Learning about foreign countries and cultures can delight and inspire our children for a lifetime.  My own experience as a child doing a research project about Norway fueled a life-long interest in that country and a visit there remains on my bucket list!  Carole P. Roman‘s If You Were Me and Lived in…. series offers a delightful walk across the globe for you and your children, so I am very happy that she sent me some books so I could review them for you!
This award-winning collection manages to engage, entertain, inform, and delight the reader with a wide spectrum of sights and sounds from the featured nation.  Each book typically tells about the food, families, pasttimes, schools, toys, money, culture, and climate in a way that’s conversational, and also gets the reader thinking and responding to the information. One of the things I appreciated was the pronunciation guides.  I can easily imagine a family reading these books together and trying out new names from each culture, and learning a few vocabulary words from the new language.  Sounding less “gringo” is a bonus!  🙂   I also enjoyed that the illustrations are full-color, and often combine actual photographs with the friendly artwork.
Officially aimed at ages 5-8, I believe these books will be enjoyed by your older children as well. Â I had my 14, 16, and 17 year old sons take a look, and they all enjoyed reading through a few of the books, and said that they thought they were well-done and informative, though certainly geared toward somewhat younger readers. Â I read through my entire stack of If You Were Me books, and learned so many things that I did not already know! Â I’m sharing some of those insights this week on Instagram this week, so come check those out for some fun. Â
As I often say, you never know what will inspire your child and spark a flame of interest and exploration, so it is well worth it to provide a nice range of interesting and appealing resources and experiences for our children to draw from. Â These books would be a wonderful addition to your home library because they provide a nice starting point for becoming more aware of how people in other places live.
Carole P. Roman has many other books for homeschoolers as well, including her If You Were Me and Lived In…History Series! I can enthusiastically recommend her work to other homeschool families. I hope you’ll check her books out!
My sweet little granddaughter is only 2, and already she enjoys the Fine Art Pages on display in our bathroom. Â Several months ago when she saw this Rubens work: Boy with Bird, she pointed to the curly haired child and said, “Look! Â It’s me!” Â She knew her hair was curly and free just like that little child in the portrait.
The other day she was looking at the same piece of art (yes, it’s still up!) and I wondered what she might say about it now, since she has been seeing it for months while visiting us. Â I asked her if she liked the picture, and she pointed to it, looked at it again, smiled, and said, “Yes. Â It’s beautiful!” Â She pointed to the bird and smiled. Â I wonder what she thinks about a child she identifies with holding a green bird on their finger!
Immediately after she talked about this painting, she turned to the other Rubens work that is near our bathroom sink, and pointed it out, asking, “What’s that?” Â She was curious. Â Art is interesting to her. Â Her curiosity is already sparked, as a two year old.
I feel that she will know this work of art for the rest of her life. Â She has a relationship with this painting. Â She identified with it, connected with it, appreciated it.
None of the Rubens works on display are “for young children” or especially aimed for her age group. They simply offer the timeless joy and beauty that all fine art does. I believe that the human soul appreciates and even longs for truth, beauty, and goodness. When we see an inspiring work of art, when our hearts are thrilled by the sound of well-crafted music, when we hear a poem that reaches a part of us that we didn’t know existed, that’s IT. And young children have this in them as well.
Art is a language that can be understood by everyone, without regard for age, education, intelligence, or social status. Let your children feast on a lavish buffet of great art, beautiful music, rich language, and creativity! These things bring an intangible, innate value to each and every person that comes into contact with them, and can be brought into your home life so easily with the resources I’ve created for you at Enrichment Studies! Knowing the difference these things have made in my life and for my family inspires me to keep sharing these things with you.
John Constable’s landscapes are so beautiful and inspiring. You’ll feel like you’re strolling through the English countryside as you enjoy these paintings!
This month you can get a collection of his works for FREE! Â Simply sign up hereor at the right—>>>>>
Edward Atkinson Hornel was a Scottish painter in the late 1800s/early 1900s that specialized in worksdepicting children in nature. This beautiful new collection includes ten of his works that feature girls from Japan, Burma, and Sri Lanka, among others. For families that desire to expose their children to more diversity in art, this is a wonderful collection to become familiar with. Hornel also has a very unique style of art that kids really respond to. His bold use of texture and many dashes of color is a technique that children can appreciate and try on their own! Â You can purchase this collection here.
When my kids were younger, I’d see people talk about their sadness about being empty nesters, and I could not imagine ever feeling that way. Not that I thought I’d be happy to not have my kids around, but just that I wasn’t going to boo-hoo as my kids grew up and spread their wings! No sirree. I don’t know if it was because I was overwhelmed with all of my kiddos at the time, or if it was because I’ve always tended to transition into each stage of motherhood without angst. But I was pretty sure that the natural order of things was not going to get me down.
Well, I understand it more now. For me, it’s that my kids are an absolute delight to me. They are my dearest friends, too. And now we are facing having some of them move away, and it feels really, really sad.
My oldest son is going into the Air Force, so he and his wife and my little granddaughter will be moving away. I’ve been so blessed to have them nearby and to see my little granddaughter regularly. I feel so thankful that my daughter-in-love is an absolute sweetheart that is a total joy to have in our family. I’m so thankful for the time we’ve had. And it is really going to stink to have them move away. I feel it acutely that a really special, charmed portion of our life is now coming to an end.
Then, to make matters worse, my third child is about to graduate from high school this week, and has now gotten an offer to go on a great adventure far from home to pursue his dream. I think he’s going to take it–and he should, if he wants to!! But, knowing he’s suddenly leaving home feels terrible. He’s one of my favorite people. He’s my good buddy. We share a lot of interests and enjoy talking to each other every day. Gosh, I will miss him terribly. Things are moving too fast!
Every time a child leaves the nest, the dynamics change. It’s a loss, but also an opportunity to grow and nurture other relationships, to see how each family member changes and develops within the family structure. It’s good, and hard, and sad, and exciting to see the big kids tackle life in the broader world. It’s right and normal. But it’s a huge loss, too.
I know that most of you are not in this stage of life, but it’s coming for you, sooner or later.
I am so glad for the huge amount of TIME that homeschooling has given me with my kids. I am glad that I’ve been mindful of getting INTO mothering, instead of trying to GET OUT of it. There isn’t a single investment of time, energy, patience, encouragement, or effort that I regret having spent on my kids. It’s 100% worth it, and it feels great, even when a chapter is ending, to know I gave myself to this fully.
My friend, if there is one wish I have for you, it’s that you would be mindful of the gift each day and each challenge presents. Don’t wish away an age or stage–appreciate the beauty that’s going on right now. In the words of James Taylor: “Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel…”
Happy Mother’s Day to each and every one of you. Keep loving your tribe fiercely, tenderly, and enthusiastically. This is worth the very best you have to offer!
Welcome to the Enrichment Lifestyle Blog! I'm so glad you're here. :) I'm Erica Johns, and I love to encourage homeschool moms and help them enjoy more of the beauty of the arts in everyday life.
About me: I started my homeschooling journey in 1997 and graduated the last of my six children in 2021. Amidst all the hard work, crazy days, uncertainty, and lost pencils, what I think we really gained was the gift of a lifetime: TIME TOGETHER. So awesome! Click my pic to learn more.
Learning about foreign countries and cultures can delight and inspire our children for a lifetime.  My own experience as a child doing a research project about Norway fueled a life-long interest in that country and a visit there remains on my bucket list!  Carole P. Roman‘s If You Were Me and Lived in…. series offers a delightful walk across the globe for you and your children, so I am very happy that she sent me some books so I could review them for you!
Officially aimed at ages 5-8, I believe these books will be enjoyed by your older children as well. Â I had my 14, 16, and 17 year old sons take a look, and they all enjoyed reading through a few of the books, and said that they thought they were well-done and informative, though certainly geared toward somewhat younger readers. Â I read through my entire stack of If You Were Me books, and learned so many things that I did not already know! Â I’m sharing some of those insights this week on Instagram this week, so come check those out for some fun. Â 
As I often say, you never know what will inspire your child and spark a flame of interest and exploration, so it is well worth it to provide a nice range of interesting and appealing resources and experiences for our children to draw from. Â These books would be a wonderful addition to your home library because they provide a nice starting point for becoming more aware of how people in other places live.
When my kids were younger, I’d see people talk about their sadness about being empty nesters, and I could not imagine ever feeling that way. Not that I thought I’d be happy to not have my kids around, but just that I wasn’t going to boo-hoo as my kids grew up and spread their wings! No sirree. I don’t know if it was because I was overwhelmed with all of my kiddos at the time, or if it was because I’ve always tended to transition into each stage of motherhood without angst. But I was pretty sure that the natural order of things was not going to get me down.
