Do you celebrate Chinese New Year? Start a new tradition this year and learn about he celebration of the New Year, the traditions, and the zodiac of the Chinese calendar. A fun place to start is always with some engaging picture books. Learn about the Chinese culture and curl up with a new favorite book. Below I share some suggestions for kids … [Read more...]
Outdoor Adventure Camp in Santa Cruz and Other Bay Area Locations
Getting kids excited to be outside, unplug from electronics, and to move and push themselves physically can seem like an impossible task for many parents and teachers. Summer camps that specialize in outdoor fun can help, which is why I’m excited for a new opportunity to experience outdoor adventure right here in beautiful Santa Cruz county … [Read more...]
Recommended Books About Dragons #wtrw
What kid does not like dragons? They are awe inspiring, mysterious, powerful and stretch the imagination. My kids have always loved learning about dragons, playing dragons, watching movies about dragons... you name it. Especially my son. He made his own book of dragons after watching the How to Train Your Dragon movie and TV shows. He also began a … [Read more...]
Childrens Books That Inspire Music
Music is has always been a big part of my life. Some of my happiest childhood memories are of my mom and I dancing around the house with the music cranked up or cuddling and drawing together with beautiful instrumental music playing softly in the background. Music can carry me away in the depths of it's emotion more than words. If you're … [Read more...]
Learn to Read Maps with Books
Learning about the world can be such fun! I love to learn about different cultures, foods, way of life all over the world. As a geography unit study for homeschool curriculum, my kids will pick a place and we go to the library to get books about the place, the animals, the people there. We watch videos, read folk tales from that culture and, one of … [Read more...]
True Kids Books About Thanksgiving
Teaching kids true history rather than glorified myth is important to me. One reason for homeschooling is I can give my kids a well rounded perspective, many different cultural views, and they can learn from history; the good and the bad. It's good for them to know that there are many sides to every story and to always delve deeper to find out the … [Read more...]
Top Multicultural Childrens Books
Learning about other cultures is so important. Teaching children to respect and understand that people are different and yet, we're all people with families we care for, favorite foods, games, and toys, we're so much that is the same as well. In our homeschool curriculum I like to do unit studies on different areas by picking a place on a map, … [Read more...]
Books to Teach Kids About Voting
The elections are here and it's a great time to teach kids about voting. Some fun activities include holding a vote in your home as well as watching videos about voting on YouTube and discussing them. Some video series we know of and enjoy are Liberty Kids, Ameriquest, and, of course, School House Rocks. Here are some children's books on voting … [Read more...]
Childrens Books About Scarecrows
Kick off your fall fun with some great reads! One of the best parts about cooler weather is cuddling up and reading a good book with your child that will spark your child's imagination. I've already shared books about fall and books about apples and pumpkins. Here are some more fall fun books all about scarecrows. From preschool and Kindergarten, … [Read more...]
Books for Young Explorers
Kids love to learn about the world and explore from ocean to ocean, distant lands, animals, and peoples. Here are just a few fun books to pique the interest of your young adventurer. The weather is cooler and fall classes have begun, but just because you can't travel physically, you can still use your imagination exploring the world, learning about … [Read more...]
Favorite Kids Books About Pumpkins
Harvest time is here and besides apples, our favorite food to harvest is pumpkins! The colors of Autumn are showing and the leaves are falling around us. Sunflowers are in full bloom. Halloween and Harvest festivals are being planned. Get into the fall spirit with your kids and read about pumpkins. Here are some must read books for kids all about … [Read more...]
Childrens Books About Autumn
Fall is on it's way! The world has come alive with vibrant colors and the weather is cooling, which means more time to cozy up on the couch together and read! Here are some must read books for kids about the fall season. Some related activities featured in these posts: Favorite Fall Recipes What to Read on the Farm How to Get More … [Read more...]
What to Read Apples
Fall is on it's way and that means it's harvest time for some of my favorite foods! I love apple picking with my family and since learning with food is so much more fun, why not incorporate your love of apples into all subjects. Science, math, reading, writing, homeschool curriculum all while enjoying apples, family, and the getting into the fall … [Read more...]
Historical Biographies for Kids
No matter how you teach history, one of the most engaging and fun ways to learn history is to read historical books for kids. I listed a few of our favorite history books below. Along with researching the best history curriculum, and traveling to historical sites and history museums, there's nothing like reading historical biographies for kids. … [Read more...]
Historical Fiction Books for Kids
You can read history books, research the top history curriculum, and go to some fantastic history museums. But, no matter how you teach history, one of the most engaging and fun ways to learn history is to read historical fiction books. I listed a few of our favorite history books below. Island of the Blue Dolphins and Anne of Green Gables are … [Read more...]
Must Have Books for Homeschooling
Getting ready for back to school, or rather back to homeschooling? We did not intentionally take a break over the summer, but somehow book learning fell to the curb just the same. It's soon time to get back into intentional learning, not solely unschooling. But, however you learn or teach your kids, no matter what curriculum you use, these are some … [Read more...]
Books to Inspire Cooking With Kids
Are you a short order cook? Always trying to figure out what your kids will eat and make it as appealing as possible? I hope not! The best way to get picky eaters to eat or any kids to eat healthier foods is to get them involved in cooking. These cookbooks for kids and children's books about healthy eating will inspire your little chefs. The Kid's … [Read more...]
Fun Ideas to Teach the Alphabet
There are many great ways to teach preschool or Kindergarten letters. Teaching the ABCs is super fun! Draw letters in the sand or dirt with a stick, trace letters on a tray in pudding or whipped cream, look for letters on signs around town, place buttons, stones, or any small item in the shapes of letters. My son's favorite way to learn ABCs was to … [Read more...]
4 APPS for Kids Better Than Pokemon Go
All I keep hearing about is Pokemon Go. It does look like a lot of fun, but doesn't offer much, if any, educational aspect. I like games that use some mind power, at least a little! In the spirit of learning, I'm sharing these fun apps that are time much better spent without losing out on any of the fun. These are all fun, educational apps to get … [Read more...]
Children’s Books for Playful Math Learning
There are many fun ways to learn math. There are educational games, online math games, workbooks, homeschool math curriculum, educational board games... A good place to start with learning numbers, beside counting everything around you, and critical thinking is by reading books together. These are a few of our favorite math books. From preschool … [Read more...]
