Weekend Links ll March 29, 2024

 

Games and Activities to Help Your Student with Reading

Non-Candy Easter Basket Fillers

Printable Easter Bunny Craft

Healthy Veggie Muffins

No Sew Felt Flower Bookmarks

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

My favorite meal this week was Crockpot Chili.  The weather has been chaotic lately so I'm taking every chance I have to keep adding soups to our menu.  This one is absolute comfort food.  The surprise came when I asked the 12 year old to make cornbread.  I've helped him several times so I felt confident that he could handle it without supervision.  I bet you can see where this one is going. :-) Ended up being ok, but we had to do a little rehab when he accidentally added too much salt.

What I'm Reading:

Currently, I'm working my way through Live Your Truth by Alisa Childers.  She takes popular mantras and addresses them through a Biblical lens.  I love how down to earth her explanations are and how true to real life.  I think I'll be adding this one to my high schooler's personal growth list.

What I'm Doing:

We had a short homeschool week.  Wednesday we took most of the day off to see a local production at the theater: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.  When I saw that we could do this one as a field trip, I knew I had to book it for my 12 year old.  He's obsessed with the Percy Jackson books and it ended up being a fun one to watch.  Now we have today (Friday) off from school to start our break and we're busy in the kitchen with Easter treats.  

What I'm Enjoying:

Meeting new homeschool moms...

Organizing field trips...

Slow mornings....

Bible study with the kids...

Oatmeal muffins...

What are you up to?

Letters of Wisdom {Review}

 

Part of the Friendship Letters Series, Letters of Wisdom shares the story of Irma Miller, a young wife and mother with a secret abusive past.  She thought that moving away from home and starting her own family would allow her to forget, but when her abusive step-father dies and she returns for the funeral, all the old emotions come bubbling to the surface.  Irma finds herself sinking further and further into emotional turmoil, beginning to repeat the mistakes of the past with her own children.  Can she recover from the abuse?  Or will the cycle continue?

Author Wanda E. Brunstetter continues her Friendship Letters series, addressing tough topics in a tender manner.  This series has already addressed alcoholism and depression, and now turns to childhood abuse.  Brunstetter does an excellent job of portraying the issues in an honest manner without being too gritty or overly graphic.  Still Irma's emotions are raw and portray the true struggle that victims go through.  

Letters of Wisdom also does a good job of drawing on the importance of community.  Irma writes letters to her two best friends (Doretta and Eleanor), who pray for and support her.  It's through their support and the support of her husband that Irma is finally able to reach out for professional help and heal the hurts of the past.  It's also through community support that her mother and siblings find healing as well.  

This book could be read as a stand alone title, but it so much richer within the series.  All three books are written exceptionally well, touching on tough topics in a Biblical and healing manner.  This one, in particular, felt very honest and real.  I'm happy to see an author addressing these issues in a sensitive way, filling a void in the fiction genre.  I would definitely recommend this book and feel like any of the titles in this series would make good book club selections.  These are topics that just aren't touched on enough.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.  

Our Favorite Preschool Learning Games

 *This post was originally published on 6/13/22.  Enjoy!

                                                                 We love games in our house.

From a very young age, we've been a family

who loves enjoying an evening over a board game or puzzle.

As the kids have grown, our game collection has as well.

But some of our favorites are still these preschool learning games

that we often come back to again and again.

Some of our favorite preschool games include:

Rory's Story Cubes--
These fun dice are great for all ages.
Just throw them and make a story out of the pictures.
When your kids get older,
have their write their story.
Great for imagination, building vocabulary,
and story telling.

Hullabaloo--
Great for following directions
and having fun doing it.
Bonus:
Includes movements like "slither,"
hop, and crawl for gross motor skills.

Hi-Ho-Cherry-O--

Great way to learn about taking turns, counting,
and rules of game play.

Lego Duplo--
So much fun for building, imagination,
logic, and construction.

Thinkfun Roll and Play Game--
Great beginning game for learning colors,
emotions, gross motor skills, counting,
and so much more.

CandyLand--

Classic game of colors, turn taking, and general game play,

all packaged in the fun imaginative world of candy.

Memory--

Wonderful for building memory and logic.

This game comes in such a variety of subjects and

the classic version as well.

We've had three variations of this game 

and all have been well loved.

Chutes and Ladders--

Be careful going up, you just might come right back down.

Great game for counting and learning to

take the ups and downs of game play.

Love the older version that matches behavior 

with rewards and consequences.

Go Fish--

This is a fun game to learn about pairing,

based either on color, number, or symbol.

Uno--

This game comes in several variations as well,

including a Cars edition which is really fun.

Uno is great for identifying numbers, colors, 

and has the added fun of the "skip" card.

Animal Upon Animal--

This wooden game challenges kids to stack animals 

in crazy configurations.

Focused on logic and fine motor skills,

Animal upon Animal is one that my older kids still enjoy.

So what would you add to the list?

Do you have a favorite preschool learning game?

Weekend Links ll March 15, 2024

 

Coping with Stress:

Supporting Kids and Teens

Lemony Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Engaging a Homeschool Teen

Pistachio Bread

Rainbow Cupcakes

Free Resurrection Bookmarks

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

My favorite meal this week was Crockpot Lentil Soup.  Hubby doesn't love this one so on a night he had plans, we did too.  Crockpot Lentil Soup it is!  I love the rustic earthy taste of this one and cooked in beef broth makes it incredible.  Great way to stretch a family meal and so good!

What I'm Reading:

My currently reading list is out of control.  Seriously... OUT OF CONTROL.  But one of the books I've been reading is the Christian Heroes: Then and Now biographies.  Currently I'm reading Amy Carmichael's story.  I love reading how ordinary people have been used in extraordinary ways... and sharing these stories with my kiddos.

What I'm Doing:

This week we took a field trip to a town about a hour south of us.  We went to see the ABT studio company perform on a local college campus.  We haven't spent much time in this college town so find a fun spot for lunch was a treat.  And my 16 year old ballerina was enthralled with actually getting to watch the company perform.  It was definitely worth the trip.

What I'm Enjoying:

Ballet field trips...

Items checked off the "house" list...

Decluttering...

Great read alouds...

Days out with the kids...

What are you up to?

 

Ocean Anatomy Activity Book {Review}

Written as a companion to Julia Rothman's popular Anatomy series, this Ocean Anatomy Activity Book includes:

• shell observation sheets
• "how to draw" pages for sealife
• word searches
• poetry templates
• crossword puzzles 
• and more!

There is such a variety of activities in this book, it would be hard to list them all!

This activity book is illustrated in the same style as the original Ocean Anatomy book and would make a great educational addition to any home.  It would be a wonderful companion to any homeschool nature study or as part of an ocean unit study.  It would appeal to those upper elementary or middle school years, and would be a great item for any child wanting to learn more about ocean life.  We loved it and can't wait to use more of the book.  

*Disclaimer: I recieved a free e-copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

 

10 Non-Candy Items to Fill Your Easter Eggs

*This post was originally published on 4/7/14.  Enjoy!

 Easter's coming up quick, quick, quick.  Here I am thinking it's great that Easter is so late this year, giving me extra time to think and plan.  But wait!  It's now the second week of April and Easter's almost here.  So if you're looking for an alternative to the standard candy filled egg hunt, here are some ideas to help get you started:

Money--This one's my favorite.  A few rolls of quarters, dimes, and nickels and the kids will love hunting for some change. 

Trail Mix--You can pick up some ready made mix or make your own.  I love making a mix of cranberries, white chocolate, and pumpkin seeds.

Stickers--The Dollar Tree carries a huge variety of stickers from seasonal to character.  And they make a great filler for Easter eggs.

Cheddar Bunnies--My little ones love goldfish and cheddar bunnies are a fun seasonal treat.  Plus they're not loaded with sugar.

Legos--My eight year old is obsessed with Legos and they make a great addition to an egg hunt.

Balloons-- Punch balloons, water balloons, party balloons... they're all great ideas for filling Easter eggs.

Bracelets--My daughter loves getting little bracelets, rings and jewels so they make a fun addition to Easter egg hunting.

Playdoh--Homemade playdoh or small containers... what a fun idea!

Bubbles--Dollar Tree carries small containers of wedding bubbles that fill perfectly in an Easter egg.

Cars--Again, dollar store has a great selection for little boys. 

Really I'm probably going to pick up a variety of all of these for Easter this year.  We have a variety of ages and genders and it should be fun to see the surprised looks on their faces.

What are your favorite Non-Candy Items for Filling Easter Eggs?

Weekend Links ll March 8, 2024

Free Printable Hibernation Worksheets

Chocolate Lava Cake

Benefits of Keeping it Playful with Teens

Valuable Life Skills vs Suffocating Responsibility:

How to Tell the Difference

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

My favorite meal this week was our lettuce wraps.  Oh, this is a "stuff yourself silly" recipe that pleases even our pickiest eater.  Since lettuce wraps can be so messy, we've actually turned this dinner into more of a salad or bowl just be layering the ingredients.  That way no one gets too frustrated to enjoy dinner.  But the sauce is so yummy with just the right balance of sweet and salty.  And it's light and fresh for a refreshing meal.

What I'm Reading:

I just finished The Hiding Place on Monday.  I knew the story of Corrie ten Boom and in fact, read the YWAM Christian Heroes: Then and Now biography with my 7th grader this past fall.  It's hard to be in Christian circles and not know something about the Ten Booms.  However, this was the first time I've ever read The Hiding Place and it was so powerful.  It's amazing to hear all that this family went through and accomplished during the Nazi occupation in Holland.  I can't wait to share this one with my 10th grader.

What I'm Doing:

This week was a bit of a breather for us.  We didn't have much on the calendar other than school and that was a good things since the rest of the month is going to be busy.  We did, however, have roofers at our house at the end of the week.  It will be nice to have that taken care of for insurance purposes, but it did make for an interesting schooling situation.

What I'm Enjoying:

A break in the rainy weather...

 Homemade lettuce wraps...

Field Trip planning...

Women's Bible Study...

Sunflower seedlings...

What are you up to?