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My children could watch baking soda and vinegar explode all day. Most kids could. Watching things bubble, change color, and switch states of matter is fun. Do you know what’s even more fun? Eating your experiments! Edible Chemistry = science + snacks. There is nothing better! Cooking is one of our go-to activities when we’re […]
When the weather’s nice, one of my family’s favorite ways to spend time together is on a trail. That’s not entirely true. My husband and I love to hike, and my kids are happy as long as we have the right supplies. My children want snacks, my daughter a journal, and we must have a […]
A book talk invites students to discuss a book they love or hate and try to convince others why they should read or never read the book. I first heard about book talks from one of my favorite professors, Dr. Katherine Kelly, when she gave one on the first day of Teaching Adolescent Literature. Book talks were […]
Dear Reader, I’m feeling like 2025 needs old fashion blog posts. Posts that give updates and share bits of this and that. Maybe a once-a-month check-in? We’ll see. Here’s what’s going on these days. Reading I just finished reading Ina Garten’s memoir. I loved it. If you like her quirkiness, “How easy is that!” and […]
You’ve probably heard the saying, Something You Want, Something You Need, Something to Wear, Something to Read. I love the simplicity, but I lean more towards something to play, something to treasure, something that’s cozy, something to make, and something to learn. I don’t believe in taking out a loan to pay for the holidays. […]
Ever since my children could stand on a stool or sit on my lap while I sewed, they have made gifts. December in our house means we’re stirring beeswax, sewing rope into baskets, decorating cookies, and designing stuffed friends. We’re painting ornaments and assembling scrapbooks. It’s in their blood. Homemade gift-giving was a big part […]
I love the simplicity and versatility of an acrostic poem. They are great for writers of all ages and can be used as a writing and reading comprehension tool. The poem’s structure has only one rule: The base is a word written vertically so that each letter in the base word becomes a new word […]
My story- From the time I was pretty small, I was an anxious kid. Fear led me around by the hand. Heart racing and frozen, I heard someone creeping up our stairs every night. I worried my father, a federal agent, wouldn’t come home from work, my mother, an ER nurse, would get sick, and […]
If you’re going to teach poetry, the first and most important thing to do is find good poetry. By good, I mean poetry that invites your students into the poem. Poetry that helps them connect to their own world and the world around them. Poetry that doesn’t make them snooze. If you want your kids […]
If you love reading, you know what it feels like when you don’t have a good book within reach. Book lovers might even be reading a couple of books at one time and always have a stack waiting nearby. Readers love to read because the right book takes us into the Reading Zone. We lose track […]
I’ve always found the more organized I am, the easier it is to homeschool or teach. I don’t have hours to prep a project. I want to grab what we need and get started. Baskets, cups, mason jars, and bins of all sizes, I’m a big fan. We store our games together. Glue has its […]
Dear Homeschoolers and Virtual Schoolers, Creative ELA online classes are open for registration! Are you in planning mode? Looking for ways to bring more writing into your kiddo’s day? Looking to save money on classes and resources? My list of classes for the new year is up, and there are so many fun, Creative ELA […]
You’ve probably heard people who regularly practice gratitude are happier. “Gratitude not only makes people feel good in the present, but it also increases the likelihood that people will function optimally and feel good in the future.” (Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life). Feeling grateful isn’t […]
The trees burst with color and seed, sprinkling down red, yellow, and pinecone confetti. All things pumpkin fill the senses. Plastic bag ghosts and pipe cleaner spiders decorate our home. A green witch on a bamboo stick cackles in the garden. Mums replace sunflowers. Whether fall is almost here or has already arrived, the world […]
When my daughter was little, we read a lot! We sang songs to learn letter sounds, wrote words in chalk, tried to spot all the S’s for Sophie we could see. When she was little, our time reading was about exposure and fun. She learned a lot indirectly. As she’s gotten older, a focus on […]
