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Tasha’s New Favorite Books for Homeschool

July 12, 2020 by Tasha Hackett 4 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I’ll take my turn to share my favorite books for homeschool too! For today, check out Tasha’s excitement, experience, and enjoy her encouragement!

Tasha’s New Favorite Books for Homeschool

by Tasha Hackett

I’ve just stumbled upon an amazing homeschool resource! Beautiful Feet Books is my new favorite. Is it weird that I’m already looking forward to the next nine years with my firstborn so I can read more of these books for homeschool?

Do you ever look at a homeschool mom and wonder, “Wow. How does she do it?” Or maybe it’s cringe-worthy and you think, “Jeez, why would someone choose to hang out with their kids all day?”

I get it. Maybe it’s not for everyone. But boy, when all the pieces line up and you get to see the one-year-old crawl into the eight-year-old’s lap for a book and a snuggle and the three and five-year-old are busy cutting paper for a project they’re developing on their own… that’s where the magic happens. I homeschool for a variety of reasons, but one is the gift of learning with them through the reading of great books.

Round two looking for homeschool books

Second generation homeschooling mom here. I always knew that I would homeschool my kids before I even had them. Today, I can tell you, I’m in it for the long haul! This year I have a 3rd grader, a Kindergartener, and an almost four-year-old that doesn’t want to be left out. (Oh! And the one year old will be getting into everything in the meantime.) But things haven’t gone as smoothly as I’d hoped.

My firstborn went to Kindergarten and fall semester of First Grade at the public school before I committed (again, for real this time) to homeschooling. It’s been a journey, to say the least. But I am beyond excited for school to start this year. Only five weeks left! I’m just waiting on one more order of books to arrive from Beautiful Feet Books and then I’ll have everything in place. Am I organized this year or what!?

You’ve Got This

If you are jumping into homeschooling, whether by choice or necessity, just breathe. And smile. You will be amazing! Your kids will think they have the very best mom who loves them so much. Just think, you get to be the one to witness the  “ah-ha!” moment when it just clicks.

When  “Just carry the one!” finally makes sense, you get to be there to celebrate with him. You get to have slow mornings and hot chocolate whenever you want. Imagine taking the time to snuggle for a picture book at 10:30 am. You also get to sit side by side with your older ones and dig into Algebra again, but You Can Do This!

You’ll be great. Especially with all the great resources available to us now. (Keep reading for a promo code to my new favorite bookstore!)

kids watching printer

This is how homeschool kids have fun. Haha, just kidding!

Thanks, Mom!

My mom, bless her heart, did the best she could with what she had, ya know? When she started homeschooling me, she had not been dreaming of it for years like I’ve been doing; there was no internet or Facebook homeschool groups. She had a daughter who was struggling, picked on by teachers, physically sick, and shy to the point of anxiety. (Hey! That was me. I’ve overcome mountains of insecurities. Thanks Mom for doing what was best for me.)

Point is… she had a paper curriculum catalog, and a once-a-year book fair. She figured it out on the fly mid-year with three girls under eight. (I turned out great by the way.)

Now I’m planning my kid’s school-year and I have the entire world’s resources available to me and sometimes it’s just too much. I know about Charlotte Mason, and Classical Conversations, and Montessori, and Waldorf, and Unschooling, and Wild and Free, and Traditional, … and wait a minute! You mean you can’t just get History, Math, Language Arts, and Science textbooks and just go with it anymore?

looking at books

Textbooks are out, living books for homeschool are in.

Dear fellow mothers, I am bursting with excitement. I want to tell you ALL THE THINGS about homeschooling, but I really need to focus here. Just the facts, ma’am. I was homeschooled with textbooks. I sat at the table (or the couch, or my bed, or the car) and I read my textbook, I took the quiz, I took the tests.

What if I told you there’s a better way?

I’ve found some of the true joys of homeschooling with the Charlotte Mason idea of using “Living Books” for much of my curriculum. A well-written biography of George Washington that reads like a novel is going to leave a longer-lasting impression than a chapter on George Washington in a History textbook.

I have researched and researched and researched such books and finally stumbled upon Beautiful Feet Books. They sell “curriculum” packs that are not textbooks, but a collection of books in a theme at varied grade levels. For this fall, I ordered the EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY PRIMARY JUMBO PACK: over 20 books for only $210. Believe me when I tell you this is the cheapest price you will find for these books. I price checked the individual books at three other sites. (And you know I did. I spent two hours price checking. So… you’re welcome.)

kids playing together

Spend less time researching books and more time playing in the sprinkler this summer.

You can customize your pack.

Beautiful Feet Books allows you to adjust your book packs. If you already own a few of the books in the pack, or (like me) you don’t want to bother with the lesson book that accompanies because you already have a separate curriculum you’re using, it’s no problem, just click the option “Customize your pack.”

Or, you have the option of purchasing the books individually. You get the idea. We are focusing on American History this year, so I was glad to find a ready-made pack of American History stories for K-3rd. It will fit into our year perfectly.

What if I told you the books are already homeschool mom approved?

I let my order sit in the cart for three days deliberating if I should place the order or not! In the end, I went for it after reading at least thirty reviews from other homeschool moms. Being able to pick a book out of a stack and know that it’s preapproved, at grade-level, interesting, historically accurate, and appropriate is a huge weight off my shoulders.

Later this month I’ll tell you more about what I’m planning for Hackett Academy this year. For now I’m working on getting the papers and binders and pencils all in their places. Five weeks is plenty of time… but I’m doing my best to start out on the right foot.

Homeschool = Flexibility

One of the joys of homeschooling is how easily it adapts to your life. I had a baby last year. We spent more time loving on a newborn than we did learning about George Washington, and I have no regrets about that. With so many little ones who aren’t strong readers, trying to juggle multiple subjects in multiple grades would be impossible, I’m looking forward to learning with my kids all about our country’s history, and doing it all together. I’m beyond grateful someone else took the time to find these amazing books and put them in a collection for me. Now all I have to do is open it up!

Want to check out Beautiful Feet Books?

Beautiful Feet Books is a digital storefront that sells living books in all grade levels, from the illustrated Leif the Lucky to Beowulf. Purchases can be made individually or in a curriculum pack with a teacher’s guide (or customize your pack by removing the books you don’t need). Have a look and tell me what you think! Use the code BFB2020 for free shipping during the month of July.

Are you a homeschool family? What are you excited about this year?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Summer Activities for Kids: Have a Reading Party!

May 26, 2019 by Laura 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Looking for some fun activities to do with your kids this summer? I’ve enjoyed 22 summers with kids (and counting!), so I certainly have a few ideas to share! Stay tuned during the next few weeks as we provide all kinds of suggestions for making your summer with your kids meaningful. (Subscribe here so you won’t miss out!) Today’s idea: Have a Reading Party!

This idea will last you all summer long! Ready to get started? (We’ve got a packet of free printables for you – see below!)

At our house, we’ve just hung up, put away, and close the door on all of our “assigned reading” for the school year. Who cares that we actually loved almost every book we read this year? Summer is coming and that means we can read…

Just For Fun.

Why does it feel different to read in the summer compared to reading during the school year? I have no idea. There’s just something about the freedom of it all, with its “I can read whatever I want and walk leisurely down all the library aisles while inhaling all the air-conditioned book smells…”

We always check out huge stacks. We can sit in the sun and read. Or we can sit in the air conditioning and read. We might lay on the trampoline and read. I will definitely sip iced coffee and read. The kids can drink sweet tea and read. Ahhhh, summer reading, how I love you.

~~~ Ooooh! I must pause a moment and share some wonderful Iced Coffee and Sweet Tea recipes
for these wonderful sipping and reading occasions! ~~~~~

Summer Perfect Coffee Treats 

  • Cold Brew Coffee – Make this, then add cream or other favorite coffee add-ins!
  • Homemade Chocolate Frappe – This is incredible and healthy at the same time!
  • Low Sugar Coffee Milkshake – It’s a no-guilt version!
  • Chocolate Whipped Cream for your Coffee – So good, you just might shed a tear.

Sweet Tea anyone?

Here are some super simple fruity tea options!

  • Sweet or Unsweet Mango Tea
  • Sweet or Unsweet Peach Tea
  • Sweet or Unsweet Raspberry Tea

Tell me about this Summer Reading Party!

Well, you can make this whatever you want for your family, but to get you motivated…

First, we have a huge packet of free printables for every family who signs up for our Summer Reading Party. Use these however you wish – for incentives for your kids, for activities for your kids, for a challenge for everyone in your family – however you want. They are free for you and you can use them in whatever ways you like!

previewweb2

Sign up here to join our Summer Reading Party and to get the free packet of printables!

My Favorite Party Favor

Included in this printables packet is a suggested Bible reading check-list for you to use with your family. Read these passages with your family during breakfast. Or read them at night before bed. Or read them at whatever time of the day works best for you. Because reading the Bible with your family is more important than any other reading you can do.

summer bible reading

This Summer Bible Reading Guide is included in the Summer Reading Printables Packet. Get yours here.

Read as a Family

A few summers ago, after our oldest boys headed to counsel at church camp, I picked All of a Kind Family off our shelf and read through it with Malachi during the hottest parts of the day. We finished that one and ran to the library to get the next in the series. We loved the books so much we read every book in the series and cried at the end because the series had ended. (To be fair, Malachi didn’t actually cry. I did though, because I always cry at the end of a good book. You already know this about me.)

Soon, I’ll get to read that series to our Bonus Boy! Ah, the love of books just keeps on keeping on!

Here’s another favorite series:

ralph moody
I definitely cried at the end of this one.
Then we plowed through the entire series.
It’s a favorite for sure!

How about a HUGE list of great book ideas for everyone in the family?

We can’t very well encourage you to read without giving you suggestions of books to check out! Here’s a list my friend Kim help me put together. It’s fantastic!

Books for Infants and Toddlers

  • I Spy Board Books
  • Goodnight Moon
  • Runaway Bunny
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar (and other books by Eric Carle)
  • That’s Not My…series from UsBorne (some of which are available on Amazon)
  • Sandra Boynton’s Greatest Hits
  • DK Touch and Feel Series

Books for Preschoolers

  • Mouse Paint
  • Bittle
  • Little Pink Pup
  • Richard Scarry Collection
  • Elephant & Piggie Collection
  • Knuffle Bunny Series
  • Lego City Book Set
  • Lift the Flap Bible Story Books from Reader’s Digest
  • Little Golden Book Collection

Books for Early Elementary Kids

  • Kiss the Cow
  • The “I’m” Book Series by Kate and Jim McMullan
  • Mr. Putney’s Quacking Dog
  • Bad Case of Stripes
  • Uff Da!
  • Pinkalicious Storybook Series
  • Gigi Book Series
  • Little Bear Series
  • Frog and Toad Book Collection
  • Dr. Seuss Book Collection
  • Make Way for Ducklings
  • Madeline Book Collection
  • Curious George Book Collection
  • Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel
  • Click, Clack Moo Book Series
  • Henry and Mudge Book Series
  • Skippyjon Jones Book Collection
  • Amelia Bedelia Book Series
  • Fly Guy Book Series
  • Diary of a Worm Book Series
  • I Spy Books
  • Where’s Waldo Book Collection
  • Otis the Tractor Book Series
  • Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant
  • Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
  • Lego Beginning Readers

Books for Later Elementary Kids

  • Bill Peet Books
  • Magic Tree House Book Series
  • Magic School Bus Book Series
  • Box Car Children Book Series
  • Encyclopedia Brown Book Series
  • American Girl Book Series
  • Tales of Young Americans Book Series
  • “I Survived” Book Series
  • Sarah Plain and Tall Book Series
  • Chicken Squad Book Series
  • Mr. Popper’s Penguins
  • Clyde Robert Bulla Books
  • Books by Andrew Clements

Books for Middle School/High Schoolers

  • Books by Cynthia Voigt
  • Mysterious Benedict Society Book Series
  • Penderwicks Book Series
  • Storm Runners Book Series
  • 39 Clues Book Series
  • Secret Cipher Book Series
  • LOST (involves magic and wizardry)
  • Anne of Green Gables Book Series
  • Cooper Kids Book Series
  • Mandie Book Series
  • Grandma’s Attic Book Series

Books that make great family read-alouds

Any of the above books are great for reading aloud as well. In addition, I’ve found that if my kids have a hard time getting into a book or a series, I start out reading it to them and they take it from there!

  • Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
  • Charlotte’s Web
  • All of a Kind Family Book Series
  • Little House of the Prairie Book Series
  • Little Britches (Ralph Moody) Book Series
  • Swiss Family Robinson
  • Chronicles of Narnia Book Series

Join our Summer Reading Party!

We want to encourage the beauty of family reading this summer!

Malachi and I look back on the summer of reading All of a Kind Family series as if it was the summer of perfection. All my boys and I can look back with joy on summers of reading together back in the days they were littler (and actually home). On the days they are home this summer, we will definitely spend time reading. I just got a few books delivered a few days ago that the boys had requested. Perfect timing!

Let’s all do this together and make great memories with our families!

Get your FREE Reading Party Printables here!

Psst! Did you see our other Summer Kid Activity idea? Make Donuts! Get the details here. :)

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