While I love the beauty of autumn, the warmth of Thanksgiving, and the hope of Christmas, I cringe as I climb in the car to travel to family gatherings. You see, my sister is a public-school teacher and my mother actively promotes formal schooling of all sorts. You can imagine what kind of atmosphere that creates for my family and me, homeschoolers from the beginning. On top of that, they have something against “large” families (I have four children) because they constantly make remarks like, “because you have too many/so many kids…” I guess any more than two is too many.

For the most part, all these long years, I would grin and bear it, while inside, I fumed and wept. When we got in the car, the kids endured my husband and me venting for an hour as we drove home. But, in more recent years, I began to recognize how unhealthy all this pent-up emotion was and I strove to find better ways to deal with it. I found Gary Chapman’s book, Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion, and implemented some of his principles.

Do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not let the devil get a foothold
The first thing I did was determine in my heart not to “grin and bear it” any longer. I decided to lovingly confront these insults at the time they occurred. I took deep breaths and fought off the instinct to harbor resentment. It was sooo hard! As I spoke up, I was careful not to speak in angry tones, use sarcasm or insults, or attack their character. Instead, I formulated a phrase to use– “When you _______ I/my child feel(s)__________and that causes me/that child to_____________. Is that what you want?” They began to see how their offhand jokes, sarcasm, questions, and comments affected us. I noticed a subtle change in their behavior. After years of hurtful words and actions the healing will be slow, but at least things are starting to change.
Do not take revenge, my friends
Even while I fought hard to not let any new hurts occur, I still carried a lot of pain from the past. My husband commented on how he could hear it in my voice whenever I talked about my sister and mother. He said to me, “Julie, you have to let that go. You have to give it to God.” I admitted he was right, but, at first, I didn’t want to. But, God spoke to me and showed me that harboring resentment and anger only hurt me, not them. The spiritual and physical reality was that I punished myself by holding on to my pain. It didn’t seem practical or profitable to confront them about all the past hurts, so I had to unload that burden at the feet of Jesus—and leave it there. (For more about forgiveness, check out this post).
After implementing these biblical principles (why didn’t I do it sooner?), I’m not dreading this year as much as previous years. In addition to what I’ve talked about, we pray before we head into my parents’ house and remind ourselves that we aren’t there to please them. We’re there to please Jesus.

Julie is a veteran homeschool mom of 4 all of whom have special needs and has a degree from the School of Natural Healing! She also teaches middle school science workshops for a homeschool co-op. Her faith in Jesus leads everything she does including worship for the Women’s ministry at her church! You can read more about her in her new book called God Schooling or her blog, julienaturally.com!

The post Showing Grace to Hostile Family Members During the Holidays first appeared on True Aim.

Being from Mississippi, I have always loved the Fall! Fall is a time when we are finally rescued from the oppressive heat and able to spend some more time outdoors. Besides the better weather, I also love the food, smells, and all the activities associated with the season. Since I love the season, I always try to work it into our lessons as much as I can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One way that I’ve done this is through using books and activities. We’ve already had an S is for Squirrel fall themed day and Fall is almost a month away! The S is for Squirrel day is a great example of how I think Fall can help make lesson time fun. By incorporating “work” (in this case letter recognition and other sheets) with fun (outdoor educational games), my daughter was not nearly as likely to complain about having to do her “school”. Her attention span was lengthened and I didn’t end the day with a headache.

 

 

Adding Books to the Fall Fun

 

One of the books that I highly recommend is Autumn Song. Autumn Song is great because it comes with its own unit practically built in to the book itself. The author included links to youtube videos with musics, activities, and games. It is a great example of incorporating fun into lesson time. The other book that I have been using is actually one that I wrote myself, A is for Autumn: An ABC Fall Fact Book. I created it to use with my daughter. It allows us to work on letter recognition, learn fall facts, and work on our counting skills (each page has leaves to count for the child to figure out the page number). The book is a starting place to other fall units (V is for Veteran’s Day, C is for Colors – learn why the leaves change color, etc).

 

 

 

 

 

By incorporating music, activities, and books into lessons, Fall can come alive for your student. This will hopefully help keep them engaged as the season changes. Don’t be afraid to incorporate outdoor time either! Science can be taught looking at the tree leaves, investigated the local wildlife, and more!

 

What are your favorite fall activities? Post your ideas in the comments.

 

 

 

Joy Hardin is a former junior high teacher, but now is homeschooling her daughter, Carrie. Hardin has discovered that almost ten years in the classroom can’t prepare you for working with your own child. Carrie is five and has recently been diagnosed with Autism so there are daily struggles, but it makes the breakthroughs even sweeter.

Carrie has inspired Joy to also write children’s books. The first will be out soon. Carrie Can’t Choose a Costume is the first of the Choosy Carrie books.

Joy blogs at Finding Joy Publishing, http://www.findingjoy19.com

The post Fall Fun: Using multiple resources for Fall lessons first appeared on True Aim.

The History

If you’ve read any portion of Leviticus, then you may remember reading about something called appointed times. These are known as specific times that the Hebrew people were commanded to observe for a particular reason.

Each one mentioned had a meaning then and foreshadowed things to come. Anyone who celebrates these in the present day usually understands that although we cannot do it perfectly, we do it because:

1. It was commanded to be observed throughout our generations.
2. It is practice for what is to come.
3. It glorifies the Father.

Before you get confused on what this means for the believer in Messiah today, let me address a common misconception. When it comes to observing the biblical feasts (fall or spring), it should be noted that they aren’t “Jewish feasts.” Instead, the proper context is to consider them the Lord’s feast given to His people, both those apart of natural Israel, and those grafted in.

With that in mind, let’s look at each of the fall feasts as well as practical ways to observe them with your family this fall – and beyond!

Yom Teruah

Scripture says in Leviticus 23:24-25 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh new moon, on the first day of the new moon, you have a rest, a remembrance of Teruah, a set-apart gathering. You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to YHVH.” I won’t get into why we don’t do sacrifices today, but I will say that we still observe this day by not working and gathering with others (if able).

Teruah literally means soundings, by instrument or human voice so you can imagine how fun (and loud) this Holy Day can be.

Below are some great resources to help teach about and observe this feast day:

• Use coloring and activity pages by Bible Pathway Adventures (our favorite)
• Help your kiddos make their own shofars with this easy DIY craft
• Here is a Yom Teruah BINGO game by The Kefar
• MTOI has some great resources called Parsha Pearls that are perfect for this feast

Yom Kippur

Scripture says in Leviticus 23:27 “On the tenth day of this seventh new moon is Yom HaKippurim. It shall be a set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring an offering made by fire to YHVH.” This passage also goes on to describe how to set this day apart: no work. There are also various ways people have attempted to describe “afflict your beings” but we choose to use this day to fast from food and reflect on teshuva (repentance).

Yom HaKippurim means Day of Atonement or Day of the Coverings so spending this day in total reflection and observation of how one can follow YHVH’s instructions is a day well spent.

Below are some practical resources to help teach about and observe this feast day:

• Use these free Atonement activity pages by Bible Pathway Adventures (did we already say they’re our fave)
• This is a neat song that my kiddos love that relates the story of Jonah to Yom Kippur
• Enjoy this lapbook by Anna Matrix

Festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

In Leviticus 23:34-44 we read about the Festival of Sukkot being observed on the fifteenth day of the seventh new moon and celebrated for seven days. This passage also sheds more light on the how-to: first day is a set-apart gathering with no work, last day is a set-apart gathering with no work, and dwell in booths (tents) for the seven days.

Some people have the amazing privilege to be off work the entire week and camp out with like-minded believers. Our first year of observing this we camped out at a lake and had an amazing time with our little family (just 5 of us at the time).

Below are some resources to help teach about and observe this feast day:

• Don’t forget your activity pages by Bible Pathway Adventures
• Bim Bam has a pretty cool video
• From the edible Sukkah to the real deal and decorations, there are lots of activities for kids here

Don’t Forget the Food

One thing that is well-known with Feast Day celebrations is the FEAST! Cooking big meals is common and expected. The few times we have had the privilege of observing feast days with others, none of them lacked in food.

Check out this YouTube playlist of clean eating recipes for feast days and beyond!

Now that you’ve gotten a run down of three celebrations to consider this fall, we’d like to hear from you! What are some celebrations you and your family do during the fall season? Share in the comments below!

Author, Speaker, and Curriculum Resource Creator Michelle Huddleston is first and foremost a child of the Most High, wife to an incredibly patient husband, and homeschooling mama to four blessings (and another on the way). She is passionate about educating, encouraging, and empowering other homeschooling families to homeschool their way. Michelle would love to connect with you on her Blog, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!

The post 3 Celebrations to Consider this Fall. first appeared on True Aim.

Read Together

Spend quality time together reading. Read aloud as a family, share bedtime stories, and read beautiful poetry over tea. Reading should never just be a subject we endure and conquer. It should be an event and part of your family culture. 

Before radio and television, reading was entertainment. The family would gather together and listen to a story, then play some music and sing. These moments are just as powerful today. Our children need to see us reading and experience the joy of reading as a family. Even after children can read independently, reading together is important.

Audio books

Sometimes, the frustration with learning to read is that new readers can’t read what they want. The simple, phonics based readers are wonderful for learning to read but rarely have much of a plot or story line. So, children go from reading wonderful stories with captivating prose, gorgeous pictures, and clever rhymes; to “See the dog. The dog is big. Dog, dog, dog.”

Audio books allow children to read independently at a level that holds their interest. Also, listening to higher level language is essential to language development. They can continue to love reading, even if the mechanics of reading with their eyes is difficult. The magic of literature will not be lost in a sea of three word sentences.

Share Great Literature

The phrase “as long as they are reading” is counter productive. Getting children to “read anything” really will not increase their reading skills, nor encourage them to become lifelong readers. Children will thrive on great literature and timeless poetry. That is not to say that children can only read books by Austen, Shakespeare, and Chesterton. However, to really nurture a reader make sure they are being exposed to truly, good literature. This can be done by audio book or read aloud. However you decide to immerse your child in the world of great books, do it! Don’t wait for high school or high level reading. Do it now!

Give Your Reader Time

Reading is a skill that takes time, and also needs to happen at the perfect time. Not every 6 year old will be able to read. In fact, the normal range for learning to read is between 4.5 years old and 9 years old. So, if your seven year old is still struggling and doesn’t want to read, perhaps he just isn’t ready. Taking a break, and trying again in six months may be the best thing you can do. Pushing children who aren’t ready to read makes reading something they resent. They know that they can not do it, and find no joy in it. Stop your phonics lessons, ease off on spelling and leveled readers. Keep reading to your child, and give him room to grow. No matter what age children learn to read, they are generally on the same level by age 11. Slowing down now is not holding your child back or making him “fall behind.” It just may be what he needs to soar when he is ready.

How do you get your children to fall in love with reading?

A homeschool mom and devoted lifelong learner, Jennifer Elia serves the homeschool community at Sound Foundations Homeschool. She is a blogger, best selling author, and homeschool consultant. Jennifer is on a mission to help every mom get the tools and support she needs to easily build a thriving and successful homeschool for any child. Jennifer lives in New Jersey with her husband and their four children who she has been educating at home for over a decade.

Read more from Jennifer Elia  https://soundfoundationshomeschool.com

Connect with her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/soundfoundationshomeschool

The post Cultivating the love of reading in your reluctant reader first appeared on True Aim.

When we decided to homeschool our daughter, the main thing I dreaded was teaching her how to read. It was a daunting task, and to be honest it still is. Thankfully I’ve found some easy learn to read activities to ease into the process. The fact that these learn to read activities are broken down into baby steps help make these learn to read activities fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I started to work with my daughter, I approached teaching her to read the same way I usually tackle any project – I went to Pinterest. I browsed for hours and pinned hundreds of pins. This just left me feeling overwhelmed. I was a junior high teacher for over seven years, but frankly I was completely in the dark about where to start. Eventually I found a few mentions of two books – The Reading Lesson: Teach Your CHild to Read in 20 Easy Lessons and Teach Your Toddler to Read Through Play: A Detailed Account with Over 130 Games/Activities, Tips, and Resources that intrigued me and gave me a glimmer of hope. Usually I like to buy the actual book, but I had some Kindle credit so I purchased the ebook version of both. Using these two books together was a lifesaver! Utilizing the books as well as some simple activities has made this process of teaching my daughter to read a little easier.

 

 

Learn to Read Activities

 

While the books have great pictures and come with excellent diagrams/worksheets, I have the Kindle version so I created my own flashcards for a lot of the activities. I also have pressed a few of Carrie’s many dry erase boards into service. She loves them so it also serves as a motivator to sit down and work. One of the suggestions was breaking up the alphabet into chunks and making sure your child knows the sounds for those words. I enjoyed how they gave examples of words to use as well as plenty of practice.

The other suggestion that I appreciated was to ensure that your child knew the difference between letters, words, and sentences. Those are definitely the building blocks that are needed and I hadn’t considered that previously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the issues has been my daughter’s lack of attention span. She’s five and she’s autistic so we have had to get creative at times. One of the things we discovered was using games. Sometimes we get to use them as intended and others we have to manipulate to fit our needs. One that we actually utilize both as intended and with some changes is The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Spin and Seek ABC Game. It has allowed us to work on both sounding out letters and helping with other issues that we sometimes struggle with – for example counting.

 

Learning to read activities are just like anything else – you have to find what works for you and your child. A program/activity can be highly rated but if it is not going to translate to you and your child’s individual needs, it is just a waste of time and money. If you child isn’t ready to read yet. Here are two letter recognition activities: F is for Fart and Grocery Store Preschool Lessons

 

So Mommas (and Daddies), please share what you’ve done to help your child learn to read. I’m sure there are plenty of parents who were overwhelmed like me.

 

 

Joy Hardin is a former junior high teacher, but now is homeschooling her daughter, Carrie. Hardin has discovered that almost ten years in the classroom can’t prepare you for working with your own child. Carrie is five and has recently been diagnosed with Autism so there are daily struggles, but it makes the breakthroughs even sweeter.

 

Carrie has inspired Joy to also write children’s books. The first will be out soon, Carrie Can’t Choose a Costume and is the first of the Choosy Carrie books.

Joy blogs at Finding Joy Publishing, http://www.findingjoy19.com

The post Ease into Reading: Fun Baby Steps to Help Your Child Learn to Read. first appeared on True Aim.

When I had a preschool in my home, I loved to play simple games with the kids to help them remember their letter sounds. No one ever wanted to stop playing, but I learned quickly that if you stop before they want to, it will be an even bigger hit when you play it again.

3 Easy Learn to Read Puzzle Activities

Sometimes parents try to over complicate activities to try and make them seem more exciting, but the best games are tried and true. That’s why the next 3 learn to read activities might seem simple to you, boring even, but for children, they are SO fun, especially because they are playing with you!

1.H&S – It’s a classic activity!

I know you are thinking that this MUST be good, because I’ve never heard it before. However, I had to trick you a little because you probably wouldn’t have read what I had to say if I made the title, Hide and Seek. Would you have?

This game is classic, but the most important thing parents miss out on is that children LOVE to hide almost more than they like to SEEK! So dump the letters out of the puzzle and have your child hide them around the room. “Not too hard now,” you can say!

Once you find a few, tell your child the sound of the letters and put them back in the puzzle to see which ones you have left to find.

You can ask your child for help finding and sounding out the letters. You might even get one wrong a couple times that you know your child knows so that they can correct you. Remember to tell them how smart they are when they do!

Get some FREE learn to read flashcards! Click here!

2. Letter Art – SO easy!

No tricks here! Get out the markers, crayons or colored pencils and have some fun tracing around the letter puzzle pieces. Remember to have them repeat the sound the letter that they are tracing around makes.

To help them learn to read even more, you can create words with some of the letters and help your child sound them out. Maybe create a word and then draw a picture below the nice big puzzle letter tracings.

3. Letter Relay – For Active Kids!

This learn to read activity has so many applications but here’s the short version. Take the letters that you are wanting your child to learn the sounds for out of the puzzle. Put them across the room. Have your child run, or hop, or roll, spin, skip, or crawl to one of the letter sounds you call out and bring it back to you. 

You can make this more interesting or challenging to your child by setting a timer to see how many they can get in a certain amount of time. You could make a little obstacle course by putting things for them to jump over or crawl under. 

Don’t forget to join in and take a turn! Your child might need a break! I know you are creative and can find other ways to make a relay really fun!

Learn to read activities don’t have to be complicated to be fun and effective! In fact, the more s

imple the better. We aren’t teaching our children how to play an elaborate game, they are learning to read! Make sure your learn to read activities are emphasizing the letter sounds, not the tasks needed to participate.

Comment below to tell me if you think of any other learn to read activities to do using a letter puzzle!

Check out these other Learn to Read Activities and Tips!

The post 3 Easy Learn to Read Puzzle Activities! first appeared on True Aim.

I have to admit, reading is one of the most difficult, yet rewarding lessons you will ever teach your child. That’s why this month’s Mom’s Library Series is all about simple learn to read activities!  

Here is our list of amazing activities we have coming up:

• 3 Puzzle Activities to Help Your Child Learn to Read!

• Activities that Teach Your Early Learner to Read in a Fun Way!

• EASE INTO READING: FUN BABY STEPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN TO READ.

• Learning to Read with Multiple Methods!

• Cultivating the love of reading in your reluctant reader!

See a post you’re interested in? Be sure to follow the True Aim – Homeschooling and Parenting Facebook page to see exactly when each post goes live.

Learn to Read Giveaway!

Enter to win a Learn to Read Book Set from Blue Manor ($35.99 value!). You can easily teach your child to read with just 5 minute lessons! This set includes the 5-Minute Phonics book as well as 2 full color early readers with 6 stories in each! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the other Mom’s Library series topics and Posts!

The post (GIVEAWAY) 8 Simple Learn To Read Activities first appeared on True Aim.

Summer Reading Ideas

Thanks to these amazing moms, we have over 30+ Summer reading ideas for you during this month’s Mom’s Library! Reading is SUCH an important activity for children, not just for the academy benefits, but because it also reduces stress (over 50% from reading just 6 minutes), increases emotional processing skills, and establishes a strong parental bond. Which post do you think will be your favorite? Come back and check them out when they are live! (posts will go live as they are published each week):

Read Through the Summer Using Virtual Book Clubs

Addressing Hi-Lo Readers in the Upper Grades

10 Enhancements to Make Summer Reading Adventurous

10 Ways to reignite your child’s passion for reading!

What Relaxed Summer Reading Looks Like!

Unique Summer Reading Strategy for Homeschoolers!

How to Add Excitement to your Summer Reading

How to host a family summer reading club

Strategies for Helping Children Read Beyond Sound it Out

Travel the World with Your Kids through Books

Using Story Baskets to Make Reading Come to Life

Each mom’s library series includes a fabulous giveaway! This month we are giving 4 sets of best selling books grouped by ages! You can check the list of them out below!

Mom’s Library Giveaway

4 lucky winners of the giveaway will receive one set of books:

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here for more articles in the Mom’s Library Series!

The post (Giveaway) 30+ Summer Reading Ideas! first appeared on True Aim.

Welcome to Mom’s Library

This post is filled with parenting tips, activities for young children, crafts, devotionals, recipes, and more!

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next Library!

Click here to see all Mom’s Library Posts

St. Patrick’s Day Crafts and Activities

Rainbow Theme Learning Activities – Life Over C’s

St. Patrick’s Day Picture Books – Embark on the Journey

Free St. Patrick Day Coloring Pages – Your Vibrant Family

St. Patrick’s Day Play Dough Mats

St. Patrick’s Day Literacy Pack – Castleview Academy

St. Patrick’s Day Activities – 3 Boys and a Dog

St. Patrick’s Day Card – Castleview Academy

St. Patrick’s Day Greater Than Less Than Printables – 3 Boys and a Dog

Would you like to participate?

Please follow me and support your fellow bloggers by visiting some links! Grab a button if you were featured!

* by linking up you give Mom’s Library Bloggers permission to use photos from your post with a link back.

The post St. Patrick’s Day Activities and Mom’s Library #177 first appeared on True Aim.

Welcome to Mom’s Library

This post is filled with parenting tips, activities for young children, crafts, devotionals, recipes, and more!

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next Library!

Click here to see all Mom’s Library Posts

Interactive, Hands-on Learning Ideas

New Zealand Volcano Experiment – Preschool Powol Packets

Volcano’s are an important part of New Zealand’s geography. Combine science with geography with this activity, if you don’t mind a little mess!

Marco Polo Unit Study – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool

Study Marco Polo and Terracotta warriors with this interactive unit study!

How I Am Making my Own World Geography Study – Growing in God’s Grace

Sometimes a DIY study works best for your house. Here’s how one mom does it!

Building an Eiffel Tower – 3 Dinosaurs

Build an Eiffel Tower with bricks!

Ice Science – Science Kiddo

Practice ice science with these fun activities!

President’s Freebie – True Aim Education

There are a million ways to make even the most boring of history fun, interesting, and most importantly memorable. Here are 18 crazy fun facts about the Presidents, plus the list of presidents in this freebie!

DIY Solar System Mobile – The Practical Mom

Compliment a solar system study with this solar system mobile!

Earth Exploration Activities – Living Montessori Now

From using a compass to drawing different country’s flags, this cultural study is great for long-term learning.

Free FBI Unit Study – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool

What are the three branches of government? It’s scary how many Americans can’t answer that question! From branches of government to a mini-study on J Edgar Hoover, here is an FBI themed lapbook!

The Creation Story for Kids – True Aim Education

Bring the creation story alive for kids with these crafts and activities for each day of creation!

Eiffel Tower STEM Challenge – Preschool Powol Packets

Combine STEM (Science, technology, engineering, mathematics) with geography in this hands-on Eiffel tower project!

Would you like to participate?

Please follow me and support your fellow bloggers by visiting some links! Grab a button if you were featured!

* by linking up you give Mom’s Library Bloggers permission to use photos from your post with a link back.

The post Interactive Learning Ideas and Mom’s Library #176 first appeared on True Aim.