My children love pattern blocks. Absolutely love them. Years ago I bought our first set and quickly learned that these were going to become an essential toy in our love of learning home. if you’re looking for something to promote logical thinking…They promote logical thinking, cultivate pattern recognition and they help to prepare the mind…
Images
Year of the Black Pony
“It took stiff-necked courage and grit to ranch in Oregon country in the early 1900’s.” The Year of the Black Pony is a story about family and fortitude more than it is a story about a horse. The horse, however, is a character worthy of being in the title. This hard but beautiful story is…
On Teaching Spelling
I have a confession, and I hope you won’t hate me for it . . . Spelling is easy for me. I started first grade in 1968. They weren’t teaching phonics. It didn’t matter—I already knew how to read. Everyone else was working their way through Sally, Dick, and Jane. What I remember about spelling…
Childcraft Series Overview
In my childhood home, we had a room called “The Library”. It was a beautiful room with dark wood built-in book cases and glass doors. It was always my favorite room in the house. My dad had a deep and lovely leather chair which was perfect for getting lost inside of a good book. My…
The Children of Noisy Village
Oh. Oh. Oh. This review breaks my heart, and it is wrong. 3 Stars – “The content is too old for kids in 2016. Too old school story.” (An Amazon Reviewer) Confession: I am not a big fan of Pippi Longstocking, also by Astrid Lindgren. I love the charm of Lindgren’s writing but Pippi’s unconventional…
Nurse Matilda
Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand is one of those books that the child in any of us would enjoy. When I consider recommending it, however, I realize that I have to wear two different hats. Wearing the hat of my inner child, I adore the book. It is delightful. It is moral. It is creative. It…
Brain Games
A year or so ago, my family discovered the National Geographic Channel show Brain Games. It isn’t perfectly family friendly, but there is much about it to love. We are a puzzle family and love Mad Libs, brain games, Ravensburger puzzles, etc. We love to exercise our mental muscles. Several years ago we removed most…
Great Courses Company: Everyday Engineering
I always knew that houses were complex systems of systems, but I never fully appreciated all of the aspects of engineering that go into making them snug, safe, and efficient. Thanks to Dr. Ressler and The Great Courses Company’s Everyday Engineering course, this non-science mama is now able to appreciate how rain water does not pool…
Picture Study Portfolios from Simply Charlotte Mason
I was a miserable art student throughout childhood. I was miserable in art class and my art was miserable. Really, there was little that I found true, good, or beautiful about my art. I was blessed. My parents love travel and, while this introvert loves being a homebody, I did grow up with a passion…
Mysterious Benedict Society Series
In 2016, I reviewed the first Mysterious Benedict Society book by Trenton Lee Stewart. In 2021, DisneyPlus released the “Mysterious Benedict” t.v. series, which led to a renewal of interest in the entire Mysterious Benedict Society series. As I have now read all of the series and am working my way through the prequel and…
Audiobooks They Love
In our post about Audible, I mentioned that my family listens to over 1,000 hours of audiobooks per year. Frankly, that is a conservative number. We listen to audiobooks religiously. It is no wonder then that I am routinely asked to recommend some favorites when friends are looking for books for car trips, quiet time…
Teach Them to Learn
In the middle of a phone conversation with my oldest son the other day, he said, “Oh, Mom, I’ve been wanting to remember to tell you something. I want to thank you for teaching us how to learn.” What? Huh? I’m choking up already. “Young people these days (he’s 33 and already complaining about the…