Archives for April 2018

From beautiful mountain ranges to Music City, Tennessee is a rich, vibrant, and incredible place to visit. Give your kids the tools they need to learn about and enjoy this beautiful part of the South with this list of great books for kids about Tennessee.

This post is sponsored by our favorite travel guide company, Moon Travel Guides. If you’re visiting or studying about Tennessee, make sure to check out the fabulous Moon guide to Tennessee!

My children and I love the state of Tennessee. We’ve traveled all over the state, and have family that lived north of Nashville for several years. I’ve always said if we had to move out of the Atlanta area, I’d be happy to be somewhere around Nashville. It’s such a friendly place, and the landscapes are simply glorious.

The Parthenon in Nashville

One of the best drives we’ve taken through the state was one December while traveling from Atlanta to Nashville. We went through Chattanooga right after a very cold night, only to discover a beautiful sight. All along the rock walls of the road, the small waterfalls had frozen during the night and there were icicles everywhere! That was the first time we’d seen anything like that, and we were enthralled!

Inside the Opry Hotel in Nashville.

Over the years of our travel adventures, we’ve learned to research, study, and get to know the place before our journey begins. The trip and destination are so much richer when we know about the place we are visiting, and the people who walked the site before us. In that vein, I’ve put together this list of books for kids about Tennessee to help make your Tennessee travels and studies a delightful experience.

Books for Kids about Tennessee for Young Children

Even little ones can learn about an area before a trip or during a state study. These books are designed for young children, and help them catch the flavor of the state.

Good Night Tennessee

V is for Volunteer: A Tennessee Alphabet

Count on Us: A Tennessee Number Book

Books for Kids about Tennessee History and Science

Tennessee has featured prominently in the story of the United States. From the folk legend Davy Crockett to Oak Ridge, there are interesting stories all over the state. Tie history and science into your state study with these interesting stories.

A Tennessee native and U.S. Congressman, Davy Crockett is one of America’s folk heroes. Learn about this man’s interesting life and his ties to Tennessee.

Who Was Davy Crockett?

Learn about the young women who didn’t know they were helping create an atomic bomb in Tennessee’s most secretive society of the World War 2 era. This book is targeted towards high school ages and older.

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II

Books for Kids about Tennessee Now

Traveling to Tennessee will be a fun adventure, no matter what city you’re visiting. Grasp a small part of Tennessee’s vibe with these bright books.

What’s Great About Tennessee?

I’m Reading About Tennessee

Tennessee – Portraits of the States

Tennessee: The Volunteer State

Tennessee: The Volunteer State

Tennessee Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff

Books for Kids about Tennessee’s Capital

Hello, Nashville!

Guess How Much I Love Nashville

Extend Your Experience

Add interesting activities to your study of the state of Tennessee with this coloring and activity book by prolific children’s writer Carole Marsh.

My First Book About Tennessee

Discover More about the State of Tennessee

Want to learn more about Tennessee? Grab your copy of Moon Travel Guides’ Tennessee Guide Book and start planning your family’s adventure!

More State Book Lists for Your Studies

10+ Books to Help Your Child Discover North Carolina North Carolina is a rich state with many adventures for your children to discover and enjoy! Help them uncover the treasures and joys with this list of engaging books.

10 Really Interesting Books for Kids about the State of Florida Help the state of Florida come alive for your children with this list of books that covers the history, geography, and science of the state of Florida.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. The blogger received product and compensation in exchange for her time writing this honest review of this homeschool Spanish curriculum.

One of my big, scary, hairy, main goals as a mom is to take our family from speaking a single language to fluency in both Spanish and English. It’s a giant goal, and it can be really hard to get there. We are learning though, and can definitely find a bathroom or glass of water if we need it.

We are working as a family to reach our goal. Sometimes though, practicing the words and concepts we need to learn can be so boring! When it’s time for us to practice growing our language skills, we make it fun, interesting, and as silly as we can. We’ve found 5 ways to enrich our language studies to share with you.

1. We bring home audio books to study Spanish

We look through the children’s Foreign Languages section for hang-up bags with a copy of the both the book and audio book. Many times we’re able to find classic children’s books on disc in Spanish that we can listen to together. We follow the words along with the speaker, and we are able to grow our understanding of pronunciation and vocabulary.

To extend our learning, we check out the book in both languages and compare the wording. We don’t always understand everything. However, part of growing in a language is simply understanding more of the pattern of the language. Audio books are very helpful when it comes to understanding the pattern of Spanish speech for us.

2. We label the items in our home

I’ve taken an afternoon and labeled the nouns in our home with the correct vocabulary words in Spanish. When I or my family members refer to the item, we make sure to use the Spanish word for the item.

My plan is to change things up as we move forward. Once we know the vocabulary, we’ll label the items with verbs or adjectives. Then, we will practice making sentences when we discuss the items to gain practice. We will continue and extend the idea and make a game out of practicing making sentences.

3. We watch as much TV and video as possible in Spanish

One of the hardest parts of learning a new language is to be able to understand the new sound patterns of the language. A language learner simply has to take the time to train his or her brain to recognize the speech patterns and one of the best ways to do so is through simply observing native speakers of the target language.

We’ve enjoyed practicing our language skills with Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids®. The video based curriculum has short videos with multiple visual and auditory cues. These cues help learners understand the actions and grow their comprehension of the concepts covered in each level. The best part is learners with this program quickly pick up on daily, conversational language, simply through watching the video.

4. We listen to songs in Spanish

Nothing makes you feel like you’re really getting a hang of your target language like singing your heart out to a great song and understanding it! I download songs in Spanish, print out the lyrics, translate the words I don’t recognize, and then practice singing when the music is on. As time goes on, I’m recognizing more and more words in the songs I’m singing. I’m also able to use the words I’ve learned just from singing them.

This has been a fun experiment with our kids. They have heard my Spanish music for three years now. They all will sing along with our Spanish music, and have great accents. However, they don’t know what a lot of the words mean. After this amount of time, we have had several times when we are learning a new vocabulary list and one of my kids will say, “Oh, I know what that word is now, it’s in that song we sing!”

5. We make using Spanish fun and silly in our home

When I know the words, and I’m pretty sure about the grammar, I’ll use Spanish with our kids. It’s become a competition to see who can figure out what I’m saying or asking. It’s like we now live life with a full-time code game!

We are learning to make mistakes and not be scared of using our language skills through silliness and fun. Every time one of my children figures out what we are talking about, it’s a moment of accomplishment for that child. They are finding joy through their second language, and that’s what learning a language should be all about.

Enjoy Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids® with your family in four different ways:

Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids® Subscription

Workbook Super Set

Early Learner Set

Single Level Practice Set

Full DVD Set

Use this special discount code for 20% off your order by April 30, 2018: 20OFFFORYOU

Enter the Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids® Giveaway!

Unit studies are a fantastic addition to your homeschool, but they can be hard to work into your schedule, your life, and your time. How do you make homeschool unit studies work for you?

I have always loved the idea of studying subjects in-depth and making learning fun for my children. It’s one of the main reasons I wanted to homeschool when we started talking about educational choices with our oldest. Then…we had one student and two littles that took up a ton of my time. We then moved into two students and me still chasing my little tornado during our lessons. Life got in the way.

About three years ago, I realized that I was never going to have the perfect “everyone sit down around the worktable” homeschool picture. And that’s when we found the joy in homeschooling! We learned that we can all learn together, but it doesn’t have to be in a rigid, formal setting. Our lives became more about enjoying what we were studying, and less about making it all perfect.

What does that have to do with homeschool unit studies? Well, it has a lot to do with them. We discovered that there is no perfection in a unit study. We have learned to be flexible, and we have to go with the flow. That’s how homeschool unit studies work in our home.

5 Ways to Make Homeschool Unit Studies Work in Your Home

1. Create a unit study for each student based on the same general topic.
– If you’re studying about weather, you could create a unit study for each student about a different type of weather. Student A studies about tornados, Student B learns about hurricanes, then each student teaches the other about their subject.

2. Spend each week or each month on a different unit study.
– Set aside a dedicated amount of time to study each subject. Use the Unit Study Planner to create your unit study, then read a book each day or every other day. Decide on a day to be your activity day each week. Complete the study with an evaluation method. This is a good way to take a spine curriculum and extend it to move more in-depth with the subjects.

3. Create a unit around upcoming travels or studies.
– If you have a big event or travel coming soon, create a study about something related to the event. For example, before our family traveled to Alaska, we learned about Alaskan sports, history, and culture. We watched the Iditarod, learned about ice sculpting, and followed the news for information about Anchorage. We borrowed library books about Alaska, and even found videos about kids traveling to Alaska. By the time we went to the beautiful state, we felt like we knew the area well.

4. Create a unit study for your oldest child, then bring the subject into your daily life with the rest of your children.
– This is how we work unit studies at this point. My oldest is assigned reading related to a unit each day. She’s given activities to complete and we evaluate her progress in understanding the unit. While she’s working through the unit, I grab related library books for her younger siblings to read. We all discuss the subject while in the car, or I’ll download related podcasts or audiobooks for the car that we all listen to.

5. Use a textbook as a spine and then branch out with each subject.
– Many textbooks are dry and boring, or just skim over each part of history or over most subjects. Use Unit Studies to go deeper with each chapter of the textbook. Don’t be afraid to take your time getting through a textbook when you’re learning like this, either. Kids will understand a subject much better when they are given an opportunity to branch out and study a subject in different ways. *Example: When using Apologia’s Swimming Creatures book, we took about a month to get through each chapter. We would read the text book, then find as many related books and activities to extend our learning through each segment of the Apologia book.

Grab your subscriber bonus, the printable Relaxed Unit Study Planner!

Learn more about unit studies with TCHSL:

How to Plan a Unit Study in Less Than 10 Minutes – Unit studies are a great way to add to your homeschool learning and fun. Use this guide to make it super easy to plan a unit study for your family to enjoy.

25+ Easy to Plan Unit Study Activities for Elementary Students – Unit studies are a great way to add interest and growth to your homeschool. Easily add enrichment and depth to your family’s unit studies with this list of easy and fun unit study activities for your kids.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. The blogger received product and compensation in exchange for her time writing this honest review of this homeschool writing curriculum. The opportunity to review this second level of
Writers in Residence™ follows our family’s experience with the first level.

After 18 months of working our way through the first level of Apologia‘s Writers in Residence™, I am thrilled to share our thoughts on the second level of this strong curriculum. In our schooling, we’ve used many Apologia products, and we’ve loved using their curriculum!

As I’ve perused the Writers in Residence™, Volume 2 All-In-One Student Text and Workbook, I’ve been very happy to see the in-depth writing experience from the first level continue through the second level of this curriculum. Like Writers in Residence™: Apprentice, the Journeyman level is well thought out and interesting. Journeyman carries on the framework of using an expert model, giving students questions to answer, and working through an assignment step by step that starts with the first unit, Writers in Residence™: Apprentice.

While the framework is continued between the two levels, the types of writing change with the Journeyman level. The student is taken deeper into the world of writing with investigative reporting and arguments, and the door to poetry is opened. I am confident that we will enjoy our walk through the Journeyman level just as much as we have enjoyed the Apprentice level.

An Overview of Writers in Residence™:Journeyman for Homeschool Writing

What is Writers in Residence™:Journeyman?

Writers in Residence™: Journeyman is a student text workbook that takes a child through four types of writing projects over the course of a school year. During the study, the child will learn the step-by-step writing process and the child will also learn foundational language arts concepts that relate to the current type of writing.

What are the four types of writing covered in Writers in Residence™?

1. I Investigate – Students learn research skills and writing.
2. I Think – Students are introduced to the elements of argumentative writing.
3. I Remember – Students write about their own experiences.
4. I Imagine – Students write high-interest creative writing assignments.

How is the curriculum designed?

Writers in Residence™: Journeyman is divided into four units, each with four modules.

Unit 1: Assignment – “Into the Wild” – Science Report – (I Investigate)
Unit 2: Assignment – “Making the Case” – Argument Essay – (I Think)
Unit 3: Assignment – “Poetry Jam” – Poetry – (I Remember)
Unit 4: Assignment – “A Fantastical Tale of Extraordinary Exploits” – Fantastical Tale – (I Imagine)

Like Writers in Residence™:Apprentice, this level starts each module with questions for the writer to ponder as he or she works through the module. At the end of the module, the student revisits the questions and contemplates his or her success in understanding the module. The student then works through a checklist to ensure the completion of each part of the module.

Each segment of the module is different, with some containing writing assignments, some containing exercises, and some simply containing reading sections. Through the course of the study, your student will also learn about writing careers through interviews with four Christian writers who work in the fields the student is studying.

The work-text itself is very interesting and pleasing to a child’s eye. Each section is clearly marked, and there are many full color illustrations to emphasize a point. I’m very sure my extremely visual learner will easily understand concepts like the structure of an essay and the structure of a story with the visuals provided in the text.

Using Writers in Residence: Journeyman™ for Homeschool Writing.

Like the first level, there are several different ways to use the curriculum in the homeschool classroom:

1. One child working through the work book independently over the course of one year, using the included suggested daily schedule as a guide.
2. One student working through the text at the pace that works for the individual student.
3. Several children on different levels working through the book with the homeschool teacher.
4. Use the book as a guide to go in depth with writing over the course of two years.

How will our family use the curriculum?

My oldest has used the first level at her pace for about the last eighteen months. She has enjoyed the experience and she’s looking forward to starting with research soon. My younger two are a little below the target age for the Writers in Residence™ curriculum, and we will begin the journey with them in level one in about eighteen months.

I will be changing the way I teach the curriculum the second time around. With my oldest, she worked independently and did four to eight segments a week. We will not be doing an independent study with my younger two children. I will be walking them through the process on a daily basis. We will not be using the book as work text for them, as my learning challenged child would get lost in the book as it’s designed. Thankfully, the curriculum is flexible and easy to individualize, and we can tailor the process to each of my children’s needs.

When we begin using this curriculum, I will be changing one part of the design of the book to work for our family. Writers in Residence™: Journeyman is an almost 550 page, spiral-bound book. It’s pretty hefty and we are an on-the-go family. Like my book surgery for the first level of Writers in Residence™, I’ll be breaking down the book into several smaller texts to make carrying and homeschool writing while traveling easier for our family.

The Benefits of Using Writers in Residence™: Journeyman for Homeschool Writing

As I look towards the future and using this curriculum with my younger two children, I’m looking forward to seeing the benefits this strong writing foundation has to offer.

I’m looking forward to seeing my children:
1. Learn to enjoy research.
2. Become familiar with the writing process at an early age.
3. Learn to embrace the writing process without fear of a blank page.
4. Learn responsibility for their own assignments as they complete checklists independently.
5. Grow their vocabulary through interesting assignments.

….and much more!

How to obtain Writers in Residence: Journeyman™ for your student(s)

Parents can purchase Writers in Residence™, Volume 2 All-In-One Student Text and Workbook and Answer Key on the Apologia website by visiting this link, or a FAQ and product sample can be found at this link.

Learn More: