Laynah Rose

02/02/2025

Does your toddler have that one book they want to read over and over (and over) again? 😅

For us, it’s was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Gruffalo! At first, I wondered if my boys would ever get tired of the same story, but then I got curious about it and I learned that repetitive reading is actually amazing for early literacy! It’s almost like our kids are programmed to WANT to read stories over and over BECAUSE it’s good for them. God’s design is beautiful like that.

Now I want to know - which book is or was on repeat at your house during this phase? Drop it in the comments!

01/24/2025

Thought a new move called for a fresh introduction (and let’s be honest, I’m also just practicing my Canva carousel skills 🤓✨).

For those who don’t know me, hi!

We’re trading our Mississippi homestead for a new adventure in Utah, and while life is about to look a whole lot different, I’m excited to continue sharing it all with you.

If you’re new here, I’d love to connect! Drop a comment and tell me a little about yourself - what’s your family’s next big adventure?

01/23/2025

When I first started homeschooling, one of my veteran homeschool friends invited me over to give me the lowdown on all things homeschool. I don’t know what I expected from this conversation, but I hoped she could just give me an idea of what my days could look like in my new role. Instead, she spent half an hour talking about recitations.

I didn’t pay much attention then… but after coming across this research, I am sold!

And now I’m off to go find a few scriptures or quotes that I want my kids to memorize first! Do you also do memorization and recitation in your homeschool? If you have, what did you have your children memorize? And if you haven’t, what would you want your children to memorize??

Sources:

Dr. Kenneth Higbee, Your Memory: How It Works and How to Improve It – Deliberate memorization improves the brain’s capacity for learning and recalling information.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (2015) – Found that small successes, like memorization, increase children’s confidence and willingness to take on challenges.

National Literacy Trust – Research emphasizes that activities like recitation enhance articulation, fluency, and overall literacy.

Dr. Carol Dweck, Growth Mindset Theory – Explains how deliberate practice (like memorization) builds grit and focus.

Journal of Educational Psychology (2021) – Found that students who memorized poetry developed greater linguistic awareness and verbal creativity.

Educational Review Journal (2020) – Found that memorization paired with recitation encourages deeper subject understanding.

Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (2018) – Shows that engaging with meaningful texts supports emotional regulation and empathy.

Educational Psychology Review (2017) – Found that students with strong memorization skills performed better academically across disciplines.

Journal of Child Development (2016) – Noted that goal-oriented tasks like memorization foster intrinsic motivation in children.

01/18/2025

As my boys get older, I’m starting to think about new subjects we can add, like foreign language or typing. These are such practical skills that will serve them for years to come, and I’m excited to explore them right alongside my kids!

So let’s chat - What extra subjects do you teach in your homeschool? Are there any that your kids love or that have been surprisingly easy to include? I’d love to hear your thoughts 🫶🏻

12/17/2024

Why do we homeschool? It’s all about freedom, connection, and seeing my kids thrive. From personalized learning to flexible schedules and a strong family bond, homeschooling has been a great fit for us. That being said, I can now better see why people would want to public school their kids!

What do you love most about the way you’ve chosen to educate your children?

10/15/2024

If you’re looking to stock up on homeschool resources for the holidays, be sure to check out ! They have such a wide range of materials—truly a one-stop shop for homeschooling families! I’ve already spotted some fun Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas-themed resources that I think you’ll love if you swipe right 👉🏻🎃🦃🎄

For day-to-day homeschool materials, I can’t recommend The Story of the World: Ancient Times enough! It covers Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other ancient cultures in such an engaging and concise way. We’ve made it part of our nightly reading routine lately, and Benji pretends he doesn’t like it, but listens intently and will usually make comments like “Hm, that was interesting” when we are done haha! 🌙 Bryan and I on the other hand, reach for it first! I love that it tells the story of human history in a way that gets kids interested!

While browsing Boundless Homeschool the other day, I saw that the activity book that goes along with it is available too!! If you’ve tried it please let me know what you thought 👀📖🌍

As far as workbooks go, Explode the Code Phonics has been a game changer for my kindergartner. He’s so much more confident now when it comes to sounding out CVC words! I love how simple and kid-friendly the program is, while still being so effective. ✏️📚

As always, use code Laynahrose10 when shopping for 10% off your order!

09/21/2024

Not only is it so much fun, but coming up with a family mission statement can solidify your core values and strengthen your home and family! But why stop at simply creating a mission statement? What if we could incorporate these core values and shared goals into our family culture? By doing so, we:

🪨 Build a strong moral foundation
🧠 Enhance critical thinking skills
🎭 Improve emotional intelligence
🌍 Prepare for real-world challenges
💪🏻Strengthen family bonds

I chose to have a monthly focus with one quote or scripture per week, but then I decided to compile a list of more ideas on how to incorporate a mission statement into your family culture and share them here! What do you think - is any of this helpful? Would you make a personal or family mission statement or try any of these ideas? Would a guide on how I created mine be helpful??

I’d love to know - what are some of your top family values? We chose (for the time being) dedication, courage, resilience, kindness, forgiveness, respect, honesty, obedience, faith, reliability, gratitude, and charity! Let’s talk all things mission statement below!

Thanks for reading 💕✨
Laynah

03/18/2024

Words to live by from Frederick Douglass.

02/17/2024

I was SHOCKED when I realized how little homeschool book work actually takes. Now keep in mind this does not include things like read aloud time, practical life skills, or outside time. The real secret is once you homeschool, school never ends because learning is all around us!

12/03/2023

12/03/2023

Y’all I’ve been trying to tell you play is important and I wasn’t kidding. It’s good for your kid’s brain.

Here’s why I celebrate Santa as a Christian mom: Playing pretend is not lying. Santa is pretend, and it’s fun to play. My kids know the real meaning of Christmas.

When my kids ask me how the elf moves, how Santa gets down the chimney, or a variety of other questions like that… I simply say, in a hushed voice with with a twinkle in my eye “I don’t know!? What do you think??” and if they’re stumped I just say something like “Well I know some people pretend you can become Santa by pushing him off a roof! They made a movie about it!” So the emphasis is on playing pretend.

I think the elf on the shelf is a fun tradition and I move her (Whimsy) most nights. Not every night. Sometimes she’s gone at the North Pole for a few days on end. Sometimes she just doesn’t have the energy, or she likes the spot she was in yesterday, thank you very much.

One day I’ll have the mental energy to make her do fun things. Those over-the-top scenarios that parents bend over backwards to do every night are a once in a season, maybe even every other season thing for us haha. It makes it all the more special!!

Just make sure you’re focusing more on Jesus than Santa and you’re good to go.

04/30/2023