Interesting Poetry Books to Include in Your Homeschool Library
Over the past few years I have been slowly adding poetry books for reading aloud to our homeschool library. I read quite a bit of poetry to my children, but I actually am not crazy about poetry myself. I can appreciate Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson. However, when I have free time, I don’t sit down and read a poem. None of this means I dislike poetry, but it does mean that I am not naturally drawn to it. Despite that, I still think it’s good to ask yourself what interesting poetry books to include in your homeschool library. After all, you don’t want a book of poetry your children will dislike. Every two weeks I have my children memorize a poem. Currently, the poems are from the Sonoran Desert Nature Study I am making, but in the past, I pulled poems from children’s poetry books. I put them in a binder and we reviewed them every day. I should go back and get that binder out and reform that habit that I lost. Isn’t that annoying? Forgetting about a really good habit? Why Include Poetry? I used to teach elementary school, so I know how important poetry is for kids. It helps language development because children can hear the differences in the rhyming words. Children also hear rich vocabulary and the cadence and rhythm of poetry. I like to reread poetry to my kids because it slowly helps them memorize the poem, and memorizing poetry improves memory. There are all these reasons to teach poetry, and sometimes reasons like that can motivate us. However, what I have found to be more motivating than a list of reasons is when you find a poet that you like, and you kind of start to enjoy poetry. Isn’t that movitating? I have found that over time, as I read more poetry aloud to my children, I enjoy it more. Christina Rossetti’s poems always please me. They are short and simple, but yet beautiful in its simplicity. She was able to observe her world around her and paint with words. Rossetti was also homeschooled, had a bad temper as a child, and loved nature. My children also like her poems because they are easy to read and memorize. So why include poetry? You should include it because you want to enjoy reading poetry aloud with your kids. Tips and Tricks for Reading Poetry One of my best tricks is to read a few poems aloud from a poetry book and then leave it lying around. I prefer things to be cleaned up, but when I leave books lying around, I notice that my kids tend to be curious to read a few more poems when I am not looking. In fact, I sometimes purposely leave picture books in the car or lying around on the living room floor. My goal is to make it normal and easy to sit and enjoy poetry. Good Poetry Books for Reading Aloud Maybe you’re like me and you’re not crazy about poetry, but you want your kids to enjoy poetry because it’s good for them. I want my kids to be well-rounded. The good news is that you can do a great job of helping your kids love poetry by simply reading poems out loud to them and talking about them. It’s so simple. I don’t think I am great at talking about poetry, but reading it aloud is better than not reading it, right? Here are some interesting poetry books to include in your homeschool library that may be helpful and fun to read aloud to your children. have enjoyed all of these books with my kids, and some of them we have memorized. Sing a Song of Seasons National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry The Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry 104 Poems of Whimsy and Delight A Zoo Full of Rhymes Poetry for the Babies and Toddlers Reading poetry aloud to kids is important, but when children are small, nursery rhymes are a great place to start. Mem Fox is known for this quote: “Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.” Basically, children who memorize nursery rhymes have a better shot at being a good reader when they are older. Mem Fox talks all about these ideas in her book Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. It’s been a while since I read Fox’s book, but I remember enjoying it. I read nursery rhymes to my three-year old. Sometimes my one-year old is nearby listening. Otherwise, I sing nursery rhymes to him when I change his diaper. I have done this with all my babies. My daughter loves the illustration in this copy of Mother Goose illustrated by Scott Gustafson Final Thoughts Can you still do something you’re not good at when you are a homeschooling mom? Of course! A lot of what I am doing now I wasn’t good at in the beginning, but I have gotten better by being disciplined. I find that discipline is the key for improving at teaching my children. Over the past few years, I have found more and more poetry books to include in my homeschool library. The more I read aloud poetry, the more we enjoy it and the more it becomes a normal part of our day. I hope you enjoy some of the poetry books! don’t forget to read my post about including nonfiction picture books in your homeschool library. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
Interesting Nonfiction Picture Book Authors to Include in Your Homeschool Library
One of the best parts of homeschooling is building a homeschool library. It sounds intimidating, but it’s actually a whole lot of fun, especially if you’re into children’s literature. I have small children, so this post is going to focus on nonfiction authors, primarily picture books about nature. My two boys can read chapter books, and I read chapter books and picture books aloud to them, but I am far more familiar with picture books than chapter books at this point in my life. I am going to share with you some of my favorite interesting nonfiction picture book authors to include in your homeschool library. Tell Yourself that You Have a Library The first step to building a homeschool library is to tell yourself that you have a library. Most people own a handful of picture books before homeschooling. Even if you have a small amount of good picture books for your kids, you in fact do have a library. It’s just really small, and may need some improvement. When I was first homeschooling, I didn’t think I had a library because I thought I needed all the picture books I saw on social media (I have social media so I can see what other people read). It’s helpful to remember that a home library is your collection of books (whatever the number of books that may be), and it takes a long time to build a good collection. I am talking years. You also don’t have to have all your books in one room and call it, “The library.” We have children’s books in almost every room of the house. It’s a good rule to have books in every room. Include a Variety of Books in Your Library If all you have are Little Critter books (probably my favorite twaddle), then it’s good to think about getting other genres such as poetry, nonfiction, and better fiction books. One purpose for building a homeschool library is to enjoy a wide variety of books with your children. Think about what kind of books you want to see lying around your house. You want bookshelves too, but it’s also about having books out and about – poetry books, picture books about nature, picture books about historical figures, books that make you laugh, classics. I think you get my point. All of those thoughts have helped me search out interesting nonfiction picture book authors to include in my homeschool library. How to Start Building a Homeschool Library The best way to begin building a homeschool library is to go slow. Don’t buy a ton of picture books by authors with whom you aren’t familiar. Go to the library and find the books you like. When you find the books you like, then purchase those books. You will slowly find the authors you enjoy reading and want to include in your homeschool library. Using booklists can speed up the process. My library has a small rack with used library books you can buy. I have been able to find a number of good books there. Thrift stores are also great places to find books. If you are curious about a book, YouTube has channels where picture books are read aloud. I have listened to people read picture books aloud so I can determine if it’s a book I want to purchase. What’s even better is to find an older homeschool mom who has good taste in picture books and ask for recommendations. Good Nonfiction Picture Book Authors I use Charlotte Mason inspired nature studies with my kids. That means we use lots of picture books to learn about science and nature. Over the past three years of reading lots of nonfiction picture books, I have come to really enjoy certain authors. Here are a few favorites! Jim Arnosky Cathryn Sill Gail Gibbons Yuval Zimmer Diane L. Burns Anne Rockwell Dianna Hutts Ashton Julia Rothman Kate Messner I hope some of these suggestions were helpful for you as you begin to find interesting nonfiction picture book authors to include in your homeschool library. Comment below if there are any books or authors you would add to the list. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
Homeschooling is Becoming More Acceptable
When I first started homeschooling, I expected negative reactions from people. I geared myself up for defending my position, but nobody asked me why I had chosen to homeschool. This was surprising to me because I was homeschooled in the 1990s and early 2000s. Back then, it was considered a questionable form of education. My parents pulled me and all my siblings out of school in the mid 1990s when the concept of homeschooling was still very new. I don’t think they knew how it was all going to turn out, but they were what is now called “homeschool pioneers.” Homeschooling in the 1990s versus today in 2025 is very different. The biggest notable change is that homeschooling is becoming more acceptable. People’s Opinion in the 1990s Back in the 1990s, homeschoolers were in the minority. By the time I was homeschooled, there were about 700,000 other homeschoolers nationwide. During the 1980s, states had already legalized homeschooling, but the regulations were not formalized until the 1990s. We were part of a co-op, but I think there was only one in our area. I liked being homeschooled, but at the same time being homeschooled carried a stigma. At times, I didn’t fit in the kids at church because they all went to school together. I remember sometimes feeling awkward being out in public during school hours because I knew someone would ask the ever-so-annoying question, “Why aren’t you in school?” A friend quizzed me on math to see if I knew my math facts. My pediatrician asked me if I had friends. Homeschooling was questionable. Just in case you were wondering, I did have friends. Homeschooling Resources in the 1990s When my parents pulled me out of school, my family had to go to a homeschool curriculum fair and buy all our books. That’s right – no internet. I am not sure when we started buying textbooks online. There were not as many options for textbooks nor variety in resources. We used Abeka and Saxon primarily. Many textbooks were made by Christian textbook companies that designed their curricula for classrooms. As for technology, I used a video series from Abeka for Spanish. The teacher was boring. Despite that, I found myself majoring in Spanish a few years later. Even though the curriculum was not the most interesting, I still found my interests easily enough. I tend to overthink curriculum because I want to purchase the best curriculum for my kids. I didn’t have the best curriculum ever, but I had a good one that taught me the basics. Homeschooling Parents in the 1990s Homeschool parents in the 1990s had to have tough skin if they chose to homeschool. It was not uncommon for people to tell homeschool families that they should stop homeschooling. Homeschool parents had to ignore the negative comments. Would I have had the tough skin parents did back then? I don’t know, but they were brave to try a new method of education that was laughed at. Homeschool families were initially seen as strange. Why teach your kids yourself when the public school can do it just fine? I was a shy kid. If anything, I was probably the one everyone thought should be in school. I admire homeschoolers today, but I think the families that first took the plunge are to be truly admired. Did they ever think their efforts would amount to almost four million children being homeschooled in the US today? Now I will switch to homeschooling in 2025 People’s Opinion in 2025 I have only met one person who disliked homeschoolers. He claimed that children needed to be in school so they can be bullied and become tough. I ignored him. There are better ways to build confidence in children than to tear them down. So far, that has literally been the only negative comment I have received. Instead, I often hear people talking favorably about homeschooling. Things I have heard are from other doctors, neighbors, friends, and family are: When we sign up for the summer reading library program at our local library, there’s a box to choose your school, and homeschool is an option. That wasn’t there when I was a kid. Also, no one has ever asked me why my kids aren’t in school. In fact, I see homeschoolers out in stores and in libraries in the morning. No one bats an eye. Homeschooling Resources in 2025 The amount of resources for homeschoolers today is overwhelming. Since graduating college, teaching elementary school, getting married, and having children, I had no idea how much the homeschool textbook industry had changed. First of all, the old school textbooks, like Abeka, are still around, and are still great choices for homeschoolers, but now there are companies that make curricula that is designed specifically for homeschoolers, such as Good and Beautiful. The coolest part of the newer curricula is that a lot of them are created by homeschool moms. Good and Beautiful, Homeschool Glue, Treehouse Schoolhouse, and Five in a Row are a few examples. Outsourcing is widely available through online classes and co-op classes. There are individuals who conduct classes just for homeschoolers, such as art classes and nature classes. There are homeschool sports groups. Homeschoolers can get discounted prices at science centers and museums. Lastly, some museums offer homeschool days where admission is free. Homeschooling Parents in 2025 One of the biggest differences with homeschool parents in 2025 is that sometimes both the mom and dad work, usually the dad working full-time, and the mom working part-time. This is possible with parents being able to work from home, and with dads feeling more comfortable to help out with schooling. I find that I do not need to have tough skin for homeschooling. No one really pesters me about it and asks me why I wanted to homeschool my kids. There’s no stigma attached to it. In many ways, the hard road of normalizing homeschooling was paved by people like my parents. I am thankful for them. I know those early years of
Homeschooling Young Children: A Four-Day Homeschool Schedule
Homeschooling young children can at first seem daunting. Thankfully, even though homeschooling can appear to be a lot of work, it hasn’t seemed like that much work to me. Maybe it’s because I like school, but another reason why is because we do a four-day homeschool schedule with only a small bit of work on Friday. For me, doing a four-day homeschool schedule has been very helpful when homeschooling young children. Currently, our schedule, which by the way is always changing, currently looks like this: Monday School in the morning Co-op in the afternoon Tuesday School in the morning Play, relax, and do chores in the afternoon Wednesday Grandma babysits School in the afternoon. Church in the evening. Thursday School in the morning Clean the house in the afternoon Friday One hour or so of school. Go somewhere fun/educational or see friends. Play, relax, and do chores in the afternoon. Piano lessons at home. A four-day homeschool schedule is great for families homeschooling young children because… The Younger Kids Need It When my boys were little, I frequently took them to the zoo, the park, and the library. Now I stay home a lot due to homeschooling, but I still want my younger ones to have those same experiences. I reserve Fridays as our day do something different. Sometimes we go to a park or the library. Other times we invite friends over to play. Occasionally, we might do errands. Fridays are the day when I make sure I am ready the night before so that it isn’t a circus trying to get everyone ready. We need routines and rhythms to our days because most people find them helpful. My kids do, but there’s also a need to just get out. Part of being a kid is having time to play at the park, running errands with mom, picking out books from the library, and seeing friends. My younger ones both nap in the morning and the afternoon. That certainly makes getting out more difficult, but having a shorter nap one day a week (actually two days because church also cuts a nap out) is at this point doable. Usually, the baby takes a longer nap in the afternoon when he’s extra tired. My Older Kids Need It What I like about going to parks in Phoenix is that they usually have better trees to climb. We have small trees in our backyard that we planted a few years ago. Our trees are not ready to be climbed. Taking a day off from school gives my boys the chance to climb and take risks. Also, a lot of our nature study observation sometimes happens at parks. We see birds we learned about, and we hunt for nests. More importantly, it gives my shy kids a chance to play one-on-one with another child or children. I Need It I think I like to go to the park more than my kids. It’s because I want to talk to another mom. Having a four-day schedule is beneficial for mom too, especially if she hasn’t seen anyone for a super long time. Since I am the one in charge of homeschooling my crew, I don’t want to burn out. I have seen homeschool moms who are burnt out – tired, crabby, hates the sight of a textbook, dreams of summer. Maybe that will be me someday, but I really would like to avoid it. Although, I could never find myself dreaming of summer in Phoenix. A lot of emphasis on homeschooling is making sure the children are getting the proper education they need. That makes sense, and it’s right to focus on that. However, the mom needs to be considered too. When my kids are older, I will switch to a five-day week. For now, they are all young and need a lot of attention. That means I need time to rest from all the good work that I do. Others Need It Giving up a day of school benefits my family, but I also think it can benefit those with whom I get together. It benefits other moms because we can encourage one another. After spending time with another mom, I can usually find something I know they would like prayer for. Sometimes it’s awkward to ask How can I pray for you? It’s not a bad question. It’s a perfectly good question to ask another mom, but it can also come about naturally in the midst of a good conversation. I can learn how to better pray for a particular friend after spending time with her. Speaking of praying for others, I have found it really helpful to write down peoples’ names. I have a list of my family, friends, and people from church. I pray for different people, or groups of people, each day. It helps me remember to pray for them. Have you ever told someone you would pray for them, but then you ummm…forgot? I have. My list keeps me from doing that. Year-Round Schooling I do year-round schooling, which is why I don’t have any problem with doing a four-day homeschool schedule. Sometimes we take a week off here and there, but for the most part, I don’t usually feel like I am dying for a break. I think that means this four-day homeschool schedule thing is working for me. Final Thoughts Initially, I decided to keep Friday mornings open because I wanted my kids to get out and play with friends, but I also really like that my conversations with other moms have been encouraging. What first started out as a desire to give myself rest from the daily work I do, ended up showing me that friendships for myself and for my kids are even more refreshing than simply relaxing. It takes work to build a friendship. For related blog posts read Being a Good Friend When You’re a Busy and Starting a Playdate. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays
Homeschooling Young Children – Accepting Messes
Have you ever met someone who instantly liked? I certainly have. How about a character in a book? Or what about a picture book? One of my kids read The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman aloud to me for his reading time, and I instantly loved the mom, Mrs. Peters. The book is about a family with seven kids who all insist on eating one particular food all the time, and it must be homemade. The book doesn’t say whether the family homeschools, but they sure look like homeschoolers to me – messy house, seven kids, and they live out in the middle of nowhere. Whatever their schooling choice is, it reminded me of homeschooling young children and all the messes that it brings. Accepting a Messy House When I had my first baby, my house was always clean. Always. These days….ummm…I really try my best. We clean the house once a week – vacuum, dust, mop, organize misplaced things, but it still looks messy to some degree most of the time. We also pick up at the end of the day, but by 8:30 am the next morning, it’s a mess again. In the book The Seven Silly Eaters, the house is a mess on almost every single page. The only page where it isn’t a mess is when they have their first child. As more children are added to the family, the house gets messier. For some reason the messy house made me like the Peter’s family even more because you could tell that they lived there. There’s life in their small home with their seven children, and you can tell by all the toys that are on the floor, the mess from baking, and the piles of laundry. Often times, I think my house shouldn’t be a mess. However, the reality is that a family that spends a large portion of the day at their house will inevitably have a messy, or lived-in, home. I’m not saying toss out the cleaning routines and begin living as a hoarder. What I am saying is that it’s good to relax a little bit when it comes to having a clean house, especially if you’re homeschooling young children. Otherwise, I find it hard to enjoy my time with my children. Some people don’t see messes, or the messes simply don’t bother them, so nothing really gets cleaned up. I am the opposite. I see every mess. There’s something inside of me that compels me to clean it up. In fact, it seems wrong to not clean up a mess. That leads me to my next point. Relaxing in The Mess In the beginning of the book, Mrs. Peters is playing her cello, something she clearly enjoys doing. Later on, Mrs. Peters is playing her cello right beside a basket of laundry. If I had to take a lesson from Mrs. Peters, it’s to do something enjoyable even if the area around me is messy and slightly chaotic. I have to discipline myself to leave the mess alone and do something like read a book or write for a few minutes. Otherwise, I never get around to doing to reading because I am tried by the end of the day. Moms do a lot for their kids – working moms and moms homeschooling young children. I said earlier that it seems wrong to leave a mess alone. I would also argue that it seems wrong to never do anything that is relaxing. Moms need a break too. Playing the cello is how Mrs. Peter’s relaxes, and she does it with all her kids around her. I used to think I can only relax when it’s quiet and peaceful, but I have learned how to relax for a few minutes in a messy home with my kids all around me. Relaxing doesn’t always mean lying down. I find it relaxing to be out in my garden with my kids. Also, I can read a book and write with my kids around (there are quite a few interruptions though). It’s relaxing to take a walk with my kids. I hope I am making sense. You can find moments to recharge (in whatever way you like) even if you have a lot of kids right next to you. Of course, peace and quiet is also nice. I think moms who are introverted like me have to be aware of their limitations. I get tired if people talk to me all day long. And guess what little kids do? They talk all day long! Sometimes it’s the same conversation over and over again. Over the years I have gotten a lot better at being patient with the constant chatter. It doesn’t wear me out so much now. My mother-in-law watches my kids often. Sometimes she takes them for a walk, and when I come back home, the house is filled with daylight, empty, and quiet (I am used to the quiet at night). I enjoy it for a while, but at the same time, it also doesn’t feel natural. Don’t worry. My kids come tumbling in soon enough. And Mrs. Peters…. The book ends with the family finding a recipe that works for everyone. That must have been a relief to Mrs. Peters!. I really like one of the last pictures. Everyone is making the cake, and there’s Mrs. Peters,, relaxing and playing her cello with her favorite people all around her. You can tell that she’s a happy mom. I think that’s why I like her: She’s got a lot of kids, her house is a mess, and she’s happy. So, whether you have a lot of kids, or are homeschooling young children, enjoy the mess because years from now your house will be very clean….so hard to imagine. You might find yourself missing the messes. Speaking of messes, I have three laundry baskets waiting for me, a book to read aloud to my kids, and markers all over the floor (with the caps on). Off I
Homeschooling Young Children: Making Sacrifices
Some days it seems like the only time I get to sit down is when I read aloud to my children. Fortunately, most days aren’t like that. I normally sit down to eat, and I sit down to do a lesson. But there are those times when it feels like I am up and down helping someone every five seconds. It could be I am actually sitting down more than I realize I am. To some, I might sound like I am crazy. To others who are in my situation, homeschooling young children, I am sure you can understand why am I running from one thing to the next. Homeschooling is a wonderful thing to do, but it’s also a very hard job. And it’s also hard when all your children are young. They all need you for what seems like everything. While it can be a hard stage to be in, it’s also a really life-giving stage. It sounds like I am contradicting myself, but I’m not. Just keep reading. Whenever I am in a hard stage of life, I find that it’s good to stop and reflect. This past week I thought about how homeschooling young children means everyone in our family has moments when they have to make a sacrifice in order to care for someone else. Making Sacrifices No one in our family has a schedule that is perfectly catered towards them. It’s hard having nap times, and also wanting to get out and do older kid things. Despite the difficulties with having a “large” family (four kids doesn’t seem large, but I have been told we have a lot of kids. People at Costco always tell that every time I go), I think it’s good for our family to make sacrifices and give up what we want for the sake of someone else. My boys can’t go out and do as many fun homeschool field trips or activities because their younger siblings need naps. I can’t stay at church very long and talk because my one-year old is exhausted and crying. Sometimes we end up leaving an event because someone is melting down. We often skip church potlucks because it’s someone else’s turn to be tired. In our case, having little children limits what we can do. Despite all that, we are not always heading home every time someone is tired. It’s not always the older kids that make sacrifices. Other times, my younger ones are stretched to stay awake longer than they would like because their brothers have a sports practice or a game. My husband will take the fussy baby with him so I can talk to people. There’s no hard rule about whose turn it is to give up something. Rather, it’s based on what’s going on in each circumstance. Sacrifices Are Not in Vain Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” This verse has been helpful for me because it reminds me that the sacrifices my kids have to make for each other does not make the day worse because the fun ended early. I don’t have to feel guilty if they miss out. After all, it’s good training for real life. They are learning how to adjust and place someone else’s needs before themselves. My boys did a field day with their co-op last fall. October is a tricky month because the weather can fluctuate. Sometimes it’s nice, and sometimes it’s still hot. It was hot that day. I couldn’t keep their baby brother out in close to 100+ weather for very long. I felt bad leaving early because they wanted to stay. They were disappointed, but it was also an opportunity for them to recognize that their baby brother has needs too. In this case, his needs were more important than theirs. Homeschooling young children is hard, and missing out on activities can be challenging, but there’s always fruit with hard situations It’s harder to be patient, kind, and sacrificial with your family. Homeschooled siblings know each other so well. They know the most subtle ways to get under each other’s skin, but they get some of the best practice when they learn how to live peacefully with each other. My kids aren’t perfect. They have arguments for sure, but they are learning. When Sacrificing is Good For You My kids make sacrifices, but what about me? I give my energy and love to my children all day long. Sometimes I am worn out, but I found that when I give up my desires, such as reading in peace in quiet or having a uninterrupted conversation, and focus on caring well for my children, I am happier. There’s joy that comes from knowing I am doing a good job caring for my kids. While sacrificing what I want to do can be hard, it can also be the best thing for me because it deepens my love for my children and it makes depend on God more rather than being satisfied with getting what I think I need. One thing that has helped me have a better perspective on giving up my will, especially in the context of homeschooling young children, is to figure out what I lack (joy, patience, peace….) and then ask God for that. While that sounds very simple, it has been helpful because He does answer me. I am not a naturally patient person, but God has made me more patient. I regularly pray for patience and joy in parenting. Slowly, over time as I continue to homeschool all young children, I have become less dependent upon time alone and can tolerate more noise and mess. On a side note, I am someone who needs alone time, so I get the genuine need for it. I sometimes hide away and read for five minutes until someone finds me. Those five minutes can help! I am also someone who needs to talk to
Learning About Butterflies in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona
The past two weeks have been all about butterflies here at my house. We ordered some painted lady caterpillars from Amazon. My kids loved watching them molt, form into their chrysalides, and then emerge as butterflies (Yes, we actually saw one come out. They always seem to emerge whenever we are gone. Bummer, right?). In Arizona, there are over 300 species of butterflies. We had a lot of fun learning about butterflies in Arizona – we read lots of good books, learned a great song, looked at a cool painting, memorized a poem, and made coffee filter butterflies. Butterflies in Arizona Some topics, such as butterflies in Arizona, are hard to find in the format of a picture book, but we found some helpful information online at azstateparks.com . They listed butterflies here in Arizona, plants to attract butterflies (I am already looking into planting some desert milkweed this April), and even provided a butterfly booklet for kids. Tuscanbirds.org also had information and pictures about butterflies here in Arizona. Picture Books about Butterflies There are not any picture books specifically about butterflies in Arizona, but general picture books about butterflies worked just fine. Here are some of our favorites. Are You a Butterfly by Judy Allen What’s Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon? by Rachel Ignotofsky The Mystery of the Monarchs by Barb Rosenstock Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hurts Aston Monarch Butterflies Monarch butterflies are seen in Arizona between October to April as they migrate to and from Mexico or California. I have only seen one Monarch butterfly in the wild here in Arizona. Believe me, I was rather excited. As you probably know, monarchs are attracted to milkweed. I looked up what plants are needed for a butterfly garden in Phoenix. Desert Milkweed, Baja Fairy Duster, Desert Senna, and Globe Mallows are a few host plants for monarchs. The best time of year to plant a butterfly garden is mid-April. It is currently the beginning of April. I love it when things like that all work out. It makes me feel more organized than I really am. I am hoping to a butterfly garden going in the next few weeks. Coffee Filter Butterfly Charlotte Mason encouraged children to do handicrafts for a variety of reasons – fine motor skills, creativity, hand-eye coordination, and pure enjoyment of making something beautiful. We made coffee filter butterflies. It was an easy handicraft for my kids (ages 8, 6, and 3). First, we colored two coffee filters using markers. Afterwards, we sprayed them with water and let them dry. Then we folded them up like an accordion and used a pipe wire to keep them together in the shape of a butterfly. I was thinking of sticking a magnet on the back so that we could see them on the fridge (but I haven’t done that yet). Butterfly Wonderland Naturally, a trip to Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale would follow after a butterfly unit. We went with another homeschool friend, but the place was overcrowded about four or five field trip groups. We left and plan to go back with our original tickets another day. If you are interested in going, but do not want a huge crowd all around you, then I would recommend going in the afternoon after the field trip groups have left. I have been the Butterfly Wonderland a number of times. My kids have always enjoyed the butterfly room where butterflies fly around and land on you. They also do a short film about the monarch butterfly. Final Thoughts We have fun learning about butterflies in Arizona. I get so distracted when I am outside. If any of us see a butterfly, we make a big deal and shout, “Hey, look a butterfly!” Then we run after it and try to identify it. I’m am sure this is all very normal behavior. This week we started learning about plants in the Sonoran Desert before summer comes in a few days. I will share what books we are reading for that unit in another post. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
How to do a Picture Study
I am a fan of Charlotte Mason, but there’s an area of instruction that in the past I have pushed aside. I am all for living books. In fact, I really need to get more bookshelves. My kids love notebooking. We use watercolors to paint and colored pencils to draw. Then my boys write what they have learned. I also have my kids do copywork. They copy poems and Bible verses. That’s easy to do, right? But what I have found intimidating is doing a picture study. Why? Well, because I am so unfamiliar with art. In fact, in college I was relieved to know that I didn’t have to take an art appreciation class. At the time, I had little knowledge of artists. It seemed better to stay away from the unfamiliar world of art. Fast forward twenty years later (yes, I am rather old now), and I am homeschooling and making brave attempts to appreciate art with my kids. Maybe there’s a fellow mom out there who likes Charlotte Mason, but finds it hard to go about teaching art appreciation to her children. I have had practice with picture study, but I wouldn’t say I am much good at it. It sounds intimidating to hold up a fine piece of artwork and hope that my children will have some remote interest in it. However, I have learned that even the minimal effort of just looking at artwork with my children and talking about what we see does increase their appreciation. Here are some things I have learned. Look and Share Charlotte Mason has a really simple method for looking and talking about artwork. First, you show the artwork to your child or children. All they do is look at the painting for a few minutes until they have studied all the details and can picture the image in their head. One challenging aspect is lengthening the amount of time spent looking at a portrait. At first, it was only a few seconds, but we have made steady improvement. Also, if the painting is interesting, then it’s easier to stop and stare. When we studied hummingbirds, we looked at John James Audubon’s Anna’s Hummingbird. It caught my kids’ attention because you see a female and two male hummingbirds, a nest, and one of the male hummingbirds flying upside down. There was a lot to talk about. They had trouble being quiet and looking at it because they immediately wanted to talk, but not everything will be perfect, will it? Remembering Paintings We did Treehouse Schoolhouse Nature Study a few years ago, which includes picture study. That’s actually where I first learned how to do a picture study. I don’t think I did a great job, but we have pulled some painting from that nature study and my kids always say that they remember this painting and that painting. It surprises me because I know I didn’t do a great job, but somehow my instruction kind of worked. My point is this: You don’t have to be good at picture study to grow your child’s appreciation of art. You can do a picture study even if it’s out of your area of expertise, which is probably most homeschool moms. You can grow into your role. Creating a Replica The hardest part of a picture study is making a replica. I am currently working on getting my kids to make replicas of paintings we study. Perfectionism runs strong in my family. When you tell a perfectionist that they are to create a replica of a masterpiece, they know they can’t live up to Rembrandt or Monet, right? Why bother if it won’t be perfect? That’s such a hard mindset to break out of, but a picture study is great tool to break that way of thinking. We aren’t great at making replicas yet, but we might be in a year or two….or three. I have found that letting my boys copy one part of the painting can help make the whole ordeal seem less scary. Increased Attention I said earlier that I have seen an increased ability in my kids to stare at a painting for a long time. We started at about ten seconds to about a minute and a half. That’s improvement! Staring at something not on a screen AND taking note of all the details, well that’s certainly discipline. What an age we live in where we can scroll on our phone and hardly pay attention to much of anything. I think a picture study fights against the inattention problems phones and screens have created. Final Thoughts Homeschooling takes you out of your comfort zone. Moms (and dads) begin teaching content that weren’t actually trained to teach. I have never taken an art class, but I can still talk about art with my children. Doing picture study with your kids may take time to get the hang of, but it’s pretty neat when your kids can name famous works of art. Even if picture study doesn’t go as planned, keep at it. Fruit doesn’t come quickly. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
Review on Whistlefritz Spanish Curriculum
Choosing a math and a reading curriculum when homeschooling can be tough, but choosing a foreign language curriculum can seem even more daunting. As someone who enjoys looking through curricula, especially Spanish curricula, I am happy to recommend Whistlefritz as a good choice for younger children who are just beginning to study a foreign language. It’s a multi-sensory, immersive language learning curriculum that is lots of fun for young language learners. Whistlefritz sent me a copy of the Spanish Educators Collection. We paused our regular Spanish lessons (Flip Flop Spanish) and did lesson 9, which is all the kitchen, la cocina. After trying a lesson, I found that this curriculum is ideal for…. What Does Whistlefritz Cover? There are forty lessons that include topics like colors, the human body, seasons, family, furniture and rooms in a house, food, and a lot more. It teaches all the basic words that you would need in an introductory Spanish course. How Are the Lessons Set Up? The lessons are scripted and very easy to follow. Looking at the next lesson ahead of time is recommended since there are often materials that are needed, and some pages that need to be photocopied. The length of a lesson is about 30-40 minutes. Each lesson starts with review. Afterward, vocabulary is taught and students practice speaking the target words. Lastly, there’s a closure where the skills are reviewed. I loved the extension activities at the end of each lesson because they are playful and interactive. Some lessons have videos to watch. Some have books to read like Margaret Wise Brown’s Buenas noches, luna. Others have a song to learn. My children have already learned this content through other Spanish curricula, but if I were to use it, I would make each lesson last a few days in order to really make sure vocabulary has sunk in (rewatching videos, rereading books, and doing the extension activities). Whistlefritz Videos The videos feature a native speaker who speaks Latin American Spanish. She speaks slowly and clearly, and in complete sentences. She doesn’t speak in English to explain anything. It’s just Spanish. This is important because being immersed in the language is the best way to learn. Her pace is good. It’s not too slow making you feel like dumb, but it’s not too fast either. There are also children in the videos with whom she speaks. I really appreciated that because it allows my children to hear a conversation. Most of the time, the children respond with simple answers, but it’s still helpful to hear questions in Spanish. There are also fun songs that help children (and parents) learn the vocabulary words. The videos repeat the vocabulary a lot. Children will hear the vocabulary words in questions, statements, and in songs. The videos are in many of the lessons, but not all of them. They are available online or you can purchase them as DVDs. My six year old liked the videos and was glued to the screen. My oldest, who is eight year old, was less interested. The videos are geared for younger kids, so ideally they are great for kids around four to seven years old. Everyone’s kids are different though. Whistlefritz Homeschool Guide Whistlefritz provides a free home educator’s guide. I found it very helpful because it recommended that the lessons last a year. You have permission to go slow and have fun! For example, you could do lesson one on a Monday and rewatch the videos, listen the songs, and do the extension activities during the rest of the week. Last Thoughts Teaching Spanish to your kids when you don’t know Spanish sounds hard, but there are so many great resources like Whistlefritz that make it doable. Once you realize that you can teach and learn a second language with your child, you’ll feel like coolest mom in the world. And after you do something hard like l teaching your kids Spanish, I think you will feel very proud of yourself. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
Being a Student of Your Child
I love seeing cool ideas for homeschool lessons, or learning about new curricula that is on the market. I start imagining how fun it would be to do everything. But then reality returns. If I add on every new curriculum or fun field trip to our day, my children would not appreciate it. Through trial and error, I have learned to find a balance between seeing a cool idea and being a student of my child. What Is Being a Student of Your Child? Being a student of your child is studying your child and learning who they are. I know it sounds pretty basic. You are probably saying, “I know my kid!” What I mean is knowing them as a whole person – how they learn best, what helps them relax, what frustrates them, how do they calm down when frustrated, what awakens their mind, how do they think and perceive events in life, what sins do they struggle with, etc… Knowing who your child by seeing them in a variety of contexts over many years can give a parent insight into how homeschooling could look like for that child. Studying my children has helped me ignore or toss out ideas that might be nice, but ultimately wouldn’t work great for my kids. It’s knowing my kids so well that I can easily predict how some event or an activity is going to go, and then calculating if it’s worth the effort. The result of studying my children has made homeschooling easier and enjoyable. It takes reflecting, thinking, and careful observation to know how my children like to learn, what helps them thrive, and being able to connect with them. Asking Myself Questions After I see a brand-new curriculum (one that looks way better than what I have) or a cool field trip we could go on, I ask myself questions: Can we afford that? Would my children like it? Would this help them learn? Will all, or most, of my kids benefit from this or that? Am I the one who wants to go on this field the most? (Does anyone else have that problem? Mom being more excited about a field trip than the kids?) Does this mess up a nap time? Are we busy in the morning as well? (A busy morning and afternoon are tough for us in this season) What are we doing the day before or the day after? Running through relevant questions helps me figure out if an activity is going to make it in our school day. In the past, I have overbooked myself, and my children have never enjoyed that. I have found it helpful to say no to a lot, and say yes to a few things. The downside is that we miss out on a lot, but it’s something I have gotten better at accepting since my family’s needs come first. Knowing Your Child’s Strengths and Weaknesses My children love to be at home. Often times when we go on a field trip, one of my kids almost always asks, “When will we go home?” Their strength isn’t going from one place to the next. Homeschoolers often post pictures of themselves out and about on field trips or traveling. They are out and about doing so many cool things. But what if your kids just want to stay home and read? Or make strange things out of cardboard and duct tape? Or make muffins with grandma and play with only one kid from church? I am describing the ultimate introvert here. I have learned to let them be who they are. Yes, it’s good to push them out of their comfort zone (we do go on field trips, co-op class, church, sports practice), but not to the point where they are constantly exhausted and crabby. My kids’ strengths are what I call quiet learning. They don’t want to be out about all over the place all the time. Their world is small, and they like learning quietly. My kids aren’t going to be signed up for a thousand of activities or go to the park every day because they would hate it. I have learned to be okay to give my children a small world where they can figure out who they are and know their strengths. Knowing How They Learn Everyone homeschools differently. I find it fascinating that so many different families can find a different way to go about schooling that works for them. Here are some things I have learned about how my children learn best. Knowing What Excites Them Have you ever seen a spark in your kid’s eyes? I have! When one of my kids was four years old, he asked me what the moon was made of. I told him it was made out of rock. He stared at the moon for a good while in disbelief that a rock was floating over him. The idea of planets and rocks in outer space brought life to his mind. Whenever I plan our school, I leave time for him to find those topics of interest that keep his mind going. Here are some things that my kids really love to do: Last Thoughts It’s easy to google a homeschooling problem, find someone’s answer, and implement it….and then see how it didn’t actually work. Why? Usually when that happens to me, it’s because I forgot to think about who my kid is. Being a student of my child has lessened the wasted lessons. It’s also just makes me appreciate my kids more because I can see their strengths. Homeschooling isn’t always following the curriculum perfectly, or doing lessons that look exactly like someone else’s. It’s first looking at your child and adapting their learning so it matches who they are. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com