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Books We Read Aloud in Our Homeschool This Year (2024–2025)
One of my favorite parts of homeschooling is the time we spend reading aloud. Whether we’re curled up on the couch after lunch or listening during quiet play, shared stories bring us closer. This year’s read-aloud list was full of adventure, laughter, and plenty of cozy moments. Some books were familiar favorites, some were part…
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Required Reading for Rising 1st and 3rd Graders: Our Top Picks for Summer
As we lean into summer, I’m curating a gentle but enriching stack of books for my girls. I want stories that stretch their imaginations, build empathy, and fill their hearts with wonder. Here’s what we’re reading this season, divided by grade level with a little note on each one. Some are timeless classics, others are…
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Free Printable Summer Book Bingo for Kids
Welcome to the first post in my Simple Summer 2025 series, a collection of easy or easy-ish activities to help your family slow down, connect, and make the most of the summer months. Whether you’re homeschooling year-round or just looking to build a little rhythm into long summer days, these ideas are designed to be…
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Earth Day In Our Homeschool
Earth Day might not be a “church holiday,” but as a Christian, I believe it’s worth paying attention to. Why? Because creation care isn’t just for environmentalists, it’s for all of us who believe in a Creator. The very first job God gave humanity was to tend and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). We were…
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Balancing Screen Time and Education for Kids
As a modern mom, I think a lot about screens. How much is too much? When is it helpful, and when is it just noise, or even worse, harmful. We try to limit screen time in our home because I want my kids to spend their childhoods reading real books, playing outside, building forts out…
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A Day in Our Homeschool Life: Breakfast to Bedtime
Hello, friends! Today is a glimpse into a typical homeschool day for us, starting off with a good breakfast. We do yogurt bowls pretty much weekly. This day we had pecans, bananas, and blueberries on top of plain whole milk yogurt. During breakfast, we do morning time, starting with the Bible. Even if we weren’t…
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Character over Curriculum in Homeschooling
Homeschooling at the kitchen table is not for the faint of heart. It’s where math meets spilled milk, where phonics battles background noise, and where I sometimes wonder if we’re learning anything at all. But in the middle of it, amidst the fractions and the science projects gone wrong, something bigger is happening—something eternal. We…
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First Grade Book List
This list is ever-evolving. Feel free to message/comment and let me know what you think. If you’re looking for my other book lists, click HERE. 1. The Mercy Watson Series by Kate DiCamilloMercy, a lovable pig with a big personality, lives with the Watsons and gets into amusing misadventures. (Early Chapter Book) 2. The Never…
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Must-Read Books for Kindergarten
Kindergarten is tricky, because reading levels can vary so wildly. One of my daughters was on a second or third grade reading level in kinder while another was very much a beginning reader. I put together a list of classic, beginning literature plus fun picture books that are easy enough for a more advanced reader…
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Do Homeschool Kids Get Enough Socialization? Here’s the Truth
Homeschool and Socialization: My Kids Aren’t Living Under a Rock, I Promise! Ah, the dreaded S-word. No, not that one (this is a family-friendly blog, after all). I’m talking about socialization—the question every homeschool parent knows is coming, usually delivered with the same tone you’d use to ask someone why they’re wearing socks with sandals.…
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Cozy and Maple 