One of our new favorite birthday traditions is giving the birthday kid a small gift each day for 12 days leading up to their birthday. It is inspired by the 12 days of Christmas and we all love it!
I did a post a few months ago about what gifts I got for Parker for her birthday. Each of her sisters are getting basically the same gifts for their 12 days, but Oliver (being a lot younger and a boy) is getting quite a different set of gifts.
Today I am sharing what we’re doing for Oliver’s 12 Days this year!
Day 1: Cake Mix with Frosting and Sprinkles
This one is actually the same as his sisters. We did a cake mix that they get to make (obviously I will be helping Oliver since he’s so small). We don’t buy cake mixes basically ever and the kids love making treats in the kitchen, so it’s a fun and simple gift!
Day 2: Baby Garage Truck
Oliver has a big garbage truck that he got with his birthday money last year. He loves to push it around, ride on it, and put things in it. He also loves having one small and one big thing (of anything), he calls them the Mommy and the baby. I know he is going to love having a “baby” garbage truck to play with.
It actually ended up being a bit bigger than I thought it would be (I’m terrible at telling things like that when shopping online) but I still think he’ll love it.
Day 3: Candy
I always love to devote at least a few days to treats and candy. I like to go to the dollar store and pick out some of the child’s favorite candy.
Day 4: Cement Truck
Oliver is all things trucks and tractors right now and I love it! He loves seeing cement trucks and has wanted a toy one for a while. It also has the added benefit of being a decoration for his birthday party!
Day 5: Customized Tractor T-shirt
I might be more excited about this one than Oliver will be, but I know he’ll love it. I think this shirt is adorable and I love that it is customizable. I think Oliver will like the tractor on it, but I also think that he’ll be excited that it has his name on it when we show him that.
Day 6: Candy
Another candy day! I know Oliver will be excited for more treats.
Day 7: Toy Car Carrier
Oliver got a toy car carrier for Christmas last year and played with it until it broke. This one seems pretty sturdy, and I know it will get a lot of use!
Day 8: Tractor Book
I did a drawing book for all of his sisters and had one picked out for Oliver, but it never came. I know he’ll love a book about tractors though.
Day 9: Candy
Another candy day!
Day 10: Star Pillow
I did a star pillow for all the girls, and I think Oliver will like having one that matches his sisters.
Day 11: Twinkies
Twinkies are another thing we pretty much never buy that the kids all love. I did Twinkies in all the girls’ 12 days as well and I know Oliver will love it.
Day 12: Toy Forklift
I saved this for the last day because I think this is the one he will be most excited for! There is a house being built next door to us and Oliver saw them using a forklift a few months ago. Ever since then, he has loved forklifts and has wanted his own toy one. This one is cute because it comes with a couple toys that the forklift can actually lift. I know Oliver will love it!
What are some of your favorite birthday traditions? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
I had a pretty good reading month in June! I had a lot of reads I really enjoyed and a few that I loved!
I read 19 books in June and 6699 pages, for an average of 353 pages per book. I read 11 books by female authors and 8 books by male authors. I borrowed 6 books and owned 13 of the books I read. I read 5 physical copies, 4 eBooks, and 10 audiobooks. Of the books I read, 5 were rereads and 14 were new reads. I read 8 middle grades, 5 YA, and 7 adult books. I started 2 series and finished 0 (and read 5 books that were part of a series). I read 11 of the 15 books on my monthly TBR and 4 books on my yearly TBR (of 33). I read 6 five star reads, 10 four star reads, 3 three star reads, and 0 two or one star reads.
Today, I wanted to share my top 5 favorite books from the month of June!
Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
This romcom meets cozy mystery was really fun to read! As far as the mystery it went, it was fairly predictable, but still fun to see the characters figure it out and their relationship was very engaging!
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
I’m always very wary of books that are trying to write further from other (beloved) characters. In this case, I thought she did a great job staying true to the characters and it was really fun seeing a happy ending for Mary and how she got there.
This is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick
This nonfiction book talked about the importance of finding belonging in a community and different ways you could do that right where you are at. While I didn’t feel like I was the target audience of the book, I found the research very interesting and came away with a greater desire to be more invested in my community and reach out to my neighbors more.
Black Coffee by Agatha Christie
This Agatha Christie was originally a play and was adapted to novel format by Charles Osborne. Because of that, the writing can sometimes feel a little stilted, but the characters and mystery are still on point, and I had a lot of fun reading it.
A Game of Hearts by Joanna Barker
This was my favorite book this month (and will probably end up being one of my favorites this year!). This regency romance had a really great hate-to-love relationship with a marriage of convenience during the second half that was really fun to read. I loved the characters and the relationships they had with each other throughout.
These were some fun reads in June and I’d highly recommend them! What were some of your favorite reads in June? What is a book you’ve recently read that you just loved? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Sarah Adams has been a favorite author of mine since I picked up her first book. I found Sarah Adams when she was writing her regency novels. When she came out with her first rom com, I read it and loved it and was hooked! I’ve read every one of her novels since except her newest book, The Rule Book (because it’s open door and I personally don’t read those).
I’ve loved all of the books I’ve read by her! They have all been 4 or 5 stars for me. Today I wanted to share how I rate her books, going from my least favorite to my favorite.
Practice Makes Perfect
While this is my least favorite of her books, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the characters and setting and she always writes amazing chemistry in the romance.
One reason this isn’t my favorite of her books is because it is heavily focused on the fact that the love interest has tattoos–I know that’s a big selling point for some people, but it isn’t really a thing for me, so I didn’t click with it. Another reason it was not my favorite is because it pushed the bounds on a “closed-door” romance for me more than any of her others (and in fact, she added an optional open-door epilogue after publication). The thing that bothered me the most was that the characters slept together without committing to each other and it has a more descriptive lead up scene to that. I still enjoyed the book overall, but because of those things, it was less enjoyable to me and made it my least favorite of her books.
When in Rome
This is the prequel to Practice Makes Perfect and is one of her latest books. One of my favorite things about Sarah Adams’ books is her characters and I really liked the main character in this one. The sexual content in this book (although it is closed door) did bother me some and for some reason, it didn’t click for me as much as some of her others. Like the previous book, though, it was still a solid 4-star read for me.
The Cheat Sheet
This was a fun book, with great characters and really fun friendships (especially within the football team). It wasn’t my favorite of her books as I’m not really into sports or football and the plot dragged a little more for me.
The Temporary Roomie
One thing I love about all of Sarah Adams’ books are her female leads–I think I love every single one of them, including the one this one book! They have such fun and individual personalities and are very relatable. I found myself laughing out loud with her throughout the book. I also loved the focus on pregnancy in this one. The plot didn’t leave as much of an impression for me, but I rated it 5 stars and really loved reading it!
To Con a Gentleman (and her other regency romance books)
Before Sarah Adams wrote rom coms, she wrote two regency romances as well as a novella, all connected. I very much enjoyed the characters and romance in these, as well as how clean they are (since they are regency).
While I love her regency books, I really fell in love Sarah Adams as an author when I read her first rom com. She really has a gift for rom coms!
The Match
This was Sarah Adams’ first rom com and it was a true delight to read! I loved the main characters, their chemistry, and the deeper plot surrounding her epilepsy and his daughter. It was still a fun, light read, but it was nice to have that depth to the characters. I loved the book from beginning to end and it got me hooked on reading rom coms!
The Enemy
This is the sequel to The Match and my number one favorite book by Sarah Adams! I loved everything about it, from the donuts to the characters to the romance to the relationship between the female main character and her mom. It is probably my favorite rom com I’ve ever read. And while (like I said before) I like every female lead Sarah Adams wrote, this one was my favorite. I loved her quirkiness and individuality and just loved reading her story!
Have you read any books by Sarah Adams? Which were your favorite/least favorite? I’d love to hear about them even (or especially) if your opinion differs from mine!
I had a fun reading month in May, really enjoying a lot of the books I read! I read 16 books and 5,825 pages for an average of 364 pages per book. Of the books I read, 9 were by female authors and 7 were by male authors. I borrowed 6 books and owned 10 of them. I read 1 physical book, 8 eBooks, and 7 audiobooks. I had 5 rereads and 11 new reads. I read 4 middle grade books, 4 YA books, and 8 adult books. I read 5 books that are part of a series, starting 1 series and finishing 1 series. I read 12 of the 15 books on my May TBR and I read 1 book on my yearly TBR (of 33 books). I read 10 five star reads, 2 four star reads, 2 three star reads, 2 two star reads, and 0 one star reads.
Today I am sharing my favorite books from May!
The Clocks by Agatha Christie
This was a fun Poirot, with great side characters and an engaging mystery. I always look forward to my Agatha Christie read of the month.
Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen
This is a middle grade historical fiction set in Russia-occupied Lithuania. It follows the underground network of book smugglers and a young girl named Audra. I loved the characters in the book, the focus on words and books, and the themes of courage and family/nation identity.
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
This was my second book by Sarah Addison Allen and I absolutely loved it! The characters immediately drew me in and I loved watching the relationships grow between them. The twist is fairly predictable, but I think that’s what the author was going for. The ending was very satisfying for me.
The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud
This was the final book of the Lockwood and Co series. I loved each book in the series more than the last and really enjoyed the final installment. I was so sad to leave the characters and story, but the ending was just what I wanted!
Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer
This was another book in a series, the second in the Defy the Night series. It was a fun sequel. I really liked seeing more off the characters and the way it set up for the final book.
Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
The last couple of months, I’ve been rereading the Wax and Wayne series. I finished off Shadows of Self and also read The Bands of Mourning and The Lost Metal. While I like the original Mistborn trilogy more, I love this series and seeing the way all the characters grow so much. I also love Steris. I really relate to her and I love how I don’t like her in the first book and by the last book, she becomes my favorite character.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Another reread this month was listening to Princess Academy with my girls (ages 9, 7, and 5). It took them a little to get into it, but they ended up loving it! The audio production was great, with singing and different voice actors.
I loved some of my reads in May! It is always fun to find a series you just love and also to revisit some old favorites. One of my favorite things is sharing my old favorites with my kids (especially when they end up loving it too!).
What did you read in May? What is a book you’ve read recently that you loved? I would love to hear about it in the comments!
I have always love birthdays! My mom did a lot when I was growing up to make my birthday special each year and it’s a joy as a mother to do the same for my children.
Today I’m sharing some of our birthday traditions with our kids.
Decorations
Each year, I let my kids pick a theme for their birthday decorations. We’ve had themes like dinosaurs and bugs to princesses and mermaids. I get balloons, streamers, and a birthday banner. Then I print off coloring pages in that theme that the kids color and cut out before we hang them up. I try to get these all up the night before after the kids are in bed, so they wake up on their birthday to a decorated house.
I also decorate the table, but we don’t do that until it’s time for cake and ice cream with family. I always get a plastic tablecloth and then try to find some toys or decorations that match their theme.
Donuts
We love to start the morning off with donuts. I will often make fry donuts but we also have a local donut shop that we love to order donuts from. Donuts are not something we do often, so they really make the birthday special!
Measure the birthday child
We use the inside doorframe of our pantry to keep track of each child’s height on each birthday. They always love seeing how much they’ve grown each year.
Birthday Date
When my oldest turned 2, we had just had another baby. We were both feeling the lack of alone time with our new addition, so my husband and I decided to take her on a date instead of getting her a big present. We took her to our local dinosaur museum because she was really into dinosaurs at the time. With that birthday, our new tradition was born. Starting with their second birthday, we take our kids on a date to do an activity of their choice.
Because we live in a smaller city, our options are more limited. We’ve always been able to come up with really fun dates with them though! We have done four wheeler rides at a nearby creek, hikes, bike rides swimming at the rec center, and visiting the pet store. We’ve also done more creative ones. One year, our daughter was really into fairies, so we built a fairy house together for her date and she loved it. Another year, we bought some treats and played video games; our daughter earned points to spend on the treats we’d picked out together.
Starting at 8, we take them out to the city (about 3 hours away) for a bigger date. Our oldest is the only one who has turned 8 so far and she picked going to a butterfly biosphere. I would love to let them pick somewhere in the U.S. to visit when they turn 12 and somewhere internationally when they turn 18, but we have yet to reach that stage with our kids yet.
Opening a Book
Because the birthday date replaced a present, I worried about our kids having the experience of opening a present from us on their birthday. The solution I came up with was to gift them a book–it’s inexpensive and something we value. I always pick a book or two and wrap them up. I have loved finding books that I know they will be so excited for!
Photo Book of their Art
This is a tradition I started just last year, but so far, I’ve loved it. I make a photo book of my kid’s art and print the book for their birthday.
During the year, when I clean out the kids’ art, I take pictures of it with my phone. When I clean off my phone on Saturday, I move the pictures to the corresponding folder and when their birthday is approaching, I simply download the pictures of all the art they made throughout the year and make a Shutterfly book with them. They turn out really cute.
Cake and Ice Cream and Family
One tradition we don’t do is friend parties every year. We live close to a lot of family, so we always invite them over for cake and ice cream. I decorate the table. They open a couple presents (from some aunts/uncles and grandparents and, of course, the books from us) and we sing happy birthday to them. Then the kids play and the adults visit while everyone enjoys the treat. It’s simple and our kids love it!
I love to bake, so I let the kids pick which treat they want. I have one daughter who always requests a cookies and cream cake and another who requests angel food cake each year. My oldest daughter loves ice cream cakes from Coldstone, so if it fits in the budget, she likes to do that. I’ve also done cookies or even one year, pancakes. Whatever treat they want, I try to make it happen. Unless we buy an ice cream cake, I also make ice cream (we have a fantastic and super easy ice cream recipe).
*So far, the year they get a friend party is when they turn 8. I’m sure there are other years we’ll do friend parties, but we have yet to get there.
Birthday Interview
On my personal blog, I interview my kids each year, asking them questions about the age they were the year before. This tradition is very much for me, it’s just another way for me to remember these fleeting moments.
Tell their Birth Story
Our final birthday tradition is at bedtime. After we get all the kids tucked into bed and before I read to them, I tell them all the story of when the birthday child was born. They love hearing the story and I love remembering that sweet time.
What birthday traditions, big or small, does your family have? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
One of my favorite things to do with my kids is read a book with them and then watch the movie! Sometimes, we even switch it up and watch the movie and then read the book. It is so fun to enjoy a story in different formats and see the creative differences between the two.
Today I am sharing my favorite book to movie adaptations for the whole family to enjoy!
Charlotte’s Web
Charlotte’s Web is probably my favorite children’s classic. I love the nature descriptions and fun animals in it. I started reading it with my kids when my oldest was 4 and I read it every few years. It is great for every age!
Our favorite movie to watch along with the book is the 1973 cartoon. It has such great songs in it and the cartoon really appeals to my kids!
Treasure Island (Muppets)
I recently read Treasure Island with my kids, and they enjoyed it! The one thing they didn’t love is how many people (mostly pirates) who die, but the adventure side of it is fun!
Our favorite movie version to watch is, of course, Muppets Treasure Island! In my opinion, this is the best Muppets movie there is and the music in it is so good too. Another fun one my kids like is Treasure Planet.
Matilda
I grew up just adoring this movie and never read the book until I was an adult. I loved the book, of course, and loved sharing it with my kids. I think the book and movie are so great to experience together as a family!
Where the Red Fern Grows
This is another book I didn’t read until I was an adult, but I absolutely fell in love with it. It was a treat reading it as a family and crying together at the end. While I like the book more than any of the movies, I think they are worth watching. Our favorite movie version to watch together is the 1974 version.
Heidi
Heidi was one of my favorite books and movies growing up and I loved sharing them with my kids! I have always had a soft spot for kids helping change old, gruff people and softening them to life again. I think it’s such a sweet story and I love the friendships in it. My favorite version (and the one I grew up on) is the one by Filmrise.
The Hobbit
The Hobbit is one of my favorite books to read aloud. I love that my kids are getting old enough to really appreciate it and it was especially fun to see my 9-year-old carry the book around so she could tell the riddles to everyone. After reading it, we love to watch the 1977 Japanese-American cartoon.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
This is another movie/book combo that I never experiences until I was an adult and I got to experience them alongside my kids for the first time, which was fun! The book and movie are different from each other, but both are charming and fun!
A Little Princess
I grew up absolutely loving this movie! When I read it as an adult, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as the I had the movie! I haven’t read or watched this yet with my girls, but it’s on my list for this year and I’m very excited!
Ella Enchanted
Ella Enchanted was my favorite book growing up and I have to admit I was disappointed with the movie when it came out just because it was so different from the book. I know many who love the movie, though! I have read the book with my girls and it was so fun to share that part of my childhood with them. I’m planning on watching the movie with them very soon.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
My kids are just getting old enough to appreciate Harry Potter and it’s been fun! With watching the movie, we got ClearPlay to edit out the little bit of swearing and I also knew my kids would be okay with the scarier scenes. Some more sensitive kids might struggle.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
This is my favorite Narnia book to read with the kids! I also love the movie. It does have the scarier/sad scene where Aslan dies, but we knew our kids could handle it and watched it together.
These are our family’s favorite book to movie adaptations to enjoy together! What are your family’s favorite books that are also movies? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section!
Last year, we started a new birthday tradition that both the kids and I love! Leading up to their birthdays, we do the “12 days of the birthday kid” and each day, they get a little present.
Today I wanted to share what I’m giving Parker for her “12 days of Parker” this year!
Day 1: Cake Mix with Frosting and Sprinkles
This will be a fun one because I’m going to let her make the cake herself (which she’ll love) and her sisters will be excited because everyone can help eat the cake! I’m just getting a confetti white cake mix, cream cheese frosting, and rainbow sprinkles from Walmart.
Day 2: A Scratch Art Kit
I love the Scratch Art Kits! It’s actually what I usually give for friend birthday parties as well. I know Parker will be excited to get it, because we don’t usually have these around.
Day 3: Candy
I always devote a couple of the days to treats and candy. I like to go to the dollar store and find some candy that I know they’d like. It’s cheap and easy and the kids love it!
Day 4: Lip Gloss and a CTR Ring
My girls love getting “makeup” items like lip gloss and nail polish. I’m getting a couple different colors of nail polish from Walmart for a couple dollars. For lip gloss, I’m getting this pack of six and then I can give two to Parker now and save the others for her sisters’ 12 days of birthday. For the CTR ring (CTR stands for Choose the Right), I got this pack with purple ones and am saving the others for her sisters’ as well.
Day 5: Drawing Pads and Pens
My kids all love to draw, so special drawing pads and pens will be a big hit. I am going to get this set of drawing pads and give Parker one (I’ll save the other one for another sibling later). I like these ones because of the spiral top. I’m pairing this with a set of sparkly gel pens from Walmart.
Day 6: Candy
Another candy day! I know Parker will be excited for treats.
Day 7: Sticker Book
My kids love sticker books! I’ve been wanting to get the girls this sticker book for a while now and I thought their birthday countdowns would be the perfect time to do so. It’s a book that has different letter stickers that you can make different words out of. Not only will the girls think it’s super fun, but it’s also perfect as Parker and Rylee are learning to read right now.
Day 8: Drawing Book
This is another item I’ve had my eye on for a while. These drawing books are really cute and have some different options, so I can get a different one for her sisters’ birthdays.
Day 9: Candy
Another candy day! My kids would be really disappointed if I didn’t do at least a few of these.
Day 10: Nail Polish
My girls love nail polish and I know as soon as she opens this, she’ll want me to paint her nails, so we get to spend that time together too!
Day 11: Twinkies
My kids love Twinkies, but we rarely get them (I mean, I think the last time we got them was two Christmases ago). I thought this year they would love to get a two-set of Twinkies to enjoy.
Day 12: Star Pillow
When Parker was younger, she had a pillow shaped like a star. She really wants one again, and so does her younger sister. I thought I could buy this three-pack of star pillows and give one to Parker and save the other two for Oliver and Rylee’s birthday (I’ll have to think of something else for Ashtyn).
I am excited to continue this tradition for my kids this year, starting with Parker! What are some of your favorite birthday traditions? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
Every year, there’s a fun holiday that we love to celebrate–Truffle Day! I love making homemade truffles, about once a year (similar to how I like to make pies each year at Thanksgiving, but they’re so much work, I usually only do it about once a year).
Today I wanted to share my four favorite truffle recipes that I’ve found and tweaked until they have become everyone’s favorites! The flavors are Oreo, peanut butter, lemon, and strawberry.
Oreo Truffles
1 batch homemade Oreos (can use package of store bought Oreos)
1 block of cream cheese, softened
1 bag of chocolate chips, melted
White chocolate, melted
Crumble Oreos into a bowl. Cream cream cheese with Oreo crumbs. Using a tablespoon, spoon out balls onto a cookie sheet with a silicone sheet or parchment paper underneath. Freeze for about 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips with a spoonful of coconut oil. Using a fork, cover each ball with chocolate and place back onto silicone sheet. Drizzle white chocolate (melted with a spoonful of coconut oil) over the top of the balls. Place in the fridge to harden.
Homemade Oreos
1 cup butter, softened
1 ⅓ cup sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
2 cups white wheat flour
1 ¼ cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
Beat butter, sugar, and eggs together. Combine dry ingredients. Alternate adding flour with milk. Mix until combined. Chill at least 1 hour. Roll into balls.
Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes.
Lemon Truffles
1 baked lemon cake (from cake mix)*
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
1 block of cream cheese, softened
1 bag white chocolate chips, melted
Crumble the baked cake into a bowl. Add zest and lemon juice to cake and mix with hands. Add cream cheese and mix until all mixed together. Using a tablespoon, spoon out balls onto a cookie sheet with a silicone sheet or parchment paper underneath. Freeze for about 30 minutes.
Melt white chocolate chips with a spoonful of coconut oil. Using a fork, cover each ball with white chocolate and place back onto silicone sheet. You can color the white chocolate yellow, drizzle with yellow colored white chocolate, or sprinkle with yellow sprinkles. Place in the fridge to harden.
Strawberry Truffles
1 baked strawberry cake (from cake mix)
½ cup frozen strawberries
1 block cream cheese
Crumble the baked bake into a bowl. Reheat frozen strawberries in microwave and mash them with a potato masher. Combine cake crumbs and strawberries. Add cream cheese and mix until smooth. Using a tablespoon, spoon out balls onto a cookie sheet with a silicone sheet or parchment paper underneath. Freeze for about 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips with a spoonful of coconut oil. Using a fork, cover each ball with chocolate and place back onto silicone sheet. Drizzle white chocolate with pink food coloring (melted with a spoonful of coconut oil) over the top of the balls. Place in the fridge to harden.
Peanut Butter Truffles
2 cups natural peanut butter, creamy
3 – 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
Chocolate chips, melted
Mix peanut butter, butter, and sugar. Add milk and vanilla. Mix until creamy. Using a tablespoon, spoon out balls onto a cookie sheet with a silicone sheet or parchment paper underneath. Freeze for about 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips with a spoonful of coconut oil. Using a fork, cover each ball with chocolate and place back onto silicone sheet. Put crushed nuts over the top while chocolate is still melted. Place in the fridge to harden.
These are some of my favorite truffle recipes to make! What truffles have you made or tried? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
My kids and I recently read Treasure Island together. Afterwards, we watched Muppets Treasure Island as well as Treasure Planet. Then I started noticing that we were reading and watching more about pirates and that my kids were interested, so I decided to go to Pinterest for some ideas and make it a full-on pirate unit study for school!
Today I wanted to share some of the things we did together to learn about pirates.
Books
I always start our unit studies with different books. These books range from novels to nonfiction chapter books to nonfiction picture books to just-for-fun picture books.
Treasure Island
Like I said earlier, reading this children’s classic aloud was what started us on this unit study. My kids were very invested in the book and enjoyed it overall, although they didn’t like that so many people in the book die. It was a fun introduction to pirates.
Who was Blackbeard?
While looking for some other books, I found this one at our library. We had just finished watching Blackbeard’s Ghost for movie night and I knew my kids would love learning more about Blackbeard.
Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon
My kids love the Magic Tree House and we’ve read many of the books several times (together as a family and individually). This is the fourth book and a fun one for any kid who likes pirates! They also have a graphic novel version of the book, which my kids love!
Pirates: A Nonfiction Companion to Pirates Past Noon
This is another one we got from the library. I love these little companion books. They are full of great information and tie in well with the fictional books.
You Wouldn’t Want to be Pirate’s Prisoner
My kids loved this one, but I have to preface it by saying that I was a little wary of some of the content–it talks about the prisoner of a pirate being tortured and goes into some detail. It didn’t bother my kids, but a sensitive kid could get scared or bothered by it. It certainly taught about the life of a pirate in a memorable way.
The ABC’s of Piracy! By Anna Butzer
This was a fun little book about pirates! I was impressed with how much good information was in it and the layout (teaching by the letters in the alphabet) made it fun for my younger kids as well. It was one of my favorite picture books that we got.
Pirates (Usborne books)
This is one we got from the library that gave a good general overview of pirates.
Pirates Tools for Life at Sea by Cindy Jenson Elliot
This was a great read for our unit study. It was a little more specific than the general books and both the kids and I learned a lot.
Pirate Treasure (from Ignite)
This was another more specific one, and my kids were very interested. It’s fun to learn about pirate treasure in real life!
The Most Famous Pirates by Cindy Jenson Elliott
This book was informative and taught about various famous pirates. It was one of the last books we read and the kids had fun recognizing a lot of the names we’d already heard or learned a little about.
There was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish by Jennifer Ward
We love to include just-for-fun picture books in all our unit studies. This one is a fun twist on a classic song and my kids laughed a lot while we read it.
Dirty Joe the Pirate by Bill Harley
This says on the cover that it’s a true story, but it’s very obviously not. It’s a silly take on pirates, who steal socks and then come across another boat of pirates who steal underpants. It’s just the kind of silly that kids love.
Never Mess with a Pirate Princess by Holly Ryan
This was a funny little story about a girl with spunk and her teddy bear, and of course, pirates.
Activities
I love to do at least one or two hands on activities with the kids, to really help them remember the topic and make it fun! I usually limit the activities to just a couple to make it manageable for me.
Make Pirate Maps
Pirate maps are probably the most fun part of pirates! By making their own maps, they got to learn about symbols, following maps, and a little chemistry. We had a lot of fun in the process as well!
Flashlight constellations
As we talked about pirates, ship navigation was something we got to learn about, and we talked about how they would use stars and constellations to guide themselves. Flashlight constellations is a fun activity I found on Pinterest! You use black cardstock paper and cut it in the shape of your flashlight. Then the kids can poke holes in the paper to make the constellations. They can try to make patterns really found in the night sky or make up their own! When they are done, they tape the paper over the flashlight and shine their constellation onto the ceiling.
Marshmallow constellations
This is one of my kids’ favorite activities and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to let them do it again! Using toothpicks and mini marshmallows, the kids recreate constellation shapes or make up their constellations (my kids love coming up with names for their new creations as well!).
Treasure Hunt
I’ve always loved treasure hunts and scavenger hunts. When I was a teenager, I used to set them up for the kids I would babysit. I had a lot of fun setting up a treasure hunt for the kids, with chocolate gold coins to find at the end!
Talk Like a Pirate
This blog has a post about talking like a pirate and we lea1qrned some different words that pirates used, then talked like that as we remembered to!
Pirates Color by Number
My kids love color by number and this pack themed pirates is a free printable.
YouTube Videos
We love using YouTube to supplement what we’re learning in school. It’s a great, free resource for homeschooling!
The Definitive History of Pirates
This short video uses animation and pirate slang to keep the kids’ interest and shares an overview of pirates.
Five Pirate Myths that are Actually True
This video is by National Geographic, a channel the kids and I love! It’s fun and informative!
Famous Pirates in History
This short video walks through different pirates, teaching about the reality of pirates and their history.
Did Pirates Bury Treasure?
I loved this video! It was fun to see what pirates were like in real life versus how they are often depicted in the media. We watched this video in conjunction with our map making activity.
How Did Early Sailors Navigate the Ocean?
This video was perfect to help us learn about pirates navigating the ocean and went well with our constellation activities.
Let’s Look at Constellations!
This video is one from SciShow Kids, one of our favorite YouTube channels and while it’s not about pirates, it was a great one to watch when we did our constellation activities.
How Does Math Guide Our Ships at Sea
This final video was interesting and I’m not sure how much the kids followed, but it is a great video to help kids see how useful math can be in different situations.
Movies
While these movies aren’t necessarily educational, it was a fun way to spend our movie nights watching movies that tied in with our homeschool unit study. There are so many fun pirate movies you can watch, these are the ones we chose.
Muppets Treasure Island
The Muppets are so fun, and this is actually my favorite of the Muppet movies. The music in it is so good! Our kids absolutely loved it! It was really fun to watch it after reading the book.
Treasure Planet
I remember going to this in theaters as a kid and I’ve loved it from the beginning. It was fun to read the book together and then see the differences between the book and this retelling. I love the changes they made and the space aspect of it.
Swiss Family Robinson
This is one of our family’s favorite movies and it has a big focus on the pirates, with them attacking the family. It’s such a fun one to watch (though I found the book to be boring and entirely devoid of pirates!).
Blackbeard’s Ghost
This was one of my brother’s favorite books growing up. It’s an old one, but such a fun and silly one too. My kids laughed and laughed at Blackbeard’s antics, and it has a sweet message. It was perfect to watch alongside learning about the real-life Blackbeard.
The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything
My kids say that everyone must know this is the best movie ever made. They love it! We were doing our pirate theme and finding different movies to watch and I didn’t even think of this one–but my kids quickly reminded me! Veggie Tales are a classic and this is one of their best movies, in my opinion.
We had a lot of fun learning about pirates and exploring the fictional side of pirates as well! It’s very interesting to see the different myths that have popped up around pirates because of famous books and movies versus what old-fashioned pirating was really like. One of the things I love about unit studies like this is that I always learn a lot too!
What is your favorite pirate book or movie? Have you done any fun unit studies recently? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
I had a busy month in April, so my reading month was a little slower, but I still enjoyed many great books!
I read 16 books and 5,146 pages, for an average of 322 pages per book. 10 books were by female authors and 6 were by male authors. I read 6 middle grade, 3 YA, and 9 adult books. I read 1 new release and 4 read alouds with my kids. I read 4 eBooks, 9 audiobooks, and 3 physical copies. I had 4 rereads and 12 new reads. I read 5 books that are part of series and didn’t start or finish any series. I read 7 five star reads, 5 four star reads, 2 three star reads, 2 two star reads, and 0 one star reads.
Today I am sharing my five star reads from April!
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
This is a collection of Poirot short stories from Agatha Christie. I loved all of them! I especially loved the last story, which had a treasure-hunting feel to it.
The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud
This series–Lockwood and Co–is a really fun YA supernatural series. This is the third and with each book, I like the series more! I really love the way the characters interact together and love so many of the characters (including a talking dead skull one of the characters carries around) and the mystery of The Problem is a fun plotline! I also read The Creeping Shadows (book four in the series) and gave it five stars as well. I’m very excited to finish the series.
Dead Voices by Katherine Arden
This is the sequel to Small Spaces, a middle grade horror book I read a few years ago. I’ve been meaning to get back to the series and finally have–and am loving it! This book takes place at a ski lodge, where the main characters get stuck in a snowstorm without power–but with ghosts. I may have enjoyed this sequel more than I did the first.
Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
This was my Cosmere reread this month and I so enjoyed reading it! My favorite will always be the original Mistborn trilogy, but the Wax and Wayne books (which take place in the same world as Mistborn) are fun in their own way. I love the characters and laugh out loud at many of their interactions. I also love the way Steris grows throughout the series (she becomes my favorite character by the end!).
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
This was another reread for me. I’ve read many books by Liane Moriarty and this one remains my favorite. My husband and I did a road trip without the kids and were looking for a book to listen to. My husband had never read this and we decided to listen together. It definitely isn’t “his kind of book” but he really enjoyed it and it was fun to listen together. We found ourselves exchanging looks and laughing together at some of the characters (especially Madeline) and would pause often to have related philosophical discussions. I never would have thought to listen to it together, but it was such a great experience to do so!
A lot of my favorite books from the month were part of a series I am in the middle of or a reread, but I very much enjoyed delving deeper into or revisiting these worlds and characters! What was one of your favorite recent reads? Let me know in the comments below!
