Besides being a wife, mama, and homeschooler - I'm a photo nut. This should come as no surprise to those of you who have ever been here before.Photo nuts heart Adobe. That's just a given fact. See? You aren't learning anything new yet. But you will... just wait...The photo up above was altered in Lightroom by my friend Dawn. It looks like a pro photo, right? Well, at least I thought so. I may be a bit biased.I emailed the picture to Dawn to see what she would do with it in Lightroom because I love playing with pictures. And I love seeing what other people create when they play with pictures.
Homeschooling
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Sprittibee
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Photographic Homeschool Mama's Software Wishes
20 Nov 2009 | 8:09 am -
Learning Without School
18 Nov 2009 | 9:12 pmI'm avoiding the computer lately. Seems that every time I sit down there is another thirty things I have to add to my to-do list. My email box is stuffed to the gills, my paper in-box is overflowing, and my school stuff is heaped in a pile on the corner of my desk. Not to mention Mt. Laundry or the planning that needs to happen so that tomorrow won't be a dismal failure.But then it hits me - like the spit up that hit me earlier today - unexpectedly... I AM GETTING THINGS DONE. Granted, maybe not everything (nowhere near everything), and maybe not even what I had planned to do... but we are… -
A Life Choice
16 Nov 2009 | 8:36 amWhen I got contacted by PureFlix Entertainment to review their upcoming DVD "Sarah's Choice", I was more than willing to do so. We always are looking for quality films that our whole family can see - since there are so few of them being made by Hollywood these days. I offered to preview the movie if they wanted to send me a copy of it. It helped that the lead actress was Rebecca St. James (a Christian Music pop star that my daughter already loved).Here's one of her songs here if you haven't heard of her and wanted to listen in:On Sunday after dinner we settled down to a "family movie night",… -
My Interview at Heart of the Matter
13 Nov 2009 | 7:52 pmWhere did the name Sprittibee come from? Sprittibee is actually a nickname and a last initial put together (and here you thought it was all about honey bee obsession!). When me and my hubby were dating back in the early 90’s, he called me Spritti and I called him Spooker. Sickening, I know. The “SP” was a language addition based on that REM song, “Losing My Religion,” where he said “It’s bigger than you… and you are not me.” He slurred his words and said “Spigger”, which was somehow REAL funny to us barely 20 year old, lovesick kids who were stuck in the car part of… -
Almost Wordless Wednesday: Beautiful People
10 Nov 2009 | 10:01 pmBeautiful on the inside and out. I adore these folks (and their dashing daddy - not pictured). Lucky for me, I got to do a quick photo-shoot of them in their 'natural habitat'.I wanted to take the little ones home with me. Cuter kids are hard to find.
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Melissa Wiley
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Computer Programming for Kids
16 Nov 2009 | 9:39 pmI tweeted a request for computer programming tutorial recommendations (for Jane), and a number of useful suggestions came pouring in via Twitter and Facebook. We’ve not had time to investigate them yet—we are busy enjoying a grandparent visit for a couple of days—but I thought I’d post the list here for others who may be interested. Alice (object-oriented programming, creating animations, video games) Lynda (wide range of tutorials) Snake Wrangling for Kids (learning to program in Python) Scratch (via MIT—several friends recommended this) A few more links in this post at… -
Housecleaning and Babysqueezing
14 Nov 2009 | 7:25 amThings I did this week: • Spring cleaning. I know, I know, I’m six months late. Or six months early: maybe that’s a better way to look at it. Besides, I once heard a chaparral expert mention that Southern California’s true spring is in November (going by plant dormancy cycles, I think, or maybe it had to do with the timing of our rainy season). At any rate, I spent the entire week attacking closets and cupboards, purging bags and bags of stuff, and it feels marvelous. Oh my. I keep opening the hall closet just to admire it and then I’ll realize I have a big dopey… -
“A drop can bounce”
11 Nov 2009 | 6:53 amThe everyday magic of surface tension: “the quality of a liquid that causes the surface layer of that liquid to behave like an elastic sheet.” HT to my hubby, as usual. He always finds the best stuff. -
I’m Very Considerate That Way
8 Nov 2009 | 8:03 pmWe’re lying side by side, reading. A book for him, a screen for me. Me: I want a cupcake. Him: What? Where’d that come from? Me: This post I’m reading. See? I point at the word. CUPCAKE. It looks somehow magical, evocative, as if it were spelled out in actual cupcakes instead of plain old letters of the alphabet. Me: I think cupcake is one of my ten favorite words. Him: Hmm. You know, I don’t really like cupcakes. Pause. Me: That’s all right, I’ll have yours. -
This Could Go on Forever
7 Nov 2009 | 7:21 pmWonderboy: My hearing aids aren’t working. Me: Oh, are your batteries dead? Wonderboy: Huh? Me: Do you need new batteries? Wonderboy: What? Me: Come here, let me check your hearing aids. Wonderboy: I think my batteries got dead. (And yes, we can communicate in sign language as well, but during this conversation I was holding a plate in one hand and a giant slice of pizza in the other. Priorities.)
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SpunkyHomeSchool
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Homeschoolers and Health Care
17 Nov 2009 | 4:53 amFor all my homeschooling friends who think ObamaCare will solve their financial and health insurance woes, think again. It may give you temporary relief for your financial headache, but it may also invite government nannies into your home to improve your child's well-being and health.HR 3200 that passed the House of Representatives, currently has a provision for funding states that implement a -
Subsidizng Irresponsibility
11 Nov 2009 | 1:03 pmRegarding the punitive consequences for those that do not acquire health insurance, Obama said this to Jake Tapper. "I think the general principle is simply that people who are paying for their health insurance aren't subsidizing folks who simply choose not to until they get sick and then suddenly they expect free health insurance. That's - that's the basic concept of responsibility that most -
Rebutting Socialism
11 Nov 2009 | 3:24 amThis week, a group of college students at Washington University in St. Louis sought to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the eventual end of communism in Russia. But the university forced them to take down their display because it was "too offensive." Instead of going away quietly, the students decided to take their message national. Campus Gulag website reported: On the 20th -
Reaching Homeschoolers
6 Nov 2009 | 5:17 amAt a homeschool convention last year, another vendor and I struck up a conversation. He had a lot of energy but seemed a bit uptight; however, he readily admitted that he felt totally out of place because he didn't homeschool and this was definitely not his "typical convention." Not really interested in finding out what his "typical convention" was like, I smiled and assured him that we -
The real epidemic in our schools
5 Nov 2009 | 9:24 amObama declared H1N1 a national emergency but there's another virus that is threatening our children's minds that could prove more widespread than once believed. Big Hollywood has posted 11 more videos of children in various schools around the country singing praises to Obama and quoting his speeches. This is about brainwashing our children into Leftist identity politics. Sure, the schools
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Guilt-Free Homeschooling
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Teaching the Satisfaction of a Job Well Done
3 Nov 2009 | 1:16 pmHave you ever noticed that cooking is much easier to do if the counters are clear, and the dishwasher and dish drainer are empty? I think a clean kitchen is a pleasure to be in and to work in. A sparkling clean bathroom makes me feel more like I'm vacationing in a nice hotel room than enduring yet another ordinary day at home. When my family all pitched in, and we cleaned the house super-fast for short-notice visitors, I always marveled aloud at how nice it looked! I wanted my helpers to feel appreciated, but I also wanted them to focus on what they had accomplished and enjoy the fruits of… -
Why Does Math Class Take SO LONG?
24 Sep 2009 | 1:39 pmHomeschooling families often have this lament: My child takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to do math each day! Can anything be done??? Let's consider for a moment exactly what the student is being asked to do, to see if we can understand why it takes so much time. (Please note: I will use he/him/his as generic pronouns; all of this applies equally to girls and boys.)Beginning students are learning the fine art of manipulating numbers to learn the processes of adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and learning new number-languages called fractions, decimals, percentages, measurements, and on and on. -
Meet a Homeschooling Family
17 Sep 2009 | 11:58 amThe Frugal Homeschooling Mom, Deana Hipwell, is tackling the daunting task of introducing homeschooling families to each other -- lots of families. Her blog feature, A Common Bond: Meet a Homeschooling Family, offers a quick look into the motivations and methods of various homeschoolers. This is a great way to get to know a little bit about how and why others are homeschooling, and Deana invites all readers to share their own stories through her blog. C'mon and introduce yourself! The currently featured family is... mine! -
10 Ways to Improve a Lesson
10 Sep 2009 | 2:00 pmSometimes we all need help teaching a lesson. The lesson may be too confusing, too short, or just plain boring. Your student may need a more complete explanation or just want to delve more deeply into the subject. You may need to expand the lesson to include an activity to fit your student's learning style. No matter what the reason, here are a few suggestions for how to improve a lesson.Make it bigger. -- Suppose your child is learning fractions, and the book's diagrams are rather small. Draw similar diagrams using an entire sheet of paper for each one -- sometimes bigger IS better! Simple… -
It's Carnival Time!
18 Aug 2009 | 7:37 amThis week's Carnival of Homeschooling is hosted by the delightful Juggling Paynes of Home Spun Juggling. The very appropriate theme they have chosen is The Juggling Workshop. Drop by the Carnival and pick up some great homeschooling tips along with their tips on juggling. (I've always wanted to learn how to juggle -- I wonder if they can help me?)
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Why Homeschool
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Not Enough Minutes in the Day
19 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pmWhen we started homeschooling some 11 years ago, it seemed like we had all the time in the world. While our friends were rushing their kids off to school in the morning, we had a nice leisurely start. When our friends were busy all evening with homework and school events, we had stress-free evenings at home.Somewhere along the line, that all changed. Now with 2 teenage girls, and almost double digit girl, and a yet to be potty trained boy, we are constantly on the go. I don't know how our friends with children in school do it. Since our children don't have the time wasted at school (carpool,… -
Interesting way to view history
19 Nov 2009 | 7:22 amPretty cool: Visualizing empires decline from Pedro M Cruz on Vimeo.I've asked my oldest two daughters to watch this.----------Technorati tagseducation -
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up!
17 Nov 2009 | 12:13 pmThis week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at A Pondering Heart.Jocelyn structures the carnival around many of the categories in this years's Homeschool Blog Awards. ----------Technorati tagshomeschoolinghomeschoolhomeschoolhomeeducationparentingchildreneducationCarnival of Homeschooling -
pet peeve #27
16 Nov 2009 | 11:01 amMy children play recreational soccer. The league doesn't even keep score or have play off. Yet, every year each player gets a huge trophy. For the first few years, we kept the trophies. Now we just take a picture of it and throw it away.I keep wondering why they insist upon such ridiculous trophies. I image someone in the league is a parent with an only child and thinks that children need excessive praise to develop self esteem. I'm annoyed that we have to pay for those meaningless trophies. I'm not against some sort of recognition for the players' efforts and improvement, but why the… -
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
15 Nov 2009 | 7:20 amYou have just thirty four hours to send in your entry for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.The Carnival of Homeschooling at be hosted by Jocelyn at A Pondering Heart.As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.Here are the instructions for sending in a submission.----------Technorati tagshomeschoolinghomeschoolhomeschoolhomeeducationparentingchildreneducationCarnival of Homeschooling
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AtypicaLife dot net
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So that one time I went to New York..
16 Nov 2009 | 4:40 pmIt boggled my mind. I was in full-blown ADD-mode most of the time. Which can be good, and can be not good. I’m just doing a brain dump now & hopefully get some actual posts written about each “scene”. - fabulous, amazing, awesome, wonderful, grateful, sharing, collaboration, all are fitting adjectives - i had no idea how many people had read my words. Seriously. you guys, seriously. - i really am funny, despite what my kids think. - i did not love NYC like I thought I might. I mean, I *like* it, but I did not love it. It reminded me of Saint john if it had grown that… -
Things to do at wordcamp
10 Nov 2009 | 6:21 pmA list: - meet old friends - meet new friends - shake a lot of hands - give out a lot of hugs - use hand sanitizer - remember to get my picture taken with a whole pile of different people, tho not all at once. (Lisa, Adria, Brian, Rebecca, Jane, Stephan, Andrew, Jason, Jim, Boone, John, all the Jeffs, JJJ, Mike, Andy, and more.) - tweet a lot - talk a lot - take in some sessions - do a Q & A - think about women in open source and try to formulate intelligent opinions. I mean, I have them, just hoping to articulate them. - squeeze out some time to help at the genius bar - possibly try… -
My new BFF
6 Nov 2009 | 4:46 amEvery so often I poke fun at myself. Where, I wail, where can you find another woman, close enough to my age, with a kid somewhat near one of mine, who also: - unschools - is crafty - is crunchy in the AP sense (meaning, breastfed, gentle parenting etc..) - is a low-key Christian who doesn’t go to church - is near enough to get together face to face occasionally - is ADD or at least semi-disorganized ;P so won’t mind if I am - works at home like I do - works as a WORDPRESS consultant like I do. Pretty specific list, huh? Found one. Seriously, you’d think with all this in… -
Oh hey look
5 Nov 2009 | 4:14 amSince Sarah is off to college and has a thousand tales to tell, one of the reasons to move this domain to a multi-blog platform was to give her space under this umbrella. The college years She squeezed out an intro post between school, homework and work. So there ya go. Personally, I can’t wait for the post she writes while hopped up on chocolate covered coffee beans. Related Posts:Using technology in your home(school)Post updatesOrientation for collegebeing a smart alec won't get *me* into collegeblog-aversary - 2005 -
Dairy
3 Nov 2009 | 6:00 amAnyone who has known me for years knows I don’t like milk. Anyone who has known me for a LOT of years will tell you stories of how I refused to drink milk as a small child. By the time I had Emma and she refused to drink cow’s milk, I had already realized that if I drank milk, she would be fussy. Lactose cannot pass through breast milk, but milk proteins can. It is quite possible she has a milk allergy. It’s only since last year that she’s tried ice cream. And still her older sisters will eat much more ice cream than she will. A couple of weeks ago I decided to stop…
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Notes From A Homeschooling Mom
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My recent homeschool and education articles
6 Nov 2009 | 8:11 amHere are a few of my articles I have written in the last few weeks regarding homeschooling and education. Newsflash! All Homeschoolers are Not Conservative Proof that all homeschoolers are not conservative... I watch Hardball with Chris Matthews. While Chris Matthews would not characterize himself as liberal (which I also do not) he is certainly far from conservative. Homeschoolers Are Not -
Second edition of Carnival of Educators is out
3 Nov 2009 | 12:58 pmCheck out this week's Carnival of Educators entitled Here's to Teacher. It is chock full of posts relevant to teachers and educators. Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Read more Notes From a Homeschooling Mom Visit Me at the Families.com Homeschool Blog Visit My Education Column at Examiner.com Check out FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE for free homeschool links -
Carnival of Educators, A Week of Firsts
27 Oct 2009 | 8:59 amWelcome to the October 27, 2009 edition of Carnival of Educators. The absence of the Carnival of Education left a hole in my life. I didn't know about Educarnival v2 but that one is silent right now too. Anyway, I decided it was time to get another carnival going. I am however looking for volunteer hosts. I can't do it alone. More info here. I should also point out that I did not -
I am a Kreativ Blogger!
22 Oct 2009 | 9:54 pmI can't tell you how much it blows me away when someone tells someone tells me that I have been an inspiration to them. Well it happened again to day. Thank you so much justlocs for thinking about me today and for allowing my journey to inspire yours. I was given a Kreativ Blogger award by Justlocs and feel very honored. Now this isn't just any blogger award, it isn't meant to be held onto -
Let's get a new Education Carnival Going!
21 Oct 2009 | 9:48 amI was flabbergasted to find that the Carnival of Education was discontinued. While I greatly enjoy the carnival of education, I learned alot from school teachers and other educators. So, I decided to start a Carnival of Educators.I will start the first post next Tuesday at noon. If you want to host a carnival please email me at ahermitt@ gmail.com.I will update this page as I get all of the
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PHAT Mommy
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PHAT Mommy Is No More
11 Nov 2009 | 8:55 pmAfter about a year of consideration, I’ve decided to move away from PHAT Mommy to a brand new blog. I explain all about over at Mom, Reinvented. PHAT Mommy will no longer be updated, so please click on over to my new blog and subscribe. To kick off my new blog, I’ve got 12 days of giveaways and my personal recommendations for the holiday season. I’m kicking it off today with Shutterfly Photo Books. These books would make fantastic gifts for the holiday and they take less than a half-hour to create. I’ve got 3 codes to give away for free photo books in sizes 5×7, 7×9… -
Halloween, Whrrl’d
31 Oct 2009 | 6:58 pmCheck out how we spent Halloween in my first successful Whrrl story. Powered by Whrrl Similar Posts: Halloween Math Printables My Twitter Updates for 2007-09-09 Happy Halloween – Again ©2009 PHAT Mommy. All Rights Reserved..Similar Posts:Halloween Math Printables Cash for Candy My Twitter Updates for 2007-09-09 -
Vegas Needs A New Tag Line
31 Oct 2009 | 10:15 amThey say “What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas.” Well, I know some guys that have perhaps taken that to an extreme. I twittered a few times about my wonderful trip to Las Vegas for SITScation, Blog World Expo, and a much-needed get-away with my husband. The vacation was fantastic, except for the plane ride. We arrived at the airport in Providence, RI for our 7 am flight. We made a stop at Starbucks and I noticed a man asking every flight crew staff member if they were on the flight to Vegas. He was explaining that he and his friends wanted to buy all of them coffee. It was a nice… -
Little Bird Tales: Scrapbook With A Voice
22 Oct 2009 | 9:11 amA couple months ago I heard about Little Bird Tales, a service that lets kids create and share personalized books online. Given my love of scrapbooking, I immediately started thinking of the many ways my family could use this service. Little Bird Tales is easy to use. Have your child draw some pictures (with an online paint program or on paper which you can scan), upload the picture to the site, add text if you want, and record your child’s voice telling the story. The interface is clean and simple. My 5 year old and I created this book in about 15 minutes. If drawing pictures, creating… -
Defining Twilight
7 Oct 2009 | 9:16 amDefining Twilight is a nifty little workbook that uses the Twilight saga to teach vocabulary for standardized tests. I received a review copy from author Brian Leaf and was impressed with the fun, simplistic way the book is laid out. Defining Twilight has 40 groups of vocabulary words (about eight words in each group) selected from the book Twilight, many of which will show up on the SAT, ACT, GED or SSAT. You are told what page in Twilight the word appears so you can read it in context. The workbook asks you to suggest a definition, then turn the page and read a complete definition. The…
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Misty's Musings
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My Bucket List
16 Nov 2009 | 6:33 pmZoe is making a list of things she wants to do before she turns 40. Since I am already 42, I have been thinking about things I would like to do before I die. You know, the Bucket List. I would love to travel and see:Ireland and Rome for sure.Maybe Egypt, Ethopia, and China.Lose weight and fit into a gorgeous, yet simple, wedding dress.Have a wedding that I never had. Have a honeymoon that I -
Oh Lush, how I love you!
4 Nov 2009 | 7:58 amThanks to my friend, Zoe, in England, I love Lush Products. The Karma scent is so hippy; so ME! I visited a Lush Store in Soho when I was there in August and bought the Ultra Bland Cream to take off my eye make up. ::swoons:: It works so well and is go gentle. And you see that spray bottle of Rose Water? After you wipe off your eye make up, you spray that rose water on a cotton round and -
Is it possible to have a twin?
20 Oct 2009 | 12:53 pmBecause Molly is mine. She wrote this post and it is ME! So pretend I wrote it and just read:How does a person know that he/she is walking in truth? I was considering this today, considering the various “truths” I once held versus those beliefs from the past that are actually still with me today. What is a key difference between the not-actually-truths and the things that turned out, as far -
Caleb school update
17 Oct 2009 | 10:23 amI totally forgot to tell everyone that Caleb's absences have been "excused." Why you ask? It seems when the Superintendent of a certain county in Georgia is confronted with "Caleb's absences have been pre-approved with the principal and you don't need to fill any paperwork out" in writing, from his teacher, a month before we left for Orlando, helps...a lot! Up until we faxed him that little -
H1N1 and other bloggy thoughts
14 Oct 2009 | 7:23 pmI am praying, hoping, and crossing my fingers that the flu or H1N1 doesn't come home with Caleb. It could kill Olaf and I certainly do not want it at home. Another little girl died today in Georgia from H1N1 and several people I know are infected with it. It really sucks to have a person in our home with zero immune system. Wash your hands people and if you are sick, STAY HOME! I don't
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Homeschool Blogger
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Hello All
14 Nov 2009 | 8:18 amWe are painting and cleaning our house today! My party is tomorrow, and we're painting TWO rooms before that. We're done with one of them~ and the first coat of the second one. We're just about done with the painting. You should see our living room. It officially turned into a living dining room! :P We have all the dining room stuff in the living room, while we paint~ and it looks SO funny! :P In a week, Natalie is coming! it's getting closer and closer, and I can't wait to see her! Eep! Tomorrow is my 16th birthday, and I"m excited for that as well! :P In 13 hours I'll officially be sixteen. -
Another weekly post! :)
8 Nov 2009 | 2:26 pmI'm posting again. Aren't you proud? Even though I'm not getting very many comments, things might happen where people come back to blogging, and then, when they come back, I'm actually have posted! :) This week, nothing really significant happened. We did a full week of school, putting us past the 50 days mark. That means there's only 130 more to go. :) This week, we'll be doing a lot of cleaning, and cooking, for my birthday party on next Sunday. 7 days until I'm 16. :) Natalie is coming in 13 days, less than a week. I'm really excited to see her again, and of course, I'll be sure to post… -
Start of a new week.
2 Nov 2009 | 11:35 amHey, I'm doing better! I haven't posted in a week, but that's better than two weeks, right? I feel like I need some routine, so that I actually post, and don't just spend my time, worrying about posting, since I don't have anything to post about. I'm going to try to make it routine that I post once a week, even if I don't have much to post about. If I seem to forget, leave me a comment, and tell me I'd better post! :) My 16th birthday is in 13 days- I'm really excited about that. We're having a small party at my house, with family and some wonderful friends. I can't wait to see some… -
I am middle-brain dominant
26 Oct 2009 | 11:41 amI took this quiz, to see whether I was right-brain dominant, left-brain dominent, or middle-brain dominent. I got middle-brain. Here's my results: You are a middle brain dominant student! You are open minded but not gullible about things or people. You may run into trouble making decisions sometimes, while your logical brain plays tug-of-war with your gut instinct. You enjoy the arts, but you could also do well in science and math. You appreciate the beauty of all things in life, and are well-rounded. Middle brain students would do well on The Apprentice, since they can have a strong mix of… -
Grr....
24 Oct 2009 | 11:08 amWhooeee..I can't believe that I did it again. It just doesn't seem like it's been 14 days since I've written on my blog. I meant to do a post every week, and keep myself at it, so that I actually have a post up, every now and then, and you all don't get bored with me! Well, I guess that that didn't work out for me as well as I would've liked. I'm a horrible blogger! I guess since I can't find anything 'cool' to post about- being that I'm not one of the coolest people in the world- I'll just post about my life. I've been doing a ton of writing lately. I get on these schedules, where I'll write…
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Home Where They Belong
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Homeschoolers and Health Care
18 Nov 2009 | 7:41 amFor all my homeschooling friends who think ObamaCare will solve their financial and health insurance woes, think again. It may give you temporary relief for your financial headache, but it may also invite government nannies into your home to improve your child's well-being and health. HR 3200 that passed the House of Representatives, currently has a provision for funding states that implement a "voluntary" home visitation program for parents with young children or who are expecting. (See Sec. 1904 sec. 440) The intended purpose is to " improve the well-being, health, and development of… -
State Mandated Parental Interference
16 Nov 2009 | 8:34 amMike Huckabee, Chuck Norris, and Michael Farris talk about how the new health care bill that will allow the government to enter our homes and tell us how to parent our own children. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSqmDC28jPk You can read Chuck Norris' article about the bill on World Net Daily. Huckabee, Norris, and Farris also discuss how international law may be used to judge a case on juvenile heinous crimes instead of American law. This is important for homeschoolers to know because because the international law that may be used is from Europe and Europe has made the U.N. Convention on the… -
Artifically Induced Dyslexia?
13 Nov 2009 | 8:03 amRecently I was introduced to an article that piqued my interest. I read the article carefully to make sure I was understanding it, and to make sure I wasn't skipping any clues that the author might be a crack-pot. Plenty of people think I'm one, so I suppose I should be able to recognize one when I see it. The article is called, "Can Dyslexia Be Artificially Induced in School? Yes, Says Researcher Edward Miller" and it's written by Samuel L. Blumenfeld, a name many homeschoolers should recognize because he's the author of Alpha Phonics. Now, I admit that I know next to nothing about dyslexia. -
Courtship in the 24/7 Era
11 Nov 2009 | 9:10 amMy friend, Kim, has a saying on her Facebook, "A woman's heart should be so lost in God, that a man has to seek Him in order to find her." But this generation seems to be lost to Facebook and their cellphone making it way too easy not only to find her but everything about her too. The combination has made any rules of engagement (pun intended) obsolete. David Brooks examines how cell phones have changed the dating game. Once upon a time — in what we might think of as the “Happy Days” era — courtship was governed by a set of guardrails. Potential partners generally met… -
Reaching Homeschoolers
10 Nov 2009 | 9:14 amAt a homeschool convention last year, another vendor and I struck up a conversation. He had a lot of energy but seemed a bit uptight; however, he readily admitted that he felt totally out of place because he didn't homeschool and this was definitely not his "typical convention." Not really interested in finding out what his "typical convention" was like, I smiled and assured him that we all knew he was out of place the minute he walked in the vendor hall, but we're a polite group and so we didn't point or stare as we talked about him to each other. He grinned and relaxed a bit. "Obviously,…
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By Sun and Candlelight
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Timing is everything ...
16 Nov 2009 | 4:02 amHello, everyone! :)Sorry I've not been around much lately. The good news is, I have completely healed from my surgery and feel just about 100% again. The bad news is (or was) the boys got the flu last week. Like, hardcore FLU (possibly of the Swine variety): high fever-chills-body-aches-cough. It was "conveniently" staggered: Crackerjack got sick on All Saints Day, Bookworm fell ill by the end of the week and Earlybird crashed hard last Sunday. Each one of them was sick for several days - honestly it was the sickest they've been in years. Luckily, Bill and I did not get it,… -
~*Happy November* ~
2 Nov 2009 | 6:37 amSmall jars of candles and a garland of marigolds sit upon the mantel, along with pictures of loved ones who have passed away. Today is the Feast of All Souls, and if I were feeling up to it, we'd be visiting a local graveyard today. Well, that trip will have to wait for another day but there are some simple homey things we can do to honor this day. As it is also known as the Mexican Day of the Dead, we'll be having tacos for supper tonight and this afternoon we'll be reading a couple of favorite books from our November basket:Day of the Dead by Tony JohnstonCalavera Abecedario: A… -
Home Again :)
24 Oct 2009 | 6:02 amWell this has been quite a few days for me! As most of you know, I went in for gallbladder surgery yesterday ~ and as some of you know, it was also my 16th wedding anniversary! Bill and I joked that at least we got to spend the day together and it will certainly be one of our more memorable "celebrations" lol.Actually, sweet guy that he is, he surprised me Thursday night with a bouquet of gorgeous fall flowers: And then Friday morning, just before we left for the hospital he surprised me with some post-surgery treats:Godiva truffles (my favorite!) and a box of Ina's brownie mix… -
Well, hello there!
19 Oct 2009 | 2:29 pmLook what I just found in - or should I say on - today's mail! We see lots of grasshoppers around the house in early to mid-autumn. These are the last warm(ish) days of the year so I try to appreciate each little critter sighting when it occurs. Not too sorry to see the wasps, mosquitos and ticks pass on, but I'll miss the butterflies, bumblebees and dragonflies. And the grasshhoppers, of course. Thank you all, so very much, for your kind and supportive messages about my upcoming surgery. I take every message to heart and appreciate your prayers more than you know. :)Hope… -
Pictures and Notes from the Past Couple of Weeks ...
18 Oct 2009 | 1:36 pmSo, what have we been up to lately? :)Well, we spent a (cold, gray) morning at the Topsfield Fair: Made friends with a donkey ... ... and a sheep. Got fall gardening ideas. Spied the giant pumpkin (all 1,471.6 lbs)! Marveled over the giant sand sculpture. Enjoyed fried dough with my boys.We took a bike ride through the autumn woods: Watched a gray heron come in from flight ...... and make his way to his nest. Spotted a beautiful turtle by the path ... But look what was on his shell (a leech)! We removed the leech and sent the…
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Dewey's Treehouse
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More Wodent Cwafts
20 Nov 2009 | 12:34 pmThis chipmunk-from-a-glove pattern isn't new, but I'd never seen it before and it made me smile. (Seen on Dollar Store Crafts.) -
Thankful Alphabet: T
20 Nov 2009 | 4:46 amT is for Tollbooths (phantom ones).T is for Time to ThinkT is for Tall TalesT is for TeachingT is for Tea (thanks, Coffeemamma) -
It's a post-CPSIA Christmas
19 Nov 2009 | 2:54 pmScrooge: Please, let me go! Don't eat me!Ghost of Christmas Present: Why would the Ghost of Christmas Present - that's me - want to eat a distasteful little miser like you?... Especially when there are so many good things to enjoy in life? (Mickey's Christmas Carol)Overlawyered posts updates on what's happening with the CPSIA. And have you heard that BRIO trains will be pulling out of the U.S.? -
Thankful Alphabet: One Very Cute S
19 Nov 2009 | 2:13 pmRun, run, run and check out these awesome squirrels at That Artist Woman. Toilet paper tubes never looked so good. (Seen at Crafty Crow.) -
Food Salvage (What's in the cupboard?)
19 Nov 2009 | 12:19 pmI've been trying hard to use up some bits and pieces in the cupboard and the fridge, and work with what we had since we didn't do a full grocery trip last weekend. I cooked up a couple of bags of dried beans and froze them. I froze some yogurt in ice cube trays so that I'd have it for starter. I made a batch of Brannies (a brownie recipe including bran cereal), which are much better than they sound. I made extra loaves of pumpkin bread and froze them.This morning I made Apple Raisin Baked 10-Grain Cereal, but without the apples, raisins, or nuts. Just one of those things I bought that never…
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Eclectic Education
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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… -
Swine Flu!
2 Nov 2009 | 7:59 pmUgh! I've had a rough month! My 2 sons came down with the Swine Flu on Oct. 7th and I followed on Oct. 8th. My kids are doing ok. I am still fighting to get well. That is why I haven't written at all for so long. I've been very sick. I've seen the doctor's 4 times and had to get chest X-rays. They say if my cough is not better by the end of the week, I may be getting more X-rays. *sigh* I was having trouble eating and couldn't keep my food down. I lost a total of 12- 14 pounds and I was getting dehydrated. If I… -
Make Homeschooling Fun
3 Oct 2009 | 8:00 pmSchool does not have to be a drag! There are many ways to jazz up your homeschool, allowing your child to have fun and get a good education. Here are some tips: 1. Use living books instead of textbooks when possible. Children can get into stories much easier than they can a dry textbook. Use the living books as a jumping off point to learn more about the subject. You can build an entire study around the book. 2. Make lapbooks or an interactive notebook to go along with your studies. Most children love colored paper, stickers, colorful markers, cutting and… -
Mummies, Flowers and Blue Dolphins
28 Sep 2009 | 11:12 amOk, it's been a few weeks since I have posted about our school work. We've had some unorganized weeks, but I finally feel like I'm on track again. Here is a sampling of what we have done. In the School House: I finished the Magic Tree House book Mummies in the Morning with Little One. Then we made an interactive notebook page for the story. I am really liking the format of an interactive notebook for the Magic Tree House series. We basically just do enough minibooks to fit in a two page spread (or a two page spread with flap) and when we are done, I glue… -
Here Comes Autumn!
22 Sep 2009 | 7:42 pmIt's hard to believe that autumn is here!!! It's funny it felt more like autumn during the summer, than it does now. lol!!! I for one am looking forward to the cooler weather. I just wish we would have had a better (warmer, dryer) summer. Well, I have been busy on fall stuff. I have put together fall resources for lapbooking if you are interested. You can get them here: Fall Lapbook. I have also been busy designing Autumn products for my store. Here are a few of what I have done. Barn Sticker by lynnhsmomof2 Design custom stickers using zazzle.com Autumn Bag by…
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Heart of Wisdom Blog
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Free Printable Workbox Tags
19 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pmWe use theWorkbox System by designed Sue Patrick to structure our school day. Homeschooling is so much easier I almost feel guilty. Our homeschool day flows without complaints. If you are not familiar with the workbox system see the links at the bottom of this post. Our children absolutely love moving their workbox cards from workbox to the card. I imagine they get the same sense of accomplishment I get from marking off a checkbox on my “To Do” list. I under-estimated how motivating this simple task has been for them. There are two ways you can do this. i.e. when… -
Is Suffering Optional?
13 Nov 2009 | 2:50 amAs a “Christian” is suffering optional? Can we exist at peace and at ease with the world around us? Francis Chan’s teaches suffering isn’t something we should fear, it is something we should strive to be acquainted with. Don’t miss this wisdom. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 God’s Word warns us not to be surprised by trials, hardships and the difficulties of this life, but to rejoice in the fact that we suffer on Christ’s behalf…and all this so that on the day that we stand before His throne, we can be filled with joy at His glorious revelation to… -
Time to Vote for 2009 Blog Awards
12 Nov 2009 | 8:11 amThe polls are ready for voting. Read the rules here. Heart of Wisdom has been nominated for the Best Homeschool Methods Blog Award. Would you please take a moment to vote for Heart of Wisdom? You can cast your vote from now until November 21st!! Click each link below to vote for a nominee in that category: Best Homeschool Mom Blog Best Homeschool Dad Blog Best Blog Design Best Photos and Artistic Content Blog Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog Best Family or Group Blog Best Encourager Best “Live-What-You-Believe” Homeschool Blog Best Unschooling Blog Best Eclectic… -
Up for a Challenge: Bridge Building
10 Nov 2009 | 8:35 pmMichelle at Delightful Learning blog has put together an Instant Challenge Meme. Each week will bring a new timed problem for children to work on stretching their imaginations and reasoning skills. For more info about the meme read Michelle’s Instant Challenge post. We missed the first week challenge but it looked like fun. In the middle of school work I told the boys about this challenge. Do not do what I did: I did not want to run to the computer so I gave my boys the challenge assignment from memory (mom needs to learn to follow directions). My boys assignment (not the… -
Free Lapbook: Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego
7 Nov 2009 | 10:39 pmThis is actually a File Folder Game or a mini lapbook. Everything you need to make this lapbook is available to download below. A coloring page goes on the front of the folder. Inside is a game board and two pockets. One pocket is for game pieces, the other is for Bible memory verses. I found this game board at EbibleTeacher.com and adapted it. Game Cards with questions. This is a Bible Trading Card from EBibleTeacher.com They are free to print out (you can also purchase them). We are using all the cards in another lapbook dividing stories into the 12 Bible history eras. I’ll post…
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Suite101: Homeschooling Articles
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A Beginner's Guide to Homeschooling
19 Nov 2009 | 10:09 amFor families who are interested in homeschooling, the doubts can seem endless. They may have lots of questions about curriculum, record keeping, and teaching styles. -
Free On-Line Writing Curriculum for Homeschool
18 Nov 2009 | 8:20 pmNational Novel Writing Month provides free work books and lesson plans to teach creative writing skills to elementary, middle school and high school age students. -
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Home School
17 Nov 2009 | 1:26 pmThe decision regarding how to educate your children is a difficult one, and it has become increasingly important to compare the good and bad points of all of your options -
Online Math Education for Gifted Homeschooling
15 Nov 2009 | 6:37 pmOnline math education for gifted homeschooling helps kids learn from home. EPGY at Stanford and CTY at Johns Hopkins offer homeschool math curriculum for advanced study. -
Preparing for Kindergarten
11 Nov 2009 | 12:11 pmPreparing for Kindergarten is very important to a child's educational development, parents should start teaching basic curriculum to their child at an early age.
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Camp Creek Blog
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teenagers
7 Nov 2009 | 12:28 pmHere’s a Twilight Zone-type premise for you. What if surgeons never got to work on humans, they were instead just endlessly in training, cutting up cadavers? What if the same went for all adults — we only got to practice at simulated versions of our jobs? Lawyers only got to argue mock cases, for years and years. Plumbers only got to fix fake leaks in classrooms. Teachers only got to teach to videocameras, endlessly rehearsing for some far off future. Book writers like me never saw our work put out to the public — our novels sat in drawers. Scientists never got to do… -
open thread
3 Nov 2009 | 9:30 pmEducation is about developing human beings, and human development is not mechanical or linear. It is organic and dynamic. — Sir Ken Robinson, How Schools Stifle Creativity, writing on CNN about reaction to his famous TED talk and his new book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything Special thank you to Deirdre, who wants to know: How do we start the revolution? -
open thread
26 Sep 2009 | 8:35 amFrom our first years in the educational system, society has ways of discouraging the expansive, questing mode of attention that’s essential to creativity and personal rebirth. In one poignant indication of what happens when young children learn to switch off active focusing and just go through the motions, second-graders from different schools were given a problem to solve: “There are twenty-six sheep and ten goats on a ship. How old is the captain?” Nearly 90 percent of students from traditional classrooms answered “Thirty-six”. Not one pointed out that the… -
keeping the cart behind the horse
21 Sep 2009 | 10:21 amA question from Jess: Your blog has answered lots of questions, but I definitely will have more … for example, my daughter absolutely loves rock collecting. Should I not mention the Museum of Natural History that has a rock collection? If your goal is to have your child experience the entire arc of learning, from initial interest to knowing enough to teach someone else, they need adequate time to explore outward from that beginning point. Your mind will leap ahead to great possibilities, like visiting the museum. Write them down in your journal. But keep them to yourself for now. -
open thread
19 Sep 2009 | 4:38 amThere is a rabbinical teaching that says if the world is ending and the Messiah arrives, first plant a tree, and then see if the story is true. Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity’s willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine, and reconsider. “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice,” is Mary Oliver’s description of moving away from the profane toward a deep sense of connectedness to the living world. — Paul…
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Principled Discovery
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You got your hands full
20 Nov 2009 | 1:04 amWe had a roll off delivered to our new property today in order to begin clearing out all the old carpeting and drywall. As the driver backed into the drive, he couldn’t help but notice our many small children running about, anxiously absorbing all that was going on. How many you got there, miss? Did I count four of ‘em? He seemed to be counting them a second time, just to make sure. Yes, sir. Well, five actually. The baby is sleeping. He did another head count. Why you got a whole troop of ‘em! He seemed rather amused by the joke. I agreed with a nod and slightly… -
Instilling mindfulness in our homeschool
17 Nov 2009 | 3:45 amIn his book New Pioneers, Jeffrey Jacob quotes a homesteader from Idaho’s description of the joy she has in the way of life her family has chosen: There is so much more to say, and all I can start with is–this is a most beautiful way to live. We feel joy in just watching a gate we built open and close. New Pioneers, The Back-to-the-Land Movement and the Search for a Sustainable Future, p. 84 With this, he introduces the concept of mindfulness, a “calm, yet focused, engagement with the present.” (Ibid.) He goes on to discuss the concept more in light of its… -
Welcome to Principled Discovery!
16 Nov 2009 | 12:29 amAfter speaking with my campaign manager about my slip in the polls, we decided a change in strategy was in order. I quickly ruled out mass quantities of spam email, campaign promises I couldn’t keep and ballot box stuffing courtesy of my technologically inclined relatives. I am going to try to run a clean campaign here, after all, even if I do have a few shady characters in my court. There is one tried and true tactic, however, that just about every well-run campaign incorporates that I am more than willing to try my hand at: Kissing babies. I am good at that. With five adorable… -
Seeking meaningful work for the homeschool
12 Nov 2009 | 11:20 pmThis dog has got to be the most annoying dog we have ever owned. He charges the children when they open the door, knocking them aside for his taste of freedom. Once outside, he runs in mindless circles at top speed, just out of reach, all the while barking incessantly. When he tires of this, he runs to the neighbor’s two doors down to poo in their yard and bark madly at their front door until the man comes out and kicks him or I get close enough that he decides to move on. But he always stays just out of reach, taunting me, mocking me, daring me to just try and catch him. I know… -
Principled Discovery nominated for Homeschool Blog Award
11 Nov 2009 | 12:17 amI was rather surprised and humbled to find myself on the list of nominees for the Homeschool Blog Awards so a heartfelt thank you is in order for whoever thought my blog worthy. I’m in the Best Current Events, Opinions or Politics Blog of 2009. And we all know I have the best opinions because even I agree with me most of the time. Take a moment to check out the awards, and all the other great blogs listed. Or if you don’t have time for all that, just vote for me and call it good. Happy voting!
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Camp Creek Blog
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teenagers
7 Nov 2009 | 12:28 pmHere’s a Twilight Zone-type premise for you. What if surgeons never got to work on humans, they were instead just endlessly in training, cutting up cadavers? What if the same went for all adults — we only got to practice at simulated versions of our jobs? Lawyers only got to argue mock cases, for years and years. Plumbers only got to fix fake leaks in classrooms. Teachers only got to teach to videocameras, endlessly rehearsing for some far off future. Book writers like me never saw our work put out to the public — our novels sat in drawers. Scientists never got to do… -
open thread
3 Nov 2009 | 9:30 pmEducation is about developing human beings, and human development is not mechanical or linear. It is organic and dynamic. — Sir Ken Robinson, How Schools Stifle Creativity, writing on CNN about reaction to his famous TED talk and his new book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything Special thank you to Deirdre, who wants to know: How do we start the revolution? -
open thread
26 Sep 2009 | 8:35 amFrom our first years in the educational system, society has ways of discouraging the expansive, questing mode of attention that’s essential to creativity and personal rebirth. In one poignant indication of what happens when young children learn to switch off active focusing and just go through the motions, second-graders from different schools were given a problem to solve: “There are twenty-six sheep and ten goats on a ship. How old is the captain?” Nearly 90 percent of students from traditional classrooms answered “Thirty-six”. Not one pointed out that the… -
keeping the cart behind the horse
21 Sep 2009 | 10:21 amA question from Jess: Your blog has answered lots of questions, but I definitely will have more … for example, my daughter absolutely loves rock collecting. Should I not mention the Museum of Natural History that has a rock collection? If your goal is to have your child experience the entire arc of learning, from initial interest to knowing enough to teach someone else, they need adequate time to explore outward from that beginning point. Your mind will leap ahead to great possibilities, like visiting the museum. Write them down in your journal. But keep them to yourself for now. -
open thread
19 Sep 2009 | 4:38 amThere is a rabbinical teaching that says if the world is ending and the Messiah arrives, first plant a tree, and then see if the story is true. Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity’s willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine, and reconsider. “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice,” is Mary Oliver’s description of moving away from the profane toward a deep sense of connectedness to the living world. — Paul…
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The Common Room
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Voting Ends SOON!
20 Nov 2009 | 9:39 pmVote here!Voting ends tomorrow, but why procrastinate any further?Just in case you're looking for us, we're in category 12.=)(top-posted today, scroll down for more recent posts) -
Things that start with T
20 Nov 2009 | 4:52 pmThomas JeffersonTulipstoads and turtlesThymeAnd Time -
More Adagio Stuffage
20 Nov 2009 | 2:56 pmSo, when posting about Adagio teas here, I forgot to mention another really sweet deal they have called Link Rewards. If your site has a Google Page Rank of 3 or higher and you post a link to their website, they will send you (after you give them your mailing address, of course) a gift. If your PR is a 3/4, you get a tea sampler set (4 different kinds of tea), and if it is a 5 or higher you get their IngenuiTEA gift set, which includes their teapot, a set of 4 tea samplers, and a lovely little book on tea. You can choose whether to get the black, green, herbal, or flavoured tea sampler. I… -
Duty
20 Nov 2009 | 2:30 pmA while back the mother of a teenaged girl who liked to dress like a floozy asked me how I convinced my daughters not to dress like that.Let me back up a minute and say that while I do understand there are varying cultural and personal standards on modesty, this is not such an issue. The only people who might find nothing wrong with this young person's daily attire would be members of the Brittany Spears fan club. Let me say also that I felt intensely sorry for this girl, and her mother, and that nothing I said could really fix the core problem, which is that the father had abandoned the… -
More on Acorn in LA
20 Nov 2009 | 12:27 pmYe stars and little fishes, this one is bad. She wants to do background research for them and work with them to get their nefarious business off the ground for them. And THIS ACORN worker was interviewed by Raines of the LATimes who took her word without question when she said she did not offer any help and she showed them door. He didn't bother to ask anybody else involved for their side of the story.See... Patterico:In September, L.A. Times columnist James Rainey wrote a column in which he uncritically quoted ACORN worker Lavelle Stewart suggesting that she had turned Hannah Giles and James…
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A Family Runs Through It
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The Disneyland Flu
20 Nov 2009 | 12:48 amI'm still processing our recent trip to Disneyland and Southern California, both mentally and photographically.Thank goodness for those photos, because a big chunk of our vacation feels like a hazy memory right now.I blame the media.I had planned this trip a year ago, and saved up for it even longer, but in the months and weeks leading up to our departure it started to feel like there was a conspiracy to stress me out with scary news stories about swine flu.It sounded almost inevitable that our trip would be ruined somehow, either on the plane surrounded by coughing passengers, or in the park… -
Are You Smarter Than A 2nd Grader?
17 Nov 2009 | 11:58 pmSix months later, I'm finally posting that test I made last May to wrap up my daughter's homeschooling year.It's an assortment of 50 questions from most of the topics she studied.Sample questions:What is the past tense of the verb "are"?Who was the first King of the Franks?As I recall, my daughter missed 4 questions.See if you're smarter than a second grader:Idaho Dad's 2nd Grade Super Test Printable PDFAnd here are the answers:Idaho Dad's 2nd Grade Super Test ANSWERS Printable PDFAlso, don't forget to check out my previous Super Tests:Are You Smarter Than A 4th Grader?Are You Smarter Than A… -
True Blue Giveaway
15 Nov 2009 | 5:12 pmI must confess that I had never read any David Baldacci before his publisher sent me a copy of his new novel, True Blue.Oh, his name was familiar. Baldacci is a best-selling writer of mostly political and legal thrillers. I'd seen the Clint Eastwood movie, Absolute Power, based on Baldacci's first novel.Whenever I start a new novel, it's almost always slow going at first as I become familiar with the characters and setting. Not so with True Blue. It hooked me right from the beginning with a blindside murder that had me quickly turning pages.The twists and turns in this story come fast and… -
Vacation and Voting
13 Nov 2009 | 2:09 amThis past week we've been on a little family vacation to sunny Southern California.We went to Disneyland, California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, and the San Diego Zoo.Okay, so maybe that's not a "little" vacation.Certainly not with 1,458 photos to sort through. I guess I'm going to be busy cropping and editing for awhile.While we were gone, somebody nominated my blog for a 2009 Homeschool Blog Award, as "Best Homeschool Dad."If you'd like to vote for me, just click on over to the Best Homeschool Dad Blog page and select A Family Runs Through It.Thanks!In the meantime,… -
Circle Time
9 Nov 2009 | 3:03 amAnother post I found in my archives. From four years ago:My 4-year-old daughter was running around and around the kitchen island while I was cooking dinner tonight. After the tenth circle, I reached out and grabbed her, lifted her high and asked, "What in the world are you doing?!"She replied in an exasperated tone: "I'm exercising... Put me down, you're making me fat!"
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Blessed Among Men
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Leaves and Acorns
20 Nov 2009 | 9:49 amI'm just now finding comments over at the Virtual Kitchen that were left for me LAST YEAR. Sorry about that, folks. Some asked how I made the little leaves and acorns on my pumpkin pie crust last Thanksgiving. I actually used old cookie cutters and a paring knife for details, but this year I ordered these fall forest cutters from Williams and Sonoma. I expect the result will be just as pretty and it will take me less time. -
Is it Still Passing Notes...
19 Nov 2009 | 8:40 am...when you're passing them to the teacher? -
What I'm Reading and Really Enjoying...
18 Nov 2009 | 6:41 am"Raising Real Men," by Hal and Melanie Young is an invaluable resource for all parents of boys. Lots of good stuff here, very real, very encouraging. I love it! More to come... -
Nuts for Thanksgiving
17 Nov 2009 | 7:16 pmCranberry Orange and Toasted Pecan Bread1/3 cup orange juice plus 1 tsp. orange extract2/3 cup buttermilk6 Tbs. melted butter1 large egg lightly beaten2 cups flour1 cup sugar1 tsp. salt1 tsp. baking powder1/4 tsp baking soda6 oz fresh cranberries chopped coarse1/2 cup toasted chopped pecansHeat oven to 375, grease loaf pan. Stir together orange juice and extract, buttermilk, butter and egg in a small bowl. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking power. Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened. Gently stir in cranberries and pecans (to toast pecans:… -
Moving On
17 Nov 2009 | 2:05 pmApril 2008Zachary grows into a new/used bike. I'm so sad to see the little green bike outgrown.
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Karen Edmisten
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Remembering Forgetfulness on Poetry Friday
20 Nov 2009 | 5:57 amI am, just as Billy Collins predicted (in the recording of this poem's reading, found here) "intensely fond of" his poem Forgetfulness. I had forgotten exactly why I liked it so much until I listened to it again this morning. I think it has something to do with the poet.What was his name again?Oh, yeah.Billy.Collins.Love him.I think. Forgetfulnessby Billy CollinsThe name of the author is the first to gofollowed obediently by the title, the plot,the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novelwhich suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of,as if, one by one, the… -
A question for my male readers
19 Nov 2009 | 6:31 pmI'm doing a scientific survey.Do men eat cookie dough?Inquiring feminine Edmisten minds want to know.Atticus insists that it's a purely chromosomal phenomenon. He says the cookie dough gene is carried on the second X chromosome along with the genes for calling houses "cute" and saying, "Let's meet for lunch!" Let us know, guys. -
Grumpy or Grateful? Join me at Faith and Family Live to find out
19 Nov 2009 | 4:59 amwhich one wins. Please join me over there to read What I Get to Do. -
The No-Panic Advent Series, in the right order this time
17 Nov 2009 | 5:41 amThis is the complete "No Panic" series for Advent, first run in 2008.This is a monstrously long post.I've gathered all of last year's posts together (in the proper order) to sidestep the problem of having to scroll backwards from the bottom of the archive/label page, which I know is really annoying. I haven't changed every '08-specific reference yet and haven't double-checked all the links, but I'll keep working to get those cleaned up.In the meantime, I know my shockingly clever readers can figure it all out. A No-Panic Advent, Part I: The Jesus StockingThe Jesus stocking is something… -
My first review of the Rosary book in Spanish
16 Nov 2009 | 7:25 pmIt's here, at Luz Para Ver.Thank you, David!
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S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen: SailBlogs
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Sauce Boss at the Green Parrot
16 Nov 2009 | 5:54 am(Continued...) -
Key West High Homecoming
14 Nov 2009 | 6:25 am(Continued...) -
Veteran's Day Parade, pt II
13 Nov 2009 | 8:00 amThe full photographic exhibit - minus old cars (Marianna and Hal's interest) and any kids not in NJROTC (Brownies and Boy Scouts mostly, they all look terribly worried in still photos, must be all the guns present on Duval that afternoon!) with apologies for any mislabelling (I'm not military and Marianna and Hal are both out of the house so I'm making it up as I go). (Continued...) -
Veteran's Day Parade
12 Nov 2009 | 9:07 amJust one shot before I'm off for work... (Continued...) -
Just for the Record
8 Nov 2009 | 10:42 amHurricane Ida, our first of the season which, incidently, ends in 22 days. (Continued...)
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Mental multivitamin
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19 Nov 2009 | 4:37 pm
19 Nov 2009 | 4:37 pmApparently, the Misses and I are the only ones looking forward to this evening's finale. If, in fact, the show was better in the past, we can't wait to see if the library has earlier seasons on DVD. Until then, we're going to "Make it work!"Postscript: For the record, we're rooting for Carol Hannah. Irina's designs are also quite good, but... "Irina-ish" has become a non-too-flattering adjective around here. Heh, heh, heh.Added later: Oh, the library does have the first five seasons of the series! The women of Family M-mv are doing a happy dance. -
From the archives:Uncharacteristic entry
19 Nov 2009 | 10:32 amSeveral years ago, I espied photo calendars in the dollar aisle of Michaels. Proud owner and occasional user of a quality color printer, I knew this would be a simple, nearly painless project that would yield gifts a couple of relatives might enjoy.I was right.Eventually, my color printer died a painful death at the hands of an errant plastic lizard wedged in the cartridge, so for a couple of years, I printed the photos on my laser jet printer. This probably sounds cheaper and tackier than it actually turned out. I'm not certain why it took me years to realize that I could simply download the… -
Oh, I cried, all right. I did. All of us did.
17 Nov 2009 | 1:20 pmSpoiler alert.But have our expectations sunk so abysmally low that a movie's greatness is now measured by the number of times it brings an audience to tears?Yeah, like nearly everyone else in this rural-suburb hyphenated hybrid of a town we live in, we rented Up this weekend. While everyone else raves about it, though, plans to wrap it up for Christmas, I'm feeling a little a bit like a citizen looking at the emperor's new cloak -- that is, worried about having my head handed to me for speaking my mind.The opening fifteen or so minutes represent a beautifully poignant, and, yes, emotionally… -
"So get off your ath; let's do some math!" *
15 Nov 2009 | 1:19 pmFrom "Who Needs Mathematicians for Math, Anyway?" (City Journal, November 13):Those trying to overthrow the traditional curriculum found mathematics a hard nut to crack, however, because of the sequential nature of its content through the grades and its relationship to high school chemistry and physics. Nevertheless, education faculty eventually figured out how to reimagine the mathematics curriculum, too, so that it could march under the banner of social justice. As Alan Schoenfeld, the lead author of the high school standards in the 1989 NCTM report, put it, “the traditional curriculum… -
14 Nov 2009 | 6:02 am
14 Nov 2009 | 6:02 amSemicolon hosts "The Saturday Review of Books." Consider participating this week.
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Heart of the Matter Online - bridging the gap between child and parent
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Homeschooling with Co-Ops
20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amOne of the greatest misconceptions that people have when they hear the term “homeschooling” is that children who are homeschooled do not have the same opportunities for social interaction as children who attend school. In reality, homeschooled children have many resources and opportunities to lead a social life, including church, sports, hobbies, and educational co-ops. Recently, I asked homeschooling moms that are members of our two Yahoo groups to share some of their co-op experiences with me and I received a great response from many of them! Kids enjoy the variety of resources… -
The Place Where Everything Just “Fits”
19 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amEvery now and then, we are placed, I believe divinely, in a warm and comforting space in our homeschooling experience where everything just seems to fit together. I relish those moments when there are unplanned and unexpected opportunities to really seal knowledge into their hearts and minds through the power of repetition. For example, at one period in history, we were reading about King James commanding the Bible to be rewritten, a conversation which adds a “real life” feel to our Bible study. Our son brought up how our study of astronomy is a constant reminder of what God is doing in… -
Asperger’s Syndrome: Gumby and Wolverine
19 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amAsperger’s Syndrome: a body like Gumby with a mind like Wolverine’s core being Our son has always had a body he could do weird things with. He pops his jaw in and out of socket. He manipulates his fingers in a way that cracks and pops like wood on a fire. His neck twitches in a way that I sometimes wonder if he hasn’t done a complete 360. I always worry a bit when he says, “Hey, watch this!” because I’m never quite sure what is coming. He’s flexible and weird, but our family likes him like that! I remember when he was very young and would be going… -
Home Educating Family Magazine GIVEAWAY!
18 Nov 2009 | 6:12 amHome Educating Family Magazine: Changing the World Starts at Home The Home-Educating Family is the gateway for your family to be a part of the most meaningful discussions taking place in the homeschooling community today. Teaching your children at home in the 21st century is starkly different than it was over thirty years ago when the homeschooling movement began. Families now have more options, support and resources than every before! The mission of HEF is to keep you abreast of all that is crucial and all that is available to you as a family so that your family can have the very best… -
Reminder: The 25 Days of Christmas Cookies
18 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amStarting December 1st Heart of the Matter will be presenting you with “The 25 Days of Christmas Cookies” recipes. This year we would like our readers to take part in making this feature a great success. If you would like to submit a recipe to be published please include: Clear, concise directions. A few high-quality photographs of the recipe-making process. The approximate amount of people this recipe will feed. A short statement of why this recipe is special to your family. Optional: A family photo. A Christmas greeting. Please email your submission to…
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Kitchen-Table Learners
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Historic Trees in Your Back Yard!
11 Nov 2009 | 12:56 pmThomas and I discovered something very cool today. You can buy seedlings from famous historic trees. There is a nonprofit conservation organization called American Forests, and they produce seedlings you can buy for $39.95. You can buy a Gettysburg Address Honeylocust, Edgar Allan Poe Hackberry or an Elvis Presley Southern Magnolia. I think we'll pass on a Suicide Live Oak, though. How about a -
Gettysburg
4 Nov 2009 | 10:22 pmAnyone studying the Civil War, specifically Gettysburg?We have stumbled upon a fantastic blog that we are reading daily. It's also full of videos of licensed tour guides. It's almost as if we're there! Lots of information, about individuals and battles. Check it out! The funny thing is we're not studying the Civil War this year. Well, we are now, but we studied it last year. Thomas found this -
The Unfaithful Blogger
26 Sep 2009 | 7:24 pmI have had just a heck of a time when it comes to blogging. I used to love it, post way too often, about all kinds of things. Now? My mind just turns to mush when I think of blogging.After Dad's death, I guess I just had a major shift. I haven't gone back to where I was before, I've found a new way of living. And that includes not bloging, apparently. I guess my emotions are still somewhat raw -
Countdown to 8th Grade
27 Aug 2009 | 11:15 amI am fight, kicking and screaming as I am just not ready to start school. We've had a very busy summer, got a lot of things done, yet I still have a lot of projects to complete. We start September 8th, so I still have a tiny bit of time. I am looking for volunteer opportunities for Thomas. So far I have not had any luck. In the past, we have volunteered at our local Humane Society. I'm not to -
8th Grade School Plans
15 Aug 2009 | 3:12 pmI used to really enjoy planning out our year. Now? Not so much.I've got spelling, writing and punctuation mapped out. We'll do a punctuation book half the year and then our grammar book the other half. I need to get the rest put together today and tomorrow. Here's the plan for this year:Spectrum Writing Grade 8I bought Jensen's and Spectrum, and we'll cruise through the Spectrum workbook. We'll
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SCHOLA
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Double Trouble
19 Nov 2009 | 8:14 amHere's the "twin" house......more of a fraternal than identical. It too was built by the railroad company in the late 20s or early 30s. The layout is similar in the main rooms though it lacks the rear addition of the other house and the details are a bit different (like the arched window over the front door and the landscaping, for starters.) The interior of the porch is being painted the lighter color you see below and should be done by Saturday. The interior windows into the house have been removed and replaced with operational, louvered shutters making the porch part of the air-conditioned… -
Last Minute
17 Nov 2009 | 8:37 pmIt's not so hard to get back on the blogging wagon. Posting everyday is fairly easy provided you do not have children bickering over who gets to do what, when, and for how long.Tonight, as I am running out of time after the kids spent all evening finishing their work, I will take the simple way out and post some more renovation pictures:Here is the master bedroom. The wood floor under the carpet was a nice surprise; it's in good shape and the smelly carpet is gone. Jorge decided to rip out this newer drywall ceiling even though it appeared to be in good shape and we really didn't gain much… -
Humbug
16 Nov 2009 | 7:35 pmAnyone else annoyed by school reports due in Power Point format instead of say, writing? Just because we have the technology must we use it? Is this education or job training? Isn't this just another example of dumbing down?Maybe I'm just tired of being forced to share my laptop. -
Progress?
15 Nov 2009 | 6:11 pmToday seemed like a rather useless day. We got off to a late start. I was distracted by a discarded chair. Kids needed to be fed. And right when I finally got into hacking the heck out of the hedges, the sun started to set and Elle had to be picked up from her friend's. I only ended up getting in about one solid hour of work.But I also looked at several hundred paint chips, checked IKEA online for kitchen cabinets, bundled a small mountain of yard waste for the garbagemen, removed and relocated a small oak tree, and had a nice visit with friends. That's my kind of productivity!Imagine how… -
Post Veterans' Day Post
14 Nov 2009 | 7:39 amThe Moving Wall, a half-sized traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. is in town through the weekend, so Elle, Grice and I stopped by to see it after Grice got out of school yesterday. I regret that we didn't have time on our trip through D.C. last time to visit the permanent memorial, and after being present in 1985 for the very moving parade and dedication of the Florida memorial in Tallahassee, I wanted the girls to feel some small part of the experience.My parents may have made a concerted effort to keep the TV turned off during that time or they may simply…
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Home*School*Home
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F-R-I-D-A-Y
20 Nov 2009 | 5:41 amFeels like November. The weather is finally getting cold. I've been leaving sweaters here and there and everywhere, thinking I'll need them because after all, it's November, then getting warm and taking them off and leaving them there. Really annoyed at my job right now. I got a report last night, back from the quality assurance editor, that had some really odd things on it. I emailed it back with questions and I'm waiting for a response. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of where can I apply for a new job ... Internet connection=Bad. I've been having… -
What we are up to around here.
19 Nov 2009 | 8:29 amIt's Thursday. I don't have to work today but as usual, I'll probably do a little to help my line counts. They've been kind of dismal this week because I've had some really difficult work. Also, I'm going to write some articles for Helium because I'm trying to get an on-line writing job and I'll need some articles here and there for people to look at. For school, we've been on a break from reading The Story of Science and today we're going to start back. In the meantime, we've been watching DVDs and video tapes from the Freshwater Fred Lending… -
A chance to do some good in the world.
18 Nov 2009 | 9:05 amI saw this link on the Starfish blog and thought I'd pass the new along. For every comment they get on the blog, this family is going to donate a dollar to the Starfish children's homes in China. Chinese Starfish - Made a difference to THIS one. Here's the blog in case you want to go directly to it Lots O KidzHere's a web site where you donate rice to hungry people just by answering trivia questions.Free RiceAnd here's a link to The Hunger Site to donate free food, the amount varies each day. The food is donated by sponsors of the site. -
You know how I love these!
17 Nov 2009 | 7:27 amIt's a blank day on the calendar, a blank day on the calendar, oh yeah. I almost want to burst into song. I'm doing my morning list this morning and finally getting to pay attention to the housework that I've been neglecting all weekend. Friday I went shopping, then work, then Saturday work, then Harvest Party, then Sunday, work, work, work and yesterday, I finally got the grocery shopping done and got reaquainted with my parents whom I hadn't seen for quite a while and now, today, I get to do things I need to do. It's not that I'm excited about cleaning the… -
I think of all kinds of good blog posts
16 Nov 2009 | 10:47 amwhile I'm in the grocery and in the car but then when get home, whoosh, nothing in my brain. I think there's some kind of brain eraser device in our driveway. Or maybe it's the van itself. That would explain a lot. Anyway, I'm home now and I've got nothing to write about. We're doing school and work and the usual stuff. Nothing too exciting and some days, that's exactly what we need.
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Homeschool Math Blog
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Ratio word problem solved with block model and algebra
15 Nov 2009 | 12:04 pmI guess it is time for some more problem solving, since someone sent this question in.Two numbers are in the ratio of 1:2. If 7 be added to both, their ratio changes to 3:5. What is the greater number?We can model the two original numbers with blocks. 1 block and 2 blocks makes the ratio to be 1:2.|-------||-------|-------|Now add the same thing to both (the 7): 7|-------|---||-------|-------|---| 7 The way I just happened to draw these suggests that I could just split the original block in two, and the problem is solved: 7|---|---|---||---|---|---|---|---| 7 Here, each little block is 7. The… -
Mixture problems - algebra 1
10 Nov 2009 | 12:36 pmI am hoping you can help me. I can not remember how to solve mixture problems and how to set them up. Examples are as follows:A merchant made a mixture of 150lb. of tea worth $109.50 by mixing tea worth $1.25 a pound with tea worth $.65 a pound. How many pounds of each kind did he use?Organizing the information in a table or chart is usually very helpful in dealing with mixture problems. Other than that, it helps to study several examples and practice solving them yourself. After a while, it gets easier and patterns begin to emerge.The first problem has two unknowns. Let x be the amount of… -
Fact families on a whiteboard
8 Nov 2009 | 9:53 amI just found this picture that I took of the fact families my 4-year old wrote on the whiteboard - totally on her own.There was a time she loved writing fact families like this every day. Being able to choose different color markers plus it being on the whiteboard seemed to be the main motivating factors, because she didn't want to write them on blank paper... Kids are funny.Then again, it allows us teachers to use colorful markers as a "motivational tool" : )Anyway, I was really happy that she had grasped the concept. -
Review of Math Apprentice
2 Nov 2009 | 2:46 amMath Apprentice is a new free website, meant to show students how math is used in real world. In the game, you are like an apprentice at various companies, applying your math skills to challenges similar to those encountered in the real world and real companies.Main Street - Click to enlargeTo begin, you click the button on the home page of the site that says "Explore the Math". Then choose your character, and you'll be on the main street (see screenshot above) . Then use arrow keys to move right or left, and click to select a company to visit.The companies you can visit are:Sweet Treat Cafe… -
Percentages with mental math
1 Nov 2009 | 9:38 am(This is an older post that I have revised plus added a video to it.)In this article I want to explore some ideas for using MENTAL math in calculating percents or percentages.I have made this video of percent & mental math strategies as well:And here are the ideas:Find 10% of some example numbers (by dividing by 10).Find 1% of some example numbers (by dividing by 100).Find 20%, 30%, 40% etc. of these numbers.FIRST find 10% of the number, then multiply by 2, 3, 4, etc.For example, find 20% of 18. Find 40% of $44. Find 80% of 120.I know you can teach the student to go 0.2 × 18, 0.4 × 0.44,…
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Holy Experience
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When You're Just a Tad Overwhelmed ....
19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmI'm standing at the counter, day seeping in without knocking, jotting down a list of the day's tasks, the work of a week, in my journal, and it's just a tad overwhelming and I am trying to remember just to breathe... And then I am fifteen, that summer I grip the handlebars of a Honda Goldwing, weave around margarine tubs set up as pylons in the backyard. Thread through four white Gay-lea markers, loop around the Manitoba Maple, slip through another four tubs, circle a knot of slender poplars, begin again on the far side, under the lilacs. Come the end of the day, my Dad would lean up against… -
Homeschool Routines and Rhythms
18 Nov 2009 | 9:30 pm`What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul.'-- Joseph AddisonYou learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves. - Saint Francis de SalesAddendum: Another addition to Every Day Learning Links, links to online pages that update with new educational information daily. (HT: To kind reader, Debra (you folks are the best!):Glimpses of Christian History --Scroll to middle of the page for Today's story from Christian History… -
When Life Heats Up
17 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pmI've got the squash peeled, gutted, chopped, November's sun food, and water's bubbling in grandma's pressure cooker, the one with the decades old, hand-smoothed wooden handles, and I only need the weight, that thing-a-mo-bobber that will dance in the heat.And she not on the shelf by the stove where I tuck her away, or in the cutlery drawer -- or pot drawers -- or utensil drawer. And I call Levi from Latin chants, Levi always with knitting needles in hand, even now, Levi the dryer and returner of all things enamel, stainless and shiny.I ask almost without angst, "Have you seen the weight for… -
Symphony of the Seraphim
17 Nov 2009 | 8:08 am(with return of our internet server, I whisper)They were happy tears but he didn't know that, in from morning barn chores and those mama sows, finding me in front of the world's flickering screen.Those man hands stroke my hair and that always gentle whisper brushes my ear, "You sad?"And I shake my head and the words quaver, hardly knowing their way."My aunt once took me to Roy Thompson Hall. I must have been fifteen, this wide-eyed girl from the country, in the center of the arts and cosmopolitan Toronto. She had tickets to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra." I nod towards the screen."But this… -
The Real Joy Secret
16 Nov 2009 | 2:30 amIwake wanting to die. Scarlet light bleeds over the horizon, another day aching in. I lie in bed. Pull covers up over my head. I'm withered dry and even the tears won’t fall: a heart drought. .... continued...Read me over here today, please... (and for a giveaway for some furniture vases of your own) Would you like Holy Experience delivered to you quietly via email?...
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radio free school
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Learning Math
19 Nov 2009 | 1:39 pm -
Why Personalized Learning?
19 Nov 2009 | 6:10 am -
Finding True Work
18 Nov 2009 | 5:46 amThis is the conclusion to John Holt's 1978 essay Jobs Careers Work, in the #3 issue of Growing Without School (GWS).He writes,"To students who used to ask me whether they should go to, or stay in, or go back to college, I used to say, "Look, a college degree isn't a magic passkey that opens all the doors in town. It only opens a few, and before you spend a lot of time and money getting one of these keys, you'd be smart to find out what doors it opens, and what's on the other side of those doors, and whether you want to go through them."I also used to ask them, "What do you want to do? Suppose… -
More on John Holt and Real Work
14 Nov 2009 | 6:49 amYou know I'm always writing and thinking about creating opportunities for young folks to work with adults -out in the community. In the continuation of John Holt's essay in the Growing without School (GWS #3, 1978 issue) he talks about how a great many of the people doing serious work in the world (as opposed to just making money) are very overworked and short of help."If a person young or not so young, came to them and said, "I believe in the work you are doing and want to help you do it in any and every way I can, will do any kind of work you ask me to do or that I can find to do, for very… -
Real Work
9 Nov 2009 | 6:47 pmJohn Holt often spoke to high school assemblies mostly in rich suburbs of big cities. He talked about the difference between jobs, careers, and work. In the Growing Without School issue #3 1978 he writes the following:A job as I defined it was something you did for money, something that someone else told you to do and paid you to do. Probably not something you would have done otherwise, but you need the money so you did it.A career was a kind of step ladder of jobs. If you did your first job for a while, did what you were told and didn't cause any trouble, whoever gave you that job might give…
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Unschooling Site News, SandraDodd.com
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Trust, "success," TV & learning
8 Nov 2009 | 8:30 pmTrusting KidsLink added on my trust page to something Jenny Cyphers wrote:http://sandradodd.com/trustI'm the unschooling representative on a site called "Successful Homeschooling."http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/unschooling.htmlThere's a free e-book comparing methods. It might be of use to some of you one way or another.Another new thing on learning from TVhttp://sandradodd.com/t/learning -
Snakes and Ladders, Issues, Curricula
24 Oct 2009 | 9:10 amSnakes and Laddershttp://sandradodd.com/game/snakesandladdersSome boards have overt child-training themes; some don't. Two new examples there and worth considering.When Parents Have Issueshttp://sandradodd.com/issuesAnother page on curriculum usage has been dusted off and cleared up:http://sandradodd.com/curriculum(Thanks to Joyce for a link correction and a clarifying question.) -
Sandra's Unschooling Symposium in Santa Fe
19 Oct 2009 | 11:34 amMost of the Presenters:It's time to make reservations now!More information is available with a Pay-Pal link or the optional address to which to send a check if you'd prefer (saves me the PayPal fees).http://sandradodd.com/sussSome information that's also on that page, if you'd rather read here:I need forty families who have unschooled at least five years and who have a teen. If I don't get forty of those, I'll open it up to families with younger kids or less experience. Alternately, the conference would be good for parents of younger children who leave their children at home, or who bring… -
"just semantics"; words, words; TV
12 Oct 2009 | 1:50 pmWhat is "just semantics"?http://sandradodd.com/semantics"Words, words, words." —HamletThe video at right has been added at the bottom of the Shakespeare page:http://sandradodd.com/shakespeareLearning from TV, two brief new stories added, top left:http://sandradodd.com/t/learning -
labels (not), being calm, and "have to"
11 Oct 2009 | 10:21 amAnother mom has articulated why it helped to stop thinking of her child as a label, and start to look at the cool things he could do.http://sandradodd.com/words/withoutI put it at the link above, though I considered here:http://sandradodd.com/labelsOnce again I've started two trails. It happens. Schuyler Waynforth wrote a post I've put on parenting peacefully (third down on the left)http://sandradodd.com/parentingpeacefullybut I also put quotes and links back to it on the pages on breathing, spanking and moments rather than…
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Sandra Dodd
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Classic Marty Dodd, and Indian art
19 Nov 2009 | 9:09 amIntent photo of Marty, by Ravi Bharadwaj, Sunday night. (Marty's eyes aren't always so red, but they match his shirt!) After the rangoli demonstration and workshop, Beatles Rock Band drew everyone downstairs for a while. These and other photos are at the Monkey Platter Festival blog.I still have photos to add there. Still working on it. I never did get all my photos from England up, so I might fail at "all" but I've already succeeded at "most." I think. -
Gratitude Project, Week Five of Six
18 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pmI'm grateful that Hema and her family were able to come and visit.I'm grateful that others came to the various "Monkey Platter Festival" activities so that Hema's family could be around other unschoolers.I'm grateful that Julie Daniel found some more errors in The Big Book that I could fix. Some were very subtle and artsy. I'm grateful that Keith made a new step for the bottom of the "fire escape" (stairs down from the library deck).I'm grateful for a warm bed and the possibility of a nap this afternoon, after one of the best and most tiring weeks of my life.Week 4Week 3Week 2Week 1 -
Holly in my dress, and how I relax
17 Nov 2009 | 8:40 amHolly, in my wedding dress, yesterday:Yesterday Hema and Ravi Bharadwaj left, with Raghu and Zoya, about 10:30. Zoya wasn't happy about leaving. I had a great week with them here, so I wasn't crazy about it myself. The rest of the afternoon I was very tired. Did the unschooling chat and it was a pretty good one. The last day of the Geesee chat code, they say. It should be disappearing from the world tomorrow. It was based in Eastern Europe somewhere, and it's been fizzling out for two years already, but I liked it all but the font being small. Keith drove me to the post office to mail books… -
Monkey Platter Festival, winding down gradually
14 Nov 2009 | 5:43 pmThis is Zoya Bharadwaj, in a photo taken by her dad on Tuesday at a park in Albuquerque. I'm putting pictures up from the Monkey Platter Festival days, which continue tomorrow with a workshop on rangoli. Sounds like a pasta dish, but it's a powdered-pigment art form, a little like sand painting, but not quite. There are photos now and there will be more later:http://monkeyplatterfestival.blogspot.com/ -
Gratitude Project, Week Four of Six
11 Nov 2009 | 9:00 amThis is coming in the middle of The Monkey Platter Festival, and so just in case I don't have time to get to the computer and write, I'm making one in advance.1. I'm grateful to have several pairs of shoes. Often when I was a kid I only had one.2. I'm grateful to have met all my grandparents. I was ten when the first one died, and grown with two children when the last one died.3. I'm glad the physical therapists at the rehab center knew how to help me get my leg functional and strong again.4. I'm grateful that a wooden hot tub made from a kit can last five years. (Maybe more, but five so…
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Learning in Freedom
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Crystallized learning: issue 0
14 Nov 2009 | 9:41 pm"When a child asks a question—maybe just a simple one like 'what are clouds made of?'—they are picking up a sweet particle of information that is meaningful to them at that moment.""Information that is meaningful for their journey is not taken lightly but explored with wonder and awe.""By choosing to unschool, I am giving my children the ability simply to enjoy the journey rather than to seek some unknown destination that falsely promises an end product.""I see my children’s learning, and like the sugar crystals, it is multi-faceted and beautiful, reflecting unique bits of the… -
Wigging out at ARGH!
12 Nov 2009 | 8:15 pm -
Hiking at Buffalo Mountain 10-09
28 Oct 2009 | 7:19 pmOne of the things I love about this area are all the opportunities for hiking. Buffalo Mountain is right in town, yet offers amazing views and private trails winding up and over the hills.The dead tree at overlook bluff reminds us of the devastating fire that happened last summer. I'm glad we got pictures before this tree was killed. The fire came right up this overlook yet left a small bench undamaged.Jalen and Silas checking out a woolly bear.Laura making faces...as usual. ;) You can see a swathe of the fire damage behind them. Another beautiful day in the hills of Tennessee! -
Cid needs your vote!
26 Oct 2009 | 9:12 pmCid is an awesome, artsy, unschooling mama and could really use your help. I turned nachos into a burning inferno in my oven the first time I met her (above pic after I put the flames out) and she still doesn't think I'm a total ditz...ok, maybe a little. Anyway, vote for Cid!!I copied and pasted the following from Zenmomma's blog. Good Mood Gig My friend Cid is trying to win a job as a paid "Good Mood Blogger" (seriously, that's what it's called) and she needs our help. All it takes is a click of your mouse to give her your vote. Won't you be a dear and go over to the contest site and vote… -
Bible rant
20 Oct 2009 | 8:52 amI was going to post this at facebook but it was too long for as status update and I really need to vent right now. So here ya go...my vent for today:Quoted from a convo at facebook: "I know of only ONE bible, the HOLY bible".Oh, you mean the CHRISTIAN bible? Because if there is only ONE bible then why don't the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhas, the B'hai, the Hindus etc.... use it? I think some Christians are really christian-centric and can't even imagine that other religions not only have their own bible, but they love and cherish it just as much as the Christians.There are many colors,…
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Homeschooling
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Homeschooling
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Homeschool
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Maths Games
story links: Maths Games -
Homeschooling Resources
story links: Homeschooling Resources -
Free Online Homeschooling
story links: Free Online Homeschooling
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Home Schooling News
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Teenager gets probation for allegedly trying to kill friend's mom
20 Nov 2009 | 11:58 amA 13-year-old boy accused of trying to kill his friend's mother will not serve any jail time. -
Odds of wearing skinny pants in Mesquite ISD: slim to none
18 Nov 2009 | 10:52 pmMove over, baggy pants. Saggy pants? Old news. "Skinny pants" are the newest rage, and at least one area school district is aiming to keep them off school campuses. -
Home school program back on the table
17 Nov 2009 | 10:12 pmA modified version of Mountain View Whisman's home schooling program may be here to stay - or at least back for the 2010-11 school year, trustees said at their regular meeting last week. -
Hillcrest student hit by car begins home schooling
15 Nov 2009 | 10:03 pmHillcrest student Kimberly Armstrong began home schooling last week, her family reported on her Web site. -
Home school notes: Biblical foundation grounds academy's curriculum
14 Nov 2009 | 10:32 pmThere are many models for teaching your children the basic subjects. A popular view of thought in the home-schooling community is the Classical Method.
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HomeSchoolBuzz.com
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Carnival Of Homeschooling: At The Post
18 Nov 2009 | 4:38 amThe Carnival is hosted this week by Miss Jocelyn at A Pondering Heart. She has the posts divided into categories like the Homeschool Blog Awards.It is buzzing all over the blogworld… the annual homeschool blog awards are going on right now At The Post. You’ve seen me mention it a few times because there is something just exciting about having your blog enjoyed so much people vote you "The Best…. Blog". Of course there are a great many blogs out there. Perhaps not in the awards at all, and still those in the awards that may not be at the top but still just as good. Read more... -
Homeschooling in Dubai
13 Nov 2009 | 1:37 pmErina, Cairan and Cait are helping their mother bake bread in the family’s kitchen in Dubai. The children have ground the wheat and measured the ingredients, and are now kneading dough while singing a nursery rhyme in unison.When the task is done, four-year-old Cait goes to her play kitchen to make bread for her dolls. Cairan, seven, walks to the living room and listens to her mother recite another chapter from Little House in the Big Woods, a book by the famous children’s author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Read more... -
Homeschool Blog Awards
13 Nov 2009 | 1:20 pmThe Homeschool blog awards are on again this year. Go and vote for your favorites in many categories and find some new favorites.Homeschoolbuzz.com is nominated again for Best Current Events, Opinions or Politics Blog. We've been nominated before but have never come close to winning. The rules state: “You may only vote ONCE per category per person in your home & No more than 5 votes per network/IP.” Although this is what’s allowed, it may or may not work for you. Here are some observations based on personal experience and feedback from others: Read more... -
Carnival of Homeschooling- The NaNoWriMo Edition
11 Nov 2009 | 2:57 pmThe Carnival is hosted this week by Janice Campbell divided into compelling chapters - In Honor of National Novel Writing Month.Welcome to this hundred-and-umpteenth Carnival of Homeschooling! Because November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo or nano), and I’m over 10,000 words into the writing process (and can’t think of anything but writing, writing, and more writing), I thought it would be appropriate to format this Carnival as sections of a book. I even consulted the Chicago Manual of Style for an authoritative list of book parts! Read more... -
Ridiculous rules for UK home schools
6 Nov 2009 | 7:39 amVia guardian.co.ukToday, I received a copy of a letter that my local MP sent to the education secretary, Ed Balls. This letter was prompted by my concerns about the Badman report, a review into home-education which was submitted in June and immediately accepted by Balls. The government may implement these recommendations by including them in the Queen's speech on 18 November.My six-year-old daughter is educated by me, at home. I am not a home-education evangelist and neither do I have any problem with the concept of school, but I do know that home education works for us. Badman's…
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The History of the (Whole) World
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And now on Kindle
18 Nov 2009 | 6:58 pmNo, this isn’t a reflection on what e-books are going to do to publishing; it’s just a notification that my blogs (both this one and the Well-Trained Mind blog) are now available on Kindle. Of course, if you read them on the web they’re free. But I’ve had a number of requests for Kindle availability, so now you can PAY to read the same material. If you feel so inclined. -
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-15
15 Nov 2009 | 10:21 amNote to undergrads: Don't email prof on weekend to ask for information that's already in course catalog. Won't help you get into the class. # On 62nd Street in Manhattan, drinking coffee. # Every second woman on Upper East Side wearing tights & kneehigh boots. Honey, don't care how many other women are doing it: NOT a good look. # Undergrad Tip #2: When requesting permission to register for advanced writing class, try not to misspell more than 3 or 4 words in email. # Just finished party + civilized conversation w/amazing W. W. Norton reps: people who read AND have high… -
Brief dispatch from NYC
13 Nov 2009 | 7:53 pmI spent the first part of this week in New York: people to see, business to do, obscure books to consult, and a visit to the Norton fall sales conference cocktail party. Which was delightful because I got to put on a snazzy dress (normally I work in my husband’s discarded T-shirts and sweats), and because I got to see all my favorite Norton folks (well, a good cross-section of them), and because I got to go the 21 Club (although mini-burgers and mini-hot dogs with sauerkraut didn’t exactly fill me with the desire to stuff food down by handfuls). Also because I got to hear people… -
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-08
8 Nov 2009 | 10:21 amI am just erasing today. Poof! It does not exist. # Oh, look. Rain. # Impulse to sing old John Denver songs at sight of morning sunshine=sign of age. # After a day of ferrying kids to violin lessons/playdates/social engagements/chemistry tutorials…ice cream for dinner! Hey, milk, eggs… # Time to quit stalling and answer all that email…Ooh, there goes a bird…Anything new at nytimes.com?…Think I'll rename file folders… # I answered it all! Now people have started emailing me back again. It's like LAUNDRY. Clean it up and people just WEAR it again. #… -
Why we do what we do
5 Nov 2009 | 12:51 pmConfession time: I am totally addicted to Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen. And Kitchen Nightmares. And his autobiography is darned fascinating too. Got my husband hooked as well, so now when we retreat to our room for a quiet evening we’re as likely to turn on a Ramsay show as to watch Castle (Pete’s current favorite) or figure skating (not Pete’s current favorite). Before anyone points this out: Yes, OK, listening to Ramsay talk to ANYONE on American TV requires immense patience for bleeping, and he throws plates, kicks trash cans, and admits to having four…
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The Thinking Mother
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Great Answers to Difficult Questions about Death Book Review by ChristineMM
20 Nov 2009 | 7:12 amTitle: Great Answers to Difficult Questions about Death: What Children Need to KnowAuthor: Linda GoldmanPublication: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2009Genre: nonfictionISBN: 9781849058506 (paperback)Full Retail Price: $14.95Author Linda Goldman is a counselor that has years of experience in grief counseling. The author states this one book is to be used by both counselors with their clients as well as by parents with their own children. And therein is the biggest fault I have with this book. It tries to be too much to too many people in too few words. It works best as is for counselors. For… -
Homeschool Challenges Change As Our Children Grow Older
19 Nov 2009 | 8:25 amToday I got sidetracked from my plans and wound up surfing homeschool blogs that were new to me, blogs that were nominated for various categories of blog awards for the Homeschool Blog Awards. There are so many blogs of families with little kids! Okay, okay, so when I started this blog I was one of them. Back then my kids were aged 4 and 7. These families seem so happy, almost gleeful over the smallest things.In the local homeschool community it seems that homeschooling starts to taper off in middle school. I mean, formerly happy homeschooling families start enrolling their kids into school,… -
The Thinking Mother Nominated for a Blog Award
19 Nov 2009 | 7:12 amToday I stumbled across the fact that my blog, The Thinking Mother, has been nominated for a blog award:Homeschool Blog AwardsCategory: Best Current Events, Opinions or Political BlogThere are 13 blogs nominated for this category.Voting is open, here is the category I'm nominated forIf you feel mine is the best on the list take a couple of second to vote. It’s anonymous, requires no registration and voting is very simple to do. Just click and vote.copyright 2005-2009 The Thinking Mother -
Carnival of Homeschooling Week 203 Published
19 Nov 2009 | 7:01 amThe Carnival of Homeschooling week 203 was published this week at A Pondering Heart.This Carnival provides a lot of homeschool-related reading. Take a look!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 -
Carnival of Homeschooling Week 202 Published
19 Nov 2009 | 7:00 amThe Carnival of Homeschooling week 202 was published this week at Janice Campbell’s blog.This Carnival provides a lot of homeschool-related reading. Take a look!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
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Throwing Marshmallows
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From the Archives
15 Nov 2009 | 7:28 pmThings have been busy around here (VaHomeschoolers College Seminar, cousin’s wedding, homeschooling, pets, you name it), so I thought that I would pull something out of my archives for those who have not been reading this blog from the beginning. From December 2005, Sheltering Kids: We recently had a mom join our Nova Unschoolers email list who is not happy with how the school experience in going for her kids. She wanted to find out more about homeschooling and to help allay some of her fears. One of the issues she brought up was the fear that she might be “babying” her kids… -
Wordless Wednesday - Autumn
4 Nov 2009 | 2:13 pmCox Farms, Virginia 2009 -
Happy Halloween!
31 Oct 2009 | 6:40 pm -
Our Trip to Blacksburg
25 Oct 2009 | 12:14 pmA couple of weekends ago, I decided that it was about time to take the boys to their first Virginia Tech football game (that they can remember anyways). OK, so it was way beyond time and we really should have done this awhile ago, but better late then never. Lane Stadium Blacksburg Virginia - October 2009 Photo by Joy Still You can see that they both got into the Hokie Spirit. Kyle was already a huge Virginia Tech Hokie and football fan and loves to watch the games with me so he was in absolute heaven. Jason likes the Hokies but is not as much into football as Kyle is, so I was glad to see… -
VaHomeschoolers Homeschooling and College Entrance Seminar
23 Oct 2009 | 8:42 pmThe Countdown ContinuesThere’s less than one month to go before the VaHomeschoolers seminar on Homeschooling and College Entrance. Advance registration online or via postal mail guarantees that we will have enough handouts at this special event. Walk-in registration requires a late fee, so don’t let the opportunity for advance registration slip away!This all-day seminar takes place Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond. Mail-in registrations must be postmarked by November 2, 2009; online registrations must be completed by November…
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HOME ED MAG NEWS
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Homeschoolers and Achievement Tests
19 Nov 2009 | 8:20 amDr. Yvonne Fournier answering questions from a homeschooling family which moved to a testing state. Some highlights about the inherent tension between homeschooling and achievement tests: Hassle-Free Homework: Achievement Tests Contribute To America’s Decline By Dr. Yvonne Fournier, U.S. School System Discourages Divergent, Creative Thinkers In a world that begs for divergent thinkers (people who can think “outside the [...] -
Homeschoolers Compete
13 Nov 2009 | 10:13 amHomeschoolers compete in a lot of different kinds of contests: From the Lincoln County Record, Pioche, NV – Established September 12, 1870 Panaca’s Cookie Crumb Trail Contest By Angela Musser The Christmas Tree Ornament Contest for Panaca’s Town Tree is now open to public and home school students. Argus Leader - Sioux Falls, SD Home-school team wins annual quiz bowl For the [...] -
Race to the Top Final Application Released
12 Nov 2009 | 9:47 amNothing directly impacting homeschoolers yet, but.. But what really? There are powerful forces at play with a vested interest in the institution of education. Couple calls for legislative reform with the common standards initiative, mix it up with the mad dash for the money, and homeschoolers can not afford to ignore these reforms, panic about them, [...] -
1st Reading New Iowa Homeschool Rules
10 Nov 2009 | 4:14 pmIowa City Superintendent, Lane Plugge says, “If you want a diploma, you have to go to school here:” -
Making Waves in Academia and Cyberspace
10 Nov 2009 | 10:33 amIf you are concerned about homeschooling your kids you can find encouragement in this story from The Ukiah Daily Journal: Mathematics, Meyer Style By Carole Brodsky Ukiahan making waves in academia and cyberspace For the Daily Journal Holiday shoppers can thank Dan Meyer and his Ukiah High instructors for helping them shave precious minutes off their waiting time in crowded [...]
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Consent Of The Governed
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CT Unemployment Jumps to 8.8%
20 Nov 2009 | 6:00 amThe Courant reported today that the CT State Department of Labor reported CT's October unemployment numbers up 8.8% from September's number of 8.4%. (more here)Septembers job loss total was 6,200, and for the 12 months ending in October, the state has lost 71,100 jobs.Things may not improve anytime soon. Aetna said yesterday it is now eliminating 160 Connecticut jobs and will lay off more by March.Nationally, the unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in October. Of the 15.7 million Americans who are currently jobless, nearly 36 percent, or 5.6 million, have been unemployed for six months or… -
Town Will Photograph Every Vehicle Entering And Leaving
20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amThe Tiburon Town Council (a northern suburb of San Francisco) voted on Wednesday by 4 to 0 to install cameras to photograph every single car that enters or leaves in order to "make the community safer". Funny thing is that the town doesn't enjoy high crime figures. The idea is to photograph the license plates of every car that travels Tiburon's roads and compare the information with the police's list of the stolen and suspicious vehicles.It is on a peninsula, from which there are only two roads. Luckily for them, it won't be too costly to install a few cameras.One might ask: Don't people have… -
End The Fed Rallies - November 22nd
19 Nov 2009 | 6:00 amEnd The Fed Rallies are happening at every Federal Reserve office across the nation this weekend - (Here is a map and addresses and other info) Closer to CT one will be in Boston at 600 Atlantic Avenue and the other in New York City at the NYC Federal Reserve building at 33 Liberty Street. Rally in New York City starts at Noon and ends at 3:00PM. For details of all cities.. go here.Americans Deserve a Transparent Fed - by Ron Paul and Jim DeMintFor nearly a century the Federal Reserve has operated in the shadows, away from the prying eyes of Congress, journalists and the American people. -
Keep It? Or Toss It?
19 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amStill Tasty is an excellent website about food and its shelf life.It supplies you with answers to questions like:- Is Frozen Turkey still good after 6 months?- How Long Will Thawed Ground Beef Remain Safe?- Is it OK to Put Hot Food Directly Into the Fridge?- Are Eggs Still Safe After the Expiration Date?Check it out, and see if that fruitcake you got 5 years ago is still safe to eat or if that Bloody Mary mix that you have had in the liquor cabinet will still taste ok.Best of all - it gives a real thorough explanation of expiration dates and what they mean.(H/T Leann S.) -
Barter Exchange Networks
17 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amI found this over at the AOCS Website and thought that I'd share it with you.Bartering is a medium in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services without a common unit of exchange (i.e. without the use of money).It's interesting to me that there are many barter networks set up. Some have been around for quite awhile. People buy what they need and sell what they want without using Federal Reserve Notes (which are becoming increasingly worth less in value).So here is a sampling of what's out there: ITEX"ITEX is the leading marketplace for cashless business…
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The Homeschool Cafe
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Consent Of The Governed: Carnival of Homeschooling - 200th Edition - Party On!
28 Oct 2009 | 2:49 amConsent Of The Governed: Carnival of Homeschooling - 200th Edition - Party On! -
No Fighting, No Biting!: Maine: The Postcards Don't Lie edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling
20 Oct 2009 | 11:18 amNo Fighting, No Biting!: Maine: The Postcards Don't Lie edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling -
Dewey's Treehouse: Carnival of Homeschooling #194: Creatures and Critters
15 Sep 2009 | 8:58 amBe sure to check out Alasandra's post included in Dewey's Treehouse: Carnival of Homeschooling #194: Creatures and Critters -
Carnival of Homeschooling
9 Sep 2009 | 3:47 amThe HomeSpun Life: Homeschool Carnival: Virtual Blog Conference -
Home Spun Juggling: Carnival of Homeschooling: The Juggling Workshop
19 Aug 2009 | 3:20 amHome Spun Juggling: Carnival of Homeschooling: The Juggling Workshop
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H. E. R. P. & E. S.
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51?
20 Nov 2009 | 2:07 pmThis story is really strange. A guy strangled his wife while he was dreaming. Weird, huh? The article says that fewer than 50 cases of this disorder (called “automatism”) have been documented worldwide. What’s even weirder is that I’ve had this happen to me. Years ago I was having some kind of violent dream and sat up in bed, drew back my fist, and was preparing to punch Lydia. It was only her shouting at me that woke me up before I could really hurt her. -
MORE BLOOD
20 Nov 2009 | 1:56 pmNine more hours today. I decided to try to listen to the wingnuts as performance artists in an absurdist comedy. They make much more sense when viewed that way. -
LOTD
16 Nov 2009 | 6:47 amMary Ann Lauer is right about only one thing here. Rush Limbaugh is quite intelligent (compared to her). Popularity not worth appearing weak The world doesn’t “like” us any better. They liked us fine before. They just need to be reminded. Ask a Frenchman if he speaks German, and if he says “no,” reply “You’re welcome.” Remind him of the 60,757 Americans buried in France, giving their lives to restore France’s freedom. The same throughout Europe: There are more than 104,000 American serviceman buried there. All we asked in return was a… -
BOYCOTT AMAZON.COM!
13 Nov 2009 | 2:49 pmWhy? Because the idiots at the AFA put them at the top of their (alphabetically sorted) “nice” list. I’m shopping at all of the stores on the “naughty” list, of course. BN.com, here I come! -
BLEEDING FROM THE EARS
13 Nov 2009 | 2:45 pmI drove up from FAY to NJ today. Nine hours in the car. Along the way I must have heard bits and pieces of about 37 different Republicans and their water-carriers pontificating about the decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in the US. What fucking morons! I swear all 37 don’t come up to 100 points on the IQ scale. Combined. The absolute dumbest “concern” was expressed by some really, really dumb congressman who wondered if Mohammed were acquitted would he be released into the US. Now why would/how could anyone even think that was a possibility? Do we have a special line at…
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Pass The Torch
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Middle School Peer Tutoring – GRANT $
16 Nov 2009 | 6:19 amThe National Service Agency recently announced funding to engage students in service-learning and this could be a great opportunity to start research-based middle school programs, like SPARK Peer Tutoring. The grant funding totals $1 million dollars and will support innovative summer-time service-learning programs for students grades 6 through 9. GRANT PROPOSAL IS DUE [...] -
Positively Speaking – Finding a Spark
9 Nov 2009 | 5:42 amHave you ever had a conversation with your child and seen him “light up” with enthusiasm? Maybe you were talking “rocks” or “math problems” or “starting a book club.” I wrote about one of my daughter’s sparks last week, as we prepared for the HCHY conference in Cincinnati. Every child has “spark” — [...] -
Empowering Youth in Cincinnati
2 Nov 2009 | 6:05 amThis week, Darla and I are headed for Cincinnati, to the Healthy Communities/ Healthy Youth Conference. I’ve attended this conference many times over the years and have always been inspired and motivated after leaving it. My kids have often come with me as well, usually helping with my exhibitor booth for Empowering Youth. [...] -
Behold – The Conscientious Hunter
26 Oct 2009 | 8:42 amThis year, a new law went into effect in Wisconsin, allowing 10-year-olds to hunt. My motherly protection made me wish for my 10-year-old to ignore this law, and my survival instinct wanted all of us to stay out of the woods entirely. But since I married into a family of hunters, my vote [...] -
Mortgage Payoff 101 – Lessons Learned
19 Oct 2009 | 8:10 amIf you’ve been reading this series, you know our goal is to have our second mortgage paid off within a year. Part One in this series is here. You may think our plan is silly, or unattainable. You may think we’ve been frivolous in the past – or that the cuts we’re making are ludicrous. [...]
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Homeschool Journal Dot Net
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Life is like a Javanilla shake
20 Nov 2009 | 6:06 pmAnd not just because I happened to have one last free day. No, the parallels of shake to life are interestingly similar. Take the Javanilla shake, it is comprised of a sweet chunk of ice cream and some bitter coffee. This concoction is swirled around until the two create a beautiful harmony of coffee-cream taste. Take life, it is comprised of joy and happiness (that would be the ice cream part) and hurts, disappointments, pain and strife (that would be the bitter coffee part.) These ingredients swirl around and create life as we know it, sometimes it’s a bit heavy on the bitter and we need… -
Edward Doty
20 Nov 2009 | 5:27 pmWe’ve been working on a Thanksgiving lapbook this week and so we’ve been talking quite a bit about Edward Doty, Jamie’s 9th great-grandfather. He was a passenger on the Mayflower and the youngest and last signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was an indentured servant. Like the majority of those on the Mayflower, he was a colonist, not a separatist. He is mentioned in Bradford’s book a couple times. Apparently he was notable only for liking to drink and participating in Plymouth’s first and only duel (and subsequently being punished by being hog-tied in the square… -
20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm
20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pmIt’s not all snow storms, wind, and ice in Colorado, at 6,300′, in November. Here’s the flip side… It’s about 60 degrees outside this afternoon and sunny, the last snow is almost completely melted away and I spent “quiet time” on the front porch, watching the animals graze (periodically chasing Murphy out of the front yard!)… …and serenading the rabbits, deer and any other animals that might be close enough to hear. (Thankfully the neighbors live far enough away NOT to hear ) The past couple of days have been rough, but that hour… -
Rock Study
20 Nov 2009 | 7:04 amToday GB and I started a rock study for our science curriculum. We began by boning up on the rock cycle. We studied this, in brief, about two years ago. But I’m hoping to go a little more in depth this go around. The animated rock cycle at this site was invaluable. Everything was presented so clearly. .Click the picture to take you to the animation page: We reviewed the three types of rocks again, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. And then I set up mystery stations in the kitchen with a set of rocks that I had purchase a few years ago from Home Science Tools. We also looked at some… -
November 19, 2009
20 Nov 2009 | 6:31 amI am allowed 29 points currently. What I ate: egg sandwich (3 points) turkey sandwich (5 points) candy (3 points) Mexican rice bowl (16 points) cake (2 points) Total points: 29 Cups of water: 6 Vitamins? Yes My thoughts: I used all my points. I always eat way too much Mexican rice bowl. It’s so good! I was good and only had a tiny piece of Jamie’s birthday cake. It helps that I don’t love cake.
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The Homeschool Jungle
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Homeschool Days at Legoland California
20 Nov 2009 | 10:10 amBe sure to go to their website and register as a homeschooler. You will need a confirmation email to receive the homeschool pricing. Homeschool Days at LEGOLAND® California Resort LEGOLAND California (MONDAYS ONLY) 2009: Nov 16 through Dec 7 2010: Jan 4 through Mar 15, May 3, 10 and 17 SEA LIFE Aquarium 2009: Monday – Friday through December 18 2010: Jan 4 through March 15, May [...] -
The Home Educating Family Magazine- First Issue Free
18 Nov 2009 | 2:51 pmThere’s a new homeschool magazine for the Family……and your first issue is free! (if the “complimentary copy” window doesn’t pop up-you may need to disable pop-ups for this site) I signed up for my free copy and I can’t wait to read it! Here’s some information about the magazine from their site…… The Home-Educating Family [...] -
Children Taught By Their Peer Groups Learn…
17 Nov 2009 | 7:28 pm“In our society, children taught by their peer groups learn to survive, not to live with kindness and grace….peer groups teach a child either to take direction from the most popular kid at school or to transform himself into the most popular kid at school, often sacrificing intelligence and character” ~Wise and Bauer from The Well [...] -
Home-schoolers Unite
12 Nov 2009 | 2:09 pmI would love to see all the unique types of home schoolers come together in support of homeschooling. I often see homeschool families trying to explain why their “type” of homeschooling is better than another family’s choices. Some home schoolers even want to say that online schooling isn’t homeschooling at all. In the big picture, if [...] -
I Love the Beach
9 Nov 2009 | 2:47 pmOne thing about homeschooling that I love is that we don’t have to give up going to the beach just because summer is over. My kids are now in high school. All their work is assigned on Monday and it’s all due on Friday by 3pm. That means, if my guys plan it right, we [...]
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Little Blue School
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Folkmanis Puppets: The Best Educational Toys
15 Nov 2009 | 5:16 pmWe have always loved Folkmanis puppets. I'm convinced Folkmanis makes the best stage puppets, the best animal puppets, the best finger puppets, in the world. They use really interesting fabrics, very realistic designs, and somehow their puppets work as stuffed animals as well as puppets. All six of the puppets that live in our house are engaged regularly as denizens of the children's imaginary world. They are never relegated to puppet shows or ventriloquism.You may remember that last year Folkmanis sent us a big box of puppets to give away at the G.U.E.S.S. Homeschool Science Fair. This year… -
Norfolk Karate Academy: Perseverance on Both Sides of the Mat
15 Nov 2009 | 3:51 pmBenny got his brown belt on October 30. Can you believe it? It was a great day for Benny, an enormous day for me too. Benny has been doing karate since August of 2003. It has taken him at least a year to get through every belt, sometimes more than a year. For Benny, karate has been a terrific challenge. There were times when he spent whole class periods spinning and humming. Times when he was kicked out of class for being suddenly defiant over something incomprehensible. Times when we felt he would never be able to communicate with another child enough to be a good sparring partner, a good… -
Jungle Book Week 10
11 Nov 2009 | 10:38 amNamaste.Quiz:The quiz this week required students to correctly identify ten map elements: The Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges River, Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Pakistan, China, Nepal, and Bangladesh. They did pretty well! Good job studying that at home. :)After the quiz, we talked about the names Mumbai/Bombay and Kolkata/Calcutta. India became independent from England in 1947, but kept the Anglicized versions of their city names until 1996, when they changed them to more authentic transliterations. We discussed how we used to be colonies of England too, and how many of our place… -
Latin Club Week 10
11 Nov 2009 | 7:53 amThis is a class report for week 10 of my Latin class at Homeschool Out of the Box co-op. Our textbook is Latin for Children Level A from Classical Academic Press.Meet and greet. I collected homework and we took the quiz.Songs. We sang our usual songs and all of Adeste Fideles. We are going to learn one more song, next week. We took a vote on whether we should learn another song in Latin like Dona Nobis Pacem or another song about Latin, like She Will Be Latin and Ballad of the Latin Verbs. Interestingly, all of the boys voted for learning another song about Latin and all of the verbs voted to… -
Jungle Book Week 9
6 Nov 2009 | 10:09 amNamaste.Quiz:Here is the quiz for this week. Which statements are true?Himalaya QuizCircle the numbers that are true.1. The word Himalaya means “Home of Snow.”2. The Himalayan mountain range is contained entirely in the country of Nepal.3. The Himalayas are the highest mountain range in the world, containing Mt. Rainier and Mt. Olympus.4. The Himalayas are still growing higher.5. The Himalayas are forbidden for Hindus because they are so cold, and all rivers go there to die.6. Roman roads and now modern highways make it easy to travel the Himalayas and share culture and news across the…
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My Home Sweet Home
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Searching for Thankful at (in)courage Today
19 Nov 2009 | 8:51 am“Lately I’ve been on a mission to grow in thankfulness, to actively seek it in my life; the kind of thankfulness that helps give perspective on the rough days.” Please join me at (in)courage today for a peek at some of the things for which I’m thankful. -
Goodies from DaySpring and (in)courage
18 Nov 2009 | 7:40 amWe are the only ones in our circle of friends who never get around to making Christmas cards. My intentions are good, but the reality is that it just never happens. Never. This year, however, I am quite pleased to announce that not only will we have Christmas cards, they’re already made and ordered in mid-November! Studio DaySpring makes ordering your cards easy. You can create your own or start with their design templates, which is what I did. I’ve been given a coupon code to share with you for 15% off your purchase with coupon code: CHILDREN15. The best part? 6% of your sale… -
Harumika: Style Your Imagination
16 Nov 2009 | 11:31 amRarely has a review product entered our home that has created quite the buzz and anticipation of the Harumika, a dress designing kit containing a dress form, three pieces of fabric, fashion stickers, accessories, and a stylus design tool. My girls were so excited that they sketched fashions before we opened the box, adding another creative aspect to the toy. The dress form has an opening in the back, lined with a rubber insert that is cut in a wavy line down the middle. Fabric is wrapped around the doll to create outfits and tucked into the opening with the enclosed stylus tool. The rubbery… -
Notable NAPP Links November 15, 2009
15 Nov 2009 | 4:24 pm10 Ways to Relax Your Next Portrait Subject by Scott Bourne “One of the reasons I am a photographer is that I thought it would help insulate me from having to be in the picture. I am not alone. Lots of people don’t like to have their picture taken.” Scott is a talented photographer and just an all-around nice guy that I had the pleasure of meeting at Photoshop World. I totally get what he is saying here, and I love this great set of tips. Just? by David duChemin “Just an amateur? Amateur comes from the same word from which we get words like Amorous; it means to love. -
A Mother’s Hope
14 Nov 2009 | 11:26 am[This post was originally published at (in)courage.] I’d like to share with you the homeschooling tale of our 18-year-old son, the most difficult child I’ve ever taught. It’s a story of hope, the lessons that both my son and I learned along the way, and the rewards at the end of the journey. I think there’s a little bit of truth in it for all of us… Humility As a homeschooling mother of eight, lots of undeserved pats on the back come my way. “I don’t know how you do it,” is something I hear on a weekly, if not daily, basis. My 18-year-old son has always…
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The Official HSB Community Blog
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Featured Blogger ~ AmandaBennett
20 Nov 2009 | 9:05 amWhy blogging is so great reason #5,287: You get to meet some of your favorite homeschool celebrities without having to attend a conference! Amanda Bennett has been blogging here at HSB ever since it started back in 2005. Blogging builds good business, but it also builds good relationships, and Amanda is very friendly and relational. You may think that the author of numerous unit studies has her life perfectly organized and that all of her science experiments turn out with nary a problem. Not so! Even Amanda learns from her homeschool lessons. This Christmas will be a meager one for many… -
Special Words for Special Needs ~ Thanksgiving is Changing Around Here
20 Nov 2009 | 7:22 amWelcome and soon to be Happy Thanksgiving! Are you like me and still in need of that last minute run to the grocery store? I have a list that is huge but I hesitate to get it. Why? After all the big day is just days away! This year has been rough on me physically. I am spending most of my day in a wheelchair now due to possible MS. I am use to being up and cooking for hours on Thanksgiving day. I wake up early and cook through the day making all sorts of special side dishes, baked goods and of course the big turkey. This year I physically can't do it. How many of you also deal with… -
Communication Corner~The Power of Thank You!
19 Nov 2009 | 7:43 amThe Power of Thank You! By JoJo Tabares Did you ever notice how little kids show appreciation? My son comes to me several times a day and says things like "I love you! You are the best mommy in the whole world!" The conviction of his words and the look on his face as he utters them are what touch my heart! That's what true appreciation is. Most of us teach our children to say thank you, but few of us really understand its power. Showing appreciation is not only etiquette, but it is a responsibility especially during the holidays. I was privileged to have been in… -
Homeschooling Through High School ~ Thanksgiving
18 Nov 2009 | 7:32 amSince my children were very small, I have tried to be very deliberate about establishing and keeping family traditions. Many came from my own childhood, and were "imported" to my new home once I was married. I still carry so many fond memories of the Thanksgivings of my youth back in Michigan, waking up to the wonderful sounds and smells of my mother's early Thanksgiving morning cooking routine. I was determined that my children would awaken to the same things, and they do! The onset of the winter holidays here in… -
Home Where They Belong ~ Artifically Induced Dyslexia?
18 Nov 2009 | 7:29 amRecently I was introduced to an article that piqued my interest. I read the article carefully to make sure I was understanding it, and to make sure I wasn't skipping any clues that the author might be a crack-pot. Plenty of people think I'm one, so I suppose I should be able to recognize one when I see it. The article is called, "Can Dyslexia Be Artificially Induced in School? Yes, Says Researcher Edward Miller" and it's written by Samuel L. Blumenfeld, a name many homeschoolers should recognize because he's the author of Alpha Phonics. Now, I admit that I know next to nothing about dyslexia.
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The Homeschool Lounge
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I am in need of prayer for patience
My husband and I have 6 children and would love to have more. I have been struggling with the fact that I am not getting pregnant. Earlier this year we found out that I had a very large cyst on my left ovary that was removed, and also some smaller ones off of my right. My doctor told me that we should be able to conceive no problem. We had decided some time ago that we were going to let God control our family size, and I guess I am not patient and listening to His leading. What hasn't helped is that I keep seeing all these pregnant women where I live, and it makes my desire even more. I am… -
Is anyone familiar with Storyteller Jim Weiss?
I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old. I am wondering what specific stories they would like from story teller Jim Weiss. I have heard he is excellent. If you are reading this and have not heard of him take a look. -
English as a second language?
I'm just wondering - does anyone here primarily speak a language other than English at home (um, and currently live in the US)? Thanks! -
Hi from Alberta, Canada
Hi there, I'm Beth and I'm a new homschooling mom to my amazing 3 1/2 year old son. We're also new to Alberta. There's lots of exciting changes happening for us. We're Christian by faith and are currently homeschooling with non-religious curriculum. Some would call us secular and others just call us liberal minded. Either way we've chosen to homeschool, because my husband and I felt a strong drive or call to do so. Our little guy is so eager to learn I can't possibly think of him waiting 2 years to learn in ps what he's already learning at home now. I look forward to getting to know some of… -
Recommendations for Christian books dealing with kids and divorce?
I don't want this to turn into a debate about divorce. I have a dear friend whose husband filed for divorce after cheating on her, emotionally abusing her, financially devastating the family and being charged with a felony. She stood by him through everything but he is now leaving her for good for the other woman. Her main concern right now is her children. She has three sons, ages 15, 10 and 7. They are all devastated by his actions and she's having trouble knowing what to say and do. She's getting a great deal of advice from everyone, much of it not from a Biblical perspective. I wanted to…
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CalifmomHomeschools
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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… -
My New Gig: Oakland Homeschooling Examiner
30 Sep 2009 | 3:58 amStarting this week, I’m the new Oakland Homeschooling Examiner. I’ll be publishing 3-4 articles each week at Examiner.com. The articles will cover regional information about homeschooling, as well as general homeschooling topics. Examiner covers over 100 cities nationwide, and they’re topics seem limitless. Check to find out what’s happening in your neck of the woods, too! My first article is already up: Finding Activities in the Bay Area for your homeschooling tweens and teens. -
Lawrence Hall of Science: Planetarium Grand Re-Opening – Discover Red Planet Mars!
25 Sep 2009 | 5:15 pmImage via Wikipedia After closing for nearly the entire month of September, on October 3-4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the William K. Holt Planetarium at the Lawrence Hall of Science will have it’s Grand Re-Opening event: Discover Red Planet Mars! The NEW Holt Planetarium includes a move to a larger space and a digital fulldome projector, guaranteed to please all those budding astrophysicists. The grand re-opening also includes the debut of the new exhibit, Facing Mars, which allows visitors to experience over two dozen forms of space travel. To extend the activities of the day, LHS…
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The Simple Blog
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Nov 16, The Simple Zine Freebies!
15 Nov 2009 | 6:48 pmThe Simple Zine Freebies - Keeping Fun Affordable! -
Nov 16, Homeschool Done the Simple Way!
15 Nov 2009 | 6:46 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! -
Nov 1, Simple Schooling Amphibians
1 Nov 2009 | 3:30 pmThe Let's Learn About Amphibians course from Simple Schooling contains 20 units of fun and facts! -
Nov 1, Simple Schooling Reptiles
1 Nov 2009 | 3:29 pmThe Let's Learn About Reptiles course from Simple Schooling contains 20 units of fun and facts! -
Nov 1, Simple Schooling Birds
1 Nov 2009 | 3:28 pmThe Let's Learn About Birds course from Simple Schooling contains 20 units of fun and facts!
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Successful Homeschooling
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Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons Review
16 Nov 2009 | 5:04 amAre you looking for a simple, scripted, homeschool phonics curriculum? Find out why this mom is enjoying Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons! -
New Freebie! - 7 Secrets to Finding the Best Homeschool Curriculum
5 Nov 2009 | 6:41 amAre you still searching for the right home school curriculum? My latest e-book, 7 Secrets to Finding the Best Homeschool Curriculum, contains excerpts from interviews with prominent experts, along with helpful tips that will lead you to the best program for your family! -
Sonlight Curriculum Review
14 Aug 2009 | 6:16 amAre you looking for a literature-based curriculum? Check out this detailed and thorough review written by a mom who can't imagine homeschooling without Sonlight! -
Rod and Staff Review
10 Aug 2009 | 6:26 amAre you looking for a Christian-based, traditional textbook curriculum. Follow this link to find out why one mom thinks Rod and Staff is super! -
Prairie Primer Review
22 Jun 2009 | 6:47 amDo your children love unit studies? Is Little House on the Prairie a family favorite? Find out why this mom and grandma loves The Prairie Primer.
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Heart of Wisdom Blog
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Free Printable Workbox Tags
19 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pmWe use theWorkbox System by designed Sue Patrick to structure our school day. Homeschooling is so much easier I almost feel guilty. Our homeschool day flows without complaints. If you are not familiar with the workbox system see the links at the bottom of this post. Our children absolutely love moving their workbox cards from workbox to the card. I imagine they get the same sense of accomplishment I get from marking off a checkbox on my “To Do” list. I under-estimated how motivating this simple task has been for them. There are two ways you can do this. i.e. when… -
Is Suffering Optional?
13 Nov 2009 | 2:50 amAs a “Christian” is suffering optional? Can we exist at peace and at ease with the world around us? Francis Chan’s teaches suffering isn’t something we should fear, it is something we should strive to be acquainted with. Don’t miss this wisdom. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 God’s Word warns us not to be surprised by trials, hardships and the difficulties of this life, but to rejoice in the fact that we suffer on Christ’s behalf…and all this so that on the day that we stand before His throne, we can be filled with joy at His glorious revelation to… -
Time to Vote for 2009 Blog Awards
12 Nov 2009 | 8:11 amThe polls are ready for voting. Read the rules here. Heart of Wisdom has been nominated for the Best Homeschool Methods Blog Award. Would you please take a moment to vote for Heart of Wisdom? You can cast your vote from now until November 21st!! Click each link below to vote for a nominee in that category: Best Homeschool Mom Blog Best Homeschool Dad Blog Best Blog Design Best Photos and Artistic Content Blog Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog Best Family or Group Blog Best Encourager Best “Live-What-You-Believe” Homeschool Blog Best Unschooling Blog Best Eclectic… -
Up for a Challenge: Bridge Building
10 Nov 2009 | 8:35 pmMichelle at Delightful Learning blog has put together an Instant Challenge Meme. Each week will bring a new timed problem for children to work on stretching their imaginations and reasoning skills. For more info about the meme read Michelle’s Instant Challenge post. We missed the first week challenge but it looked like fun. In the middle of school work I told the boys about this challenge. Do not do what I did: I did not want to run to the computer so I gave my boys the challenge assignment from memory (mom needs to learn to follow directions). My boys assignment (not the… -
Free Lapbook: Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego
7 Nov 2009 | 10:39 pmThis is actually a File Folder Game or a mini lapbook. Everything you need to make this lapbook is available to download below. A coloring page goes on the front of the folder. Inside is a game board and two pockets. One pocket is for game pieces, the other is for Bible memory verses. I found this game board at EbibleTeacher.com and adapted it. Game Cards with questions. This is a Bible Trading Card from EBibleTeacher.com They are free to print out (you can also purchase them). We are using all the cards in another lapbook dividing stories into the 12 Bible history eras. I’ll post…
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Katie's Homeschool Cottage
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Do You Have a New or Struggling Speller or Reader?
18 Nov 2009 | 7:44 pmAs part of the TOS Homeschool Crew our family received a complimentary one year membership to AVKO for the purpose of offering our honest review. If you have a new or struggling speller or reader, possibly one with dyslexia, you may want to check out what a membership to AVKO Educational Research Foundation can offer you. AVKO Educational Research Foundation is a non-profit organization with the following mission statement: To determine what makes the learning of reading and spelling so difficult for some and so easy for others. To determine what it is about our language that… -
American Heritage Education Foundation
9 Nov 2009 | 5:09 pmI was provided with a CD of American Heritage Education Foundation’s “An Adventure in Liberty” for the purpose of writing a review as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. For over a year now one of the biggest discussions as part of last year’s presidential campaign and since the election has been a discussion of the constitution and the principles our country was founded on. All of that discussion has provided several starting points for discussion in our family. These discussions have not necessarily been political in nature, but idealogical and more about human… -
Teaching Physics to Middle Grades
5 Nov 2009 | 6:31 pmI was provided a copy of “Christian Kids Explore Physics” from Bright Ideas Press for the purpose of a review for the TOS Homeschool Crew. Have you encountered the situation yet where you have older children in middle or high school and they are studying an upper level science topic and you wish you could still some how coordinate their science with your younger children? I have. With my older son studying physical science this year, I wanted to some coordinate his science class with my younger son. That way I could make connections between their experiments on lab days or… -
Currclick Holiday Sale
4 Nov 2009 | 5:41 pmIf you want to grab some neat curriculum and school holiday activities, you need to visit CurrClick’s 2nd Annual Homeschooling Through the Holidays Sale Over 100 Holiday Ebooks, Audio Books and Classes Discounts Up to 75% OFF November 5-19th Shop here for the sale Posted in 16319022, Favorite Resources -
High School Career Planning Tools
3 Nov 2009 | 8:17 pmWe recently received a free trial of the ACT Advantage DISCOVER program with the intent to review this product for the TOS Homeschool Crew. When you were a child or in high school, did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up? Or, did you take career exploration tests and discuss career options with a guidance counselor? Are your middle and high schoolers beginning to discuss with you jobs, majors, colleges, or future job outlooks? The ACT Advantage DISCOVER program is a wonderful tool for homeschoolers to explore their options for the future. You can use this program to determine…
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Homemaking 911
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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… -
E-Book: Dreams and Designs - Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool
21 Oct 2009 | 11:43 amReady to start the new school year but itching for new ideas on how to make your homeschooling another fun and great experience? With this new e-book from The Old Schoolhouse, you can spice up everything with some regular household items. It only takes a spark of low-cost creativity and a few simple instructions! This is what you will find in this e-book: Creative use of display boards as calendars and for various theatrical presentations. Instructions for cutting display boards for use as personal partitions or activity centers, with activity center ideas included. A makeover for a simple… -
E-Book: How I Homeschool: Twelve Families Share Their Lifestyles of Learning
21 Oct 2009 | 11:42 amIs this is your first year homechooling? Not to worry! Learn how to make your homeschooling family a success. Also if you have been homeschooling for years and have found it to be quite a delight, you may want some fresh ideas for this coming school-year. How I Homeschool contributors share a fresh supply of information and inspiration you’ll enjoy, such as: ·Schedule ideas from a week to a year, traditional or year-round—see how others are doing it! ·Hints to help organize your life and school—every day and all year long. ·Productively balance working from home while… -
3 Tips for Getting Dinner Ready in a Flash
15 Oct 2009 | 7:20 pmWell, you all know I LOVE freezer cooking. That is the number one thing you can do to get dinner on the table FAST. 1. You can do this the way I do it: Make full meals that you simply heat and eat on your busiest days, but you can also just make part of your meal ahead. For example, you can brown and freeze your meat. You can buy frozen pie crusts and keep them at the ready. You can even freeze ahead desserts to use for special parties and upcoming holiday events. I have lots of other posts about freezer cooking, be sure to check them out. 2. Make a simple menu plan once every two weeks. Look…
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by {His} grace
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Gratitude...
26 Oct 2009 | 8:27 am#17 Breakfast around the table, together.#16 This growing quiet spirit within... and that I took the time to be silent;at first I was sullen... but then the quiet began to speak#15 Bridges and churches and the roads that lead us there.#13 John Macarthur's The Fulfilled Family, just what the mommy soul needed to hear this week.#12 Schoolrooms and bookshelves and more bookshelves.#11 Broken appliances, coughs and sniffles... to remind me that maintenance is a must. -
6 Oct 2009 | 1:19 pm
6 Oct 2009 | 1:19 pmAh yes, good things do happen under this roof. Yet so many other moments that are not lovely. So while my heart smiles with memory I am reminded to tend to the whole part not just part of the whole.From lifeFrom lifeFrom lifeFrom life -
Loveliness
25 Sep 2009 | 3:15 pmIt is so natural to display the garden harvest, the achievement, the beheld beauty... and somehow in the making of what is lovely; lovely words and deeds abound... rebound.freshly harvested cucumbers and tomatoes from our humble patch of dirt and plants. -
Gratitude...
20 Sep 2009 | 9:03 pm#10 chalkboard paint#9 fingers that strum, hands that build and imaginations that spur on.#8 apples, apples and more apples#7 post offices and packages of good books#6 moments when I let expectation be replaced by wonder.#5 the most bountiful harvest of tomatoes ever... and the sweetness of the unexpected... #4 the six minute chocolate cake with raspberry filling and chocolate frosting... and family to share it with.#3 having the house to myself for a day with the cool sun streaked air of autumn filter through open windows, a friend to can rhubarb strawberry jam with, good books and clean… -
Finding God
11 Sep 2009 | 8:49 pmSummer days slipped by. The splash of hot weather dips.The rhythmic rain dance of the sprinkler.Isn't this the same water that rocks the ocean?How easy it is to see God from the sandy stage. We let ourselves find him, not that we are ever hidden. Here I watched Ainsley and Caleb leaving us behind as they drink in the vastness. From lifeFrom life
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Moms Inspire Learning
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Thanksgiving Picture Books and Such
20 Nov 2009 | 6:03 pm©iStockphoto/Brandy TaylorSince I haven't had a chance to write a detailed post with Thanksgiving picture book recommendations, I thought I'd share a couple of links with you. Here they are: PBS Booklights' Thursday Three: Thanksgiving The Mailbox blog's Thanksgiving Books You might also be interested in Finding Dulcinea's Thanksgiving For Kids: Crafts, Recipes and Learning Tools, which was brought to my attention by Susan Stephenson of The Book Chook blog.Have a wonderful weekend! -
American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving
19 Nov 2009 | 1:38 pmAre you a teacher, a parent, or a librarian who is interested in exploring Thanksgiving in detail over the next week? You'll love National Museum of the American Indian's Teacher and Student Resources for American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving. I found it through School Library Journal.By the way, when we were down in Washington D.C., we visited the National Museum of the American Indian, and it was well worth the visit! From its design, to its artifacts, to the healthy food in the cafe, it's really worth taking time out to spend a few hours there.Museum trips are so much better than… -
Putting the thanks and the giving back in Thanksgiving
17 Nov 2009 | 2:29 pmI don't know about you, but I can't believe we're celebrating Thanksgiving next week! Time goes by quickly, doesn't it?It seems we're all so rushed these days that we don't always remember to stop and think about those two little words that make up this delicious holiday: thanks and giving. So, today I thought I'd just share a few small ways you can help everyone in your family to really reflect on the true meaning of the holiday. If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, you can still use the ideas! Here we go:1. Take an empty tissue box, or cut a hole in any type of box really, and make it… -
Jen Robinson's Tips for Growing Bookworms
16 Nov 2009 | 9:13 amMost of you know that I rely on Jen Robinson and Terry Doherty for the latest literacy and general Kidlitosphere news, and I visit Jen's Book Page quite often for her great YA book reviews as well. I apologize for not posting any of my own in recent weeks, but I just haven't been able to get to them. That's why I did my survey, which I'll talk about soon enough.Anyway, Jen wrote a lot about raising readers back in 2007, and I am happy to tell you that she has brought one of her old posts back to life at PBS Booklights recently. You can find the original post, as well as two new posts, which… -
Friday Photo Fun: What Does It Take to be Great?
13 Nov 2009 | 7:11 am©iStockphoto/AndyLCan a child be born to be great? ©iStockphoto/Mark Evans (mevans)Or, is it all about the effort?Why do we always try to reduce things to black and white? It seems to me that there's more to the recipe for success than meets the eye... © iStockphoto/Janne Ahvo (jpa1999)If you'd like to read more about this topic, here's CNNmoney.com's What it takes to be great, which I found via DailyGood. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
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Weekly Wrap-Up: The New Moon High Edition
20 Nov 2009 | 9:18 amWhat a week! I'll warn you, I'm still totally on a New Moon high, but I'll try to talk about homeschooling a little bit. Let's see, Monday...oh, yeah...Monday was a horrible day. The kids were misbehaving and bickering, I couldn't log on to my blog and I developed a horrible headache probably directly related to those two things. I had totally repressed that memory until just now. I think I'll repress it again. Tuesday and Thursday were pretty normal days, except, since Thursday was the final hours countdown to New Moon, I was very much like this: Other than the… -
Review: Twilight Defined
19 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amHave you voted in the Homeschool Blog Awards yet? I'd love your vote for Best Eclectic Homeschool Blog! With the official opening of Twilight Saga: New Moon at 12:01 AM tonight (or, technically, tomorrow), I thought today would be the perfect day to post my review of Defining Twilight, the vocabulary book that Brianna has been using with her Twilight Study. After I mentioned the book several weeks ago when we first started thinking of doing a Twilight study, its author, Brian Leaf contacted me to see if I'd like a copy of the book to review. Um, yeah! If having the author of a… -
Works for Me Wednesday: Building Number Words
17 Nov 2009 | 9:05 pmHave you voted in the Homeschool Blog Awards yet? I'd love your vote for Best Eclectic Homeschool Blog! If you have a kid who learns asynchronously, you know how frustrating it can be for them to hit those hurdles built by a mismatch of skills. Even if you have a child who learns pretty evenly across the board, it can still be frustrating to have to remember so many new skills at once in order to complete tasks. My kids were running into frustrations when their math book asked them to write number words. I'm not talking about simple words like one or two, but big, long words… -
Mostly Because I'm Curious
17 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amI'm curious about you, my readers. I always love to fill out other bloggers' demographics surveys -- partly because I like filling out forms (yes, I know that's probably strange) and partly because I'm just as curious as they are about their readers. Now, I'm hoping you'll help alleviate my curiosity about who makes up the Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers readers. Your answers are strictly confidential because goodness knows I don't know how to figure out who answered what. © 2009 Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. All Rights Reserved. Original text and photos may not be used without… -
Review: Gymathics
17 Nov 2009 | 4:30 amAs a TOS Homeschool Crew reviewer, my family had the opportunity to try out Gymathics, by Exploramania. Gymnathics is billed as being an "interactive math and exercise experience." This 30-minute DVD combines math with exercise to get kids moving while improving their math skills. According the Exploramania's website, "research shows exercise releases neural growth factors in the brain developing connections and improving memory." To that end, the Exploramania folks have created Gymathics, which includes: Shape Stretches Warm Up -- Kids stretch and warm up with activities…
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Rewarding Homeschool Blog
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school-field-trip-ideas WORKING COPY
20 Nov 2009 | 1:44 pm -
Loving Discipline Methods
20 Nov 2009 | 5:58 amYour children deserve loving discipline methods. Get your burning child discipline question answered here. -
How To Home School My Child
20 Nov 2009 | 5:57 amAre you wondering "How to Home School My Child?" Get your homeschool questions answered...today! -
Kids Won't Get Sick!
17 Nov 2009 | 8:02 pmA pro I was thinking about today is that homeschooled kids won't get sick! You don't have to worry too much about your kids getting sick all the time -
Pros And Cons Of Homeschooling
16 Nov 2009 | 12:52 pmExplore the advantage of homeschooling and discover some disadvantages of homeschooling as well! Learn all the pros and cons of homeschooling from parents with years of experience.
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Homeschool Entrepreneur
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4 Things I Learned From The 2012 Craze
13 Nov 2009 | 4:43 pmI’ve always loved disaster movies, and every time I watch one it seems I go into my ‘disaster-preparedness’ mode. It may have started with my obsessive fascination with the tornado scene in my childhood favorite, The Wizard of Oz, (second only to The Sound of Music) or the memories of my mother’s reactions during the Cuban Missile Crisis . . . or it could be a calling I’ve ignored. OK, I’m over-analyzing again, not to mention really veering off topic, but watching the recent documentaries on the 2012 hype, I’m confident it’s all more of the… -
3 Money Lessons Your Kids Should Know
12 Nov 2009 | 1:44 pmInvestopedia is an outstanding website for your older teen if they are interested in anything to do with finance. Even if they’re NOT interested, starting them out with their own stock portfolio and $100,000 to play with might get them interested! Of course, if you don’t have $100,000 to let them play with, then maybe Investopedia’s Stock Simulator will have to do. My middle son was not interested in anything except soccer during high school, especially not finance. We were racking our brains to come up with anything he might want to do or have an aptitude in besides… -
Genuine Book Wholesaler
9 Nov 2009 | 1:28 pmOne of the more difficult aspects to starting a retail business is finding true wholesalers. While there are services like Doba and others, sourcing out good suppliers is an ongoing task for every new business owner. That’s why I wanted to share this resource I really just stumbled on quite by accident, and since I just did a post on selling books online as told by Family Business Ideas.com, I thought I’d throw it up. (that didn’t come out right, did it??) Bargain Books Wholesale has a good selection of books offered with a minimum order of 3 of any title , and a $150 order. -
Family Business Ideas From a Family That Lives It!
9 Nov 2009 | 9:50 amIn my constant search for great resources for homeschool entrepreneurs, I still can’t believe I’ve never come across this website, but better late than never! Written by a homeschool family with eleven children in upstate NY, Michael and Julie Anna Schultz have been booksellers online for over five years now AND they are powersellers on Ebay. Leaving a lucrative job in corporate America four years ago, Mike is a stay at home father with their book business on Ebay as his primary income. He also travels all over America teaching eBay classes, as well as entrepreneur classes! Mike… -
4 Ways To Prepare Your Business For The Holidays
5 Nov 2009 | 4:25 pmThe holidays are quickly approaching, and the predictions are positive for retailers, especially those online. A great deal of research has been done on consumer’s buying behaviors for 2009 with some basic suggestions to optimize your business. Here is a re-cap of an article from the American Express Open Forum.com (by Julia Rogers): Fine-tune your website. The expected 49% increase in online shopping is encouraging enough to make double sure your website is fine-tuned and ready to go. Hire temporary help. Interestingly, budget pricing and sales-watching were not considered during…
