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Fables & Fairy Tales (Crafty Classroom) {Review}
Over the years, I have often turned to The Crafty Classroom for printable materials to enhance our homeschool classroom studies. Right now, we are working our way through many units within the Fables & Tales pack. It is as easy and print, hand it to my daughter with her craft supplies and we’re off! This is truly a no-prep pack. For the purposes of this review, we received access to a PDF printable document and I let my daughter set the pace. My middle daughter is seven-years-old and she is always excited to work on these studies. Some days, she would sit and do page after page and on…
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IXL | Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, & Spanish (Online Practice) {Review}
Many years ago, we introduced the concept of computer school to our homeschool situation with online math practice. Back in 2014, I believe that my introduction to IXL Math and IXL Language Arts is still one of our favorite review product items. We continued to pay for a membership in the years following our original review. My oldest daughter (AppleBlossom) started IXL around age five and I have been thrilled to watch all the improvements over the years. It is great, it has been great, and it is only getting better. IXL was my middle daughter’s (the Princess) introduction to working with technology devices including computers, desktop, laptop, iPad tablets, and…
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First Times by Charles Ghigna {Review}
A foray into the first adventures of childhood. Years ago, with Tot school in mind, I discovered Charles Ghigna and his story Little Seeds. Today, I was able to read one of his newer selections in First Times. This is a book about all sorts of firsts and applicable for each of my children from my nearly nine-year-old daughter all the way to her eleven-month-old sister and the others in between. The illustrations are okay, but it is the words and the text that make this book a fantastic one to read aloud again and again. I was blessed to read a digital Advanced Reading Copy on loan from the publisher. Opinions are honest…
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Starfall Pre-k Curriculum & more (Online Learning) {Review}
Ever since I started homeschooling with littles, one of the names that have come up over and over as a recommendation for some online learning is the Starfall Education Foundation. This year with our interactions with the Homeschool Review Crew we were blessed to receive a one-year subscription to The Starfall Home Membership giving access for the whole family. Or rather in our case, from my youngest student using this as a pre-k curriculum at three-years-old through my middle daughter at six-years-old and even the eldest at eight-years-old is able to benefit. Technically, if you include the times they hold her up to witness it all, even my newest addition at…
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1st Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2017
[insert stack photo] My Princess has taken a slower, but perhaps more average start and stance on the idea of schooling. Mostly, if it is not somehow princess related she is not particularly interested. I have found printables and coloring hands-on activities are very appealing for her and find that a different direction from her sister is indeed warranted. This past year has found so many changes in her personality and behavior that indeed I believe that this will be the first real school year with a routine set for her. Although, she is my “spirited” child, so that may change… My five-year-old, six in the beginning of August, Princess…
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Logic of English: Foundations, Level D (Science of Reading) {Review}
I think that it is an easy statement to say that one of my favorite product reviews that I have been introduced to through the blessing of participating in the TOS Crew is from Logic of English ~ (https://www.logicofenglish.com/) and today that blessings has continued in the form of the latest level of their primary school program in Foundations Level D. Link back to Foundations A and you can read my extremely verbose post on our original thoughts about LOE Foundations. We still love “Dragon Phonics”! When we started using LOE Foundations, I got the full kit including the supplemental Doodling Dragons book and iOS phonogram app. You can read more about those in my…
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What materials do you use to teach reading?
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. Learning how to read is possibly the first essential skill in education, but how to teach it? How do you teach reading? There are programs, and curriculum galore available. There is just using phonics or alphabet flashcards. There are interactive apps for mobile devices and websites. There is the option to just read to them and point things out here and there. And there are also educational DVDs. Which direction to go? This doesn’t even touch…
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2015-2016 Curriculum Choices (Looking Forward)
This is post that I have honestly been scared to write as I dread the judgement. Okay, so seriously I don’t have a large commenting base on my blog, but I know from numbers and interactions along down the line that people are seeing what I write. It’s here, in email, and feeds through social networks and what-not. But even though I’m sure you’ll probably read this and go on with your day, I still fear the judgement and the “crazy woman” thoughts you’re most likely sending my way. Alas. Yesterday I talked about looking back at our year and what we did. For a large part of things, they…
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An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni {Step into Reading, Level 3}
Leo Lionni’s popular story about an alligator who gets confused with a chicken is now available as a Step 3 Step into Reading book—perfect for children who are ready to read on their own!
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Any advice for someone about to start Memoria Press First Grade?
Hello friends! As of January 2019, I have an affiliate account with Memoria Press. If you’re here, you know how passionate I am about Memoria Press. Please bless my family by using our links. Any advice for someone about to start Memoria Press First Grade? I love Memoria Press Classical Core Curriculum, I truly do. I’m impressed with everything they’ve put together and their Enrichment is my favorite part of how it all meshes together. We have spent the last year working our way through Memoria Press First Grade from their Classical Core Curriculum. It’s shocking because I feel like I was just finishing up my reviews from our year…
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Biscuit Goes Camping (I Can Read!) is in stores now!
Join Biscuit—the bestselling My First I Can Read Book character and everyone’s favorite yellow puppy—in this nighttime story about camping. Total Biscuit ICR sales top fourteen million copies!
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Real-Life Homeschool in a normal day
If you’re just joining in, you might wish to go read my first two posts about Real-Life Homeschool in the Creative Madness Mama Blossom School. On Day 1 I talked about a general hour by hour what’s up schedule, and on Day 2 I shared a library day. Some how I blinked and Wednesday and Thursday were past, but then that’s life around here. Let me think, Wednesday was our first attempt a unit study day and Thursday was a normal day. Today is going to be a 3Rs and unit study day. So… What is a normal or average day for us? (Now this makes me feel like…
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Caps for Sale {Free Resources}
Five Little Monkey Tot Pack from 1+1+1=1. Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the bed gif with all verses from Enchanted Learning. Hubbard’s Cuppard Lesson Plans & Activities for Caps for Sale. Caps for Sale video – read aloud. http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2015/02/12/caps-sale-video/ Monkey Bread Recipes Caps for Sale Units from Delightful Learning (multiple years with different experiences!) Scholastic Caps for Sale Extension activities. Mm is for Monkey from Confessions of a Homeschooler’s Letter of the Week Curriculum. Core Knowledge Caps for Sale Lesson Plans. Activities and photo in action from Our Aussie Homeschool rowing Caps for Sale. Directions for creating Wooden Peg People Caps for Sale recreation set from Wee Folk Art. Lesson…
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Caps for Sale {Video}
We’re studying Caps for Sale in Memoria Press First Grade Curriculum with their Lesson Plans and StoryTime Treasures.
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Finding Spring by Carin Berger
Instead of hibernating as he should, a little bear cub goes out in search of spring—and he thinks he’s found it! Gloriously illustrated with cut-paper collages, Carin Berger’s stunning picture book celebrates the changing of the seasons.
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K5 Curriculum for 2014-2015
5 Year Old Kindergarten 2014-2015 *This post is so tardy! I’ve had it drafted and saved in my folder waiting for me to edit it and add pictures for so many months now, but alas. Yet now, as my bouncing baby boy is six months old! It’s time for me to catch up…* Two years now has brought our family such blessings through our experience with Junior Kindergarten and then Kindergarten (review in progress) through Memoria Press so we decided first on our list was to continue with the First Grade materials, even if we slowed it to a two year pace considering her younger age. We have just finished…