuss things like copywork, dictation and transcription. In the early years of homeschooling, these methods (along with reading living literature) are fabulous for teaching the language arts of handwriting, spelling/phonics, grammar, writing and more. This question always comes up, though..."If I only utilize the Charlotte Mason methods of language arts, is that enough for my young children who need to have a strong understanding of phonics to become good readers and spelling to become good writers?" Great question. While I ... Read More
20 Must Read Winter Books for Kids
Winter is the perfect time for snuggling up with books - and lots of them! Over the years, we've gone back to certain books time after time during the winter season. I thought I'd share our winter book list with you and give you an idea of some of the book extension activities we've done to turn the books into great lessons. We don't always do extension lessons when reading, but the long days of winter often call for a little extra. This post contains affiliate links. Our Winter Book List Picture Books Snowflake Bentley is a great book to kick off a study of snow. I've included more ideas than you can shake a stick at for snow study in NaturExplorer's Snow and Ice. Stopping By ... Read More
Our American Lit Selections
(This post contains affiliate links.) High School American Lit I love meeting the particular needs and interests of my children in our homeschool studies. Once my children reach high school, the same philosophy applies. Thus, the reason I'm pulling bits and pieces of various American Literature courses and adding some of my own choices in as well. I certainly don't want to make you feel bad if you've found one curriculum choice that works for you and your child. Since so many people ask, though, why (and how) I eclectically put together subjects, I thought I'd share a little of the workings in my mind as I planned Mahayla's American Lit class for her junior year. Home-Base ... Read More
Book Ball
My son loves baseball. He's also excited about his new interest in learning to read. (Thank you, Lord!) So, we came up with a fun way to show his reading achievements - a "book"ball chart. Everytime he reads a book by himself, we'll add a baseball to the field. We came up with the idea together, so he is very motivated to see the idea work! ... Read More
Miller Stories
My children pulled all the Miller's books out again the other day. I can't tell you how much we've enjoyed these books! From the time they were preschoolers and we started reading Storytime With the Millers, my children have intently listened to and learned from the stories. I think they're so good, in fact, that they were read during devotion time usually. Even though the books come from a very conservative Amish-Mennonite perspective, I found them to be very useful in teaching topics like trusting God, manners, friendship, obedience, respect, forgiveness, self-sacrifice and much, much more! Each story centers around a Bible verse and that verse is used at some point within the ... Read More
Book Review: Jotham’s Journey
Wow. That's the best word I can think of to describe this book. Written as a daily read-aloud for Advent, or the days leading up to Christmas Day, Jotham's Journey is part historical fiction, part devotional - and all page-turning, spine-tingling adventure pointing the way to the One who was our ultimate gift! The author, Arnold Ytreeide, is a master storyteller who has woven such an interesting story line that it often left me with my mouth open in awe of his creativity in tying together the story of our Savior's birth with the story of the main character, Jotham. Set in the days just before the birth of Jesus, you will watch Jotham grow in wisdom and character as he ... Read More