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5 Picture Books About Character for Girls

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I had the opportunity to receive five picture books around a particular theme of my choosing that would work well for a unit study. I selected picture books about character for girls. I received these books for free from Candlewick Press and was compensated for my time to review them and write this post. The content is all mine and I was not required to give a positive review. Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post! There is important stuff at the end! Picture Books About Character I selected five books that look at character for girls from many different perspectives. Each book is completely different from the others from the illustration styles to the way the … [Read more...] about 5 Picture Books About Character for Girls

Understanding Homeschool High School Requirements

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We are still a few years away from high school, but I confess my understanding of homeschool high school requirements was minimal. Well, actually less than minimal. I've devoted so much energy to figuring out spiritedness, giftedness, 2e, dysgrahpia, and a plethora of other things that high school was some far off (scary) thing in the future. Truly, every time I thought about homeschooling high school with a gifted/2e kid I felt a little overwhelmed with one. more. thing. to figure out. So when I had the opportunity to review a new book about how one mom homeschooled her 2e daughter while preparing her for the college application process, I jumped at the chance. I'm so glad I did. My … [Read more...] about Understanding Homeschool High School Requirements

12 Books That Will Rock Your Beliefs About Education and Learning

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Imagine putting a couple of dozen people in a room and charging with them with the task of devising the best kind of educational setting and experience for children. We would assemble the best teachers, pediatricians, psychologists, and other people who truly love and understand kids and let them imagine what would give children the best learning and growth opportunities from birth to adulthood. We may not know exactly what they would come up with, but we do know one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt. It wouldn't look anything like what we call school and learning today. (And it wouldn't require that millions of kids be drugged in order to make it through the day.) So what if … [Read more...] about 12 Books That Will Rock Your Beliefs About Education and Learning

How To Talk With Your Daughter About Puberty

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When you held that little baby in your arms, did you ever imagine you would get to the day when you had to think about how to talk with your daughter about puberty? And yet here it is. I think it is especially important to discuss hormones and the emotional aspects associated with puberty if you have a highly sensitive daughter. These girls feel everything in a magnified way and that certainly goes for the impact puberty will have on their emotional and mental health. The movie Inside Out was a great launching pad for many discussions in our home. (I keep hoping they will do a sequel where they explore that "unimportant" red button that said "puberty"! LOL!) Inside Out Like most things … [Read more...] about How To Talk With Your Daughter About Puberty

100 Wholesome Books for Girls and Tweens

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Finding wholesome books for girls and early tweens can be challenging. So much of what is being published today is drivel at best to downright concerning or even abhorrent. If you have a sensitive girl, it's even more challenging. In an effort to help, I've compiled a list of books for girls of various ages that would fall into the category of wholesome. Wholesome can be defined so many different ways by families so let me lay out what my criteria was in creating this list. Wholesome to me included books that featured: Positive relationships Fun reading Generally lighthearted with a positive message No serious violence (some mysteries below might imply light violence or … [Read more...] about 100 Wholesome Books for Girls and Tweens

Creative Learning Ideas for Miss Suzy

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Miss Suzy by Miriam Young and pictures by Arnold Lobel [Purple House Press, 2004] is the delightful story of a little gray squirrel who lives “in the tip, tip, top of a tall oak tree.” First published by Parents’ Magazine Press in 1964, this classic book has been enjoyed by generations of children. It teaches important themes such as friendship, bravery, and love in the context of the charming illustrations. The picture book can be a great launch story for a variety of learning activities, creative writing, and art projects. It is perfect for early elementary aged learners. Miss Suzy Synopsis Miss Suzy is very content in her little house in the oak tree. She enjoys taking care of her … [Read more...] about Creative Learning Ideas for Miss Suzy

3 Books Featuring Girls Changing Their World

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Today I would like to introduce you to three pictures books featuring girls worth knowing. The three girls lived in different places and different times, but they all share one thing in common - a desire to imagine, create, and change their world. (Sidenote: I receive free books to review all the time and only share a small percentage of them with my readers. These three are very good!) Ada's Ideas - The Story of Ada Lovelace, the World's First Computer Programmer Ada's Ideas introduced me to someone completely new from history. Ada Lovelace was the daughter of Lord Byron (famous poet) and Anna Isabella Milbanke (a mathematician and member of society). Milbanke left Byron when Ada … [Read more...] about 3 Books Featuring Girls Changing Their World

Using Audio Dramas for History

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History is one of my favorite subjects, but I never had the opportunity to listen to high quality audio dramas when I was younger. At least not the kind that Heirloom Audio has created. I was excited to receive copies of four of their audio dramas to listen to. Now I am excited to share with you my thoughts about how I would suggest using these dramas with your own family (as well as a great offer at the end!). This post is sponsored by Heirloom Audio. All content and photos are my own. These are the four titles I received. (They have since released another title - Beric the Briton.) The audio dramas are based on books by G.A. Henty so they feature adventure, history, and faith. … [Read more...] about Using Audio Dramas for History

You Can Do It, Sam – A Month of Cozy Books

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You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest and illustrated by Anita Jeram is another story about the bear named Sam. I previously shared Don't You Feel Well, Sam? as part of A Month of Cozy Books. This is the same Sam who goes on a little neighborly adventure with his mother. It's a wintery morning on Plum Street and Mrs. Bear and Sam are making cakes to share with their neighbors. Sam waits for the cakes to be done and cool enough to deliver. They load them up into Mrs. Bear's green truck and take off. But the biggest surprise is when Mrs. Bear tells Sam to carry the cake all the way up to their neighbor's house by himself! Through the deep snow! Can Sam do such a big thing alone? Snow, baking … [Read more...] about You Can Do It, Sam – A Month of Cozy Books

Wholesome Reading for Visual Learners

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I received these magazines for free and was compensated for my time to review them. All of the content in this post is my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Caroline is a visual learner and she is not an avid chapter book reader (yet!). Like most visual learners, she enjoys color, engaging comics, photos, and strong graphics. Those of us who parent children like this often find it challenging to keep them supplied with reading material that is age appropriate, contains quality content, and also supports the values of our family. When I learned about Fun for Kidz magazines I thought they might be something to meet her needs as a child as well as my need as a … [Read more...] about Wholesome Reading for Visual Learners

Kiss Good Night – A Month of Cozy Books

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Kiss Good Night by Amy Hest is the third Sam book I'm sharing in my cozy book series! Previously I wrote about Don't You Feel Well, Sam? and You Can Do It, Sam, both books about a bear named Sam and his mother. It's time for Sam to go to bed, but he's waiting for something. Mrs. Bear does all of the special bedtime things with Sam, but he's still waiting. And waiting. He's waiting for his good-night kiss from his mother! This book has gorgeous illustrations with rich colors. They are different from what I normally like in a book, but they just work so perfectly. The text is written in a different sing-song kind of way as it is in the other two Sam books. Amy Hest definitely has her own … [Read more...] about Kiss Good Night – A Month of Cozy Books

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