Saturday is the day! Ergobaby and Beco have given me some amazing ORGANIC baby carriers to give away at Blissdom to two lucky bloggers. I have already been getting so many compliments on the two carriers I have worn (and the amazingly cute baby I have worn in them). They are both wonderful, supportive, and stylish carriers and they have made this conference possible for me by giving me my hands when baby has had to tag along. 25 pounds of Viking man is just too much for a mom with a laptop and camera bag to carry - unless you have a GREAT heavy-duty carrier like these!My mom tried them today…
Homeschooling
-
Sprittibee
-
Blissdom Baby Carrier Give-Away!!!
5 Feb 2010 | 10:10 pm -
Rev Up Your Engines - The Bee Travels
5 Feb 2010 | 6:30 amAs a parent, we have all wanted to be able to be in two places at one time. Right? Haven't you wanted to be able to snuggle your child while also wanted to spend time alone with your husband? Or make a baseball game and a friend's birthday party? Yep. Not possible. We all have tried. We'll push ourselves to the max and drive everyone around us crazy as betsy bugs trying with all of our might to do all that we can. Pack as much in a day as we can. Help everyone we are able to help. Enjoy as many things as possible. But, we still can't be in two places at once. We sometimes just have… -
First Day at Blissdom 2010 - Wednesday
3 Feb 2010 | 10:09 pmIt was a long WAY to Blissdom, and a long first DAY at Blissdom. It started out at 4AM in the dark. I woke up in Arkansas at a blogger friend's house. Far, far away from the comfort of home... with Tennessee calling.We watched the pastel sunrise over the Mississippi and saw Memphis peeking out of the pink fog as we entered the state. Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries or was unreachable for most of the drive. I was kicking myself internally for not being prepared for all the amazing scenery we saw on the trip.A few miles after Memphis, we saw snow glistening on the hills. Texans… -
Blissdom Limerick
3 Feb 2010 | 9:09 amThere once was a girl named HeatherTo Blissdom she went with Goodwill pants made of pleatherThere's no way you will miss herIn tow are her kids and a her coolerNo doubt she'll come back with all her thoughts put ToGEtHeRCan you imagine how much fun Heather is having right now?! Nothing better than driving many, many, m.a.n.y. hours in a car with children. Ah, the bliss. Who needs spas or a solitary trip to the bathroom when you can have that?But, she does have a sweet destination to set her eyes on. While all of us non-Blissers carry on with the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the dishes,… -
Win a $100 Container Store Gift Certificate from Springpad!
2 Feb 2010 | 8:21 pmI left Texas in the dust today on my way to Blissdom. Those are my drinks and snacks up there. Sorry about the silence in here, but there's only so much blogging that can get done while you are packing the back end of your vehicle so tight that you can't slip a piece of paper between the suitcases, hanging clothes, or boxes that touch the padded top of the vehicle. And eating lunch out of the back of your truck. And keeping the baby happy by singing endless rounds of "The Wheels on the Bus".While I was busy stuffing my things in the SUV, my sponsor, Springpad was cooking up a super awesome…
-
Melissa Wiley
-
“Mr. Queed, you are afflicted with a fatal malady. Your cosmos is pure ego.”
7 Feb 2010 | 8:32 pmThe home page of this website (the “My Website” tab above) seems to have gone temporarily bananas—instead of my usual welcome message, it’s channeling the text of the Carney’s House Party post I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Anyone happen to notice when this started? I can’t remember when I last clicked on the home page. Hmm. I have no idea what the problem is, but I’ve written my Swank web genius and I am sure she’ll fix me up in no time. UPDATE: Yup, problem solved. Thanks, Emily! Speaking of Carney, I’ve been perusing her yet again as I work… -
This Week Was
5 Feb 2010 | 8:06 am• getting set up for Journey North (first batch of clues are out today, woohoo!) • watching Beanie fall into Redwall • wobbly steps growing more confident…suddenly this baby is EVERYWHERE • LOST is back. I is happy. • thinking and thinking about Carney and Winona • Candlemas with Mallomars • George Mason and the Bill of Rights • Big Bad Bunny until I know it by heart • magical red blooms on the amaryllis • lots of stuff to read online—Salinger, Apple, Macmillan, and Amazon kept me busy • several kinds of waiting • measuring cups scattered across the floor •… -
Dear iPad, Please Don’t Move to Kent
2 Feb 2010 | 3:26 pmDear iPad, I know you’re really busy right now, so I went ahead and took the Which Jane Austen Character Are You quiz for both of us. Hope you don’t mind. It came out that you are Charlotte Lucas and I am Elizabeth Bennet. Which wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but if you think about it, it makes a ton of sense. Lizzie: skirts six inches deep in mud Me: clothes constantly smeared with peanut butter and masticated goldfish crackers Lizzie: marries sarcastic, sensitive man who dislikes mingling Me: DITTO Lizzie: enjoys reading letters Me: enjoys reading blogs (See what I… -
Journey North Mystery Class
1 Feb 2010 | 8:14 pmIt’s that time of year again! We have been participating in the Mystery Class hunt for five years now. I think it’s five. Could it be six? Five or six, it’s been a blast every time. Here’s a post I wrote about it two years ago (full of nuts & bolts info). Things don’t really get rolling until this Friday, when the first set of clues come out, so you’ve got plenty of time to sign up at the Journey North website. (It’s free.) It’s way fun. -
Rilla-books
1 Feb 2010 | 9:37 amLast week I shared pictures of Wonderboy’s favorite book. This week it’s Rilla’s turn for a books post. I’m going to try to get in the habit of doing this regularly, for our family records as much as anything else. These are the picture books she enjoyed most in the past week: Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. This was one of the books I received for review as a Cybils panelist in 2008, and it was a hit with my family. Big Bad Bunny is on the loose, and Mama Mouse has just discovered her littlest mouse-baby is missing. She’ll…
-
Why Homeschool
-
Ludwig von Mises Institute has material on iTunes
9 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amI am on the Ludwig von Mises mailing list. I enjoy their frequent emails.B.K. Marcus announced:----------The Mises Institute is pleased to announce that the multimedia content on Mises.org — many thousands of hours of audio and video — is now available through iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store (http://www.itunes.com/).iTunes U carries lectures from top academic minds on every topic, freely available, elegantly organized, and beautifully presented. Users enjoy easy access to material ranging from ancient-language studies to particle physics.All the rich-media content of… -
I finished: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Volume 1
9 Feb 2010 | 8:54 amI finally finished History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon via DailyLit. It is very painful to see the Roman civilization degenerate. Time and again pettiness and selfishness inflict great harm.If you've been meaning to read an old classic, but haven't been able to find time, give DailyLit a chance----------Technorati tagsRoman -
This week's Carnival of Space is up
9 Feb 2010 | 8:03 amJason is hosting this week's Carnival of Space at Lights in the Dark.----------Technorati tagscarnivalspace -
Double the pain - make the victum move out of school
9 Feb 2010 | 6:40 amRubinc in nyc reports of sad situation. Three girls beat up a fourth girl. It is so savage the police are called in. What does the school do?-----------It’s frustrating, because the girl who got jumped has been in our school since Kindergarten and has never been a problem. The three bullies have all transferred to our school in the past couple years, and have all been suspended multiple times for bullying and fighting. But the DOE’s policy about bullying is transfer the victim, not the aggressors - how ridiculous is that?? This girl has grown up in our school and hasn’t done anything… -
Loving vs. hating someone
9 Feb 2010 | 5:47 amFrom Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:If you don't like someone, the way he holds his spoon makes you furious; if you like him, he can turn his plate over into your lap and you won't mind.-Irving BeckerThis thought explains a lot of history: People will fight for "their side" even if their side is in the wrong. This thought explains a lot of politics: Too many excuse their allies over a beam while attacking their enemy over a mote.----------Technorati tagsfriendship
-
Notes From A Homeschooling Mom
-
Preparing to take the CLEP History 1 Exam
3 Feb 2010 | 4:24 pmYou may remember that we are planning to take a CLEP approach to homeschool high school. Originally, I started working with my 15 year old son, who passed the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature Exam, and before long my 13 year old wanted in on the fun. We are now getting ready to take the History 1 Exam because my kids have a great grasp on history thanks to their Fine Arts and History -
Carnival of Educators 14th Edition Short but Powerful
2 Feb 2010 | 11:08 amWelcome to the February 2, 2010 edition of carnival of educators. This is the 14th edition and we are still growing. If you would like give a go at hosting, please contact ahermitt@gmail.com. Meanwhile, we prefer to keep the carnival short and powerful as opposed to long and laden down with lists and spam. This edition is king of no frills... long story, but I am not in my own space with week -
Carnival of Educators, Nary a List in Sight Edition
27 Jan 2010 | 4:43 amHopefully spammers are learning that they won't get their posts included in the Carnival of Educators, with this last awesome edition. In includes insightful and humorous tidbits from teachers and educators... as was intended when the carnival of educators was created. A big thank you goes out to I Want to Teach Forever for hosting this excellent carnival post. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -
Educational Website Review: Verbalearn.com
15 Jan 2010 | 7:31 pmI recently had the opportunity to review verbalearn.com, both the free program and the paid Verbalearn Plus program. I will start by telling you I like it. Verbalearn.com is a website that helps students improve their vocabulary by focusing on words they don't know. In it's simplest version Verbalearn allows you to insert your vocabulary words into the website, or it can recommend words -
Carnival of Educators - Spam Free Edition, January 12, 2010
12 Jan 2010 | 8:53 pmCarnival of educators archives | submit post Welcome to the January 12, 2010 edition of carnival of educators. This blog is a few hours late, but it was important to get it right. It is called the Spam Free Edition, because it is just that... free from spam. You will find no 100 best college this, or 50 best books resources from websites remotely related to education that sends in dozens of
-
Home Where They Belong
-
Publishers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Win Leadership Award!
27 Jan 2010 | 3:14 pmPaul and Gena Suarez Recipients of the 2009 Dr. Robert Dreyfus Courageous Christian Leadership Award COLUMBIA, SC, Jan. 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- Frontline Ministries, Inc., and the Exodus Mandate Project ( www.Exodusmandate.org) announced today that Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Gena Suarez are the joint recipients of the 2009 Dr. Robert Dreyfus Courageous Christian Leadership Award. Established by Frontline Ministries, Inc., in 2007, this award honors and recognizes Christian leaders who have exhibited moral courage through their unique contribution to the Church by advancing Christianity in the… -
Homeschoolers Put Money Into Public School Pockets
8 Jan 2010 | 5:35 pmEver since I started homeschooling one of the biggest complaints I've heard against it--outside of socialization-- is that homeschooling takes money away from the public schools. Not that I really ever cared. However, I love it when the truth comes out! Nevada recently discovered that homeschoolers actually SAVE the public schools money instead of draining their budgets. And people say I don't post anything positive about public schools on here . . . Tia Linschied Senior Editor of HSB -
No Homeschooling, No Christmas for the Johansson Family
24 Dec 2009 | 8:33 amAs you celebrate Christmas this year, please remember all the parents who are still fighting for their right to homeschool, and for parents who have had their children taken from them by force without just cause because they homeschooled their children--like the Johansson family of Sweden. This Christmas we can rest easy knowing that the gifts that we bought for our children will help further their education or offer a new way for your family to have fun together. The Johanssons have been denied Christmas with their only child, and so much more. Tia Linschied Senior Editor of HSB -
Special Needs Children: Bring Them Home Where They Belong
17 Dec 2009 | 3:18 pmMore abusive teachers are in the news, this time two teachers tortured and abused several special needs children in their care--children who couldn't speak out about what was happening to them. Parents, even your special needs children deserve to be at home where it is safe, and where you can be there to protect them. Homeschooling special needs children can be done! Check out these resources to start: E-Book: Teaching Jeremiah--a complete curriculum for teaching special needs children in preschool and early elementary grades. E-Book: Someplace Called Special--A Look at Homeschooling Special… -
Background Checks for Homeschoolers?
16 Dec 2009 | 7:16 pmWorld Net Daily reports that just may become the case for British parents who wish to homeschool their children. The law stems, in part, to a problem that some parents are using homeschooling as a way to disguise abuse. However, what the law doesn't stipulate is what is required to pass a background check, it invades the rights and privacy of parents, and presumes them guilty until proven innocent. As I've said before, there are already laws in place--in both Britain and the U.S.--in regards to child abuse. Government agencies are refusing to back those laws up. While there are several…
-
By Sun and Candlelight
-
Focus on the Feeders Weekend
7 Feb 2010 | 4:50 pmThis weekend we participated in a bird-counting project, sponsored by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. It's an annual event called "Focus on the Feeders Weekend" - and I'm not sure how many years we've been doing it, but it's been a while now! According to the M.A.S., 40% of New England residents feed and closely watch wildlife ~ and I am happy to say we are part of that surprisingly high estimate!The challenge is to record the greatest number and variety of birds that visit your feeders over the assigned weekend. You only need report the highest number of a… -
In our Yard this Afternoon ...
5 Feb 2010 | 1:01 pm... we spotted this magnificent (Cooper's?) hawk! We had just arrived home from a morning field trip when I noticed a large bird swoop through the neighbor's yard and into our own. He's gorgeous of course, but not at all welcome. Just yesterday the boys and I watched 5 (FIVE!) red squirrels playing in the yard, running between our rooftop and the trees out back. I hate to think of them out and about with predators like this hanging around ...Anyhoo ... we spent the morning at theAmerican Textile Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. I have LOTS of pictures to share from… -
FCS Questions: Where does it all end up?
5 Feb 2010 | 4:53 amGood Friday Morning, my friends! I had hoped to have this up earlier in the week, but alas, free time has been scarce these past few days. There are still several questions to address re ~ the file crate system, and today's question comes from Shonda O.k., let's see if I've got this. :) File week specific items into the appropriate folder, action items go onto your clip board, items that you want to do next year stay in the file (?) and then at the end of the year do you move those saved items into the brand new file folders for the new year? Do you then purge the… -
Wordless Wednesday
3 Feb 2010 | 5:05 am -
Hello February!
1 Feb 2010 | 11:17 amI made a few changes in the learning room (and surrounding areas) to reflect the new month upon us ... First we have Earlybird's bulletin board. I added some red doily hearts to the snowflake border as well as all new February-inspired sight word cards: Here's an impromptu February book display under the windows. The holiday books were all hidden in the Winter book basket so I decided to put them in the spotlight - or the sunlight I guess you could say. :) And we turned the page on the homeschool calendar: This is the boys' calendar to maintain.
-
Dewey's Treehouse
-
You too, on the Crew?
8 Feb 2010 | 2:18 pmThe Old Schoolhouse Review Crew has announced some of its plans for next year--and they'll be looking for new crew members. Some of you have asked me how we got involved in this year's Crew, or how you can enlist your own family (because it really does become a family commitment); so here's what you need to know if you'd like to be considered. -
How come your kids don't know that?
8 Feb 2010 | 5:53 amThe Review Crew has started a sort of mini-carnival each week, with a homeschooling question to answer. The question for this week is "How do you know if your kids are keeping up with their peers?" (Click on the ship to see more entries--they will be posted on Tuesday.)I guess you could rephrase that "How do you know they know what they're supposed to know?"I've never worried much about that. First of all, it depends on who's making the list of what kids are supposed to know. Maybe their list isn't the same as mine, but who's to say that theirs is better, even if "they" might be the… -
Fun Gift: Valentine Strawberries (non-edible)
5 Feb 2010 | 4:40 pmOld Days Old Ways has a neat craft idea: Valentine Strawberries from red print fabric scraps. -
Yes, we drink milk out of bags too
5 Feb 2010 | 5:35 amSheryl Ng's video "How Canadians Drink Milk" made it to the newspapers today--and, as pointed out there, milk-in-bags doesn't apply to provinces west of Ontario. But yeah, we have been getting milk-in-bags for years. (And if we don't need to buy a whole four litres, we do get a carton.) Actually I didn't grow up on milk-in-bags; I grew up on powdered milk mixed in a Tupperware jug. And before that we got milk delivered to our house in glass bottles, so now I know I really am an antique. -
Math Mammoth (TOS Review)
5 Feb 2010 | 3:03 amTreehouse Review WeekMath Mammoth Home PageFree Samples DownloadPlacement TestsFAQ (including ordering information)"Fully reproducible math workbooksand worktexts for grades 1-12.Incredibly affordable!"I mentioned a few weeks ago that we would be trying out Maria Miller's Math Mammoth series with Crayons this term. We received both grade 3 books in the Light Blue Series (more specifics on the grade 3 books here), and I printed out the first chapter."The first chapter in this book deals with addition and subtraction strategies. The student does a lot of mental math, learns addition and…
-
Eclectic Education
-
Lapbooking Ideas
14 Jan 2010 | 2:51 pmWinter can be a difficult time in homeschool. Christmas has come and gone and so has the break that comes with it. Summer is still a LONG way off and so is spring, but around this time, itching for spring can start. Kids are stuck inside more and everyone is getting antsy. Now would be a great time to shake up your studies a bit and do something fun! Here is a list of lapbooking resources: Winter Lapbook Martin Luther King Jr. Lapbook Chinese New Year Lapbook Mardi Gras Lapbook Groundhog Day Lapbook Valentine's Day Lapbook President's Day Lapbook Iditarod Lapook… -
Getting Your Homeschool Organized in the New Year
28 Dec 2009 | 10:45 amAwww... New Year's, the time to set new goals for yourself. I like so many others out there, am setting new goals for myself and for our homeschool. I want to be more organized in the next year. My life is really busy. Besides homeschooling (and of course taking care of kids and house all day), I also work from home. I feel like I have very little free time. In addition to this, I am determined to get myself healthy this years which is going to take extra time (to learn more about this, check out Get Fit in 2010!) and to add Bible study into my day… -
Christmas Products
7 Dec 2009 | 3:44 pmmake custom gifts at Zazzle -
Christmas Resources
23 Nov 2009 | 2:17 pmWow! Time is going so fast. I can't believe it is almost December!!! I don't know about you, but I usually start adding Christmas into our homeschool right after Thanksgiving is over. I am hoping to do an interactive notebook this year of Christmas Around the World, but I will have to see if my printer is fixed in time. Unfortunately, it started leaking. Ugh!!! Well, I wanted to share some resources that I have put together for Christmas. Here are my homeschool Christmas resources: Christmas Lapbook Christmas Around the World with Children… -
Neat Homeschool Project
16 Nov 2009 | 6:21 pmI just wanted to let you all know about a a neat project some of my friends are doing on eHow. Several of them are going to be sending a doll around the country and taking the doll to different landmarks and places in their community. They will be taking pictures and writing about the adventures. The project can be followed at this link: http://www.squidoo.com/ehowdollysgrandadventure This would make a really good geography project. I will say, though, a couple of the people sometimes have a uhm... colorful sense of humor, so I would preview it before showing it…
-
Heart of Wisdom Blog
-
Was it Child Abuse?
8 Feb 2010 | 12:03 pmWhat would you do if you saw a woman beating a screaming child? I have a dear, dear friend that struggles with the violence in the Old testament. We had several discussions about it. Then I found a story on Darin Hufford’s Free Believer’s site that helped me explain the importance of perspective. Thirty-eight years ago, in a remote neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska, a young stressed-out mother came running out of her front door towards her two-year-old baby boy. She literally body slammed him with full force sending his little frame flying across the front lawn. She then proceeded… -
Home from Blissdom 10
7 Feb 2010 | 9:38 pmI had wonderful fun packed weekend at Blissdom with 499 other mom bloggers at Opryland Hotel. It was amazing. It was terrific getting to hug my bloggy friends and I learned a lot in the class sessions. I lost my camera the week before so I didn’t take photos but many others did so I’ll share a few from others. Loved meeting and spening time Heather (SprittiBee) and her sweet family. Please be in prayer for Heather’s mom who was hospitalized in Nashville during Blissdom. Pensive Robin made arrangements for a Blissdom prayer coffee which was my very favorite part of Blissdom… -
Organize Your Family Online with Cozi
7 Feb 2010 | 1:59 pmI found this terrific program for organizing your family. Cozi helps you stay in communication and share memories—all in one place. Its super-duper easy to use and quick and FREE! Its easy to schedule repeat events by family member: You can schedule things like Homeschool 8:00-1:00 weekdays Laundry every Tuesday and Fridays 1:00-3:00. Bath time Christopher at 7:00 David at 7:30. Bowling every Tuesday 2:00. Create your grocery list on Cozi and have them on your phone call toll-free from your cell phone to have a your shopping list read to you. Neat huh? What You Can Do With Cozi Free… -
Homeschool Warning and Blog Contest
5 Feb 2010 | 5:35 amI am at Blissdom Conference with other mom bloggers. While I’m gone I leave you with this audio and a contest. This 27 minute audio includes what I feel is the most important advice I could share with Christian homeschoolers. Click Here to Download Homeschool Danger Audio THREE WILL WIN! I will choose three winners for The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach Ebook (500 page $24.95 Value!). First winner will be a random drawing from the comments below. Just add a comment about the homeschool audio to for a chance to be selected. Second winner will be a random drawing from all bloggers who… -
I Desire to Do Good, But
31 Jan 2010 | 4:28 amI make hundreds of little decisions a day, and many times I get them wrong. These are the things I don’t want exposed – things I prefer never to admit. But I must be open about how I have failed, because only then can God forgive me, cleanse me and use me. The words in Romans 7 sum up the Christian’s utter inability to live righteously, in his own strength. I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve…
-
Suite101: Homeschooling Articles
-
Intro to Batik -- A Fun Homeschool Art Project
5 Feb 2010 | 6:00 pmAn easy version of batik printing, this is a fun homeschool art project for kids aged ten and up. Decorate a scarf, pillow, tablecloth or t-shirt using melted crayons. -
Teaching Homeschoolers the Joy of Essay Writing
4 Feb 2010 | 8:04 pmA well researched essay is a common college requirement, and with the right strategies homeschool students can not only meet, but also exceed instructor expectations. -
Homeschooling Methods
4 Feb 2010 | 12:01 pmFrom unschooling to distributed learning or theme based unit studies, a parent has many choices in the home school curriculum they use with their children. -
Resources for Homeschooling a Gifted Child
3 Feb 2010 | 8:32 pmAcademically advanced kids thrive with a customized home education. Exclusive national programs for gifted students offer opportunities to qualifying homeschoolers. -
Reading Aloud in Homeschooling
1 Feb 2010 | 5:02 pmReading aloud to children fosters a love of books and improves reading skills for all ages. A regular read aloud time should be part of every homeschooling day.
-
Mrs Hannigan's Home for Girls
-
Out of all the homeschool mom blogs in the world….
2 Feb 2010 | 2:28 pmI’m number 15. See, Powered By Invesp Imagine that. I’m not sure what the point of it all is, but 15 out of a gazillionty is really good. I think I’ll celebrate. Anyone wanna run circles in the yard with me while the kids chase us? Didn’t think so. If deep thoughts like this rock your world, then please enter your email address: FeedBurnerhooked you up. Seriously, you’ll be glad you did this. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about a few things. Custom Search Share and Enjoy: -
Love, that’s really all.
1 Feb 2010 | 7:39 pmA few years ago, when Grace (now 4) was a baby I drove all 5 kids down to California. I was a bit nervous about being 1200 miles from home and not having another adult to share road-trip responsibilities. Think about it; every potty break for 1200 miles involved unbuckling 3 kids in car seats and bringing 6 people into a public bathroom. We had a blast, though. We had a cooler filled with car snacks, we made a CD of the kids’ favorite music and we stayed overnight at a hotel with a swimming pool. I wasn’t even gone one night, though when I started missing my husband.Valentine's… -
Our Day of Abundance
22 Jan 2010 | 11:10 pmOne goal of mine has been to get the income from my websites up to a point where I wouldn’t ever feel “forced” to work. Well, I haven’t felt forced to work for the past ten days. TEN DAYS- that is a miracle for me, I find it way too easy to be glued to my computer. In the absence of forced work, I have failed to harvest all my farmville trees and animals, though I have claimed lost calves, fertilized my friend’s farms and chicken coops and sent presents to all the children in my FarmVille neighborhood. I found a few friends from high school and days beyond. I… -
Basket of Jellyfish at Bedtime
7 Jan 2010 | 9:56 amIt’s about 9:30 p.m. My 2 yr old is reaching for a basket. She’s in my arms and it’s just out of her reach. She grunts and says “Help me reach it mommy” (but not like that, it’s more like 2 words “hewlpme reachitmommy”) and I lean over so she can reach. I discover she was really reaching for the crochet hook inside. It’s hooked around one of the basket’s bottom pieces of straw, so the basket comes, too. She laughs “gottit bakstick mommy” and I turn to see why she’s laughing. She’s fumbling to get the basket… -
Grace’s 4th birthday pictures
6 Jan 2010 | 1:26 pmGrace's 4th birthday Last August when grace turned 4, I don’t know if I posted pictures or anything. Sure, I could go back through the archives, but that always takes so long for me because the “search posts” feature never works like I want it to and I end up rereading a bunch of old memories and saying things like “Oh I can’t believe I didn’t mention…” or “How silly of me to be stressed over…” or even just feeling old because so much has happened since…” So- I’m reposting birthday pictures. And an unsolicited…
-
Camp Creek Blog
-
not that ironic
9 Feb 2010 | 7:18 amWhy should we be working toward incorporating more real-life tasks, carefully structured group work and multidisciplinary projects in our classrooms? For one thing, the countries that are eating our lunch in those international tests use them — and their assessments reflect the higher-level thinking skills involved, too. And because well-done inquiry learning is centered on, reinforces and integrates the acquisition of useful knowledge. Ironically, many homeschoolers take their children out of public schools so they can adopt wholesale progressivism: long-term projects, lots of field… -
designed to raise children, not test scores
7 Feb 2010 | 6:36 amOur current educational approach — and the testing that is driving it — is completely at odds with what scientists understand about how children develop during the elementary school years and has led to a curriculum that is strangling children and teachers alike. In order to design a curriculum that teaches what truly matters, educators should remember a basic precept of modern developmental science: developmental precursors don’t always resemble the skill to which they are leading. For example, saying the alphabet does not particularly help children learn to read. But… -
a worthy goal
6 Feb 2010 | 9:01 amI cannot make my days longer so I strive to make them better. — Paul Theroux -
kid-made: personalized alarm clocks
29 Jan 2010 | 8:32 amI wanted to share some of the gifts my sons made this holiday season, starting with this one! My older son chose this project out of the D.I.Y. Design Deck, a companion to D.I.Y. Kids. We also love D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself, which is aimed toward adults but also has great ideas that older kids can do. This project was ultra-simple and so much fun. He bought very inexpensive alarm clocks and popped the plastic face off, then used the existing cardboard clockface as a template to cut the new, decorative ones. Mine (shown) is a vintage postcard. The others included an illustration from a… -
documenting children’s work: pre-project
25 Jan 2010 | 11:10 amPam left a nice, meaty comment on Project-Based Homeschooling asking, in part, “My problems — how do I explain brainstorming to them? When I ask what would you like to learn about ______ I mostly get a blank stare. … How do I get them moving in the right direction?” And a bit of my answer — “With younger children, it really doesn’t work to sit down and ask what they want to study — unless they already have a few major projects under their belt.Rather, you should begin observing their play, conversations, questions, etc., and documenting…
-
Camp Creek Blog
-
not that ironic
9 Feb 2010 | 7:18 amWhy should we be working toward incorporating more real-life tasks, carefully structured group work and multidisciplinary projects in our classrooms? For one thing, the countries that are eating our lunch in those international tests use them — and their assessments reflect the higher-level thinking skills involved, too. And because well-done inquiry learning is centered on, reinforces and integrates the acquisition of useful knowledge. Ironically, many homeschoolers take their children out of public schools so they can adopt wholesale progressivism: long-term projects, lots of field… -
designed to raise children, not test scores
7 Feb 2010 | 6:36 amOur current educational approach — and the testing that is driving it — is completely at odds with what scientists understand about how children develop during the elementary school years and has led to a curriculum that is strangling children and teachers alike. In order to design a curriculum that teaches what truly matters, educators should remember a basic precept of modern developmental science: developmental precursors don’t always resemble the skill to which they are leading. For example, saying the alphabet does not particularly help children learn to read. But… -
a worthy goal
6 Feb 2010 | 9:01 amI cannot make my days longer so I strive to make them better. — Paul Theroux -
kid-made: personalized alarm clocks
29 Jan 2010 | 8:32 amI wanted to share some of the gifts my sons made this holiday season, starting with this one! My older son chose this project out of the D.I.Y. Design Deck, a companion to D.I.Y. Kids. We also love D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself, which is aimed toward adults but also has great ideas that older kids can do. This project was ultra-simple and so much fun. He bought very inexpensive alarm clocks and popped the plastic face off, then used the existing cardboard clockface as a template to cut the new, decorative ones. Mine (shown) is a vintage postcard. The others included an illustration from a… -
documenting children’s work: pre-project
25 Jan 2010 | 11:10 amPam left a nice, meaty comment on Project-Based Homeschooling asking, in part, “My problems — how do I explain brainstorming to them? When I ask what would you like to learn about ______ I mostly get a blank stare. … How do I get them moving in the right direction?” And a bit of my answer — “With younger children, it really doesn’t work to sit down and ask what they want to study — unless they already have a few major projects under their belt.Rather, you should begin observing their play, conversations, questions, etc., and documenting…
-
The Common Room
-
Climate Change, the IPCC and Pet Poodles
9 Feb 2010 | 8:52 amIn November of 2009, Margot O'Neill, a senior reporter with ABC television news in Australia wrote a post defending the glorious, illustrious, and other adjectives of ious-ness that is the IPCC, "the world's most comprehensive assessment and review of climate science by thousands of international experts..." The IPCC is the keystone, the lynchpin, the go-to org, the utter IT of the global warming debate: The IPCC's reports are why ours and other governments around the world are calling for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and why everyone will meet in Copenhagen next month.Its… -
Categorizing My Bookshelves
9 Feb 2010 | 3:42 amBrandy at Afterthoughts is organizing her library, and she explains some of her categories: For instance, Philosophy became a place to store our volumes for the study of the classic works of philosophy proper (like Plato), an ethics book or two that were specifically covering ethics (rather than something more general like worldview and culture issues), metaphysics, and epistemology. However, all logic textbooks went on my Classical Learning shelf. A lot of folks might not have a Worldview and Culture shelf, but that is my husband's area of training and study, so we do. I found myself… -
Rosinators sing Ol Joe Clark
8 Feb 2010 | 7:12 pmThere are lyrics to this one. And here's a website with a long list of the history of the song (and of that rapscallion Joe Clark) -
Birth Stories
8 Feb 2010 | 7:00 pmA friend of mine lost contact for a time. When I found her contact information again and called her to tell her that we'd adopted two more children, I learned that she'd had had another baby (both of us were military families stationed in different states). "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. And then she told me the following story. Her baby was born with Down Syndrome. It hadn't been diagnosed in the womb, and she was pretty upset at first- she said she really didn't handle it well at all, although her husband did. And then somewhere in the first week she learned that… -
Jenny's New Job
8 Feb 2010 | 4:15 pmKim at Life in a Shoe just posted a cute story about her daughters, Rumplestiltzken and entrepreneurial spirit, and that reminded me of Jenny's New Job, just because I have that kind of a brain. Jenny is working at the small, private, airport in time as a consultant- that is, when they have some work for her, she goes in and works, every day, all day, until the work is done. They created the position just for her- if they hadn't met her, they would not have the position, and if she quits, they'll be high and dry. They cleaned out a room (no slight undertaking, the owner is a…
-
A Family Runs Through It
-
My Last Post
8 Feb 2010 | 9:58 pmThis is my last post on the old Blogger framework.I've switched over to WordPress.If you are reading this on Google Reader or one of the other feed readers out there, then you MUST change your link to my new feed, which is:http://feeds.feedburner.com/AFamilyRunsThroughItI don't want to lose you! So, please click on the above link, subscribe to the new feed, and then delete the old one. All of my posts will now come through the feedburner feed.And then come on over to A Family Runs Through It and check out the new look. Leave a comment letting me know you're still on board. Thanks! -
Blog Change
8 Feb 2010 | 1:18 amI spent the better part of this weekend wrestling with a blog change.Blogger recently announced that they were ending FTP support for self-hosted blogs. Since that's the category I fall under, I thought this would be a good opportunity to switch over to WordPress for all my blogging needs.I also thought it would be easy. It was anything but.Oh sure, it was relatively painless setting up a new WordPress blog. They even have a handy little button to import all of your Blogger posts and comments over to WordPress. Of course, it didn't work for me and I had to do a lot of digging to figure out a… -
Photo Friday
5 Feb 2010 | 2:28 amAs we explored the Universal Studios backlot, my son was losing his patience with me.He already wasn't feel very well, and my constant, "Stand here! This will make a great picture" was becoming annoying, I have to admit.But he had absolutely no problem running over to this fountain and telling me to take his picture after the tour guide explained that the Cuzco scene from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had been filmed in this very square. -
That Sinking Feeling
3 Feb 2010 | 7:29 amAs parents, it seems like not a day goes by when we don't get some sense of dread or disappointment. Thankfully, these feelings are usually minor. We get over them quickly, or at least with very little pain and suffering.Here are my Top Five Sinking Feelings (that don't involved death, destruction, or body parts):1. The most common one occurs while sitting on the toilet, usually after you've concluded your business, when you look over to see that there is no toilet paper on the roll. How many times do we have to tell our kids to replace the paper after they've used it up?2. Standing in the… -
Let's Take The Whole Day Off
2 Feb 2010 | 1:21 amMy son gave me the day off today.He knew I was way behind on housework and various other projects I have going.Well, yes, he knew that. But he really just wanted the day off for himself.So he worked extra hard on Monday, doubling up some of his lessons and researching like a madman for his paper on How Humans Will Live In Space.Today we get the day off.Doh! I forgot. I have another homeschooler.Okay, so my son gets the day off, while I get to teach my daughter.Of course, she's in third grade. She can afford a day off from times tables, pronouns, and Greek myths.I don't know. Maybe we'll all…
-
Paper Bridges
-
You can’t make this stuff up
1 Feb 2010 | 9:13 amPlayed the Book Game on Facebook the other day. If you spend any amount of time goofing off in online circles, then you probably know how it goes. Grab the nearest book, no cheating going to dig out a title that you know will be good or make you look smarter, open to Page 56. Count down to Sentence No. 5. Now the fun part: broadcast that sentence on your profile (Facebook, Twitter, where ever you normally express your thoughts.) Finish by laughing at all the random goofiness or wisdom coming from an author’s page. I imagine there has been a lot of stupid sentences shared due to the… -
For you Shack fans
29 Jan 2010 | 8:12 pmFrom the Christian Post: The publishing world sees very few books reach blockbuster status, but William Paul Young’s The Shack has now exceeded even that. The book, originally self-published by Young and two friends, has now sold more than 10 million copies and has been translated into over thirty languages. It is now one of the best-selling paperback books of all time, and its readers are enthusiastic. Follow the link to read the rest of the article. To date, it’s the best I’ve seen regarding the church’s (unfortunate) fondness for Young’s book. For you Shack… -
Committed to reasoning
28 Jan 2010 | 7:47 pmFrom Elizabeth Gilbert’s Committed (A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage): This entire book — every single page of it — has been an effort to search through the complex history of Western marriage until I could find some small place of comfort in there for myself. Such comfort is not necessarily always an easy thing to find. And search she does. I like this book. I don’t agree with everything she says, but like Eat, Pray, Love, her previous book, I take in the meat and spit out the bones. Fortunately, not much spitting here. Here is what I enjoyed about Committed: 1. -
Insert witty title here
26 Jan 2010 | 10:58 amI haven’t participated in the “Nightstand” Mr. Linky at 5 Minutes for Books in quite awhile. Why? Honestly I have no idea. Probably something called Life. So I jump back into the fun with what I currently have in my reading pile (you know, that book stack tower that never seems to end due to library and bookstore trips, friends lending books, and books given as presents. Fun, fun.) Without further delay: My Pile of Books Miss Read: Village School by Dora Jessie Saint. I opened to Page One this morning. Too early to comment other than to say, I’ve heard lots of good… -
Elizabeth Gilbert is brilliant!
25 Jan 2010 | 8:10 pmElizabeth Gilbert lived in amazing places. Italy! India! Indonesia! And where does she choose to set up housekeeping with her new hubby ? Care to take a guess? New Jersey. Ha. Take that nay-sayers. Not only is Gilbert planted in my Garden State, but she’s right here in my part of the Delaware Valley. We’re practically neighbors. I could bump into her at the IGA or the coffee shop or she might come to my church. (Errr. She’s probably not coming to church) Hey, how cool is it that after exploring an exotic place like Southeast Asia, it’s my unassuming little patch of…
-
Blessed Among Men
-
Funny Bones
7 Feb 2010 | 6:37 pmMicah has exactly two sets of pajamas. While I am almost always on schedule with the laundry and don't feel the need for more, it does happen on occasion that neither set of pajamas can be found. Tonight was one such night. On these nights, my husband usually puts him to sleep in his Halloween costume. It may sound odd, but his skeleton outfit isn't anything more than a pair of very comfortable pajamas with a glow in the dark print on the front.We all had a laugh tonight when my husband was making the rounds having everyone say goodnight to Micah. Simeon kissed him on the head and said, "Rest… -
Little Tough Boys
7 Feb 2010 | 10:45 amNicholas: I don't cry. I never have.Zachary: Yes, you did. When you were a baby you cried.Nicholas: That was a fake cry. -
Nautical Flags
6 Feb 2010 | 11:54 amOur nautical flags from The Land of Nod finally arrived. I didn't like paying so much for shipping, I didn't like how long it was before they shipped, but now that they're here we're very happy.According to the Dangerous Book for Boys they read from left to right: GOLF: I require a pilot, CHARLIE: I am on fire and have dangerous cargo, OSCAR: man overboard, WHISKEY: I require medical assistance, YANKEE: I am dragging anchor, FOXTROT: I am disabled; communicate with me, NOVEMBER: Negative, KILO: I wish to communicate with you, VICTOR: I require assistance.So, basically, we're disabled,… -
Christianity is Not for the Faint of Heart
5 Feb 2010 | 6:44 pmIn the readings these last few weeks, we've witnessed Saul stepping into a cave to "relieve" himself, David killing a giant Philistine, and today we got John the Baptist's head on a platter.These things have a way of getting the boys' attention and they've asked a lot of questions--a lot of tough questions like, Why didn't Jesus raise his cousin from the dead? And if this is what the world dealt John and later, Jesus, what does this mean for us, his followers? And, how were the saints happy if they suffered so much in this life?I've had some really interesting conversations with my kids… -
Hhhhot
5 Feb 2010 | 11:35 amBaby Micah learned the word "hot" early on. He loves food and would eat it right out of the cooking pot on the stove, but we hold him off, "Hhhot....hhhot." He likes the fire in the fireplace, too, but we caution, "Hhhot...hot."When he started using the word himself, however, we discovered that it had a larger meaning for him than just, "This thing has a quality such that were you to touch it, you would be burned.""Hhhhot...hhhot," he whispers in reverence before a computer screen he'd like to touch. "Hhhot, hhhot," he says touching a statue of Mary and the infant Jesus.For Micah, "hot" means…
-
Cottage Blessings
-
Absolutely not to be missed
2 Feb 2010 | 5:08 pmTebow's Superbowl Ad Isn't Intolerant; Its Critics Are HT: Mary Ellen Barrett -
Then and now
31 Jan 2010 | 6:28 pmNext weekend, I will celebrate two of life's greatest joys. My eighth baby--the child of my forties--will turn one, and my first baby--the child of my twenties--will turn sweet sixteen. This time last year, Agnes was praying our new baby would share a birthday with her. Jude was a bit late for that, but he was born on the fifteen-year anniversary of the day we brought her home from the hospital, so that certainly counts for something. Years ago, I was the twenty-six year old mother of an only child. As pleasant as those days were, and as much as I sometimes… -
Pilgrimage 2009-10
30 Jan 2010 | 9:49 pmJust before we left for San Francisco in 2007, we sent our statue of Our Lady of Fatima out on a "pilgrimage" to the homes of our local friends here on Long Island. It did my heart good to know that the statue wasn't collecting dust in our empty living room, but was instead the center of a thousand rosaries said by so many of the families here.After leaving our house this past November to make way for our big renovation, we decided to send our statue on tour again, looking forward to the day we will return it to our own (improved) house in time for the May… -
The first meeting of the IHM group's Pre-Law Society
29 Jan 2010 | 7:21 pmOnce a month, our homeschooling group meets for Mass at a local parish, followed by refreshments. The adjacent school building has a wide marble staircase with about five steps to a landing and another five steps leading down to the main floor. After a healthy serving of oreos and apple juice, some of the boys (including my eight-year-old) started jumping down the stairs. You would have smiled to see the exhilaration in their faces as they leaped from the top to the first landing and from that landing down to the ground, before running back up again. Needless to say, I… -
A long overdue photo
28 Jan 2010 | 9:47 pmHere is our sweetie!
-
Karen Edmisten
-
Just Read the Book, For Pete's Sake
8 Feb 2010 | 5:32 amDo you ever check in on your blog stats? And you see that someone spent an extended period of time reading your blog? And so you say to yourself, "Self, that is so rewarding. I'm gratified that someone found something so worthwhile on my blog. That's why I do this. To be helpful."And then you glance at their search words and discover how they ended up at your blog? And you realize their search words were "Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan" or "What is the plot of Escape from Warsaw?"And you know that your ever-so-helpful words probably just ended up in some sixth grader's book report? And… -
Countdown to Lent
8 Feb 2010 | 5:03 amTen days.I need to get those "Meaningful Lent" posts in order.In the meantime, here's what my kids were pondering giving up last year. -
Poetry Friday: Pablo Neruda and Truly, Madly Deeply
5 Feb 2010 | 6:15 amThe girls and I just finished reading Red Glass, by Laura Resau (more on that in another post) in which Pablo Neruda is mentioned as a favorite poet.We read a little bit of Neruda last year at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup, but I think I first heard him in Truly, Madly, Deeply (my reactions to that film are here and here) a few years ago.So. As I sat down this morning to post a little bit about Neruda, I realized that I didn't really want to talk about Neruda at all. What I really wanted to do was revisit Truly, Madly, Deeply. Again. People seem to either love or despise this… -
Bits and Pieces of Our Days
4 Feb 2010 | 9:39 amWhile she was sick, Betsy decided to learn how to fold paper cranes. She was originally shooting for a thousand (editor's note: Sadako influence) but hasn't made it yet. Ramona is in the picture above, helping with the inital count. ***** Last night, Betsy and Ramona called Anne-with-an-e into the room to look at something. Anne replied, "It had better be good -- I'm right in the middle of reading about heart malformations." This girl is seriously looking forward to upcoming dissections for her biology studies. *****Ramona loves panda bears. Ramona loves… -
Ramona at Bedtime
2 Feb 2010 | 11:40 amLast night, as I tucked her in, she said:"I'm trying to get that classic 'little kid in bed' look. Okay. Covers under chin: check!"
-
S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen: SailBlogs
-
Wounded Warrior Project - Soldier Ride
20 Jan 2010 | 6:55 amThis past weekend we spent time with the Wounded Warrior Project - Soldier Ride meeting some wonderful heroes. The men were fitted for bicycles up on the mainland and then rode the Overseas Highway to Key West! We met up with them at the Chief's Mess on Boca Chica where they departed for the last leg of their journey, ending the ride at the USS Mohawk at the old Navy pier on the Truman Waterfront. (Continued...) -
One Small Change, January
5 Jan 2010 | 7:43 amA new challenge for the New Year! (Continued...) -
Even the Holiday Spirit arrives here on Keys Time
3 Jan 2010 | 10:54 amOoooh it is chilly today! I don't think we'll hit 60 degrees... (Continued...) -
Happy New Year/Decade!!!
2 Jan 2010 | 5:19 am(Continued...) -
I Hope the New Year Brings...
1 Jan 2010 | 4:30 amBeach days. (Continued...)
-
Mental multivitamin
-
"Friendship is devolving...."
7 Feb 2010 | 5:25 amFrom "In the World of Facebook" (The New York Review of Books, February 25):What many find most enticing about Facebook is the steady stream of updates from "friends," new and old, which sociologists refer to as "ambient awareness." This is not a new phenomenon: everyone from our Cro-Magnon ancestors to Jane Austen has known how it feels to be surrounded by the constant chatter of other people. Facebook's continuing attraction comes from its ability to reduce the Internet's worldwide chatter to the size of a college, or a village, or a living room. But it is this very old form of sociability,… -
Mental resources
3 Feb 2010 | 7:08 amFrom "Easy = True" (Boston Globe, January 31):One of the hottest topics in psychology today is something called “cognitive fluency.” Cognitive fluency is simply a measure of how easy it is to think about something, and it turns out that people prefer things that are easy to think about to those that are hard. On the face of it, it’s a rather intuitive idea. But psychologists are only beginning to uncover the surprising extent to which fluency guides our thinking, and in situations where we have no idea it is at work.[...]Because it shapes our thinking in so many ways, fluency is… -
Shakespeare for all ages and stages
2 Feb 2010 | 6:56 amThe following entry, first published on 9.30.2006 and last resurrected on 11.20.2008, is culled from archives. You'll find a collection of M-mv entries on Shakespeare under the "Bardolatry tab._________________________________A few years ago, L. wrote to ask for advice about teaching her children Shakespeare. "I will be learning right alongside my children. In your opinion, what is the best way to do this?"I've answered this question before, several times, on [insert home education message board name here]. But I was also able to find a version of my answer in the M-mv email archives: Nearly… -
"Well, it's Groundhog Day. Again."
2 Feb 2010 | 6:45 amPhil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?Ralph: That about sums it up for me.Phil: Do you know what today is?Rita: No, what?Phil: Today is tomorrow. It happened.Phil: I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster and drank pina coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. That was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over? -
"The world is full of interesting things that don’t fit inside traditional fictional forms."
1 Feb 2010 | 5:35 amFrom "When fiction breaks down" (Telegraph, January 29):The problem of the limits of fiction is one that has preoccupied me for a while. The novel is the worldliest of the great artistic forms: you can ignore the world in a painting, or a symphony, or a ballet, or a sculpture, but you can’t in a novel — not one that would be worth reading. But the worldliness of the novel is qualified, and there are things it doesn’t do, or doesn’t do well. Unlikeliness is one of them, and another, I’ve noticed, is work. The world of work, especially of modern work, is significantly…
-
Heart of the Matter Online - bridging the gap between child and parent
-
A Delightful Place
9 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amI looked up the word Eden, the first home, in the Hebrew. It means delight, pleasures. So God intended our homes to be delightful places. How then can we make our home a more delightful place for our husband, for our children? How can we make our home have a more delightful atmosphere? A place where everyone wants to be. A place where everyone loves to be. This should be our prayer. I have been meditating on these things lately and then my sister in law wrote this wonderful article that inspired me to create a challenge for my family….starting with me, of course! There are a few bad… -
Putting the Homeschool Cart Before the Horse
8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” Proverbs 1:7 I started attending our local homeschool conference when my oldest child was 22 months old, and I am so glad I did! At that point, my husband and I were not looking for information on the nuts and bolts of teaching different subjects, but rather inspiration on the visionary aspects of homeschooling – the big picture. Our firstborn is “one smart cookie”. At 22 months, he knew the alphabet backward and forward, could count to some fairly large number, and talked like a five year old. I was… -
Homeschoolers Can Earn Their Diploma from a University?
8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amThis is how my family is doing it! Expanding the Options for Home Schooled High School Students: Dare to Compare High School Diploma Programs from Excellent Colleges and Universities Nationwide Students can broaden their prospects of acceptance into college after graduation from high school through support available from the National College Counseling Center and earn their high school diploma from a regionally accredited college or university. Home schooling of children has occurred since this nation first began, yet has become a growing practice over the past few years to levels never… -
I Spy… Days, Direction, and Lessons Learned
4 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amI don’t know about you, but the low temperatures and snow are starting to get old and I find myself wishing Spring would hurry up! Until it gets here, we are stuck with Winter so let’s make the best of it and read some encouraging posts from bloggyland… Should homeschoolers have Teacher in-service days? Snow days? Click here to hear one mom’s point of view. Read this awesome account of one blogger’s story: What Homeschooling Has Taught Me. I am totally lovin’ this mom’s Homemade Preschool Board! What a fun way to learn the basics! Don’t miss… -
Beware the Lotus
4 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amOur history read aloud for the day was from William Russell’s Classic Myths to Read Aloud. We were following the journey of Ulysses and his men on their return home after ten years at war with the Trojans. In this reading, they had just landed on an unknown shore and met a peaceful people that fed them a strange fruit they’d never tasted–the fruit of the lotus, an intoxicating flowering plant on the island. “Whoever tastes of that fruit has no longer any desire to return home or to do anything at all, but to sit and dream happy dreams and forget the troubles of the…
-
SCHOLA
-
Square Pegs
8 Feb 2010 | 1:38 pmIf we were still homeschooling, as defined by our county school board, Sarabelle's high school transcript would be a breeze; whatever studies and credits I assigned would be honored. As we are now under the domain of a private school, though it is only an umbrella school, our own at that, and we continue to essentially homeschool, things are a bit more complicated.For Sarabelle to be eligible for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, and this also applies to regular homeschoolers, we have to shoehorn the classes and studies she's completed into the official courses recognized by the state's… -
2009 Read-Alouds
31 Jan 2010 | 11:52 amThe Annotated AliceCoralineMary PoppinsThe Golden CompassMary Poppins Comes BackThe Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-PoohA Christmas Carol -
My 2009 Reading
31 Jan 2010 | 11:42 amNew MoonEclipseFeedThomas Jefferson: Author of AmericaThe Age of American UnreasonLetter to a Christian NationDeer Hunting with JesusThe Origin of SpeciesBroca's BrainThe Portable AtheistThe ChristMisquoting JesusJesus, InterruptedThe Boy In the Striped PajamasThe Catcher in the RyeWhatever Happened to Penny Candy?The Secret Life of BeesThe End of FaithThe Demon-Haunted WorldAnimal, Vegetable, MiracleParenting Beyond BeliefA Canticle for LeibowitzThe Geography of NowhereHome from NowhereRaising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond BeliefThe Atheist's Bible: An Illustrious… -
The World Question 2010
30 Jan 2010 | 8:00 amThe Edge posits its annual question, How Is The Internet Changing the Way You Think?I read this question on someone else's blog, though I cannot for the life of me now remember whose. I thought it was interesting and began composing an answer in my head and planning a post. A couple weeks elapsed during which time I became aware of additional ideas I would like to add to my still theoretical post, but whenever I sat down to put fingers to the keyboard I was eventually distracted by more pressing concerns like when was Mafia Wars finally going to open up Bangkok and how many more rounds of… -
Decided!
14 Jan 2010 | 8:52 pmOkay, got that out of my system.Tapestry of Grace is off and we will now return you to our regularly, loosely-scheduled programming. I still think Tapestry is a solid curriculum and very handy, but I prefer to use the books I have selected and collected over the years for our primary and supplementary sources rather than many of their recommendations. What's the point of using my own choices when their questions, worksheets, quizzes, etc. are all geared to their specific book choices? Not cost efficient.So, for the time being, Larie and I will continue to slack off. There is so much else…
-
Home*School*Home
-
Snow!
9 Feb 2010 | 9:05 amThis is our third snow this year and I am officially on orders from my cousin to make my kids quit praying for snow. The 2 younger ones have really been enjoying this. This first picture is a tiny windowsill snowman my daughter made from last week's leftover snow and then last night, it snowed again and the second picture is of our birdfeeder in the snow today. So, we did one day of school and now we have a snow day. :-) -
BTW
8 Feb 2010 | 7:21 amThanks for all the comments, prayers and warm thoughts. I appreciate every one of you all. -
School?
8 Feb 2010 | 7:03 amWe're going to attempt to get back to school today. I don't know how it will go, but we're going to give it a try. I will at least make the kids do all they can without my input. I probably should have started that some time last week, but I didn't. Oh well. I'm going to work my way through my list of things to do and see how many of them I can check off. If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I'm a list-maker. I think it's funny that blogger doesn't recognize the words blog or blogger in it's spell check. You'd think it would, wouldn't you? -
Still going through the motions.
7 Feb 2010 | 7:00 pmI'm working and during breaks in the work, I'm trying to distract myself by playing the Sims and watching "Whose Line is It Anyway?" but it's not working. I'm feeling very sad tonight. One week since the funeral. I do not feel that I can cope with anything and I've got so much to do. Work, school, writing thank you notes, arranging for my Mom to see a back specialist, worrying about Mom, worrying about the kids and housework. And yes, I do know what they say about worrying. -
Working this weekend.
6 Feb 2010 | 8:08 amI'll be working this weekend, trying to make up at least a little bit of the time I lost during the last 2 weeks. I really am getting so tired of medical transcription and want to find another job, in another field, but I'd still like to work at home. Not too tall an order is it?Thanks everyone for the supportive comments on my blog. I really appreciate each one of you.
-
Homeschool Math Blog
-
Celebrating e-day
6 Feb 2010 | 5:57 amTomorrow 2/7 is e-day.e or Euler's number is a number that is approximately 2.718281828, so that is why someone chose 2/7 as an e-day. But e is an irrational number, so its decimal expansion is never-ending and never-repeating.Why is this number e so important that people have even named a day after it?If you've studied calculus, you already know at least part of the story. But even if you haven't, I'll try to unravel at least the most basic feature of e.Consider the exponential function ex. It is graphed below.It has one remarkable property: when you draw a tangent to it at any particular… -
Multiply and divide decimals by powers of ten (by 10, 100, 1000 etc.)
29 Jan 2010 | 4:17 amIn this video I show, first of all, the common shortcut: you move the decimal point in the number as many steps as there are zeros in the number 10, 100, 1000 etc. For example:2.16 × 10,000 = 21,600.0It is as if the point moved four steps from between 2 and 1 to between zeros. You can see better examples of this in my lesson Multiply and Divide Decimals by 10, 100, and 100 at HomeschoolMath.net.Then, I also show where this shortcut originates, using PLACE VALUE charts. In reality, it's not the decimal point moving (it's sort of an illusion), but the digits of the number move within the… -
Female teachers pass math anxiety to girls
26 Jan 2010 | 9:02 amThis is a very interesting piece of research, and I personally believe in this "effect": that a teacher's attitude towards math can easily be passed on to his/her students.In this case, all the teachers studied were elementary and female. I figure the same could happen with male teachers too, affecting boys, if the teacher feared and/or disliked math. It's just a lot less likely because most elementary teachers are female, and also because math anxiety is more common among females.Girls may learn math anxiety from female teachersThe article also points to the best solution: the elementary… -
Language Arts resources
23 Jan 2010 | 8:41 amYou might wonder what is that kind of title all about? Well, while this is definitely a math blog, and I do not claim to be an expert on language arts, I just keep having people ask me about language arts resources, if I have any, or if I can recommend any. So, I want to answer this question here once and for all, and then I can just reference this blogpost whenever someone else asks the same.I have been doing an "eclectic" mix of various language arts resources with my kids.1. Learning to read.Photo courtesy by YvesI definitely am an advocate of teaching children to read as early as they are… -
Math Teachers at Play carnival
20 Jan 2010 | 6:25 am...is posted at Math hombre. Again lots of interesting things to explore and digest. Go check it out!
-
Holy Experience
-
how to assemble the parts of a life when beginnings end & kids grow up
9 Feb 2010 | 5:29 amHe unwinds the last screw and the crib side panel comes down along with the whole backside of my heart. He disassembles his history, all of ours. Lays the crib sideboard up against the sunny yellow of the bedroom wall. I didn't know if the walls of the house would stand when he took down the last side rail.This was his crib. The one Farmer Husband slept in when his mitt hands were but fisted delicate fingers, the one that carried all nine of his mother's babies through the night dreams, from her firstborn, Eric in 1956 when she was a Dutch immigrant and spoke English in this halting, thick… -
let us not forget...
8 Feb 2010 | 2:07 pm(Consider pausing music in the sidebar or viewing here)If American, consider giving, even a few dollars, here.... and if Canadian, here. We're joining you again, right now.If you are interested in sponsoring a Haitian child: contact Compassion and your name can be put on a list. When Haitian children become available for sponsorship, Compassion will send you a child pack Photos: Share your thoughts?If you would like Holy Experience posts quietly tucked into your reader or your inbox for free... -
What a Day is Always Really Made of...
8 Feb 2010 | 3:59 amWhen we lose the cap to the glue stick like we always inevitably do, I kneel on the floor to check under his grandmother’s table that sits in our study, peer under the legs of the 100 year old chairs.And the cascade of sun falls on the nape of my neck, runs down my back all warm. I say it aloud, a purr of the skin-warmed in February, “Ohhhhhh, I am a cat basking.” I lie right out on the century planks and I don’t give a second thought to a dried out stick of glue. And a beautiful child face leans over the edge of the table and giggles and I look up into laughter at me all stretched… -
weekends are for curling up with books
6 Feb 2010 | 4:48 amIn a quiet week of recuperation, I curled up with words and they curled around me and I wrapped up in rest.What's been on the nightstand:Dancing with My Father: How God Leads Us into a Life of Grace and JoyThe prose has a steady rhythm, yes, like a gentle beat, and these words do make you dance. Sally Clarkson's, Dancing with Father, is the read of a friend, a mentor, sharing her journey to joy, and I found myself returning and lingering over passages, shimmering personal narrative woven throughout the work. Sally, homeschooling mother to four, writes transparently and openly… -
Discovering the One Thing You May Have Long Forgotten About You
5 Feb 2010 | 6:06 amWhen it’s time, I know, I can tell in my bones, the ways the knees ache, those joints with a clock of their own, and I drag my fingers through the hair, back from the temples, and I survey the room of the sprawled out legs, the stacks of books, the balls of yarn, the half deck of Rook scattered, and I smile and chime the hour quiet.“I think it’s time for bed, folks.” They cheer wild. Race for their beds. They know when it’s time too. Time for the day’s best hour, the children’s hour, the moon out the window and night studded up with the stars. I pick up and I return and I lead a…
-
radio free school
-
High School Dropouts of Note
9 Feb 2010 | 5:56 amHere's an interesting piece in Forbes by Helen Coster.She begins, "For some, diplomas are (barely) worth the paper they're printed on. These star entrepreneurs jumped right in." But we already knew that!http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/30/millionaires-without-high-school-diplomas-entrepreneurs-finance-millionaire.html -
Young People bypassing High School
7 Feb 2010 | 11:15 amA mother writes in about her daughter:Unschooled until grade nine, Amica entered a local high school at the regular age. She maintained high grades, gained early acceptance to University of Western Ontario, and the like, but opted to head to Toronto to pursue a career in dance.She had at this point already obtained a teaching certificate for both ballet and highland dance and had some teaching experience.While dancing at a professional studio in Toronto and slugging it out working at the dreaded Gap to make her rent, Amica decided to try out some yoga classes at Toronto's premiere yoga… -
dark sarcasm in the classroom
5 Feb 2010 | 8:50 amThis may be the most sinister anti-school song ever recorded...? -
i can see you in the morning when you go to school
5 Feb 2010 | 8:46 am -
school's out glams!
5 Feb 2010 | 8:29 amA recurring theme in rock music", school as boring, uninspiring, remote from creativity, oppressive, and a waste of time.
-
Unschooling Site News, SandraDodd.com
-
Starting later, Big Book (baby review), discussion list
30 Jan 2010 | 9:27 am"As we get older and our kids grow up, we eventually come to realize that all the big things in our lives are really the direct result of how we've handled all the little things." —Pam Sorooshian, June 4, 2007New page on starting to unschool later:http://sandradodd.com/later/unschoolingA new review of The Big Book of Unschooling, by a two-year-old (kind of) here:http://sandradodd.com/bigbook(not kind of a two-year-old, but kind of a review!)The discussions on the Always Learning list have been intense of late, and the side benefit of intensity is really good responses. Schuyler's been… -
Sugar-high, unschooling search, Unschooling.info
27 Jan 2010 | 10:43 amNew page on the damaging myth of "sugar high":http://sandradodd.com/eating/sugarNew search tool, which searches unschooling.com, unschooling.info, Danielle Conger's "Connections ezine," Joyfully Rejoycing and my site:http://unschooling.blogspot.comThe old Unschooling.info site had decayed and then found its demise, but I was given the name and the keys and it's being remodelled here:http://unschooling.infoMy original hope had been to mine the message board for the good parts, and I did get some, but folders were mysteriously disappearing though the settings said they should remain. It was… -
Turning Down Sweets
31 Dec 2009 | 8:27 amAnother shocking but true tale of children turning down sweets:http://sandradodd.com/eating/sweetsNancy, righthand column.That's one of the coolest pages on the site.Kate O'Mara's review of my Big Book of Unschoolinghttp://whenkateblogs.blogspot.com/2010/01/sandra-dodds-big-book-of-unschooling.htmlI've changed the index page of my site, a bit. Newer photos; more than one. Better link to the books.http://sandradodd.com/There's a new link on the TV page:http://sandradodd.com/tv(to Is "I Love Lucy" Educational? by Jan Hunt, The Natural Child Project)The Santa Fe Unschooling Symposium was really… -
Hindsight: What Would You Have Done Differently?
27 Dec 2009 | 10:22 amWhat would you have done differently? http://sandradodd.com/hindsightwith links to a chat transcript and some other contributions.http://sandradodd.com/hindsight/chathttp://sandradodd.com/hindsight/outside -
Choicemaking, WoW, Vegetarians and Vampires
22 Dec 2009 | 8:55 amPam Sorooshian's clear explanation of learning to make better choices: http://sandradodd.com/betterchoiceSomething new on World of Warcraft: http://sandradodd.com/game/wowNew on the Monkey Platter page: Vampire monkey platter, and Robin Yaeger's beautiful vegetarian platter:http://sandradodd.com/eating/monkeyplatter
-
Sandra Dodd
-
Wondering...
5 Feb 2010 | 4:42 pmIt's been an odd week of weird and interesting bits and parts. I love odd weeks. I also love dull nothing-happens weeks. I love exciting busy weeks, but I'm glad I'm not having one right now, because the adventures of last-July-through-January tired me out.My temporary resolution not to leave the county is doing okay. I've been to three neighboring counties, and late in the month I'm going to Colorado, but other than that I'm staying home until August, maybe! It sounds wonderful. And if I change my mind, I'm sure that will be because something else sounded more wonderful.Today I mailed some… -
Computer realities and sorrows
5 Feb 2010 | 6:23 amMy beautiful iMac G-5 was sitting in its sculptural glory at the genius bar at the Apple store yesterday. I thought I was taking it for a tweak and would take it home good as new. I described its problem; probably minor, I thought. The tech opened it up, pointed to a couple of things that looked a bit like corroded batteries, and said once that happens the video won't work right anymore and it messes up other stuff, and the whole logic board would need to be replaced. He thought perhaps it wasn't worth doing. The hard drive, though, could be removed and the information would still be good.I… -
Other People's Kids...
4 Feb 2010 | 7:57 amI love this photo. I love the lines, the colors, the moment, the way it will be seen in the future by a then-grown man, and his children. Love it.from February 3 - Disney Day! at "If You Give a Mom a Blog Spacean ongoing view of our shiny homeschooling life" which is well worth a look. There are photos of little-seen Disneyland bits, and thoughts to ponder.Yesterday I watched and admired Van Stranahan, home-birthed in peace, held by his mother however Van wants to be held (that cloth carrier is going back, because Van isn't too young to make choices and he doesn't really like it), as long as… -
A Baby Born on Twitter!?
2 Feb 2010 | 7:45 pmTomorrow Holly and I (and Marty, perhaps) are going to meet Mr. Van Stranahan, a little baby of our familial acquaintance. And we'll meet his brother Shane who's moved here from California (and we've already met his brother Jack and his sister Olivia).So in preparation for the visit, I was looking at some notes about the birth, because I want to be all suave and not ask doofy questions when I go to visit. I like to study up a bit, y'know. And I found this really excellent article by Lee the dad:My Son Was Born On TwitterAt exactly 1:37 AM on January 13, I sent the following Tweet from my… -
Fountain cat, dancing girl, rainbow shadows
1 Feb 2010 | 1:11 pmNothing important here, but the evidence of some of the interesting bits of the past few days.There's a table fountain in one end of the kitchen, and the cat was drinking out of it. By the time the camera was out, the cat was through drinking out of it. I do not begin to have the means or desire to try to make a cat drink out of a fountain as a photo opportunity, and so it was gone too soon.The angle of the sun has been improving, regarding the crystals hanging in the kitchen window. I noticed I was part of the shadow in one of the rainbows on the pantry door the other day and pulled out the…
-
Homeschooling
-
Homeschooling
story links: Homeschooling -
Free Online Homeschooling
story links: Free Online Homeschooling -
Homeschooling Magazine
story links: Homeschooling Magazine -
Homeschooling Products
story links: Homeschooling Products -
In Homeschooling
story links: In Homeschooling
-
Home Schooling News
-
Abbotsbury parents hit out at home schooling bill
8 Feb 2010 | 4:40 amPARENTS who teach their children at home have criticised plans for tighter Government control. -
a judge's view on Home Schooling
6 Feb 2010 | 11:44 amI believe that people who "home school" their children don't see the total impact of what they are doing by keeping their children from an education in a brick and mortar school. -
Ingalls wants to fight home-school-style educational neglect
6 Feb 2010 | 1:01 amJosiah James Ingalls, candidate for State Board of Education, has an interesting story to tell. -
Iowa school district suspends first-grade home-schooler
5 Feb 2010 | 12:14 amFirst-grader Matthias Beattie this week joined the hundreds of U.S. children suspended each year under post-Columbine "zero tolerance" policies when he took a shotgun shell to his school. -
Home schooling: Classes apart
4 Feb 2010 | 3:55 pmUNLIKE many of the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" that have sought refuge in America, the Romeike family comes from a comfortable place: Bissingen an der Teck, a town in south-western Germany.
-
HomeSchoolBuzz.com
-
A New Basis for U.S. Asylum Claims: Homeschooling
3 Feb 2010 | 8:07 pmFrom Time.com... I think it's safe to say the media is beginning to take note.Uwe and Hannelore Romeike are not like other asylum seekers, people fleeing war or torture in places like Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia. They're music teachers from a village in southern Germany. And yet, in what appears to be the first case of its kind, the couple and their five children were granted asylum in the U.S. last week by an immigration judge who ruled that they had a "well-founded fear of persecution" in their home country for engaging in what has become a popular albeit somewhat controversial American… -
German homeschoolers' political asylum exposes the EU Gulag
3 Feb 2010 | 1:45 pmFrom the Telegraph Blogs (UK).The case of the homeschooling couple from Germany who were granted political asylum in the United States, about which Ed West blogged recently, becomes even more interesting if one reads the remarks of the man who granted the Romeikes asylum, Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman, of Memphis, Tennessee.Burman said: “We can’t expect every country to follow our constitution. The world might be a better place if it did. However, the rights being violated here are basic human rights that no country has a right to violate.” He observed: “Homeschoolers are a… -
Carnival of Homeschooling – What Matters Most
2 Feb 2010 | 12:20 pmThe Carnival is hosted this week by "As for My House" blog, reminding us what matters most.It’s been a rough time for us lately… Unemployment… New job, but underemployed, and having to move out of our house… Living in the RV with three kids and four cats…And we just learned that my Father-in-Law has been diagnosed with lung cancer (He’s going through a troubled recovery from throat cancer, beginning two years ago, and his wife has just been through a bout with cancer as well). We’ll be heading for Mississippi tomorrow to spend a week with the family there.Nothing like struggles… -
Homeschool Writer of the Year Competition 2010
31 Jan 2010 | 9:05 amOkay, this took me a while to understand. it's not a writing contest in the usual sense but Homeschool Writers site lists a bunch of other contests and they want to encourage homeschoolers to enter by offering prizes for entering the most.It's a great idea and I encourage your K-12 homeschoolers to check out the list of writing contests waiting for their entry. They also offer deadline reminders for you.Who can enter the most writing contests this year? This competition encourages homeschoolers of every age to get out their pens and join in the race! Our Goal The goal is to help students see… -
Homeschooling breeds new culture of learning
30 Jan 2010 | 3:29 pmVia accessAtlantaIt’s part of a trend of home schoolers becoming involved in activities that would have once seemed the antithesis of learning in a private, family-based environment. What began with home educated students making their presence felt in scholastic sports leagues and youth orchestras has spread to cultural institutions.“Part of what’s happening is that home schooling now is, or is really close to being, mainstream,” said Brian D. Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute. “If you’re a museum, a theater, a library, a team or a community chorus,…
-
The History of the (Whole) World
-
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-07
7 Feb 2010 | 7:21 pmClosing Peace Hill Press office tomorrow. We've got 10" of snow and VDOT has declined to plow/sand/salt/notice secondary roads. # Local lane now has both sand and sunshine. Chances of accessing the outside world are rising! # The heater in my office is not really cutting it today. # Trying to put in an hour of renaissance-era history writing before the kids get up. # Hey, I did more Ladakh history this morning than most people do all day!…er….ever… # Must…go…run…now. Cold. Grey. Wet. Ick. # No, please, stop your truck in the middle of the road and… -
Sunday morning: The second storm
7 Feb 2010 | 9:24 am -
Upcoming lecture at the Smithsonian
5 Feb 2010 | 5:09 pmIf you’re within a comfortable distance of Washington D.C., check out the seminar I’m doing at the Smithsonian on May 1: The Well-Educated Mind: A Self-Guided Classical Education ALL-DAY SEMINAR Sat., May 1, 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Tickets $85 Member $77 Senior Member $131 Gen. Admission Log in to purchase member tickets. Not a member? Join now and save! This seminar offers a welcome antidote to the distractions of our age, electronic and otherwise. It is a roadmap for a classical education for the adult reader who seeks both enjoyment and self-improvement. Scholar Susan Wise Bauer… -
A couple of Medieval World notices
3 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amOne of my favorite editors in the world, John Wilson at Books and Culture, just put up a reflective and interesting podcast about the History of the Medieval World. (Note–the podcast will start as soon as you click on that second link, so don’t let it startle you. Or click on it if you’re sitting in bed with your laptop, next to a sleeping spouse.) I like this bit, from his print intro: Susan Wise Bauer…is writing the history of the world. Not the history of salt, or the history of the year 1492, or the history of the color blue. No, the whole shebang. I never thought… -
What a bad literary agent looks like from the other side of the desk
1 Feb 2010 | 9:12 amThose of you who follow my blog know that I have a double identity. (Not THAT kind of double identity–although if I had a cape and a secret weapon I wouldn’t tell you.) I’m a writer, but I also run a small press, which means that I see both sides of the publishing process: I write, but I also produce a catalog, plan out print runs, make marketing plans, and read submissions from would-be authors. These are mostly lousy. Horribly, incoherently, ungrammatically, inappropriately lousy. This is partly because some unpaid intern at Writer’s Digest came in with a hangover…
-
The Thinking Mother
-
Carnival of Homeschooling Week 213 Published
8 Feb 2010 | 4:45 amThe Carnival of Homeschooling week 213 was published at As For My House.This Carnival provides a lot of homeschool-related reading. Take a look!I have an entry in this week’s carnival.If you have a blog or a website and write about homeschooling I encourage you to consider submitting an entry to this weekly blog Carnival. For information on how to make a submission, see here.Enjoy!Technorati Tags: Carnival of Homeschoolinghomeschoolinghomeschooling informationblog carnivalhomeschooling supportcopyright 2005-2009 The Thinking Mother -
This Book is Overdue Book Review by ChristineMM
7 Feb 2010 | 6:02 amTitle: This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us AllAuthor: Marilyn JohnsonGenre: Nonfiction, Social SciencesPublication: Harper Collins, February 2010ISBN: 978-0061431609 (hardcover)Full Retail Price: $24.99 (hardcover)My Star Rating: 4 stars out of 5 "I Like It"My Summary Statement: Focuses on the Positive Not Issues or Problems, Good Storytelling, an Entertaining Light ReadI love books and I love libraries—the old fashioned, dark and ‘shush-y’ ones of my childhood and today’s noisier, modern, community hub ones. My family uses multiple libraries for pleasure… -
Son Still Into 39 Clues
7 Feb 2010 | 5:30 amA few days ago the 7th book in the 39 Clues series was released. My twelve year old is more into this series and its game and cards than my nine year old is. My older son reminded me a few days ago that the book was released that day, and asked if I'd pre-ordered it, which I had not. So online I went to buy a new copy and I splurged on card packs, two for each son.My twelve year old is not obsessed with the books. He enjoys reading the books. He loves the cards, perhaps because he has that collector mentality. He loves adding the card's ID numbers onto the 39 Clues website and spending some… -
Haiku for Sunset
5 Feb 2010 | 4:49 pmTops of trees orange Setting sun acts as paintbrush Last strokes before darkHaiku by ChristineMM 2/05/10.Photos copyright ChristineMM 2010. Taken in Fairfield County, Connecticut on 1/26/10. Top photo is in my yard. Bottom photo taken from my front yard looking across the street.copyright 2005-2009 The Thinking Mother -
Flowing Along
4 Feb 2010 | 6:58 amI've been quite focused lately. We were on such a roll in November and December that I barely slowed down from the regular homeschool family routine to prepare for Christmas. I shopped for Christmas presents online, or bought gift cards in early November, or gave cash as gifts, so I avoided the usual crazy shopping. I also avoided crazy crowds on the road for the most part by doing errands on slow weekdays here and there and not venturing out in the evening or on weekends with the masses. Then Christmas was upon us with some last minute rushing since we'd not taken our usual pre-Christmas…
-
Throwing Marshmallows
-
Should Have Known
30 Jan 2010 | 7:29 amI should have known better than to end a post saying I will “continue this tomorrow.” It is a sure indicator that life will have different ideas and I will not, in fact, continue this tomorrow. Turns out that this past week wound up being more hectic than I could have know. Started out with the VaHomeschoolers hotline getting more calls in two days than we usually get in a week. Board members take turns manning the hotline and fielding questions and queries as they come in. This week was my week and it was all I could do to stay on top of it. Many were from parents looking for… -
My Relationship with Time
24 Jan 2010 | 11:41 amOne of the things that I have been struggling with for awhile now is that I always felt like I never had “enough time,” yet when I looked at what I was spending my time on, most of it was spent on things that I enjoy and was choosing to do. Things like homeschooling, writing on my blog, working on my photography, my volunteer work for VaHomeschoolers, organizing my pictures, making photo books, and reading. These are all things that I like to do, that I want to do. I am blessed to be home with my boys and not have to “work”, yet I still felt like a… -
A Tale of Two Photos
14 Jan 2010 | 1:42 pmI have had this picture as the wallpaper on my computer for quite some time now. I took it a couple of years ago in Ocean City: Sandpipers are one of my favorite water birds. They scurry around, running from and chasing the waves, looking for food before the next wave comes crashing. They are a pure delight to watch, especially since they usually only seem to come out in the late afternoon or early evenings, when things have quieted down a bit. When I was thinking about a picture to include on my Letting Things Unfold post, I thought that it would be a good one. When I went to find it,… -
An Interesting Story
13 Jan 2010 | 7:30 amOcean City Maryland - December 2006 A day or so after my “epiphany,” I was reading one of my blogs (for the life of me I can’t remember which one) and she mentioned reading a book about living more simply. I knew immediately that this was exactly where I needed to focus my energy. I had done a lot of reading about voluntary simplicity years ago and while I attempted to be mindful about my life, I had not really thought about actively simplifying it for awhile. But simplification was definitely what I was craving. I excitedly clicked over to see the book that she was talking… -
Letting Things Unfold
11 Jan 2010 | 6:00 amOcean City, Maryland - September 2007 It has been an interesting couple of weeks for me. Shortly after Christmas, I had an awakening of sorts. One of those things that only happens when you get so completely and utterly overwhelmed that you just finally let go. You let go of trying to figure it out. You let go of trying to “handle” it. You let go and accept that you honestly can not control your life. In a way, you give up. And that is where the shift happened. I can’t completely explain it. But I am seeing things differently. Nothing has actually changed, but things (some…
-
HOME ED MAG NEWS
-
The long Arm of… The School
9 Feb 2010 | 8:44 amIn an article found at the Sci-Tech Today.com’s site, MySpace-Suspension Rulings Muddle Issues, we find some conflicting developments: Cases involving students who created MySpace parodies of principals have reached divergent outcomes. One ruling upheld the suspension of a student who posted sexually explicit material; a second said school officials have no authority in the home. School [...] -
Why Kindergarten-Admission Tests Are Worthless
8 Feb 2010 | 11:28 amA lengthy exploration of IQ testing for kindergarten placement from the New York magazine’s website adds to the growing chorus of those questioning of the role of tests in our kids lives. This article’s focus is on kindergarten placement tests but also touches on issues of class, equality, corporate influence, and, offers insights into better [...] -
A Dim View of Homeschooling
4 Feb 2010 | 6:35 pmI had missed this story from back in January. It comes from Stories From School, Practice meets Policy Several years ago my principal and I spent a lunch hour on a home visit to see one of my students. He had been absent for a week, after telling us that he was going to be homeschooled. This [...] -
South Lakeland mums fight home school changes
3 Feb 2010 | 2:40 pmFrom Lancaster And Morecambe Citizen we learn about the controversial Government proposals to monitor home educators: If the bill is passed, home educators will be forced to join a register, and Cumbria County Council children’s services will have the right to enter their home to ensure they are providing quality education. Parents may also have to [...] -
When Should Students Graduate… And Who Should Decide?
3 Feb 2010 | 8:17 amHomeschoolers have assumed the responsibility for this decision for years: The requirements for a diploma have varied over time. What has not changed, however, is the public need to feel confident that graduation from high school represents a real achievement. But what that achievement encompasses and when students are ready to graduate remain contentious questions. Does graduation [...]
-
Consent Of The Governed
-
Taking A Break
1 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amConsent Of The Governed is taking a much needed fortnight break from the blogosphere.No worries though, we'll be back... just like Obama's healthcare bill (smile). -
Saturday Satire - Pentagon Spokesdrone
30 Jan 2010 | 2:00 amWow! and it's even better looking than Gibbs! -
Judge Napolitano - On Liberty Candidates
29 Jan 2010 | 5:00 amThe Freedom Watch guest lineup for Wednesday, January 27th: * Dr. Rand Paul - Candidate for Senator in Kentucky * Adam Andrzejewski – Republican Candidate for Governor of Illinois * Walter Block -Professor from Loyola University, speaking about AIG bailoutAnd in Connecticut, we have Peter Schiff!"Business as usual" politicians need to go .... -
Gerald Celente On SOTU
29 Jan 2010 | 4:00 amGerald Celente tells it like it is:"We can't keep propping up failure"You got that right."He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."— Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. ConstitutionBy the way, the State of the Union is supposed to be where the President reports on the condition of the nation ... but this one sounded more like Congress getting a talking to in the Principal's office! Since when does the President give some sort of stern lecture to everyone? What… -
Bernanke Gets Another Go
29 Jan 2010 | 2:56 amYes kiddies... it's another 4 year term for "Benron"Wanna see how your Senator voted?Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---70 Akaka (D-HI)Alexander (R-TN)Barrasso (R-WY)Baucus (D-MT)Bayh (D-IN)Bennet (D-CO)Bennett (R-UT)Bingaman (D-NM)Bond (R-MO)Brown (D-OH)Burr (R-NC)Burris (D-IL)Byrd (D-WV)Cardin (D-MD)Carper (D-DE)Casey (D-PA)Chambliss (R-GA)Coburn (R-OK)Cochran (R-MS)Collins (R-ME)Conrad (D-ND)Corker (R-TN)Dodd (D-CT)Durbin (D-IL)Enzi (R-WY)Feinstein (D-CA)Gillibrand (D-NY)Graham (R-SC)Gregg (R-NH)Hagan (D-NC)Hatch (R-UT)Inouye (D-HI)Isakson (R-GA)Johanns (R-NE)Johnson (D-SD)Kerry (D-MA)Kirk…
-
H. E. R. P. & E. S.
-
WHO’S ON FIRST?
9 Feb 2010 | 3:28 amThe latest Mr. Deity episode is sure to be a classic. What’s that? You don’t watch Mr. Deity? Take the time now to watch the show. You can thank me later when you have some time. -
GOD IS APPARENTLY A CONSERVATIVE IDIOT
4 Feb 2010 | 4:20 pmWhy? Because he talks like this: 6Then God declared, “A great sheet-like expanse shall come between the waters, and it shall divide waters from waters!” If the writers at conservapedia’s Bible project really believe in the all-powerfull vengeful kind of God, they ought to be quaking in their boots. I know if I were some kind of omnipotent being and some bunch of yahoos made me sound like a dork, I’d be smiting their ass, big time. -
MARKETING FAIL
4 Feb 2010 | 4:01 pmThe only thing that cobranchi.com and conservapedia.com have in common is the first two letters of the URL. Nevertheless, some marketing genius seems to have confused the two: Hi Daryl , My name is Dewey. I ran across your website today ( conservapedia.com [I think it is yours] ) and after doing some research noticed you were hosted with SingleHop. I thought we could help you with hosting your site at the same quality level, but definitely less cost. Our network is excellent and for 2009 we had Zero downtime. DedicatedNOW, Inc. is a privately owned, multi-million dollar corporation located in… -
I’M NOT SURE I BUY IT
1 Feb 2010 | 5:27 pmProsecution != persecution And I’m not sure that not being allowed to homeschool ought to be grounds for granting political asylum in the US. Uwe and Hannelore Romeike are not like other asylum seekers, people fleeing war or torture in places like Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia. They’re music teachers from a village in southern Germany. And yet, in what appears to be the first case of its kind, the couple and their five children were granted asylum in the U.S. last week by an immigration judge who ruled that they had a “well-founded fear of persecution” in their home… -
LOTD
19 Jan 2010 | 3:40 amMy friend the editor allows the religious nutcakes to take over his LttE page today. *sigh*
-
Pass The Torch
-
Positively Speaking – Writing Contracts
8 Feb 2010 | 6:30 amWill your child soon be experiencing a “rite of passage”? This month’s Positively Speaking column will give you some ideas for writing a contract with him or her, to guide expectations and behavior. Please read my column at 5 Minutes for Mom. Would you like Pass the Torch updates? Just sign up for them [...] -
Shelling 101 on Marco Island
1 Feb 2010 | 6:54 amMarco Island, Florida, isn’t well-known for shelling, but we must have come just at the right time this winter. We arrived just after a storm and found plentiful shells along the beach each day, especially toward the south end of the island, near the rocks. We walked each day on the beach and always brought [...] -
Vacation Meals – Kids as Cooks, Part II
25 Jan 2010 | 6:41 amThe second meal our kids cooked for us required a little help, which Uncle Bill gladly provided. Cajun shrimp with Parmesan asparagus. YUM! “You cut the asparagus where it naturally breaks…” And here Craig is dicing apples for his signature apple/Cool Whip/Snickers salad (which, of course, isn’t salad at all:) How do you spell, “AWESOME?” Marco Island [...] -
Vacation Meals – Kids as Cooks!
18 Jan 2010 | 6:33 amDuring this winter’s Florida vacation, we decided it was time for the kids to start cooking some of our meals. We tend to eat pretty well on vacation because we stay in a condo and have access to a full kitchen. Why not teach the kids about cooking while we have some spare [...] -
Marco Island Views
11 Jan 2010 | 6:23 amOver Christmas we vacationed on Marco Island, Florida. I wish I could trade below-zero days for 70-degree days more often! We enjoyed walks on the beach, sunsets, and climbing on the rocks at the south end of the beach. Believe it or not, this is the moon over the Gulf at about 6 AM. The sunrise had [...]
-
Homeschool Journal Dot Net
-
Still No News
9 Feb 2010 | 10:17 amI am not a good wait-er. Patience is a virtue, but not one I’ve cultivated well. I tend to go through things like this without being terribly productive in the meantime. I have lots to do, but actually focusing and doing it is another thing. Today I’m trying to get our bedroom finished. I cleaned it out last week, but now I’m organizing it. Part of that is that I want to paint our dresser. It is gorgeous, solid wood, and hand-made by my great-great uncle. And stained a very ugly orange-tinted stain. So I’m going to change that. But first, the room… -
Sheep School
9 Feb 2010 | 10:02 amWe’re in a bit of a sheepish mood here lately, with all this Shaun the Sheep business. I posted a link to a fun Shaun site the other day and Daryl has found even more. I’ve been putting Shaun stuff up over at the Magical Childhood blog too, and now Daryl sent me this fun site where you test your reaction time by shooting tranquilizer darts at fleeing sheep! Poor sheep! But it’s awfully fun! I also happened upon a rather ghastly photo of a sheep born (stillborn) with a human face. Shudder. That’s not at all in keeping with the type of sheep school… -
Hawk
9 Feb 2010 | 8:53 amThe other day my husband was on the phone and called me in to look at this hawk that had just swooped into a tree in our back yard. He was totally scoping out all the feeder birds. Luckily, we didn’t have to witness him shopping for dinner. He got tired of our yard and swooped into another. But not before I got these shots with my camera. Don’t forget that the Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend. Cade and I are planning to do it and I’d love to read about your birds. -
Alex and the Big Snow
8 Feb 2010 | 7:58 pmWe’re snowed in. Over the weekend, we got more than two feet of snow, the most ever recorded in one snowfall in Baltimore. Tomorrow, the National Weather Service is predicting that we’ll get hit with another 10-20 inches. It could be a long time before we can go any further than the garden with the kids. So, what the heck, we’re going to do another Five in a Row book. We could use some extra fun and structured activity to get us through the long days at home, and we’ll never have a better time to do one of the curriculum’s snow-focused books. It may never snow… -
Weeks to Christmas 45: Create a Family Coloring Book
8 Feb 2010 | 3:21 pmMissed Saturday by a few days didn’t I? I volunteered to run the concession stand at the theater during the current show’s run. The money benefits the scholarship fund for the Studio (class) side. Between that, workstudy for our own tution, and daily general life the need to fight with wordpress was not a high priorty. So here is one of the ideas that has me so geeked. I found the idea at Melissa Wiley’s blog Here in the Bonny Glen. Scroll down and look at the coloring books her children are busy coloring. That is a coloring book of family members given by their own dear grandpa –…
-
The Homeschool Jungle
-
Do I Need a Formal Science Program?
5 Feb 2010 | 2:27 pmThis year we went without a formal science program. My son was getting burned out on science and because he would be entering high school soon, I wanted to teach him how to do lab reports. This brought the joy back to science. I used forms found here. We checked out a bunch of books [...] -
Free Olympic Teaching Resources
3 Feb 2010 | 11:29 amHop on over to this site for free Olympic Games, teaching printables! -
The Five Essentials of Homeschooling Success
2 Feb 2010 | 4:21 pm1. Read and learn as much about home schooling as possible. Check your local library for home school books. Even some books that look out of date may provide you with ideas and encouragement. My favorite books for families new to home schooling are For The Children’s Sake, The Well Trained Mind and So You’re [...] -
An Easy Start to Homeschooling
15 Jan 2010 | 2:04 pmOne way to start Home Schooling with very little stress is to cover as many subjects using workbooks ……even if this is not how you really want to do homeschooling. Wait…keep reading…hear me out. Little by little replace each workbook with a curriculum you would like to try. If that curriculum doesn’t work, go back to the [...] -
Is Homeschooling Better Than Public School?
10 Jan 2010 | 2:19 pmPublic school is like a cafeteria. You walk up and you chose from what is on the menu. The food in the cafeteria isn’t bad and sometimes it’s even good, just like public school isn’t all bad or all good. You get to choose from all the activities and learning experiences that the public [...]
-
My Home Sweet Home
-
My BlissDom Moment with Harry Connick, Jr.
8 Feb 2010 | 7:32 pmMy husband was in the room when I read that Harry Connick, Jr. would be at BlissDom. Thankfully, he’s a good sport and understands my love for Harry. Still, it was a moment that no husband really deserves to witness. The next night he announced at dinner, “Children, I want you to know that your mom might not be coming home from BlissDom.” It was good for a laugh, but of course, this also referred to Harry. You see, Harry and I go way back. I bought my first Harry album in 1990, 20 years ago. I own Hope Floats on both DVD and VHS. My love for Harry runs deep. At Harry’s… -
Visual Bliss
8 Feb 2010 | 12:23 pmThere are BlissDom recap posts in my future, but for now, I’m processing hundreds of images from the weekend. Feel free to view my BlissDom set at Flickr, which is being continuously updated. The full BlissDom ‘10 Flickr group can be viewed here. Here is one of my favorites, Stephanie and Holley from (in)courage: Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on FriendFeed Digg this! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Add this to Google Bookmarks -
Living Online and the Importance of Face-to-Face Girlfriends Today at (in)courage
6 Feb 2010 | 9:43 amJoin me today at (in)courage for a post about balancing your online life and face-to-face relationships. Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on FriendFeed Digg this! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Add this to Google Bookmarks -
Spanx Bliss
2 Feb 2010 | 7:44 pmAs a woman who has birthed 8 children and added a few extra pounds this winter, I couldn’t be more excited about my BlissDom sponsor: Spanx. Spanx makes intelligently designed slimming intimates, body shapers, hosiery, and tights that support you in comfort. They’re made by women for women. At BlissDom, they’re saving the day for me. From my blog, I can hide behind my monitor and edit the heck out of every picture you see of me (and don’t for a minute believe that I don’t). BlissDom is face-to-face, and even Lightroom doesn’t make a brush for that. We all… -
At least it was chocolate.
1 Feb 2010 | 9:32 pmI’m not entirely sure how I managed to birth a child who would prefer an un-iced cake to brownies… …but at least he forgave his mama for not baking anything a little fancier for his birthday. At least it was chocolate. Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on FriendFeed Digg this! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Add this to Google Bookmarks
-
The Official HSB Community Blog
-
Taming the Chaos ~ Bootcamp for Lousy Housekeepers
9 Feb 2010 | 9:38 amIf you already have a system that keeps your home consistently clean, tidy, and flowing smoothly, then this particular Chaos Taming article isn't for you. Perhaps, however, your home is honestly a bit of a mess--or perhaps your home is clean enough, but maintaining it makes you a harried mess. If either of those situations are true, I highly recommend Bootcamp for Lousy Housekeepers. In this newly released book, author Heidi Schaap comes along side the struggling housekeeper as a personal drill sergeant. I've "known" Heidi for nearly 10 years online, and have… -
Communication Corner ~ Valentine's Day Free Gift for All Subscribers!
9 Feb 2010 | 9:34 amWhat's New at Art of Eloquence newsletter subscribers will get a free gift soon for Valentine's Day! If you are not a subscriber, you'll want to subscribe before our next newsletter comes out so you don't miss out! What's New at Art of Eloquence offers exclusive articles, special offers, free gifts and other communication fun ONLY for subscribers! We do not give out this information anywhere else (on our site, blog or Facebook Fan Club Page!) but just to those on our mailing list! If you are not subscribed, you can do so easily by clicking here! Happy Valentine's… -
Special Words for Special Needs ~ The Heart of the Season
5 Feb 2010 | 7:34 amIt's Valentine season and love is in the air. I get a small snow storm of letters and drawings from my children everyday with, I <3 you mom!! I get the warm fuzzies and YES I keep them in a bulging file that has seen a decade of love. With the heart symbol all over the place in decorations to cards lets use that as a platform for a quick unit study on Congenital Heart Defect. Strange, did I just jump off a cliff? No, Febuary is CHD awareness month. Did you know that CHD is the number 1 birth defect?! Chances are many of you have a child with CHD or know of a child that has CHD. … -
Homeschooling Through High School ~ Love Is In The Air
3 Feb 2010 | 9:36 amValentine's Day. Romance. Flowers and chocolates. I'm all for it! I love getting a heart-strewn card, roses, and a box of chocolates from the man I love! And I love it that my 16 and 18 year old sons are seeing how much I enjoy it. After all, I hope and pray that they, too, will shower their love with love on Valentine's Day! Actually, that last sentence is incomplete. I left out a word...a single word which is all-important in our worldview. Allow me to re-write that sentence here, and make it complete: After all, I hope and pray that they, too, will… -
Kitchen Moments ~ Cook Up a Little Love
2 Feb 2010 | 9:37 amValentine's Day is a fun holiday to spend in the kitchen. There are so many cute things that you can make to add a little extra love and excitement to the menu. I like to go with a heart theme and see how many hearts I can sneak into the meals and snacks for the day. Here are just few ideas: Breakfast Pancakes- either pour the batter into a heart-shaped cookie cutter on the griddle, or just cut out the hearts after the pancakes are done; top with a swirly red heart made with strawberry syrup. Toast- cut hearts out with a cookie cutter. If you're ambitious, crack an egg into…
-
The Homeschool Lounge
-
Hi from SE GA!
Hi everyone! I am Stephanie. I am the mom of 3 homeschooling in SE GA. I am still trying to figure all this out. I am having a bit of a hard time. Eventually, I will be able to figure it all out! So excited to find something with a little more substance than facebook, yet still socailly fun!! -
Hi from Delaware :)
My husband and I have made the decision to begin homeschooling our youngest daughter (10yo/4th grade) this fall. She is currently attending our parish's K-8 school which we love for the teachers, the students, the community-------but which cannot challenge her adequately. The school does a fine job with average students and with those who need more time to complete tasks, but does not address the kids that grasp the material quickly and are ready to move on. We've known this for many years. I actually "afterschooled" her older siblings in math during the 5th and 6th grade years (7th… -
What activites can a five year old keep busy with while others are schooling?
My five year old does the usual independent school work while his siblings work, but always gets done quickly and wants me to work independently him. He usually have a half hour that needs to be filled with some large motor activity that he can do inside independently. Legos, playdough, drawing have no appeal since they are for the most part fine motor skills. Computer, videos etc have no appeal to me because they are used as after school rewards. Any ideas would be helpful. Thank you. Susan -
Hello from Southern Ohio
Hello, my name is MIsty and this is my first year homeschooling. I have two girls 5 and 3 and am currently using Christian Liberty Press, but not liking it, the only thing we are actually using now is the Math and some of the science. We are using Hooked on Phonics for reading, and just bought the workbook, my daughter loves it! I am thinking of trying AOP lifepacs next year. I would love insight on curriculum choices, and teaching multiple children.I also run an in-home daycare, and care for children from age 1-10. The girls love having friends to play with everyday. It makes… -
Is anyone else annoyed by this?
I get invited to someone's house for a party and somebody there knows that I homeschool my girls then they proceed to drill me on how I'm doing with the homeschooling. It then follows by their insisting that they give me new material to use without my asking for it, Has anyone else gone through this? How do you handle a person like this? I didn't want to get into a dispute so I just smiled and said thank you. What would you do if you were in my situation?
-
CalifmomHomeschools
-
Programming: Winnie & Bug
4 Feb 2010 | 10:17 pmvia www.flickr.com Bug and Winnie work on a script for Bug's characters on the Toril Mud. -
The Zoo: It heals the soul
9 Jan 2010 | 8:08 pm -
How to Make Pooplpie by Bug
27 Oct 2009 | 7:41 pmBug's decided to do a little baking, specifically pies. His first one was a recipe of his own creation. He convinced his sister to make the crust for him. He managed the rest. The verdict: YUM!recipe for pooplpie pie ingredients one graham cracker pie crust 1 half gallon of chocolate ice cream a chocolate sauce as long as its cold a hungry person step one: cool the pie crust until cold to the touch -
Do You Homeschool Your Special-Needs Child?
20 Oct 2009 | 12:16 amI'm looking for homeschooling parents who'd like to be interviewed for an article about homeschooling special-needs children. My own son is diagnosed with Asperger's and Tourette's Syndromes, but also has a relatively high IQ, which makes for a unique set of challeges. I have another friend who homeschools her autistic children. The charter school my daughter uses for her homeschooling curriculum offers, as it should by law, a program for children with IEPs and 504s, which tells me that homeschooling children with special needs is certainly more commonplace than some might…
-
The Simple Blog
-
Jan 31, Simple Schooling Science
30 Jan 2010 | 5:55 pmSimple Schooling Science Curriculum will Change your Life! -
Jan 31, Homeschool Done the Simple Way!
30 Jan 2010 | 5:53 pmA great place to learn about homeschooling, purchase EASY to USE science and history curriculum, learn online, and get FREE Simple Days Unit Studies Every MONTH! -
Jan 31, Simple Schooling
30 Jan 2010 | 5:45 pmSimple Schooling homeschool science and history curriculums will make your day SIMPLE! -
Jan 31, The Simple Zine Freebies!
30 Jan 2010 | 5:40 pmThe Simple Zine Freebies - Keeping Fun Affordable! -
Jan 31, George Washington History!
30 Jan 2010 | 4:57 pmHere they are!
-
Successful Homeschooling
-
Teaching Textbooks
5 Feb 2010 | 7:32 pmWe love the format of Teaching Textbooks, but wish it were more challenging. This curriculum is 1-2 grade levels behind what is being taught in our local -
Exploring Creation through Astronomy
29 Jan 2010 | 2:41 amAre you looking for a science program that teaches from a creationist viewpoint? Find out why this reader loves Apologia's Exploring Creation through Astronomy! -
Math U See was Wonderful for My Son!
29 Jan 2010 | 2:41 amAre you looking for a user-friendly, hands-on math program? Read one mom's detailed assessment of the pros and cons of Math U See. -
Homeschooling Blogs
29 Jan 2010 | 2:37 amHomeschooling blogs can be wonderful sources of information, ideas and inspiration. Here's a list of my favorite homeschool blogs, along with information about the benefits of blogging. -
My Father's World K - A Disappointment
22 Jan 2010 | 6:32 amHave you considered using My Father's World kindergarten curriculum? Check out this review to find out why one mom was disappointed with MFW.
-
Heart of Wisdom Blog
-
Was it Child Abuse?
8 Feb 2010 | 12:03 pmWhat would you do if you saw a woman beating a screaming child? I have a dear, dear friend that struggles with the violence in the Old testament. We had several discussions about it. Then I found a story on Darin Hufford’s Free Believer’s site that helped me explain the importance of perspective. Thirty-eight years ago, in a remote neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska, a young stressed-out mother came running out of her front door towards her two-year-old baby boy. She literally body slammed him with full force sending his little frame flying across the front lawn. She then proceeded… -
Home from Blissdom 10
7 Feb 2010 | 9:38 pmI had wonderful fun packed weekend at Blissdom with 499 other mom bloggers at Opryland Hotel. It was amazing. It was terrific getting to hug my bloggy friends and I learned a lot in the class sessions. I lost my camera the week before so I didn’t take photos but many others did so I’ll share a few from others. Loved meeting and spening time Heather (SprittiBee) and her sweet family. Please be in prayer for Heather’s mom who was hospitalized in Nashville during Blissdom. Pensive Robin made arrangements for a Blissdom prayer coffee which was my very favorite part of Blissdom… -
Organize Your Family Online with Cozi
7 Feb 2010 | 1:59 pmI found this terrific program for organizing your family. Cozi helps you stay in communication and share memories—all in one place. Its super-duper easy to use and quick and FREE! Its easy to schedule repeat events by family member: You can schedule things like Homeschool 8:00-1:00 weekdays Laundry every Tuesday and Fridays 1:00-3:00. Bath time Christopher at 7:00 David at 7:30. Bowling every Tuesday 2:00. Create your grocery list on Cozi and have them on your phone call toll-free from your cell phone to have a your shopping list read to you. Neat huh? What You Can Do With Cozi Free… -
Homeschool Warning and Blog Contest
5 Feb 2010 | 5:35 amI am at Blissdom Conference with other mom bloggers. While I’m gone I leave you with this audio and a contest. This 27 minute audio includes what I feel is the most important advice I could share with Christian homeschoolers. Click Here to Download Homeschool Danger Audio THREE WILL WIN! I will choose three winners for The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach Ebook (500 page $24.95 Value!). First winner will be a random drawing from the comments below. Just add a comment about the homeschool audio to for a chance to be selected. Second winner will be a random drawing from all bloggers who… -
I Desire to Do Good, But
31 Jan 2010 | 4:28 amI make hundreds of little decisions a day, and many times I get them wrong. These are the things I don’t want exposed – things I prefer never to admit. But I must be open about how I have failed, because only then can God forgive me, cleanse me and use me. The words in Romans 7 sum up the Christian’s utter inability to live righteously, in his own strength. I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve…
-
Katie's Homeschool Cottage
-
Sharpening Math Skills with Mathscore
1 Feb 2010 | 6:48 pmMy family has received a complimentary trial of Mathscore.com for the purpose of a review as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. Looking for a comprehensive means to assess your child’s math skills and customize his review curriculum to target those skills he needs to master? Something that is not a game, but gives you detailed feedback about your child’s abilities, so that you can determine those skills mastered, those on the way to mastery, and those that really need your help for his understanding? I feel Mathscore.com does exactly that. This review is the first part of a… -
Keyboarding for the Christian School
27 Jan 2010 | 8:29 pmMy family received a complimentary copy of Keyboarding for the Christian School, Revised Edition and Keyboarding for the Christian School, Elementary Version for the purpose of a review for the TOS Homeschool Crew. Keyboarding skills are essential during this technological age. You can let your child pick up typing as they finger peck the keyboard while performing another task or you can make “keyboarding” a formal subject area to include in your homeschooling day. If you decide to incorporate a more structured keyboarding class, you will want to look at samples of… -
What are Learning Styles?
25 Jan 2010 | 6:12 pmWhat are learning styles? How do they affect how your child learns? How do you teach or pick curriculum that will meet individual learning styles of different children? These are familiar questions when you want to find what works best with your children. There are many different kinds of learning styles and ways to teach to learning styles; just as there are different labels or ways to look at learning styles. I’d like to look briefly at three that I enjoy and consider most often when I think about this topic. The first one is probably the most discussed – Is your child an… -
Uses and Benefits of Audio Books
25 Jan 2010 | 5:02 pmI am sometimes torn when I see my guys listening to books on tape or CD, especially when I have to set time limits on their use when it begins to infringe on time that should be spent on other things – like school work. I wonder if I’m letting them take the easy way out from reading books through their own efforts by passively listening as someone else reads the text for them. But, how can you object when they are listening to the Odyssey over and over again or The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series? These books use vivid description and complex sentence structure with an… -
Rosetta Stone Homeschool Language Trip
25 Jan 2010 | 12:42 pmSurround your family with language. By taking them there! Travel to Paris, Madrid and Barcelona with Homeschoolers from all over the United States. Join Rosetta Stone Homeschool, Heart of the Matter and Fusefly on the inaugural Homeschool Language Learning and Networking Trip August 2-11, 2010. Become immersed in new lands, explore history, culture, art and community. And truly speak to the world. For more details visit www.RosettaStone.com/Homeschool/LanguageLearningTrip. Hurry, registration for the trip ends February 15, 2010. For your chance to win a Rosetta Stone language product, please…
-
Homemaking 911
-
Will You Share About Your Day?
22 Jan 2010 | 3:25 amWhen we first began home educating back in 2000 I was very interested in hearing how other women ran their home schools. I wanted to know all the details. Did they keep a schedule? Did they use chore charts and curriculum? Did they say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning? Did they get dressed every day? I look back now and know why I was so interested. I was looking for a measuring stick. I wanted to know if what I was doing was going to be good enough. Now, years later, I rarely worry about whether what I am doing measures up to other people’s standards, but am more… -
One Roast Vegetable - Your Business Breakthrough
21 Jan 2010 | 6:14 pmHave you been thinking about starting your own business? Been saving up these past year for a business but you’re just not sure how to start it? Or are you just looking for a career change? NOW is your chance to learn everything you can about starting your own business. One Roast Vegetable is having a FREE Teleclass tonight about starting your OWN business. The free class tonight is a preview for the 3-month paid class called “Your Business Breakthrough” which begins next week. It is scheduled tonight at 8 pm Eastern / 5 pm Pacific. So don’t miss this chance! Your… -
Making Pancake/Waffle Syrup at Home
12 Jan 2010 | 1:26 pmOne new thing I have just started trying is making my own pancake syrup. I found the following recipe from Jonnie McCoy’s book: Miserly Moms Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy. 2 cups sugar 1 Cup water 1 tsp mapel extract (bought this at Meijer’s). Bring the water and sugar to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat before it comes to a boil. Add the maple extract. Store in the refrigerator. If you like it thicker, replace half the water with Karo syrup. I was a bit skeptical, but decided to give it a shot. It turned out just fine and I have been using it every… -
Freezer Cooking Exchange Time!
14 Nov 2009 | 7:15 amTime for a freezer cooking exchange! Date: December 4th, 2009 Time: 4:00 Place: My home in Fern Creek ( I can email specifics) To sign up: EMAIL ME: russellhome@gmail.com- and include what meal you are bringing. Here are the Q’s and A’s of the event so far. How BIG should my meal be? Meals should be planned for five servings. Smaller families will have leftovers, larger families will need to supplement with side dishes, bread etc. If you make a meal that is naturally smaller than this (such as a pot pie that is more like 4 servings, then consider adding an accompanying… -
Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites Review
25 Oct 2009 | 1:51 pmI just received a review copy of Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg. The good news is that I get to give this fantastic book away to one of my readers, so in order to win just leave a comment below and tell me: 1. Have you ever tried freezer cooking? 2. If yes- tell me your favorite freezer meal. I will draw one name and notify the winner via email at the end of the month. If the winner does not claim their prize by replying to me with their address withing 72 hours, I will choose an alternative winner. Review: Like most freezer books I have…
-
Moms Inspire Learning
-
Connecting the Dots of Chinese New Year
8 Feb 2010 | 9:19 amIt takes a village of bloggers to really bring a subject to life, especially one as vast as Chinese New Year. That's why today, I'd like to share a couple of related posts from two of my favorite bloggers. 1. What's a cultural celebration without art?When I first decided to write a series of posts relating to such a vast topic, I realized right away that there would need to be some kind of an art component to really bring the subject to life for children. Storytelling is wonderful, but when you can connect it with real life activities and projects, the words take on a life of their own...So,… -
More Books to Add to Your Chinese New Year List, Part 2
4 Feb 2010 | 8:58 amHere are some additional picture books relating to Chinese New Year, which will provide you and your child with plenty of opportunities to make comparisons with other children's books and connect the dots with so many other subjects: The Runaway Rice Cake, by Ying Chang Compestine. LOVE this one because it will complement just about any other picture book relating to Chinese New Year, but also can be used as a springboard to a study of the many books which are similar to The Gingerbread Boy. The culinary aspect of this celebration is fully explained at the end of the book, as are two… -
More Books to Add to Your Chinese New Year List
3 Feb 2010 | 9:47 amI'm still in the process of sorting through some of the many picture books relating to Chinese New Year. I can't possibly look at them all because there are so many, so I thought I'd just give you the heads-up about a few of the ones I love the most (so far). Today, it's just a partial list, and over the next week I'll give more details about some of these books. That way, you can seek them out ahead of time. My local library didn't have most of these, so I had to wait a few days to have them sent from other libraries in my area. I'm still waiting for more, so I'll be doing a part 2 of this… -
Passion at the Book Store
2 Feb 2010 | 2:52 pmJim Trelease was right. Librarians can learn a lot from book store employees. But, as I learned this weekend, the lesson is not only about how to display books in an appealing way. After Monday's post, I didn't want people to get the idea that I had a bone to pick with Barnes & Noble. It's really the SYSTEM that I have a problem with. I started that post talking about how the book store was bustling with people of all ages. It was truly a sight to see, after all the dismal talk about the future of books in print lately. Anyway, I visited the same book store the week before. As I was… -
The Case for Not "Judging a Book by its Cover"
1 Feb 2010 | 12:19 pmI was in the Barnes & Noble on Broadway and 82nd Street in Manhattan on Sunday, and I was happy to find it bustling with activity! People of all ages were there enjoying books, either by themselves or with family members. I love it! Long live books-in-print....While I was there, I decided to buy my very own copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook. Funny thing, though. I couldn't find it anywhere!!!! So, I asked an employee. He looked it up, and guided me to the homeschooling section. And there it was - at the very bottom of a very tall bookshelf! Houston? We have a problem. No wonder I never knew…
-
Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
-
Homeschool Showcase #40
8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amWelcome to the February 8, 2010 edition of Homeschool Showcase, where we spotlight all the encouraging, inspiring and just plain fun ways that homeschooling families live and learn together. Thank you to everyone who submitted your posts for this week's Showcase (well, almost everyone...I do get extremely tired of the spam posts). You've shared some fantastic ideas and I hope that everyone reading this week takes home some ideas you can use in your homeschool. Jolanthe's post, Preschool Corner ~ Hickory Dickory Dock, really makes me miss the preschool years. It's so much fun… -
Review: Ray's Arithmetic
6 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amFollowing is another in the long line of math reviews I've done for TOS Homeschool Crew this year. If this was the year when you were thinking to wade through the choices of math curricula and helps available, I'm your go-to girl. This week I'm reviewing Ray's Arithmetic from Dollar Homeschool. Ray's Arithmetic is a complete K-12 math curriculum, part of the Eclectic Education Series. This is the same curriculum that was used in the majority of public schools from 1865-1915. If you picture the teacher in an actual one-room schoolhouse standing before her students doing… -
Weekly Wrap-Up: Chaos
5 Feb 2010 | 1:01 pmRemember how I was feeling so refreshed after last week and looking so forward to having a nice, planned out, organized school week? Oh, the irony! If I could have only one word to sum up this week it would be chaos. It went something like this: Monday. We all five had dental appointments, back-to-back, in the afternoon and the grandparents wanted to pick the kids up for lunch. So, I told everyone Sunday night that they could just do their workboxes (essentially their core, independent work) and suggested that they go ahead and work on them that night. They… -
Review: Math Tutor DVD
2 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amOkay, you all know that I do my best to be honest with you, right? A few weeks ago, I received a couple of DVDs in the mail from Math Tutor DVD. I was immediately drawn to the one DVD because it had my very favorite creature in all the world on the cover -- a red-eyed tree frog. Then, I read the title of the second DVD, The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor: 8 Hour Video Course. Here comes the honesty part. When I read that title, my first thought was, "I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a pencil than watch that DVD." I mean, really, aren't the words "math word… -
Teacher In-Service Days
1 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amI was talking to someone the other day about my senior year of high school. While there were many things I enjoyed about that year, the fact of the matter was, I was over it. I was so tired of having to be at school 8 hours a day, especially when I had already completely most of the required work and was just putting in my time until I could get my diploma. There were a few days that I convinced my mom that I just needed a day off. I'd always feel so refreshed after those breaks. Sometimes, we all just need a day off, for our own sanity. I've been feeling so…
-
Rewarding Homeschool Blog
-
Alphabet First?
9 Feb 2010 | 7:33 amShould I be teaching the letters of the alphabet first? The 3R's says that they don't need to know the names of the letters and that it might end up confusing -
Teaching Reading
9 Feb 2010 | 6:54 amThe thought of teaching reading really has me worried. It seems so huge! Reading is very important in life and I don't want to somehow mess it up. My -
Cost
5 Feb 2010 | 4:15 pmCan you please tell me what the cost is for 9-12 grade homeschooling. Thank You. Diane's Reply: Your original question asked me what our prices are. -
Sitemap
5 Feb 2010 | 2:03 pm -
Federal Scholarship Available for Wisconsin
3 Feb 2010 | 12:19 pmWPA just received notice from the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA) that homeschoolers are now eligible to apply for a federal scholarship through the Wisconsin All State Scholars program. Applications must be submitted online on or before 4:30 pm on February 19, 2010. For details, click on the link below. That link will take you to information from WPA on completing the forms. Note especially that two forms need to be filed. The nomination form is submitted by the administrator of a homeschool, the second form by the student being nominated. Also, the nomination form…
-
An Unschooling Life
-
Post Tribune Unschooling Article
6 Feb 2010 | 5:30 amAlternative form of homeschooling embraces child-directed learning 2007 It’s a Tuesday morning. As children throughout the Region are waking up, packing their bags and heading toward the school bus, Adele Schiessle turns to her children and asks them if they wanted to spend the day playing on a 6,000-square-foot indoor inflatable play area at Jump Central. Collin, 6, and Amber, 7, agree that would be a pleasant way to start the morning. After they played on the bouncy furniture, they headed back to their home in St. John, where they spent the rest of the day watching TV, navigating… -
The Unschooling Unmanual
6 Feb 2010 | 3:25 amUnschooling isn’t a technique – it’s living and learning naturally, lovingly, and respectfully together. The Unschooling Unmanual features 11 essays by 8 writers: Nanda Van Gestel, Jan Hunt, Daniel Quinn, Rue Kream, Kim Houssenloge, Earl Stevens, and Mary Van Doren. Through engaging personal stories, examples, and essays, the writers offer inspiration and encouragement for seasoned and prospective unschoolers alike. Click here to purchase Share and Enjoy: Tags: encouragement, inspiration, jan hunt, learning, unschool, unschoolers, unschooling Related posts What Is… -
Horde Of Unschoolers
3 Feb 2010 | 6:47 amWow.com (World of Warcraft) interviewed an unschooling mom, who along with her two children, are involved in the Horde of Unschoolers, at World of Warcraft. In the article, Sarah Spooner, senior admission counselor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, was asked if unschoolers succeed in college and later in life. “These students are really well motivated, have done their homework and done their research,” she affirms. “They’re the type of students who excel when they get on a college campus because they can keep themselves in check and make sure… -
UK Unschooling Article
2 Feb 2010 | 11:37 pmFrom The Times September 6, 2007 “Home education serves her better than school would’ Sara Sengenberger lives in Oxford but was brought up and schooled in the US. She delayed formal education for her daughter Catryn, 7, but has found home education suits Catryn so well that she has no plans to send her to school. “I came across a book published in the 1970s by Raymond Moore called Better Late than Early, which claims that many biological and psychological factors make 8 to 10 the best age to begin structured learning. Young children learn a great deal through play. I don’t require… -
Homeschooling Conversation From The Future
2 Feb 2010 | 4:28 amTwo women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to talk. … Woman #1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts — helps me keep track of them. Woman #2: (Smiles) I’m Terri. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come here a lot? W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library. W2: Wow. Where do you find the time? W1:: We home school, so we do it during the day most of the time. W2: Some of my neighbors home school, but I send my kids…
-
Homeschool Entrepreneur
-
Do We Really Make Our Own Decisions?
3 Feb 2010 | 9:35 amI thought I’d share an interesting video I watched this morning about behavioral economics. Before you click onto another site, hear me out. This guy is funny, and illustrates how our mind often makes irrational decisions based on the choices offered. It’s less than 20 minutes and well worth the time. Who knows? It could save you an irrational decision! Of course, the intention is to help you market your business more …uh, irrationally? A little background: I found this video on a highly informative website, Mark Flavin’s Internet Marketing Blog. He offers a decent… -
ABC’s Shark Tank To Teach Entrepreneurial Concepts?
2 Feb 2010 | 9:08 pmWhile anyone could guess that ABC’s new show, Shark Tank, is part reality, part Hollywood, it holds a great deal of fodder for discussion. If you aren’t familiar with this entrepreneurial reality show, it’s based on everyday entrepreneurs approaching a panel of shark-like potential investors with their ideas. I love watching it just to hear some of the ideas that are presented and the way they go about it. Who knows, you might see an idea you’ve been thinking about! If you do see an idea that you’ve been considering, listen carefully to the investor’s… -
Watch Out For Domain Registration Scams-or, A Lesson For Discussion
14 Jan 2010 | 6:03 pmI’m figuring that most of you would know this, but I received a letter in the mail today and thought I’d mention it just in case. This letter was from “Website Registration Services” and they picked up an expired domain of mine (or so I thought) that I didn’t want anymore and sent me a very official letter “offering” me their great service.(!) This service would register my domain for me for only $70/year . . . but wait! I can sign up for 2 years and pay $130, saving a whole $10! Uh, did I mention that the domain only cost me $8.99/year through One… -
How To Sell Textbooks On Amazon
12 Jan 2010 | 10:12 pmSelling used books on Amazon isn’t the money maker it was a few years ago. When we first started listing used books on Amazon in 1999, you didn’t need a large inventory of books to make a nice part time income. Now, there are so many sellers selling GOOD books for a penny it’s difficult to find many books to really make it worth your time. That doesn’t apply to selling textbooks though! There is a great deal to be made selling used textbooks online. Many students still haven’t realized the benefits of selling their last semester’s textbooks online rather… -
14 Best Games To Educate Your Children About Business
10 Dec 2009 | 12:04 pmCaught playing games with his nieces! I found this list of 14 games on Sparkplugging, a website that you’ll find more great information about starting a home business. Started by Wendy Piersall, it was originally a website just for moms starting a business, but when she realized that the bulk of her readers were men, she changed her look to accommodate everyone. These 14 educational games are classics, and I’ve talked about several of them before. Since many of you are still looking for Christmas presents for your children that will last longer than a day, I thought you’d…
-
An Unschooling Life
-
Post Tribune Unschooling Article
6 Feb 2010 | 5:30 amAlternative form of homeschooling embraces child-directed learning 2007 It’s a Tuesday morning. As children throughout the Region are waking up, packing their bags and heading toward the school bus, Adele Schiessle turns to her children and asks them if they wanted to spend the day playing on a 6,000-square-foot indoor inflatable play area at Jump Central. Collin, 6, and Amber, 7, agree that would be a pleasant way to start the morning. After they played on the bouncy furniture, they headed back to their home in St. John, where they spent the rest of the day watching TV, navigating… -
The Unschooling Unmanual
6 Feb 2010 | 3:25 amUnschooling isn’t a technique – it’s living and learning naturally, lovingly, and respectfully together. The Unschooling Unmanual features 11 essays by 8 writers: Nanda Van Gestel, Jan Hunt, Daniel Quinn, Rue Kream, Kim Houssenloge, Earl Stevens, and Mary Van Doren. Through engaging personal stories, examples, and essays, the writers offer inspiration and encouragement for seasoned and prospective unschoolers alike. Click here to purchase Share and Enjoy: Tags: encouragement, inspiration, jan hunt, learning, unschool, unschoolers, unschooling Related posts What Is… -
Horde Of Unschoolers
3 Feb 2010 | 6:47 amWow.com (World of Warcraft) interviewed an unschooling mom, who along with her two children, are involved in the Horde of Unschoolers, at World of Warcraft. In the article, Sarah Spooner, senior admission counselor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, was asked if unschoolers succeed in college and later in life. “These students are really well motivated, have done their homework and done their research,” she affirms. “They’re the type of students who excel when they get on a college campus because they can keep themselves in check and make sure… -
UK Unschooling Article
2 Feb 2010 | 11:37 pmFrom The Times September 6, 2007 “Home education serves her better than school would’ Sara Sengenberger lives in Oxford but was brought up and schooled in the US. She delayed formal education for her daughter Catryn, 7, but has found home education suits Catryn so well that she has no plans to send her to school. “I came across a book published in the 1970s by Raymond Moore called Better Late than Early, which claims that many biological and psychological factors make 8 to 10 the best age to begin structured learning. Young children learn a great deal through play. I don’t require… -
Homeschooling Conversation From The Future
2 Feb 2010 | 4:28 amTwo women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to talk. … Woman #1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts — helps me keep track of them. Woman #2: (Smiles) I’m Terri. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come here a lot? W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library. W2: Wow. Where do you find the time? W1:: We home school, so we do it during the day most of the time. W2: Some of my neighbors home school, but I send my kids…
