Welcome! I am a wife, mother, and teacher turned homeschooler! I love to make teaching at home simple, easy, and affordable. I like to think on my feet and come up with fun ideas to learn new concepts. I also create learning activities for my children to add new, creative ways to learn. I hope to share these things with you in order to encourage and support you in your parenting/homeschool journey.
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I’m so glad I found you and this video! What a blessing to something I’ve wanted but not sure how to do! Thank you💕
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for following along!
What did you pair this with?
@@tiffanyhoudesheldt7004 we paired it with Phonics Pathways. I don’t think it needs it. It was a resource I had on hand that allowed me to give my daughter extra practice when she needed it.
Beautiful , I hope it has worked for you! Would you keep us updated on when it would be available? thank you so very much, this has given me the needed kick to continue homeschooling overall.
@@massielprietoperez5842 I’m so glad to hear that!
Love this! For your oldest, why don’t you use the read aloud book for the written narration? Why use a different book?
@@ambergarrett3301 thank you! do you mean the novel we read aloud? We have done that too! I change it up. But when the whole family is reading it together I like just to keep us all at the same spot. Definitely something doable - I actually just last week had her do the written narration for a chapter in the novel because not everyone is reading it aloud this time. That’s why I love the flexibility of this DIY method. You can totally change it as you please!
What was the cost for one year of math? The cost is not shown on their website.
@@gregnixon1296 I bought the set which came with teacher guide, work text, activity book, and assessments, and I believe I paid $140. I am unsure about their online video options and cost.
@@simplylearningtogether651 Thank you for the quick reply. I am interested in the textbook model only. Does BJU Press have a placement assessment to determine a student's starting point? My goal for homeschooling is remediation, but I need to know where to begin.
@@gregnixon1296 check out this link. I think it may be what you’re looking for: blog.bjupress.com/blog/2023/05/26/free-math-placement-tests-for-elementary-grade-placement/
@@simplylearningtogether651 Thanks. It's perfect.
Try looking into Kumon Workbooks for supplements.
I feel like this is the direction we'll end up going in when I'm a little more experienced at homeschooling. If you could go back to your kids' pre-reading days, would you start out just making your own curriculum? Thanks for this video. Even if I'm not quite ready to do something like this myself yet, it's helpful to see a diy LA curriculum in action.
@@pnmdsz6 hard to answer that question. I pretty much did a DIY reading with my first and it worked great but with one of my other kids we needed more support. And having a reading curriculum really helped us both. So it definitely depends on the kid. I will say that we have loved doing our own language arts once they are reading well and it’s allowed us so much freedom. I can even group kids together and make it a family subject and I love that! I’m glad the video was helpful. Thank you for the feedback!
@@simplylearningtogether651Thanks for your reply. That's really helpful! I think for now we'll loosely use a curriculum to support us, and otherwise focus on good literature
@@pnmdsz6 love that idea! ❤️
I would LOVE a copy of that printed list of things to review! Where did you find it? Link please?
@@shelby5623 I think you mean this one. Let me know if I’m incorrect and I’ll check again. goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news/literary-devices-free-handout-and-link
Looks great. I just bought it, and can’t wait to try it. I’m looking to boost my kiddos fluency. Did you notice any improvements with your child’s fluency?
@@Svargasc3 yes I did! This is a really great resource!
@@simplylearningtogether651 that’s great to hear. thank you.
I would love to look at your plan bc it looks wonderful. Do you have a general idea of when it will be available at tpt?
@@user-je3tu9eg2i I plan to share it on my blog once we work through a unit and get a good rhythm. I’ll share the books we read alongside the lessons. It will be free to access!
It’s kind of weird watching this video because I feel like I am watching myself. My daughter wanted to learn French last year too and I had no idea how to do that because I only know Spanish.😂 I used to teach Kindergarten and did 5th grade in my student teaching. You’re right in that our day looks significantly different than it did in the classroom.
Doesn't it look so different?! It's crazy to me to compare the two - makes me giggle a bit. It does feel special this year though with her being in 5th! :)
@@simplylearningtogether651 That’s how I felt our first year with Kinder. ❤️
I have been searching for the best LA curriculum too! Just got done reading Know and Tell also and we are going to be doing a more Charlotte Mason style too. 😊 I picked up Learning Language Arts Through Literature as kind of a jumping off point/back up so we will see what happens.
I have used LLATL in the past. I really did enjoy it - it's what inspired me for creating our own language arts! I learned a lot from it!
New subscriber! 😊 My oldest is also a 5th grade daughter!
Hi! So glad you're here!
Thank you so much for posting your math curriculum journey! I’ve been torn as to which program to get for my son going into 4th grade. This video was so helpful and I’m going to go with Bju :)
I'm so glad it was helpful to you! We are doing BJU again this year and look forward to it! Hope it works well for you guys too!
Super helpful. Thanks so much
@@thelittlesimplethings7842 I’m so glad! You’re welcome ❤️
This is exactly what i have been looking for this upcoming year. Excited for itvto come out.
I'm so glad to hear that! We've had the best time learning history this way!
Do you have a release date for this?
@@simplehomeschool1293 The book list is done. I'm currently working through it with my kids now as I develop feedback and discussion questions for each book. I hope to have it ready in December at the latest, but depending on our progress it may get finished sooner.
@simplehomeschool1293 I miss your videos I hope you're doing ok
@@StephanieMT Thank you! That is so sweet. I am doing well. For some reason summer is so much busier than our school year! I'm also working on writing history curriculum so I feel like my video making time is running short. However, this is so encouraging! I love that you're interested in my content. Thank you for your support. I need to jump back on soon!
❤ purchased 1&2 can’t wait to see 3
Yay! I’m so excited to share it with you! I hope you enjoy 1 & 2 just as much as we did ❤️❤️
Would you say that this would work for a Highschooler as well? I’m just wanting to build a chronological timeline of history for all three of my children. I’m not looking for a deep dive. Obviously I’d supplement things for my highschooler as needed. I have a special needs child so a lot of homeschool time will be outdoors or at a local library because he does better in that environment. Thank you, I’ve been looking for a family style history.
Absolutely! I’m 36 years old and I’ve learned more history in the last two years using this method than I ever did using a textbook in school! It’s such an engaging way to learn for all ages.
I like the idea you use of splitting the Lesson and Review. I'm going to try that with my daughter with TGTB. There's a lesson section then a review page also.
Yes! It has really been nice. It encourages independence and shortens our lesson time - which is a win-win for me! Hope it works well for you too!
Did you have to print those flashcards from the website? The site is now down, i assume because of the rebranding to sharpen, and I asked if the downloads will still be available, but was just sent to the new sharpen website which only has the workbooks and teacher guides, not any printables. Are these a necessary part of the program?
I did print them. They are definitely helpful to review. Let me check where I got them and I will try and link it here
OK so I just went to the link I used, and you're right! It's no longer working. I'm so bummed about that. I'm assuming it has to do with the name change as well. The flash cards are just to review the groups of words from each unit. So, as long as you're going back and practicing the main words, you can probably go without the flashcards.
@@simplylearningtogether651 ok, that's good to know! Thank you!
The Math curriculum struggle is real! My twins will be going into 6th grade. We did Masterbooks for Levels 1-4 but I can't remember when we also did TGTB with them....I think we started TGTB in Level 2 and did Masterbooks to finish the year/in the summer. We made it to TGTB Level 5 but levels 4 and 5 were a struggle for sure. Then we did Apologia Level 5 and they whizzed through that. I didn't want to bother to set up/do all the activities so we skipped a lot of those. They're currently almost done book 1 of Horizons 5 and they don't mind it which surprises me because it looks rough to me. I am not sure what I'm going to do with them for 6th grade...they're not my math kids. My youngest will be going into 3rd grade and she is my Math kid. We did TGTB Level 1 in 1st grade and she liked it. I didn't continue after her sisters' experience with it. We did MWC Level 2 and she did not like it. She didn't like the 10 frames and manipulatives at all. We finished it though. Then she did Apologia Grade 3 and liked it but I don't feel it was enough for her. She was working through Horizons 3 book 1 the end of this school year and HATED that. I printed some TGTB Level 3 to try and she liked it so maybe we'll do that this coming school year. I just ordered a Beast Academy book to try this summer. Sorry for my rant but I beyond get your struggle to find the right curriculum.
Rant away! I get it! It’s so hard to find something that feels good for not only our kiddo but also for us to teach! Then throw in the fact that every kid learns differently 😉 it’s definitely tricky. I’m just so thankful we can take the time to pick and choose a good fit. I hope you’re able to find a good one this year!! ❤️
What was the music forum / website you mentioned that was $30 for the family?
It’s voetberg music academy. I went back on the site and it looks like if you want to add a different instrument the cost does go up. I’m still new to the program and learning more as we go.
I love this so much. It reminds me of the brave writer program, but I love how you are able to do it on your own. I'm as excited as you are. ;)
Lol yes! A lot of inspiration came from Brave Writer - that and Learning Language Arts through Literature. But you’re right - the freedom to pick our own books and go at our own pace has really been so nice!
I would also love your plan with a picture book suggestion! Thank you!
Thank you! I’m hoping to share that on my blog soon!
I just got this from my library a couple days ago!
That’s so awesome that your library has it already! It’s such a cool resource!
Do you have a link to the hymn book or prayer box? Thank you for great content.
Yes! Here is a link to the hymn book: www.amazon.com/dp/0785249397/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_1KYZEPX0RJ4NTXJPHHYS?linkCode=ml2&tag=simplylearnin-20
And this is the scripture box we have: www.etsy.com/listing/1659561868/scripture-memory-box-simply-charlotte?click_key=e4f47a33c07ab7e40415f3553cddb79336d67fb1%3A1659561868&click_sum=740cdc2a&ref=shop_home_active_7&crt=1&sts=1
Love this!!!
Isn’t it cool?! So excited to dig in to it with the kids!
Thank you for reviewing this. I have been reading on a website called Reading Simplified by Marnie Ginsberg and she talks about the Speech to print approach to reading (except her site is geared more to teaching teachers and didn’t have a specific curriculum for homeschooling). Going to look into this for my struggling learner
You’re welcome! I’m also glad you commented about that site. I’d love to read through it. I’m always interested in other resources/info that can guide me in teaching reading! I look forward to checking it out.
Thank you. I will be using this and a few other of your resources with my family. This is exactly what i have been looking for. My bunch are 7,4,2 and a infant and i just feel like this is so so doable with them. Thank you so very much!
I’m interested in some history picture books with my kindergartener! Which ones are your favorite?
We’ve read so many!! What time period are you looking for? The blog posts that I linked in my description has lots of our favorites and one of them has the whole list! I’ll link that one here too.
simplylearningtogether.com/learning-american-history-through-picture-books/
This book looks amazing! 😍 Thank you for showing it to us!
You’re welcome! It really is such a cool resource!
sounds like a great way to add to our homeschool this year, the kids want to do notebooking so we could add this plus one of the stories around the world books
I love that idea!
that looks like tiny print, love the colors. colorful things makes learning fun
It’s so colorful! Print is similar to what you might see in a novel
We love the devotionals, and this looks so good! It's such a good idea to pull so many things from this atlas😍
There are sooo many ways you can expand on this one. I love it!
This is awesome!! I was looking for a gentle/low key geography for my littles this year! This will be perfect!
Yay!! I really think it can be simple and fun and I’m looking forward to trying it with my kids too!
We also love Louie Giglios science devotionals. This would be an excellent resource to pair with Guest Hollows Jr. Geography. I will be purchasing this book for next year to go along with that. Thanks for the review and flip through.
Thank you! And thanks for sharing about Guest Hollows. I’ve never heard of it and I LOVE checking out new resources! ❤️
@@simplylearningtogether651 Our family truly loves learning through literature. Guest Hollow offers a feast of excellent resources and a fun way of learning geography. This will be our first time using Guest Hollow this coming year. I know it’s going to be a great fit for my two girls and for me as well.
Thank you for sharing this! We have used LOE & pinwheels. LOE moves a little quick for my kids and Pinwheels was really dragging, likely because I didn't know what I should skip etc and was doing everything, but it's a lot to manage (especially with more than one student to keep track of). This looks pretty streamlined and I feel like it would be pretty streamlined just from what you shared, after learning the teaching method 🤔 I hadn't ever heard of it, so thanks again for sharing!
You’re welcome! We used LOE and I have had my eye on Pinwheels! But the cost and the prep made me hesitate. This was a much better fit in both of those categories and we have loved it so far!
Hey Jaime! I love how we are basically doing a very similar curriculum for Josephine. We are doing the same thing for Language Arts. Isn't Know and Tell so amazing! It has rewired my mind towards teaching children writing. I think I am going to use the Narnia books as the focus for her LA this year, Know and Tell style. ~Kristina
Also isn't BJU math so great! We used that last year for Josephine. I did my own thing for her this year including multiplication facts that stick by Kate Snow. I think I will circle back to BJU though as she responded really well to that curriculum and I thought it was thorough.
Hey Kristina! So great to hear from you. Yes, reading Know and Tell has been such a wonderful thing for our homeschool. The freedom to read our own literature brought so much joy to our routines. I love it. Narnia will be so fun this year! What a good idea. I'm thinking about starting the year with the Hobbit. I've never read it, but my kids asked about it and I've heard good things!
@@organicfamilylife We love BJU! Finally feel good about math for her! It was quite the trial and error process, but BJU has been such a good fit!
Speech to print approach has been amazing for my dyslexic son. I really like Abecedarian.
I’m so glad to hear this. We have loved it so much!
Essentials in Writing is amazing, when you are ready for a writing curriculum. Short and sweet, but see major growth in my kiddo's writing skills!
So glad you shared this! Thank you! I’ll be keeping this in mind!
You’re so enjoyable and easy to listen to! Thank you for all the great shares!
Thank you! That is so kind and really just made my morning! 😃
This is the first video I have seen from your channel but….math! This was full of meat and a fat. Loved it. Relateable. Laughed. Thank you !
Oh yay! Thank you for that! Math is a doozy isn’t it?! 🤪 so glad you’re here!!
The memory box idea, is that a simply Charlotte mason thing?
I do think this might be modeled after something from simply Charlotte Mason.
So excited I came across your channel! We love good literature and will be implementing your DIY LA after summer break in our homeschool! Really think my 9 yr old will enjoy this method vs. our all in one!
Yayyy!! I’m so happy to hear that. You’ll have to come back and keep me posted how it’s going. We have so much enjoyed the freedom and I hope it brings you that joy as well! ❤️
Thank you so much for sharing your approach to writing! I needed to hear this. You may have mentioned this before, but what do you have your daughter orally narrate, and what is she writing about? Are both tied to the book you’re reading aloud at night, or are they from any subject?
My kids narrate orally almost everything we read. It's not super formal all the time. We are just always talking about books. When my oldest daughter writes it will be about a specific selection or a book. For history, it's the picture book we read that day. For science, it's the lesson we complete that week. For language arts, it's usually a book related to our novel. I'd say she does 2-3 written narrations a week now. (That has increased over time. We started with just one.) The book we read at night is the novel we use for language arts. All of my girls are awake to listen. I do not make them narrate that before bed. We simply enjoy the story and have conversations about the characters and what's happening as my kids are curious. Let me know if you have more questions!
@@simplylearningtogether651 awesome! I just didn’t know if everything, including narrations, written and oral were all tied to the read aloud for language arts. So good to know! We did the diy language arts route for a few weeks this school year and loved it, but I began to worry I wasn’t doing enough, so I fell back into using worksheets, which was a fun sucker. I want to feel confident in the process, but it’s hard when results aren’t instant.
@@brittany.powell I can definitely relate to this feeling. One of the reasons I created the template was a way for me to measure what we were doing in a way and that has helped me have a visual of all that we accomplish with a novel. I also just feel like the increase in joy of reading is such an accomplishment too. Worksheets never did that for us. Now we want to read and read and read! The good news is you could always do a combination of both. A little LA workbook … a little novel unit. A good way to test it out more 😉❤️
I have a 5th grade son so i appreciate finding another mom with that same grade. We're doing Saxon math, spelling, typing, cursive, and i rotate in a few logic workbooks. We're going to start the draw the world series for geography. We use writing &rhetoric. Im going to mix in some new curriculum from Generations for history and science. He is very into reptiles, drawing and just boy stuff! Id like to try piano and maybe coding for fun. A very fun age for sure! Thanks for sharing, really enjoy your style!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I love hearing what others are doing as well, and I especially love learning about curriculum I've never heard of before. Draw the World sounds so much fun. I think I will have to check that out!
Did you or your daughter have any piano experience? Is this something she can do totally independently? Id love to hear more. I'm big fans of their family podcast and hear about their music training often but we have zero knowledge!
Yes, so I did teach her a little bit of piano before she started. She was familiar with the keys and knew a few basic songs. The website states that their piano is used beginners, so I don't think you have to have prior knowledge to start. The website also suggests that 8 years old is a good age to start. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have more questions. I was unsure about starting at first and used a code for a discount for the first month in order to try it out. So, that cost difference helped me make up my mind to try it. The code came from the MisForMama podcast. I can't remember it off the top of my head, but it was from one of her recent episodes.
BJU math looks similar to Math Mammoth.
Do you think so? We tried math mammoth before. It’s such a good math program and it was very challenging!! BJU offers the spiral review though which I really love.
@@simplylearningtogether651 just from the look of what you showed, it seems that way… maybe I’ll have to look more into BJU! Also… do you think a physical copy of the know and tell book is worth it? Or could I do Kindle?
@@adventureswiththemacs8066 I think you could get it on a kindle. The charts are so interesting and helpful so it’s important to see them in my opinion. A kindle should allow you to do that.
Great video. I am in the process of reading Know and Tell. I would love to see a video on your thoughts and how you are implementing it in your homeschool. Thanks for sharing. Super simple, yet so full and rich!!
Thank you!! As I was recording this I realized I had a lot to say about writing and Know and Tell 😂😂 I had to edit so much out- I went on quite the tangent lol so yes! Will share more about it soon for sure!
Thank you for sharing about the piano one, definitely want to look into that. Also thinking of doing DIY LA with my 9 year old, I look forward to more of your videos about it. 😊
I’m so glad to hear that! And yes definitely check out those videos. We love the freedom, we read more literature, and we really just enjoy it so much more! I hope it can be the same for you ❤️