Winter is the perfect time for snuggling up with books – 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 and give you an idea of some of the book extension activities we’ve done to turn the…
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…
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…
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…
(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,…
(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…
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…
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…
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…