My Little Poppies’ Picks

Folks, September was madness but it’s October and I’m baaaaaack!!! What did you find wonderful this week? Here are some of my picks!

Links from around the web:

4 Life Lessons to Teach Your Gifted Kids (and one for you to learn, too) ~ Everyday Learning

Dear Gifted Child ~ Atlas Educational

10 Things to Never Say to Parents of a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder ~ Lemon Lime Adventures

Early Academic Training Produces Long-Term Harm ~ Peter Gray, Psychology Today

Why I’m a Proud Helicopter Parent of My Sons with Autism ~ Chrissy Kelley, The Mighty

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New from My Little Poppies:

While I have been neglecting my weekend picks, I haven’t neglected my writing. Here are the latest posts, in case you need to catch up!

Everyday Autism by Shawna Wingert

Do you follow Shawna at Not the Former Things? I sure do! Her writing has been so helpful to me along this journey. Did you know she has a book out right now? I loved it!

 

 

This Too Shall Pass… But in the Meantime I’m Asking for HELP

September was madness, folks. Absolute, mind-numbing madness. I had to ask for help a number of times, and I’m thankful for supportive friends and family. How fitting that this month’s Hoagies’ Education Page blog hop was on asking for help!

 

CuriosityStream: A Lifesaver for Homeschooling Parents

Are you looking for quality nonfiction documentaries without the commercials? Would you love an affordable, on-demand streaming service? Did you know that John Hendricks, the founder of Discovery Communications, the parent company of – among others- Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and Science, has created a service called CuriosityStream?

5 Must-Read Posts for the Homeschool Mom

No matter where you are in your homeschool journey right now, every single one of you can benefit from reading the following articles. I promise they will make you smile today. So, grab that cup of coffee and pull up a chair. Make this moment yours, take a moment to refresh your spirit with these posts.

 

6 Books for Teaching Map Skills

I love to follow my children’s leads when it comes to learning. This summer and fall, my little poppies were obsessed with maps. I can recall loving maps as a child and I saw this as a perfect opportunity for learning. Using some amazing books from Candlewick Press, I created a map-themed unit study. The {Virtual} Family Book Club at My Little Poppies just wrapped up a month of Steve Jenkins-themed animal books and will be moving on to these books this month. Be sure to check them out and let me know what you think!

40 Sites to Bookmark if Your Child is Gifted

Are you the parent of a gifted child? You’re going to need support and understanding. Here are 40+ sites that have helped me on this journey. What is your favorite?

 

Code Master by ThinkFun

Although I’ve never been a fan of video games, I know that there are oodles of video games on the market today that offer educational value. The problem is, right now, I have one of those kiddos who cannot manage video games well. At this point in time, the video games are not worth the behavioral aftermath that I have to contend with. I love that Code Master offers the feel of a video game but without the screen.

 

Using Games in Your Homeschool

I recently participated in a 5-day hopscotch and my topic of choice was games as homeschooling tools. If you’ve followed our site for any length of time, you already know that we are huge advocates of board games as learning tools. In this series, I delve into this topic a bit further and show you some of the ways we use games over here. Be sure to subscribe to our site for email updates because I am planning oodles of fun game posts in the coming months!

The ONLY Thing You NEED for Homeschooling {And It’s FREE!}

So many folks tell me that they know they should go to the library more than they do. They worry about their children staying quiet in the library. They are concerned about lost books and library fines. They feel that Amazon is easier. I truly believe that the only thing you NEED for homeschooling is a library card.

The Lost Art of Play

Do you think that play is a lost art? I’m talking about the kind of play that we enjoyed as children. The play where you lose yourself in a world of imagination.

 

When Homeschooling is HARD

Homeschooling is not all sunshine and roses. Some days, homeschooling can be hard, and some days are downright ugly. On those days, it’s easy to feel alone. Social media can make you feel like everyone is rocking this homeschooling gig when the reality is, everyone has bad days. If you’re having a bad day, or a bad week, or a bad season, I want you to know that you are not alone. And, to make you feel less alone, here are some of our bad days.

 

Gifted Overexcitabilities: OEs IRL

Woah, you guys liked this one! In this post, I provide an overview of Dabrowski’s overexcitabilities and then I show you what each OE looks like in real life.

 

Riding the Waves of Anxiety {Advice from the Trenches}

Here is a post I wrote for Year Round Homeschooling about our recent struggles with the worry monster. Do you have a little kid with BIG worries? If so, you might see some of your story here.

 

 

5 Easy Ways to Sneak in Literature

Here is another post that I wrote for Year Round Homeschooling in which I discuss easy ways to sneak in some literature during your day. All too often, we get caught up in teaching reading and we forget to just enjoy the story. Here are some tips!

 

 

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What have the little poppies been up to in real life??

Speaking of real life, if you hang out with us on Instagram, you get a glimpse of the poppies IRL. In case you missed it, here are a few moments:

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What are the poppies reading this week??

Schizz is reading:

Cait just finished:

Cait is reading:

Leo (7-years-old) recently finished:

T (5-years-old) is reading:

Seuss (4 1/2-years-old) is reading:

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Recommended by My Little Poppies this week:

History Unboxed

Use the code “mylittlepoppies” at checkout for 5% off History Unboxed!

Kapla Planks

I love these little planks! My kids have been big into Rube Goldberg machines (stay tuned for a post!) and the planks have played a huge role.

 

Scotch Thermal Laminator

I love our laminator and gush about it often! As a homeschooler, I use our laminator all the time. What have you made lately?

Cuisenaire Rods

Cuisenaire rods have so many educational uses: from math to art to STEM. I love to pull them out and see what my children come up with.

Brave Writer

Are you looking for a writing curriculum that meets your children where they are at? One that can be individualized to suit your family? One that celebrates arts, music, poetry, film, and play? We are in love with Brave Writer. I could gush on and on and on.

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My Little Poppies elsewhere:

Raising Poppies: Supporting Parents of Gifted and Twice-Exceptional Children

If you or are the parent of a gifted or 2E child, you should head on over and check out this group. Just be forewarned: it’s tough to leave once you step inside because it kinda feels like home.

Granite State Gifted

If you know of gifted and 2E children in NH or MA, please send them my way! Granite State Gifted is a growing community of parents just like you! And, if you’re having trouble finding your community, don’t forget that you can take matters into your own hands!

 

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Tell me, folks… what did you find wonderful this week? Share in the comments!