Dyslexic Spelling Resources

I have tried SO many things to help my son with spelling, he generally does fairly well with patterning but the lists the schools send out make absolutely no sense. They have mixes of blends and only 2-3 words for each on a single list of 15 words. It’s very jumbled and not helpful for him to see that pattern and learn the visual memory of these words. I kept searching for lists that would combine different sounds and word blends and FINALLY I found the most incredible resource. To make things better she has these for FREE! Huge shoutout to Carla Siravo who has put together so many incredible resources for families like ours.

These word fluency strips are exactly what we need to help with grouping and recognizing sound/letter combos so that he can naturally do this on his own with unfamiliar words. This is a small sampling of the fluency lists available, find more and so many other resources here

I am sharing this with all of you because I am forever grateful for her help and know for certain that there are many other parents out there looking for something like this to help their kiddos who are struggling.

Please see all of her other resources, they are incredible!

Her videos on Youtube are hilarious and my kid loves them.
Also find her here-
@carlasiravoauthor
Siravo Syllable Songs TikTok
IMSE Linktree
@IMSE_OG
CarlaSiravo Linktree

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Healthier Carb Substitutions

I love carbs. Any attempt to eat healthier has to involve some sort of carbs for me. I can go without for small amounts of time but as a realistic lifestyle change there’s no way I’m going to eliminate them completely. If you’re looking for keto diet or carb free alternatives these are not them. However, they are a healthier version of the plain bleached flour non-food carbs that we usually see on the shelves. Eating them sparingly seems like a fine approach in my book!

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Homemade Vanilla Extract Homeschool Activity

Making homemade vanilla extract is an excellent homeschool activity. So much learning in one simple project and we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor after it’s marinated a while when they help me bake some goodies 🍪🥧🍰#winwin These also make great gifts for neighbors, coworkers, teachers, etc. You can keep them perpetually by topping them off with vodka as you use the extract.

🔢 Incorporated math while learning about measuring, portions and quantities, and fractions.

🔬🧬 Tons of science and chemistry learning about distillation and fermentation along with properties of food preservation.

🌎Exploring geography using two different vanilla beans from 2 of our continent units.

📝 Reflection and writing while we compared the size, shape, smell, and properties of both beans. Madagascar vanilla beans had less floral sweet notes than the Tahitian beans from Indonesia but were bigger and more oily.

Can’t wait to see how our extract turns out! 🤩

Update: After about 3 months they had turned a nice amber color, after a year and they’re still going strong!


Want to make your own? Here’s our Shopping list:

  • A decent vodka, we opted for Absolute, we got a large bottle since we used 7 oz per jar
  • Tahitian Vanilla Beans this is a pack of 10 which was easy to split into 2-3 beans per jar
  • Madagascar Vanilla Beans also a pack of 10
  • Swing top glass jars these are fabulous and reusable, would also make cute gifts, they also come with the little chalk labels

Unilateral Clubfoot Bracing

I felt the need to compose this because there is so little information out there for parents to find when it comes to bracing options with clubfoot treatment. If you’ve followed our Clubbie Adventures you know that we made the choice early on, prior to our daughters birth really, that we would use a unilateral brace after casting. While this seemed like the most logical decision for us it was NOT the easiest option to find information about, procure, or gain clinical insight into. It took some major digging and months and months of research to get answers to our questions. If I had only been able to access the information that we have now our journey could’ve been less stressful. For anyone out there considering a unilateral bracing option for their child I hope this information helps you weigh the options and have some clarity. Continue reading “Unilateral Clubfoot Bracing”