Teaching my son with Down Syndrome to write letters and numbers has been a long, slow process. But little by little we’re getting there! Many schools and homeschoolers use the wonderful handwriting program by Learning Without Tears (formerly Handwriting Without Tears.) But I have needed to adapt some of their materials in order for Junior to be successful.
Continue reading “More Handwriting Worksheets for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome” →
Tracing high-interest words is a meaningful and motivating way for my son to practice handwriting. So, I made these Christmas and Nativity-Themed Handwriting Tracing Pages for Junior. He definitely enjoyed these more than his usual handwriting sheets.
Take a look:
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Here are more FREE picture and sight word cards for those of you teaching your kids to read words by sight. This is a set of thirty-eight pictures of items around the house, some clothing, and favorite foods. Use them to build vocabulary, teach sight words, talk about word function, and for sorting.
Continue reading “Around the House and Food-Themed Picture and Sight Word Cards” →
Can you believe it’s autumn already?
Here are eighteen autumn-themed sight word pictures and word cards. They’re great for building vocabulary, too. Use them just the way you use the See and Learn kits. And since books are always so motivating, here are two books that go with the words:
Continue reading “Autumn-Themed Sight Words and Pictures, See and Learn Style” →
Just in time for a new school year, here is the third book in our FREE Writing Lessons from Literature series. And it’s based on Clara of Strawberry Fields, a story of a dreamy, imaginative girl growing up on a farm and her perpetually-growing family. It’s a historical novel that will make your daughter laugh and cry as she reads about the misadventures of this impulsive young girl living in the Patapsco Valley of Maryland right before the Civil War.
Continue reading “Writing Lessons from Literature, Book 3 – Clara of Strawberry Fields” →
Here’s the second in our series of FREE Writing Lessons from Literature, and it’s based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s heartwarming tale of friendship and generosity: A Little Princess. Like Book 1 in our Writing Lessons from Literature series, this is a nine week course suitable for children in grades four to six. If not used as a writing course, it can be used for reading comprehension or for a book club.
The main goal of this series is to teach children how to write by studying and analyzing passages from novels and by imitating writing techniques used by the authors. The secondary goal is to help children develop an appreciation for the novel by looking at the underlying themes and character development.
Continue reading “Writing Lessons from Literature, Book 2: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett” →
Do you have a daughter who loves to read and write stories? If you do, here is something I think you’ll both appreciate. It’s a resource you can use for reading comprehension, for a book club, or for writing lessons.
For years I have thought that a wonderful way to teach writing would be to help students study and analyze the actual writings of accomplished authors. It’s how musicians learn to compose music (at least back in the day when I was studying music theory and composition.) We’d study the music of the great composers by analyzing the chord progressions and melodies, taking note of the structures of the compositions, investigating the composers’ use of instrumentation, and so on. And then we’d try to imitate their style in our own compositions.
I have looked and looked for a similar approach to teaching writing. However, I have not been able to find exactly what I was searching for. So last year my college-age daughter and I wrote Writing Lessons from Literature for my youngest daughter. They include the following:
Continue reading “Writing Lessons from Literature Book 1: Heidi, by Johanna Spyri” →
Last month, I made Junior art masterpiece cards to help him learn the “Hail Mary”. He really enjoyed looking at and talking about the pictures. And he did memorize the prayer, line by line. He would read the words, then I’d cover up them up and he would say them by memory. So, I decided to go ahead and make a similar set to help him learn the “Our Father.”
Continue reading “The “Our Father” in Art” →
Here’s a little Mother’s Day gift for you! For the month of May, I’m teaching Junior to pray the “Hail Mary”. Since he’s such a visual learner, I made these cards for him: an art masterpiece for each line of the “Hail Mary”. I hope they’ll help him to understand the meaning of each line in the prayer as he memorizes it. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Looking at beautiful sacred art is truly a path to prayer. If you have little ones who are just learning to pray, I hope this will help:
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A Happy New School Year to you!!!
Here’s a little gift for those of you who like to do picture study with your kids: a collection of eighteen Renaissance Art Masterpieces with a bit of background information and questions that encourage close observation.
Because exposing our kids to lovely art is so important.
Renaissance artists believed in the beauty and nobility of mankind – a belief so sorely lost in today’s society. All the more reason, then, to help our children study and enjoy the masterpieces of the Renaissance artists, which radiate with goodness and beauty.
So without further ado, here are some sample cards and what we’re doing with them:
Continue reading “Renaissance Art Masterpieces for Elementary Students” →
Mercy for Marthas