More About Our Literature Kits Homeschool Language Arts Course
Welcome to Literature Kits homeschool language arts units! There is a place for worksheets, but literature doesn’t reside there. It should be experienced. Talked about. Read out loud. Written about (okay, maybe begrudgingly at times). Tasted (nothing helps one experience a book like indulging in the treats the character is relishing) and explored. With that in mind, the lesson designer emphasizes verbal interaction and hands-on experiences versus completing multiple worksheets.
Living books breathe life into homeschool language arts lessons. A unit study or literature kit shouldn’t suffocate it.
For example, the year Ms. Schultz, the designer of these literature kits, taught California History to her children, she didn’t use a textbook for her history curriculum. Instead she bought and borrowed mounds of books about that time period—both fiction and non-fiction—and her family read together. A lot. Some of her children’s favorite memories from that year involved reading By the Great Horn Spoon and Treasures in the Stream aloud. When Praiseworthy and Jack rounded Cape Horn, her children grabbed the huge map of the world from their map stash, unrolled it on the floor, and proceeded to lie on their bellies, discussing the length of the journey in a ship compared to a car or plane trip in the present time period. They talked about how far their city is from the gold mining areas (not far), as well as a myriad of other map-related subjects, and her husband shared a story about his trip to Panama while he was in the Navy. Later they visited the train museum in Old Town Sacramento which had loads of information about the Gold Rush, and they toured Sutter’s Fort. Her son’s 8th birthday party concluded their study of that era. They chose a ’49ers theme, and all of the food, games, and activities centered on the Gold Rush. All of the children enjoyed themselves, and it was a great way to finish a history lesson. They remember far more about that time period than the times the family used a textbook and little else.
Her hope is that these literature kits help ignite homeschooling for other families and that homeschool families enjoy special moments together as they read these books. In addition, her desire is to provide tools to assist homeschool parents in developing in their children a love of good literature; teaching them critical thinking skills; expanding their knowledge of the Bible, history, geography, and other subjects; developing their writing abilities; “traveling” as a family to fascinating times and places; creating fun art projects; and experiencing different foods and flavors.
When browsing these homeschool language arts literature kits, remember they are there to inspire and energize, not to overwhelm. If a suggestion feels heavy like toting heavy boulders around the backyard, move on; choose the next thing on the list. The goal is to help homeschool students grow in their knowledge and understanding of multiple subjects, and the more excited and motivated parents are, the more that will pour out and affect their children.
Depending on the length of the book, elementary homeschool students may cover one chapter and sometimes more. Each of the suggested activities is categorized by subject (i.e., language arts). Many of these suggestions can be applied to other chapters and books.
So go! Print out the week’s suggestions, fix a pot of tea, gather children around the table or allow them to fling themselves around the living room, and read to them. Don’t be afraid of the occasional interruption for questions or discussions. Sometimes stopping mid-chapter to look up things that pique their interest is a good thing. Gauge the children. If they are fidgety and seem bored, grab a suggested activity that may interest them (i.e., getting the map and finding out where the story takes place, etc.), but don’t overwhelm them or have them begging to stop. Leave them wanting more, and times together will be memorable and sweet.
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