Reading Tree~

Our very first year of home schooling we made this really long caterpillar that went all along our school wall. I had oodles and oodles of circles and every time we read a book, we would add a circle to our caterpillar. It got very long. I think at the end of the year it was almost 200 circles. That means we read almost 200 books! It was neat to see the progress and was an incentive to keep going to see how many we would get. This was when we had a school room. I could have a school room now but it would have to be down in the basement that is full of junk and toys. I need to be where there is more lighting.

We are going to do this again this year but not with a caterpillar. I was going to buy this tree here http://www.carsondellosa.com/cd2/Products/ProductView.aspx?id=110007&keyword=cd-110007&oid=2224 for only 12 dollars but money is tight so I just made my own. It doesn’t compare to the one I could buy but it will work. I put it on my living room wall (my dad is going to love this). I don’t care. I homeschool which means my home is going to look like a school. Yes I would love my house to be all pretty and perfect and free of school clutter but I just keep trying to think that I am young. There will come a time when my kids are all grown up and there wont be a toy to count and then I will be missing all this ( I think). My clean,elegant, and organized house will come in time when the kids are older and gone on their own. Until then I will have toys on the floors at times and school books and games out etc. Anyway, here is a picture of our reading tree. Hubby helped put it together with me. I encourage every homeschooler to have a reading something. Whether it be a tree or a caterpillar. There are many things you can do. Here are a few ideas.

• Make a sky scene above and have the rain drops be what you put the books you have read on.
• Start creating a border on your wall of the kids hand/foot prints (cut-outs). Every-time they read a book, add one to the border. You could also use jumbo crayons or apples etc.
• Create an ocean scene on a spot on your wall and write the books you have read on different sea creatures.
• Make a garden scene and write the names of the books on different cut-out vegetables.

These are just a few that I thought of. Doe’s anyone have anymore ideas that we can share?

  We are adding apples and leaves to our tree.