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. […]
Category Archives: Learn
Simple Handmade Gifts for Kids and Families to Make
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 […]
Acrostic Poems
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 […]
Awesome Poetry Books for Kids and Teens
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 […]
How to Find the Right Book
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 […]
Create a Writing Basket | Encourage Young Writers
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 […]
Creative ELA Online Classes
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 […]
Gratitude Practices for Children and Families
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 […]
Writing Prompts for Young Writers | All About Fall
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 […]
Before, During, and After | Reading Comprehension Activities to Help Kids Understand What They Read
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 […]
Back to School Activities
The first week of school was always one of my favorite weeks to teach. We created routines, talked about what we were going to learn, shared our interests, and got to know each other. It was important my students and I used our first days together to set the stage for what was to come. […]
Creative Writing Prompts for Summer
Summertime! Let’s grab our journals and see where our ideas take us! Creative writing prompts for summer can help us get started. Choose one or write about anything you want. The sunshine, summer rains, heat, and our summertime adventures can inspire us. The places we want to visit or things we’d like to are great […]
Boredom Busters for Creative Teens
My teenager loves to create. There’s rarely a day when she’s not making digital art, clay figurines, or doodling. When she’s in her art zone, life is good! When she’s not, boredom often sets in, and there is nothing to do becomes her mantra. Yesterday was one of these days. My daughter’s muse was on […]
Spring 2023
No longer posting on IG or FB, I want a place to hold a few photos and thought you, Reader, might like to see what we’ve been up to. Here’s an old fashion blog post and a few updates. In March, we drove up to Lisle, IL, to check out Universal Technical Institute, where Clark […]
10 Ways to Help Students Revise & Edit Their Writing
Two of the hardest parts of the writing process are revision and editing. We’re taught at an early age to do things the “right” way the first time, and in school, we’re taught the fewer corrections or red marks, the better. Revision feels personal. Something we’ve created needs fixing. What one person thinks is wrong […]