Monday, March 23, 2026

Spring Reading List ll 2026

 Nonfiction:


Help!  My Kid Hates Writing by Julie Bogart


Christian Heroes: Richard Wurmbrand
by Janet and Geoff Being


Christian Heroes: Wilfred Grenfel
by Janet and Geoff Benge


The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart

Fiction:


A Forest World by Felix Salten


Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery


Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen


The Secret, Book, and Scone Society by Ellery Adams

Read Alouds:


Turtles of the Midnight Moon by Maria Jose Fitzgerald


Ice Drift by Theodore Taylor


SeeSaw Girl by Linda Sue Park


The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong



Which One Would You Read First?

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Resources for Spring Learning

Spring has officially arrived here in Northern California.  In fact, it's seemed to come on with a vengence.  A case of coming in like a lion!  It's about this time of year that I turn into an unschooler and want to spend all day outside... gardening... watching birds... hiking in the woods.

If you ask me, there's nothing better than hands-on nature learning in the spring.  In fact, my head is full of plans for planting sunflowers and hatching butterflies.  Even though my kids are older, there are still a few projects we enjoy repeating year after year.  And there's really nothing like a hone grown tomato.

With that in mind, I've been collecting spring resources... remember the younger years of our homeschool and how in the spring we turned to the outdoors.  I hope you'll find these to be a blessing.













Looking for More Ideas:

*Watch for signs of spring like new buds appearing on the trees
*Sketch a spring bulb as it blooms
*Watch for the first birds to arrive in the spring
*Hatch caterpillars
*Fly a kite and notice where the wind takes it
*Catch tadpoles and watch them grow
*Learn more about organizations like BudBurst
*Learn to identify the different wildflowers in your area
*Search for your state flower and learn more about it
*Start seedlings in seed trays and transfer to your garden
*Watch earthworms and take about how they aerate the soil

What are your favorite ways to include Spring in your homeschool?

Monday, March 16, 2026

Easter Resurrection Eggs

 *This post was originally published on 3/11/13.  Enjoy!

photo IMG_9749_zpsbc8e22b8.jpg

I've been thinking a lot about how to make Easter meaningful to my children this year.  They're getting older and I want to make sure the deeper Easter meaning doesn't get lost in the rush for chocolate.  But  making things meaningful times and forethought.  So here I am planning.

We've been making lots of cross and flower crafts.  And I'm planning the menu to include Resurrection Rolls as part of our Easter breakfast.  While we're at it, it's time to pull out the Easter eggs and make our Resurrection Eggs.  Resurrection Eggs are a twelve day countdown to Easter using symbols and verses that recap the significance of the holiday.  It's a great activity for hands-on learning as the kids can touch, taste, and smell each symbol hiding in the Easter eggs.

With that in mind, these are the symbols and verses included in our Resurrection Eggs:

Day One:
Symbol: Leaves
Verse: So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out "Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" (John 12:12-13)

Day Two:
Symbol: Sample of perfume
Verse: For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. (Matt. 26:12)

Day Three
Symbol: Cracker
Verse: As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it.  Then he broke it into pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying "Take it, for this is my body."  (Mark 14:22)

Day Four
Symbol: Small flowers
Verse: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." (Matt 26:36)

Day Five
Symbol: 3 dimes
Verse: Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. (Matt 27:3)

Day Six
Symbol: Gold pipe cleaner crown
Verse: So Pilate asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"  Jesus replied, "You have said it." (Luke 23:3)

Day Seven
Symbol: 3 nails
Verse: Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. (Mark 15:24)

Day Eight
Symbol: Dice
Verse: They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing. (Psalm 22:18)

Day Nine
Symbol: Sponge soaked in vinegar
Verse: Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture He said, "I am thirsty."  A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips.  When Jesus had tasted it, He said, "It is finished.  Then he bowed His head and released His spirit.  (John 19:28-30)

Day Ten
Symbol: Linen cloth
Verse: When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.  He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.  And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud (cloth) and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock.  And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.  (Matthew 27:57-60)

Day Eleven
Symbol: Rock
Verse: (And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.  And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men (Matthew 28:2-4)

Day Twelve
Symbol: Empty
Verse: (But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for He has risen, as He said.  come, see the place where He lay." (Matthew 28:5-6)


What family traditions do you have at Easter?
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