homeschool

Name: Kids Bento Box - Sweet Potato + Salmon Bites
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 23 min
Total time: 33 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 7 oz fresh salmon fillets; 3.5 oz sweet potato; 1 small onion; 1/8 cup of ground almonds; 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; salt + pepper to taste; olive oil

Children’s Books Every Child Should Read

October 11, 2020 by Rachel 17 Comments

Children’s books are extremely important. They impart wisdom and knowledge and promote a love for stories and reading. Reading to your kids is just as important, and some of these books are best read allowed. Many of them make excellent bedtime stories. Most of the children’s books below are classics, although some are nearly forgotten. Each of these books is a must buy, in my opinion, for every child, though some are difficult to come by.

Children's Books Every Child Should Read

Mother Goose

The great introductory book for all children is Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. They notoriously make no sense and sometimes don’t even make a proper rhyme. This collection contains especially beautiful artwork featuring creative reimaginings of the original context or subject of each poem. It also makes for a storytime session that you can lengthen or shorten to suit your interests.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This is one compact bit of learning material for a child and it’s beautifully told. Metamorphosis, counting, says of the week, and nutrition is all covered in one very simple narrative. The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other books by Eric Carle are imagination fueled and full of fun for the youngest book lovers.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Oh, what a fun way to learn the alphabet. Not just the letters, but their shapes, too. This book works brilliantly to entertain little ones when read aloud with plenty of excitement. Especially when it comes to reciting the title.

Goodnight Moon

No nursery should be without this book. It’s a wonderful way to lull your little ones to sleep. Not only is the story very calming, but it teaches kids a good way to soothe themselves by naming and saying good night to all the things around them.

This classic crack up of a story is so relatable and a lot of fun for kids to see what this mouse gets into next. It’s a really good introduction to association, logic, and chains of reasoning, besides being absolutely hilarious.

Sam and the Firefly

This wholesome story about a pair of new friends has a lot of good in it. It teaches much about play and morality. What’s fun for Gus is not what’s good for others and becomes downright dangerous. Sam tries to stop Gus from doing bad things, but he’s unsuccessful. Gus has to learn the error of his ways, and Sam rescues him in time to become a hero. It’s a simple story, but good, and in the meantime, it teaches a bit about spelling and opposites.

Never Play Music Right Next to The Zoo

This is an enjoyable book creatively authored by the actor John Lithgow. It’s all about a boy who gets bored at a concert which just so happens to be right next to the city zoo. A dream sequence unfolds of animals escaping and taking over the orchestra.

Where the Wild Things Are

Every child has the capacity to be king of all wild things. The journey of Max is so wonderful because it’s all about kids learning to gain control of themselves. When they are wild, they become isolated, and they must work through what they are feeling, but then when they come back home, they’ll find (like Max) that their supper is waiting for them (and it will still be hot).

Out of the Nursery, Into the Night

This lovely book of illustrations has some poems to it. They are nicely matched together, and the whole book makes a lovely bedtime story. Each poem and illustration features a particularly unique teddy bear come to life the way they are in a child’s mind.

The Rabbit Listened

This is another wonderful tale about a small boy who must deal with emotions. In this case, the child has great potential as a builder with blocks, but his grand vision is destroyed. In the aftermath of the tumbled down blocks, the boy is met by several animals who tell him how he ought to feel. When their advice fails, they give up on him. All except one rabbit, who is willing to listen while the boy deals with his feelings in his own time.

King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub

This one will make you kid laugh, and again, it’s got such wonderful illustrations. In this story a page must get King Bidgood out of the bathtub, but he is having no luck. The king tries to do everything from the tub from battling ships to a masquerade ball.

Daniel O’Rourke: An Irish Tale

This surreal picture book tells of a young man who has an evening out at a party and then falls asleep under a Pooka tower. The Pooka visits on him a strange adventure with details tied to the events of the night. Is Daniel dreaming?

Jumanji

Another strange adventure. This book features a mysterious board game with mystical powers. Whoever plays the game, gets sucked into its reality and its reality spills out of the box in the form of dangerous vines, stampeding rhinos, and a mad hunter. The players must complete the game for everything to return to normal—life before pause buttons.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

This book says it all. It’s maybe not the best for children with a lot of anxiety, although maybe they can relate. It’s all about everything that can go wrong and does. It also explores the idea that maybe people have it better somewhere else, which of course, they don’t.

Aesop’s Favorites

A collection of Aesop’s Fables. These short, interesting narratives make excellent digestible pellets of wisdom that kids can understand. Like Mother Goose Rhymes, it is a sort of introduction, but to broader concepts rather than just silly nonsensical rhymes (really, some of the rhymes are even just the same word).

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is an excellent return to nonsense, once a child can understand what nonsense is. It’s a great children’s book, but it’s one that kids of all ages, even adults, can study to their heart’s content.

Saint George and the Dragon

The story of Saint George and the Dragon is very popular in Western Europe. It’s an archetypal story full of themes and characters used throughout the ages. This version of the story is ornate and very classically illustrated, which lends a nice touch to the 13th-century tale of the dragon-slaying knight.

Gulliver’s Travels

This classic children’s book may slip below your radar, but it’s a remarkable adventure that bears some similarities to Alice in Wonderland. Allusions to both stories appear in very early cartoons by Walt Disney. Gulliver’s Travels maintained popularity over the decades until the box office flop starring Jack Black. However, the original story, rife with satire, still sparks the imagination.

Charlotte’s Web

This childhood favorite is a must. The story is such a great way to explore themes of friendship and sacrifice. Fun fact, Charlotte’s Web was banned in Kansas as recently as 2006.

The Secret Garden

This children’s story offers a more robust narrative with themes of renewal and redemption. The lives of a group of children begin to grow and flourish in the presence of the garden, leading to healing and reconciliation, particularly between father and son.

Wind in the Willows

This classic tale is yet another must-own for children. The novel is perfect for bedtime stories, which is precisely how the adventures within it were originally intended to be read. This book features the notorious Mr. Toad as well as his friends Mole, Rat, and Badger.

Story of King Arthur

The story of King Arthur should be timeless, and it should be read aloud to every child. This version of the stories of King Arthur is for just that. The book goes beyond the Sword and the Stone to give the full reach of the legend.

Treasure Island

This swashbuckling Adventure brilliantly tells of the adventures and dangers of pirate life through the eyes of Jim Hawkins. The coming of age tale is single-handedly responsible for how we have come to view pirates in the present day. Originally published as a serial in a children’s magazine, this 19th-century classic still has everything for young readers.

The Jungle Book

Another 19th century coming of age story, the Jungle Book tells the extravagant tale of a boy raised by wolves and taught the law of the jungle by a bear and a panther. There is a lot of insight to be found in this valuable piece of children’s literature.

Beatrix Potter Ultimate Collection

Children’s books frequently become a series of excellent stories. If they are not all compiled in one volume, they tend to make up a collection of full-fledged books. The Peter Rabbit books are one such collection, and you can get them all right here.

Mary Poppins Set

Mary Poppins also came as a set of books, which you can own as a collection. There are four books in all, including Mary Poppins Comes Back, Mary Poppins Opens the Door, and Mary Poppins in the Park.

Hans Christian Anderson’s Complete Fairy Tales

There are so many children’s stories by Hans Christian Anderson. The Little Mermaid, The Ice Queen, Thumbelina, and The Emperor’s New Clothes are just a small sampling. Why not own them all in one complete volume?

The Chronicles of Narnia

This set is more than the sum of its parts. You can’t buy just one of these books. They all go together. However, each story does stand alone. Many of the stories feature different children, though they are connected to each other in the big picture.

The Chronicles of Prydain

Another excellent fantasy series. The Black Cauldron is the best known of the set, but the whole grouping of Prydain stories is gripping and imaginative. The last book in the series “The High King” earned a Newbery Award.

Harry Potter Box Set

Every Harry Potter book could have been on this list separately, but it makes more sense to count them all together here. Especially since you can buy them all together, here.

Five Ways to Ease Your Kids Into a School Routine

August 25, 2020 by Rachel 17 Comments

The transition from summer to school is tough! It will be especially hard this year since we’ve been in this strange “stay at home” summer mode for so many months. To help with the transition, I’ve developed a list of five ways to ease your kids into a school routine.

Five Ways to Ease Your Kids Into a School Routine

Do Your School Supply Shopping Early

There is nothing worse than panic buying school supplies the day before school starts. The stores are packed, the supplies are picked over and the emotions are high. Trust me, you do not want to spend your final moments of summer with your kids in the school supply aisle the night before school starts. Shop for your school supplies early. It will help your kids start thinking about the upcoming year.

Get Back into a Routine

Remember that bedtime routine that your kids had when school was in session? Yeah, it is time to bring that back. Make sure you start their normal bedtime routine at least a couple of weeks before school starts. You will also want to make sure you are setting an alarm in the morning. If your kids are like mine, their bedtime has gotten increasingly late all summer. I plan to gradually make them go to bed 15 minutes earlier than normal every few nights until they are back on their normal school routine. This will make the first week of school less jarring.

Make Your Kids Get Dressed

My kids would stay in their PJs all day if I would let them, and honestly some days I do – it is summer after all. However, it is time for a reality check. After their alarm goes off, have your kids get dressed, brush their teeth, and eat breakfast. It will make that first week so much smoother if they’ve already established this rhythm.

Do a Practice Run

A few days before school actually starts, do a practice run. Have your kids go to sleep the night before at the normal school night bedtime and set their alarm like it is an actual school day. Practice how you as a family will get out the door that morning. If you have a younger kid, you might be pleasantly surprised to see that they do not need as much help from you in the morning. See how long it takes to actually get out of the house and to school. This will help both you and your kids feel more prepared for the first day of school, especially if your kids are going to a new school.

Talk to Your Kids

Going back to school is stressful for both kids and parents. Make sure you talk to your kids and see if they have any concerns. Ask them what they thought went well last year and how you all can improve your school routine as a family.

With a little planning and preparation, you can ease your kids into a school routine that will make the transition painless!

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Create an Effective Homeschooling Plan For Your Child

August 16, 2020 by Rachel 27 Comments

Homeschooling has many benefits for both children and parents. The biggest of which is the opportunity to tailor-make an education specific to your child’s individual needs and interests, as well as your family’s beliefs and values. But how can you pull all of that together to create an effective homeschooling plan for your child?

Planning Makes (Almost) Perfect!

The first thing you need to do is to come up with a clear plan and set of goals for your homeschool year. It is here that one of the greatest aspects of homeschooling, flexibility, becomes one of the most difficult. Without a clear plan, you run the risk of creating a scattershot education that puts your child out of place with his or her peers. But with so much choice of styles, curriculum, and subject matter, where do you start?

Set Clear Goals

First of all, come up with a clear set of general goals. Think about why you wanted to homeschool your children in the first place, and what you want them to get out of the experience. What, generally, do you want your child’s education to encompass?

Once you have answered these general questions for yourself, begin to split your child’s education into various subject areas. For each subject area, you want to come up with a timeline and set of goals. You should also take into account your child’s interests and what they want to learn this year.

Homeschooling allows you and your child to learn together, creating not only a valuable learning experience but strengthening family bonds. Taking the time to include your child’s interests in your planning means you will have a happy engaged learning as the homeschool year goes on.

The Curriculum

When planning a timeline, a standard public school curriculum for your child’s grade is a good place to start. While it is almost certainly true that one of the reasons you’ve selected to homeschool your child is to go beyond and outside this standard curriculum, you also want to make sure that your child does not fall behind his or her peers in a given subject area.

A standard curriculum also gives you an idea of what standard your child might be expected to meet at that age in school.

Look at the standard expectations for a given subject level and then work backwards: how do you want to achieve that level of knowledge by the end of the year? What are the targets for each week? By setting these targets you can establish a timeline and curriculum that allows for effective homeschooling.

You can then plan a scheme of work that leads you to these points or buy a pre-packaged curriculum that will meet your goals.

Find the joy

Of course, you should not overlook the joy of flexibility in homeschooling so you do not need to stick to a plan rigidly, but it is useful to have an outline or series of goal posts for the year.

Instead you can make a clear educational plan that allows for flexibility. Plan what your child is going to learn, but leave the “how they will learn it” some breathing room: as you begin the process of homeschooling you’ll learn how your child learns best, and can begin to incorporate this into the lessons. A clear educational plan is one of the most essential tools to effective homeschooling and will lead you comfortably through the school year and ensure your child’s learning is effective and meets the required levels.

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Bento Box Sweet Potato + Salmon Bites

August 5, 2020 by Rachel 27 Comments

Yesterday I shared our plan to transition to homeschooling. It’s been a difficult year on everyone. Despite the challenges, I’m doing my best to make our transition to back-to-school (no matter what it looks like) consistent. One thing I know for sure is that kids love creative back-to-school lunchbox ideas. I, for one, still plan on making creative and fun lunches for my kids. Because, guess what? The more creative I get with lunches, the more my kids want to eat it! If you find yourself thinking that your kid would never eat bento box sweet potato salmon bites, let me tell you — even the pickiest of eaters will eat something when it’s pretty!

The Power of Snack Trays

Kids aren’t the only ones who are intrigued by bento box lunches. I mean, I could basically live on charcuterie boards and that’s practically the same thing. But why keep buying those Lunchables week after week when, with a tiny bit of prep, you can make your own!

I bought a few Bento Boxes off of Amazon so that I can prep a few days worth of meals at a time. And then I bought a few extra from the Target Dollar Spot so that I could duplicate these fun lunches for the little ones. Seriously, if you haven’t tried feeding your kids from a bento box or a muffin tin, TRY it. They, miraculously, will eat whatever is in there!

Sweet Potato + Salmon Bites!

In a house full of picky kids, we’re always trying to sneak foods in that are nutrient-rich. The good news is that they will never know that these Bento Box Sweet Potato Salmon Bites are full of the good stuff. They taste just that good!

The Recipe

Yield: 12 bites

Kids Bento Box - Sweet Potato + Salmon Bites

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes

Total Time 33 minutes

Ingredients

7 oz fresh salmon fillets
3.5 oz sweet potato
1 small onion
1/8 cup of ground almonds
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
salt + pepper to taste
olive oil

Instructions

Peel the sweet potato and chop into large chunks. Microwave* or steam until soft and mashable. Let cool.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Dice the onion.
Chop salmon fillets into chunks.
In the Vitamix or food processor, add all the ingredients except olive oil.
Blitz until everything is broken up and comes together. Don’t overblend, you still have some chunks.
Lay out a parchment paper onto an oven tray. Wet your hands. Shape the mixture into balls (about 1.5 inches in size)
Spray with olive oil.
Cook for 20 minutes.
ENJOY!

Notes

Notes on microwaving sweet potato: Place sweet potato chunks in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Poke 3-4 holes and microwave on high for 3 minutes, checking after 3 minutes to see if it is tender. If it's not, microwave in 30-second increments until it is.

Bites can be eaten hot or cold!

So tell me — what tricks are you planning on using for lunches this school year?

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Transitioning From Traditional School to Homeschool

August 3, 2020 by Rachel 34 Comments

How to Help Your Kids Feel Comfortable Learning from Home

Whether you’re a die hard advocate for homeschooling or were pushed into the idea after the Covid-19 outbreak, we all need to find ways to help our kids adjust to this new style of learning. Even if they’re beyond excited for this unique adventure, change is awkward! These tips on transitioning from traditional school to homeschool will help your kiddos feel more at ease studying from home.

Routine

When first moving from public education to homeschool, a certain amount of structure does the body well. So many things in life are changing but if you can maintain a small semblance of routine, you’ll find that everyone feels more grounded at the end of the day.

A perk of homeschool is the flexibility to learn as you please. It’s more than okay to take breaks (it’s encouraged actually) so that you and your little ones can recharge. The daily routine is there to guide you through any given day but it isn’t set in stone. Somedays, it’ll be just to remind you of everything you aren’t going to do! Schedules are nice to start with while you’re still getting your footing, but once you feel like you and your children are embracing homeschool, you can completely shake it up. Which brings us to our next tip!

Fluidity

You might realize your child prefers to read or do art in the morning and get to math in the afternoon. Maybe they like to dedicate a few days to one of two subjects before moving on to others. However they learn best, its not a bad idea to leave wiggle room for your child to alter how it is they absorb information. Embracing new methods of learning might be exactly what your kid needed to finally fall in love with history etc. I think we can all agree that freedom often leads us towards more joyful paths and it’s no different with learning. Going with the flow could end up making your child even more curious about the world around them.

These first two tips don’t sound complimentary but I assure you these two can tango. In combination, routine with fluidity is the ideal life even for us adults. In a homeschool setting, the balance of structure and flexibility makes for a happy environment.

Don’t Recreate School

This is a super tempting option because it feels natural but this is not the way to get your child to adapt into homeschooling. While you might be able to use bits and pieces of what you liked from public school into your new homeschool routine, it’s important to be aware of how this role changes your identity. You’re now a parent AND a teacher. Which is beautiful! Instead of separating the two, leaving your children with conflicting ideas of you, you should allow them to merge. Be their parent who teaches them by integrating authenticity with education.

transition kids from traditional school to homeschool

Social Time

One of the biggest struggles when transitioning from public school to homeschool is leaving behind the social aspect. We are social creatures by nature and this can be a lonely part of the journey but it doesn’t have to be! Host play dates or zoom chats to keep friendships blossoming even when distanced. Not only will this make your child happy but will also teach them more about platonic relationships such as how to keep them alive. You can also turn these into learning opportunities by making the play date a field trip!

Transitioning From Traditional School to Homeschool

Support

This is one of the most important things to have when beginning homeschool. A network of individuals you can vent to or lean on when you need to. There are so many ways to find community through homeschooling. You can seek out co-ops in your area, follow blogs with homeschool connections, or join homeschool groups to start.

This isn’t a step to be taken lightly! It’s crucial to have people in your circle that understand what you’re going through. If you’re struggling, someone else might have just figured out how to help their own child with that and can now guide you. Homeschool promotes continued learning for adults as well!

Take it Day by Day

Allow yourself time and patience as you take on this new lifestyle. Everyone adapts differently but eventually homeschooling will become as fluid a routine as the rest of your life. Enjoy this extra time with your family. The bonds you are creating are invaluable.

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Hamilton Obsessed Kids? Other Kid Friendly Musicals

July 20, 2020 by Rachel 30 Comments

When I heard that Hamilton was going to be released on Disney+, I was ecstatic. I’ve been a fan of musicals for a long time, and I was thrilled to be able to share something as awe-inspiring as Hamilton with my kids. The first time I watched Hamilton, I just couldn’t take my eyes away.

By and large, musicals seem to be one of those things. Either you love them, or you hate them. The thing is, Hamilton seemed to break that barrier for a lot of people. Hamilton is funny, it’s edgy, and it uses modern and masterful language in a way that makes people think. I think that’s part of the reason it’s been so prevalent in our culture. If you think about it, Hamilton has caused an entire generation to fall in love with musical theater.

What musicals should your kids watch next?

If you want to build that kind of love of theater with your kids, then Hamilton is, of course, a great place to start. But there are other musicals that can help them build that relationship with musical theater. I’ve put together a list of some of my other kid friendly musicals that are some of my favorites.

Into the Woods

This was one of my earliest introductions to musical theater. The first time I watched Into The Woods, it was a bootleg VHS copy of the Broadway production that my English teacher put in to keep us occupied the week before the holiday break. The dialogue was rich and listening to Bernadette Peters sing made me believe that some people were born with natural gifts. She is amazing. While there has been a major Hollywood movie made of Into the Woods, the Broadway production is available on Amazon Prime’s BroadwayHD. It’s far better than the movie. The cast is exceptional and the production values are incredible. There is some adult humor, but it’s definitely a musical for kids.

The Wiz Live

I was never really a Wizard of Oz girl. My mother liked to watch it every year on TV. If anything, it gave me a healthy phobia of tornados! But The Wiz is a whole different ballgame. I highly suggest the NBC theatrical version that aired in 2015, starring Queen Latifah, Shanice Williams, and Mary J. Blige. The original version, available on Amazon, has a few mistakes, like pyro going off at the wrong time; however, this is a great way to prepare your kids for the realities of going to see a musical in an actual theatre setting!

Annie

Annie was one of the first musicals I ever saw live. When I was really angry at my mom, I would sing “It’s the Hard Knock Life” when I was doing chores. You can guess how that went over! I did love the show, though. While it’s a little dark, it’s another great kid friendly musical.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

This biblically inspired musical has been very popular since I was young. The Donny Osmond version, long considered the standard, is available on Broadway HD. This Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber production is still popular after all this time because the production values are top-notch and the cast is fabulous.

Mary Poppins

Really, who doesn’t love Mary Poppins? I think everyone has a memory of being home sick from school and watching Mary Poppins while sitting on the couch sipping Ginger Ale and eating saltine crackers. Older kids are definitely going to think it’s a little hokey, but it’s perfect for younger kids.

Cats

As with Into the Woods, stick to the theatrical production available on Amazon Prime’s Broadway HD and skip the movie version. Cats was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and was based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. It’s one of the most popular Broadway productions of all time, with more than 7,000 productions.

The King and I

The King and I is another historical musical. Although the lyrics are not quite as edgy as Hamilton, the story is quite interesting. The musical is drawn from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who worked as a governess (more like a teacher than a nanny) to the children of King Mongkut) of Thailand (which was called Siam at the time). While it’s not as historically accurate as Hamilton, it’s an interesting look at a different time in history.

Newsies The Broadway Musical

This one is based on a movie, which was based on a real-life event that happened in 1899. Newsies is a great musical to watch if you’re studying history, so it’s perfect for distance learning or homeschooling. The stage version on Amazon was filmed in Hollywood, so you may recognize some of the faces, including Christian Bale!

The great thing about Disney+ streaming Hamilton is that this is such a great time to introduce your children to an entirely new genre of entertainment using a style of music and art that is familiar to them! Take advantage of that and use this time to help them develop a love of something that may just last a lifetime!

Tell me — what other kid friendly musicals would you recommend?