The past few months have been so crazy during the evening hours, that reading aloud together kind of fell by the wayside. During the day we are still having our daily rest time (most days), but when it comes time to sit down together with the kids, we have been running in a million different directions with swim practices and other commitments, so it was put aside. 

And I really truly hate that. Because reading is a HUGE love of mine and I want to make sure our kids have that same love instilled in them – especially our boys. 

We had pulled out The Green Ember by S.D. Smith to read last year…and somehow were sidetracked, but it resurfaced again and we are reading through it now. Each afternoon we’ve set aside a time to pull out our book, we settle down with a cup of hot chocolate or steamed milk, and continue our read aloud adventure. I tried using the audio book (the kids don’t like it because they like the way I read it better – yay, but oh boy for my voice!). I’ll admit that we are having a bit of a hard time getting into it, despite it’s already bent cover and worn look, but it’s one I personally want read because it has come so highly recommended. 

Read Aloud Tips

Maybe your family is having a hard time settling down for a read aloud time? If so, maybe one or more of the below tips will help your family out {especially little ones}.

1. Let kids do something with their hands. We frequently have crayons and paper handy for drawing or Legos for the kids to build with. Having something to do with their hands helps the attention span – trust me!
2. Be silly and spice your reading up. Kick that monotone voice to the curb and sprinkle in some fun voices and accents. Read in a hushed voice during parts that are building in intensity. Have fun and enjoy the book along with your kids!
3. Mix fun in with the serious. While I can’t wait to delve into some of the classics with the kids {and we’ll hit on a few different books during our school time this year}, fun reading is good too! Our family has been wrapped up in several different series that were full of adventure and fun. Not classic literature, but it was still so much fun to read together!
4. Set a timer. Occasionally we have a kiddo that really doesn’t want to sit down for a story. Setting a timer for 10 or 15 minutes makes it seem do-able and most of the time everyone gets so involved in the book that they want to keep reading!
5. Set aside a specific time of day to read together. Kids know when to expect the time that you’ll be reading and it will become a part of your daily routine. Whether it be a meal time, bed time, or another time during the day, block off that time to be together!
6. Talk about the book together! When you come to the end of a chapter (or a suspenseful part of the book), ask your children what they think will happen next. Explain parts of the story that they may not understand (i.e. words or phrases).

What is your best tip for making reading out loud something fun? Leave a comment and chime in with your tips today!

Books We’ve Previously Read Together

Here are a few other books that we’ve read together and blogged about. Click over to see our thoughts on them!

• Recent Audiobooks: A Year Down Yonder, Secrets at Sea, A Season of Gifts
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
• Raiders from the Sea by Lois Walfrid Johnson
• Sky Jumpers: Forbidden Flats by Peggy Eddleman
• The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P Figg  
• The Mysterious Benedict Society
• Darien’s Rise {Adventures in Odyssey Passages}
• The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
• Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
• The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
• Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman
• 25 Books We Plan to Read Together This Year
• 30 Picture Books in 30 Days

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

• Apologia - curriculum, books, and resources for homeschool families.
• Student Planner - daily, weekly, and monthly planning pages to get your student on track!
• Weekly Homeschool Planner - an editable planner for mom to use year after year
• Heirloom Audio - full studio audio adventure your entire family will love!
• Science Teaching Tips - tips and advice for teaching all grades K-12.
• All About Reading - a fully engaging reading curriculum for preschool age and up
• Teaching Textbooks - homeschool math that makes life EASY for mom and child
• Ivy Kids - literature units for children - delivered right to your door!
• Kwik Stix Solid Tempera Paint sticks take the mess out of painting while keeping all the fun!  
• North Star Geography - fun and simple to teach geography program for high school
• EEME - teach kids electronics one project at a time. 
• Circle by Disney - manage internet content on ALL your devices (we LOVE ours!!)
• All About Spelling - hands down our FAVORITE spelling curriculum
• Yearly Home Planner - organize your day-to-day appointments
• WriteShop - writing curriculum for K through high school

To download subscriber-only freebies, be sure to visit THIS PAGE and use the current password freestuff  to download your files. There will be new ones coming soon, so keep an eye out. Thanks for being a subscriber!

         

Here we go for another month! Our days are slowing down a little bit here, but there is still plenty on our calendar to keep us busy. 

This past month my yearly planner has been my literal brain. We had so much going on between wrapping up our swim season with the kids, swim meets, and surgery for my mom and then our general day-to-day life happenings. If you’d like to get organized along with me, you can download the February 2017 Personal Planner Pages and try them out this month. I truly hope they are a help to you in the upcoming days.  

A Peek Inside My Planner

If you’d like to take a look at how I’ve set up my yearly planner, I’ve explained it more in this post here, as well as given links to my favorite binder and colorful tabs (because pretty makes life fun too, right?).

This year I’ve done a little something different and pulled my planner out of the binder and had it spiral bound at Staples. It has worked wonderfully and I love it this way!!

February 2017 Personal Planner Pages

You can download the February 2017 Personal Planner Pages by clicking the green download button below. There are 14 pages included as a part of the download: the month at a glance and then weekly planning pages as well, with a page that goes a bit into November as well. Each month I’ll be offering a free download for that month’s planning pages, so you can check back and download them as they become available.

Purchase the Yearly Planner

 

If you like the layout and want to start planning out the rest of your year now (and 2018 as well), purchase the full Yearly Planner for $4.99. The calendar includes month-at-a-glance pages and dated weekly pages through December 2018. There is also a link to bonus pages and additional covers for the planner. 

Don’t miss my student planner and weekly homeschool planner – available as well!

Don’t Miss The Daily To-Do List

Hope you all have a wonderful month!! I’d love to hear your plans!

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

• Apologia - curriculum, books, and resources for homeschool families.
• Student Planner - daily, weekly, and monthly planning pages to get your student on track!
• Weekly Homeschool Planner - an editable planner for mom to use year after year
• Heirloom Audio - full studio audio adventure your entire family will love!
• Science Teaching Tips - tips and advice for teaching all grades K-12.
• All About Reading - a fully engaging reading curriculum for preschool age and up
• Teaching Textbooks - homeschool math that makes life EASY for mom and child
• Ivy Kids - literature units for children - delivered right to your door!
• Kwik Stix Solid Tempera Paint sticks take the mess out of painting while keeping all the fun!  
• North Star Geography - fun and simple to teach geography program for high school
• EEME - teach kids electronics one project at a time. 
• Circle by Disney - manage internet content on ALL your devices (we LOVE ours!!)
• All About Spelling - hands down our FAVORITE spelling curriculum
• Yearly Home Planner - organize your day-to-day appointments
• WriteShop - writing curriculum for K through high school

To download subscriber-only freebies, be sure to visit THIS PAGE and use the current password freestuff  to download your files. There will be new ones coming soon, so keep an eye out. Thanks for being a subscriber!

         

Ready for another week of linking up and sharing ideas? I am so glad that you are stopping by today and can’t wait to see what you all have to share this week. Be sure to stop by our PreK & K Pinterest board to see a collection of the different posts we are pinning – including yours!

Don’t forget to link up a post (or two) of yours and share what you’ve been working on with your kids! Here are a few fun ideas from last week’s linkup.

Snowy Owl Craft

The snowy owl craft from ABC Creative Learning would be a great go-along for a winter animals unit. I love the texture added too!

Road Signs

Set up your own yarn road and create familiar road signs for your indoor track. Practical Mom shares their families fun creations and how they learned about various signs together. 

Free Reading and Spelling Winter Activities 

Cookies, polar bears, and penguins provide an exciting and motivating way to beat the winter blues and help your child to practice their reading and spelling skills. Download the free printable pack HERE. 

Heart-Shaped Sugar Cubes

These homemade sugar cubes, shaped like hearts, are such a sweet idea for an afternoon tea with your children. Mum in the Madhouse shares a quick tutorial for this fun activity. 

Penguin Winter Clothes Matching 

This FREE Penguin Color Matching activity is great for learning about colors and reading color words. After matching the hats to the correct color, kids can try doing it the “wrong” way by mixing up the colors to create different outfits.

That’s it for this week!! Thanks so much for checking in with us and sharing below.

Follow the PreK and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board

Each week I am  pinning many of your links onto the Preschool and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board. I’m a visual person, so having pictures to help me remember posts is super helpful. Be sure to jump over and follow the board – and find some fun ideas at the same time!

Were You Featured in the Preschool & Kindergarten Community?

<a href=”http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/category/Preschool%20Corner” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Featured-on-Preschool-and-Kindergarten-Community.png” title=”I was featured at the Preschool and Kindergarten Community at Homeschool Creations” /></a>

Link Up with the Preschool and Kindergarten Community!

Share what you are doing with your kids! Please link your exact blog post to the Mr. Linky below and link back here too! Grab a button for your post and be sure to take a minute to visit the person who linked up before you.

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

• Apologia - curriculum, books, and resources for homeschool families.
• Student Planner - daily, weekly, and monthly planning pages to get your student on track!
• Weekly Homeschool Planner - an editable planner for mom to use year after year
• Heirloom Audio - full studio audio adventure your entire family will love!
• Science Teaching Tips - tips and advice for teaching all grades K-12.
• All About Reading - a fully engaging reading curriculum for preschool age and up
• Teaching Textbooks - homeschool math that makes life EASY for mom and child
• Ivy Kids - literature units for children - delivered right to your door!
• Kwik Stix Solid Tempera Paint sticks take the mess out of painting while keeping all the fun!  
• North Star Geography - fun and simple to teach geography program for high school
• EEME - teach kids electronics one project at a time. 
• Circle by Disney - manage internet content on ALL your devices (we LOVE ours!!)
• All About Spelling - hands down our FAVORITE spelling curriculum
• Yearly Home Planner - organize your day-to-day appointments
• WriteShop - writing curriculum for K through high school

To download subscriber-only freebies, be sure to visit THIS PAGE and use the current password freestuff  to download your files. There will be new ones coming soon, so keep an eye out. Thanks for being a subscriber!

         

Comments

• Thank you for hosting! Love the features this week! by Debbie
• Thank you for featuring our road signs! You know I found them ... by The Practical Mom

 

This homeschool year with Laurianna hasn’t quite gone according to plan, which has been a little hard on both her and myself (definitely more her though). I mentioned a few months ago that she has been dealing with some health issues thanks to a tick bite almost two years ago. That has in turn meant a lot of changes in our home, both physically and academically. 

Prior to our Christmas break she was becoming extremely fatigued and it was difficult for her to get all of her work done, so we had to slow down in some areas to help her out. Over the last bit we have been trying some different avenues to help her feel better and have a lot of doctor’s visits in the future and will keep you posted. If anything, I am most thankful at this time that we homeschool and have the flexibility in her schedule to adjust things and timing. 

10th Grade Curriculum Choices

Credits to earn: 7

• History: Exploring America from Notgrass (1 credit) 
• Government: Constitutional Literacy (1 credit)
• Math:  Geometry, Teaching Textbooks (1 credit)
• Science:  Chemistry from Apologia (1 credit)
• Literature: American Literature (1 credit) – I am putting together our own program this year, loosely based on books from our history program and also the American Lit program from Excellence in Literature. See our American Literature reading list HERE. 
• Foreign Language:  – Visual Latin year 1 (1 credit) and Fluenz Spanish (finishing up year 2 of Spanish after the major issues we had with our program last year)
• Art: Artistic Pursuits Book 1 – The Elements of Art and Composition (1 credit)
• Drivers Ed: Through DriversEd. No credit, but a license would be the ultimate goal. :)
• Student Planner – to track her assignments and work completed

Overall, Laurianna has been keeping up grades in her core subjects have excelled: chemistry, literature, history, math, and Latin and slowing down in art (she tends to focus on this when she is resting more). Art and history are her two favorite subjects this year. 

Co-op – Three of her classes meet once a week in a co-op setting (literature, history, and chemistry) for 1-2 hours, although she is responsible for the bulk of the work during the week at home. The group setting has been wonderful for feedback from her peers and in two of the classes also having a different mom giving helps is great too! :) 

History – History is definitely one of her favorite subjects. The focus this year has been American history and we’ve been able to include several field trips to go along with the period of history we are studying. We have a few more trips planned for the last half of the year (warm weather would be nice!). It has been fun seeing the various artistic avenues she has been exploring for history as well: writing a small children’s book, designing flyers, and a range of other projects. 

Math – We are definitely thankful to be using Teaching Textbooks for geometry this year. Math is never a favorite, per se, but any way we can make it easier and more enjoyable is wonderful – and Teaching Textbook does that! 

Chemistry – Although this may not be a favorite subject, but with friends (and fun hands-on ways to learn), it is definitely easier. This year has definitely confirmed for her the course she wants to pursue for college. We’ve sat down with a friend and been talking about colleges for nursing degrees – and here it begins! 

Latin – Visual Latin has been a great fit this year for her as well and we will definitely plan to continue with a second year next year. She has finished up her second year of Spanish and we are determining if she will do a third year as well. 

Art – Even though she is focusing on her core subjects, art is one subject she is able to work on when she is resting – and truthfully it helps her unwind as well. 

Government/Constitutional Literacy – This class has been one we have slowed down on because we know we can continue it through the summer if necessary. While we love it, it was more of an elective this year rather than a core program and was one we needed to put aside when needed. At this point she should be halfway through the program, but we are about 1/4 of the way through instead. 

Literature – Lots of reading (and maybe some books that are on the dry side – in the kids opinions, at least). One thing I love about this class is we have tied in the books with the periods in history the kids are studying and we celebrate the end of a book (and the corresponding papers) with watching a period movie or one that goes along with the book we are reading. A few of the books have surprised Laurianna – she really enjoyed Uncle Tom’s Cabin – and she has been doing great keeping up with the three papers due each month for each book read. 

Swim Team – With her fatigue, swim team had to be pulled from her daily schedule. This was really hard for her because it was something she definitely enjoyed, but she physically could not keep up with the demands – which has been difficult emotionally for her. She knows that long term it will work out and she is looking forward to summer swim team, but knows that right now she needs to focus on resting and getting her health back to a more “normal” range. 

Drivers Ed – Laurianna also started DRIVING! Ack! You all – I feel for my parents and how that must have been for them so many years ago. There is something rather nerve wracking having your child behind the wheel and not having physical control (maybe that’s just my issue alone – cough). I know this is an area that as our kids get older we are ‘releasing’ them – but oy, it’s hard! The first few trips were a bit challenging, but there will definitely be some huge perks when she finally does have her license later this summer and I’m not opposed to those! 

That’s it so far! How has your year going?

Click any of the images below to see our homeschool picks for the current school year. You’ll also find links to past years choices in each post. 

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

• Apologia - curriculum, books, and resources for homeschool families.
• Student Planner - daily, weekly, and monthly planning pages to get your student on track!
• Weekly Homeschool Planner - an editable planner for mom to use year after year
• Heirloom Audio - full studio audio adventure your entire family will love!
• Science Teaching Tips - tips and advice for teaching all grades K-12.
• All About Reading - a fully engaging reading curriculum for preschool age and up
• Teaching Textbooks - homeschool math that makes life EASY for mom and child
• Ivy Kids - literature units for children - delivered right to your door!
• Kwik Stix Solid Tempera Paint sticks take the mess out of painting while keeping all the fun!  
• North Star Geography - fun and simple to teach geography program for high school
• EEME - teach kids electronics one project at a time. 
• Circle by Disney - manage internet content on ALL your devices (we LOVE ours!!)
• All About Spelling - hands down our FAVORITE spelling curriculum
• Yearly Home Planner - organize your day-to-day appointments
• WriteShop - writing curriculum for K through high school

To download subscriber-only freebies, be sure to visit THIS PAGE and use the current password freestuff  to download your files. There will be new ones coming soon, so keep an eye out. Thanks for being a subscriber!

         

This year I thought we would try something different for science. Instead of using a curriculum of any type, I pulled a bunch of science experiment books off our shelves and marked various activities to do with Kaleb over the course of the year. No real aim or direction, other than keep the 4th grade science lover in our home busy with fun projects. 

It seemed like a fabulous idea, but there’s one thing that continues to be a hangup of mine: preparation (aka gathering) of materials. While I am fabulous at earmarking pages and having the overall idea of what to implement, sometimes I neglect to remember the inconvenience of finding every single item needed for the activities (and with science it can sometimes be a little more tricky). Translated, that meant that up until December we did a whopping TWO experiments of the ones I had a planned and the books just sat there staring at me. And Kaleb kept asking when we would do more. 

Because science is something that makes Kaleb LIGHT UP like crazy and gets him motivated, I did a little digging in December and we decided to use A Reason for Science (Level D) from Educents with him for the second half of the school year. Complete with a teacher’s manual, student book, and a shoebox full of go-along supplies, there may have been some excitement from both of us when the box arrived. If there is anything I know about myself at this point in homeschooling, the easier I can make it for myself, the more likely it is to be accomplished. 

A Peek Inside A Reason for Science

We were able to immediately begin using the program the day after we received our box (I took a quick look through the teacher guidebook to get my bearings). Since then we have been working through the lessons and I would love to share a few of our thoughts and what we are enjoying about the program. While this has been a bit of a shift from the traditional textbook approach of other science programs we have used, I am loving the focus on having Kaleb actively learning and understanding concepts as he works through the various processes.  It’s slightly more informal, but in a structured way – if that makes sense!

Each level of A Reason For Science® Homeschool Pack includes a materials kit, a student worktext, and a teacher guidebook and is designed to teach a variety of concepts over the course of the year: basic life, earth, and physical science. 

The lesson pages are broken down in the teacher guidebook showing the category of science covered, lesson focus, objective, materials needed from the kit (and home), any safety concerns, and what to do. Images of the pages in the student worktext are given as well, along with possible answers to questions, as well as additional learning ideas and a full walkthrough with teacher insights. For me personally it took a little bit of getting used to the format (since we have used different programs in the past), but it is overall very simple to implement. 

We jumped right in with the first lesson – seed germination – and had to wait for our first results since it obviously required a little patience while the plants began to grow. During the week, while we waited, we worked through the questions in the student worktext, and kept an eye out for any developments in our seeds. 

Meanwhile, we moved on to the next lesson and talked about animal classification – snakes (a line from Indiana Jones may be going through my mind now). This lesson had a hands-on coloring and creating project – snake puppets. We talked about venomous and n0n-venomous snakes and used bulb syringes (along with one of my hubby’s socks) to show how a snake’s venom works.  

Lessons also include an extended teaching section if the topic is one your child enjoys and wants to go deeper into a specific area of learning.

In the last few weeks we have worked through five lessons, but the average pace for the program would be one lesson a week – very easy to fit into the schedule and also extend learning throughout the week as well. Other than the above, here are a few additional things to love:

• materials kit – hands down one of the best parts of the curriculum. So far we have had to provide very little (a sock, water, and a paper towel) – and the less I have to do, the easier it makes it to start a lesson!
• minimal prep work – open the teacher’s guidebook and look at the materials required, pull them out of the box, and start
• variety of lessons and topics covered in short/succinct manner, but with plenty of means for the student to learn 
• student worktext is also full color, making it very visually appealing (teacher’s guidebook is a black/white version)
• Scripture is added at the end of each lesson (a little food for thought) and journal space as well
• discussion questions are a part of each lesson in the student worktext, allowing lesson review
• lesson quiz/wrap-up is also included at the back of the teacher’s guidebook (optional)

One reader recently emailed asking how this has compared to other science programs we have used in the past. The short answer is –  a bit. :) The longer answer is we have used programs that were more scripted from start to finish (teacher says ___ and student answer would be ____). In comparison, A Reason for Science has more wiggle room and while information is provided for learning, the focus is more on the student arriving at their own conclusions through the learning process. A Reason for Science also (so far) has been a bit more hands-on for us. The full-color student text also is very visually appealing – which I love! 

10% off Educents Coupon!

Educents is offering my readers a discount code until January 31, 2017. 

Save 10% SITEWIDE with promo code STOCKUP at checkout!
Purchase A Reason for Science here!

Are You Familiar with Educents?

Educents is an online marketplace where you can find  affordable educational products. They provide daily deals to students, parents and educators by working with established educational suppliers. Whether it is a science kit, curriculum pack, books or art supplies, they make sure that Educents has the lowest price – helping more than 300,000 teachers, homeschoolers, and parents gain access to affordable educational materials.

Click here to browse and discover all affordable deals at Educents.

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

• Apologia - curriculum, books, and resources for homeschool families.
• Student Planner - daily, weekly, and monthly planning pages to get your student on track!
• Weekly Homeschool Planner - an editable planner for mom to use year after year
• Heirloom Audio - full studio audio adventure your entire family will love!
• Science Teaching Tips - tips and advice for teaching all grades K-12.
• All About Reading - a fully engaging reading curriculum for preschool age and up
• Teaching Textbooks - homeschool math that makes life EASY for mom and child
• Ivy Kids - literature units for children - delivered right to your door!
• Kwik Stix Solid Tempera Paint sticks take the mess out of painting while keeping all the fun!  
• North Star Geography - fun and simple to teach geography program for high school
• EEME - teach kids electronics one project at a time. 
• Circle by Disney - manage internet content on ALL your devices (we LOVE ours!!)
• All About Spelling - hands down our FAVORITE spelling curriculum
• Yearly Home Planner - organize your day-to-day appointments
• WriteShop - writing curriculum for K through high school

To download subscriber-only freebies, be sure to visit THIS PAGE and use the current password freestuff  to download your files. There will be new ones coming soon, so keep an eye out. Thanks for being a subscriber!

         

Comments

• Thank you so much! And I'm so bummed because I JUST ordered ... by Paige St.Laurent