Project: Autumn’s Glory Wreath

harvestwreath3Autumn’s beauty is pretty overwhelming where I live. As I drive up my little lane, it seems to have turned all gold!

This is the time of year that my kids start asking when we are going to make our fall wreaths—a very easy craft for little ones that helps them enjoy autumn’s glories. Here are the simple instructions: [Read more…]

Pre-Reading Skills

shooting-star-147722_1280by Becky Ross Redwater, Alberta, Canada

There are many things that preschoolers could be learning to assist them in becoming ready for reading. Here are some easy things to try!

1. Hear and Identify Rhyming Words

  • Recite and memorize nursery rhymes and songs. Favorites are: Humpty Dumpty, Baa-Baa Black Sheep, Hickory Dickory Dock, Jack and Jill, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
  • Make them aware of the rhythm by clapping out the words or the syllables in the words to the song or rhyme (Twin­-kle, twin-kle lit–tle star . . .).
  • Repeat rhymes or songs having the child clap only on the rhyming words.
  • Continue to familiarize the child with rhyming by reading rhyming stories such as Dr. Seuss Books, The Teeny Tiny Woman, etc. . . .
  • More challenging songs to try at this point would be:

[Read more…]

Be Patriotic!

My daughters, Louisa and Emily 

My daughters, Louisa and Emily

Independence Day is one of my favorites holidays, because of the wonderful feelings of patriotism we get thinking about our country’s miraculous founding, the courage of our founding fathers, and the freedoms we enjoy every day! It is up to us to keep that love of freedom burning bright in the next generation.

[Read more…]

What Do Preschoolers Need?

Rebekah loves to puzzle, just like her Daddy

What do preschoolers need?

That’s an easy answer: #1 they need YOU!

Yep: they need Mom, in all her constantly loving glory, with lots of hugs, snuggles, toe-kissing, hand-holding, hair-tousling, kisses, pats, holding-on-her-lap and listening. That’s the #1 need. And in your moment-by-moment interaction, be sure to lead them to the one who loves them most of all: God. In this, you will be doing the best thing you could for your young child.

[Read more…]

Quirky English

3kids_goldmine

Emily, Louisa and Ammon at the Old Hundred Gold Mine in Silverton, Colorado

No wonder English is so difficult to learn!

 

We must polish the Polish furniture.

He could lead if he would get the lead out.

The farm used to produce produce.

[Read more…]

Make-it-Yourself Beginning Readers

homeschooling-phonicsCan there be anything more exciting than having those phonics lessons finally “click” with your little one and hearing him read his first words? I doubt it! Listening to my children learn to read is a thrill for me. I enjoy teaching them to read and I delight in hearing them read aloud.

[Read more…]

Writing in My Homeschool

emily_journals

Emily with the journals she wrote growing up!

Come take a peek inside my homeschool. Here’s how I teach writing! And it works—one of my sons got a perfect score on the English portion of the ACT test for college.

Journal Writing

[Read more…]

Project: Twig Furniture

I shared with you the cozy country cottage that Louisa made. Come with us to build some charming twig furniture to go inside!

twig1

Here’s how:

1) Just gather twigs. (These are cherry and peach branches recently pruned from our orchard.)

[Read more…]

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