Vines, Leaves, and Fruit -- Article at Blest the House

I've written a new article for the Lutheran homeschooling blog Blest the House!  In it, I talk about how trimming our grape vines gave me some insight into curriculum choices.  You can read the article here.

Fun Stuff to Do While Sheltering in Place

So... life just got pretty weird this month, huh?  Here in the US, anyway -- I know it's been weird for a while in other parts of the world.

My family has been "sheltering in place" for two weeks now, in that Cowboy is now working from home, our church services are now held online, the kids' swimming lessons have been cancelled, and so on.  I do still go out to get groceries, but only once a week, not two or three times, and I don't take the kids with me.

I feel so blessed right now.  Cowboy can work from home.  We already homeschool, so my kids haven't had to transition to a new way of schooling.  We can video chat with family and friends with ease.  My hubby and I are both introverts, so we haven't been chafing under the need to stay home.  My house is crammed with books and movies and games and puzzles and toys, so there's no need to run out of fun things to keep us all occupied.  We own our own home and have a backyard, so the kids can still play outside without having to worry about coming into contact with others, plus we're not sharing walls or ventilation systems with other people.

The thing is, I know there are people who are not this blessed.  Who live in tiny apartments or crowded places, who are having to learn how to teach their children, who are extroverts and need social interaction for their emotional well-being.  Who don't own oodles of books and movies, or aren't entertained by them.  And people who have lost their jobs, whether temporarily or permanently.

For me, this has been a cozy couple of weeks.  For others, this has been a nightmare.  I understand that.  I don't want to give the impression that just because my family is doing okay, I assume everyone else is too.  If you're struggling at this time, please reach out.  To family, to friends, to strangers on the internet.  It's okay to say, "This is hard."  "I hate this."  "I'm having trouble."  "I need help.  Please help me."  If you need help, let people know.  Let me know, if you need to.  You can message me on Instagram or leave a comment here, especially if you have a prayer request or just need someone to talk to.

Okay.  So.  The title of this post is "Fun Stuff to Do While Sheltering in Place," and that's what the rest of it will be devoted to!  I've found a whole slew of things online that are either free or cheap and that I think other people might find fun or helpful.  Here they are:


+ Amazing children's book author and illustrator Mo Willems is doing free lunchtime drawing lessons for kids here on YouTube.

+ Colonial Williamsburg is closed for now, but their website is adding all kinds of wonderful interactive content.  I think their interactive timeline for the Stamp Act is really cool.  And they have all kinds of cool videos done by their historical interpreters (scroll down to find them).  PLUS, they have downloadable activity and coloring sheets.  AND they have some recipes here for 18th-century dishes.  If you're a teacher (public, private, or homeschool), you can create a free teacher account (or use a temporary one) to access videos, lesson plans, and interactive online activities.

+ Homeschool blog Blest the House has some great ideas for educational, fun ways to occupy your kids.  It's aimed at those who are suddenly having to teach their kids at home for the first time, but seasoned homeschoolers can find great ideas there too.  You might find that their Curriculum Potluck series of posts has ideas of resources you might find useful too.

+ The website Learning Through Literature has a lot of helpful articles and links to resources right now too.  I recommend their articles on book-based indoor activities, five tips for home learning, and how to create a rhythm for your day while sheltering at home.

+ ALL kids audiobook titles are free to kids on Amazon's Audible service for as long as schools are closed.

+ Scribd is offering a 30-day free trial of their ebooks and audiobooks.

+ You can listen to full-cast audio recordings of seven of Shakespeare's plays (including Hamlet!) for free on the Folger Shakespeare Center's website now through June 30.

+ You can watch a video of the Folger Shakespeare Center's 2008 production of Macbeth for free now through June 30.  (WARNING: Looks too scary for kids.)

+ The American Shakespeare Center has had to close their Blackfriars Playhouse for the spring season, but they're offering streamed versions of many of their plays, with "tickets" starting at $10.  (Might not always be child-friendly.)

+ The Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI, is offering their museum coloring book for free download so you can print it off and color it at home.

+ Etsy artist Bookmarks by Faye is offering four dragon coloring sheets for free download.

+ Etsy artist Mandie Manzano has lowered the price on each of her three download-and-print coloring book collections to $5 each.  I love her artwork so much!

+ Several artists, including Mandie Manzano, have created Collective Coloring, a place to find free downloadable coloring sheets.

That's all I have for today, but if I find more cool stuff to share, I'll do another post like this in the future!  If you have resources you'd like to share, post them in the comments so others can learn about them too!

Curriculum Potluck -- Article at Blest the House

I don't buy my curriculum from one specific place.  Back when my mom was homeschooling me in the '80s, that's the only way you could do it, buy everything for the grade from someplace like Abeka Books or Christian Liberty Academy.  But now, there are zillions of options out there for homeschoolers to choose from.  So that's what I do: I cherry-pick.

And, in my latest article for the homeschool blog Blest the House, I list off allllllll kinds of books and resources I use.  If you happen to have your kids home with you right now and happen to be scrambling to find ideas of ways to teach them, maybe this will help!  The article has lots of titles and many links.

Teaching Creative Writing: Fiction, Part Two -- Article at Blest the House

The second half of my article on how to teach fiction writing to your kids is up right here!  This one focuses on teaching grades 6 through 12, building on some of the ideas I shared last month.  If you're a homeschool parent looking for ideas, or if you're a writer yourself, you might be interested in some of the resources I share in these articles.

Teaching Creative Writing: Fiction, Part One -- Article at Blest the House

Today, I've got a new article up here on the homeschooling blog Blest the House.  It's filled with ideas for teaching kids in Kindergarten through fifth grade how to write fiction.  I've also written a sequel to it, which is for middle school and high school students, and that will be coming along later.

Teaching Creative Writing: Poetry -- Article at Blest the House

I'm writing a series on how to teach creative writing to your kids for the homeschooling blog Blest the House.  I've taught creative writing to both public school and homeschool kids for years, including my own three little mice.  I've taught it to ages from preschool through college, and it's something I'm a wee bit passionate about ;-)

So anyway, the first article is up today, right here!  It's all about ideas and resources for teaching kids to write poetry.  Even if you don't homeschool, if you have or know a child who likes to write, you might find it helpful.

This is How We Do It -- Article at Blest the House

I've got a second article called "This is How We Do It" posted here on the homeschooling blog Blest The House today.  This one is part of a series of homeschool families sharing what their daily school routines look like.  If you're curious about what a day in our house looks like, check it out!

Our Path to Here -- Article at Blest the House

Today, I've got a short article called "Our Path to Here" posted on the new homeschooling blog Blest the House.  My article is part of a series on how different families arrived at the decision to teach their children at home.

I'll be writing more articles for Blest the House, so stay tuned for those!