August 17, 2021

Absolute Zero: Making Math Mastery Fun! {Product Review}

We are a game family. 
We have game night every single week, and we use games in our homeschool (hello Gameschooling!). The one subject area in which I would like to have more games is math. I do not feel there are enough fun math games out there, especially for older children and adults. Because of this, I was thrilled to have the chance to review the card game Absolute Zero by Games by Absolute Zero. This game is a simple card game but

May 18, 2021

Boosting Vocabulary with Marie's Words

"It's so nice to hear the Queen's English in our small town. I can tell you read a lot and are not schooled in our system." 
This was the comment that my eye doctor shared at our last appointment as we were leaving. I really appreciated this assessment and encouragement about my boys. One of the things that I place as very high in our education is language and vocabulary. We live in a small rural town in Kentucky where the "hillbilly" is strong in action, accent, and words. Growing up outside of this area, everyone always acknowledged "you aren't from 'round here, are ya..." Speaking clearly, fluently, and using a variety of vocabulary is rare in our area. This is why we encourage reading books beyond reading level, read aloud regularly, and incorporate new vocabulary into our weekly studies. It can be hard to find an easy vocabulary curriculum, but I've found a routine using the vocabulary set Marie's Words to expand our word knowledge.

It is commonly recognized that the way you speak, especially the words used can really set someone apart. Think about all the stereotypes you know for a hillbilly and how they are portrayed language-wise.

March 30, 2021

My Top 8 Reads From 2020 {Fresh from the Bookshelf}

Some of you may remember my post from early last year of  My 10 Most Eagerly Anticipated Christian Fiction Releases for 2020. I'm sure some of you are wondering how that went and if I actually read any of them, right?! Well, today I'm sharing My Top 8 Reads from 2020 and I think you will be surprised to know that only three of the books from my first list, made it onto this list! So which ones made the cut? Which of the initial books are still on the "too read" list? And what made the eight books worth recommending?