Learning to read is such a huge milestone for our kids, but each one of them learns at a different rate. My girls were early on the learning to read road, but my oldest got held up along the way and taught me a very important lesson about parenting and teaching.

My son reading a Sonlight 3/4 American History book

Eager to see her move on with reading, to be independent with it, I pushed her too hard, and ended up turning her off of reading for a time (thankfully she LOVES to read now, but that’s another story.)

But the lesson I learned with Kate, I was adamant not to repeat with my other three children.

For my oldest son (now 11), we waited until he was 7 1/2, after he had achieved success in his speech therapy and when he was ready – emotionally and developmentally – to begin the process of learning to read. 

Within a year, he was reading at grade reading level.

From there, we worked on reading aloud from the McGuffey Readers, practicing to improve his articulation, his comprehension, and his confidence.  

And for the last year, he’s been reading through Sonlight’s 1 year American History study (Core 3+4) with no problems at all. The only challenge I have is sometimes he gets so involved in a story he doesn’t want to do anything else but read!

It’s a good problem to have.

But the reason I share this is because I know Kate’s story and have seen the results of patience and gentle persistence with my older son, I have complete confidence that my younger son (now 8 1/2) will eventually learn to read.  And I want to share that confidence with you, especially if you have a student who is struggling in their reading.

There is hope.

If you are patient, and diligent, and share the love of story with them, they will learn to read.

And that’s one of the beauties of homeschooling, we have the ability to wait, fill their minds with stories and language through audio books and reading aloud until the time comes where all the complexities of learning to read clicks for them, and it comes together.

Soon, you’ll have days like this (below), where all your child wants to do is read.

Reading for hours on end, just for the love of the story

If you are studying biology this year like we are, here’s a great way to reinforce those biology facts – with biology songs. 

Songs for Teaching has a whole page of biology songs to help reinforce those biology facts.

If you click on a song link, it’ll take you to a page that gives you the option to listen to the biology song and gives you the song lyrics written out.

There is also an option to buy the download or CD, so if you are having younger kids access the site, you may want to instruct them as to which button to click to listen to the songs.

The science songs page also include numerous biology-related songs, including life sciences, botany, and human physiology (anatomy).

As my daughter is on a mission to do a full year’s worth of high school biology in 2 months, we’re always on the look out for activities that reinforce her learning outside of the biology text book. You can bet, this site is going to be on her to-d0 list for next week!

Many thanks to Karri Fieglin for sharing this resource!

In this week’s podcast, my guest Janna Antenorcruz and I discuss the power of sharing your story and how it can impact  those around you.

Telling stories is an age old way of instilling lessons, communicating history and legacy, and connecting generations. But often we think only those stories that are published are worth sharing.

Where in reality, one of the most treasured gifts you can give is that of your story, the stories from your youth and the stories from your heart, the things have touched you and left their mark on you.

Inspired by her grandmother’s stories of growing up, my guest, Janna Antenorcruz, created  Mommy’s Piggy Tales, a wonderful, free project where mothers can have friendly accountability and encouragement to record the memories of their youth in just 12 weeks.

Within a just a few minutes of meeting Janna, I knew I had to share her and her project with you.  She has enthusiasm and a perpsective that I think you’ll enjoy and will touch your heart. 

Join us as Janna  and I discuss how the gift of stories we have recieved from others has impacted our lives, and share how powerful the exercise of writing down your own stories can be in your life and in others. 

To listen in, simply click the play button below. To download the recording to your computer, right click on download link below and choose ‘Save Target As’.

The Power of Sharing Your Story [ 56:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Enjoy!

…Shannon

P.S. To learn more about  about Janna’s free Record Your Youth project, visit MommysPiggyTales.com.  To learn more about the story prompts and  hard bound book options we dicussed, visit Janna’s link to CherishBound .

P.S.S. Prefer to read? Be sure to subscribe to our email list and I’ll be sure to let you know when the transcript for this episode is available.

Update: Be sure to check out Janna’s ebook: Share with Me: Someone NEEDS to Hear Your Story for more inspiration to share the stories of your life.