When Stacey O'Brien was introduced to a little barn owl chick that had nerve damage in his wing, making it impossible for him to return to the wild, she knew she was meant to become his caretaker. Wesley the Owl is a heartwarming memoir that I believe both mature teens or adults could enjoy. Stacey … Continue reading Wesley the Owl by Stacey O’Brien
Chickadee by Louise Erdrich is the fourth book in the Birchbark series for young adults, and I read it out loud to my boys last year. We love this series, and I highly recommend it. You can find links to my reviews of the previous books on my book recommendations page, starting with The Birchbark House. … Continue reading Chickadee by Louise Erdrich
I don't always have the resources to delve deeply into a topic, but as far as the Islamic World, the thirteen-year-old and I have read over a few texts and listened to his dad's podcast on the topic, and I think that's good for now. We will eventually watch some Great Courses on Islam, but … Continue reading History Lesson Log #5: The Islamic World
September brings with it the relief of a new school year. A fresh start. It brings cool mornings, though, unfortunately, not cool afternoons. In fact, it's some of the hottest weather we've had all summer, and I'm pining for cooler temperatures, but I know I should be careful what I wish for. I love sitting … Continue reading September
My son has finally reached junior high school or 7th grade. I won't dwell on how quickly this happened. 😮 {Note: Every state seems to have different terms for these middle years. In Georgia, they call 6th-8th grade "middle school," but for simplicity's sake, I consider 6th grade part of elementary school and 7th & 8th … Continue reading Planning Junior High Homeschool
August has been a hefty month, but this will be a brief post. Where do I start? Well, I guess I'll start with the end of July. My husband and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Yay, us. But then, at the beginning of August, my husband had a heart attack. What a shock to all … Continue reading August
I was lucky enough to receive Michael Clay Thompson’s Language Arts Program, Level 1, a.k.a. The Island Level for free when I wrote a comprehensive article on grammar programs for home/school/life magazine. Being able to see a full curriculum before buying it is a luxury most homeschoolers don’t have, and for that reason, I was … Continue reading Quick Review: Michael Clay Thompson’s Language Arts Program, Level 1 and Part of Level 2
To see my review of the Life of Fred elementary series, click here. My son has always loved Life of Fred. He completed the elementary series by the end of the fourth grade, and in 5th and 6th grade, he completed the intermediate series (Kidneys, Liver, and Mineshaft) and then Fractions and Decimals and Percents. He always went … Continue reading Quick Review: Life of Fred Intermediate Series, Fractions and Decimals and Percents
One of many highlights of our recent trip was being able to visit The Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. If you've been following my blog for awhile, you'll know I've written several times about my younger son's love of birds. He's nine-years-old now, and he's been talking about birds since he was … Continue reading The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
I have been keeping a secret for months, and now I'm happy that I can tell you. But first let me keep you in suspense a little longer and tell you about July.... Most significant: It's hot, and it's humid, and I'm melting, so please send ice cream. 🙂 Also, we have just got back … Continue reading July
