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Touring Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookie Factory
Recently a friend organized a field trip to Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookie Factory. How could we pass that up? I had never had a Moravian cookie before, so we were all excited to find out. The factory...
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Getting Colonial with Patrick Henry
I love history. I love field trips. I really love when I can combine the two. That’s why I was extra excited to find out that Patrick Henry’s final home was within an hour of our home. Due to a...
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Learning to Write with Author Jenny L. Cote
Our recent visit to Patrick Henry’s Red Hill was exciting for more reasons than the hands-on ones I shared yesterday. It’s where we got to meet author Jenny L. Cote for a writing workshop. I’ve...
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Book Club, Survival Edition: “The Secret Island”
I first heard about The Secret Island by Enid Blyton while eavesdropping in the library. Awful, right? I didn’t mean to – but some kids were super excited about a book that they’d read and were...
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Homeschooling: The Civil War in Action
We’ve been working our way through American history this year, and we’ve reached a major milestone: the Civil War. A group of us have formed our own living history co-op, and so this semester we...
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NEW! “Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics” Linked Novel Study
You might remember that we love Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. We loved it so much that we made it a book club pick for both the boys and the girls and we’ve read it over...
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Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Love, Ruby Lavender”
When I first read Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles, I knew it would make a great book club pick. About a young girl dealing with the loss of her father, a busy mother, and her best-friend Grandma...
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Baking with Mary Todd Lincoln
We’ve been studying the Civil War, and no study would be complete without learning about the Lincolns. We found that Mrs. Lincoln held parties with elaborate food, and that she served a certain cake...
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Touring the National Civil War Museum
Did you know that there’s a National Civil War Museum? I didn’t – or that it was located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, oddly enough – at least, I didn’t until my grandmother told me. She’s always...
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Writing History at Epic Patriot Camp
Last week my kids experienced the most amazing camp ever. It was Epic Patriot Camp, sponsored by the National Park Service, held at the Abingdon Muster Grounds, and taught, in part, by the wonderful...
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Meeting “Lemoncello” Author Chris Grabenstein
Recently My Little Man and I traveled to a nearby city to meet New York Times’ Best-selling author Chris Grabenstein. It was everything I ever thought meeting a famous author could be. When I was a...
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Running a Festival Booth
My Big Helper has been a beekeeper for two years now, and she’s always learning new things. This past weekend, she learned how to run a festival booth at Ag Day at the Green Valley Book Fair. Manning...
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NEW! Literacy & STEM Challenges for “Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics”
You might have noticed that we’re big fans of Chris Grabenstein’s Lemoncello books around here. That’s because they’re chalk-ful of learning opportunities. There are so many ways that you can learn...
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Book Clubbing and STEMing with Mr. Lemoncello
Our book club year has started off with a bang – with Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics! We combined the boys’ and girls’ clubs to interact with this fun Chris Grabenstein bestseller. We started out...
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Book Clubbing on the Orphan Train: “A Family Apart”
This month’s girls’ book club selection was one I’ve had for years: about twenty years, in fact. We read A Family Apart by Joan Lowry Nixon, the first in the Orphan Train Adventure series. The story...
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Book Clubbing in the Wild West: “Badge of Honor”
The boys read a really exciting book this month: Badge of Honor by Susan K. Marlow. It’s the story of a young boy living in a mining town, when the initial Gold Rush has passed but lawlessness and...
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Studying the Wild West: Building a Pioneer Wagon
We’ve been studying Western expansion for a few months now, and the kids were fascinated by the Oregon Trail. I mean, whole families traveling thousands of miles in a covered wagon – how could you...
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Cast Your Vote for A Kid President!
This month’s the boy’s book club read Dan Gutman’s The Kid Who Ran for President. It’s a hilarious take on what might happen if a kid ran for president. Throughout the story, the main character,...
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Girls’ Book Club: “The Last Holiday Concert”
The girls’ book club met this week, and it was all about Christmas as we talked about Andrew Clements’ The Last Holiday Concert. It’s a great story about a boy who ends up in charge of his middle...
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Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Tuesdays at the Castle”
We read an exciting fantasy book this month called Tuesdays at the Castle. It’s about a castle with feelings that grows and shifts on its own and the potential takeover of the kingdom from other...
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