Freebies we've used this week: 4/29/16

The other day I started writing this totally great blog post about some of my favorite free resources around the web, but then it occurred to me how much better it would be to show you all the great stuff I'm finding instead of just the treasure troves. So from now on, if I use any freebies, I'll share them here and let you know what I thought.

I'm currently teaching Quinn (5) to read using This Reading Mama's Reading the Alphabet program. We work entirely at her pace, but she is extremely motivated and wants to practice several times a day. We worked through lesson 20 (the -ot family), lesson 21 (Qq), and lesson 22 (Jj) this week. To accommodate her rapid pace, we skip part of the activities. Quinn always uses the books, rhyming words, sight word activities, and syllable count.




Zeke and I are reviewing some word families right now, so I found these free readers from This Reading Mama. I printed the readers in black and white on regular paper and they are still cute. The freebies also include three extra pages of coordinating activities. I printed them all off, because I'll use them with Quinn soon.

Zeke is working on blends with his speech therapist, so I pulled out these blend cards from The Measured Mom. I like that they force the child to isolate and really think about the blend sound. The cards come in color, but I printed them in black and white to save on ink. Sometimes, I go through all of the cards and other times, I only grab 10 or so.


What freebies have you used or discovered this week?

Funny Bunny: a review

Funny Bunny is a fun and simple game designed for children and their families.
We were given a copy of Funny Bunny in exchange for an honest review.
My husband put together this video to show how the game is played and why he likes it.

Here are my thoughts:
Who should play this game?: 
Funny Bunny is marketed as a 5+ game, but younger kids can play too. My 2 year old loves it, but doesn't always sit through a whole game. My 3 year old will sit down with my 5 year old and play this several times in a row. Our 7 year old enjoys playing too, but likes to change games more frequently

What does it teach?
Funny Bunny works on counting, motor skill, following directions, and taking turns. The carrot is challenging enough that my two year old cannot twist it, but easy enough that my three and a half year old can. The spaces are just slightly bigger than the bunny bases, so it does take a small amount of concentration for little ones to place them correctly.

I love that my kids love this game. I like that the classic move-a-pawn-around-the-board game has found a more interesting board. I appreciate that this game allows for strategy and luck. Players can choose how many bunnies are in play, but only need one to be the winner.


Have you played Funny Bunny? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Our Homeschool Routine

Before starting homeschool, I had this idea that school had to start bright and early each morning at precisely the same time...just like public school. It took me about a week and a half to realize that my vision of everyone up and eating at seven, so we could be dressed and ready to learn by eight o'clock was a bit ambitious.

After some trial and error, my kids and I settled into a routine that has us getting up and eating breakfast around 8:00 am and starting in on school work by about 9:00. I tried doing a morning circle time, but it didn't work well for my kids. They kept getting distracted and wandering off, so we get right into our work instead and sprinkle circle time things in as they fit.

I separate my first grader's studies into three or four groups that are divided by breaks of varying length. Each group consists of 3-4 tasks that he can choose the order of. Today's schedule went as follows:

• math worksheet, math game, Star Wars Reading workbook, Star Wars Writing workbook
• 20 minute break 
• Mom's choice book, 2 related activities, sight words game
• 30 minute break
• review European landmarks, nocturnal animals lesson and activity, free choice reading for 15 minutes

His 5 year old sister has her own lessons for math and reading, but they are learning about animals and geography together.  Quinn (5) usually starts her reading lesson while Zeke is working on his math worksheet, works with me on her math during his first break, then takes a break until it's time for group lessons.

If Zeke (7) works diligently, we can all finish by lunch. After lunch we have a quiet time. Sometimes, Zeke will do his reading during quiet time, but other than that I try to keep it a time for everyone to just relax. The rest of our day is spent playing, watching PBS, reading, singing, and going for walks.

What does your daily routine look like? Do you prefer to complete tasks one right after another or do you like to have regular breaks?

Homeschooling: we've made the switch

You may have noticed some crickets from my tiny spaces on the internet and it's for good reason. We are now a homeschooling family, and for the past year my thoughts have been consumed by all things pertaining to this transition for our family. At this point, I feel like I have a decent handle on things and have learned enough that I have the time to share with others. The focus of this blog is shifting a bit from budgeting in the kitchen to budgeting in basic family and homeschool life.

My children while out for a walk.

So if you're looking for ways to stretch your budget, resources to teach your kids, or tips and reviews to make sure you're spending those hard earned dollars wisely; stick around, because I'm back and have lots of new ideas.