What Are We Reading? - October 2020

Hey, y'all!  I know it has been a LONG time since my last post, but it was a nice, much needed break.  So, how are y'all?  How is your school year going so far?  We started our school year a little later than normal, but we are back in the swing of things, thankfully.

Well, here is what we are reading this month.  

Elizabeth Prentiss - Book Review

Hey, y'all!  The kids and I have just finished reading another great read aloud, Elizabeth Prentiss More Love by Claire Williams.  Our family truly enjoyed this heartwarming story and it led to great discussions.  Elizabeth Prentiss is published by Christian Focus and is a part of the Trail Blazers series.  We received this book in exchange for our honest review.  Go grab you a cup of coffee or tea and join us as we tell you all about this inspiring story.

The Hamelin Stoop Series Book Review - Kaela's Corner

Have you ever read a book that was not a genre you would normally be interested in, but then found yourself flipping page after page with excitement, anxiously waiting to see what would happen next? Well, that has been me with our latest read aloud!  I am normally not a fan of young adult fiction or fantasy books, however, when the opportunity arose for us to review The Hamelin Stoop Series, I decided to give it a try.  First, let me just say that I am so glad I did!  We received Hamelin Stoop: The Eagle, The Cave, and the Footbridge (Book 1) and Hamelin Stoop: The Lost Princess and the Jewel of Periluna (Book 2) in exchange for our honest review.  Both books are published by 12 Gates Publishing.  Normally I would be giving you guys the review, but my oldest daughter enjoyed the first book so much (she is just about to start book 2) that she asked if she could tell y'all about it.  I will check in later to add my two cents.  

What We Read in April

I missed posting what we read in March because we were so busy with the move, and now I don't even remember what all we read. Anyway, I do have what we read in April ready for you. I still can't believe we are already in April I mean where did the time go? Go grab your coffee or tea, pen, ad notebook and join me as I share with you what our family read in April.

What we Read in February

We are plowing through this year like a snow plow in a Winter storm.  I can't believe I am already sharing what we are reading in February!  The kids were able to read more books this month than last.  They had some good ones too.  Do you have your pen and notebook ready so that you can be ready to add to your "to read" list?  Well, what are you waiting on?  We are going to get right to it, so go grab everything you need and don't forget your coffee.

Paddington Bear Unit Study - Review

The Paddington Bear movie was a hit in our home both of them as a matter of fact.  So you can probably imagine my excitement when offered the opportunity to review the Paddington Bear lit-based unit study from Branch Out World.  I already knew which one of my children I wanted to use it with, my youngest son, who requested for us to watch the movie for his 9th birthday.  Although I was thrilled I wanted to be sure he was up for the challenge.   You see the last literature unit study he did he wasn't too fond of it.  He enjoys reading but he doesn't like to do a lot of writing unless it is absolutely necessary.  Well, when I asked him he said, "Ohh yes mama" so it was a go.  I will be sharing with you our feedback on this awesome home education resource.

Persuasive Writing for High School - A Homeschool Curriculum Review

Creating a love for writing for children can be challenging and finding a good writing curriculum can be even more challenging especially for a teen. Did I mention a strong-willed teen? Fortunately, she likes to write, however, she enjoys free writing not so much structured writing.  I was both happy and nervous about reviewing Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric: Practicing the Habits of Great Writers by Silverdale Press LLC. I was happy because she would have a solid writing curriculum that would teach her some writing structure and I was nervous because I didn't want this to change her love for writing in a negative way and because in the past most writing curriculum we tried was very parent-prep intensive. I didn't know what to expect going into this but what I did know was that making sure my high school student learn to write well required me to choose a curriculum that teaches that, so here we are.

Carole P. Roman books and collections - Review

You all know how I feel about reading to my children and how important I feel it is for you to read to your children.  I mean it's so beneficial and it gives you a free cuddling pass when you are tired of house chores and want an excuse to sit down.  The review crew was given the opportunity to review some books from Carole P. Roman books and collections.  Children's books like those written by Carole P. Roman can be such a fun way to explore history, culture, or even practice reading.  We were blessed to receive three books to add to our forever, growing home library.

What we read in February in our Homeschool

I can't believe the month of February is already gone!  The days seem to be going by a lot faster lately.  The kids and I did not do as much reading this month.  Life got hectic and we just had a lot going on.  We did get some reading in though and we even listened to an audiobook, which we absolutely loved!  Even though we did not read as much as I would have liked to this month we could still meet our reading goal for the year.  Well, I will meet my goal, I didn't set one for the kids I just want them to read and enjoy it.  As promised I will be sharing with you all what books we are reading each month. So, here is what we read in February.

What are we reading in January - Homeschool Reading List

WHAT ARE WE READING IN JANUARY

Do you have a reading goal for 2018? How about your kids?  I have a personal goal to read 24 books this year. That's not including what I read with or to the kids.  I don't think it will be too hard to accomplish this goal being that I'm in a book club and we will read one book each month, so that will knock out twelve right there, plus I love to read.  I haven't set a goal for the kids or our homeschool because I don't want to put pressure on the kids or myself.  I want them to genuinely enjoy to read, so there is no pressure.  However, I thought it would be fun to share with my readers each month what we are reading in our homeschool and what I'm reading in my free time. Did I just say free time?  I don't get much of that, but I do like to set aside a few minutes a day to just enjoy the moment.
I read aloud to my children EVERY single day. Yes, I said every day.  I know it seems like a lot, but it really isn't hard to do once you start doing it.  You should try it.  Start with a bedtime story each night then add more time throughout the day as you see fit.  Trust me before you know it they will be begging you to read to them.  My 14 year still enjoys reading together at night, we don't call it bedtime stories though, she's far too cool for that.   It's such a blessing to come together snuggle up, or not, and read a good book. I leave the kids hanging most of the time so they start predicting what they expect will happen next, they fuss at the characters if they make a bad decision, and the kids are always pleading for me to keep going when I stop.  It's a great bonding time and an excellent way to spark up conversations!  So let's jump into what we are reading.