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Top 12 Educational Toys for Young Kids

Top 12 Educational Toys for Young Kids

by Melissa Droegemueller | Oct 28, 2021 | Learning At Home

Do your kids like toys? I bet they do! (Honestly, I love them, too.) In our family, we do a lot of learning through play, and we have quite a few educational toys around the house. Every year, I like to see which books and educational toys are most popular here on the...
7 Tips for the Introverted Homeschool Mom

7 Tips for the Introverted Homeschool Mom

by Melissa Droegemueller | Oct 8, 2021 | Learning At Home

Homeschooling can be exhausting, even for the most prepared, well-rested parent. Here are 7 tips for an introverted homeschool mom.  Are you an introverted parent considering homeschooling? Or maybe a new homeschooling parent who is tired (or grumpy) all the time? ...
Planning a New Homeschool Year

Planning a New Homeschool Year

by Melissa Droegemueller | Aug 10, 2021 | Homeschooling (Elementary School)

Planning a new homeschool year doesn’t have to be hard or complicated!   After a decade of homeschooling, this is my simple 4-step process to get ready for the first day of school. Get all of our learning at home resources — FREE in the Resource...
Favorite Homeschool Supplies for Elementary School

Favorite Homeschool Supplies for Elementary School

by Melissa Droegemueller | Jul 18, 2021 | Homeschooling (Elementary School)

It seems like Back to School season starts earlier and earlier every year, but I love school supplies! This year, I decided to grab the items I knew we needed while prices are low, before things get picked over. This is our last year with a child in elementary school,...
Learning Ancient History Through Literature

Learning Ancient History Through Literature

by Melissa Droegemueller | May 27, 2021 | Learning At Home

I had some truly wonderful history teachers throughout my years of schooling. Their collective gift for storytelling ignited a love for history that has continued to this day. With the help of the library and lots of traveling, I’ve been able to continue my studies as...
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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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Melissa Droegemueller
This time of year might be one of my favorites. I This time of year might be one of my favorites. It's getting down into the 60s each night, and my garden is finally starting to produce a tiny crop of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. (Our peas and green beans are done for the year.) I wake up each morning, open ALL the windows, and step out on the deck to say good morning to my plants. Then I come back inside with a full glass of ice water and sit down in my arm chair in the living room. Our tree in the front yard has gotten so much bigger this year, shielding my view from our next door neighbor and the street. There are a few yellow leaves already on the ground as a little sparrow jumps around looking for a snack. My oldest sings as she gets ready for the day while my youngest works on a LEGO build a few feet away. I grab my book and read a few pages before our school day officially starts with a read-aloud and some math. We are all tired and cranky by the end of the school day, but these delicious mornings are a gift. ♥️ 📷: Photo is a sunset at the lake around the corner a couple of Augusts ago. It always makes me happy when Google Photos sends me an "on this day" look back at something beautiful.
As we start our 11th year of homeschooling, I want As we start our 11th year of homeschooling, I want to remind myself that our kids are all unique -- comparisons and arbitrary grade-based expectations that our kids aren't ready for are actually counter-productive. We want to raise curious, imaginative kids who LOVE learning and want to continue their educational journey long after graduating from high school. Asynchronous learning (being "ahead" in some subjects and "behind" in others) is completely normal and developmentally-appropriate for children. Kids are meant to work *at their own pace*, not the pace being set by their peers, teachers, parents, or "experts" who've never met our children. If you need some encouragement as your kiddos start the school year, check out the podcast episode I recorded last August: https://rollingprairiereaders.com/episode2/ "Just like there is no one “right” path for a road trip, there is also no one RIGHT way to learn. There is only the right way for your child and your family. Every journey will be different because our children are all unique! But because of the way our education system is currently set up, many children are pushed into a learning structure that is not the best fit for them. And that’s where we come in as parents. We can inspire our kids to love learning by supporting their interests, empowering them to use their unique gifts to make a difference in the world, and encouraging them through difficult times — like frustrating concepts or teachers that aren’t the right fit. Great teachers — and great parents — strive to understand how a child learns best, so that they can find success in and out of the classroom." #learningathome #learnathome #homeschoollife #homeschoolersofinstagram #365homeschool #homeschoolblog #homeschoolfamily #thisishomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #homeschoolingmom #homeschoolmoms #homeschooling #intentionalmotherhood #thisismotherhood #motherhoodjourney #parenting #momlife #parentingwin #momentsinmotherhood #parentinggoals #raisingkids
Our favorite toy for FEELINGS? Flip Flop Faces fro Our favorite toy for FEELINGS? Flip Flop Faces from Discovery Toys! You get six (very durable!) colored bowls, each with a different face, and six matching bean bags. As you can see, we used them a LOT for color sorting, but we did also play bean bag toss frequently to build hand-eye coordination. I often paired the set with a plush 6-sided color die I found at a toy store when the kids were little. >>> (affiliate link) https://amzn.to/3bwlhAk Let's talk cost for a minute... I talk a LOT about buying toys that grow with our kids through different ages and stages. Most of our remaining learning toys have been in our collection for more than a decade -- the cheaper stuff has come and gone. One of the things I try to impart on my kids is cost PER USE. If we paid $40 for our Flip Flop Faces (and I honestly can't remember because we've had them for at least 11 years according to pictures) -- that breaks down to less that $4 per year. And sometimes you can luck out and find something great at a garage sale or consignment store! #homeschoolpreschool #preschoolathome #earlylearning101 #littlelearners #totschool #toddlerfun #toddlerlearning #preschoolplay #preschoolfun #earlyyearsideas #preschoollearning #preschoollife #preKathome #playbasedpreschool #toddleractivities #preschoolactivities #preKactivities #kidsactivities #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #playtolearn #playislearning #openendedplay #playingislearning #playmatters #learnandplay #wherelearningmeetsplay #learningisfun #letkidsplay #purposefilledplay
Tomorrow is our first day of school, and I think e Tomorrow is our first day of school, and I think everything is ready for the morning! ❤ I wanted to share a little bit of encouragement for any of you who are new to homeschooling or sending your kids to a brick and mortar school for the first time -- just take it one day at a time. And remember: your relationships with your kids are more important than schoolwork! Choose your battles wisely, and choose grace as often as possible. #learningathome #learnathome #homeschoollife #homeschoolersofinstagram #365homeschool #homeschoolfamily #thisishomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #homeschoolmoms #homeschooling #homeschoolpreschool #preschoolathome #littlelearners #totschool #prekathome #intentionalmotherhood #thisismotherhood #motherhoodjourney #parenting #momlife #slowdownmotherhood #momsofinstagram #respectfulparenting #happyfamily #raisinghappykids #parentingwin #momentsinmotherhood #parentinggoals #raisingkids #sahmlife
Are you teaching your toddlers, preschoolers, and Are you teaching your toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids about emotions? Why not grab some feelings books for kids from the library? No matter how old your children are, it’s important to build emotional intelligence skills consistently — and books are a great tool to do that. Check out this list of 15 feelings books for kids of all ages: https://rollingprairiereaders.com/15-feelings-books-for-kids/ #raisingreaders #littlebookworms #readeveryday #readingisfun #picturebookoftheday #readingwithkids #picturebookstagram #readaloud #readaloudfamily #readtome #readersofinstagram #whatwearereading #kidsbooks #kidlit #learningathome #learnathome #homeschoollife #homeschoolersofinstagram #365homeschool #homeschoolblog #homeschooling #homeschoolpreschool #preschoolathome #earlylearning101 #littlelearners #totschool #preschoollife #preKathome #growthmindset #emotionalintelligence
It's been a very productive season around here! I It's been a very productive season around here! I took the summer break to work through each of our (many) bookshelves around the house -- mending, dusting, sorting, and donating as we went. (Swipe to see!) I also bought and built two NEW shelves: one for my room and one for the living room (not pictured). Personally, I like having some open space on my shelves to make room for new additions throughout the year. 🙂 We also got about 75% through the toy collection down in the basement, but I think we'll need to finish that up during the winter months. #learningathome #learnathome #homeschoollife #homeschoolersofinstagram #365homeschool #homeschoolblog #homeschoolfamily #thisishomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #homeschoolingmom #homeschoolmoms #homeschooling #whatwerereadingwednesday #raisingreaders #littlebookworms #readeveryday #readingisfun #picturebookoftheday #readingwithkids #picturebookstagram #readaloud #readaloudfamily #readtome #readersofinstagram #whatwearereading #kidsbooks #kidlit #homeschoolpreschool #preschoolathome #preKathome
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