Tag: homeschool curriculum

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Sonlight Pre-K Homeschool Curriculum Review

Sonlight is a homeschool curriculum provider that offers a wide range of programs for children of different ages and grades. In this review blog post, we’ll focus specifically on their Pre-K Program. We chose to add the Level K readers to our Pre-K package as well!

We were gifted the Sonlight Pre-K Kit from Sonlight in exchange for our honest review.

The Sonlight Pre-K homeschool curriculum is designed for children aged 4-5 and focuses on developing foundational reading, math, science, and social studies skills. The curriculum comes in a comprehensive package that includes everything you need to teach your child at home, including books, instructor guides, and activity sheets.

Learn More About Sonlight’s Literature Based Curriculum

Fully Planned Out Pre-K Curriculum

Using the fully planned out Instructor guide, you can plan to spend anywhere between 20 mins to 1.5 hours per day, 4x a week. Using the Sonlight Instructor Guide- you can rest assure everything is planned out and nothing is getting missed, just open and go!

Literature Based Pre-K Curriculum

One of the standout features of the Sonlight PreK homeschool curriculum is the emphasis on literature-based learning. The curriculum includes a large selection of classic children’s books that are used as the basis for many of the lessons. This approach to learning is not only engaging for young children but also helps to develop important skills such as listening comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking.

The curriculum also includes hands-on activities and projects that help to reinforce the concepts being taught. These activities are designed to be fun and interactive, making learning an enjoyable experience for both parent and child.

Want to see everything that’s included? Check out this unboxing:

Sonlight Pre-K Covers all Subjects

In terms of the subjects covered, the Sonlight PreK curriculum covers all the basics such as math, science, and social studies. The math lessons focus on developing basic counting and number recognition skills, while the science lessons cover topics such as the human body, animals, and the environment. The social studies lessons introduce children to different cultures and traditions from around the world.

Check out Sonlight’s Pre-K Program Here

Sonlight Teaches Practical Life Skills

As much as we love the traditional school subjects covered in our Sonlight Pre-K program, one of my favorite things is the weekly life skills included. Throughout the year, your child will practice practical life skills like washing dishes, pouring and measuring, watering plants, and much more!

These life sills help build basic foundations for numerous things and are both mine and my sons favorite activities during our weeks.

My Final Thoughts on Sonlight’s Pre-K Program

Overall, the Sonlight Pre-K homeschool curriculum is a well-designed and comprehensive program that provides a great foundation for early learning. The literature-based approach, hands-on activities, and flexibility make it an excellent choice for parents looking to homeschool their young children.

If you are new to homeschooling and have no idea where to start- this is a wonderful option, because it is everything you need.

We are very excited to be adding this curriculum into our homeschool days! We upgraded our program and added the Kindergarten readers and Language arts doing that, we plan to use this both both our Pre-K and Kindergarten year.

Looking for Sales and Special Offers from Sonlight? Click Here!
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Free Homeschool Unit Study: All About Raccoons

This free homeschool unit study comes from my natural curiosity to learn more about one on my favorite animals. These animals often get a bad rap, being called “pests”, I hope you learn how awesome raccoons are and the importance of them in our world.

These lessons can be used across all elementary age levels and can be adjusted for lower and higher grades. Any resources used including books and videos should always be prescreened by the parent, just because it works in my home does not mean it will work in yours. This will be such a fun and engaging addition to your science curriculum.

This unit is faith neutral leaving it up to the parents to decide which direction to take it.

Additional Resources

There are no required resources. This unit can be used stand alone as it includes informative reading passages. These resources below are not required, just additional add-ons if you want to enhance or extend the lessons. Please pre-screen any recommended resources, just because they work in my home does not meet they will work in yours.

There is a recommended video to watch for each lesson. These really tie together the entire unit.

I created an Amazon page where I included all recommended books, be sure to check out your local library.

Amazon Raccoon Unit Study Resources

Recommended Lesson Video Playlist

Learning Objectives

  • Identify and describe the physical characteristics of raccoons.
  • Explain the importance of animal tracks in identifying animal species.
  • Define mammals and describe their characteristics.
  • Describe the habitat of raccoons and explain its importance to the survival of raccoons.
  • Describe the characteristics of the temperate forest biome and identify its location.
  • Explain the adaptations of nocturnal animals.
  • Describe the lifecycle of raccoons and identify their different stages.
  • Understand the purpose of animal rehabilitation, and describe the basic steps involved in rehabilitating injured or orphaned animals.
  • Compare and contrast raccoons to other animal species using Venn diagrams.
  • Research and create presentation on an animal and their habitat, including information on their physical characteristics, lifecycle, and other interesting facts.

Unit Updates 4/25/2023 – Lesson 1 Updated – Raccoons live up to 15 Years should be 3 years in the wild. Updated unit emailed out to any customers with downloads. You can also repurchase (for FREE) and download the updated unit.

Access FREE Raccoon Unit Study

You can get the FREE homeschool Raccoon unit study clicking on the button below! You will need to add to your cart and check out.

Get my FREE Raccoon Unit!

Do you like Free Homeschool Units? Check out my Free Human Body Unit

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Homeschool Spring Time Fun – Sonlight Butterfly Unit Review

We are looking forward to some warmer weather and can’t wait for spring in our homeschool! Its been a cold winter and we can’t wait to move some of our school work outside in the sun! This spring we are so excited to be using the Butterfly Unit Study from Sonlight.

We were gifted the Butterfly Unit Study from Sonlight in exchange for our honest review.

The Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study is an educational and enjoyable homeschool unit study for springtime. The unit study covers a range of topics and activities that help to make learning fun. This unit study is intended for ages 7-12 or grades 2-6. This is the perfect unit to use as a family.

Sonlight Homeschool Curriculum offers you everything that you need to succeed on your homeschool journey, from preschool through high school.

The Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study is an educational and enjoyable homeschool unit study for springtime. The unit study covers a range of topics and activities that help to make learning fun. This unit study is intended for ages 7-12 or grades 2-6. This is the perfect unit to use as a family.
🦋 Enter to Win a FREE Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study 🦋

What’s Included in the Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study

Traditional Sonlight Instructor’s Guide

If you are familiar with any of Sonlight’s curriculum, one of the best things are the instructor guides than plan each day and activity out for you!

Something unique in the Butterfly Unit Study, the weeks are planned around the life cycle of your butterfly. In this unit study your kids will see the magical transformation of a butterfly from egg to a beautiful butterfly.

Live caterpillars are not included, you will need to purchase those separately and ensure you have them when you start your unit. Also note that your daily temperature needs to be above 55 degrees for your butterflies to survive.

The Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study is an educational and enjoyable homeschool unit study for springtime. The unit study covers a range of topics and activities that help to make learning fun. This unit study is intended for ages 7-12 or grades 2-6. This is the perfect unit to use as a family.
The Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study is an educational and enjoyable homeschool unit study for springtime. The unit study covers a range of topics and activities that help to make learning fun. This unit study is intended for ages 7-12 or grades 2-6. This is the perfect unit to use as a family.
The Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study is an educational and enjoyable homeschool unit study for springtime. The unit study covers a range of topics and activities that help to make learning fun. This unit study is intended for ages 7-12 or grades 2-6. This is the perfect unit to use as a family.

Literature

In true Sonlight fashion, there had to be some great books included:

This Unit Study package includes Caterpillars and Butterflies, which lays the foundation for this unit study. How do caterpillars turn into butterflies? What do they eat? How do they protect themselves? All these details and more in pages full of beautiful pictures.

Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly tells the story of first-grader Velma who is the youngest in her family. Follow along as she changes from living in the shadow of her older siblings to a confident young scientist.

Butterflies for Kiri celebrates one girl’s creativity as she experiments with colorful origami. It’s the perfect lead-in to creating your own origami butterfly.

Activity Sheets

Student Activity Sheets are included in the Instructor’s Guide for Caterpillars and Butterflies. They include vocabulary review, comprehension questions, and a variety of matching, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank activities to reinforce learning. An answer key for the parent/teacher is included in the Instructor’s Guide.

The Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study is an educational and enjoyable homeschool unit study for springtime. The unit study covers a range of topics and activities that help to make learning fun. This unit study is intended for ages 7-12 or grades 2-6. This is the perfect unit to use as a family.

Project Supplies

This unit study comes packaged in a durable cardboard box with the supplies you need to complete each activity or project, except for a few household items. Inside the unit study box you’ll find the following supplies:

If you are using this unit with multiple kids, I recommend purchasing additional supply kits for each child

The Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study is an educational and enjoyable homeschool unit study for springtime. The unit study covers a range of topics and activities that help to make learning fun. This unit study is intended for ages 7-12 or grades 2-6. This is the perfect unit to use as a family.

Would I recommend the Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study

The study allowed us to go outside and observe butterflies in our own backyard, which the kids really enjoyed. The activities included in the unit study were simple enough for my 4-year-old to understand, but engaging enough to keep my 8 and 10-year-olds interested. The activities helped to reinforce the lessons and made learning fun.

Overall, we had a great experience with the Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study. It was an educational, fun and memorable experience for all of us. I highly recommend this unit study for any family looking to add a fun and educational homeschool unit study to their spring plans.

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2022/2023 Homeschool Curriculum Picks

Better late than never, right? I am sharing the curriculum choices we have been using for the 2022/2023 school. I figured you might be interested to see what we have been using before I share our picks for next school year.

During the 2022/2023 school year I have a preschooler, 2nd grader, and 4th grader.

We made ALOT of changes this year, pretty much all the curriculum we started the year with was changed by mid-year. The good news is we absolutely love everything we changed to, and you will see a lot of that carried into our next school year.

Just to avoid any confusion our 2022/2023 school year is July 2022- June 2023.

Most of the curriculum we use, I have also made YouTube Videos on it, I will make sure to link those below !

2022/2023 Family Subject Homeschool Picks

One of the big changes we made this year was moving some of our subjects from individual to family subjects- at least for my 2nd and 4th grader.

Language Arts

IEW Structure & Style Level A Year 1

After doing the 3-weel FREE trial from IEW, we decided that their structure and style writing program was a perfect fit for both my daughters. The recommended grade level is 3rd – 5th, since we started this mid-year, we will continue working on this next school year.

Guest Hollow Beowulf Grammar

This program is designed for grades 2nd – 6th and was that perfect addition to our homeschool. We needed a more in-depth curriculum on basic grammar principles and this has been the perfect fit.

Unit Studies – Science / History / Social Studies

2022/2023 4th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Picks

Math

Saxon 5/4 with Nicole the Math Lady Video Lessons

Foreign Language

American Sign Language with Mr.D – Check out my Review Here: Learning American Sign Language: Mr.D’s ASL Course for Homeschool

Handwriting

Cursive – The Good and Beautiful Level 4 Handwriting

2022/2023 2nd Grade Homeschool Curriculum Picks

Math

The Good & Beautiful Math 2

Times Tales

Saxon 3

Foreign Language

Song School Spanish

Handwriting

Cursive – Handwriting Without Tears Kick Start Cursive

2022/2023 Preschool Homeschool Curriculum Picks

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Learning American Sign Language: Mr.D’s ASL Course for Homeschool

Learning American Sign Language (ASL) in homeschool is an invaluable skill that can open the door to a world of opportunities. As a parent of a homeschool student who has an interest in learning ASL, and has tried various programs, I was thrilled to discover the Mr.D ASL course for homeschooled students.

I did receive access to this ASL course in exchange for my honest review.

Not only does this course provide my daughter with the opportunity to learn ASL, it also allows her to do so in a convenient and enjoyable way. The course is designed to be both informative and engaging. The materials are accessible and easy to follow, and the instruction is clear and thorough.

My daughter particularly enjoys the interactive activities that help to reinforce the concepts she is learning. Additionally, the instructor, is friendly and engaging, she has a vast knowledge of ASL and sign language. She has been able to answer all of my daughter’s questions and has been extremely helpful in guiding her through the course.

Check out Mr. D’s American Sign Language Course

The Benefits of Learning American Sign Language

The benefits of learning ASL are numerous. For starters, it allows people to communicate with those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. It also introduces students to a whole new language and culture, one which is rich in history and full of interesting people. Learning ASL can also help to improve communication skills and enhance problem solving skills, and can even help to improve literacy.

  • Increased Cognition
    • Studies have shown that learning American Sign Language (ASL) increases cognitive abilities such as problem-solving, memory, and spatial recognition.
  • Increased Empathy
    • Those who learn ASL gain a greater understanding of the deaf community and develop more empathy for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
  • Improved Communication Skills
    • Learning ASL helps improve communication skills, both verbal and nonverbal, which can be beneficial in any profession.
  • Improved Academic Performance
    • Learning ASL has been linked to improved academic performance in areas such as reading and writing.
  • Enhanced Job Opportunities
    • Those who know ASL may have access to jobs in fields such as teaching, healthcare, social work, and interpreting.

Mr. D’s American Sign Language Courses

We have tried various ASL programs, and by far Mr.D’s ASL courses have been our favorite. The self-paced courses, amazing teacher, and quick feedback will keep us continuing to use these courses.

We are currently using the ASL 1 course designed for grades 6th-12th. This is a middle school/ high school level course. They offer ASL 1, 2, &3 at this level. If you have a highschool student and your state requires and accepts ASL as a foreign language, these can be used to complete high school credits.

My daughter has been learning ASL for over 2 years, so we decided to choose this higher level course. If you have an elementary student who is just starting out learning ASL, I would recommend starting with Mr.D’s ASL Elementary course. This course is designed for grades K-5 and is great for beginners.

These courses are self-paced. The student logs onto the portal and works through the course and lessons at their own pace. Each lesson has videos, activities, printables, quizzes, and homework.

In my daughters course at then end of each lesson she has to submit a video as her homework. ASL is something that needs to be visually seen, submitting videos is a perfect way to ensure she understands. I am able to help her take a video on my phone and I just log in to her course to upload the video.

My favorite thing about this course is the feedback she receives after submitting her video assignment. Her teacher is fluent in ASL and gives her quick feedback about hand placement and any tips to work on.

Check out my Youtube Video Review on Mr.D’s ASL Course:

Would I Recommend Mr.D’s American Sign Language Courses?

Overall, I highly recommend the Mr.D ASL course for homeschooled students. Not only does it provide a convenient and enjoyable way for students to learn ASL, but also offers numerous benefits. My daughter has been taking the course for a few months now and has already seen an improvement in her ability to understand and communicate using ASL. I’m confident that with continued practice, she will be able to become proficient in this amazing language.

We plan on continuing to use Mr.D’s American Sign Language courses throughout our homeschool journey and as our foreign language credits in highschool.

The courses cost around $6 per lesson, and $197 for the entire course. These are very well priced, I haven’t seen any lessons on ASL for less than $6. If you need to budget monthly for cost, factor in about $16.50/month for this course. The online program we previously used was $39 per month!

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Why We Stopped Using The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum- The Pros and Cons

Homeschooling is becoming more and more popular as parents take control of their children’s education. As with any educational choice, there are pros and cons to each and every curriculum. One of the most popular homeschool curriculum is The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum, which is designed to be an easy-to-use, open-and-go type of curriculum. We used this curriculum for multiple years and multiple levels and made the decision to stop using the Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum.

We used The Good and Beautiful homeschool curriculum for multiple subjects over multiple years.

Our Experience with The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum

We had been using The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum for multiple levels with multiple children, covering multiple levels and subjects such as math, language arts, history, and science. It helped us get in a good rhythm and routine in our homeschool, but the actual content was lacking. I didn’t feel like my kids were learning and growing their knowledge.

For new homeschool families, this curriculum is an excellent choice because of its ease of use and its straightforward approach. However, after years of use, we found that this curriculum began to lack in-depth teaching of topics and review of subjects.

I will state that the art and geography lessons were truly enjoyable, however, we needed a solid Language Arts curriculum. These extra lessons took away from the normal day to day Language arts lesson. This was another reason we decided to stop using The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum.

We enjoyed the extra art and geography lessons that were included, they were very engaging but took away from our dedicated Language Arts time.

The Issues We Faced Using The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum

The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum is designed for a broad range of learners, from preschoolers to high schoolers. As such, the material is designed to be accessible to all learners. However, because of this, the curriculum lacks the depth and complexity of higher-level learning.

This became problematic for us as our children began to outgrow the basic material. In addition, the curriculum does not provide enough review of the subject material. Without sufficient review, our children struggled to retain the information they were learning. We found that they needed more comprehensive instruction and more opportunities to practice and review the material in order to truly understand the concepts they were learning.

Even after the revisions that the good and beautiful made to their curriculum, we still noticed the lack of depth in the lessons
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The Pros and Cons of Using The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum

Cons

  • Lacks in-depth teaching of topics
  • Does not provide enough review of the subject material
  • Lacks complexity for higher-level learners

Pros

  • Easy to use and open and go type of curriculum
  • Accessible to a broad range of learners
  • Great for new homeschool families

For these reasons, we stopped using The Good and Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum after four years. Although it is a great curriculum for new homeschool families, it is not well-suited for tenured homeschool families who need more depth and complexity in their lessons. We found that as our children advanced, we needed a more comprehensive curriculum that provided more detailed instruction and more opportunities for review.

Want to hear more about our decision to change homeschool curriculums? Check out these videos:

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The Benefits of Homeschooling: Statistical Evidence to Support Your Decision

Before we decided to take the leap from public school to homeschool, one of my very first searches was statistics of homeschool kids….because everyone needs proof right? What I found in my research helped me make the decision to homeschool my children.

Are There Actual Benefits to Homeschooling Your Children

Homeschooling has become increasingly popular in recent years, and with good reason. It offers many benefits that traditional education can’t, such as more personal attention, more control over curriculum, and the ability to customize learning to individual needs. But what are the tangible benefits of homeschooling?

Improved Academic Performance

Statistics provide a compelling argument for its effectiveness. One of the biggest benefits of homeschooling is the improved academic performance of students. According to a 2016 study by the National Home Education Research Institute, homeschooled students scored an average of 37 percentile points higher on standardized tests than their public school peers. This means that homeschooled students are more likely to excel in school and have a better chance of getting accepted into college.

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Reduced Drop out Rate

Another benefit of homeschooling is that it can help reduce the dropout rate. A study conducted by the University of St. Thomas found that homeschooled high school students were 40 percent less likely to drop out of school than their public school peers. This is likely due to the fact that homeschooled students are able to move at their own pace and don’t feel the pressure to keep up with their classmates.

More Social Opportunities

Finally, homeschooling offers more social opportunities. Contrary to popular belief, homeschooled children are often more socially active than their public school counterparts. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that homeschooled students were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities and had better social skills than their public school peers. This could be due to the fact that homeschooled students often have more free time to participate in activities outside of school.

Overall, the statistics show that homeschooling is an effective form of education. It provides students with the opportunity to excel academically, reduces the dropout rate, and increases their social activities. So if you’re considering homeschooling for your child, the evidence is there to support your decision.

Want to hear 5 things we don’t miss about Public School? Check out the video below:

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Teaching a Preschooler to Write Letters – ABC Writing Lesson Review

This past August we “officially” started preschool with my son who was 3 when we started. I say this very lightly as we have no official preschool schedule. We have lots of different resources that we sit down and use whenever we have time and my son is in a school mood. Mostly we focus on things like playing- that’s really all a preschooler needs!

My son actually likes doing school, so that is why it’s more led by him when we ask when we will do some lessons. He has been extremely interested in learning to write his name- which is pretty exciting! I remembered that Timberdoodle gifted me with ABC Writing Lessons and it was the perfect resource to pull out for my preschooler learning to write.

I work with Timberdoodle to test out a product they include in their curriculum for kids. They gift me products at no cost to share my honest review.

From Timberdoodle Website:

ABC Writing Lesson

Because legible handwriting remains an essential skill, necessary for communication, give your pre-K student a valuable edge with the new colorful ABC Writing Lesson. This uncomplicated handwriting method is based on repetition in the form of tracing. There are multiple practice pages devoted to each letter, both uppercase and lowercase. Then, after working to develop muscle memory for that letter, the last letter page is for practicing the letter without tracing. 

An instructional example starts each line, so there is no guessing as to how to form the letter. The ABC Writing Lesson pages are nice and thick and easy to erase if necessary. The spaces are very generous and wide. Also included is practice for numbers 1-9. 

When Should My Child Learn To Write?

Honestly, I don’t know if there is a perfect time. I don’t think preschool is the traditional age- this is more commonly started in PreK – and kindergarten which is why this book is included in Timberdoodle’s PreK Kit.

The only reason we have been focusing on writing is that my son wants to we love taking an interest-led approach in our homeschool so if he wants to learn to write his name, then that’s what we are going to focus on, plus seeing him write out is name is ADORABLE!

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How Do We Use ABC Writing Lessons in Preschool?

Using the ABC Writing Lesson book as been a huge help! Some letters like “O” my son can just look and copy with no issue, but the letter “C” he was having a hard time grasping where to start and stop which is where this workbook came in perfectly!

This work book took out the guess work for me as far as proper letter formation and gave my son colorful practice pages!

In the workbook you get about 4 pages total of each letter practice which includes both capital and lowercase letters. I do wish there were more practice pages, however, inside the front cover it does say you can get a PDF version from the website ReadingLessons.com and print multiple copies of the pages for extra practice.

Our Final Thoughts on ABC Writing Lessons

Overall I think this is a great tool to have in your resource pile for preschool up to Kindergarten. It really helps me as a teacher show proper letter formation and gives us a good path to practice letter writing! Its colorful and great quality- my son is able to follow the instructions and learn his letter formation.

Even a bonus, it starts teaching number 1-9 towards the end. This is an extremely affordable resource you will want to try! Check it out here: ABC Writing Lesson

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Social Emotional Learning – LuvBug Learning Review

In all the curriculum posts and videos I’m sure you have seen, we rarely hear about social emotional learning. This may be because its a difficult subject even for some adults. I know I really never looked to much into it and that is why I am so excited I was able to work with LuvBug Learning to try out their social emotional learning program! 

LuvBug Learning provided free access to use their product to share my honest review, as always any opinions expressed are my own.

What is LuvBug Learning?

LuvBug Learning is an adorable social emotional learning app for kids to watch fun videos and play engaging games. LuvBug supports PROACTIVE parenting, equipping kids with essential life skills. LuvBug is critical for parents concerned about introducing their kids to this crazy world of technology. Try LuvBug Today!

LuvBug Learning Games – Social Emotional eLearning

The games on LuvBug Learning are so adorable. They have the cutest characters and are so bright and colorful. The games engage kids and gently prompt questions regarding topics like empathy and self awareness. My daughter fell in love with the Spinning Sweets game.

LuvBug Educational Videos – Social Emotional Development

The social emotional educational videos are just as adorable as the games! They take the same cute characters and talk through some important lessons such as the golden rule, integrity, and gratitude. As much as these videos provide a gentle approach, they also provide realistic experiences that your child may experience. You can check out the videos offered at LuvBug Learning’s YouTube Channel.

Parental Dashboard – Proactive Parenting

The Parental Dashboard can be accessed easily on the app or desktop computer. This allows you to track learning and play requests as well as access parental controls. You as the parent can turn on/off certain video’s. Set time limits and adjust the age level.

The Parental Dashboard allows you to track progress your child is making in different social emotional topics. I would love to see this expanded on in the future.

What we Love about LuvBug Learning

First of all, we just love that there is finally an engaging program to teach social emotional topics. It touches on very hard but real subjects such as bullying. I love how gentle the approach is and that my daughter asks me to play, its not something I have to tell her to do. With over 150 social emotion lessons its something I can see us using a long time in our homeschool.

Interested to see and hear more about our experience? Check out this review video I made:

Interested in trying LuvBug Learning Out?

Discount Code – Use code LUVBUG5

  • $5/month on the annual plan.
  • Expires: Oct 15, 2022.
Try LuvBug Learning Today! use discount code: luvbug5
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BookShark Virtual – How to Use It In Your Homeschool

As a working, homeschooling mom of multiple kids- I am always looking for curriculum that helps, not hinders our homeschool. BookShark is one of my favorite curriculums as our family has a love for books and they do a lot of the heavy lifting for us parents.

I have used BookShark the traditional way which is great, but once I saw the new Virtual option, its opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

I was able to try out BookShark Virtual in our homeschool this year thanks to my on-going partnership with BookShark! They offered me a free virtual seat that we could use- as always any opinions expressed are my own.

What is BookShark Virtual?

BookShark Virtual, takes that BIG instructors guide and binder- and places it all in a device friendly online portal. That means you can access your BookShark schedule from your phone, tablet, or computer…….no more bulky binder!

This means, BookShark can go anywhere with you! Long car rides, doctor appts, even airplane rides.! Anywhere you can think of- because its all at your fingertips (just don’t forget your reading books).

Can BookShark Virtual help with Independence?

As children grow and change, I have to adjust how much time I dedicate to each child, with my oldest going into a 4th grade level, she is bridging to more independence. Being able to let her use BookShark Virtual this year allowed BookShark to turn into a more independent course. She can sign into her account, and it walks her through step by step what needs to be completed for the day.

It asks her discussion questions, has her practice map activities, and prompts her when its time to move on to the next item.

We still do the main course books together, because I am just a big fan of learning, but having this amazing tool gives me the break I need to spend more time with another child and lets my daughter complete activities more independently.

Once your child logs on to BookShark Virtual, they have a day by day guide broken down by the same sections you would see in the traditional instructor guide, once they click on the first activity, they will see more detail instructions one activity at a time.

Did I Mention – BookShark Virtual Can Go ANYWHERE?

The beautiful thing of homeschool is you aren’t bound to your home to learn. You can learn on a nature walk, a grandparents house, or even in an airplane! The BookShark virtual option allows you more flexibility as it can be accessed on any deceive!

As a working mom, I can have my daughter complete her lessons using BookShark Virtual while she is with her grandparents, and then log into my parent portal to review her answers and complete any needed grading. It truly can go anywhere!

Using BookShark Virtual

There are so many great resources from the BookShark team that teach you how to use BookShark Virtual and all the tips and tricks. I know I learned so much and keep learning each time I want those videos. I recommend trying it at least for a year to see how much it will help in your homeschool and f you want, create more independence for your child.

BookShark Virtual can be added on to any of their programs like Science and Language arts!

Check out Bookshark virtual here

Interest in learning more about BookShark in general? See my other content here: