Read Alouds for American History

This post was originally published on my previous blog; because we are still reading the books listed, I am continuing it here and will update as we finish the books listed below.

Last year, Notgrass History came out with a brand-new American History program called Our Star-Spangled Story.  It is intended to use for grades 1-4.  I quickly ordered it, began it, and then it sat until the Coronavirus hit when I suddenly had more time.  I did continue with some of the recommended read-aloud books even when we were not doing the history lessons.  I really love this program!  Each lesson is beautifully written and has numerous photos of people, places, and things mentioned in each lesson.  It is well worth getting!

God's Smuggler: A Warning for Parents

 

To skip my long story and read the warning, scroll down for the header.

Every year, one of my favorite things to do is to go to used book sales for homeschoolers.  Unfortunately, because of Covid-19, the biggest one of the year, sponsored by our local homeschool association (MHEA),  had to be canceled.  However, another favorite book sale which was begun by a mom five years ago was held earlier this year.  This one is great because it is held at a local park, there is no entry fee, and I always see people I know!

80+ Alternatives to the Traditional Book Report

 

Last fall, our Language Arts curriculum had an assignment for a traditional book report.  Gracie hated it.  If it were just for that reason, I probably would not have decided to forego traditional book reports, but, to be honest, I don't see a whole lot of value in them.  We, as adults, do not write book reports.  Even if we do book reviews for Amazon or GoodReads, it is best NOT to do them book report style (Here's a great article telling why and how.).

Homeschool Planet: A Review and How I Use It

This is an edited post that was originally published on my former blog.

Homeschool Planet:  A Review and How I Use It

(plus a discussion of our current 4th grade subjects)

Homeschool Planet:  A Review and How I Use It (plus a discussion of our current 4th grade subjects)

How cute is this?

One of the things I want to start talking about on my blog is my homeschooling journey with my daughter Gracie.  I have homeschooled Gracie formally since she was 4-½ years old.  (I say "formally" because all moms teach their children from birth, but homeschooling typically involves using curriculum!)  Back then, I used one main curriculum, A Beka Books, so all I had to do was follow their lesson plans.  Over the last six years, I have made changes so that I'm using a variety of curricula that work better for us.  I'll highlight a few of those changes in future blog posts.

American History Bucket List of Places to Visit

 

Last night, we finished reading the last lesson from Our Star-Spangled Story, an elementary history curriculum published by Notgrass History.  This has been one of my most favorite curriculum choices so far!  Mrs. Charlene Notgrass and two of her daughters co-wrote the lessons and did a beautiful job talking about important people, places, and events of American History (both well-known and lesser-known) and adding in biblical values and perspective.  I highly recommend this curriculum!

Picture Books for American History

This post was originally published on my former blog.   Some of the links may go to my former blog, but I will change them by the end of the year.

In a previous post, I told about American History chapter books that I am reading aloud to Gracie over the next few months.  I recently found a blog (Thrive in Grade Five) by a lady who teaches 5th grade in a public school in Oklahoma.  She wrote a blog post that shares books to read aloud to students.  I went to my library's website and put a number of books on hold.  I think I must have found another source of American history picture books because I have more books than what she mentioned; however, I don't remember what the other website was.  (I think I probably searched for the author's names and found other titles that looked good.)

A Little Bit of (Homeschool) Educational Philosophy

 

Google Images led me to this perfect image.

For those of you who do not know me, I used to be a schoolteacher.  After graduating with a B.S. in Science Education, I taught secondary science in a public school for seven years.  I then began teaching everything-but-Bible in my church's Christian school for three years.  From there, I moved to Indiana to go to Bible college, worked in the area, met my husband, got married, and moved back to the Mid-South area.  I taught part-time in the same Christian school for about 1-½ years before the school closed.  By that time, I was pregnant with my daughter, and it was time to trade in "Miss Ava" for "Mama" -- a very welcome trade!  (I had already long given up my "Miss Gunn" moniker from public school days quite happily.)  Since I've been homeschooling my daughter (who is going into 5th grade), I have learned that all those years of being in education were for the sole purpose of teaching my little girl who is my favorite student!!