The girls’ book club met this week, and it was all about Christmas as we talked about Andrew Clements’ The Last Holiday Concert. It’s a great story about a boy who ends up in charge of his middle school’s holiday concert just as the music teacher is laid off. We had a great discussion about… Continue reading Girls’ Book Club: “The Last Holiday Concert”
Category: homeschool
Cast Your Vote for A Kid President!
This month’s the boy’s book club read Dan Gutman’s The Kid Who Ran for President. It’s a hilarious take on what might happen if a kid ran for president. Throughout the story, the main character, Judson Moon, learns the ins and outs of being a part of a national election. His campaign manager, a fellow… Continue reading Cast Your Vote for A Kid President!
Studying the Wild West: Building a Pioneer Wagon
We’ve been studying Western expansion for a few months now, and the kids were fascinated by the Oregon Trail. I mean, whole families traveling thousands of miles in a covered wagon – how could you not want to know exactly how that worked? Because of that fascination, we decided to build our own pioneer wagon.… Continue reading Studying the Wild West: Building a Pioneer Wagon
Book Clubbing in the Wild West: “Badge of Honor”
The boys read a really exciting book this month: Badge of Honor by Susan K. Marlow. It’s the story of a young boy living in a mining town, when the initial Gold Rush has passed but lawlessness and hardship continue to prevail. Full of excitement and adventure, it’s a wonderful way to learn about life… Continue reading Book Clubbing in the Wild West: “Badge of Honor”
Book Clubbing on the Orphan Train: “A Family Apart”
This month’s girls’ book club selection was one I’ve had for years: about twenty years, in fact. We read A Family Apart by Joan Lowry Nixon, the first in the Orphan Train Adventure series. The story opens in New York City with an Irish family whose father has died. Ma is trying hard to keep everyone… Continue reading Book Clubbing on the Orphan Train: “A Family Apart”
Book Clubbing and STEMing with Mr. Lemoncello
Our book club year has started off with a bang – with Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics! We combined the boys’ and girls’ clubs to interact with this fun Chris Grabenstein bestseller. We started out by summarizing the book and then discussing the choices made by the characters. After that, we split up into teams of… Continue reading Book Clubbing and STEMing with Mr. Lemoncello
NEW! Literacy & STEM Challenges for “Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics”
You might have noticed that we’re big fans of Chris Grabenstein’s Lemoncello books around here. That’s because they’re chalk-ful of learning opportunities. There are so many ways that you can learn with these books – and that’s why I’ve written another series of lesson plans for Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics. These lessons are different… Continue reading NEW! Literacy & STEM Challenges for “Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics”
Running a Festival Booth
My Big Helper has been a beekeeper for two years now, and she’s always learning new things. This past weekend, she learned how to run a festival booth at Ag Day at the Green Valley Book Fair. Manning a booth at a festival was a huge learning experience for my eleven-year-old. She’s a social butterfly… Continue reading Running a Festival Booth
Meeting “Lemoncello” Author Chris Grabenstein
Recently My Little Man and I traveled to a nearby city to meet New York Times’ Best-selling author Chris Grabenstein. It was everything I ever thought meeting a famous author could be. When I was a little girl I wanted to be a writer. I used to sit at my desk with stacks of paper… Continue reading Meeting “Lemoncello” Author Chris Grabenstein
Writing History at Epic Patriot Camp
Last week my kids experienced the most amazing camp ever. It was Epic Patriot Camp, sponsored by the National Park Service, held at the Abingdon Muster Grounds, and taught, in part, by the wonderful author Jenny L. Cote. For six hours each day, the lived the Revolutionary Battle of King’s Mountain. Over the course of… Continue reading Writing History at Epic Patriot Camp
