Mommy, Let Me Help You!

What do you say when your kids ask you if they can help? That’s a daily dilemma for busy moms whose kids long to jump in with unskilled hands and clumsy feet.  It's rarely, if ever, efficient to say yes. It’s so much easier to just do it yourself. It’s faster and more certain it will be done right. Or at least the way you like it. But if you always choose the efficient and effective way, you may miss out on some of the most vital windows of instruction.

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How to Teach Your Child to Read

if you're like me, you've probably had moments where you felt more than a little competitive over your child's ability to read. I always thought it would be cool to proclaim, "My child was reading at age three!" Though I never had that chance, because our kids were average (statistically, most kids are), it was no less a thrill to witness their blossoming ability to read.

There are no prizes for who reads first or earliest, but oh the joy of being able to read. That is reward enough. And how sweet to be the one to see the lights go on for the first time and the decoding begin!

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How to Find Good Books, Part 2

One of our favorite things about summer's longer, less-structured days is all the time we can spend reading. To make the most of the time, I'm calling ahead by pre-ordering a bunch of books from our local library using their website, something that's available in most public library systems.

Today my focus is geography books. With so many to chose from, how can I know which ones to order? Especially for kids that range widely in grade and reading level? My favorite online book-finder resides at SimplyCharlotteMason.com. It’s a searchable database of “living books” (the sort that make a subject come alive). If you don't know about Charlotte Mason, see Karen Adreola's Charlotte Mason Companion, a fine way to kick off your own summer reading.

Today I was looking for geography books for all of our kids (ranging from Pre-K through 8th grade) so I simply clicked the geography category with no set grade range. The site generated more than 20 pages of results. Lots to choose from. Many are available from our local library. A few that looked especially good aren't, but they’re likely on Thriftbooks.com or Abe.com.

Happy reading!

Kitchen Help

20130219-205916.jpgThey were so excited to help and I was thrilled to realize four is old enough to wield a potato peeler! Taking turns alternately peeling carrots and potatoes for our harvest soup, their joy in being able to help make dinner made light work of it. It was a surprisingly cold day, but unexpectedly cozy in the kitchen. I almost hated to clean up all the peels; evidence of delight all over the countertops.