Moms Newz

Language Arts

For language arts we are using:
   Writing With Ease Book 1
   First Language Lessons 1
   Building Spelling Skills (Liberty Press)
   Evan Moors Daily Language Review (First Grade)

I really like how easy Writing with ease is to implement especially using the workbook since all the material needed for the narration excercises have been provided.

I wasn't sure how First Language lessons would go over but this is working out well. My daughter is enjoying doing the lessons and is especially enjoying memorizing the poetry. Instead of taking 2 years to finish First Language Lessons we are actually doing this in 1 yaer by doing one lesson a day. There is just enough handwriting and I especially like how each lesson builds on each other. Very well organized.

Building Spelling Skills is easy to implement and my daughter is enjoying the lessons which offer enough variety.

We went with Evan Moores Daily Language review after my daughter requested a workbook and wanted to write more. This workbook provides a good review of basic language arts skills with short lessons that can be easily done by the student

Overall I am pleased with our curriculum choices for our 1st grade language arts.

Singapore and CLE Math

Well our homeschooling year is flying by. We are already in week 11. I thought I would share how our curriculum choices are working out so far.

I will start with math. Initially I was planning on using Right start math along with Singapore math. Well we are still using Singapore math but I decided to add in CLE math after reading reviews of this math program. So far I am currently happy with both of our math choices. 

Free Lapbooks

Make sure you visit Heart of the Matter to find out how to receive 2 free lapbooks:
1.Inside My Body and 2.Overview of the 17th Century. The lapbooks are from A Journey Through Learning.

I went ahead and signed up for the newsletter for Heart of the Matter to receive the free lapbook, Inside My Body as my daughter will be studying about the human body later this year.

Artist and Composer Study

The other day I discovered artist and composer lenses by Jimmie at Jimmiescollage.com

The artist and composer study are based on Charlotte Masons teaching method. Both seem very easy and doable and I will be implementing this as part of our homeschooling next year.

Deciding on Curriculum

I found a great site written by moms in which they provide reviews of homeschooling curriculum.

So if you are still deciding on curriculum for next year, this would be a great site to check out

Homeschooling Journey

I have been missing in action regarding this blog due to researching and learning about homeschooling. I recently discovered the The Well-Trained Mindwebsite and the message boards which have totally consumed my time.  I have read the 2nd edition of the The Well-Trained Mindand have just order the 3rd edition that was recently released. I feel that I have found a great direction to take our homeschooling journey with the information provided in this book.

Healthy Eating for Kids

One common struggle that most moms will face at some time or other is getting their kids to eat their vegetables  Most kids will turn up their nose at the site of anything green.  So how do you get around the veggie issue?  Here are some fun and easy ways to get your kids to eat their vegetables.

Snack Ideas for Kids

It's no secret kids love to snack. Left to their own devices a lot of kids would rather snack all day than sit down to full meals. Here are a few healthy and fun ideas to keep snack time fun and exciting:

Toddler Bedtime

Toddlers certainly have their own ideas about when it is time for to bed. If they had their way most toddlers would not go to bed and would choose to stay up. Getting a toddler to go to bed is not always an easy thing to accomplish.  The best thing you can do is to establish a bedtime routine for your toddler. Toddlers need routine to feel safe and also to learn their boundaries.  It will take a little patience and perseverance, but gradually your toddler will start to cooperate.

Here are a few Ideas:

Toddler Learning

The best activities for toddlers are fun-filled while still  helping them learn. The good news is that toddlers are fairly easy to entertain so there’s no need to go out and spend a fortune or turn your house into an amusement park. Here are a few fun ideas: