Words to Consider ...

There is no nobler career than that of motherhood at its best.

There are no possibilities greater,

and in no other sphere does failure bring more serious penalties...

To attempt this task unprepared and untrained

is tragic,

and its results affect generations to come.

On the other hand

there is no higher height to which humanity can attain

than that occupied by a converted,

heaven-inspired,

praying mother.

~ Elizabeth Eliot

Snowman Art

Left snowman ~ completed by 3 year old; Right snowman ~ completed by 5 year old (materials were pre-cut).

A great activity to explore a wide variety of materials and textures:
~ blue background ~ construction paper
~ tree ~ corrugated brown paper
~ ground ~ green flannel
~ snow and snowman ~ cotton batting
~ moon ~ aluminum foil
~ eyes and buttons ~ buttons
~ hat and scarf ~ scraps of cloth

This activity was found in:

Story Writing Jumpstarts

Writing Idea #1 - Round Robin Stories - Using a round robin strategy for story writing can help motivate the unmotivated writer. It also works well with children who are just learning to write. In a round robin strategy, the first writer starts the story and then passes it along to the next writer who continues it. The story continues to be passed between writers until it is completed. The amount of writing done during each turn is usually pre-determined before the story writing begins. For more round robin story writing ideas click here: Round Robin Writing

Writing Idea #2 - Picture Prompts - Story writing needs to start with an idea and sometimes that's the hardest part. Pictures from magazines, newspapers or a personal photograph collection can be used to jump start creative ideas. Pictures of people can encourage character ideas, pictures of places can encourage setting ideas, and pictures of action can encourage plot ideas. Here's a website that has some picture prompts available. You can check it out here: Picture Prompts

Writing Idea #3 - KidsCom Write Me a Story Contest - At the KidsCom website there is a neat story writing opportunity for children. Children are encouraged to write a story using the provided character, prop, and place prompts. Children can submit their stories online where they will be voted on by other children and then possibly published on the KidsCom website. Click here to see the writing prompts for this week: KidsCom Write Me a Story

Writing Idea #4 - Comic Strip Story - If your child loves to draw, then a comic strip story may be a hit. A comic strip still includes all of the story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution, etc.)but the pictures play a larger role in the telling of the story. A comic strip story needs to be planned out well. A good place to start is by folding a piece of paper in half (hot dog style) and then folding it in half twice more to create 8 boxes. In each box your child can plan a story by writing little notes about what will be happening in each box of the comic strip. Have fun with this one!

Writing Idea #5 - Model a Story - Have your child choose a favorite story to use as a guideline or model for his own story writing. For example, many stories include a journey of some sort. Encourage your child to think of a starting place, an ending place, and a problem that may occur along the way. Most stories end with some sort of resolution, and so should your child's. :)

Writing Idea #6 - Tell a Story - The mind of a child is bursting with ideas. However the task of putting the ideas on paper can often be laborious. Encourage your child to think about a story and practice telling it orally. Then have your child tell the story to a tape recorder. During short periods of writing, have your child write out the recorded story editing and revising as needed.

That's all the ideas I have for now. If you have any story writing ideas that have worked for you and your child, then please share in the comment area at the bottom of this post.

Marshmallow Geometry

Hiding God's Word in Your Kid's Heart

Kendra from Preschoolers and Peace first inspired me with this scripture memory idea. I love how visual and "rewarding" it is as young children memorize scripture. Here are a couple of photos that show how to set up a scripture memory folder. It is super simple - once your child recites the passage of scripture independently, he/she gets to put some fabulous stickers onto the chart. It also works great for reviewing previously learned scriptures!





Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You. ~ Psalm 119:11

Praiseworthy Thoughts

Pleasant words are honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. ~ Proverbs 16:24 NIV

The gift of praise is the best gift you can give a child, any time of the year.

99 Ways to Give Some Praise

Making Reading Fun

· Reading Glasses ~ Buy a pair of large or silly sunglasses from the Dollar Store and push out the lenses. Your child can wear these glasses when it’s time to read.

· Googly Eye Stick ~ Glue a pompom onto the tip of a popsicle stick or a chopstick. Then glue googly eyes onto the pompom. Have your child use this “reading buddy” to follow along under the words at reading time.

· Become a Character ~ Let your child dress up like a character in the story or have reading time with some stuffed animals that resemble the book’s characters.

· Read the Wall ~ When your child is just beginning to read, rewrite “early-to-read” books on strips of paper (one page of words per strip). Stick the strips of paper at eye level along the wall. Have your child read the wall book while using his/her reading glasses and googly eye stick.

· Reading Voices ~ Encourage your child to use different voices when reading. There’s no rule that says reading has to be done using a medium volume, monotone voice. How about reading one page with a whisper voice, the next page with a rumbling voice, and the next page with a squeaky voice?

· Find an Audience ~ Have your child practice reading a book in preparation to read over the phone to grandma as a bedtime story.

· Keep an Account ~ Have your child set a reading goal and use a sticker chart to record his/her progress. An appropriate reward can be given once the goal has been achieved.

· Tape Record a Book ~ Have your child choose a book to create an audio story. Your child will need to practice reading the book many times until he/she can read it fluently. Then have your child create sound effects for certain words in the book. Even early-to-read books can have sound effects. For example: “Run, Bill, run!” can have pitter patter hands making a “running” sound effect. Have your child practice reading the story with sound effects and then bring the tape recorder out!

· Create a Reading Spot ~ Find a space in your home that can be reserved for reading. Use blankets and pillows to make the spot comfortable. Have a basket of “able to read” books readily available. For the more adventurous, set up a blanket tent and bring out the flashlight.

What is 5?

This is one of my daughter's favourite Math activities. I hang a large piece of paper on the fridge door and label it with "What is 5?" (or any other number that we are working on). Then we sit on the floor and take turns thinking of and then drawing things that represent 5. Throughout the week, more items are added to the poster as they are thought of. Lots of fun and lots of thinking!

Little Do-Dads

For most of us, we like to home school on a budget. This means scouring second hand stores for treasured books, popping into Dollar Stores for construction paper and pencils and finding a multitude of uses for everyday items - Who knew a cookie sheet was really a magnet board, a foundation for a rock and water world and a musical instrument???

Recently, I purchased a couple of inexpensive schooling supplies that have me and my kids a little bit giddy.

The first item is a clipboard. We love the clipboard for taking our work on the road i.e. field trips, car rides, and nature walks. We tie a pencil through the clip at the top and the kids are good to go.

The second item is a magnifying glass. With a magnifying glass my kids are able to get "close-up" to bugs under a rock, the veins in a leaf or the 6 points of a snowflake that has fallen on their mitten.

Below is a photo of my daughter exploring the needles from a pine tree. With her magnifying glass she was able to better see the shape and texture of the needles. We cut a needle open and she was able to see the texture inside the needle as well. Oh look - she's using her clipboard too! :)


What are your favourite homeschooling supplies. I would love to read about them in the comment area. :)

This video clip is a little retro, but it gets me all teary eyed when I watch it. It includes a narration by Gloria Gaither and then a song by Bill Gaither. Although the Gaithers were not a homeschooling family, I think that Gloria Gaither speaks a lot of truth with her narration about her own family life. Be blessed.



Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ~ Deut. 11:18, 19

Eco Kids

Recently I was introduced to a new favourite website: Eco Kids.

There is a kids area and a teachers area when you first arrive at the website. As a homeschooling parent, you can register as a "teacher" and get access to all of the neat resources available. You just need to provide an email address to use as your log in.

One of the resources that I am enjoying with my kids is the calendars. Each month has a different Eco theme, and each day has a little fact, riddle or activity related to the theme.

For example:
January - Winter Wonderlands
February - Global Village
March - Water
April - Earth Day
May - 3 R's - Recycling, Reusing, Reducing
June - Looking At What We Eat

The calendars are easy to print off, hang on the fridge, and use as a new way of learning about environmental ideas.

There is much more available on the site, so take a moment to look around at Eco Kids

Winter Links

Animal Tracks
Snowflake Photography
Snowflake Bentley

We're Enjoying Jan Brett ...

A Wonderful Winter Nature Study

I recently purchased a delightful winter unit from the Five in a Row digital store. The unique thing about this unit is that it is digital. As a customer, I purchased the unit online and received it within a few moments as an attachment in an email. It was quick and easy to download and once opened, it was jammed packed with tons of great ideas. Some of the ideas included tips and printables for winter nature studies (including animal studies), read alouds, poems, songs, quotations, art ideas, etc. The cost of the unit is $16 and is well worth every penny. It can be used across grade levels and can be easily integrated along with any curriculum. It is definitely something that I will go back to year after year during the chilly winter months.

Miss Rumphius ~ Barbara Cooney

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths ~ Ephesians 4:29
I adore Miss Rumphius! We rowed this book in the Fall and it was wonderful, but it would be ideal as a Spring unit since there is a focus on planting seeds.


~ directed quail drawing, narration, booklet of various places that Miss Rumphius visits


~ multi-media art (watercolour paint and felt pen), ways to make the world more beautiful, letter to grandparents and their responses

Favourite Activity ~ Letter Writing:
In Miss Rumphius the grandfather tells his granddaughter stories about when he was young. We decided to reenact this storytelling through letter writing. My daughter copied a letter to 2 sets of grandparents and to 2 sets of great grandparents and asked for them to write her a letter about "when they were a kid". Her grandparents rose up to the occasion and wrote amazing letters about the good ole days.

Nothing can replace these letters. I was crying through several of them as I read about the memorable moments in my parents and grandparents lives ~ many moments that I had never been told about before.

The wonderful thing about this activity is that my daughter now has an incredible keepsake that goes beyond words. A keepsake that I hope will be treasured forever!

From the Teacher in Me ....

Following are some ideas and website links that may prove useful in helping to increase your child’s reading fluency:

Oral Reading and Fluency:
A. Instructor models fluency.

B. Student reads same passage four times as instructor offers guidance.

C. Engage in other activities.

1. Student may read aloud along with a taped book.
2. Student and instructor may read some passages in unison.

(Taken from notes from “The Good Reader: Teaching Reading From Birth On” ~ by Jessie Wise)


Activities for repeated oral reading practice to help increase fluency:
Student-adult reading--reading one-on-one with an adult, who provides a model of fluent reading, helps with word recognition, and provides feedback.

Choral reading--reading aloud simultaneously in a group.

Tape-assisted reading--reading aloud simultaneously or as an echo with an audio-taped model.

Partner reading--reading aloud with a more fluent partner (or with a partner of equal ability) who provides a model of fluent reading, helps with word recognition, and provides feedback.

Readers' theatre--the rehearsing and performing before an audience of a dialogue-rich script derived from a book.

(Taken from “Fluency Instruction”)


Some Sight Word Website Links:
For those students who need to sound out almost every word, getting them to learn their sight words is essential. These two sites have the Dolch sight word lists available. Have your child practice reading the words on list 1 until he/she masters it, and then move on to list 2 etc. There are 11 lists in total to master!
Dolch List
Jan Brett’s Dolch List


Some Reading Fluency Website Links:
Put Reading First
Fluency Activities
Educational Links: Fluency

We're Enjoying ...

The Snowy Day ~ Ezra Jack Keats

Some Thoughts ...

Just prior to the Christmas break, a colleague blessed me with a reading recommendation: Educating the WholeHearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson. I am one of those people who loves to learn from the wisdom of those who have gone before me and thoroughly enjoyed the insight of the Clarksons.

As I spent time reading, I felt God speaking to me in the area of peace. Peace within my home. Peace within my relationships. Peace within my conversations. Peace within my attitude.

Right alongside the desire for peace was the reminder of my need for Grace.

Daily Grace.

Grace to make it peacefully through this day, this week, this term, this year.

In God's perfect timing, He had another fellow colleague send me an email that directed me to this beautifully written excerpt on how to maintain Peace within a homeschooling home. I encourage you to take some time when your home is quiet and your mind is still, to read these words of encouragement: How to Parent: Just Guide Gently

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16

My Reading Nook

Sally Clarkson's inspirational blog: I Take Joy

A New Coat for Anna - Harriet Ziefert

Memory Verse: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth ... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven ... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:19-21

Lots of great discussion! We discussed:
~ being poor
~ families during war times
~ giving to those who are in need
~ being content and worry free no matter what the circumstance
~ patience - how Anna waited a whole year to get her new coat
~ the seasons (through the illustrations and text)
~ the difference between buying with money and bartering

Our favourite activities:
~Role playing through the story
~ Sequencing the story using picture cards (I used my scanner to scan key illustrations from the book and then my daughter put them in order, dictated what was happening and then put together as a little book)
~ Planning, purchasing items for and putting together a package for a Thanksgiving food hamper for new moms with babies.
~ Sewing a small bag.
~ Measuring various parts of our bodies.

Here are a couple of photos of the paper pencil type activities:


~ back and front portraits, narration, body measurement booklet


~ directed drawing, sequencing booklet, scripture reference, swatch of material used for sewing project

Calendar Time

Here's a great way to get your children learning through living. I hear that ALL calendars are on sale right now - everywhere! My kids are loving this one so far. They can design their own page and add stickers for special dates - How fun is that?!?!