DIY No Cook Play Dough

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

This is the easiest DIY play dough recipe I have ever made, and it is so soft! The play dough only has 3 ingredients that you are sure to have on hand.

This winter has been so frigidly cold, we’re in need other ways to meet all the kids’ sensory needs, so I am being more intentional this winter about sensory and messy play with my 4 children. Usually, all 4 are in the dirt, mud, flower beds, mixing flowers and leaves in buckets, and running barefooted.

Play dough can double as a good heavy work activity for children that need help self regulating, as well.

We like adding essential oils to our play dough for an added calming affect. After they explore with just the dough for a while, I let them have their rolling pins, dough stamps, and other tools. I also like to have them divide the dough into 10 balls, set up like a ten frame, then we do some hands on math!

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Top Educational Toys for Toddlers-PreK

by Meghan // December 21, 2017 // Comments off

*original post May 2013, updated*

I am a teacher by trade, and a mama by … everything else. =) My husband and I try to keep educational/classic toys and books in our home, avoiding twaddle, and “junk” toys.

A fellow homeschooling (and dear) friend, and a few other readers have asked me what we use for toys in our house (I think my reputation for a toy nazi must precede me?!). So I thought I would make an easy list of educational and fun learning toys that we enjoy or wish we had to enjoy.

These have really been a blessing in our home and homeschool- I know that seems ridiculous to say about “toys,” things that are material. But they have really helped Lexie learn so much, often times on her own, or through questioning me. Many things were gifts or bought with gift money from family and friends. We are very grateful for their love and support.

This is a list that excludes puzzles, books, baby dolls, and toy trucks, etc-the general toys kids have aren’t on here. I will do another post on those recommendations. But I don’t think you would generally find many of these items in most homes.

These are not in a particular order, except the first one. All the others Lexie plays with equally as much or in conjunction with the Magna Tiles. haha

1. Magna Tiles! You probably saw my post. They are an investment … I know; I was nervous clicking the checkout button. BUT, they’re amazing learning fun! Last time I talked about them on here (the light table post) I wasn’t kidding about grabbing them for $120 with free shipping and the free book promotion. That is no longer available, two weeks later. I scoped theses things out for weeks to get that deal; but it sells out quickly.

2. Sorting bears– she loves them. And they are great for her to play with during independent play. They are good for learning and imaginative play-this set comes in 3 different sizes. We read the three bears and then I introduced them. She plays with them several days a week (if you get them, be sure to get the set with 3 sizes like the one in the link)

3. These basic pattern blocks get used ALL the time, for all different things. They also make the pattern block cards that go with them, to use for more instruction type learning/play. My younger children love using the pattern block cards independently while I school with my olders.

4. Unifix Cubes, or some sort of snapping cube. Unifix cubes are great for building, sorting, counting, and learning about number sense, etc. They’re a great math manipulative! I linked to the 500 count set because 100 isn’t really enough. When you get into complicated math down the road (multiplication, division, fractions) you will need more than 100 to compare amounts, makes graphs, etc. So I’d suggest the larger set if you are able (Especially if you will have more than one child using them at a time)

5. This letter construction set is Ah-MAZING. I think I paid $25 w shipping (we have amazon prime, it’s worth it just for the shipping on Christmas gifts for family, alone!) The set is a little more now. The set is very strong, the pieces are big and wide so they’re easy for little hands to manipulate, and it’s fun.

This wasn’t a toy Lexie just jumped into- I let her explore with them first, then when she asked, I showed her what they were really for. Now, a few years later, all of my children enjoy this set.

6. The Thomas Wooden Railway. She loves it and uses it all the time. We got the wooden one, and the wooden trains to go with it (we only have a few, but she seems happy with that for now). I thought she would get frustrated with it, because the tracks have to be put together a certain way, unless you have enough track pieces then it doesn’t matter. But she doesn’t. She just pretends, takes it apart, can almost get it back together correctly… but often she plays with the trains without the tracks. **All 4 children now enjoy this train set, playing with the train tracks, and the trains. One of the first sounds baby #4 learned was “choo choo”

7. this shape sorter wooden clock by Melissa and Doug. I know- it looks simple but it has seriously been on her table in the living room for over a year, and she plays with it almost daily. We have used it for numbers, colors, and shapes.

8. Lexie learned her letters and letter sounds with foam bath letters and numbers like these (they were a gift for her first bday, I have no clue what brand ours are. But they are a nice thick foam made for the bath tub, though they’ve never been in the tub…)

She lines them up, sorts them by color, stands them up (that takes some time and focus!) She still plays with them regularly. They are one of the toys I don’t really rotate out. Our set came with numbers as well. This is also how she learned her numbers. I would just point to the letter/number and tell her its name and the sound it made. Sometimes the most simple things are so great for learning! She has done the same with her younger siblings, teaching them on her own.

9. A small dry erase board and dry erase markers– my mom brought one for the trip from Memphis to NE when we moved. Bug really likes it, but it isn’t something I let her have all the time (we are learning not to bang the marker on the board….) The board is a small 12 x 12 board, great for playing, and learning to write. The one linked has both a lined side, and a blank side; so as children develop their writing skills they can use the lined side. We enjoy ours so far!

10. Her doll house– it is the fisher price loving family dollhouse, I had when I was a kid. She plays with it all the time, and we play with it together.

11. water beads– you may have seen my post. Cheap and fun (and they come in colors, too)! They aren’t something we do every day, or even every week. But Lexie LOVES them! I think we may cover them in shaving cream for some extra sensory fun in the next few days.

12. Magnets– So much fun, so much learning and exploring.

13. Lacing cards– we have a few different sets of these from friends and family. My kids use them often, they are something fun to do together as well. They pretend to sew, knit, and crochet like mama. Great for fine motor, critical thinking, and hand eye coordination.

14. Melissa and Doug Buckets– we have a few different versions of these- they are all VERY well loved, and have held up so to much ~~abuse~~ play. Living on a farm, outside toys like buckets get used on an almost daily basis and these have no disappointed! This is one toy that we can’t really have too many of.

15. ABC Bean Bags– I cannot count the ways we use these bean bags! One way, is by throwing them into those buckets I posted above. These have been so much fun for all ages in our home (7 down to baby). We toss, stack, count, hide, and tote around these bean bags daily. We also like our shapes bean bags and I plan to get the number bean bags eventually.

So, there are my top toys for toddlers through PreK children. Of course always supervise your young children with any toy.

*This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my site! I was not paid or compensated in anyway for these opinions; they are my own.

Gingerbread Play Dough

by Meghan // December 6, 2017 // Comments off

I have been looking at a lot of different crafts for the kids and I to do together. I came across a recipe for salt dough, which is a homemade play dough. I had planned on trying it, then today my mom sent me a similar recipe, but there were two differences: 1) her recipe was for GINGERBREAD play dough and 2) it used fewer ingredients than the recipe I had.

Gingerbread Salt Dough

You will need:

1c flour
1/2c salt
cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, etc to desired smell/color
2tsp cream of tartar
1c water
1tsp veg oil
essential oils of your choosing

Just as in baking, mix all your dry ingredients together- the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and spices. The spices are just for a great gingerbread smell and color.
In a separate bowl, mix the water and oil
Add water-oil mixture with your dry ingredients in a small/med pan.
Cook mixture over low/med heat for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. WARNING-it becomes thick quickly.
You will know it’s done when it starts to pull away from the sides and bottom of the pan.
When it’s done, knead on the counter until it is nice and smooth.
*don’t forget the cookie cutters and rolling pin!*

This is the best and easiest play dough recipe I have found. When the holidays are over, exclude the seasonings and add regular food coloring for year-round fun!

——————
(Original post Dec 2011)
Here is Lady (15 months old) playing with play dough for the first time:

She was really only interested in the cookie cutters at first .. and yes she arranged them in size order?

” Hrm .. maybe I will touch it a little”

She did not like the texture of the dough at the beginning.

More with the cookie cutters ..

Then I made her name out of the play dough and she liked it! Her favorite letter from her name is “i,” so she enjoyed playing with the “ball” on the “i.” When I spell her name out loud, it goes something like this:
Me- “l, e, x
her- “I!! I!!! I!!! I!”
Me-E
her- “LEXIE!”

It’s a lot of fun! So, our first go at play dough was a success. There were a few snacking attempts, but overall she did really well! This has made me less fearful of doing more crafts and activities with her, for sure!

Try it out with your little one!

What are some of your children’s favorite activities, crafts, etc to pass the time and learn?

Mess Free Kids Paints {Kwik Stix Thin Stix- a review}

by Meghan // November 7, 2017 // Comments off

As any regular reader knows, we *love*The Pencil Grip, Inc., and their products! We have reviewed Kwik Stix before, but this time we are sharing our love for their Thin Stix Creativity Pack. These tempera paint sticks are quick, easy, and allow limitless creativity for your children (and you, too!).

The Creativity Pack has 24 vibrant colors, including the Kwik Stix bright and metallics-these are our favorite colors to use. You will also find, Thin Stix are non-toxic, as well as nut, egg, and gluten free! This means if you have a child that puts everything in their mouth, or “paints” their fingers, toes, and lips (like my 3 year old…), you can feel confident that they aren’t getting toxins or a common allergen in their mouth, or on their skin.

What Are Thin Stix, and How We Use Them

Kwik Stix Thin Stix are a solid tempera paint, in a stick; These are mess free and 100% washable. There are NO cups, brushes, smocks, or spills! You use Kwik Stix just like you would a marker or glue stick- remove the lid, twist the paint up, and start creating. They really do dry in 90 seconds with no smudges, or sticking, and we have never had them stain our skin or clothing.

Thin Stix are much thinner than original Kwik Stix. These are taller and thinner, allowing more precision and detail on smaller surfaces, or in smaller spaces. They’re recommended for ages 3+, and trust me when I say children and adults of all ages will enjoy these paints! My children are 7, 5, 3, and 1; the baby doesn’t use them yet, because she would just eat them, but the others all love our Thin Stix.

I like that you can blend the colors before they dry, and layer them for even darker shades. The thinness of the paints in this set allows ease for writing and making details pop. The paint goes on so smoothly- in a satisfying, buttery-smooth kind of way. The metallics give just the right amount of “sparkle” to your project, and the bright colors are super neon! So much fun!

Uses

The uses for Thin Stix are really endless. My children are small, so we use them for creative fun on paper the most. It is *so* easy for this mama to whip out our art tote with all the Kwik Stix in it and let the kids go to town creating. My favorite on cold mornings is to let my kids paint and create after breakfast, before we begin our school day.

We have used Kwik Stix:

on plaster and paper mache projects
to create pictures
make thank you cards
create illustrations for homemade books and journals
to decorate poster board signs, banners
in coloring books
to mark answers on school work
marking bingo and other games
finger and hands print carfts
decorating pumpkins

You can use the Thin Stix Creativity Pack on just about any surface- if you can paint it, you can use Thin Stix on it- paper, poster board, wood, plaster, food (haha), canvas, and fabric- sometimes you may need to seal with a sealant if your project will be exposed to rain/the elements.

I really like that Thin Stix are developmentally appropriate for small children learning to hold writing/art tools, can be used at an easel, and are so easy to clean up! With 4 small children at home, a simple painting activity has to be planned in advanced with lots of room for messes- but not with Kwik Stix!

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Fall Days 2017 {Simple Woman’s Daybook 35}

by Meghan // November 6, 2017 // Comments off

Outside my Window …
The sun is coming up, it is cool and crisp. The dogs are laying in the freshly pulled-up garden, and the chickens are pecking around.

I am thinking…
Today is going to be a good day!

I am thankful…
for my husband, his hard work and love for us, this fall weather, the fire in the fireplace, and snuggles with my babies.

In the kitchen…
Coffee.

I am wearing…
jeans and a shirt with my hair in a towel. Had to get started before getting the kids up today.

I am creating…
well, I started cutting and taping a pattern yesterday, but the actual creating has not yet taken place. =P

I am going…
to snuggle and read to my kids, send them out to play, then get some learning time done. We have violin and vision therapy today, so our afternoon will be spent out of the house.

I am wondering…
how in the world my sweet girl has been able to see to read so well for so long. I can’t even imagine what it has been like for her; so thankful we have found someone to help us get through her vision dysfunction and get both eyes working.

I am reading…
The Wise Woman Knows Bible study.

I am hoping…
to have a calm and fun week.

I am looking forward to…
this beautiful day! Finally clear skies after a week of cold, drizzly, foggy days (which were actually nice to have, but just ready for some sun). I love homeschool because we can spend so much time outdoors, walking, reading, playing, and just being.

Sweet slow days are so meaningful.

I am learning…
how incredibly complex and multifaceted the human body really is.

Around the house…
we are suddenly overflowing with books again! I need to swap some of them out for fall and winter books from my shelves downstairs.

A favorite quote for today…

Credit given HERE

One of my favorite things…
Coffee outside with my husband every morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
After today, just focus on reading with the kids, school, and being outside!

A peek into my day…

no pics today. =)

Fun Evangelism Tools for Kids {a review}

by Meghan // October 31, 2017 // Comments off

Happy Fall to everyone! We have been using and enjoying the Gospel Tracts and Evangelism Tools Sampler Pack from Let the Little Children Come. If you are involved in work with young children, you are going to want to check out these great little evangelism tools for kids!

These have been so much fun for my children; they’re ages 7, 5, 3 and 1. Obviously the baby hasn’t been using them much, but the older three have.

The Gospel Tracts and Evangelism Tools Sampler Pack includes 10 tracts for children to learn about Jesus and His love for them:

John 3:16 Animated Tract
Gospel Buttons Flip About
The Most Amazing House Pop-up Tract
Wordless Bracelet Kit
The True Story of Christmas Animated Tract
The Lost Easter Egg Pop-up Tract
John 3:16 Flip About
Silicone Salvation Bracelet
Where’s Everybody Going? Animated Tract
Wordless Book

Each of these items have continued discussions about salvation with my own children; I can only imagine how far a full set of one or two items could reach in a Sunday school class, sports team, etc. These are also perfect as Halloween bag goodies!

The pack comes with colorful, detailed instructions for each of the items, as well as a summary of how to use them. (The website also helps with what to say, how to use/present each tract, etc.)

The animated tracts are by far one of the favorites in our home; by sliding the black plastic sheet over the images in the book, the images move “like a movie,” as my daughter said. My children have spent countless hours using these animated tracts.

The flip abouts are definitely made for busy little hands and inquisitive minds! These are perfect for those that enjoy puzzles. My 7 year old find them fun and really enjoyed showing me how it is “so easy” to use, after I told her it was frustrating for me. I think of the flip abouts like a Gospel-speaking fidget toy!

Each of the tracts and flip abouts are the perfect size for little hands, children’s pockets, to use as bookmarks, and easy to carry in their favorite bag. I would also say they are durable and well made. They have survived a few weeks of constant use by 3 children on a farm- that says something!

The pop-up tracts are again, well made. The pages are thick enough to be durable, but the entire book is small enough to go anywhere in a tiny human’s hand. My 3 year old is especially entranced by the pop up images, and let me tell you, they are actually really neat little books! The images are detailed, informative, and simple enough for children to grasp the meaning of the message. I was impressed with the quality of the pop-ups themselves.

The wordless bracelet kit was lots of fun and so simple to make; perfect as an end of semester gift for a craft class at co-op. We made the bracelet together, and discussed the meaning of all the colors. This might be my favorite item from the sample pack. It will fit most wrists from age 3+ because of the adjustable sliding knot assembly (which is very easy!).

The colors on the bracelet’s beads can also be found on the silicone bracelet, and in the wordless book- again, another favorite by the 3 year old. Each of the colors in the wordless book pages represents the following:

Gold/yellow reminds us of heaven.
God wants us all to be with him in heaven.
The dark color/page reminds us of sin.
Because we have all sinned, we cannot get to heaven on our own.
Red reminds us of the blood of Jesus.
Jesus came to earth to take the punishment for our sins by dying on the cross.
The clean/white page reminds us that we can be made clean from sin by believing in Jesus.
When we believe in Jesus, we can have a relationship with God and will one day be with him in heaven.
Green reminds us of things that grow.
It is important that we grow in our relationship with Jesus.

This is a very simple explanation of the Gospel to plant the seed of knowing Jesus in the hear of children. My son was really interested in the bracelet and the colors of each of the beads.

The sampler pack has items that are just right for a large age range- from preschoolers to tweens. Another thought goes beyond children, to perhaps nursing and retirement homes, community centers, etc. I feel like everyone enjoys getting a little special from children, and these are a great way for children to give the Gospel to others, in a way that they can understand the work they are doing for the Lord.

The uses for any of the tools is really endless- I am thinking stocking stuffers, Christmas goodie-bag exchange, thank you’s for children working hard in a play/presentation at church, graduation goodies from a program, VBS awards, co-op classes, etc.

The Gospel Tracts and Evangelism Tools Sampler Pack has truly been a delight in our home. (And now, per the request of my 7 and 5 year olds, we have to spend a day researching & learning how exactly the animated tracts work …)

You can check out my review of Let the Little Children Come’s Is there Anything Better Than Candy? box tract here.

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Children’s Safety Scissors & Pencil Grips {a review}

by Meghan // October 18, 2017 // Comments off

Teaching a young child to cut with scissors can be a much dreaded task for any parent-my three year old has finally begun learning to cut paper with The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors from The Pencil Grip, Inc.. What a relief these scissors have been for this mama! We have also been using for review The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit with my 3 oldest children (7, 5, and 3). I also bought some scissors for myself from Office Monster so that I could use them with the children too!

The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors

The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors are truly a life saver for me- I don’t have to worry about my very adventurous 3 year old getting hurt or easily cutting herself, clothing, hair, etc with these scissors! We all know how quickly an accident can happen- especially with 3 year olds and and anything that cuts! But because the blades are encased in a *permanent* clear plastic cover, the chances of a quick slip, or clip, are much less likely.

The yellow lever between the handles allows the handle to spring up after being closed for cutting- GENIUS! Not only does this help little hands with that new fine motor skill, but it also provides some sensory feedback for children; whether they are just learning to cut or perhaps need the sensory input for other reasons, this is a great feature!

My preschooler is most likely left handed, though that is yet to be decided, and she did wonderfully with the scissors. I stepped aside to help big brother with something, and when I looked over she was cutting independently! Had this been my first born, I would have thought, “using kid scissors is no big deal,”- She had good fine motor skills, wonderful coordination, and was not much of a rule breaker in the cutting-things department. But the truth is, cutting is a BIG job for little hands and brains! With my third child, I see *so* much value in these safety scissors (and looking back wish I had them for my older 2)!

They are a useful school supply to have in your cupboard.

The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit

The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit contains 3 different grips for learning correct pencil grasp:

begin training with The Crossover Grip
then transition with The Pinch Grip
finally using The Pencil Grip once mastered

This actually worked out really well for us, because all of my children hold their pencils incorrectly *insert “doh!” face here* (see the bottom of this post for a chart of correct and incorrect pencil grasps) This may or may not be because their mother holds her pencil incorrectly, though I have taught them to hold it the right way … I guess we slip in to bad habits when we compensate for tiredness, etc.

The 3 year old probably has the best grip of them all, but my 5 year old son likes to hold his pencil like mama-on his ring finger … So using the Training or Transition Grips for him has been helpful. My oldest is somewhat of a sensory seeker so she really enjoys the feeling of the grip. And while working through vision therapy (for dysfunction that greatly affects her writing), we’ve found the grip she uses helps prevent her pressing so hard on the pencil, makes writing more comfortable, and helps remind her to hold her pencil correctly.

Each child loves the firm but squishy feeling of the grips, the smooth texture, and enjoys using them. As always, the grips are made of a great quality, and I know I can trust this company and their products.

We received a pencil grip during a previous review for Kwik Stix, and still enjoy using it in our home. We have loved all our products from The Pencil Grip Inc., and it is always a pleasure doing business with them.

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DIY Fall Nature Banner Handicraft {nature craft}

by Meghan // October 3, 2017 // Comments off

This last week in one of our co-op classes we had SO much fun making a DIY fall nature banner. The timing was uncanny! A few weeks ago, we came across a PVC banner printing that we thought was just amazing. So when we found out that we were doing banners, I was extra excited! I wanted to share with you what we did, so you can do it at home as well!

This could be adapted for spring, Christmas, summer … any season or occasion really. I would say it is an appropriate activity for ages 2+; a 2-5 year old may need extra assistance with the mallet, obviously. My 5yo son was able to do most of the hammering himself, he did get tired once or twice, so I would hammer and give his arms a break.

diy fall nature banner handicraft #charlottemason #naturestudy #handicraft #homeschool

First you will need to gather supplies:

thin fabric such as a light, thin linen or muslin
leaves, buds, flowers, grasses from nature
rubber mallet or hammer
tarp or cardboard (for laying everything on before hammering)
3 hole punch or knife (we use a 3 hole punch so the kids could do it, and the holes would be evenly spaced)
twine for stringing
small piece of clear tape (for taping the end of the twine so it doesn’t unravel)
decorative leaves/acorns/etc from craft store that you may want to add
hot glue gun

You can either punch your holes before or after hammering, that is up to you. We did it afterwards.

gather leaves, flowers, buds, & grasses of all different colors-the brighter the better!
cut fabric into neat triangles (print a triangle template the size you want). You can do this by hand if you’d like or if you’re planning to make quite a big garland, I’d recommend looking into the best fabric cutting machines for precise cuttings. It’ll be a lot quicker than cutting it free hand too.
warm up your hot glue gun if adding decorations
lay out your tarp or cardboard, the harder the surface the better the colors will come out of the leaves and flowers. So maybe on top of concrete or a garage floor would be good.
place leaves and flowers *under* your fabric triangles
use the mallet or hammer to bang away!
leave the bits of leaves and petals on the fabric, once they dry they are easy to roll off
using a 3 hole punch, place the triangle, top edge in, under 2 of the holes and punch on each triangle
cut your twine. For 4 triangles, we cut twine 36″ long, you would need more if you do a longer banner.
wrap scotch tape around one end of the twine, for weaving through the holes
weave twine through the holes, then tie a knot on each end
*IF* you want added decorations, hot glue them onto the banner now
Hang and enjoy!

Some of the students really liked using a hammer better; it does give a lot of bang for your buck. The rubber mallet covers more area, so for smaller/younger students, the mallet made the job a bit easier/less tiring.

I want to give a shout out to our wonderful “Maker’s Space” class teacher. This is one of my favorite activities we have ever done in our homeschool! It was so enjoyable, and simple to do. I look forward to doing it at home with all my kids, another season.

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!

Song of the Wind {violin} WW

by Meghan // September 20, 2017 // Comments off

She is just learning a new song on the violin, and was SO excited when she got the fingers down on this one.

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Children’s History Book Series You Must Try! { a review}

by Meghan // September 13, 2017 // Comments off

There is this saying among homeschool moms and teachers that you know you’re reading a quality children’s book, when you (the adult) enjoy it. That is exactly how I feel about Carole P. Roman’s historical series of books. We have been reading for review:

We also received:

Let me start by saying each one of these books is lovely! The covers are beautiful, the binding is high quality, and the pages are a nice weight. Four of the above books have won various awards. You can view all of the awards for Carole’s books HERE.

Carole P. Roman has done a brilliant job transporting her readers back in history, using real life situations and terms that are true to the era. I truly appreciate the work and details that were put into writing these!

Writing to a child from their own perspective seems to really draw them in. I have had more imaginative play in my home with knights and vikings and colonial heroes in the last few weeks, than the last year combined. haha My children have really enjoyed these! They are appropriate for a child as young as 4, and I would even say most 10 year olds would enjoy them.

Written clearly enough for a young child, but with enough detail and sustenance for an older child as well, I have sure enjoyed reading them!

What You Can Expect, What We Thought, and How We Used the Books

If you Were Me and Lived In … the Middle Ages is a fascinating 98 page book that will take children back to the era of which they all play pretend-that of Sleeping Beauty, castles, knights, and maidens. I *love* how this book (and the others we received) begins with an illustration of what the towns in that era looked like, compared to an illustration of a town or landscape today. It really puts into perspective how much our cultures and lives have been impacted by history, and thus changed.

Speaking of illustration, this book has my *favorite* illustrations! I think it must be the time period, but they are so lovely!

The kids liked learning the very specifics of how children in this time lived; what they ate, read, how they slept, that they prayed 5 times a day. The fact that young girls sewed every afternoon pleased my daughter immensely, and my 5 year old son thought the term garderobe was just hilarious. (I had no idea their restroom emptied directly into the moat? ew.) But they couldn’t imagine having to leave their home to live with someone else, and rarely see each other or their parents.

This book goes step by step, through the classes of society in the middle ages, so children can see what it was like to live in a castle, and also as a peasant. There is a section of famous people from the middle ages, and an extensive glossary of terms in the back, which is tremendously useful. (I am definitely thinking when we re-read these books as we go through world cultures this year, we will be using these terms for vocab development).

We began reading this series with, If you Were Me and Lived In … Colonial America, because when we received our books for review we had literally just come to the end of our colonial era studies for early American history. I liked that my kids were able to compare parts of these history books, to those in Sarah Noble and the biographies we read on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other from the 16-1700s.

In the back of this 64 page book, Carole has provided a list of important American colonists, with illustrations, as well as a glossary of terms.

The only thing I would point out about this book (and only this book, of the ones we received) is the pages with text were black, and the text itself was white. While it did contribute to the era of which we were reading, it was hard for my eye to read the white lettering.

If you Were Me and Lived In … Viking Europe provides a fantastic explanation of living like a viking child. This past year, in our early American history studies, we began with vikings and Erik the Red (my children were enthralled with this time period), so this book has been loved by my children.

Made up of 76 pages, it describes in detail what every day life would be like for a viking child-from living like a Jarl to being a lowly Thrall. One of our favorite parts was learning how vikings boiled sea water to get their salt! I found it interesting that viking women were more respected and had more freedoms than most women in Europe, at the time. My son likes the idea of spending all day learning to hunt, fight, and ski, while my 7yo like that girls danced and enjoyed fiddles (she plays violin).

Again, in the back is a list of important viking figures, viking gods, and a glossary of vocabulary words (which is SO helpful- thank you for that!).

This book does explain some of their culture, which included many gods, and some magic.

If you Were Me and Lived In … Ancient China (76 pages) and If you Were Me and Lived In … the Ancient Mali Empire (78 pages) each offer the same format as the books above- a comparison of how the civilizations looked then and now, details on life as a child and their family, famous people of the era, and a glossary of terms.

These titles include elaborate clothing, parades, and festivals held in the cultures at this time. Again, these books would be wonderful for children as young as 4 all the way up to higher elementary. The illustrations are gentle but lively, and pull you into the narrative.

These are pictures books, as are the first three mentioned above. Carole also has a chapter book series, as well as a culture series. Check them out HERE.

I 100% understand why Carole’s books have won awards after award- they are worthy! I cannot wait to re read these as we go through world culture this year, and plan to add more of her books to our shelves!

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