B is for Building on the Homestead

by Meghan // May 21, 2018 // Comments off

This week’s letter is B, and for us nothing would be more fitting than building. My amazing, hard working husband has spent the last 2 weeks building a (hopefully) goat proof fence for our new goat babies. He has taken the time to teach me:

how to cut, bend, and put fencing wire onto gates
how to hang gates
the ins and outs of designing the fence itself
and lots of other handy stuff

I probably can’t do many of those things very well … or on my own without reminders of what exactly to do for that matter. But we have lots more fence to do in the future, so many opportunities to get better!

We have fenced the goats’ stall in the barn, cleaned it all up; today I will get all the materials down for the floors, get their pallets in place, and clean up the barnyard a bit. We need to adjust the height of one of the existing gates, and put away all the tools that are currently in the tack room/feed room. I need to wash out the feed buckets we have, make a run to TSC and then I think we will be about ready!

Preparing for Goats on the Farm

My children came up with a few other B words that are important on a homestead or farm …

butcher
butting
butter
barns
bugs
bulls
buckling
babies

it’s as if he knows he should be expecting something …

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!

A is for Anglo Nubian Goats {homesteading on the farm}

by Meghan // May 13, 2018 // Comments off

I don’t know if we are a homestead or a farm … if a farm, then definitely a hobby farm. Either way, this little homesteader has put down the deposit on a few sweet babies! We will be adding ~~2, no 3, make that~~ 4 nubian goats to the farm pretty soon and I am ecstatic! My mind is whirling 1,000 miles a minute- my research proves raising goats is much different than raising bottle calves for beef. There is SO much to know and do before hand; there’s even more to keep in mind, keep an eye out for, and learn. And the only real way you can learn is to prepare the best you can, and then jump in! *gasp*

We are adding 2 twin yearlings, and of course when I went to look at them I couldn’t leave without also reserving a bitty baby … But after a few days of preparation on our farm, I thought it might be a good idea to get the bitty a buddy her size, and since she was a triplet, her brother will make the perfect playmate! (Her sister was already spoken for.) So, that makes 4 goats!

Today I ordered their collars, and some medical supplies to keep on hand. This weekend my husband and I began work on the goat corral fencing- he began prepping holes and posts for the fence while I cleaned out the barn and tack room. We have brooded chickens, raised cows, and stored lots of tools and feed in those areas; they were desperate for a cleaning!

We made GREAT progress on the fence; we need to finish a few corner posts, put in some T-posts, and string the wires. Then we have to finish their stall in the barn by getting it covered with goat fencing (I plan to stall the goats at night until we get the LGDs in there with them full time, they get used to their surroundings, and I feel less like a worry-wart). We are going to get them a warm dry place built up in their stall towards the back, because of the position of our barn and the way it drains. Lots of work needs to be done, but we are enjoying it and looking forward to our new babies. We cannot wait to spend our summer playing with baby goats.

Baby goat pictures to come!

Read other posts from this Blogging Through The Alphabet Link-up Series HERE

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!

Learning to Read: Rhyme, Memorization, & Phonics {and a llama llama review}

by Meghan // May 4, 2018 // Comments off

You probably know by now, our family loves to read! My youngest children begin their love of learning with poems and rhyming books from some of the greatest authors of children’s literature. I have videos of my oldest at 18 months old reading a Llama Llama book from memory; that book, as well as many other Llama Llama books have become favorites in our home. But my favorite part of this character series is the rhyming!

The latest book from Anna Dewdey, a teacher, mother, and enthusiastic proponent of reading aloud to children, is Llama Llama Loves to Read. Anna’s passion for children and building their love for reading is evident in all her books. This time our children shared Llama Llama’s love for learning to read in this beautifully illustrated (as always) 40 page picture book.

Llama Llama learns at school.
Counting, writing, reading, rules.
Friends and school — there’s nothing better.
Llama learning all the letters!

All of my children have learned to read organically; simply by listening to others read to them. We know research tells us reading aloud to children increases their own love for learning, as well as relationships, and test scores (yes, especially test scores!). What many may not know, is that reading rhyming books, poems, and nursery rhymes to children increases their overall literacy!

Rhythm and rhyming increase listening and speaking skills, which are the very foundation of learning to read and write. A child will not learn to read as easily if they lack the skill of hearing rhyming patterns and sounds-which is done by being read to early in life. (This is also why educators take courses in all areas of development, including physical education, where we learn to combine rhythm, motion, and rhymes! Think of the hand clapping games from your childhood-they were important, whether you knew it or not!)

Rhyming books like Llama Llama Loves to Read not only help build a child’s confidence as they learn the rhyming words on the pages, these books increase their fluency and set the stage for future independent reading.

Learning to Read With Rhyme and Memory Work

As I type this, I am thinking of my 3.5 year old daughter (3rd born) that read cvc words to me last week. On her own. Without an ounce of formal instruction or prompting from me. I don’t say this to brag, or inflate my mom ego, I say this to you because it truly has to do with our family culture and environment combined with her eagerness to learn to read. She has told me for months she was going to read soon “like Mister!” (her older brother). I told her she could learn as soon as she wanted and it wouldn’t be long; she’s been asking all of us to help her write her letters so she could tell us the sounds, and eagerly listens to any book we will read to her. One day last week she brought her little journal to me at the homeschool table and asked that I write words for her … I randomly wrote cat, asked her each letter sound and then she read the whole word. Just blended it. Boom! She continued on to do several more and I was able to record her on video.

So how do I use rhyming to encourage literacy? Simply, we read a book, and the next time (after all, there is always a next time!) I leave out one word of each line or page. For instance, I would read: Llama Llama learns at school. Counting, writing, reading, rules the first time.

But the next time we read it, I would leave out the word school, and maybe even rules, allowing my kids to fill it in for me as I read. This pulls them even more into the story and encourages not only their comprehension but also application of vocabulary, as well as “reading” along with me. So far of my 4 children, none of them have ever been disappointed with their chance to say the next word. Even my youngest, only a toddler, can fill in the simplest words in rhyming books (Llama Llama Time for Bed being one of them).

We also start learning poetry very young, simply because it is SO fun! My oldest memorized a few poems during each season starting at age 3. I am not sure how many poems my oldest three kids know now, but it is probably more than me (I can’t remember them all like they can without some prompting). That same 3 year old that is reading CVC words has spent this year memorizing more poetry than her 2 older siblings combined! Her absolute favorite is The Fairies by William Allingham, along with several others from A Child’s Book of Poems.

Learning Letter Sounds

Before I began reading lessons with any of my children, we sing a phonics song throughout our days. From the time they are about 18 months old (?) until … well, my oldest is 7.5 and we still sing it haha, we don’t say our ABCS.

We sing them along with their correlating sound; during our morning time we do the song with a little letter chart like this one:

The song goes something like this:

A, /a/, apple

B, /buh/ball

C, /ck/, cat

D, /duh/ dog

… you get the picture. When we sing it while swinging on the swing, playing in the floor, or walking down the driveway, we learn to use other words that make those sounds; instead of E, eh, elephant I may say egg or elbow. It is always fun to hear what other words they can come up with (you will be surprised); sometimes we extend that and just start naming words that rhyme with a word, who knows where we may bunny trail to! But it is a fun and easy, loving, and memorable way to connect with and teach my children naturally, without any formal lessons.

This simple song, along with reading aloud to them, truly lays the foundation for learning to read later. Sometimes when I talk I will just say “t, /t/ train!” when we see a train. Obviously my 7 year old gets less out of this than my 3yo and toddler do, but so often we can forget those little ones are still soaking up everything around them, as Little Miss showed me just last week. Having a literature rich family culture helps support children in their love of learning which, when they are ready, will help them learn to read.

If you want to submerge your children in a literature rich environment, reading rhyming books, poetry, and teaching letter sounds through play are the best places to start!

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!

Fun Interactive Story Bible {with free app-a review}

by Meghan // April 26, 2018 // Comments off

Our children LOVE Bible stories, and Bible story books; one of the first books my oldest fell in love with was a Bible story book at the age of 3. Our family has gone on to enjoy several story Bibles over the years. We have been using Planet 316 Story Bible and the companion Planet 316 Story Bible App from Planet 316 and WorthyKids/Ideals.

The Planet 316 Story Bible is no exception to a great story book Bible, it is however different than other story Bibles! This is an interactive “come to life” Bible, when combined with the companion Planet 316 Story Bible App. It is easy to use, and fun for all ages! My kids are 7, 5, 3, and a toddler (who wasn’t usually around when we used this Bible because it was at the older’s bedtimes) and they all enjoyed the stories from the Bible, and also the interactive app on our ipad.

We simply open the app on our iPad or phone, point the screen at the page to be scanned, and the illustrations on the Bible page “come to life,” as my 7 year old says, or appear in 3D. The app works really well, we didn’t run into any hiccups; the scanner scans quickly and easily without any fuss. It really is fun to tap the different illustrations and hear them talk, or act out part of the story. The kids laugh and listen as illustrations run across the page (Jacob and Esau), as angels walked to heaven while Jacob snored (haha-Jacob’s ladder), and Joseph’s brothers plotted against him (Joseph’s coat of many colors). There are many beloved stories in the Planet 316 Story Bible, some many story Bibles don’t include (over 100 stories in all).

The language is written clear and sticks to true Biblical stories with no fantastical elaborations or emotions inserted into the stories (this is a HUGE criteria for both my husband and myself when it comes to children’s Bibles). The illustrations are beautiful and fun; most important in a children’s story Bible, they are memorable. The images help solidify the stories which lead to knowing Jesus as our savior, and the Planet 316 Story Bible definitely does justice to said stories.

One really big plus for our family is the diversity found in the illustrations- characters and angels all have different skin and hair tones; some are obviously due to the region in which they take place (Egypt, for example) while others seem to be selected more randomly? Regardless, it is refreshing to see different shades in a story book Bible that probably reflect a somewhat (more) realistic idea of the people at that time.

The Story Bible alone is wonderful, but when paired with the fun interactive Companion App, it is even better! I have no doubt that some of these stories are more memorable for my kids because they have seen and experienced a bit more of the story itself through the app. It has led to some really great conversations and discussions in our family at bedtime (Would Joseph really feel that way? Would you be scared to profess the meaning of dreams to the king? How would you handle a sibling rivalry that determined your future? What would Jesus tell him to do?).

Connect with Planet316

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!

18-20 Month Baby Schedule & Summary {baby #4}

by Meghan // April 19, 2018 // Comments off

{yes, I am 4 months late on the 18month baby summary … I’m just now realizing it is the year 2018, and spring is here}

Wow. just wow!
My how 18 months has flown! I can’t even keep up with her baby summary posts. My how we love our sweet little baby #4.

Development 18 months vs 20 Months

It has taken her longer than the first 3 children, but Squish has started walking and talking non stop (18 months). She is just totting around everywhere; her vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few months. She is saying everything from her siblings names, to pointing and naming objects she wants/needs.

She tends to drag her right foot, which is worrisome, but hopefully that will resolve itself. If it doesn’t we will talk to our doc in July. Her disposition is still pretty tough most days (18 months), she goes through phases where she is extremely happy for a week or 2, and then is incredibly difficult for a few weeks. I’m guessing it is wonder weeks and development related? I haven’t been tracking WW much anymore, but I probably should!

At 20 months, she is now talking EVEN more, is almost always happy, and has really come into her own. She really, really enjoys playing independently, she is a very smart girl, love counting and talking about everything. I often sneak into her room during independent play, before I get her out, and watch as she reads books, dances, and does finger plays to the songs on Pandora (like itsy bitsy spider). She is so full of herself when alone!

Her favorite words are: Lexie, Maxie, Ila, baby, Huck, and every animal sound she can make. We brought Yona (our Anatolian Shepherd) inside for a week or so while she was getting over some tummy troubles (due to her puppy food!) and Coralie REALLY found an outlet for bossing others. haha I think being the 4th, with her 3 older siblings always talking, bossing, and being active around her, she rarely had a chance to be heard. But when Yona came inside, she had someone that had to listen to HER (our dogs are raised to submit to all family members, be calm and quiet around their animal charges and people), so I guess the cure to some of her frustrations was power… that’s a scary thought!

She still signs for some things, especially if we remind her to do so, but she will also attempt to say the words for most everything around her-cups, water, eat, more, two (which means more …), up, down, snuggles, night night, baby, please, thank you, stinky, poopy, t.t., potty, nasty, num num, blanket, outside, downstairs, seat (which means put me there or she is demanding someone else sit there). So, lots of vocabulary.

She definitely loves animals, talking, dancing, counting, and toting around her baby dolls. We put a newborn diaper on one of her dolls, and it was game. on. She is now mama to her babies, gives them bottles, swaddles them, puts them to bed. She recently took to a baby blanket that was Lexie’s and requests it all day long, taking it with her wherever she goes; Squish will tot to her crib and pull the blanket from between the rails and just looove on it. She is counting like crazy, knows all her body parts, sings songs with us, and loves organizing toys “just so.” This video was taken just last week, and is a perfect example of her personality!

SNUGLLES! Yall, oh my gosh, the snuggles. This girl has never been much of a snuggler, but more of a “give me want when I want it or I dont want it at all” kinda girl. It has honestly been hard to “love” on her, simply because she so often didn’t want that connection. But now?! Oooh, now she is a lovey girl, wanting squeeze hugs, wrapping her arms around our necks, and saying “Nuggle! Nuggle!” It is so fun!

I really can’t say how thankful I am that her personality has blossomed so much; it has been hard for all of us to enjoy her… Not because she didn’t meet our expectations, or our views of having a baby, but because we didn’t know HOW to love her- she didn’t accept the ways we showed her love, if that makes sense? We tried everything, she liked food-check, she liked attention 1:1 with me in the mornings- check, She liked telling everyone else no-check … but nothing really screamed “connection” with her. Oooh how I am thankful for grace and what now feels like peace.

We’ve decided she is exactly like her oldest sibling; if Lady had been the 4th in the family, I suspect her very Type A, independent, determined, sweet self would have been exactly like Squish. They also look pretty identical, and really just have the same personality traits. I predict Coralie will be an early reader, a fast learner, and a determined girl like Lady, but we shall see!

18 months to 21 months has been night and day for her; all of our relationships have flourished with her, even the kids. Her ability to talk more, and finding interest in specific things has truly helped her disposition. I feel like even though we have always known her, we are finally getting a peak at what’s been inside those beautiful blue eyes for the last 20 months, or maybe we are just starting to listen? Either way, it is a blessing!

It is funny to watch how she interacts with each of her siblings: Lady she considers her care taker. She helps with Squish’s bath, getting her dressed, taking her downstairs to play, totting outside, sliding, and reaching things. Mister she sees as her playmate; they are silly together, romp, play silly games, get LOUD, shoot guns, and snuggle. The Miss … well, we are working on that dynamic, because the last several months have been all competition! Miss is learning to help care for Squish, and take some responsibility like the older 2, which I think is helping with how she sees Coralie. They both consider themselves the baby, and it is hard on them to share space, attention, and favorite items, but I feel like things are getting easier.

Overall, I am excited for this new phase with Squish!

just one of the gang, watching duckling splish splash

Schedule

So far Baby #4 is still on a one nap schedule- usually she goes down for nap abut 12-12:15, and gets up at 3:00.

So her days look like this:

7am wake, snuggles, breakfast
playtime/workout with mama time
read school books with us in mama’s room
independent play while we do table work, sometimes a snack first
11:15/11:30 lunch
12:00/12:15 nap
3:00 up from nap, snack
5:30/6pm dinner
6:40 bedtime

She is drinking out of a straw sippy, and Thermos brand sippy cups. She enjoys eating some things with a spoon, and I often let her do the last bite of messier foods with a spoon, everything else she eats with her fingers. Her favorite foods are … pretty much everything! We discovered this winter that she has a cashew allergy, and thus probably has a pistachio allergy. She reacts to the oils and the actual cashew nut; it also appears when she has too much peanut butter she reacts? So we are playing that one safe and avoid peanut butter for her most of the time.

She has recently graduated from her Zipadee Zip to a regular sleep sack. I thought this might lead to thumb sucking, since she sucked on the sleeve of all her zipadees and swaddles, but so far I think we are thumb-sucking free!

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!

Homeschool Spelling That Sticks! {with Memoria Press, a review}

by Meghan // April 11, 2018 // Comments off

Memoria Press has been a favorite curriculum in our home; we have enjoyed their Latin program. These last several weeks we’ve been using their Traditional Spelling II with great success and enjoyment! Memoria Press is a Classical Christian Education company that offers beautiful classical curricula and resources- they’re very well known in most homeschool circles.

All of my kids write notes and stories, or make books and cards what seems like all. day. long. Lady has been ready for more spelling focus in language arts, but because of a few struggles we needed something that included word study, application, and more intention on MY part. She is a vivacious reader, words and vocabulary are her jam, but at 7.5 years old, spelling … not so much! Piecing together ideas for practicing to go with other spelling programs just hasn’t cut it for us. That’s where Traditional Spelling II comes in!

Traditional Spelling II

This is a phonics based spelling program; it’s different than other spelling programs I’ve looked at or used. For us, Traditional Spelling II has taken exactly what we needed (phonics, routine/schedule, & activities) and applied it to spelling. Lessons include definitions, riddles, dictation, application, and color coding parts of words to create understanding of what one sees and hears to build the skill of spelling. It is to be used after a child has foundations in phonics/reading, and is for the grade 1, 2, 3 student. If you have used Memoria Press’s reading program, you probably alreday have some of the 4 required resources.

Included in our review are all required resources for Traditional Spelling II:

Phonics Flashcards
Classical Phonics Book
Spelling Practice Sheets
Student book (to be use with one student)
Teacher manual

Just copying spelling words isn’t usually enough for most students; just as reading is so important for spelling ability, so is using and manipulating words, breaking them down and building them back like a puzzle, seeing the patterns, and practicing the vowel/consonant teams. This process which is used by Memoria Press is a multi-method approach to learning that is appropriate for young students-by using colors, dictation, riddles, and the other many word study activities, children learn using many methods of encoding!

How We Use It & What We Think

First- I cannot tell you how much we both look forward to our spelling lessons now, versus before. My daughter didn’t dread spelling before, it just didn’t stick, so she was disappointed when when couldn’t spell a words she knew she’d had in spelling. Knowing that each day we have activities laid out, ready and waiting on us, and helping my daughter encode at her level, has been a blessing for me. She enjoys the daily activities (some of which change weekly, keeping things consistent but fun), and it hits all areas of learning, allowing her to soak it all up.

Each Monday I begin by writing the words in sentences on the board, then we read them together and I go over their definitions (they will be used independently in sentences lasted in the week and thus students need to know the definitions). I pull out the phonics cards we need (card numbers are provided in the teacher’s manual for each lesson under “Teaching Overview“) and we talk about the sight words & spelling sounds, reading the words on the back of the cards that correlate with the sounds.

The Classical Phonics book is a great phonetic resource; Lady likes flipping through this on her own for more “studying.” I’ve also been using it with my 3.5 year old for learning letter sounds; she loves it and asks for it almost daily! But the suggested use is for reading the words found within the book which follow that week’s spelling rules to increase fluency. I can give Lady the page numbers and she is able to look them up herself and read to me, creating independence and building confidence!

Next we begin the daily activities. The teacher’s manual lays out everything I need to do or say, gives card numbers for the Phonics cards, and page numbers for the Classical Phonics book. The Guided Student Work activities from the teacher’s manual are often different each day; these are done on days 1 & 2 and include riddles, filling in blanks of words, and other word practices offered each day. I either write them on my board or say them aloud and Lady writes the answer on her dry erase board.

The Teacher’s Manual is NOT overwhelming; what the teacher says is not paragraph after paragraph of mundane script. It is simple, to the point, consistent, fun, and EASY. The TM is only about as thick as the Student Book, so there is no extra “stuff” or script weighing down my part. I love this because scripted lessons can often feel boring and dry, but these definitely aren’t!

Each day after guided practice with me, she begins her student book activities which include: word sort under phonics focus (day 1), a fun/new word activity, plus the Colorful Letters activity (day 2), reading a paragraph and completing sentences (day 3), dictation word and sentence practice (day 4), and day 5 is the final “test.” Some weeks have different activities for Day 2, separate from the Colorful Letters activity- unscrambling, alphabetical order, sorting by syllables, circling word parts, etc. The various ways she uses the words keeps her interest and increases her ability to write them correctly. The other days’ activities are consistently the same, allowing more practice for important skills in encoding.

We have been using the practice sheets as part of our handwriting/copywork. Lady is OBSESSED with cursive writing, so her student book having the cursive form of the words is a huge PLUS. She really likes to write the words in alphabetical order on her practice sheets, then write them in cursive- great meaningful practice (and all her idea).

This isn’t a “write the words, take a test on Friday, and forget it next week” program. The lessons are fairly short, holding Lady’s attention, while also being intentional about how we spend our time.

I don’t want to fill our days with meaningless busywork- we need time for read alouds, tea parties, and playing in the dirt; raising chickens, and playing with baby farm animals. Short, focused lessons mean that we have more time to do all the other things we need to, and especially the things we want. I never considered spelling particularly fun in school, it was just something we did. But with Traditional Spelling II I feel like we have a purpose for spelling each week. The word study and a colorful letters portions really help us see the parts of words without too much “stuff,” required.

There are several other programs The Crew has been reviewing, you can see them on Memoria’s website here:

Connect with Memoria Press:

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!

Homeschool Weekly Wrap-Up {April 7th}

by Meghan // April 8, 2018 // Comments off

The last 2 weeks we’ve spent our days adjusting our routine. I think I’ve said it before … at least I’ve thought it-vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors make reading aloud SO. HARD. I feel like I am yelling over a toddler the entire time. At this stage everyone fusses over my lap, so we’ve moved our reading aloud to my room, on the big king sized bed where they can spread out and hear me better.

Our new routine involves mama tending to the farm chores before the kids wake, getting her workout in after breakfast ,and brain warm-ups for all the kids! Day light savings really threw me for a loop this year as far as waking early goes. I am finally getting used to it. I strive for my mornings to look like this:

5:30/6am- mama wakes, breakfast for the hubs, pack his lunch, coffee with him before he leaves
tend to meat chicks & LGD pup outside
Jesus devotional & coffee with my Help Club for Moms book
Prep Breakfast
7am Kids up, eat, morning basket
Kid chores and 7yo practice violin- dishwasher, waste baskets, laundry, pick up floors if not done night before
8:15/8:30 Mama works out, kid brain warm-ups (videos on youtube for crossing midline)
9:00 Begin read alouds in my room
9:30/9:45 begin table work- each day includes Reading/LArts for each child, math, handwriting/copy work We do other activities on various days, looping them (Latin, Apologia Science we are reviewing, art, messy play, game school)
During that time, the tot (20 months) goes to independent play in her room, and after the 3yo has done school along with us for a while, she also goes to IP
11:30 Lunch
12:15 Tot’s nap, others play outside
12:45 Preschooler’s nap
1:30 5yo naps, 7yo rest time or time with mama
3:00 everyone up from naps-play outside, nature study, handicrafts of their choice
5:30 dinner
This time of year, depending on what daddy is doing outside after work and how everyone napped, we are outside after dinner then come in for baths and wind down. We’ve been spending several evenings a week at the table coloring, doing more learning time (science, or new spelling, writing letters, practicing cursive, etc). I LOVE this time because it brings Daddy into our homeschool setting for just a snippet, allowing the kids to tell him all about what they’re learning, show him new skills, inviting him into their world.

**Some evenings are spent folding laundry as a family while watching Create TV on PBS-Martha Bakes, This old House, Lydia, America’s Test Kitchen, etc. They are our favorites! We have pretty much written off all the mind numbingly ridiculous kids shows on Netflix & Amazon. They truly hurt my brain- We are already very picky about what our kids take in (supposedly targeted for kids … targeted being the key word here) but even the appropriate shows are just stupid. These days our shows consist of Mr. Rogers, Reading Rainbow, and sometimes the book adaptations of If You Give a Mouse, or The Snowy Day, or nature shows. Nothing else seems worth our time or brain cells. (If you have any suggestions for quality kid shows that aren’t “twaddle,” please share in the comments!) The amount of content out there that you really wouldn’t want your kids seeing really seems to be overwhelming these days but at least parents have access to more information than ever on how to combat this harmful material being consumed by their children.

Our studies this week have included:

David and Saul in the Bible
each day we read The Little Island– focusing on narration and seasons (3yo loooves this living book!)
read The Apple and The Arrow from our Sonlight Core A, and our missionary stories from The Good News Must Go Out
commas in a series, writing sentences, list making and narrating an item from that list (from The Good and The Beautiful LA), spelling from our new Memoria Press (for review), handwriting letter review (5yo),
naming and measuring line segments using linking cubes, writing numbers, skip counting (5yo)
handicrafts- my daughter is finishing a bag for her co-op sewing class, all of the kids are really into card making, and other paper crafts. We made crowns this week
All About Reading level 1-beginning and ending blends, read stories from reader (5yo)
the 3yo is learning her letter sounds, enjoys Starfall 1 day a week, and literally writes and draws all day long
Science right now is coming from Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Anatomy & Physiology We are loving this just as much as their Astronomy, and I will have a review on that very soon!

In between lessons we have planned special plants for our garden, played outside, studied the bees collecting pollen, taken nature walks in the woods, and observed the changes that come with SPRING! (though this morning we have played in SNOW, and made snow cream … Because winter just doesn’t want to leave us!)

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!

Teaching Cursive with a Young Struggling Writer {a review & coupon code}

by Meghan // March 8, 2018 // Comments off

For at least a year my 7 year old (and oldest) daughter has been begging to learn cursive! Her daily handwriting book transitions to cursive later this school year, and she has been so excited to start. Practicing cursive on her own from what she has seen in every day life, she has learned to write her name, and a few others as well, so it only seemed natural to jump at the chance to review CursiveLogic. As part of our review we used the CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack and The Art of Cursive coloring book.

This multi-sensory approach to learning cursive is so easy and common-sense I was asking myself why we didn’t learn this way when I was a child?! As a homeschooling mama I find it easy to teach, and absolutely no fuss- no extra supplies, no clutter to add to our already overflowing shelves of manipulatives. Everything you need to teach a child cursive writing comes in one simple Quick-Start Pack.

About CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack

The CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack is an easy to use and easy to teach cursive program based on 4 letter “strings.” Similarly shaped letters are grouped together in “strings,” which means that connecting those strings comes more naturally! No more dry, tedious practice of repeating individual letters over and over for weeks on end before learning to really write in cursive. If done at the pace recommended, students are writing real words the first week! The program is designed in such a way that with 1:1 instruction, children can complete lessons much more quickly if they’d like, or more slowly (like we’ve done) to fit their needs without getting bored, frustrated, or losing momentum. Regardless of what pace you choose, students are successful at writing and connecting cursive letters from the very beginning!

Included in the CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack is:

one CursiveLogic workbook
access to an instructional webinar (active for 6 months after time of purchase)

The workbook is spiral bound at the top allowing both right and left handed students to use it with ease. Lower case lessons are found on the front of each page, and upon coming to the end, students simply flip the book over working back through the book on reverse pages. The design is genius, and my daughter was thrilled to tell her daddy all about how she gets to “flip it over to keep going!”

There are a few resource/informational pages in the first section of the workbook, which allowed us to go over the fundamentals of preparing for cursive writing and each time we need a refresher-so easy for student and teacher. The instructions are clear, the pages are crisp and of very high quality making writing on them an experience in itself. (Um … journaling, paper, and pen nerd here!)

The webinar is for the teacher (or perhaps a much older student that is self directed?) to learn the method of CursiveLogic and how to teach it. This is a very specific method, and is much different from how most of us learned cursive writing. As I mentioned, the method itself is based on learning 4 strings of 6 lower case letters at a time, their pattern, and the catch phrase which is associated with it. Each string has its own color which helps visually when learning, and the repetition of the catch phrase helps make students of all learning types successful at cursive writing! This is a multi-sensory approach to writing; and let me tell you- if you have a a child with a learning difficulty that affects their writing, (or a child that learns outside of the typical tracing/copying/video based learning) this may be just the program for your family! Cursive letters come later in the course, making the transition from lowercase to uppercase seamless.

At just over 45 minutes, the webinar holds all the wisdom to be had when teaching cursive, and using CursiveLogic to do so. This was a very quick and fun, yet important, part of the program. I watched it before we began, and have viewed sections several times before lessons. This really pulled the method and idea of the program together for me, making it easy and natural to teach my 7 year old.

How We Used CursiveLogic

Almost 2 years ago we noticed a few things that seemed off about her learning & writing, so with much investigation and prayer, we took our daughter in for an occupational therapy evaluation which led us to a developmental ophthalmologist. It was one of the very best things we’ve ever done for her, and while the journey has been long and will be part of our life for a while to come, it opened our eyes greatly to a few struggles she is experiencing. One of those struggles includes writing due to a very complicated vision dysfunction diagnosis she received last year. This dysfunction makes it difficult for her to read and write the way most people can.

Her handwriting alone has been a true personal struggle, a point of frustration for her because she is a perfectionist who leans towards anxiety. I have to give a lot of reassurance that her work is her best effort, and that’s what matters-not how perfect it is. Printing and spacing take so much concentrated effort for her that she often forgets what she is writing, as forming letters and numbers don’t come with ease, even after years of practice.

*Insert CursiveLogic here*

CursiveLogic has *truly* changed how she sees writing, how she feels about writing. The process itself has been a learning curve, she is only 7 and has been writing in print since she was 3 or 4. But despite the learning curve, CursiveLogic has come more naturally than print ever did. I asked her today if learning cursive has been easy or hard compared to learning print, her response was, “It isn’t harder … but it is much more fun!” (and let me tell you, as her mama and teacher, it has been easier!)

Tracing each letter string with her finger, then pencil, while repeating the catch phrase that correlates to that string has helped her handwriting tremendously! Learning in strings that are all similar shapes has increased muscle memory, which for her at this time, has not happened with print. I can only imagine that learning cursive the “old” way would have caused her more frustration & built a road block to learning- but not with CursiveLogic!

As a *rule follower* she took the instructions in the workbook very seriously- they are so helpful and clear; she is careful to watch her arm in alignment with the edge of the page, keep her posture, and works on relaxing her hand. These are all things that take a determined effort for her, and while they frustrated her when printing, she has found them a support when writing in cursive. She feels successful and excited to write!

Each day she asks if she can do cursive- it is a reward for after we have completed other work. CursiveLogic has made the process of learning cursive so simple for an otherwise struggling writer. We have taken it slowly with this program, because I was concerned about handwriting and her frustration/anxiety. She hasn’t become overwhelmed at all, and is always eager to get to the parts of the lesson where she uses her pencil. I watch the parts of the webinar for that day’s lesson if I feel I need a refresher, show her what we are doing, and then we work together.

I am very proud of her and the progress she has made, her new found confidence in writing, and thankful for CursiveLogic!

I would absolutely recommend this program for a typical learner, or a struggling learner/writer. The multi-sensory approach to writing cursive makes it attractive to all learning styles, and more effective. Because she was able to start right away forming “strings” and shortly there after words, she felt successful from the start. Using colors and auditory cues to help remember certain formations has also helped with muscle memory- no road blocks here! Every time we get ready for a cursive lesson, there is excitement! We will be writing spelling words in cursive soon, and I can’t wait to share that progress with you. (I will have before and after photos later today when my wordpress cooperates.)

The Art of Cursive

~Calling all fountain pen lovers~ (Yes, that would be me … Oh, and markers, too!)

The Art of Cursive is an absolutely gorgeous coloring book intended for adults or for a student who has completed the program. This coloring book includes 4 lessons (perhaps as a refresher?), is intricate, and will not disappoint. I know many adults who love to color and also work on their handwriting for journaling and scrapbooking- this is a perfect gift idea for them! I promised my daughter we could do it together after she has finished her cursive writing workbook. I have never, ever had beautiful handwriting so I am excited to work in The Art of Cursive to improve my hand.

The pages are thick- perfect for inks, markers, or pencils. I imagine blending markers would be great on these pages as well.

Quick-Start Pack Coupon Code

Using the code CREW2018, you can save 20% on the Quick-Start Pack, which is the webinar + workbook combo. The code will be active through the end of March. Go ahead and get it for next year’s use, or start now! This would also be a great summer activity/program for students to work through on those hot afternoons during rest or quiet time. Encouraging beautiful penmanship can build confidence and creates an entirely new outlet for young people’s creativity.

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Bird Watching {Nature Study for the New Year}

by Meghan // March 1, 2018 // Comments off

This winter (Mostly Jan-Feb) has been bitterly cold on the farm. Between the ice and wind, we have been inside with very little nature study in our school days. When My Dad sent the kids a see through, window mounted bird feeder as a little Valentine special, we were all so excited!

We spend our mornings at a big table my husband made, eating breakfast, reading Bible stories, reciting poems, listening to hymns, and singing little finger play songs (surprisingly my oldest 2 enjoy the songs and nursery rhymes along with their youngest sisters). Now, we get watch birds eat right at our big window!

This may be one of my favorite gifts we have ever received, and oooh how it enriches our homeschool days! It will be fun to add in bird watching with our nature studies, right from our breakfast table. We’ve already had a few different visitors perch and enjoy their seed. And the kids are loving the idea of comparing these birds to other ones in other regions. We’ve had a look at some of the more tropical birds like Toucans after deciding to check out Costa Rica Focus, and the burgeoning birdwatchers are keen to see them up close. Maybe one day!

Part of our nature study this spring will include some beautiful field guides I got the kids this fall-I chose guides from the National Wildlife Federation Field Guide series. I could sit and stare at the pictures in these guides all day long. My oldest pours over books like field guides, and her younger siblings are following suit. I plan to rearrange some nature and science books for spring in the coming weeks, so these are moving from our science book shelf, to the science basket near our bird watching window. 🙂

This week I am so thankful to be thawing out, and have birds to watch, I could care less about the formalities of nature study! Haha but, I am excited to get back into the routine of it.

(As a side note, the bird feeder is very well made, sturdy, and we have had No problems with it mounting to the window. Even in crazy high winds, the feeder stays put! I followed the directions that came in the box for cleaning the window, dampening suction cups, etc, before mounting.)

How does your family nature study? What will you be studying this spring?

Using The Starfall Home Membership in our Homeschool {an honest review}

by Meghan // February 27, 2018 // Comments off

We have enjoyed learning games from Starfall Education Foundation for many years. The last several weeks we have had a chance to use The Starfall Home Membership which offers even MORE wonderful math tools and phonemic exploration for children learning to read, learn early math skills, and sing nursery rhymes.

This has probably been one of our favorite products to review that all my children can use. Even my 18 month old can use the app, but because I don’t yet give her screen time, she enjoys singing and dancing to the songs and rhymes with her 3 older siblings as they learn through games and play.

About The Starfall Home Membership

Starfall is a publicly supported non-profit organization that offers free and low cost learning experiences for children via their website and apps. We have been using Starfall since my oldest was a toddler; my mother is a veteran school teacher of over 20 years, and when she introduced me to Starfall 6 years ago, I knew it was amazing! The Starfall Home Membership not only supports a noble organization, as they are constantly updating & expanding content in their apps/programs thanks to members, it offers even more quality resources to families. (Your $35 membership is also tax deductible!)

The Starfall Home Membership is one account for use by immediate family (including grandparents) for one year. One email and password is all your family needs to authorize all your computers and mobile devices. It can be used in a web browser, or via the Starfall App (this is how we use it the most, as my children do not yet get a lot of computer time).

Below are only a few of the many activities included with The Starfall Home Membership:

ABC rhyme’s
Historical American Folk Songs
48 Nursery Rhyme songs (in the form of a playlist, which can be shuffled, or played continuously in the app!)
seasonal songs and activities
more math songs
identifying colors activities
SO many more 2nd grade level activities in both language arts and math (too many to name them all)

In all, there are nearly 1,000 activities that can be accessed when you purchase The Starfall Home Membership! There are many ways for your children to grow in both language, math, and critical thinking skills with Starfall when you join. I am really kicking myself for not having joined sooner; I can imagine number sense and math in general would have been much smoother for my very analytical thinking child, had I used all that Starfall offers! She is now 7 years old, enjoys using Starfall for math practice, as well as the folk songs and reading stories from the I’m Reading section. She soaks up everything she can about cultures and history, so the Greek Myths, Folk Tales, and Chinese Fables are favorites.

My now 5 year old is a very bright boy, who loves to read and do math. Starfall’s learning games have allowed him to expand his mathematical thinking far beyond where we are in our homeschool math curriculum, making those concepts easier for him to grow on later. They are simple, yet challenging and *very* developmentally appropriate, all while being effective. We all know boys typically enjoy learning through games and activity, so Starfall is perfect for my son! The number sense activities allow him to see the digits, as well as the amount they represent, ideal for visual learners.

A few days a week, while I am schooling with my older children, my 3 year old sits next to me and uses the app for her “learning time.” She has already learned so much about sorting letters, their sounds, capital and lower case, counting, and 1:1 correspondence with Starfall! It is something she (and I) looks forward to, and I can feel 100% certain she is “safe” while using The Starfall Home Membership. There is much to be said for peace of mind when handing a small child a device, especially when it involves education.

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On top of all this, Starfall Education Foundation‘s website offers a Starfall Parent-Teacher Center FULL of helpful teaching and learning tools. I found guides for using Pre-K through 2nd grade levels with outlines for using both the free program, and the expanded content for members. There is a plethora of resources that support the concepts learned within The Starfall Home Membership.

In the printable downloads sections there are language, writing, and math resources which include: printable books, writing prompts, crossword puzzles and other phonemic activities, grammar and parts of speech activities, journaling, counting money, value, more and less than, and the list goes on! It is truly a treasure trove of resources that make learning fun and solidify those early learning concepts.

I am so thankful for Starfall Education Foundation. I am even more thankful for their option to become a member through The Starfall Home Membership, how they have helped my children grow, and develop confidence through play based learning.

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