Our Son’s Second Book

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Our son continued writing after he published The Knight of Asper. He came up with a second book in the series: Battle with Herobrine. The series title is “The Adventures of Stickgamer135” and it is an unofficial Minecraft novel series for children age 9 and older. You can purchase it on Amazon in either paperback or Kindle format.

Unofficial Minecraft Novel

Batle with Herobine, our son’s second book, another unofficial Minecraft novel

So many things have happened in the last two months, I have not had a chance to even blog about his second book. For your information, my children do not play Minecraft with other players, and we limit their time on the computer drastically.

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101 Tips for Second Grade Homeschooling

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It’s finally here, the book I wrote about homeschooling second grade: 101 Tips for Second Grade Homeschooling. I dedicate it to my husband and children, without whom this book would have been published 15 months ago. Yes, I got this funny saying from The Language Nerds.

 

There are two formats available, paperback and Kindle. This is volume 4 in my series titled How to Homeschool. After writing books about Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade, I took some time to put on paper 101 ideas or tips for how to teach second grade.

101 Tips for Second Grade Homeschooling

101 Tips for Second Grade Homeschooling is now available.

The format is the same: 10 chapters with 10 ideas or tips in each, followed by chapter 11, with Tip #101. I have a son and a daughter, 28 months apart from each other. They are very different learners. They have taught me a thing or two about second grade. Continue reading »


Third Grade Curriculum

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You have asked, so I will answer. Which curriculum did we have actually use in third grade? Without further ado, here it is:

 

Reading – Mensa for Kids, K-3 book list Also, the National Spelling Bee Bookshelf titles. They change from year to year. User discretion is advised. We have had to skip some titles because of their political or occult content.

 

Spelling and grammar – Logic of English Foundations, C and D; once finished, we started LOE Essentials – Level A

Story of the World Volume 2

Story of the World Volume 2

 

Writing – Writing with Ease, Level 1 – if your child is not yet writing well, do some more copywork. Alternatively, you can make your own sheets online. I had a book for cursive copywork with nature facts and Bible verses, titled Cursive Copywork. Continue reading »


Second Grade Curriculum

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“What curriculum are you using?” That is one of my favorite questions from homeschooling parents. I love talking about the great curriculum available to the homeschool community. Since several of you have asked, I will take some time and share our choices, grade by grade, in several posts.

Latin and French for Children

Latin and French are totally optional in second grade.

As a rule of thumb, I go with The Well Trained Mind recommendations, but not every single thing. I have not started teaching my children Greek, for example. Besides, her recommendations for spelling have not worked for us. Continue reading »


Back to Homeschool, 3 of 3

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One more week of summer break and then we are off to the races! Maybe you have a few more weeks. But I need to think about starting in a very real way. What is there to do, once you got a plan, organized your schoolroom, and ordered your supplies? Put some finishing touches on your preparation.

Relaxing at the pool

Relax by the pool while you still can.

Start by putting yourself first. As I said in a blog post around this time last year, homeschool moms need self-care. Do you have enough time in the day to exercise and clear your mind at regular intervals? I need about 30 minutes every morning to myself: reading, writing, praying, answering urgent emails or social media communication with my family – these are all important to me as a person. If I do not take care of “me,” it will be incredibly hard to focus on my children’s needs for the rest of the day. Continue reading »


Back to Homeschool, 2 of 3

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Last week, we analyzed your homeschool’s performance in the previous school year and planned for the next school year. This week, we will spend some time cleaning the school room.

Boy hides behind cape at hairdresser's.

My son hid behind the cape at the hairdresser’s when I took his picture.

Do you have a school room? If you do, chances are you could spend at least one hour organizing its contents. If you do not, you probably have some book shelves and drawers or cabinets for your supplies. It will help you to go through your inventory and determine if you need any school supplies. Soon, stores will be dropping prices on school-related items and you can go there with a clear list of what your need.

Amazon, Rainbow Resource, or other online retailers offer great deals this time of the year, as well. If your children attend a co-op, they probably need a lunch box and a backpack. What about other gear? Special shoes or sports clothing your children have outgrown?

Yesterday, I noticed that my son has grown even more, to make his black dress pants too short for the next school year. He wears them for concerts with the youth symphony or other formal occasions. So I added “black trousers, size 14” to the list of things I need to get for the next year. What about haircuts? Why not get them out of the way now?

In conclusion, don’t think of cleaning the school room as drudgery. Think of it as an invitation to make a shopping list. Shopping for our homeschool has got to be my favorite activity, but I like to know that I have a plan of action and a reason for spending money.


Back to Homeschool, 1 of 3

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For the next three weeks, I will be blogging about going back to homeschool. Research indicates that writing goals down dramatically increases your chance of reaching them, so all of us need to spend some time planning for success.  If you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants, you go right ahead. We will not judge. However, the rest of us must organize our chaos at least a little bit.

Color-coded schedules help moms.

You are a professional. Plan accordingly. Color code your planner if you prefer.

In this first post, we will focus on looking back at this past year. First, what has worked for you? Secondly, what has not worked? Thirdly, how could you improve? Above all, did you experience burnout? Do you know how that happened? We all know our strengths and growth areas. If we do not, this is the time to sit down and spend five minutes writing down what comes to mind, under two columns called Strengths and Growth Areas. Continue reading »


iNaturalist App

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These days, I am obsessed with a new app called iNaturalist. It is free in the app store on your phone. You can take a picture of anything in the natural world and it will tell you what it is. I do not know the names of all the plants or insects in my neighborhood. If we find a turtle in our backyard, I cannot tell if it is a box turtle or any other type.

Yellow Jacket

Wasp? Bee? Yellowjacket? The app helped us identify it.

So many times, I have taken the kids on a “nature walk” but I could not help them identify much beyond Black-Eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s Lace, and oak trees. It worked when they were younger. I feel we need to learn more. Continue reading »


ARTiculations Curriculum Review

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ARTiculations is the clever name of an art curriculum put together by a Christian high school teacher with a master’s in art education, Hannah Nolt. If you want to teach your children art in a systematic way without having to prepare and plan a whole lot, ARTiculations can help.

Children doing art lesson at home

Designing their own Taj Mahals.

A recent addition to the art curriculum market, ARTiculations has five levels depending on your children’s grades. Level 1, for instance, covers 1st and 2nd grade levels. Level 5 corresponds to high school. First, you would have to decide which level you need, based on your children’s grades. Continue reading »


“Math Island” – Book Review

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Math Island is a book written by John Koller and Gillian Singler for children of all ages. It helps if they are past third grade though, in my opinion. That way, they get more of the math content. The book has two main characters, Lily and Tad, who are siblings. A host of supporting characters joins them from chapter to chapter.

Reading Math Island

Our son reading “Math Island”

Together, Lily and Tad discover – by chance – that they can travel to a magical location called Math Island. A crab named Carl functions as their guide, while other animals also help explain math concepts to the visitors. Continue reading »