Homeschool Spelling Essentials: Ways to Make it Engaging (and Canadian!)
Spelling is a foundational skill in language learning, but when you’re homeschooling in Canada, it comes with its own set of unique challenges. With Canadian spelling combining British, French, and American influences, it can be tricky to know exactly which rules to teach and how to help your child master the correct spellings. In this […]
12 Ways to Get Kids Reading
Getting kids reading can be a real challenge – especially in today’s high-tech, high-distraction world. So, how do you get them interested and engaged with books? If you’ve ever wondered how to encourage your kids to read more, look no further than these 12 tips! From library outings to reading competitions, we’re covering all the […]
How to Celebrate Family Literacy Day
Every year, on January 27th, it’s Family Literacy Day. Hosted by ABC Life Literacy Canada, the day is designed to bring awareness to families about the importance of even 15 minutes a day of literacy in your home. Literacy Activity Ideas Here are 10 ways to help foster a love of books and reading as well […]
How To Grade An Essay
For many homeschoolers, the idea of having to grade an essay is a confusing one. And besides, how do we do it so that we don’t have a conversation like this: “Mrs. Martin, Um… Can you look at my essay? What went wrong?” “Well, Theresa, it just isn’t up to an A standard.” Confidence crushed. […]
Penmanship: Why Teach It & Ideas For Kids Who Hate Writing
In this modern age, where technology is literally at our fingertips, is penmanship even a skill that needs to be taught to our children? Is there still a place or need for handwriting in our society? Once upon a time, people had pride in their penmanship skills. Much time was spent in classrooms all over […]
Teach Your Kids About … Nouns
Nouns are the people, places, and things in our world. It can be a challenge for kids to fully understand the difference between words that are nouns and words that are verbs, common and proper, and other word relations. Here are some great resources to help your child really grasp these concepts. Recognizing Nouns Nouns […]
Teach Your Kids About …. Question Marks (and other punctuation)
Developing skills with grammar and punctuation is an important skill for everyone to learn. Here are some resources to help make those question marks, periods, commas, and all the rest make more sense. Lessons Punctuation on BBC Skillswise Punctuation Pals Curriculum by Dr. Hope How to Teach the English Punctuation System on Busy Teacher Punctuation Lesson […]
Grammar Check Makes Your Writing Even Better
This post contains affiliate links. By now, we are all familiar and comfortable with spell-check. But what about grammar check? Thankfully, there is an excellent tool you can use to help make your writing more efficient. Find out if you’ve used the proper there/their/they’re, if you have commas in all the right places, used the […]
Teach your child about … the Alphabet
One of the questions I’m asked a lot from parents of toddlers and preschoolers is just wondering how to get started with teaching their kids. Although my response is typically along the lines of remembering their child is still very young and to focus on just playing and learning that way – I know that […]