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  • Faith,  Family,  Homeschool,  Uncategorized

    Jesse Tree Advent Tradition

    It’s not too late to start a simple Jesse Tree tradition with your family this Christmas season! I created this printable DIY Jesse tree ornaments/coloring book as a simple way to celebrate Advent. The Scripture passages and symbols correspond with a devotional by Dean Lambert Smith, called The Advent Jesse Tree: Devotions for Children and Adults to Prepare for the Coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. Though you don’t need the devotional to use these ornaments. You can simply read the Bible verses and You can find it here in my shop, if you’re interested! It comes with a black and white version for kids to color, as well…

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    Handprint Owl Kid Craft and Free Printable

    September 28, 2019
  • Faith,  Family,  Homeschool

    25 Days of Christmas Books for Kids and Families

    This year I decided to start a new holiday book tradition. We already read Christmas books during this season, but this year I thought it would be fun to make the daily books selection a surprise. For the 25 days leading up to Christmas we will unwrap a book for our morning time. I’ve considered doing this in the past, but it always seemed overwhelming (and expensive!) to buy and wrap 25 books. It finally occurred to me that I don’t actually need to BUY 25 new books. We already have a nice collection of Christmas books, as it’s been my tradition since my oldest was little to buy a…

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    September 5, 2019

    Ladybug Anatomy – FREE Homeschool Printable

    May 9, 2021

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    December 4, 2022
  • Faith,  Homeschool

    Homeschool Bible Curriculum

    As part of our daily routine, we do Bible reading, memorization, and family devotionals. This isn’t really connected to our homeschool, but just a part of our family life. I love to have many different resources, story Bibles, and such. Bibles & Devotionals Some of the devotionals we’ve tried, as well as Bibles that we love. The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories – this is still a favorite with my kids. 101 Favorite Stories from the Bible – another great book of Bible stories The Jesus Storybook Bible – definitely a favorite Kids’ bible option NIV, Adventure Bible – a good option when kids are ready for a full Bible,…

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  • Faith,  Homeschool,  Printables

    Books of the Bible – Bookmarks!

    My kids have been working on learning the order of the books of the Bible. Part of this is learning to read the Table of Contents, and part is simply memorizing the order. There are lots of ways to do this, including games and songs. However, they love fun and colorful bookmarks, so I thought I’d make these Books of the Bible bookmarks! If you’re looking for a simple tool to help your kids (or for yourself!) find, learn, and memorize the books of the Bible, these bookmarks are just for you. Keep one of these bookmarks in your Bible for the next time you’re looking for a particular book.…

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    Winter Nature Related Bible Verses

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  • Summer Nature Related Bible Verses
    Faith,  Homeschool,  Printables

    Summer Nature Related Bible Memory Verses

    Each week I incorporate Bible memory work into our homeschool. This year I thought it would be fun to select nature related verses that go with what we are studying in our nature curriculum. So I spent several hours brainstorming and looking up verses for every single week’s topic! Some correspond more loosely than others, but I tried to tie each into our theme in some way. We are using Exploring Nature with Children for our homeschool nature study curriculum. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a great curriculum for studying nature with children! Now available as a set of beautiful posters, copywork, and cards for the complete year! This is a…

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  • Spring Nature Related Bible Verses
    Faith,  Homeschool,  Printables

    Spring Nature Related Bible Memory Verses

    Each week I incorporate Bible memory work into our homeschool. This year I thought it would be fun to select nature related verses that go with what we are studying in our nature curriculum. So I spent several hours brainstorming and looking up verses for every single week’s topic! Some correspond more loosely than others, but I tried to tie each into our theme in some way. We are using Exploring Nature with Children for our first grade homeschool nature study curriculum. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a great curriculum for studying nature with children! Now available as a set of beautiful posters, copywork, and cards for the complete year! This…

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  • Winter Nature Related Bible Verses
    Faith,  Homeschool,  Printables

    Winter Nature Related Bible Memory Verses

    Each week I incorporate Bible memory work into our homeschool. This year I thought it would be fun to select nature related verses that go with what we are studying in our nature curriculum. So I spent several hours brainstorming and looking up verses for every single week’s topic! Some correspond more loosely than others, but I tried to tie each into our theme in some way. We are using Exploring Nature with Children for our first grade homeschool nature study curriculum. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a great curriculum for studying nature with children! Now available as a set of beautiful posters, copywork, and cards for the complete year! This…

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  • 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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  • Fall Nature Related Bible Verses
    Faith,  Family,  Homeschool,  Printables

    Autumn Nature Study Bible Memory Verses

    Each week I incorporate Bible memory work into our homeschool. We practice every day until it is memorized. It’s more challenging for my 7 year old, who has Down syndrome, because her auditory processing (short-term memory) is not as strong. This means I often have to repeat sections of the verse, sometimes just one or two words at a time, often many times. It can be tedious, but I believe it is so important that we hide God’s word in our hearts. Her long term memory is quite good, and she is so proud of the accomplishment when she has it memorized. I don’t stress out if there’s a verse…

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  • Faith,  Family,  Special Needs,  Thoughts

    Down Syndrome Awareness Month – Inclusion

    What’s the point of Down Syndrome Awareness Month? According to a quick search, it’s about showcasing the abilities and accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. It’s about spreading a message of advocacy and inclusion. It’s about celebrating people who have Down syndrome. Not everyone is ready to “celebrate Down syndrome” or get involved in raising awareness. In truth, my family has never participated in a Buddy Walk. We’ve never attended any local Down syndrome events or joined any clubs. Initially it was because I was very much in the “not ready to celebrate” camp. As time progressed, it was because Down syndrome is such a minor part of our life.…

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Once again it was down to the wire with my weekly photo project! Originally I had something else in mind, but we had a dry day, so we took advantage and got out for a hike. I used a crystal chandelier ring for my (subtle) prop. I love seeing these blossoms every year!

12 | Props

We are a group of photographers supporting each other weekly on our P52.	Follow #TFF52Clicks2025 to see our year-long creative journey. 

#TFF52Clicks2025_week12
#TFF52Clicks2025_ourlifeintheshire
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We got out to a wildlife refuge that’s been on my list for a while. We started off on our hike, looking for wildlife and “creatures” as my daughter likes to say. We recently bought her a very inexpensive little camera and she loves to go around “photographing creatures”. No idea where she gets it from 😄 

I was feeling a little discouraged because we hadn’t seen much more than a few ducks and a hawk too far away to photograph. It was nice just spending time in nature, but I really wanted to come away with at least one bird photo! As we were huffing and puffing up a hill, we heard the beautiful sounds of a songbird. My husband said he thought he knew which tree it was in. And I was absolutely thrilled to see this Western Meadowlark, sitting pretty, singing a beautiful tune.

11 | Negative Space

We are a group of photographers supporting each other weekly on our P52. Follow #TFF52Clicks2025 to see our year-long creative journey.

#TFF52Clicks2025_week11 #TFF52Clicks2025_ourlifeintheshire #birdphotography #canonr6 #westernmeadowlark #meadowlark #songbird
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Finally! I’ve experienced this book on my own, but the last time I introduced it to my girls they weren’t quite ready for it. So, it’s been a real joy to have opened it up again for our bedtime read-aloud. They are enjoying it, and I am re-enjoying it :) This particular version is an unabridged hardcover with really lovely illustrations. I know there is some debate among those who love good books, so tell me... are you Team Illustrations or Team No Illustrations?
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Just trying to keep up with my photography project over here. Setting aside perfectionist tendencies and just going with this duck because it’s what I have. I feel like it doesn’t quite work with the squirrel. Ever have those “editing crises” where you just want to redo everything you’ve ever edited? Ha. That’s me right now. But, no time for that. So, I’ll just keep taking my camera out, and head into the next theme! 

10 | Movement

We are a group of photographers supporting each other weekly on our P52. Follow #TFF52Clicks2025 to see our year-long creative journey. 

#TFF52Clicks2025_week10
#TFF52Clicks2025_ourlifeintheshire
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Nicer weather means lots of hiking and nature walks 🌲 I know I’ve been quiet the past several months, but I’m still here and look forward to reconnecting :)

9 | Layering

We are a group of photographers supporting each other weekly on our P52. Follow #TFF52Clicks2025 to see our year-long creative journey. 

#TFF52Clicks2025_week9
#TFF52Clicks2025_ourlifeintheshire

#canonr6 #1000hoursoutside #livingeducation #naturestudy
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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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Swipe to see our favorite easy readers for kids!

I shared in my stories recently that my 12yo daughter (who has Down syndrome) loves to read, and these are some of her favorite books! She’s a good reader, and can read almost anything. Comprehension often doesn’t match her ability to read the words on the page, so easier readers are perfect. We do have “stretch” books, but when she’s reading for fun (which is often!) these are the books she reaches for time and again. You can see some of them are well-loved :) They are great for narration practice too. I love them because they are high quality, not twaddle, and actually enjoyable for me as well.

I’ve added a link to these books on my profile, and I’ll list them below:

-Owl at Home
-Uncle Elephant
-Mouse Tales
-Mouse Soup
-Any Frog and Toad book (or really anything by Arnold Lobel!)
-Any of the Little Bear books
-Any of the Mr. Putter and Tabby books (you can see she has quite a collection! Super sweet series about an elderly man and his cat.)
-Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (Great author, we have some of his other books too. This one is on the younger side, but I couldn’t leave it out of the lineup of her favorite books!)
-Amelia Bedelia (I grew up on Amelia Bedelia, and introduced them to my kids. They all think these books are hilarious, and I love when my daughter is reading and stops to give me an incredulous look at the funny misunderstandings.)
-The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr (A sweet story about a pioneer girl and her chicken, as they travel west. I don’t know why this one resonated with her, but for whatever reason it was her most favorite book for a while!)
-Clara and the Bookwagon by Nancy Smiler Levinson (Based on the true story of America’s first “bookmobile.” My book-loving girl loves this one!)

I hope this list has been helpful. What would you add to our list?
Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

 #charlottemason #kidsbookstagram #picturebooks #booksforkids #raisingreaders #childhoodunplugged #readtoyourkids #childrensbooks #bookish #bookstagram #kidlitshelfie #shelfiesunday #kidsbookswelove
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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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