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Teach Kids to be Self-Sufficient and Responsible

Teach Kids to be Self-Sufficient and Responsible

by Melissa Droegemueller | Jul 8, 2020 | Child Development

How do we teach kids to be self-sufficient and responsible? I asked Tricia Davidson, productivity coach, to share some of her top tips for families. Do you ever find yourself swamped with things to do, rushing from activity to activity, and realizing that your...
Toy Rotation Categories (+ Our FAVORITE Toys!)

Toy Rotation Categories (+ Our FAVORITE Toys!)

by Melissa Droegemueller | Feb 4, 2020 | Learning At Home

Six years ago, in January 2014, our tiny two-bedroom apartment was overrun with toys. Our two girls, ages 5 and 2 at the time, seemed overwhelmed with all their choices — and I was tired of cleaning up all day long. Things had to change! I decided to try a toy...
Summer Learning for Kids {FREE Printables}

Summer Learning for Kids {FREE Printables}

by Melissa Droegemueller | May 28, 2019 | Learning At Home, Seasonal Fun, Summer Activities

Summer is here! Are you ready? These practical tips about summer learning for kids will help you set up a season full of fun, hands-on play. Whether you have toddlers, preschoolers, or school-age kids, you can make this summer the best one yet! Name Your Why Are you a...
Creating a Preschool at Home Schedule

Creating a Preschool at Home Schedule

by Melissa Droegemueller | Jan 22, 2019 | Preschool at Home

This month only, join our FREE Preschool at Home Facebook group, where we’ll have daily conversation starters, weekly Q&A sessions, and lots of free resources. Click here to join us. If you are just starting out on your learning at home journey, you might be...
How to Create a Homeschool Schedule for a New School Year

How to Create a Homeschool Schedule for a New School Year

by Melissa Droegemueller | Jul 19, 2018 | Homeschooling (Elementary School), Preschool at Home

Are you a new homeschooling mom? Maybe you are considering preschool at home or you have decided to homeschool your Kindergarten or 1st grade student. It can be overwhelming: from curriculum to to socialization, everyone has an opinion.  Creating a flexible, effective...
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Melissa Droegemueller | Rolling Prairie Readers

About Melissa

I am an elementary school teacher–turned–homeschooling mom with over 13 years experience working with babies through 4th graders. I believe in making learning FUN for ALL kids.

Around here, we are passionate about learning through play, chasing adventures, and good books!

Our mission is to create a community of lifelong learners where parents inspire and empower their children to follow their passions and use their unique gifts to make the world a better place.

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  • Toy Rotation Categories (+ Our FAVORITE Toys!)
    Toy Rotation Categories (+ Our FAVORITE Toys!)
  • 13 Desert Books for Kids
    13 Desert Books for Kids
  • 100 Hands-On Activities for Tactile Learners
    100 Hands-On Activities for Tactile Learners
  • Visiting De Smet, South Dakota - Ingalls Homestead and Tour
    Visiting De Smet, South Dakota - Ingalls Homestead and Tour
  • 10 Simple Learning Activities: Straw Pieces
    10 Simple Learning Activities: Straw Pieces
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    Early Literacy Tips for Parents of Babies | Video Training
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    Rocky Ridge Farm: a Laura Ingalls Wilder site in Mansfield, Missouri

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Melissa Droegemueller
For the past several years, we have done "family s For the past several years, we have done "family space camp" at home during the month of July. One year, we worked through the entire 'From the Earth to the Moon" series from our library. Another year, I bought an Astronaut Academy workbook and did many of the activities together. This year -- not in July -- we took a family field trip to the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Our tour guide was pretty impressed with our kids' ability to answer his questions about the Apollo program and the future of space exploration. 😉 Enjoy this look at one of three remaining Saturn V rockets -- I was mesmerized. #learningathome #learnathome #homeschoollife #homeschoolersofinstagram #365homeschool #homeschoolblog #homeschoolfamily #thisishomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #homeschoolingmom #homeschoolmoms #homeschooling #simplechildhood #enchantedchildhood #intentionalmotherhood #thisismotherhood #motherhoodjourney #parenting #momlife #slowdownmotherhood #joyfulmamas #kidsforreal #momsofinstagram #momsoninstagram #happyfamily #raisinghappykids #parentingwin #momentsinmotherhood #parentinggoals #raisingkids
Almost July already? Where has the time gone? I'm Almost July already? Where has the time gone? I'm still working on packing away last year's materials and cleaning out the bookshelves, but I did plan out the first semester of my 9th grader's British literature course this weekend -- we're both VERY excited to dig into some classics. We have just five and a half weeks until the new school year. Better get back to planning! :)
SUMMER YES LIST FOR THE WIN! My kids are both ear SUMMER YES LIST FOR THE WIN! My kids are both early risers -- something they did not get from either of their parents. 😉 When I got up this morning, both of them had gotten dressed, eaten breakfast, done their chores, and were happily entertaining themselves with pre-approved activities. My oldest was diligently working on her novel, while my youngest was playing with her kinetic sand. She got everything out independently (remembering to use a tray!), made a variety of "desserts" for her pretend bakery -- and when she was done, she cleaned everything up without any help from me, including sweeping under the table! Yes, it took a lot of practice to get to this point -- but boy, is it worth it now. I don't especially care for messy play, but my child DOES, and she's shown me that she's responsible enough to choose her own activities from our "yes list" all summer long. ❤ You can see the kinetic sand set we have here: {affiliate link} https://amzn.to/3OsIIbt #learningathome #learnathome #homeschoollife #homeschoolersofinstagram #365homeschool #homeschoolblog #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolingmom #homeschooling #kidsactivities #homeschoolingideas #sensoryplayideas #sensorylearning #sensoryactivity #sensoryactivities #messyplay #tactileplay #handsonlearning #handsonactivities #finemotorskills #looseparts #kidsforreal #momsofinstagram #raisinghappykids #parentingwin #momentsinmotherhood #playmatters #letkidsplay #purposefilledplay #simpleplay
It is our first full week of summer vacation, and It is our first full week of summer vacation, and I am ecstatic! This school year seemed SO LONG, and I am very ready to do absolutely nothing for as long as I possibly can...which means I lasted until about 10 a.m. before I started making a summertime to-do list. Y'all. I know I can not be the only adult who grew up with a productivity = self-worth mindset. I have the hardest time sitting still without feeling guilty. Over the weekend, I was talking with my husband about my plans for the week, and I told him I wanted to start planning the first 6-8 weeks of our homeschool lessons so I'm "less stressed" in the fall. (The look he gave me. 😂) I will be stressed in the fall whether I plan out our lessons or not. NO MATTER WHAT. Melissa = stressed. It's embedded in my DNA. So, I might as well take some time to rest and relax this summer whenever I can turn my brain off for a while. Rest is not a reward. I don't have to prove anything to anyone...especially myself. #intentionalmotherhood #thisismotherhood #motherhoodjourney #parenting #momlife #slowdownmotherhood #joyfulmamas #kidsforreal #momsofinstagram #momsoninstagram #respectfulparenting #happyfamily #raisinghappykids #parentingwin #momentsinmotherhood #parentinggoals #raisingkids #sahmlife #growthmindset #emotionalintelligence #learningathome #learnathome #homeschoollife #homeschoolersofinstagram #365homeschool #homeschoolblog #homeschoolfamily #thisishomeschool #homeschoolingmom #homeschooling
Recently, as I began to choose our curriculum for Recently, as I began to choose our curriculum for next year, I realized we’ve never done an “official” early US history course together. We’ve spent a lot of time learning about the American Revolution, thanks to the Liberty’s Kids series. We’ve also discussed different time periods of American history on our travels around the United States. (Just last month, we went to Fort Moultrie in Charleston, located just a few miles away from Fort Sumter. On the same trip, we visited both the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln in Kentucky and his final resting place in Illinois. These real-world learning experiences are one of our family’s favorite ways to homeschool.) My kids also love to read, so they’ve gleaned a lot of historical facts from Jenny L. Cote’s fiction series, the American Girl books, and Dan Gutman’s Flashback Four books. Still, I knew it was time to work through a complete US history curriculum to fill in some of the gaps. For the past two school years, we have used literature-based history curriculum. We’ve covered modern US and world history (starting with the Civil War) and ancient history. This coming year, my 6th grader will be working her way through Sonlight’s History/Bible/Literature D: Intro to American History, Year 1 of 2. You can read why @sonlightcurriculum is the perfect fit for our rising 6th grader at this point in our homeschooling journey: https://rollingprairiereaders.com/elementary-american-history #learningathome #learnathome #homeschoollife #homeschoolersofinstagram #365homeschool #homeschoolblog #homeschoolfamily #thisishomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #homeschoolingmom #homeschoolmoms #homeschooling #sonlightstories #whatwerereadingwednesday #raisingreaders #littlebookworms #readeveryday #readingisfun #readaloud #readaloudfamily #readtome #whatwearereading #kidsbooks #kidlit
Summer already?! Wasn't it *just* winter? (It was Summer already?! Wasn't it *just* winter? (It was. Apparently we got one week of spring here in Iowa -- and it might have been the exact same week we were on our national parks road trip.) Anyhoo, my kids are very excited about their upcoming break -- there will be lots of uninterrupted reading, writing, and LEGO-building while I lesson-plan for next school year. After many years, my kids have gotten quite good at entertaining themselves -- and I think our flexible family schedule has a lot to do with it. They know which activities happen like clockwork (meals! quiet time!) and how to fill all those other pockets of time with YES activities. (Those are the ones they have ongoing permission to do, so they don't have to ask every day.) They also know that they need to get their chores done before they hop on their screens, which is a great motivator -- and bonus, I don't have to nag! We will probably brainstorm a big list of family activity ideas, too. Lately we've been listening to audiobooks in the evenings and working on a puzzle together, but we also had an impromptu water fight in the yard the other night and it's reminded me I need to be a bit more spontaneous, too. If you need ideas, check out this summer planning resource: https://rollingprairiereaders.com/summer-schedule/
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