BRIGHTER DAY PRESS BLOG

Resources for a Strong-Willed Child
Last night, I reached out to this community in a place of need: we have a very strong-willed toddler. And WOW. You guys showed up with so many incredible resources, ideas, and encouragement. Thank you, friends!      I've made a list...
25 Favorite Africa Picture Books
Our family is finishing up our 12-week study of Africa and we've compiled a list of our favorite Africa picture books. We are working through the Mission: World Wonders curriculum by Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood and adding in some of the book recommendations...
Teaching Kids to Sew with a Sewing Machine
    Many moons ago, I owned a sewing business and sewed handmade clutch purses for bridesmaids. It helped put me through nursing school, but after sewing 1500 bags over a 2-year period (and even teaching my husband to sew...
DIY: Pressed Flower Suncatchers
This is such a satisfying Spring handicraft because the kids can do it nearly unassisted and it yields beautiful results! Here's what you need: + Clear, glossy contact paper  + Dried, pressed flowers* + An embroidery hoop (mine is 10")...
Favorite Spring picture books!
It's officially Spring! As a mom, this has become my favorite season because we get swing the doors and windows open and enjoy the outdoors. We're reading lots of books about planting seeds and tending gardens and buzzing bees and want...
March Book Madness!
    It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since our world changed in a big way. In an effort to make this March better than last March, our family decided to do a little March Book Madness...
What is narration?
What is narration? After each history reading or read-aloud that's part of our homeschool, I encourage both of our children (ages 6 and 8) to narrate. If you're new to homeschooling - or to Charlotte Mason's philosophy - narration may...
Easter Picture Book Recommendations
As you may have seen, I recently released my Easter guide (you can purchase it in a digital or print format). For each of the 8 days of the study, I recommend one picture book. The Easter guide can stand alone without...
Tips for early readers
     Do you have an early reader? You might have just finished a phonics book and he/she is slowly reading sentences, but is still decoding some words and hasn't become a fluent reader quite yet.     I want to share...
5 Valentine's Day books for little ones
If you're looking for delightful books that celebrate the purest forms of love, I want to recommend these to you...  + Loved by Sally Lloyd-Jones. (Ages 2-4) This board book is for your little ones, but contains a powerful reminder...
Our Family's Favorite Picture Books
The kids and I pored through our shelves of picture books and painstakingly narrowed it down to some of our very favorites. (There are too many great ones to choose from!) We wholeheartedly recommend these to you, especially if you...
Ideas for a preschool sibling during homeschool
  So you have a preschool sibling - age 3 to 5 - who isn't quite ready for a homeschool curriculum, but still needs something to do. I want to share a few ideas for how we've kept our 3-and-a-half year old active...
What to do with a toddler during homeschool...
Here are a few strategies to get through your day in one piece!
Scribd
  Have you heard of the Scribd app?  It's like Netflix for books and it's changing my life! For $8.99/month, you have unlimited access to audiobooks, E-books, and even sheet music (hear that, Liam?). No expensive purchasing of books (like Audible) and...
Children's Bibles
  Let's talk about children's Bibles. There is such a myriad of choices that I hope it will be helpful to share some of our family's favorites for different age groups.  Differentiating between "The Bible" and "Children's Bible Storybooks" First,...
The Art Cart: How we store our art supplies
When it comes to reading aloud to the kids, I've found a secret weapon. Enter: THE ART CART.   I purchased this one from Target and added lots of art supplies that I would be comfortable with them using without supervision....
A Tool for Understanding God's Word
"The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever touching the bottom." - St. Jerome The enemy would love for moms to believe...