One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that with each season in life, or literal weather season, we can do what works best for our family.
In this season of both life, and weather, we are enjoying the fall 100%! Waking up to the windows open, crisp fall air, and spending a lot of time in nature is what autumn is all bout. So far, we have watched monarch caterpillars flock to our milkweed, make cocoons, and develop into butterflies.
We have enjoyed collecting different colored leaves as they fall, and acorns we have found. We’ve worked together to prep the garden for winter, and finished the last of our harvest. We have raked leaves to feed to the goats, and enjoyed collecting sticks for kindling.
Each day has a nice rhythm to it and looks something like this:
I wake 5:30-6am for my coffee, journal, and Jesus time
7am I get the kids up, we have breakfast, brush teeth, and get dressed for the day, morning chores
Some mornings we do our morning basket during breakfast, some days it is in the afternoon. (morning basket is our science, history, a read aloud with the littles, a little memory work and whatever else the kids are into. there are handicrafts involved too)
8/830am I do my workout, then the kids do their brain gym/dancing movements from youtube, or we may do animal walks across the room to mama for a bear hug reward
by 9/930 We begin table work together
1130/11:45- lunch time!
Everyone goes outside to play until naps
Our afternoons are filled with: playing games (Uno, rat a tat cat, and Qwirkle are current favorites), being outside, doing chores on the farm, prepping dinner if needed, and reading aloud from our current family chapter book. Some days we do our morning basket here if we didn’t have time in the morning.
The weather outside (rainy or not) determines during which part of the day we do games, read alouds, etc.
Every-other Wednesday afternoon is still poetry tea time, sometimes it is every week if we don’t have an errand or other plans. I plan to hit the zoo 1x a month to take full advantage of membership and homeschool freedom. =)
As we come into winter, I am sure our routine may change up a bit. But for now, this is working well for our family. Fall is our favorite time of the year!
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This book is part of a larger series of geographically based Christian worldview children’s books; it has most definitely sparked some interesting conversations in our family.
How We Used it and What We Think
The 48 page, full-color book is absolutely gorgeous (and ourcopy is signed by the author! insert googly eyes here!). The first thing I saw when I opened the book is the most gorgeous fall foliage spread with scripture… insert google eyes again. *love* This is perfect for our fall book shelf! And if ever someone wanted encouragement as a homeschool parent that the world is our classroom to be seen through our children’s eyes and with a filter of our faith, this book is it! (Thank you, Joy!)
integrated- science, geography, and history (and scripture/Biblical truths-score!)
intentional- God’s message is right there the whole way
inspirational- touching our children’s hearts and minds with God’s beauty
All the above are quotes or paraphrases from the introduction of the book, but I couldn’t describe it’s purpose or message better myself! It is such a rich addition to our home library. What is the best part? Probably the conversations we had while reading parts of it. The story allows you to pick the book up and begin on just about any page, while still getting so much from your reading; this allowed us to discuss the scripture on pages, how the animals or events on that page reflected that scripture, how they relate to each other and most importantly to us and our loving relationship with God.
This then became a conversation of all these things we see in our own world, our own back yard, on our farm, that make those same reflections. This week I heard one of my younger children trying to explain the Monarch butterfly’s “God given compass” from page 21, as we watched Monarch caterpillars on our milkweed plants.
There are fun activities such as finding specific animals and pictures (the 4 year old’s favorite) & learning how to geocache with links provided, as well as a precious story line that is sure to keep everyone’s interest. The illustrations are just beautiful, rich, and captivating, along with a little humor.
We still enjoy the Colorado book from the By The Way series (especially since we love visiting CO), but I *think* I may love this book even more. It is perfect for a fall nature study, history studies, and of course a state study. I think children of any age will enjoy the book; it can certainly grow with small children, while older children will enjoy all the information & beautiful illustrations/photography.
We spent a very cool, fall morning at the zoo with Daddy this week. Not only was the zoo empty of other people-we had the whole zoo to ourselves- but Daddy went with us for a special morning after his travels for the last several weeks.
We got a close up look at everything, and the zoo keepers invited us up to watch them feed the giraffes (one of our favorite animals at our zoo). They are trained like dogs to move when needed to take turns eating.
Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
It has finally happened, that my almost 4 year old is ready for more “table work.” She is a hands on learning kind of girl, but more than anything she loves to write and do school like her older siblings; coloring, blocks, and puzzles just won’t do all the time. She wants to be big. So we have been using the 200 Essential Math Skills for Kindergarten, a Mathseeds workbook from Reading Eggs.
Reading Eggs (and Mathseeds team) is a trusted online literacy and math program; they also have beautiful, fun workbooks to go along with their online program. These can be used without the online program, or right along side it for added comprehension. We received both the K math workbook, and an online subscription; these compliment each other perfectly! The online program allows your student to take a short placement test to determine the level at which they should begin online; it is much more customized than I expected. My daughter will be 4 next week, and while she can identify numbers, count very well, knows colors and shapes, and understands 1:1 correspondence, she cannot identify number words, and needs more basic foundational number sense. The online program is great for solidifying these concepts.
Our homeschool may look a bit different than yours (most likely a lot different), but chances are if you are teaching a child math at the kindergarten level you have scoured the internet and homeschool websites looking at every math workbook, textbook, and curriculum on the market. Ask me how I know …
But really, y’all- this is the real deal! The 200 Essential Math Skills for Kindergarten workbook is a solid program. Not only is it solid, it is easy to use, simple, comprehensive, and includes:
Year Planner at a glance map- this is so convenient, easy to follow, and takes off any pressure you may have for checking boxes
Hands on Learning Activities to help reinforce concepts and add more fun for young learners
FULL color but clean pages-my favorite part of this workbook is how tidy the pages are. You know what I mean! It is beautiful, high quality, and colorful, but the pages aren’t so full they’re distracting. Each question is clearly labeled with a highlighted number making it easy for children (and adults) to find the next question on the page.
The Mathseeds K book covers:
numbers
operations
patterns
geometry
and measurement
I also really like how the entire page is used for learning- the top corner of each page has a picture of the learning focus, for example-the number 8 with 8 dots, a short pattern, shapes, 3D shapes, etc. These are simple, small learning cues for my daughter but they give me reminders to talk about what we have been learning- That may be as simple as asking, “what shape is this?” “what letter sound does that begin with?” “read this pattern to me!” It is a fun way for us to connect before and after a page has been completed.
I think Miss’s favorite part of this program are the fun illustrations- they’re so clear, easy to understand (if you’ve used workbooks of any kind you know what I mean-what are some of those pictures supposed to be?!), colorful, and cheerful. She is a very happy girl and would be 100% bored to death with a black and white sheet of paper.
I really do appreciate how easy the pages are for both of us to glance at. Without overwhelming the senses, each page brings delight to learning math using color and pictures. All this, while using large blocks of background color to separate sections and make looking at the page easy for young learners (and tired mamas).
At the end of each lesson is a section that allows you and your child to mark off what they have accomplished! (see image below)
I *love* this feature because often times as homeschool parents we feel like we are just going through the motions. We don’t want to give tests or kill our young children’s love for learning and growing, but we also want to see some progress. This section at the end of the lessons give you a chance to acknowledge what they have accomplished in their lesson, and sort of recap everything.
I take this opportunity to go over what we have been learning by allowing my daughter to narrate what she has done, learned, and enjoyed in that math lesson- it is surprising the details little children can remember! It is sort of our Charlotte Mason spin on a math workbook.
We also enjoy acting out some of the lessons using manipulatives; we will place blocks on top of the page once it is completed and she can “teach” me all she has learned and done. We are really excited about this program; it is so simply, straight to the point, and takes no time at all to complete a lesson! I appreciate the easy transition it has given us into a little table work. While my 4 year old begs for table work like her older siblings, you may know that sometimes that can be very short lived, but not with the Mathseeds Math K workbook. She would work in this book as long as I would let her (I think we will have to pick up their reading workbook, too).
There are also “just for fun” pages, and certificates of completion for each map (focus) section. They have really thought of everything!
Click HERE to purchase your workbooks! Use the code: WK10GSD6TMB to get 10% off your purchase. Click the banner below for 4 free weeks of online learning from Reading Eggs!
Check out more Reading Eggs workbook and online learning reviews from the Crew:
This month I want to try to begin a series of posts about my favorite “things,” that help me in my family life, and thus homeschool life (because homeschool is our lifestyle, right?).
The Read Aloud Revival Premium Membership– I have heard Sarah discuss it on her podcast for ages. I’ve been a loyal listener for a few years, and never really thought the Membership applied to me. Our whole family life revolves around books, after all. Boy was I wrong! After a very hard summer (emotionally physically, mentally) for our family, I needed to simplify, set new goals for our homeschool, and get started FRESH. And I needed to do this without the drudgery of “too many things” on our to do’s. Just because it is good, beautiful, and wonderful doesn’t mean we have to cram it in right now. We have SO many days, so many weeks, so many month, and years to add in the many wonderful homeschool resources. They don’t all have to fit RIGHT NOW. (remind me of this in 3 months haha)
The Read Aloud Revival Book Bag– Nope, I am not being paid to tell you how much I love RAR. I just really do. And her book bag is no exception; beautiful, perfect for library trips, easy to load, strong, wide straps, lined with a zippered pocket … I could go on but I won’t. These make great gifts (I think each child will get one for Christmas because I love mine) and you get a discounted rate when you are a RAR Premium Members!
Thriftbooks– I love books. I love cheap books. I love cheap books that come in the mail.
Little Jewel Books– I wasn’t so sure what to expect with these, but I ordered 2 I thought we would like for our family. These are beautiful little books … really they aren’t so little. I have found them to be perfect for my almost 4 year old 3rd born who needs a little “help” remembering right from wrong. The covers are enticing, and the pages are really lovely. I can’t wait to order many more!
ducks swimming in the flooded chicken run
Rain- We have been in a pretty serious drought in our neck of the county since the winter. This month, however, mother nature has decided to bless us with something like 20 days of rain. I am *so thankful* for the rain! The pond my finally fill up this year, the grass and trees feel better, and the ducks are sure enjoying it!
Playing games- In our efforts to take a step back in everything, we have found our afternoons and evening usually empty, meaning we have time to play games as a family, crochet, and water color. Mostly, I play UNO with my son and oldest girl while the other do crafts, art, etc. It has been so pleasant!
Reading Aloud-We have finally found our groove for reading aloud again, and *it is perfect.* Even the 2 year old is getting better about being quiet so we can listen. Whew whooo!
More Free Time- did I mention we all have more free time now? Everyone is picking up books more often, playing outside more often, loving on the goats, playing pretend, climbing new trees MORE. It makes my heart happy, and I can already see a big difference in the kids’ emotionally without the stress of everything we had on our plates before.
What have you enjoyed most this month?
Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
My oldest daughter is almost 8yo, and has been doing lapbooks since she was 4yo; she still pulls out all the many lapbooks she has created and looks over them, so I knew the lap-paks from Home School in the Woods would be a hit. Not only do they make beautiful history lap-paks, they offer so many history and timeline projects and studies for your homeschool.
What Are Hands-on History Lap-Paks
Our Wonders of the World lap-pak is quite literally packed full of amazing masters and activities. The download includes easy to understand instructions about how to put together the lap-pak. If you have never assembled a lapbook with manilla file folders, have no fear! Step by step instructions make this so easy; it is simple enough for me to do with ease, but also something my 2nd grader can do on her own if given the instruction, scissors, and tape.
Want to know the best part?
Not only can you print the reading material from the lap-pak in the form of a booklet, or full page (for binders), but it comes in audio form!
Yep.
And it isn’t dry boring audio, I was so pleasantly surprised when I hit play and the audio was easy to listen to, well narrated, and felt like someone reading me a book. I knew if I could enjoy and follow along, my children were also getting something out of it.
I won’t name every single wonder of the world project included in the purchase, because it can be found at the link HERE, under the “details” tab. But when I say there are many activities and wonders to study, you will see what I mean. Home School in the Woods has thought of everything:
all 7 wonders of the world (ancient)
Stonehenge
Panama Canal
Victoria Falls
The Hagia Sophia
The Golden Gate Bridge
and SO many more!
When I saw which lap-pak my children would put together, I knew it would be cherished. My almost 6yo boy and 8yo girl love history, especially ancients. They enjoy reading and hearing about civilizations that made these amazing parts of our history; anything that brings history to life for them is a hit, but something like lapbooks is even better. I also like that the writing assignments in the projects have a printable page with the answers filled in- so parents/students can choose if they want to fill in the details themselves or have it printed-making this a GREAT option for those that have handwriting difficulties, fine motor fatigue/development delays, and visual difficulties.
The images that come with the lap-pak purchase are very high quality masters with lots of lovely detail; lightly coloring them with colored pencils adds my children’s personal touch, and helps them remember what they have learned about each wonder. There is a timeline to assemble that helps put all these great things they learn in history, into perspective so they can better understand what happened and when.
How We Use it, What We Think
Hands on learning isn’t … well, it isn’t my thing. I would rather read a book, or plan my week than do a project. However, lap-paks are hands on projects that don’t require me to do any: pre-planning, purchasing of weird supplies, building, blowing up of things, or cleaning up! *win, win*
After printing the pages (per the very easy to follow and visual instructions) I turned on the audio, gave them colored pencils, & the masters to color while I assembled the lap-pak folder. All was peaceful and well in our home; we were learning together, mama was getting a break from reading aloud, their hands were busy, and their minds were soaking in the audio.
I love that not only are there lap-paks to go with anything we are studying, but that they will be cherished for years and years. If there is one way to document your homeschool learning, lapbooks are the way to go! My kids love them, it sparks their imagination (want to build a world wonder with Magnatiles, anyone?), we can take them anywhere, and they can be shared with siblings, grandparents, and friends.
We still have many projects to do for our Wonders of the World lap-pak, and I know we will enjoy every minute of it. It fits perfectly with our history study this year, fills the need for hands on learning in our home, and also acts as review later. Thank you Home School in the Woods!
Don’t miss the latest studies from their site: Project Passport: Ancient Rome and the download version of the now complete Project Passport collection is available.
We have introduced some new babies to the farm- we are so excited about Big Sam and Chief!
They are Dexter steers, about 6 months old. The black {shortie} dexter is Big Sam, the red boy is Chief. They are getting used to us, as they have been with mama in pasture. They are in with the goats right now; they have decided it is okay to take alfalfa hay from me, and really enjoy Chaffhaye.
Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
Our family loves to (hoard books) read! Anytime I can combine a quality book my children love with learning, it is a win-win. My almost 8 year old has been using The Josefina Story Quilt – eGuide from Progeny Press. This Christian homeschool company has put together guides for some of the very best literature for students, referencing scripture and using questions that allow children (and adults!) to see some pretty amazing messages in what may feel like simple stories.
About Progeny Press eGuide
Not only was this book a perfect fit for our little hobby farming family (think: quilts, chickens, and family), the eGuide was a lot of fun! We printed the eGuide, stapled it together, and my almost 2nd grader got started. This guide is 32 pages; it can be printed or you can work from the download on your computer/device (see their YouTube channel for how to do that).
Included in the beginning of the guide are pages about the author, a synopsis of the story, and pre-reading activities for better understanding. After these first few pages you find various activities such as mapping, comprehension and vocabulary questions, crossword puzzles, and questions that allow for a deeper understanding & literary analysis.
The Dig Deeper section was especially fun when my daughter was able to read through Bible passages that applied perfectly to the story, and then analyze them in a developmentally appropriate way (getting to use a dictionary, which she also loves). I appreciate how the guide uses open ended questions, allowing the student to interpret what they will from the text, but with a clear message that leads to scripture and how God works in our lives. This is so developmentally appropriate for an early elementary student! Sometimes there is no absolute right or wrong answer, but because of how the guide transitions from one topic to the next, going deeper in each section, my daughter was already thinking on a deeper level about the story. Therefore, she was able to answer (and understand the questions) at a deeper level.
I was honestly surprised at how meaningful the comprehension questions were- things that I don’t necessarily think to ask after narration of a book or chapter. But what was even more exciting for me as a mama, was that these weren’t “testing” style questions. This eGuide is more of a writing lapbook, or notebook if you will; the authors never shove analysis down students’ throats, or make learning dry and boring. Just flipping through & glancing at the pages gave me a sense of gentle learning. No meaningless, daunting, intimidating or dry questioning here!
What We Think About It:
One of my top (academic) reasons for homeschooling our children is avoiding many of the testing and busy work approaches to learning. Forcing children to constantly test and analyze on a developmentally inapropraite level creates burn out- it kills the fire for learning, that they are naturally born with-creating adults that don’t enjoy reading or learning on their own, or problem solving that requires a little hard work.
The eGuides from Progeny Press support a gentle and more fulfilling homeschool education that so many of us are striving for. They help create students that can think critically and independently as they read, which we all know is so imperative. I cannot wait to use more of their guides in the future!
We made a family goal this year- spend more time at our farm this spring and summer, working as a family to not only improve some things- but to really cultivate. Every year we have a garden, and every year when it starts coming in, the rainy season begins, and things start really growing we are gone with either trips or my husband for work.
We worked very hard this year to be sure we were here so we could take care of all the things we started in the spring.
Now, my flower beds are going haywire with weeds, I really can’t keep up! But everything else is flourishing, we are harvesting regularly, and enjoying our evenings as a family working in the garden.
This weekend’s task- Freeze tomatoes!
Last weekend I canned dill pickles for the first time, (they are awful by the way … I’m not sure what I did wrong, but man are they bad!). Unless someone shares a tried and true recipe with me, we will be making bread and butter pickles from now one. haha
My children walk around eating cucumbers whole, with cherry tomatoes by the handful.
Harvest time is good.
Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
… is an almost 4 year old girl that loves deeply. She is endlessly full of snuggles, dances, hugs, smiles, and spunk.
She reminds me so much of how I played and saw life as a child- She would rather love on a cat, a dog that weighs 120 pounds, or goat than be surrounded by things that don’t interest her.
Miss cares so deeply for those that walk into her world; the strangers at the store, children at the ball park, friends and family.
While she lives life in her “la-dee-da” world, and much of her character K also saw in my Granny- she doesn’t superficially care- if this girl welcomes you into her world, if she says she loves you, SHE LOVES YOU.
It is hard to believe Miss will soon be 4; she lit up our world the day she was born with her endless smiles and happy disposition, and she hasn’t stopped yet!
God has big things in store for this little package of wonder. (Lord, I just pray I can survive her! haha)
Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
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