The Lighted Rose Homeschool

Our carefully curated February playlist introduces topics in a gentle, intentional sequence. Pop it on in the background during morning time, car rides, or sensory play:

• Welcome to February: Exploring February as a month of the year & Leap Day
• Winter Shadows: Groundhog’s Day songs, light, and shadow play
• Love & Connection: Heartfelt Valentine’s Day melodies and sweet love songs
• Exploring Big Feelings: Highlighting emotions and child-friendly feelings songs
• The 5 Senses: Investigating how we experience the world around us
• Science of Sound & Sight: Discovering sound, homonyms, and the beauty of light
• Inspirational Spotlights: A special Ray Charles feature on blindness, plus Black History & Civil Rights themes
• Leap Day: Celebrating our extra calendar day with fun Leap Day songs
• Daily Encouragement: Wrapping up with positive affirmations and warm winter meditations

🔗 Ready to listen? [Find February’s Amazon Music Playlist here.]

These books have been such a joy for us. I’ve included links if you’d like to add them to your home collection, which is a lovely way to keep them ready for when these themes come back around each year. Of course, I also encourage you to check your local library—it’s a wonderful place to let your children browse, explore, and find their own quiet treasures.

📖 Family Read-Alouds (Chapter Books)

Perfect for gathering around to share a longer, immersive story.

• American Girl Books
• Biographies: Benjamin Banneker, Elizabeth Freeman, Federico Fernandez Cavada, James Lafayette
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Core Classics Plus Study Edition)
• Number the Stars
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
• Louis Braille, by Margaret Davidson

📖 Illustrated Picture Books

A mix of illustrated stories for all ages covering our February themes: The 5 Senses, Valentine’s Day & Emotions, and Lights & Shadows and Groundhog’s Day.

• Sesame Street Sign Language ABC with Linda Bove (the 5 senses)
• Rise and Shine a Children’s Guide to American Sign Language, by April Pulver (the 5 senses)
• Gale and Oscar Learn to Sign, by Cajun Abdel Wahhab & Eliya Finkelstein (the 5 senses)
• Young Hellen Keller, A Troll First-Start Biography (the 5 senses)
• No Animals in the House!, by Mr. C (the 5 senses)
• Helen’s Big World The Life of Helen Keller, by Doreen Rappaport (the 5 senses)
• Body Detectives A Book About the Five Senses, by Rita Golden Gelman (the 5 senses)
• The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses, by Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen (the 5 senses)
• Light Shadows, Mirrors, and Rainbows, by Natalie M. Rosinsky (the 5 senses, lights & shadows)
• Too Much Noise, by Ann McGovern (the 5 senses)
• Groundhog Day, by Lisa M. Herrington (groundhog’s day)
• 5 More Minutes Please!, by Ashley Smith (groundhog’s day)
• It’s Groundhog Day!, by Steven Kroll (groundhog’s day)
• Something Beautiful, by Sharon Dennis Wyeth (prejudice)
• Why People Are Different Colors, by Julian May (diversity)
• What It Means To Be LOYAL, by Nancy Prasad (emotions)
• I Care About Others!, by David Parker (emotions)
• A Little Spot of Anxiety, by Diane Alber (emotions)
• Be Brave Little One, by Marianne Richmond (emotions)
• My Magic Breath, by Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor (emotions)
• A Kiss for You, by Patricia Hegarty (love, emotions)
• A Kissing Hand for Chester Raccoon (love, emotions)
• D.W. Thinks Big, by Marc Brown (love, emotions)
• The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams (love)
• The Valentine Cat, by Clyde Robert Bulla (love)
• I Love You as Big as the World, by David Van Buren (love)
• Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch (love)
• Sugar Cookies Sweet Little Lessons on Love, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (love)
• I Love You All Ways by marianne Richmond (love)
• The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting (love, valentine’s day)
• Arthur’s Valentine, by Marc Brown (valentine’s day, love)
• Be My Valentine, by M.J. Carr (valentine’s day, love)
• Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink, by Diane de Groat (valentine’s day)
• The Secret Life of Squirrels A Love Story, by Nancy Rose (valentine’s day)
• Ira Says Goodbye, by Bernard Waber (friendship, emotions)
• The Treasure Tree, by John and Cindy Trent (friendship)
• I’m a Good Friend!, by David Parker (friendship)
• Black Boy, Black Boy, by Ali Kamanda and Jorge Redmond (diversity)
• Hitler Youth, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (prejudice)
• We are the Ship by Kadir Nelson (prejudice)
• The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson (prejudice)

Explore the senses and check in on big feelings! These fun family watches pair perfectly with your lessons this month:

• Emotions & Feelings: Inside Out, The Emoji Movie, Care Bears, and Barney
• Love & Valentine’s Day: Lady and the Tramp
• Lights, Shadows & Fun: Peter Pan (all about shadows) and a fun family Shadow Puppet Show
• The 5 Senses & Science: The Magic School Bus (Makes a Stink / Gets a Bright Idea) and Bill Nye the Science Guy
• Inspirational Profiles: The Miracle Worker, The Jenny Project, and a feature Louis Braille Movie
• History & Culture: Colonial Life for Children: William Penn and Pennsylvania

Bring your learning to life out in the real world with these winter excursions:

• Community & Traditions: Visiting a local church or learning about wedding celebrations
• Visual Exploration: Visiting an Art Museum or an Illusion Museum to play with sight and perspective
• History & Heritage: Walking through Civil War battlefields and history museums
• Experiencing the Senses: Touring an ASL School, a School for the Deaf, or exploring the science of prosthetics

If you want to add rigorous, free textbooks to our hands-on resources, we highly recommend matching this month’s activities with these specific units:

🧪 Core Knowledge Science

• Grade K – Unit 5: Our Five Senses*
• Grade 3 – Unit 5: Human Senses and Movement**
• Grade 4 – Unit 8: Making Sense of Science
• Grade 6 – Unit 1: Light and Matter
• Grade 8 – Unit 2: Sound Waves

🌍 Core Knowledge History & Geography

• Grade 2 – Unit 9: The Civil War***
• Grade 2 – Unit 11: Civil Rights Leaders****
• Grade 4 – Unit 10: American Reformers
• Grade 5 – Unit 10: Westward Expansion Before the Civil War
• Grade 5 – Unit 11: The Civil War
• Grade 5 – Unit 12: Westward Expansion After the Civil War

✏️ Core Knowledge Language Arts Units

• Grade K – Domain 2: The Five Senses*
• Grade 2 – Domain 9: The U.S. Civil War***
• Grade 2 – Domain 12: Fighting for a Cause****
• Grade 3 – Unit 3: The Human Body: Systems and Senses**
• Grade 7 – Unit 7:Anne Frank’s Tales from the Secret Annex
• Grade 8 – Unit 3: Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass
• Grade 8 – Unit 5: A more Perfect Union: Voices for the Civil Rights in America
• Grade 8 – Unit 7: The Importance of Being Earnest

💡 Teacher’s Note: For the absolute best learning flow, we recommend reviewing any Science or History units marked with an asterisk (*) before you jump into the paired Language Arts unit!