Read and Discover, Together

Balloons Over Broadway: The Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Living in the Northeast, the Macy's Parade was a highlight of our Thanksgiving Day morning; almost as important as putting the turkey in the oven. I picked up the book displayed on the non-fiction shelf, thumbed through, and placed it in our library bag to be checked out. I couldn’t wait to introduce my children to a family tradition.

When we arrived home an eager, curious little learner retrieved the book from the bag. "Mom, let's read this one!" 

We did! Amazing! I learned the back story about the balloons I marveled as I child. In the process of reading one of our newest library finds, I was able to tell my children about one of our favorite holiday traditions—watching the Macy's Day Parade while smells of cinnamon and roasting turkey permeated our home. A slice of family tradition and a delightful piece of American history served up during read-aloud time. It couldn’t be a more perfect combination and it led to amazing conversation and additional studies.

• Learn about parade history, including behind the scenes

• About Tony Sarg, puppeteer

• Make puppets 
  
  Extension activities:

• Learn more about New York City

• Read A Walk in New York by Salvatore Rubbino

• Read The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

• Perform a puppet show (using sock, finger, hand, or mixed media puppets) to entertain family and friends

• Experiment with shadow puppets

• Visit a local marionette theater

When Learning Doesn't Have a Paper Trail

Learning is often measured in paper. Thirty-problem speed drills. Handwriting practice sheets. Chapter tests. Lab reports. Paragraph summaries. In and of themselves, these items aren't terrible or wrong. They have their place. However, valuable learning also takes place when there are no visible, tangible traces, especially when teaching young children.

Last spring, we had one of those weeks where significant educational progress was made but not all our activities could not be measured in paper. Our experiences were stellar and our children talked about them with joy and amazing recall. They were life-impacting and applicable. Learning took place, but we didn't have sheets and sheets of paper to prove our efforts. Here’s a glimpse into some of the learning fun we had during the course of the week.

• reviewed number recognition, numbers 1-75, while playing BINGO with great-grandma

• sorted, counted, and rolled coins (collected in the family change jar for our anticipated family night out)

• played the Pizza Fraction Fun game several times and then the younger children cared the pieces off to play “restaurant”

• weighed potatoes and onions on a kitchen scale and compared the weights

• made figures with tangrams (geometry)

• played Scrabble with older learners for spelling

• wrote letters (olders wrote their spelling words) on the driveway with sidewalk chalk

• retold a story we heard someone else tell and then discussed how point of view and experiences determine potential bias

• read three picture books: Blueberries for Sal, Caps for Sale, and The Raft

• read a recipe, followed directions, and measured ingredients

• listened to Jim Weiss stories on CD

• spelled three- and four-letter short vowel words on a whiteboard

• listened to The Tale of Two Cities and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (audio books enjoyed by older learners)

• reviewed state abbreviations while driving to grandma's house

• watched bees pollinate flowers

• assembled a floor puzzle of the United States

• listened to me read Meet the Pilgrim Fathers by Elizabeth Payne to the youngest learners

• learned body systems and their functions while listening to Lyrical life Science: Human Body

• discussed the nutritional content of three types of cereal by comparing labels; discussion of fats, sugar, and minerals

• cared for the neighbor's dogs and evenly distributed the money earned with the children who participated

Children were engaged. Learning occurred. There was not a traditional paper trail for these activities. Much of the evidence resided in the minds of my children.

How did we document our learning?

We kept a resource list of books we read, recorded the activities on our log, and took pictures of the whiteboard, tangram creations, games, and completed puzzle.

What I loved most about our week was that we learned together. We were relaxed and enjoyed our conversations. As I read, the children asked questions and we added to our vocabulary. When we needed to be outside, we went. There was joy.

Our learning was

Intentional. Real. and Relational.

And, it mattered.

How to Create Your Own Timeline

I remember one season of our home education journey when everyone—preschool to high school—studied American History. I intentionally planned for the year, knowing our days with five learners our would be full and there would be lots of excitement buzzing about the home. Having everyone study American history on his or her level helped simplify our home learning.

“Timelines help children place people and events in history. They are a concrete visual of often abstract concepts. ”

In one particular part of that year, we were all digging into the American Revolution. Some enjoyed learning about George Washington while others wanted to act out the Boston Tea Party. The resulting conversations became engaging as siblings shared what was being read in biographies, heard on Liberty Kids, or gained from audio materials like Drive Through History. In addition, every learner had a different angle or perspective on the men, women, and events of the time. To tie everyone’s study together, we created a family timeline; an activity that could involve everyone.

“We’ve made several timelines over our 26 years of home education. Every one was unique, every one different based on our study of the time. ”

Our hallway timeline. When I want our timeline to be accessible, in sight and readily available at any given time—like a world map or globe—it extends the length of our hallway at a child’s eye level. To create this timeline, I pulled a stack of sentence strips from my supplies. Had I not had them leftover from a sentence-building exercise, I would have used four-inch strips of card stock or poster board. I taped the strips down one side of the hall and up the other; end-to-end the length of the hallway. Once hung, I used a permanent marker to write dates in fifty year increments, beginning with 1200 (1200, 1250, 1300, 1350 and so on). If you choose to this DIY project, you can easily adjust the dates for the length of your hallway, with the extent of your study in mind.

With several children adding to the timeline, there’s been times when all eyes were on the hall wall, times when siblings were interested in what others were placing on the wall. Our children are curious about the people or events they were studying but also interested in what they siblings were learning. Questions were asked. Siblings answered. Sometimes they enlisted my help. I love watching the process, observing their thinking and problem solving, their summations of what had been learned.

Our file folder timeline. One year I wasn’t quite ready to add tape to the freshly painted hall wall. I had to come up with another option. An abundance of file folders from cleaning out our old metal file cabinets provided us with instant cardstock. I cut the folders in half and glued them together so they would folded, accordian-style. Once folded, the timeline could be stored on a bookshelf. When a learner wanted to add a picture, he or she pulled out the timeline. This version saved my walls, but it didn’t create the same buzz as having the timeline out, front and center, to stop in front of and ponder.

Adding Pictures

The fun part of creating a timeline is adding the pictures. Children love to cut and paste. For the pictures, we use the index of old textbooks (discarded by my history teaching hubby) to locate needed pictures. For example, if a learner is searching for a picture of Alexander Graham Bell, I teach (or review with) him or her to use the index, which requires alphabetization (as study skill). We head to the “B’s” and the move to the “BE” words, and so on. Once we locate the page where Alexander Graham Bell is featured, we cut out any pictures. We follow the same procedure for any person or event studied. Cut out pictures are added to the timeline. If we can’t find a picture, we find a picture on the internet and print it.

Learning is fueled by excitement and engagement. Our timelines add to the engagement, especially the hallway timeline. And, I love that it was accessible. Anytime children walk down the hallway, they’re re-engaged and make observations (“Wow, so many things happened in 1776!”). Timelines offer constant review and consistent reinforcement. And, in those seasons when I have had to repaint the hallway, I smiled as I remembered the discussions which had taken place in that space. We learned history, but we also learned together.

Every. Moment. Matters.

American Revolution Literature-Based Study (Preschool through High School)

“Mom, why are there faces on our money?”

Children are eager to learn about people, the individuals they hear us talk about, people who made a difference— presidents, leaders, scientists. This is especially true when children begin to understand the choices and even the sacrifices and hard work others made for the sake of others.

One of our favorite periods of history to study is the American Revolution. Thankfully, there is an abundance of resources available and there are so many aspects of the era to be investigated. For a family like us with multiple levels of development and learning, we find this era offers a little bit of everything for everyone. Children can easily detour and dig into an area of independent study (which typically ignites interest in a sibling or becomes a topic of conversation at the dinner table). As we’ve studied this time in our nation’s history several times over our twenty-six year learning journey, we definitely discovered we have some favorite resources.

I am sure as you dig into the American Revolution, you will discover you have favorites, too.

George Washington

Adler, David A., A Picture Book of George Washington (K-early elementary)

Barton, David, Bulletproof George Washington (high school)

d'Aulaire, Ingri, George Washington (elementary)

Davidson, Margaret, The Adventures of George Washington (elementary-middle school)

Edwards, Roberta, Who Was George Washington (Who is series) (elementary-middle school)

Graff, Stewart, George Washington: Father of Freedom (Discovery biography) (K- early elementary)

Harness, Cheryl, George Washington (elementary)

Heilbroner, Joan, Meet George Washington (Step-Up Books series reprinted in paperback with similar text as a Landmark book) (K-early elementary)

Stevenson, Augusta, George Washington: Young Leader (Childhood of Famous Americans) (K- elementary)

Martha Washington

Anderson, LaVere, Martha Washington: First Lady of the Land (Discovery biography) (K- early elementary)

Wagoner, Jean Brown, Martha Washington: America’s First Lady (Childhood of Famous Americans) (K-elementary)

Betsy Ross

Buckley, James, Who Was Betsy Ross? (Who Is Series) (elementary-middle school)

Wallner, Alexandra, Betsy Ross (K- elementary)

Weil, Ann, Betsy Ross: Designer of our Flag (Childhood of Famous Americans) (K- elementary)

Thomas Jefferson

Colver, Anne and Polly Anne Graff, Thomas Jefferson: Author of Independence (Discovery biography) (K- elementary)

Monsell, Helen Albee, Thomas Jefferson: Third President of the United States (Childhood of Famous Americans) (K- elementary)

Paul Revere

Adler, David A., A Picture Book of Paul Revere (K- elementary)

Fritz, Jean, And Then What Happened, Paul Revere (elementary)

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, Paul Revere's Ride (illustrated by Ted Rand) (elementary-middle school)

Stevenson, Augusta, Paul Revere: Boston Patriot (Childhood of Famous Americans) (K- elementary)

Benjamin Franklin

Davidson, Margaret, The Story of Benjamin Franklin (elementary-middle school)

Franklin, Benjamin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (high school)

Graves, Charles P., Ben Franklin: Man of Ideas (K- elementary)

Hareness, Cheryl, The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin (K- elementary)

Lawson, Robert, Ben and Me (great read aloud) (elementary-middle school)

Scarf, Maggi, Meet Benjamin Franklin Washington (Step-Up Books) (K- early elementary)

Stevenson, Augusta, Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer (Childhood of Famous Americans) (K- elementary)

John Adams

Adler, David A., The Picture Book of John and Abigail Adams (K- elementary)

McCullough, David, John Adams (high school)

Abigail Adams

Peterson, Helen Stone, Abigail Adams: Dear Partner (K- elementary)

Sam Adams

Adler, David A., The Picture Book of Sam Adams (K-elementary)

Fritz, Jean, Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? (elementary-middle school)

The American Revolution

Dalgliesh, Alice, The 4th of July (K- elementary)

Edmunds, Walter, The Matchlock Gun (read aloud)

Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremain (read aloud or middle school)

Gregory, Kristianna, Cannons at Dawn (Dear America series) (upper elementary-middle school)

Harris, Michael, What is the Declaration of Independence (Who Is series) (elementary-middle school)

Latham, Jean Lee, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (family read-aloud or middle school independent read)

Lossing, Benson John, Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of the Independence (high school biographical compilation)

McCullough, David, 1776 (high school)

McGovern, Ann, If You Lived In Colonial Times (K- elementary)

Maestro, Betsy and Giulio, A More Perfect Union (K-elementary)

Moore, Kay, If You Lived At the Time of the American Revolution (K- early elementary)

Penner, Lucille, Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began (elementary-middle school)

Rockliff, Mara, Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution (K- elementary)

Spier, Peter, The Star-Spangled Banner (K-elementary)

Activities

• We have used various activities from History Pockets: Colonial America and History Pockets: American Revolution by Evan-Moor.

• Dioramas make great culminating projects. Dioramas scenes created in a shoe box or cardboard box, perhaps Washington crossing the Delaware, Valley Forge, the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

• We locate and identify the thirteen colonies on our US map or print a printable map found online and label the thirteen colonies: Virginia, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Say the colonies while writing the names or pointing to the words. Notice the names of states are proper nouns and are capitalized.

• In addition to the thirteen colonies, consider locating significant bodies of water (rivers and lakes) or cities were events took place (Boston, Philadelphia, Trenton, and so on). Printable maps are great for this activity though this can also be done on a United States map orally together as a family.

• My children have loved making colonial crafts like quilting, candle making, weaving, and leather work.

• We read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (Ted Rand’s version listed above). This poem has been recited for generations and is narrative fiction. Though based on a historic event, not all the details penned in the poem occurred as they actually happened. Compare the details in the poem with what was learned while researching. The Paul Revere House offers one account on its website https://www.paulreverehouse.org/the-real-story/. In addition, Old North Church is a National Park. Their website is https://tinyurl.com/y7havl6b.

• In Paul Revere’s Ride, lanterns lit the way for night travelers and warned the citizens of impending danger. Tin lanterns were crafted by tinsmiths. We’ve enjoyed making tin lanterns. To do so, we wash an empty tin can and fill with water and freeze. Once frozen solid, we place the can on a folded towel and lay atop a hard surface. This keeps the can from rolling while hammering. Then, we carefully, with supervision, use a hammer and nail to punch holes in the can, refreezing as needed. When the design is complete,we thaw the can and empty and water. Sometimes, we add a wire handle and a battery-operated votive to light the lantern.

• Field trips are always a favorite. For this period of history, consider history museum, horse stables, blacksmith or quilt shops.

• We’ve enjoyed making quill pens and writing with homemade berry ink.

• Create an American Revolutionary timeline.

• Our children have loved watching episodes of Liberty Kids.

• We read Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff, read the back matter at the end, and made gingerbread. For our littles, we made gingerbread playdough. This recipe (minus the pumpkin spice) has been my favorite for over thirty years!

  Gather
  2 cups flour
  1 cup salt
  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  2 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar (cream of tartar acts as a preservative)
  2 cups cold water
  Food coloring

  1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

  Wooden cutting board

  Airtight plastic bag or container

  1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the flour, salt, vegetable oil, cream of tartar, and water. Stir well. Add 5 to 6 drops of food coloring and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the dough is the consistency of mashed potatoes; about 5 minutes.

  3. Spoon onto a wooden cutting board or wax paper covered counter top.

  4. Knead until smooth.

  5. Store play dough in an airtight plastic zipper bag or container up to 6 months.

  Knead, roll and pat to build fine motor skills. Make a long rope and form into the letter G. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to make pretend gingerbread delights.

Wright Brothers Mini Unit Study (and an Intentional Mom)

Looking for a new read-aloud, we headed to our home library.

Majority vote determined The Wright Brothers (from the Landmark series) by Quentin Reynolds would be our next read.

From the very first page, we were captivated—science, geography, life application. My mom heart also received needed encouragement. BONUS.

Susan Wright encouraged her boys to ask questions, to remain curious, to love learning. This thread wove through the book. Pages four through six impacted me greatly; in fact, I often quote from this passage when I speak to parents on the topic of little learners.

Susan Wright inspired her children with her ability to encourage questions and cultivate wonder. She gave them time to explore and discover. Her efforts changed history.

Susan Wright changed history with her intentionally.

I want to be an intentional mom. I’ve learned doing so can be hard. It takes courage to be different, to do things in ways that meet the needs of my children and fosters their development—their bodies, minds, and hearts.

---

“    What makes a bird fly, Mother?” Wilbur asked.

     “Their wings, Will,” she said. “You notice they move their wings and that makes them go faster.”

     “But Mother, “ Will said, not quite satisfied, “that bird that just swooped down didn’t even move his wings. He swooped down and grabbed a fish, and then went right up again. He never moved his wings at all.”

      “The wind doesn’t just blow toward you or away from you,” she said. “It blows up and down too. When a current of air blows up, it takes the bird up. This wings support him in the air.”

— The Wright Brothers, Quentin Reynolds

---

The story continues as the brothers ask their mother questions about what they were observing. Wilbur insists he could fly if he had wings; if he could make wings. The narrator invites the reader into the conclusion of the chapter.

---

“She knew that even an eleven-year-old boy can have ideas of his own, and just because they happened to come from an eleven-year-old head—well, that didn’t make them foolish. She never treated her children as if they were babies, and perhaps that’s why they liked to go fishing with her or on picnics with her. And that’s why they kept asking her questions.”

— The Wright Brothers, Quentin Reynolds

---

We finished the book and our children wanted to learn more about the Wright Brothers and flight (thanks to the engaging plot). My children dug in and their interests led to asking the local butcher for Styrofoam meat trays from which we cut glider wings. Gliders led to creating a Science Fair project which hypothesized the effect of paper weight on the flight of paper airplanes. We folded, flew, measured, and compared. What a journey!

It all started with a trip to our home library.

I hadn’t planned on this mini unit study, it blossomed from a read-aloud. It was a welcomed treat, one fueled by the learner’s next question or idea. One thing led to another.

You may experience something similar, an interest that takes off. Ride the wave and embrace the moments. You will be surprised where the interests and questions lead.

It may be better than you could have imagined.

Let’s get started…

Books

Who Were the Wright Brothers, James Buckley, Jr.

Charles Lindbergh: Hero Pilot, David R. Collins

A is for Aviation: The ABCs of Airplanes, Spaceships, Rockets, and More!, J. H. Heitsch

The Wright Brothers by Elizabeth MacLeod

To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers by Wendie C. Old

The Airplane Alphabet Book, Jerry Pallotta

The Jet Alphabet Book, Jerry Pallotta

The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot, Alice Provensen

The Story of Flight, Mary Lee Settle

First Flight: The Story of Tom Tate and the Wright Brothers by George Shea

The Story of the Wright Brothers: A Biography Book for New Readers, Annette Whipple

Learning Resources

Wright Brothers unit study (includes instructions for making gliders

Another tutorial for making gliders

Smithsonian: The Wright Brothers and the Aerial Age

Parts of a plane

National Park Service Wright Brothers curriculum

Scholastic teacher activity guide

Search for online video clips about the Wright Brothers, the history of flight, or men and women who changed flight

Keep in mind, this study may launch interests to birds, rockets, engineering and more!

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Have a high school learner interested in flight? Check out David McCullough’s excellent, The Wright Brothers, published in 2016.

Using Living Books in High School

When we started our homeschooling high school journey in 2003, I was determined not to leave the learning power of Living Books behind in the elementary and middle school years. 

YOU can use Living Books in high school.

Our high school learners were greatly impacted by the Living Books they chose. In fact, several titles greatly influenced their career choices and life goals.

When we began our high school journey, the first content area in which we incorporated Living Books was history. This seemed a natural choice since we had been using Living Books--biographies, autobiographies, and historical fiction--to accent our history studies in the elementary and middle school years. 

History

Aristotle. Complete Works of Aristotle, Vol. 1. Princeton University Press, 1984.

De Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America and Two Essays on America. Penguin Classics, 2003.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. 1790.

McCullough, David. John Adams. Simon &Schuster, 2002.

McCullough, David. The Wright Brothers. Simon &Schuster, 2015.

Metaxas, Eric. Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery. Harper One, 2007.

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. On the Social Contract. Dover Publications, 2003.

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The next content area in which we chose to incorporate Living Books was science. It was also a natural fit, especially for learners who had interest in specialty areas or who wanted to dig deeper to learn more about scientists and inventors. As our young adults advanced through the high school years, we included adult and college level materials. 

Science

Burton, Mary June. Louis Pasteur: Founder of Microbiology. Franklin Watts, 1963.

Carson, Ben, and Cecil Murphey. Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. Zondervan, 1996.

Douty, Esther. America’s First Woman Chemist: Ellen Richards. Julian Messner, 1961.

Einstein, Albert. The Meaning of Relativity: Four Lectures Delivered at Princeton University, May 1921 (Classic Reprint). Forgotten Books, 2017.

Keller, Helen. The Story of My Life. 1903. Signet, 2010.

Williams, Beryl, and Samuel Epstein. Medicine from Microbes: The Story of Antibiotics. Julian Messner, 1965.

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Reaching our creatives with written materials was challenging at times, unless the reading was related their artistic gifting or interest. Perhaps you find yourself in that quandary. The effort you put forth to help your high schoolers find books, matters. Make suggestions. Go to the bookstore together. Visit the library and browse the shelf. Find out who influences or has influenced the field. The effort speaks to your interest in what matters to your teen.

I did discover I had to let go of my rigid definition of what a Living Book was in order to be open to the plethora of possibilities I would  have otherwise discounted.

The Arts

Astaire, Fred. Steps in Time: An Autobiography. Cooper Square Press, 2000.

Kistler, Mark. You Can Draw in 30 Days: The Fun, Easy Way to Learn to Draw in One Month or Less. Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2011.

Tada, Joni Eareckson, Joni. Bantum Books. 1978.

Trapp, Maria. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers: The Story Which Inspired The Sound of Music. William Morrow Paperbacks, 2001.

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What about an athlete who loves to read? How can Living Books be interwoven in a personal fitness or weight training course? And, what about an athlete who would rather play ball than read?

Sports

Dorman, H. A., and Karl Kuehl. The Mental Game of Baseball. Diamond Communications, 2002.

Hershiser, Orel, and Jerry B. Jenkins. Out of the Blue. Wolgemuth & Hyatt Publishers, 1989.

Kilmeade, Brian. The Games Do Count: America’s Best and Brightest on the Power of Sports. HarperCollins, 2004.

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Living Books have the power to pull in even the most reluctant reader!

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Living Books can give life to any subject, if we allow them the opportunity to do so. Recently, one daughter began to lean toward personal growth and leadership materials. I worked on ways to incorporate what she was reading into an elective: Personal Development and Career Exploration. I could have also titled the course Interpersonal Communication, based on the resources she chose. When I wrote More Than Credits, I included the books and activities into an elective framework. It is one of five electives featured in the book.

50 Picture Books Children Love

Picture books invite readers into the story, into the lives of the characters. While reading, listeners develop empathy and understanding of others' feelings and circumstances, almost without knowing the transformation is taking place. For this reason, picture books become a child's first experience with the power of story. Together as a family, we've jumped into the plots of Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens, and Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.

• Ackerman, Karen, Song and Dance Man

• Brett, Jan, Town Mouse and Country Mouse

• Brown, Marcia, Stone Soup

• Burton, Virginia Lee, Katy and the Big Snow

• Burton, Virginia Lee, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

• Burton, Virginia Lee, The Little House

• Carle, Eric, A House for Hermit Crab

• Carle, Eric, The Grouchy Ladybug

• Cooney, Barbara, Miss Rumphius

• Eastman, P. D. , Are You My Mother?

• Ehlert, Lois, Pie in the Sky

• Estes, Eleanor, The Hundred Dresses

• Freeman, Don, Corduroy

• Fleming, Denise, Barnyard Banter

• Galdone, Paul, The Gingerbread Boy

• Gramatky, Hardie, Little Toot

• Hall, Donald, Ox-Cart Man

• Hoban, Russell and Lillian, Bread and Jam for Frances

• Hoff, Syd, Sammy the Seal

• Johnson, Crockett, Harold and the Purple Crayon

• Keats, Ezra Jack, Peter’s Chair

• Keats, Ezra Jack, The Snowy Day

• Keats, Ezra Jack, Whistle for Willie

• Krauss, Ruth, The Carrot Seed

• LaMarche, Jim, The Raft

• Laroche, Giles, If You Lived Here: Houses of the World

• Lindbergh, Reeve, Johnny Appleseed

• McCloskey, Robert, Blueberries for Sal

• McCloskey, Robert, Lentil

• McCloskey, Robert, One Morning in Maine

• Newberry, Clare Turlay, Barkis

• Perkins, Al, The Digging-est Dog

• Piper, Watty, The Little Engine that Could

• Stevens, Janet. Tops and Bottoms

• Swift, Hildegarde, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge

• Ward, Helen, Unwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop’s Fables

• Ward, Lynd, The Biggest Bear

• Wood, Audrey, The Napping House

• Yolan, Jane, Owl Moon

Younger listens learn concepts as we read.

Children ages 2-8 enjoy learning concepts through topics of interest, for example, cowboys, insects, or construction vehicles. Concept picture books make this possible and do so through relaxing moments with resources which foster both early learning and literacy.

• Alakija, Polly, Counting Chickens

• Carle, Eric, 10 Rubber Ducks

• Carle, Eric, Rooster’s Off to See the World

• Demarest, Chris, The Cowboy ABC

• Demarest, Chris, Firefighter A to Z

• Emberley, Barbara, Drummer Hoff

• Krull, Kathleen, M is for Music

• Laroche, Giles, If You Lived Here: Houses of the World

• McCurdy, Michael (illustrator), The Sailor’s Alphabet

• McGrath, Barbara, M&M Brand Chocolate Candies Counting Book

• McMillan, Bruce, Jelly Beans for Sale

• Pallotta, Jerry, The Icky Bug Alphabet Book

• Schnur, Steven, Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic

• Wadsworth, Olive A., Over in the Meadow: A Counting Rhyme

Older children learn about people who changed the world.

Biographical picture books. Our older picture book readers (which includes mom!) enjoy reading about real people who solve real problems. With biographical picture books, young readers don't have to wait until they can read chapter books to read about and meet some of the world's most significant history changers. Our favorites have included

• Dooling, Michael, Young Thomas Edison

• Moses, Will, Mary and Her Little Lamb

• Martin, Jacqueline Briggs, Snowflake Bentley

• Provensen, Alice and Martin, The Glorious Flight

A picture book invites readers into learning and into the stories of others, gently, peacefully, and purposefully. There will be pondering. There will be wonder. There will heart-changing impact, sometimes so subtly it will go unnoticed for a bit of time. 

Some of our most treasured family read-aloud moments and discussions have come from the pages we've turned together. 

With each book selected, read, placed on our shelves, and the read again, a legacy formed. That legacy is sweet, precious, unique to our family, as it will be yours. That story legacy is a gift, a gift which will continue to span generations. It is just one benefit of keeping learning real and relational. 

How to... Use What You Have

Perhaps the current season launched you into a place you didn’t expect to be.

As this blog post is being edited libraries are closing. Where will we find materials and resources?

You may be scared, overwhelmed, unsure.

You are not alone.

Like you, other parents are trying to figure out how to navigate increasing closures and wonky schedules hoping to find new solutions.

We are in this together. Let’s help one another

• take a deep breath.

• be open to the possibilities which already exist and sit waiting to be discovered.

• find goodness in what is unfolding. It looks different than many of us envisioned. This happens. Different doesn’t mean wrong. Let’s help one another stick with it. We may find the outcomes are better than we imagined.

For the past three evenings, my middle schooler has been devouring a book she found on our shelf—The Young People’s Encyclopedia of the United States. Her excitement had been contagious as she’s proclaimed, “listen to this!” or “I forgot about that!”.

What we have is boosting what she knows!

The book went unnoticed on our shelves for years. This week, someone rediscovered it—considered it a treasure—began reading, and showed excitement. The excitement proved contagious. Currently, two learners are working together to figure out how to share the “high demand” book, and each wants to read aloud to me. Great problems!

The discovery was unplanned yet full of possibilities.

When I acknowledged the discovery and the interest, excitement escalated.

The book—something we already had—instantly became a means for learning.

I suspect there is something in or around your home waiting to be discovered by your child. When it’s found, embrace the educational moments it provides. They may be better than you could have planned or imagined.

How to use what you have

My daughter asked if she could read to me. Children need to read aloud to build fluency. We sat together (she loved that, too!) and she read. WIN all the way around. I wrote “read to mom” on our log of activities (part of what our state statute requires for home education). We learned a great deal and enjoyed the time together.

My daughter asked for clarification. As she read, she stopped to clarify. This is an important part of building reading comprehension. The ten minutes we spent talking about what she was reading proved valuable. Twenty-four hours later, we read related content and she discovered on her own how the information was related. Higher level thinking skills were utilized for the task. Another WIN! And, she was enjoying the process. Reading comprehension and summarization were noted both in our learning activities for the day.

My daughter asked questions. Fostering curiosity is always time well spent. One question leads to another. Again, interest is key. If the learner chooses a book and wants to read more, retention follows. On one particular quest through her new found treasure, she read explanations about sports. Some of the information was review, other tidbits were new. Along the way she reviewed alphabetical order and used study skills. I logged the sports information as well as study skills for our record keeping.

My daughter learned new vocabulary. There were times when my daughter asked me to read to her. As I read, I paused to explain words I presumed to be new. We talked about the definition of the word and I used the word in a sentence. When I logged what we accomplished, I wrote “discussed new vocabulary”. Another WIN.

Additional learning ideas

If a learner finds a resource and is engaged,

• the time may be ripe to use words of interest as spelling words. Children desire to learn to spell words they want to use. For example, a book about baseball may turn on an interest to learn baseball related words—base, player, glove, catcher, outfield. A printable list of frequently misspelled words is included on this post.

• there may be an opportunity for creative writing. Let’s say a child finds a book about dog breeds and suddenly wants to purchase a particular breed. Writing a persuasive piece including the pros and cons of buying that particular breed may be a possibility. For learners who prefer to create a visual, maybe a designing a brochure or flyer would be a better option.

• ask questions and connect. People appreciate when others take notice and interest in what they are doing. Consider open-ended questions which require more than yes, no, or nothing.

  • “It seems like you are really enjoying that book. What was the most interesting thing you learned today?”

  • “Which topics do still hope to investigate?”

  • “That’s a great book! I remember reading it. What’s been your favorite scene or point of action?”

  • “We have other books related to that topic. I’d be glad to help you find some if that would be helpful.”

• ask the child to keep a list of items he or she has studied. For some learners, having a visual of accomplishments is helpful. For others, it allows an opportunity for the child to take personal responsibility for what he or she is learning. I use this list to add details to our activity log.

• use the resource as a springboard for application or experiential learning. For example, if the learner chooses a field guide or identification resource, perhaps he or she could us the guide to identify species in your area—the backyard or on a walk in the neighborhood. Some of my learners have enjoyed making a tally chart of items on a scavenger hunt. For children with a creative gifting, sketching may be a great lead to science.

• consider using that interest as a springboard to learn another skill. For example, if a learner chooses a book about space, review syllables and then ask him or her to make a list of three- or four-syllable words—Jupiter, galaxy, telescope, constellation. If the child is younger, one-or two-syllable words would be more appropriate—star, planet, Mars, Saturn, moon.

Time together is priceless. Often the best takeaways aren’t readily measurable and don’t fit neatly on a log of activities. That’s okay. Relationships matter and are worth the time spent to build. In the slower, unique pace of the season, taking time to sit and listen to a familiar voice read or tell a story is soothing to the soul. In addition, in circumstances where handshakes, hugs, and high fives are cautioned due to social distancing, children need our physical touch. Truth is, we all need a few extra hugs—parents and children. I can’t think of a better time to pull closer, snuggle, and learn together!

My mom placed a set of encyclopedias on our family bookshelf. I’d go to the shelf and pull off a few volumes—usually my favorite letters and settle on the couch. I also remember going to my grandmother’s home and finding books of on her shelves. I’d make selections and find myself lost in the “newness” of the content. Likely, it wasn’t new information, but it caught my attention and was presented in mode different from I was doing in school. New was appealing. And, it was in my grandmother’s house! In both cases, at my home and in my grandmother’s house, I had time to linger, time to digest the content.

In this unique season of our history, we all have resources and time. I wonder what “new” is waiting to be discovered.

Read Aloud Time: To Schedule or Not to Schedule

A woman walked toward my booth with an inquisitive look on her face. I knew she had a question.

“I just heard I should schedule read-aloud time. Is that how you’ve done it?”

In some seasons, yes. One particular year of our homeschooling journey, starting our morning with a good picture book fueled our day. The kids could consistently count on me gathering the troops in the living room right after breakfast before the oldest learners sat with me for math. Scheduling read-aloud together time was perfect for that season. It brought us together and grew us closer in a time when we could have been disjointed.

In another part of our educational adventure, when littles had tired eyes and pouty faces (like after lunch when tummies were full and bodies needed rest) I knew scheduling a quiet time of hearing my voice read a favorite story (or a new library treasure) would be just the right remedy. And so, I scheduled.

In other parts of our years together, I didn’t schedule reading aloud. Instead, we read when needed, you know those moments when attitudes flare and tears flow for no apparent reason. That’s when gathering on the couch invited calm. To those times, one little may bring a valued comfort read, perhaps Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton while another learner would contribute a non-fiction book of interest. No schedule meant the most freedom for our family while also allowing us to learn about one another’s needs.

Seasons vary from one family to another. Given such, the answer to the if-and-when question of scheduling read-aloud time isn’t a pat answer. Each family can decide which works best for its members.

Should your family schedule time to gather for a stack of good reads?

Only YOU can determine the answer to that question. If you are not sure, try starting with reading consistently during one part of the day, maybe right after dinner or after teeth are brushed for the evening. See how it goes. If it’s not working, try another time. And, if you are one of those parents keeping a pulse of the home environment, read when you feel the need. We parents have the ability to determine the best times for reading aloud to our families.

Remember, you and I are on a learning adventure, each path unique, each path full of possibilities.

Ride the West with Living Books

I didn’t see it coming.

Recently, I was reminded that some of the best learning “units” we’ve enjoyed were unplanned and unexpected. They were birthed by questions raised from learning a new word, being involved in an intriguing moment, or engaging in a fascinating event. One of our most recent learning tangents evolved after reading a few chapters of The Pony Express by Samuel Hopkins Adams (Random House, 1950) to my middle schooler. In the process, the elementary learner wondered what the excitement was about and she, too, was hooked. Before we knew it we were all riding the routes of the Pony Express (Mom included after realizing she didn’t know as much as she wished she did), racing through mountain passes, stopping at rest stations, and outwitting bandits.

I remembered we had a few more books about riders on our home library shelf—as well as books about the period of history. I invited my youngest to join me at the bookshelf to find other resources she might enjoy. She was intrigued by the cover of one in particular, Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express by Eleanor Coerr (HarperCollins,1995). Upon opening the book and fanning through the pages—seeing the larger font—she was even more excited. Large font. Easy, enjoyable reading. Unintimidating. We began reading and she immediately recognized some of the rider’s names and station stops from listening to me read to her sister. Learning about the Pony Express just got a bit more personal for her.

Three weeks later, looking back, the “unit” was more than I could have imagined, mostly because of the level of engagement. There was interest and they fully “owned” what they were learning, because they were interested. The more we read, the more involved my learners became. When they had questions, we did our best to find answers. This paved the way to practice research skills.

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Language arts. Study skills. History.

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I know my girls remember a large percentage of what they learned. That makes my heart smile. But, there was something else that grew along with their knowledge…a relationship. They had something in common, a mutual interest, something they could talk and wonder about. They shared what they learned; got excited together.

I could never have manufactured or orchestrated that aspect of the process.

Even after 26 years of homeschooling, I didn’t see a “unit” growing from this book.

But, it did!!

And, I am grateful.

Today, because of that deeper care for one another, they are outside reading in the fort. That’s another story for another day.

Related resources for riding and exploring the west:

Buffalo Bill, Augusta Stevenson (Childhood of Famous Americans)

Buffalo Bill: Wild West Showman, Mary R. Davidson (Discovery biography series, Garrard Publishers)

The California Gold Rush, May McNeer (Landmark series)

Annie Oakley: The Shooting Star, Charles P. Graves (Discovery biography series, Garrard Publishers)

Jim Bridger: Man of the Mountains, Willard and Celia Luce (Discovery biography series, Garrard Publishers)

Kit Carson: Pathfinder of the West, Nardi Reeder Campion (Discovery biography series, Garrard Publishers)

Daniel Boone: The Opening of the Wilderness, John Mason Brown (Landmark series)

Daniel Boone: Young Hunter, Augusta Stevenson (Childhood of Famous Americans)

The Story of Daniel Boone, William O’Steele (Signature series)