Book Recommendations Archives - Our Life in the Shire

Homeschool

Spring Nature Books for Kids (and Parents too!)

Are you looking for Spring nature books for kids? We love children’s books about nature! My family loves nature walks and hiking, and my kids love learning about all the nature topics – flowers, gardening, plants, trees, birds, animals…they love it all! And I love seeing them follow their interests and learn more! And a pretty bookshelf is always fun! If you’d like even more ideas, check out our amazon favorites, to browse for ideas to borrow from the library, purchase, or add to your wish list! I really enjoy seeing my kids light up when they follow their interests and learn more. Spring is such a great season, full of…

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Fast Flashing to Teach Reading – Flash Cards
June 10, 2016

Spinach & Artichoke Dip (Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, and Vegan Too!)
May 3, 2016

Quick Weekday Lunch for Kids – Salmon Salad
August 26, 2015
Homeschool

Best Books for Children about Owls

Are you looking for children’s books about owls? My kids love learning about animals, and I really enjoy seeing them light up when they follow their interests and learn more. We have loved studying about owls in our homeschool, and I compiled this list of kids picture books about owls to share with you! A few of these are not technically “children’s” books, but I know that even my 6 year old loves to look at books full of facts and photographs about owls. Whether you are doing a unit study about owls in your homeschool or just looking for some fun books about owls, I hope you enjoy this…

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Gluten Free Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli Soup
September 2, 2019

Best Picture Books about Autumn Trees & Fall Leaves
October 11, 2019

Zucchini Chips
July 4, 2015
Faith, Family, Homeschool

Children’s Devotional How Great Is Our God

I was so thrilled to be blessed with a complimentary copy of Louie Giglio’s new children’s devotion about God and Science. As homeschoolers we are always looking for ways to incorporate great fact-filled learning with our faith. We already have his first devotional, and my kids LOVE the new one as much as the first. We read it as part of our morning basket time. Actually, I often have to go in search of it because my 8 year old tends to take it out of the basket to look at! ⠀ I really can’t blame her. This book is full of scientific facts, adorable illustrations, beautiful photographs and more,…

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Winter Nature Related Bible Memory Verses
November 24, 2019

Free Reading Tracker for Kids
October 26, 2020

GAPS Toddler Lunch – What They Eat Wednesday
July 1, 2015
Homeschool

Best Picture Books about Autumn Trees & Fall Leaves

Are you looking for great picture books about trees? Picture books about Autumn or Fall leaves? Picture books about Autumn Trees for your preschool, kindergarten or first grade classroom? Then look no further! Every year, as part of our nature study in our homeschool we read children’s books about trees in the Fall season. I selected a number of great children’s picture books about Autumn for our first grade homeschool bookshelf. Some of these books related to trees are classics, some are non-fiction for gentle science study. We lean a bit Charlotte Mason in our homeschool style, so I am all about books! Some of these are about trees and…

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GAPS Toddler Lunch – What They Eat Wednesday
July 1, 2015

Free Reading Tracker for Kids
October 26, 2020

Zucchini Chips
July 4, 2015
Family, Homeschool

Poetry for Kids

This year as I homeschool my daughters for 1st grade I’m being more intentional about including poetry. We’ve always had poetry books and such, but this year I am also displaying a new nature related poem every week and we read it during our morning basket time. The girls really look forward to hearing it each day! We’ve also been really enjoying our weekly Poetry Teatime! I make gluten and dairy free treats, we sip tea, and we read poetry! People often ask which books are currently in our poetry basket, so here you go! Where the Sidewalk Ends A Light in the Attic Sing a Song of Seasons: A…

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Poetry Teatime!
August 29, 2019

Ladybug Anatomy – FREE Homeschool Printable
May 9, 2021

Taco Tuesday – GAPS Style
July 22, 2015

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How do people who live in hot climates ever go outside?

It is way too hot to be outside in the afternoons this week. Even to play in water it’s a nope. I love the sunshine, but I’ll take sunshine with a side of temps in the 70’s please :D We’ve moved into the 100’s this week, and that is just not appropriate for this pacific northwest girl here. Give me all your survive the hot weather tips!

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#homeschoollife #homeschooldays #slowandsimpledays #hyggehomeschool #homeeducation #charlottemason #homeschoolfamily #welleducatedheart #morningbasket #poetryteatime #charlottemasoneducation #enchantededucation #homeschooling #homeschool #fromtheheart #charlottemasonhomeschool #bedeeplyrooted #charlottemasonliving #slowchildhood

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** 2024-2025 Curriculum Planning and Picks **

I’m really excited about our next homeschool year! This will be our third year with @the.cmec, and we’ll be following their recommendations almost exclusively.

My girls are both technically Form 2A Upper (6th grade) but as you probably know, my 12 year old has Down syndrome, so she’s on her own path. Part of a Charlotte Mason education means respecting the unique personhood of each child. In a lot of ways she is developmentally and academically much younger. In other areas she is ready for more. So, we’ll be doing a modified Form 1B for her. And my youngest will be doing Form 2A.

After I decided where I was placing each of my daughters, and what we’d be combining, I created a rough draft of a timetable. (Always the hardest part!) Then I created a spreadsheet overview for the year, with goals for each subject per term. Most of these goals are taken directly from the CMEC programs. (If anyone would like a blank template of the google sheet I created for our overview, let me know in the comments and/or DM me! I’m happy to share!)

Over the summer I’ll spend time pre-reading. I won’t pre-read everything in advance. I prioritize books my younger daughter will read independently, as well as anything that I know will require more advance preparation. I’ll also create basic forecasts for each week. That said, these will be very simple forecasts of what I THINK we’ll be able to accomplish each week. I will NOT create detailed lesson plans or rigid goals. I will use my logbook as we go along, to record what we accomplish, and plan week to week for what reading comes next.

I started my homeschool journey many years ago as a homeschooled student, and then later with my son. So this definitely isn’t my first rodeo, and yet there’s always more to learn. We have homeschooled the girls from the beginning, so we are going into their 7th year! Time flies!

In the upcoming weeks, I hope to share a more detailed breakdown of each subject. Let me know if you have any questionsl!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#livingeducation #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #cmecsummerprep #charlottemason #thecmec

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Real talk - my girls and I long for more community.

I struggle because I’m an introvert so I like the idea of more community, but it’s also draining. It’s also challenging for other reasons. Because my 12yo is developmentally years younger, it’s really, really hard to place her. Not to mention she needs a 1:1 at all times, for safety and just to help her to integrate and follow along. I am always happy (and probably best qualified) to be her helper, but that means I can’t participate in leading or assisting a co-op class. I hesitate to share our struggles here because I don’t want anyone to misunderstand my heart for my daughter. I would not change her (though I would perhaps make things a little easier for her if I could.) She is a joy to everyone she meets, and I truly consider our family blessed. That said, there are extra considerations and challenges that our family has to think about.

And to top it off, often, we just don’t fit in. For example, cell phones are not happening here. We’re also a conservative family living in a liberal area. We’ve tried a couple of traditional co-ops, met some lovely families, but none have been just the right fit. A big part of this is that I really try to guard our school mornings, and it’s hard to justify giving up half a day (realistically it’s a full day) for a morning co-op, particularly when it doesn’t take anything off my plate.

My ideal would be an afternoon TBG group to do things like Shakespeare, singing games, recitations, handicrafts, etc. But I’ve had no luck in finding one nearby. I’ve considered starting one, but I also don’t have any local Charlotte Mason friends. Sooooo, I feel a little stuck. I’ve been praying about it, and I’m wondering if I should think outside the box. If I can find like-minded families who perhaps aren’t CM homeschoolers, but would be interested in sharing some of these afternoon riches, maybe that would be an option?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Michelle

#charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #livingeducation #charlottemason

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Robin on the fence. We love our backyard birds! They brighten up the gray days 💕

#americanrobin #canonr6

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Where are my fellow Monday fans? I love weekends, but there’s something about the clean slate of Monday! Just getting my weekly planning and prep done. Bullet journal, mother’s logbook (thank you @the.cmec), tea, good pens, a little ruler, and I’m good to go!

Have a great week!
Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#bujo #thecmec #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #livingeducation #charlottemason #journaling #bulletjourna

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For term 3, we are doing the Form 1 special study with @the.cmec. We’ve hatched butterflies multiple times, and probably will again this year. However, for a change, my girls really wanted to raise tadpoles!! I gave them the option of doing the Form 2+ special study or the Form 1 study because I just need to keep things simple for myself! They chose tadpoles 🐸

So, if we are studying tadpoles this term, why am I resharing a photo of a butterfly? Well, tadpoles just aren’t cute :D In fact, looking at the tank, they are kinda the opposite of cute! If you want to see our tadpoles though, let me know and I’ll share in stories.

Happy Saturday!
Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#butterflies🦋 #butterfly_macro #thecmec #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #cmecsummerprep #livingeducation #charlottemason

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Been awhile since I’ve shared a sale in my etsy shop. The sun is out and Spring is here, so everything in my shop is 25% off for a limited time, including the nature poetry printables! Grab yours for Spring and Summer poetry teatime! Or just to brighten up your home and school. No code needed, no limits. Enjoy!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

Link to the nature poems here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/883268359/nature-poems-printable-set-wall-art

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Hey friends! Been a while. Just busy over here with homeschool and life. Photographing backyard birds and waiting for Spring. How’s the weather for you? I’m eagerly awaiting a little sunshine!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

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#birdingphotography #backyardbirds #birdwatcher #birds #bird_lovers #birdphoto #bird_watchers_daily #birds_of_instagram #birdwatchers #birder #1000hoursoutside #birds_private #birds_adored #birdstagram #your_best_birds #bird_perfection #raw_birds #birdsofinstagram #canonr6 #bird_brilliance #birdphotography #birding #audubonsociety #planetbirds #darkeyedjunco #darkeyedjuncos #junco

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