Reading Journals for Kids for National Book Month

National Book Month is celebrated in October. It's the perfect time of year to reiterate the importance of reading. Not only is reading necessary for daily life, but it is another opportunity to learn and discover new things, new places, and different viewpoints from people of various cultures and backgrounds. Reading is one of the best pastime activities to relax and enjoy a good book without television, social media, and other distractions. Many kids receive required reading lists, which help to advance their reading skills and keep them busy throughout the year. Other children may have a more flexible curriculum and reading journals and reading logs help organize all of the books they read during the year. 

In the reading journals for kids below, there is a table of contents, open-ended questions directed toward the books they are reading, and space to write down more recommended books from teachers, friends, and family. Some of the books were created by Selena Thinking Out Loud and others are favorites on Amazon. At the end of the year, a child can see all of the books they have read and feel proud of such a great accomplishment. Happy reading!

Into The Wild With Books: A Reading Log for Kids to Keep Track of All the Books They Read. Paperback.

My Little Princess Reading Journal: Reading Log Book for Girls to Track, Record, and Review Books. For Preschoolers and Elementary School Reading with Question Prompts.

My Very Own Book Journal: A reading log for kids (and grownups) who love books (My Very Own Journals)

Bookworm Journal: A Reading Log for Kids (and Their Parents)

My Daily Reading Log: A Journal for Boys to Record Daily Reading Time

Reading Log For Kids: (8 x 10 Large) Reading Notebook For Ages 7 - 12 Child Friendly Layout 100 Record Pages (Reading Log Books)

My Reading Journal: A Guided Journal for Kids to Keep Track of Their Reading

Reading Log For Kids: (8 x 10 Large) Reading Notebook For Ages 7 - 12 Child Friendly Layout 100 Record Pages (Reading Log Books)

Reading Journal For Kids: Reading Journal Book Lovers Resource Diary : Best Gift for Book Lovers : Reading Log (Reading Journal For Books Lovers) (Volume 1)

Reading Journal for Children: A Book Review starter for kids; A Reading Log for kids & their grown ups

My First Year Summer Garden Tour #GreenThumb

Hello everyone! I hope you have been well. I have been working on my first-year garden a lot this summer during this intense heatwave. Southern California hit 100 degrees in June. I don't know where Spring came and went, but I'm glad that I was still able to learn and apply some gardening knowledge so far this year. In the video below, I invite you into my first-year garden. This is my first summer garden tour and I'm excited to share everything that's been growing. I have been growing beautiful, gigantic, sunflowers, green peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, grapevines, a cherry tree, squash, and more. 

I have learned SO much from many gardeners on Youtube and reading books and articles. I have been doing my research y'all...lol. Now that it's about a week since the first day of Fall, I have also started three varieties of peas that I show you while on the summer tour as well. I recommend following the Farmer's Almanac, entering your zip code, and it will give you its historical recommendations on when to start your seeds, plant in the ground or raised bed soil, and transplant new crops. I am very surprised by the results I have been having so I mention "thrive" quite a bit throughout the video...lol. I started off dealing with the aphids, whiteflies, and earwigs galore. That wasn't fun and it wasn't easy at first, but I learned what they all looked like and their habits of destruction and eventually figured it out, using Diatomaceous Earth and Insecticidal soap. It's never too late to start a garden and since I'm in Southern California I'm gearing up for my Fall garden and looking forward to showing you my first-year Fall garden tour for 2021. Stay tuned, thanks for watching, and happy gardening!

Recommended Resources

• Farmer's Almanac (Planting Calendar): https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar
• Transplants purchased from Growjoy
• Drip Irrigation purchased from DripWorks

HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, 10lb with Powder Duster Included in The Bag

Bonide Products INC 912102 652 Ready-to-Use Insect Soap, Quart, 1

Planting Grapes in Whiskey Barrels #Gardening

There has been an extreme heatwave in Southern California since late May. However, I have been diligently working on my first-year garden. In March of this year I planted grapevines I purchased as transplants from Tractor Supply and FastGrowingTrees.com. I am happy to report that they are doing very well. The varieties I planted appear to like the heat and grow more when it's warmer. I chose to plant Niagara, Suffolk, and Himrod. Currently, they all have plenty of foliage and they are making their way up the trellises I built for them. Although the Niagara grapevines are not first-year plants, I do believe that I will have production next year. These were very easy to get started and I will have to keep you posted on their growth. The heatwave is still present in the weather forecast, but hopefully, within this next week, we will get a break. I know my fruit and vegetable crops will appreciate it. 

I created a video showing you how I planted them and the soil and fertilizer I used to establish the grapevines. It's never too late to start a garden. Grab some seeds and start growing.

Helpful Resources for Growing Grapes and Other Fruit Trees
Grape Growers Handbook: A Guide To Viticulture for Wine Production

The Fruit Gardener's Bible: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruits and Nuts in the Home Garden

The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply (Back-To-Basics)

Planting Blueberries in a Whiskey Barrel Planter #Gardening

I hope you have been well. During my weekends, I have been arranging my backyard garden and it's finally a good temperature to plant my blueberries that I purchased. I have two different varieties, the Aronia and Sunshine Blue. The Sunshine Blue blueberry is one years old and had indications of blueberries on it so I'm hoping that I can get more this year as well. I have been watching out for critters and checking the soil to keep it moist with my fingers. Blueberries like well-drained soil and they are acidic like Indian Hawthorne plants and Azaleas. In the video below, I show you what I decided to use after doing my research and watching others' recommendations. So far this combination of ingredients have been working like a charm. My blueberries are beginning to make new stems and green leaves. They enjoy the full sun too. 

Are you planting blueberries this year and have any tips? Please share them in the comments below.

Gardening Book I'm Reading and Recommend
All New Square Foot Gardening, 3rd Edition, Fully Updated: MORE Projects - NEW Solutions - GROW Vegetables Anywhere (All New Square Foot Gardening, 9)

Setting Up Whiskey Barrels for Planting in my First Backyard Garden #Gardening

I hope all has been well. It's a couple days from Spring and I have decided to move forward with preparing my first backyard garden for planting fruits and vegetables. Although I am a novice gardener, I hope to learn a lot this year and share my ups and minimal downs (crossing my fingers) with you. To start, I decided to use whiskey barrels to plant my grape vines and blueberry plants. I learned that they like a lot of space and full sun so they are being set up first in the garden. The backyard is uneven so I will level it out as much as possible and use pavers for each whiskey barrel. In this video, I show you how I did this part of the project. I will be uploading my progress in the videos to come. I have been studying, reading, and trying various things with regards to gardening so hopefully I will have success this year and the videos help you too. If you're starting a garden this year, share your plans and ideas in the comments below. I look forward to reading all about them and if you have any tips I am all ears for those as well. Most of all, please stay safe and be well.

Andrews Seed Company Seeds Review for My First Fruit and Vegetable Garden

I recently purchased a plethora of vegetable seeds from Andrews Seed Company for my first backyard fruit and vegetable garden. I have realized over the past year that I should start living a self-sustaining lifestyle when it comes to my food. I am a vegan and normally purchase lots of fruits and vegetables, a week, from the grocery store so why not learn to grow them instead. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been learning a lot about raised beds, container gardening, and starting seeds indoors from some YouTube channels. CaliKim and Garden Answer's YouTube channels are very insightful if you're looking to get started, just to name a few. CaliKim also has a gardening book for anyone looking to start their own organic garden with no experience.

Organic Gardening for Everyone: Homegrown Vegetables Made Easy - No Experience Required!

I like supporting family-owned, small business and if you're looking for seeds, Andrews Seed Company may be a good place to purchase some. In the video below, I show you the seeds 7 day and 14-day germination. They are growing even more now in their third week. It's still chilly outdoors in Southern California, too cool for them now, so they are cozy in a lightbox staying warm. 

I used large peat pellets to start my seeds and they have been a huge success. You can find them on Amazon.  

Let me know in the comments, below, if you're growing your own fruits and vegetables and share any pointers you may have.