All of my children laughed along with this very impatient caterpillar's journey through metamorphosis. Honestly, I think it is because all of them can relate to the "are we there yet" mentality. We parents on the other hand will feel solidarity with this impatient caterpillar's friends. The ...
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Escape Room: Can You Escape the Museum?
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There is a lot to like about the Escape Room books sold by Usborne. First of all, the puzzles are appropriate for children, so elementary-aged kids can figure out a lot of these puzzles entirely on their own. Second, it's a great way to motivate kids to work together, especially siblings. Third, ...
Be Quiet!
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This clever, unique picture book lets us imagine that we are getting to see behind the scenes of a picture book being made. The main character has a vision that it will be a wordless pictures book, but his friends unintentionally mess up all his plans. I don't know what it is about my children, but ...
Simple Lemon Battery
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A lemon battery is one of those widely known experiments that every child should probably do once as they learn about electricity. Honestly, though, it was not one that I was planning to do with my kids. However, my 12-year-old is currently taking the class Batteries are Weird online from the ...
Nancy Drew Hunt a Killer
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When I was in Junior High, I remember going to a birthday party where we all had different roles and we pretended to solve a murder. We dressed up and my friend's mom made a themed meal. It was so much fun! I want my kids to have experiences like this. Motivated by this memory I went searching for a ...
Mail Order Mystery: Treasure Hunt!
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This mail-order mystery was a lot of fun, but also not at all what I was expecting. As a family that has done several boxed escape rooms, I was expecting there to be a lot more tasks to complete and puzzles to solve. I was basically expecting this mail order subscription service to be like ...
6th Grade Minimalist Math Curriculum
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My approach to math in my homeschool is non-traditional, to say the least. I am not a fan of the standard drill and kill approach to mathematics. For this reason, I have made my own math curriculum since my oldest was in first grade. This 6th grade minimalist math curriculum was his 6th year using ...
Overcoming Dyslexia
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I'll admit that I was a little intimidated to start this book. It is supposed to be the definitive guide to understanding dyslexia, but this tome is so large and dense that I didn't want to chicken to dip my toes into the dyslexia waters starting with this ocean of a book. While I am glad I waited a ...
First Grade Math Cards: Patterns & Sequences
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It's important to me that my kids understand math. However, I am not a proponent of the "drill and kill" teaching philosophy. Maybe it is effective, but personally, I think it's unnecessary. That's why I created my own math curriculum for my kids. You can find my full First Grade Minimalist Math ...
The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan
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If you believe your child might be dyslexic, this book is an empowering introduction to the topic. The author gently walks you through the steps required to get your child diagnosed. He helps you figure out how to get the accommodations your diagnosed child needs in the classroom. Ultimately, this ...
Michelle has a PhD in Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor's Degree from the California Institute of Technology. 