Books Off Our Shelves

We always have numerous books going at once around here.  I can't help but be in the middle of a half dozen or so myself.  Then, there are the chapter books we read together.  There are bedtime stories; a chapter book for the older one, and story books for the two young ones.  There are readers, e-books, and bible studies.  We read magazines, webistes, nook books, cookbooks, and free kindle books.  Here is where we have our noses poked right now:


As a family we are reading the following:

The Adventure Bible - The kids and I love this version of the bible.  Harmony has had it a couple years now, and it is a wonderful resource.  It's easy to use, is packed with lots of extras, and has many learning resources and activities to add to the experience of reading and understanding the bible.

Devotions for Kids - This is year two of using this devotion each morning.  The kids love it, and the lessons are timeless.  It's a wonderful way to start the day!

How to Train Your Dragon Series:  Book Four - Avery and I LOVE this series.  We first got hooked on the movies.  Then, I went on a quest to find the books.  It was a tad challenging, but we were sure excited when our "Queen's Mail" arrived on the porch!

With Harmony I am reading:

American Girl Meet Kaya Series:  Book Four - Kaya is our first American Girl experience, and is sure is a good one!  We started this series with a nice group of girls in our homeschool group.  One of the moms heads up a book club, and Harmony just loves it.  Even the little kids enjoy participating.  I very much enjoy reading these books with her and find myself wanting to read more as to not have to wait to learn what happens next.  Very well written!

The Chronicles of Narnia - This is a timeless classic for me.  I still remember reading this as a young girl.  Unfortunately, we've seen the movie a few times, so it's not as interesting to Harmony.  She already knows what is going to happen.  However, I am enjoying the repeat experience.

My personal stack of books includes:

Motivate Your Child ACTION PLAN - I did a review on this book just this week.  It's a wonderful resource, and I am enjoying the continued experience of working my way through it.

October Suite - I just began this novel, and already I am hooked.  Honestly, I'd rather be reading it right now than doing anything else.  I cannot wait for my chores to be done so that I can poke my nose back between the pages.

Jesus Lives - I received a beautiful copy of this book from my mom a while back.  Slowly but surely I am making my way through the pages.  Normally, I read it each morning with my devotions, and it is very uplifting.

Days of Praise - Another facet of my morning devotion time.  This is a wonderful FREE resource that I receive in the mail each quarter.

Some of our favorite bedtime stories recently include:

Aladdin - This is the first book that I've read with Bella that requires a bookmark.  That's always a fun milestone for me.  We are reading a few pages each night at bedtime, and she is really enjoying it.  The large, colorful pictures are fun to look at, and each page only contains a paragraph or so making it easy to keep the attention of such a young one.

Little Critter Book Collection - I have a fondness for Little Critter books.  I can still remember my mom reading them to my brother when he was young.  Now, Avery is enjoying them very much.  He goes through streaks, and right now this collection is his most requested for bedtime stories.  We have read several recently.

Snuggle Puppy - What can I say?  Sandra Boynton ROCKS!  We love her books, and her music.  This book is a wonderful combination of both, and Avery loves it when I sing it to him at night.  What a fun way to end the evening!

The Going to Bed Book - More Sandra Boynton!  This is Bella's favorite bedtime story.  She knows most of it by heart now and enjoys "reading" it to me.

Guess How Much I Love You - When I became Avery's mom I spent a lot of time in a haze.  Going from normal life to new mother with no transition time took me longer to adjust to than most.  I cannot tell you how many times (at least 100's) I read him this book.  I love the story, and I didn't have to think.  I read it to him a few times a day for at least the first six months of his life.  After I could see clearly we moved on to other stories, but this was the perfect book to read to him over and over.  I still read it to him regularly.  We both enjoy it very much!

So...what are you reading?  We'd love for you to share what books have found their way off your shelves and into your hands.  Do share!

Logic of English Review

As an Eclectic Educator reviewing the Logic of English Foundations, Level A (manuscript version) was a bit of a challenge at first.  It is a very precise curriculum that starts with some super basic reading and writing foundations.  The name truly does fit the product.  It begins laying the foundation at a level that I have never even considered.  Level A is geared toward children ages four through seven.  I had planned to use it with my four year old and my eight year old, however the four year old quickly became the primary focus.

Logic of English provides everything you need to teach a child to read and write.  I chose the manuscript version of Foundations A, but a cursive version is also available.  Had I known more about the benefits of teaching children to write using cursive as opposed to manuscript, a new concept to me, I may have chosen the cursive version.  As you consider Logic of English for your child, it is definitely worth exploring the idea of teaching cursive first.  I have been inspired to consider this option for my three and four year old.  The eight year old is currently learning cursive using another curriculum.

Foundations, Level A is very thorough and uses some new-to-me methods of teaching reading and writing.  The lessons are easier approached in two parts for my four year old.  He eagerly participates in the first half of the lesson which involves pronunciation using multi-sensory activities.  However, he's not so keen on the pencil to paper part of the lesson.  Over time I have discovered that he responds better if we do the non-writing portion of the lesson in one sitting and the writing portion of the lesson in another.  The thoroughness of the lesson easily allows for portioning it in such a manner.


As an educator I enjoy the layout of the teacher's manual.  It walks you through step by step providing you with a list of objectives and necessary materials right at the very beginning.  Everything listed is not included in the curriculum.  However, all items are things most of us would already have around the house; Dr. Seuss books, balls, toy animals, shaving cream, food, and the like.  Each lesson lists teacher tips, multi-sensory fun, and other bullet points, including teaching tips and optional activities.  The lessons are easy to prepare for, simple to follow, and completely able to be customized to your specific style, and individual student needs, using the provided options or your own creative variation of said provided options.

Even though my little guy isn't too keen on the actual writing process I am able to rope him in with the various options provided.  The included white board, you provide the dry erase markers,  is a wonderful tool.  So far, I have been unsuccessful in getting him to write on the practice writing sheets, but I can get him to write on the white board most of the time; a suggested strategy within the curriculum.  He also loves the tactile cards.  These are the cards you use to help teach them the different strokes involved in writing the English language as well as the actual letters.  They are textured with a mild kind of sandpaper feel, and he loves tracing the shapes with his fingers.  This is just as effective as actually writing the letters and strokes and an important part of the reading and writing process.

Avery's first attempt at the letter 'a'.

Logic of English Foundations, Level A is a much more thorough approach to learning to read and write than I have ever considered.  Honestly, at first I felt it was a little too involved, but after using it for several weeks I can now clearly see the benefit.  One reason I had thought it would be a good fit for my eight year old is that she's a bit behind on her reading.  I can completely see how this would benefit a struggling learner.  However, it is too simple for my eight year old.  BUT, we did find a way to include her.  The program is so simply presented that she is able to actually teach portions of the lesson.  What better way to cement what you know than by teaching someone else!  On occasion the three year old even becomes interested in what we are doing and participates in portions of the lessons.  So, in many ways Foundations A appeals to all of the children in our home.

Aside from the teacher manual, manuscript workbook, white board, manuscript chart, tactile cards, flashcards, and game cards there is also a book included, Doodling Dragons.  I especially like this book.  It is subtitled An ABC Book of Sounds for good reason.  Each letter A-Z is covered.  The thing that makes it special is that all the sounds of each letter are presented.  In my opinion, this fact makes Doodling Dragons a superior ABC book.  This is a super simple way to introduce the letters of the alphabet and all the sounds they make.  The letters and sounds are simply presented, and the illustrations are cute and fun.

Another aspect that Logic of English Foundations, Level A covers that I had not given much consideration as an educator is the various font types in which a letter can be presented in our reading material.  What an important lesson!  If a child is aware from the beginning that the letters he reads in books and other materials can be written in different formats how much less frustration he will experience.  Brilliant!

My overall impression of Logic of English Foundations, Level A based on my personal experience is that it is a wonderful program best suited for struggling learners and/or those that desire a specific, structured, and detailed method for teaching their children to read and write.  The program is thorough, fun, and produces a quick understanding of letters; the sounds they make and how to form them in the writing process.  There are several packages that can be purchased through Logic of English.  The products we have reviewed, if purchased simply as we have them, would be Foundations, Level A for $71.00, and $85.00 for the Foundations Reusable Resource Set.  Visit their website to explore the various package deals and to learn more about how Logic of English may benefit your homeschool.

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