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There is so much information linking literacy rates and early exposure to reading that you could literally fill a library with books on the topic. (Pun intended. Okay, that was a really corny!)

​It's pretty much a no-brainer that we parents, especially home educators, want our children to be strong readers. We all know that good reading skills are the foundation for all other learning. I believe building a family library is one of the biggest way you can be intentional about laying that foundation for reading skills.

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The most commonly confused letters are b, d, p, and q. It's not hard to see why since they are all essentially the same letter (in type).

​While it's tempting to worry when your child continues to mix up these letters, most educators agree this is pretty common until around second grade. Even then, letter reversal isn't necessarily a sign of dyslexia.

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Spring has officially arrived this week! Can I get a hallelujah, ladies? We've made it through the long, cold winter. The days are beginning to lengthen, the sun is beginning to shine and we are ready to GET OUTSIDE!

Nature study provides an excellent reason for taking our school lessons outside. So much happens in nature in the springtime that our backyards become virtual hands-on classrooms! To inspire you to get outside and study nature with your children, we've collected a giant list of spring nature study resources. 

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We 21st-century homeschoolers are so blessed. Unlike the early pioneers of the homeschooling movement, resources and curriculum abound all around us! 

We have libraries, homeschool conventions, thick curriculum catalogs delivered straight to our door (does anyone else read the Rainbow Resource 1,000-page catalog from front to cover like a novel? Or is that just me?) and let's not forget the internet. The internet, people! How in the world did the women that came before us ever homeschool without the internet?!

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What if you could assemble one simple game that would teach your preschooler letter and number recognition, colors, shapes, counting, textures and more? What if that one simple game also could provide sensory input and strengthen motor skills? Sound too good to be true? Yeah, you're right. It probably is. You should just go back to those boring workbooks. 

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We think your little ones are going to love our latest free printable. These Colors Look-and-Find sheets are a fun and easy way to teach color recognition to your preschooler.

This download includes the 9 basic colors. 

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Is there anything more rewarding than igniting a love of reading in your child? As homeschooling mamas, it is truly one of our most important jobs. It begins with our sweet infants nestled on our laps as we sing to them or chant silly rhymes. Then comes board books and pictures books as we read favorite stories over and over to our toddlers. Next we move to chapter books as we cuddle on the couch enjoying Little House on the Prairie and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Finally, we reach the stage where we can discuss great literature and ideas with our teens and we realized it happened. We succeeded in raising readers in today's electronic media saturated world. 

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Fall is just beginning to come to the beautiful rolling farmland of Ohio. The last few days the air has begun to turn crisp, the nights are cool, and soon the trees will turn the most fantastic hues. I never tire of it.

For our family, fall also means apples!  Many years ago, we started making apple cider, which as become a much-cherished tradition. We all look forward to apple cider time!