Our Favorite Books for Little Ones

My little kids love to be read to. One of our 2 year old's favorite sayings right now is, "Read! Read?" as he brings over a book and climbs up into your lap. Wyatt loves to read too and even takes delight in listening to what I call the "in between" books for our family when we read aloud in the evenings. ("In between books" are the chapter books that my little ones couldn't sit through if we attempted to read more than one or two chapters at a time but a book that Wyatt could read himself in one short afternoon.)
I thought I'd share some of our little ones favorites as I always love to get ideas for good books from other moms. There really are too many fluff books for little ones out there- not to mention ones that are drawn out and honestly a bore to read.

Keep in mind that my little ones are 2, 3 and 4 so this list is geared towards those ages, or certainly younger. I hope that this list inspires you!

Regular Read alouds:

A Dragon In A Wagon
Blueberries for Sal

The Little House
God's Wisdom for Little Girls (and Little Boys)

All of My First Little House Books

Shape Capers
My First Oxford Book of Poems
Cowboy Small
Harold and the Purple CrayonLet's Grow A Garden

Anything from Beatrix Potter

Chapter Books:

My Side of the Mountain

The Courage of Sarah Noble

Any of the Little House Books

Sarah Plain and Tall

Books for the holidays:

Patty's Pumpkin Patch (mentions Halloween, but limited to 1 page)

The Thanksgiving Story

A Corgiville Christmas

A Little House Christmas

I buy most of our books off of Amazon.com and 80% of the time buy them used. If I am placing a large book order then buying new sometimes works out to be less expensive if I qualify for free shipping on my order. I have also loved using Christianbook.com for books for the entire family and some of our our home education books.

Books make the most wonderful gifts for little ones, since I'm sure most of you are thinking towards Christmas now. If you have some favorite books you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your day today be filled with the blessings of friends and family!

Happy Thanksgiving.

A Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...it's already just after 8am but it is dark and gray outside. The forecast today is heavy rain/wind. At least the Maple trees are a cheery shade of autumn even if the rest of the world looks like winter

I am thinking...that I have a lot to get ready before my parents arrive this afternoon

I am thankful...for creation. What an amazing God we serve, that He could speak this wonderful beauty into existence

From the learning rooms...Thanksgiving studies, crafts and books

In the kitchen...sliced homestead raised ham for breakfast along with homemade raspberry jam on toast and this afternoon I'll make a new cheesecake with toffee

I am wearing...an old jean skirt with a grey t-shirt

I am creating...a apron for my mom and a table runner for my mother in law

I am going...to be cleaning the house today!

I am wondering... how many emergency storm calls will come in today with trees down

I am reading...Having a Mary Spirit and Memories of Mark Twain and Steve Gillis

I am hoping...that my parents don't get sick with the cold that we've all had for a couple weeks now

I am looking forward to... a cozy warm fire and baking Christmas cookies- starting Friday!

I am hearing...the sound of Mason and Timber playing with Legos. Wyatt and Layton went to work with daddy this morning

Around the house...laundry and cleaning out the pig barn

I am pondering...possibly opening up a new Etsy shop. I really have to pray about that one!

One of my favorite things... having my entire family cozy in the living room after dinner on a cold, rainy night

A few plans for the rest of the week... a Thanksgiving feast with family, visiting with my parents, and finishing up some sewing

A picture thought... oh the imagination and mind of a child....

Winter is near

The days of fall are quickly coming to an end as the rain sets in , the trees are getting more and more bare, and Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Soon it will be winter.

This fall has been a wonderful time for us here at the homestead we have butchered pigs and bucks, chopped LOTS of firewood, spent time with homeschool friends, picked out pumpkins, baked new goodies, celebrated birthdays, planted garlic, tried our hand at smoking pork, finished up most of the canning for the year and even made time to sew! Here are a few pictures to recap our fall.

{Special pumpkins}

{Tree climbing}

{Mason turned 2!}

{Timber's new skirt}

{Timber's new jumper that ended up looking like a pillow case!}

{ Playing in the leaves}

{ Outdoor School with our homeschool group}

{Scarecrow parties}

{Bucks}

{Wyatt turned 14 and got a laptop for his birthday!}

{Smoking pork}

This Thanksgiving we won't be eating a home raised turkey. I only purchased one hen this year and about 3 months into her stay, she died. We couldn't afford the cost of purchasing another chick so we ended up buying our turkey from Azure this year. Organic turkeys have to be one of the most uneconomical animals to raise. Has that been your experience too?

If I don't get to check in again before Thanksgiving, I pray that yours is a blessed one this year! We truly have so much to be thankful for.

"Oh give thanks unto the Lord for He is good." Psalm 118:1

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" Ephesians 5:20

A Wonderful Homestead Giveaway!

Daniel and Abby Jo over at Forgotten Way Farms are having an absolutely wonderful giveaway that you WILL NOT want to miss!
Giveaway HERE.

A Pumpkin Unit Study

I love pumpkins.
I always have. I always will.

I don't know how I came to love them but I do and I have since as far back as I can remember. Really, I used to hug pumpkins. But that was in those weird teenage years. I don't hug them anymore but I do still love them.

When I saw this post on Growing Up Homeschooled I knew what we had to do. Pumpkins. An entire week devoted to them. Normally I don't choose the topics that my children "study" so precisely. We try to fall somewhere in the learning realm of Charlotte Mason. I lean towards unit studies and a little bit of unschooling too.





If you're interested in doing a pumpkin study here are some great resources that I have found. One of the greatest things is that a pumpkin study can be done at any time in the fall. This is not a Halloween study or a Thanksgiving study, it's simply about the pumpkins!

Growing Up Homeschooled Free Pumpkin Unit Lesson Plan

Growing Up Homeschooled Pinterest Fall Learning Page

The Virtual Vine Pumpkins Aplenty

Moments of Mommyhood Pumpkin Pie Spice Playdough

Hostess with the Mostess Paper Pumpkin Ornaments

Devotions in Motion Pumpkin Devotion

Almost Unschoolers Pumpkin Shaker

Craftaholics Anonymous Mini Paper Pumpkins

University of Ill. Pumpkin Facts

2 Teaching Mommies Pumpkin Study (this is one of my FAVORITES!!)

Here are some of the books we've read this week....

Patty's Pumpkin Patch

I Know It's Autumn

From Seed to Pumpkin

The Pumpkin Blanket

We have one more day in our pumpkin study (tomorrow) and we'll be reading, baking pumpkin bars, coloring a pumpkin picture, and making the play dough (that's the one craft that my kids have been looking forward to all. week. long.)

Have fun!