Category Archives: books

Book Club Fun: Flower Arranging

We had a lovely book club today, arranging flowers and making our table pretty for snacks. First, I gave the girls each a tray with some glass jars to upcycle into pretty vases.  We used craft tape (Washi tape) to … Continue reading

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Posted in American History, books, creative play, Early Elementary Years, hands-on history, homeschooling, literature-based learning, Spring crafts | 1 Comment

Books for Learning About Jamestown, John Smith and Pocohontas

Our early American History studies had us lingering in Jamestown for a while. We’ve discovered so many wonderful books, that we really enjoyed hanging out there with John Smith, Pocohontas, Christopher Newport, the Powhatan Indians and the British settlers.   … Continue reading

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Posted in American History, books, Early Elementary Years, hands-on history, homeschooling, literature-based learning | Leave a comment

Anime Momotaro: A Japanese Folktale, at Imagination Stage

A baby inside a peach.  ”Invisible” ninjas that manipulate the props. Sound effects galore. An action packed adventure and a humorous adaptation of a ancient Japanese folktale paired with the modern culture of Japanese animation. That is what Anime Momotaro … Continue reading

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Posted in books, Early Elementary Years, F.I.A.R., geography, homeschooling, literature-based learning, Museums and Field Trips | Leave a comment

Learning With Pinkalicious and The Pink Drink

You know we love Pinkalicious, right?  My daughter was thrilled to find Pinkalicious and the Pink Drink, by Victoria Kann, at the library. I was thrilled when I realized how much math is in this book and my mind started … Continue reading

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Posted in art projects, books, crafts, creative play, Early Elementary Years, homeschooling, kindergarten, literature-based learning, math | Leave a comment

Art With Olivia

I am a guest contributor over at Make and Takes,  and I’m so pleased to be a part of Marie’s great blog today. She has so many wonderful craft tutorials. Her Storybook Summer Series, of which my post is a … Continue reading

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Posted in art projects, books, Early Elementary Years, literature-based learning | Leave a comment

Becoming a Reader

Guess what my 8-year-old Firefly and I did last night? We finished the very last chapter in the very last book in the Harry Potter series. We started last fall, reading the first book in the series. And here it is … Continue reading

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Posted in books, Early Elementary Years, homeschooling, learning to read, life, literature-based learning, Parenting | 13 Comments

Summer Love Books Exchange: Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping

This year, our summer reading has included the Summer Love Books Exchange, which paired us up with another blogging mom and her kids.  They sent us a book and some activities to go along with it, and we sent them … Continue reading

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Posted in books, creative play, Early Elementary Years, homeschooling, kindergarten, Learning with Legos, literature-based learning, nature, summer fun | 9 Comments

Summer Reading Book Exchange: The Giving Tree Project

Why did I send the wonderful Shel Silverstein book, The Giving Tree, and all this stuff to Jill, the Enchanted Homeschooling Mom? Why, because of The Summer Love Books Project, of course!  This is a book exchange coordinated by the fab … Continue reading

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Posted in books, crafts, Early Elementary Years, kindergarten, literature-based learning, preschool, summer fun | 4 Comments

Welcome to Our Dog Party!

I’m guest-posting today over at Toddler Approved about the awesome time we had with P.D. Eastman’s Go, Dog, Go.  Here’s a sneak peak at our dog party: There is a book in our house that has been loved so dearly … Continue reading

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Virtual Book Club for Kids: The Very Quiet Cricket

Poor little cricket.  He makes no sound when he rubs his wings together, like the other crickets. He goes around greeting all of the other insects, trying to say hello, but he can’t.  Until he meets one very special girl. … Continue reading

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Posted in books, Early Elementary Years, homeschooling, kindergarten, literature-based learning, nature, science | 7 Comments

Harry Potter Party in the Forbidden Forest–On a Budget (free printables)

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Invitations from Minerva McGonagall on Hogwarts stationary, a trip to the Forbidden Forest and Quidditch Broom Cakes made for one super fun birthday party for my eight year old, avid Harry Potter Fan. And, here’s the best part– it cost … Continue reading

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10 Ways to Read More to Your Child

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A reading-centered life for my kids, that’s my goal. For so many reasons… To give them the words that will fill their vocabulary and their writing. To encourage them to become lifelong readers. To enrich our time together. I am … Continue reading

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Tuesday Tea Time-It’s Not Just For Girls!

We started a new ritual today: Reading poetry while having tea time.  It was really fun and it only took a half hour from start to finish, leaving me wondering why I’d never done it before. Genius, pure genius and … Continue reading

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Posted in books, Early Elementary Years, kindergarten, literature-based learning, preschool | 23 Comments

Learning With Literature: The Snowy Day

 The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a Caldecott winner and a Before-Five-In-a-Row selection.  And this year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of this wonderful book. Quite significant, is that it is the first children’s book to … Continue reading

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Posted in books, F.I.A.R., homeschooling, keeping toddlers busy so you can actually educate your older children, kindergarten, learning to read, literature-based learning, preschool, winter | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Learning With Literature: Fancy Nancy

Welcome to our week with Fancy Nancy, one of my daughter’s favorite book characters. She loves to play dress-up, just like Nancy. The fancier, the better.  So naturally, we dressed up each day before delving into our Fancy Nancy books. … Continue reading

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Posted in books, Early Elementary Years, homeschooling, kindergarten, learning to read, literature-based learning | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments