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Charlotte Mason Homeschool
CM Homeschool Curriculum Options I first became interested in a Charlotte Mason education years ago, when my oldest was only 3 years old. I bought the book, A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola and a few others. I fell in love. That said, I didn’t fully understand the philosophy or try to implement it until years later. Many people hear “Charlotte Mason” and they think “nature study and books,” and they’re not wrong. However, there is so much more to a Charlotte Mason education. Some years ago I went from Charlotte Mason “inspired” to fully embracing and implementing it in our homeschool. You don’t need any particular curriculum and…
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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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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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Free Handwriting Story Pages
I created this homeschool writing and notebooking resource for my own kids, and thought I’d share it with you! I’ve included 4 size options that will work for children in preschool through elementary age. Every student is unique, so you can choose whichever works best. They have traditional blue and red lines to give visual cues on where to start and stop. For black and white, you may just choose to print in grayscale. I’ve included one version with a box at the top for a visual cue of where to draw, as well as one without for those who prefer it. This free homeschool resource if available to subscribers…
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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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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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NEW & IMPROVED Homeschool Planner
Last year I shared my homeschool planner, and I received so much positive feedback that I thought I’d share it again! It’s free for email subscribers. If you’re not yet a subscriber, SIGN UP HERE and you’ll immediately receive an email with a link to download! If you’re already a subscriber, head over to our freebie library to get your copy. If you prefer not to subscribe, it’s also available in our Etsy shop. This download includes PDF files in TWO styles – the original style from last year, with updated calendars, and the one I’ll be using this year. Each style includes: 2021 | 2022 Homeschool Planner Cover Editable…
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FREE Summer Reading Tracker
This summer my kids are taking on a challenge to read for at least 1,000 minutes. I created this reading tracker to make it a little more exciting. They love books and love to read, but this makes it even more fun. We’ll be setting milestones with little treats as they reach each one, and something extra special when they complete the challenge. I’m adding this to the freebies library, and it’s totally free to Our Life in the Shire email friends. I’m including the one that we will be using as well as a basic option that doesn’t have any of the milestones filled in. This way you can…
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Ladybug Anatomy – FREE Homeschool Printable
This beautiful homeschool printable is totally free to Our Life in the Shire email friends! This watercolor ladybug anatomy poster can be displayed in your homeschool room or used for hands-on ladybug study. Sign up HERE to get access to this and our entire freebies library! Pin it for later!
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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…
