Owner: Mom is teaching URL:http://momisteaching.com Join Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:58:52 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: A homeschooling mom sharing info and support online. Site statistics:Click here
Homeschool chaos? 2007-03-30 08:01:19 Surely I’m not alone. The table is covered in books, art projects, and activity sheets. The dough and paint containers are covering my dryer top, I’ve got a dresser in the dining room that is overflowing with stuff, and my mantle in the living room looks like a thrift shop exploded over it. I’m told that it’s fairly common for homeschool homes to look like chaos, but no one is ever brave enough to show me the photos.
Well here’s your chance.
Begining Tuesday, April 3rd Laura at An Organizing Junkie will kick off a 30 day organizing challenge.
The challenge is to organize one area or room in your home and at the end of the 30 days post before and after pictures on your blog with a brief description of how you got from point A to point B. This time though I’m making things a little more fair and having two catergories. One for small areas (drawer, closet, armoire, etc) and one for bigger areas (entire room). It is up to you which area you decide to o Read more:Homeschool
Homeschooling with younger children in the home? 2007-04-01 07:44:52
For many homeschooling families there are children of different ages all needing their parent’s time and attention. That can cause problems when trying to teach an older child and keep a younger child entertained. Preschoolers and toddlers that still require lots of energy from their parents can be distracting, but with a little creativity and a lot of patience you can find a way to work everyone’s unique needs into a harmonious day.
If your younger child seems to be always underfoot while you are trying to teach your older child creating a separate play space for your younger child may be the perfect solution. Set up an area custom made for your younger child to play in however he or she wishes. You do not necessarily need a large space, the corner of a room or underneath the kitchen table can be used to your advantage. Decorate the area with pictures, scarves, old curtains, and anything else that your younger child will love. Choose just a few toys and books that can be Read more:Homeschooling
Anyone? 2007-03-31 21:37:22 I am pretty dissapointed that I’ve had no entries to my homeschool contest, and today is the last day.
So, because I really want to get this going I’m going to up the stakes. I am going to add one more week to the contest, so now you have until April 7th to get a post in. And I am adding to the prize, so now you will win $15 and this nifty icon below for your own blog. Anytakers yet?
Here are the rules again for those who may not know:
I want you to write a post on your craziest, wackiest, weirdest day homeschooling. Did a bug in the house turn into a lesson on insects? Was a simple trip to the store changed into a lesson you never expected? Did a simple science experiment turn into an explosion in the kitchen? Whatever happened I want to know about it! Don’t be embarrassed, share your story!
When you’ve written your post link it back here and leave me a note linking to your post just in case. This contest will run until March 31. The next day I’ll list links back t Read more:Anyone
Update to the Homeschool Blog Awards 2007-03-31 20:51:56 A list of nominations to the 2006 Homeschool
Blog Awards
is up. While nominations can keep rolling in until April 6th, this is a good way to see if the blog you were looking to nominate has already been added.
Even if you are not nominating anyone you can still head over to check out the list and find some new blogs that you might have never heard of before. Who knows, you might even be on the list.
blogging, homeschool blogs, homeschooling, homeschool, homeschool blog awards, 2006 homeschool blog awards
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, Blog Awards
MySpace? 2007-03-31 08:35:53 If only it were so easy to find some space of my own at home. Oh well, until then I can at least carve out my own little piece of the MySpace
cult that seems to be growing more and more each day.
http://www.myspace.com/momisteaching
It is still a work in progress, but it will be another way to meet other great homeschoolers. So if you have a myspace account feel free to add me. And it you have been thinking about creating one, well here is just one more good reason to.
myspace
MMM - Classical Education 2007-04-02 15:22:50
Classical Education
. I’ll admit that this is one method that I am not very familar with, so this will be a learning experience for both os us. If anyone has any more info on classical education please share it!
What is classical education? There is a great article here that describes it quite well. Classical education is a literature based learning process, the written word is taken very seriously as the basis of learning. Also all subjects are taught as interrelated. Nothing is taught in isolation, but instead is braided together with everything else.
In Classical Education there are three phases that children are taught though. In the younger years the time is spent absorbing facts and building up a knowledge base for the child to use. In the middle years this knowledge base is used as the child begind to learn more abstractly and analytically, instead of just absorbing facts now the child is learning “Why”. And in the final phase children are taught to express th
I’m a blidget! 2007-04-02 01:32:09 You can now get Mom is Teaching as a Blidget from Widgetbox.
What is a blidget you may ask. A blidget is a fun widget that displays the blog posts of your favorite blog. You can add it to your myspace page, to the side of your blog, even to your website and have a constant feed of your favorite blog coming right to you.
Of course you can still get my blog updates whenever you want by subscribing to my feed here.
Softkey Left
softkey Right
Sites you should know 2007-04-03 15:44:29 I thought I would take this morning to share a few websites that I love, and that you might love too.
This first one a site that my oldest son must get his inspiration from “Just one more book!” is echoed through my house every night at bedtime. Of course “one” more usually means three or four, each read at least twice. As agrivating as it may be some nights, I can always find comfort in the fact that at least he’s developing a love of reading.
www.JustOneMoreBook.com
Just One More Book is a thrice-weekly podcast in which we take a few minutes out of our morning coffee ritual to discuss one of our many favourite children’s books.
Through this podcast and its website, we are building a lively, interactive community linking children’s book authors, illustrators, readers (parents and children) and publishers.
Episodes range in length from 5 to 12 minutes and can be played directly from our web page or downloaded to an ipod for listening on the go Read more:Sites
Homeschoolers are parents too you know. 2007-04-03 04:04:39 Homeschooling, its not all home education you know. There is a lot of parenting involved, a lot. You don’t get 8 hour breaks while the kids are in school, you have to be there 24/7. Sick days, sad days, days when you would like to use a vacation day and head to the beach with a favorite book. There is no getting them on the bus then sitting back down for a cup of coffee before heading out the door yourself.
Which is why I love reading parenting blogs that are not all about homeschooling. A great parenting blog that I love is another one right here at 451Press called Parenting Our Children. It is definitely worth the read if you have the time.
parenting, children, parents
Read more:Homeschoolers
Unschooling Voices 2007-04-05 20:42:05 I don’t know how it slipped right past me, but the 8th Edition of UnschoolingVoices
is up at A Day in Our Lives. This edition is all about word play, and there is a special treat from Dayna Martin who used the word UNSCHOOL as an acronym for her life. its definitely worth checking out!
homeschool, unschool, blogging, blog carnival, Dayna Martin, Unschooling Voices
Here comes the Easter bunny! 2007-04-05 19:14:13 Or not.
I found a great idea over at Growing Without School. Complete directions, with photos, on making your own rabbit den. You can build it, bury it in your yard, and wait for some new neighbors to move in. They choose to cover the top with plexi glass to be able to look in and watch the new inhabitents. Check out Rabbit’s Den for the instructions.
I know my oldest would go wild for this. Unfortunately we live too near a major traffic area and rabbits are a rare occurence for us. Maybe we can find a nice place out of the way and set something like this up.
homeschool, rabbits, animals, nature
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, Easter
Beginning to read 2007-04-05 15:08:42 A post over at Life Without School got me thinking about reading. Back to the Beginning by a great guest author Christine is such a great look at her sharing a love of reading with her son. As a mom of a three year old myself I had to chuckle a little reading it. From the moment we get up until the moment we go to bed I am repeatedly attacked with “What do those words say?”. Now don’t get me wrong, I love that he’s so interested and is buildign such a strong love of reading. As a fellow bookworm I am positively thrilled to share with him my passion for the written word. But after the first 500 times that the question has been asked and I’m still on my first cup of coffee it can get a bit tiring. And let me tell you, mommy is no good at reading every single sign and staying in the correct lane at the same time. Who knew learning to read could be dangerous?
Every time he gets absorbed in the shapes and patterns of letters and words all around him and I start
Alabama Homeschool Bill Revisited 2007-04-05 04:36:45 A bill in the State Legislature this week could allow homeschooled students to participate in public-school, extracurricular activities. Read more>>>
I just got an email about this step forward from homeschoolers in Alabama
and I am pleased. Of course it is still in the works right now, but if it is aproved this could be a huge advancement for homeschoolers in Alabama. I know right now there is some opposition going on. Worries over cost, over elegebility, over liability. And some anti-homeschool people are arguing that if they want to play school sports they should just go to school like everyone else. But despite the naysayers this bill, called the Tim Tebow Bill, is gaining ground. There is a great site rallying support for this bill to be passed at http://www.timtebowbill.com/
In the US several states already have similar laws enacted to allow homeschoolers the chance to participate in sports and extracurricular activities. According to the HSLDA “Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Read more:Homeschool
, Revisited
Go outside and find science! 2007-04-04 22:13:18 Science in my home is often a hands-on experience. We like to get dirty, blow things up, and pick apart the bones with our fingers. Now normally I would blame it on my sons by using the excuse that they are boys, but honestly I enjoy it just as much as they have. I was lucky to grow up in a home where science was important and being a girl meant little in the scheme of things.
Right now Spring is in full bloom so science is pretty much going outside. We are finding all kinds of bugs, worms, spiders, and more in the garden. The creek is full of tadpoles and baby fish for us to chase. And tiny green leaves are shooting up from under the dirt. Who needs a boring old science book when the miricle of life is all around us? And because I like to multitask we can kill science and P.E. in one swoop.
Right now we’re talking a lot of the environment, a topic I am very passionate about. With gardening comes composting, which brings a lot of time talking about recycling, about how things
Not exactly homeschooling related, but close 2007-04-04 16:47:40 You don’t need me to tell you that homeschoolers tend to be smarter. From winning Spelling Bees to going to Ivy League universities homeschoolers are showing up highly educated all over the US.
I think that is why I got a kick out of reading this article yesterday. It combined two things that I love, highly educated mothers and breastfeeding. OK, so this isn’t really homeschool specific, but I have several friends homeschooling their pre-k and k children, and also still breastfeeding them. And those of you who say “No one I know does that!” trust me, they do. Mothers are not as open about it, but they are still doing it. My favorite part of the articles comes here: (bolding mine)
Those who stay with it, particularly beyond 18 months, tend to be highly educated. “This is not a cult,” she says. “It’s about education and learning that the benefits persist.” Research shows that breast-feeding provides continued protection against inf Read more:related
Friday Fifteen 2007-04-06 22:24:52 I’ve decided to join the FridayFifteen
. I was trying to decide what exactly to do mine about when fate rang the doorbell. OK, so actually it was the mailman who rang the doorbell. A couple books that I have been waiting on arrived today and I am giddy. So in honor of my book obsession and my poor mailman who must deliver my mail and watch me squeal and dance on the front porch here are the top 15 books I think all homeschoolers should read. Enjoy!
1. How Children Fail - John Holt
2. How Children Learn - John Holt
3. Learning All the Time - John Holt
4. Dumbing Us Down - John Gatto
5. You Are Your Child’s First Teacher - Rahima Baldwin Dancy
6. The Unprocessed Child: Living Without School - Valerie Fitzenreiter
7. Guerilla Learning - Grace Llewellyn
8. Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense Paperback - David Guterson
9. Have Fun. Learn Stuff. Grow - David H. Albert
10. Hold On to Your kids - Gordon Neufeld
11. Absorbent Mind - Montessori
12. The Homeschooling Book
Stereotypically yours, 2007-04-06 07:37:08 For the last few days everyone online has been talking about the Louis Theroux Meets The Most Hated Family In America videos popping up on Youtube. There are many things about this family that are sending waves of disgust through many American homes.
One thing that popped out at me was that all 11 of the children go to public school. I’m not the only one suprised by that, even the journalist Louis Theroux noted that he expected the mother to be homeschooling. Let’s face it, they do fit the stereotypical homeschool family that most people imagine. A large family, very religious, patriarchal, intelligent (they are nearly all lawyers), and no friends outside their immediate family. This is the kind of environment that many assume homeschoolers live in.
According to the HSLDA 60% of parents choose to homeschool to provide religious or moral instruction. Many of us look at those numbers and assume that this means some sort of devout Christian teaching. But the fact is homescho
World Health Day! 2007-04-07 17:50:03 Healthy B.P.M. has a great post up about today being World
Health Day. Because good health is impotant to everyone I thought I share some great links for healthy lesson ideas.
A-Z Homeschooling - Health and Fitness
Daily Lesson PLans - Health for grades 6-12
Are You What You Eat? This is a great project to teach children about food and nutrition.
Physical Education Lesson Page
Health Teacher
And if you are looking for a good book to help you I have a few recomendations too. For younger children (K-3) I love Growing Growing Strong by Oak Meadow. And now until June 30 they are having a sale on all their books. Grade school aged children love the Science Action Labs- Health Science because it is full of hands on learning. For older children (7-12) there is a great 6 volume health series called Just For the Health of It that I have heard great things about.
health, World Health Day, homeschooling, health science, science, curriculum
*Test*myLot User Profile
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Hey, dads are important too! 2007-04-07 16:58:19 I know this is Mom Is teaching, but lets take a moment to talk about dads.
Though the vast majority of homeschooling parents, or at least the ones doing most of the work, are moms there are some dads who are choosing to stay home and take the reins. As Mark mentions in All About Fatherhood the number of at home dads is growing.
There is a great article over at the Home Education Magazine called And What Does Your Husband Do? that always makes me smile. Though it seems odd to some, stepping outside the traditional gender roles is showing up more and more. And personally, I love it. There is nothing hotter than a man who can cook, clean, and change a diaper. O la la!
homeschool, dad, stay at home dads, sahd, homeschooling dads, at home dad, fatherhood
Get Crafty 2007-04-09 21:22:48 “Mom I’m bored!”
“Mom there’s nothing to do!”
“Moooooom!”
How often do those words echo through your house? Here we are expereincing a sudden cold front that is ruining our spring time fun. While I’m pacing the floor worrying about my garden and hoping everything survives, inside the house tensions are mounting as we can’t go out and burn off steam.
I’m a big arts and craft fan myself. That’s my answer to everything. If you can’t go outside to play do arts and crafts. If you’re bored do arts and crafts. If you’ve got the flu and can’t get out of bed…. do arts and crafts. I keep a stocked craft area, stocked to the point of overflowing onto the rest of the house. On any given day you are likely to find us doing some sort of craft project. You don’t need to spend a ton of money either, just keeping a few craft supplies on hand will be enough to do almost anything.
With young chi Read more:Crafty
Method Madness Monday 2007-04-09 16:45:23
This week we are looking at the Charlotte Mason method.
“Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.” - a quote from Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) was a British educator who also was a lecturer at Bishop Otter Teacher Training College in Chichester, England, wrote many books and pamphlets, started a training school for governesses which became Charlotte Mason College, became a popular public lecturer, established the Parents National Education Union (PNEU), and was Editor of it’s magazine, “Parent’s Review”. Charlotte Mason also taught parents, held retreats and classes on building the family, and believed that all would benefit from a rich education and life.
“Education is a life; that life is sustained on ideas; ideas are of spiritual origin, and that we get them chiefly as we convey them to one another. The duty of parents is to sustain a child’s inner life with ideas as they sustain his body with food.” (Volum Read more:Madness
, Monday
, Method Madness
Blog Awards 2007-04-09 05:44:30 Voting for the Homeschool Blog Awards
begind April 9th. Go here to begin voting!
There is also the Blogger’s Choice Awards going on right now. And your’s truely has been nominated. You can vote for me at Blogger’s Choice Awards.
homeschool, Homeschool Blog Awards
, Blogger’s Choice Awards, blog awards
Why homeschool? 2007-04-11 16:49:17 I read a great article yesterday called Why I Refuse to Send My Kids to School: Five Perfectly Sane Reasons and it got me thinking about all of the reasons why parents are choosing to homeschool their children. There are as many reasons as there are parents, some that you will agree with and some that you won’t. I’m sure that among your own reasons there are some that others will agree with and some that they will disagree with. Despite all of that there is one thign that we all can agree on, that all parents have the right to choose to homeschool their children. Just as any other parental right there are some that we all may agree with and some that we may not, and some that we are passionately opposed to. But having the freedom to choose is what keeps us all connected. And yes, there will be some parents who take it too far, who choose to homeschool as a way to abuse their children. But these parents are the exception, not the norm; besides we have all heard of the danger
Blog Carnivals 2007-04-10 21:15:53 If you are looking for a fun blog carnival to read the 2nd Edition of the Carnival of SAHMs is up over at Wired For Noise. This edition’s theme is Tips and Advice. The carnival is also looking for blogs who would like to host future editions themselves.
Also the 67th Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling is up and running over at Apollos Academy. There is a beautiful poetry theme going on in honor of April being National Poetry Month. It is worth checking out.
blogging, blog carnival, carnival of sahms, carnival of homeschooling
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, Blog Carnivals
Are we doing enough today? 2007-04-10 16:14:22 Beth at Woman of the Tiger Moon has a very touching post about what homeschooling looks like for her family inA Good Homeschooling Day As I read it I could not help but feel touched by the differences that each of her children require for it to be a “good” day. I think so many of us feel that we have to fit into this perfect package each and every day. We assign ourselves, and our children, a running list of what we must get done each day and compare that to what other homeschooling parents we know are doing
. What we forget is that for each family, and for each child in the family, the days can be drastically different.
Case in point. A dear friend of mine was laughing and telling me about how odd her days are now that she is homeschooling both of her oldest children. Her son is very textbook oriented. He wants you to assign him a certain number of pages, to assign him a specific list, a set book, he wants grades and charts and percentages. Even when the subject is somethi
Could we say goodbye to testing? 2007-04-12 16:54:09 Houston school district to consider asking for end to TAKS test
One thing that some homeschooling parents dislike is the “teaching to test” method that is often used in public schools. I have heard parents and teachers alike complain that students are not being taught but are being grilled to pass a test. Who cares if they forget everything the next day or is they really understand what they are being taught, as long as the numbers look good on the test.
With Houstin looking to replace the TAKS this could be a huge step forward. Other schools could follow in their footsteps, this could become a trend. Dare I say it, children could actually be judged on what they know rather than what they can mimic back in test format.
Texas is one of the lenient states in homeschooling laws, so it is possible that some of that has been influenceing others. In Texas There are no requirements for attenddence, testing, notice, qualifications, and only the basic subjects are required to be t
How to keep homeschool kids busy 2007-04-13 22:52:16 I like to keep track of this blog’s stat.’s and see where most of my viewers are coming from. For the last 2 weeks the phrase “how to keep homeschool kids busy” has been the #1 search term that has brought readers here.
OK, so if that’s what you are looking for I am happy to oblige. Here are my top 10 ideas for keeping your kids busy. If anyone else has some great ideas please share them here!
1. Hit the library! Keep a stack of good books available all day every day. Every time the “Mom, I’m bored!” strikes suggest they curl up and enjoy a book that they have picked out.
2. Arts and crafts. You can never have enough arts and crafts in your day, that’s my belief anyway. I wrote about this very idea just a few days ago, you can read it here.
3. Go outside! Seriously, the easiest way to keep kids busy is to set them loose. Hand them a magnifying glass and a small bucket and turn them loose on the backyard.
4. Help them discover a new
Is that really homeschooling? 2007-04-13 16:32:07 I’m a bit shocked by the way some homeschoolers have picked apart the decision by John Edwards and his wife to homeschool their children. The fact is that they plan to hire tutors to help, something that some homeschooling parents find not just shocking but an insult to “true” homeschooling.
My first response is shock. Mrs. Edwards has cancer. The homeschooling will not only keep the family together during the long campaign trail it will also allow more freedom for their two children to spend time with their mother during this difficult period. If they have the resources to hire tutors to help then more power to them.
So many families choose to homeschool in such vastly different ways. Some may spend six hours a day at the kitchen table working in books and practicing writing on a portable chalkboard. The next family may let their children go and do as they please trusting that education will come from life. And yet neither is a more “true” homeschooler
Adult homeschooling 2007-04-17 16:43:26 Sometimes I find myself so wrapped up in raising my children that I can forget that I need a little TLC too. A good book, a warm bath, and a nice glass of wine are enough to pamper me and leave me feeling relaxed. Now I will admit my knowledge of wine is slim to none. I like somethign sweet, light, and affordable; and by affordable I mean cheap. The kind of stuff that true wine lovers turn their noses up at. So I had to smile when I read this article Homeschooling for Newbie Wine Drinkers. Perfect! And there’s even a homework assignment to enrich the learning experience with.
So there you are mom and dad, you have a little homeschooling to do yourselves. You can become a little more cultured, a little more knowledgable, or just have a good excuse to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. If the thought of trying a selection of various wines has you wrinkling up your nose you might want to read Open a Bottle, Open Your Mind. Who knows, the wine you swore you would never like may just Read more:Adult
Method Madness Monday 2007-04-16 16:58:11
Well here we are at another Monday
. This week I want to talk about a fun method that many homeschoolers dip into from time to time. The Unit Studies aproach. Sometimes called thematic units or integrated studies, the unit studies approach is teaching everything in one unti rather than spread out as several different subjects. There is a common theme running amoung every thing you do and all the areas are blended together. What is great about this is children get to experience how the world around them in interconnected rather than solitary.
Choosing to do with units is easily adapted to almost anyother style of teaching that parents choose to use. You can loosely mesh things together or neatly tie everything into one package. With a little creative adjusting on the parents part you can change any pre-packaged curriculum to fit a more “themed” aproach. If you ahve children of various age groups you can also create units that everyone can learn in their own ways.
So, how do Read more:Madness
, Method Madness
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