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Top 5 Mother’s Day Gifts for a Homeschooling Mom 2007-05-09 21:00:40 “In all my efforts to learn to read, my mother shared fully my ambition and sympathized with me and aided me in every way she could. If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.”– Booker T. Washington
Mother’s Day is fast approaching and some of you probably still haven’t thought abut what to get the women in your life. Moms work hard, whether they stay at home or work outside the house there isn’t a minute that goes by that they aren’t busy. If one of those hardworking moms also happens to be hard at work homeschooling her children here are my top five picks for what you can get her for Mother’s Day.
1. Maid service for the day. Between teaching, helping, cooking, fixing, chasing, and trying to sit down for a minute moms can be pretty wore out. Often she has so much to do that there just is no way to get it all done. Why not lend a helping hand by offering your services a Read more:Gifts
, Homeschooling
Melissa Busekros interview 2007-05-09 19:24:38 CBNews has an exclusive interview
with Melissa
Busekros. The German teen talks about being removed from her family and her faith that God will work everything out for them.
Melissa Busekros, Germany, homeschooling
Taking a breather 2007-05-09 16:44:21 My oldest loves going to the library to get books. Which makes perfect sense looking at his bookworm of a mother.
Yeasterday afternoon I packed up the boys and met another homeschooling mom and her clan at our local library. What is great there is that the entire basement has been converted into a children’s area, complete with bean bag chairs, small tables, and a small stage perfect for little ones to dance and sing on. The older kids played along side the youngest ones without a second thought. There was no “I don’t play with babies!” or “That’s a little kid game!” that sometimes happens when older children are forced to socialize with little ones. Nope, they all laughed, played, crawled on the floor, hid under the tables, put on a dance show, told jokes, and basically played until they were all worn out.
Getting out to spend time with other homeschooling families is great for everyone. Not only do the kids get to play and have fun, but th Read more:Taking
Inflatable Studios wins again! 2007-05-08 20:46:51 It seems that everyone has been passing around the hilarious socialization comic, I got it myself in an email from a friend. Well Jason Holm, the creater of the famous funny, dropped by to say that everyone who loved that should visit his site InflatableStudios
. There you can find a full color version of the comic and even buy bumper stickers and shirts with the comic on them. Can you guess what I want for Mother’s Day? Hmmm, I wonder if I’ll get many stares wearing it out…
homeschool, homeschooling, socialization, funny, comic, cartoon, Jason Holm, Inflatable Studios
What do you do during the summer? 2007-05-08 16:43:41 It’s May. That means the weather is warm, the stores are full of “Congrats!” gifts for the soon ot be graduates, and summer vacation plans are all anyone can talk about.
What about the homeschoolers? What do you do when summer vacation realy isn’t that different from the rest of the year? Some continue to homeschool all summer long, either at the same pace or a bit more relaxed. Others stop homeschooling and let the kids run free with the public schooled children. And still others take advantage of their free schedules to plan their escapes during the spring or fall when the weather is a bit more mellow. No matter what your family chooses to do as long as it works for you then don’t worry what anyone else is doing.
Here the summer months can be brutal as far as the heat goes. And with a baby I’m not too thrilled with getting out in the sun that often. So while the weather is still beautiful we spend more time outside playing and enjoying it than we d
(a little late) Method Madness Monday! 2007-05-08 05:12:21
I got some great methods that I hadn’t even thought of last week to explore a little
with you all. If anyone has any other homeschooling, or teaching, methods that they would like to see written about here please drop me a note.
This week we are looking at literature based homeschooling. This style is similar to Charlotte Mason in that it uses literature as a basis for learning instead of textbooks. Often textbooks are written rather blandly and can turn off a child towards reading, so parents who choose to use a literature based method let their children learn through reading books that were made to be enjoyed. Historical fiction, science fun books, biographies, and many other books fill the curriculum. This style certainly helps promote a love of reading and many children find that they enjoy learning about the subject better from a lively book than a textbook.
Another part of literature based curriculum that many parents love is that there is more interation between the paren Read more:little late
, Madness
, Method Madness
, Monday
Achoo! 2007-05-07 17:08:54 I apologize for lack of a post this morning. Yesterday I took my sons for a late afternoon walk which took us through many beautiful yards overflowing with flowers. By the time we were home I was having a full-on sneezing fit. So it was no suprise that i woke this morning with my head feeling like a balloon and not quite able to breath.
Once the medicine kicks in and I get a couple cups of coffee in my system I’ll write something great. Until then why not check out the Carnival of Family Life. Its the anniversary edition this week so go wish them a happy anniversary!
blog carnival, blogging, carnival of family life, allergies
Baked crayons. 2007-05-12 15:16:07 I stumbled upon Mrs. Suzie Homemaker (which I am soooo not) and her post on Recycle broken crayons. I glanced over at the preschooler coloring with his bin of broken crayons and thought “lets do this!”. It only took a few minutes to do and he was in heaven the whole time. I wish I could share the joy upon his face when he heard the oven time buzz. LOL It was like Christmas morning.
First we had to peel the paper off the old crayons, which ended up being my job. Sure it seems easy, but when you are like me and keep your finger nails short it can be tricky on some of the pieces. My oldest carefully examined the empty cups of the old muffin tin, being very picky about what colors he wanted to go together and in what order in the tins. It was a delicate work of art to say the least.
After baking for 5 minutes at 300* F we pulled them out of the oven and examined the liquid crayons. We talked about how the oven melted them what we thought would happen when we put them in the f Read more:Baked
Enjoying the little things in homeschooling. 2007-05-11 16:28:40 Yesterday I read a great post called The Top 5 Least-Considered Reasons To Homeschool. We all know about the big reasons for homeschooling, but there many little
reasons that are added bonuses. For me, its knowing that we don’t have to get up early in the morning to get the boys ready for school. No fighting, no rushing, no trying to get clothes on their bodies and food in their bellies before the sun has even come up. If its raining, snowing, or just plain cold we don’t have to get out of the house, or even our jammies.
Every family has their own list of added perks that come from homeschooling. What are you secretly glad to be homeschooling about?
homeschool, homeschooling, reasons to homeschool
Read more:things
How organized are you? 2007-05-10 16:32:13 I was reading over at Homeschool Zoo Annex and saw a link on her sidebar for The Full Year Notebook System for Homeschoolers. It is a downloadable system for organizing your homeschooling work. The site claims to be able to work with any system, any style or method, even unschoolers.
I know that each state has its own rules on how organized homeschoolers need to be. Some require perfectly kept reports that are evaluated often and some require little to nothing at all. I have seen so many systems on the market, each claiming to be just what every homeschooling parent needs to keep things organized and presentable. But I wonder how many actually live up to their claims. Does anyone actually use these systems? Could you just put together your own, or is it easier for you to buy something ready for you?
homeschool, homeschooling, organization
I love a good carnival! 2007-05-15 15:44:43 Luckily there are so many to enjoy! Wired For Noise is hosting the Carnival of SAHMs right now. The next one will be up May 28th right here at Mom is Teaching. Be a Good Dad is hosting the Carnival of Family Life - Mother’s Day Edition Over at Stop The Ride the Make it From Scratch carnival is up. And Palm Tree Pundit has the Carnival of Homeschooling this week.
blogging, blog carnivals, Carnival of SAHMs, Carnival of Family Life, Make it From Scratch, Carnival of Homeschooling
Method Madness Monday - Principled Approach 2007-05-14 16:24:36
This week I wanted to explore the Prinicpled Approach to homeschooling. This is one method that I am really not familiar with at all, so it was interesting to learn more about. The Principled
Approach is a Biblical homeschooling method with a heavy Christian worldview. It is a philosophical method that focuses on teaching child how to think and reason, as well how to be self-goverened. The curriculum is modeled both after the Bible and also from the colonial period of American history.
In the Principled Approach students use notebooks to “research, reason, relate, and record” what they are learning. The notebooks then become permanent records of their education and can be reflected upon later on. Students are required to use their notebooks to research each subject thoroughly, reason by finding the leading idea and the basic principles, relate the subject and deas to other areas of learning and to the world around them, and finally record what they have learned and wehat Read more:Madness
, Method Madness
, Monday
Homeschool Meme 2007-05-19 00:31:25 I found this fun meme over at Homeschool
ing with laughter & love and I had to share it.
1. ONE HOMESCHOOL BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED:
Rebecca Rupp - Home Learning Year by Year
2. ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN’T BE WITHOUT:
The internet. I can find everything and anything online
3. ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT:
So far I have been lucky and haven’t bought anything that I have come to regret
4. ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR:
All of the Williamson Little Hands Series. They are full of fun ideas that my boys love.
5. ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR:
A friend has graciously let me borrow her old Oak Meadow guidebooks to read and absorb.
6. ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY:
I wish I could afford to buy the Enki Education curriculum, but it is a bit too costly for me
7. ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED:
I don’t know. There are so many great ones available already
8. ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOG YOU ENJOY READING:
Oh, practically all of them!
9. ONE WEBSITE Y
Homeschool scrapbook 2007-05-18 15:51:25 I am a total scrapbook junkie. I can easily spend $50 in supplies and be ready to buy more the next day. So when I stumbled upon Kath’s Homemade Homeschool
Yearbooks my heart got a little flutter. The page is simple ideas for making a scrapbook of your homeschooling year. I’m sure my dearest is hiding his credit card as I type.
I’ve been plotting out what pages to do, what information to include, and what style to use. Right now I am leaning towards a paper bag scrapbook because of how easy and cheap they are toput together, and also because using the bags is a great recycling project. My only concern is that paper bags are not acid free which means photos and such tend to fade out.
Of course this doesn’t have to be a parent only craft. Many homeschool kids enjoy making scrapbooks to cover the things they have learned during the year. Some create seperate books on each subject, some only make one book to cover the whole year. Those who enjoy doing lapbooks o
The purpose of education is… 2007-05-17 15:35:07 A friend on a parenting group posted this interesting article called The Meaning of Education. In it the meaning of “to educate” comes up for review. What does it really mean to educate a child? Does that mean teaching them the basics of reading, writing, and arithmatic? Does that mean showing a child the information they will need, or showing them how to find the information on their own? What is the true purpose of education to you?
As the article points out in ancient Greece, Socrates argued that education was about drawing out what was already within the student. Many homeschoolers and unschoolers agree that giving a child a good education is not about filling them up with facts but showing them out to shine their own inner light. It reminds me of my favorite education quote:
“Do not then train youth to learn by force and harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the geniu
Feeling burnout? 2007-05-16 15:00:13 It is common around this time of the year for some families to begin feeling the homeschool burnout. If you’ve been homeschooling with the traditional school’s schedule you are nearing the end of your year, the world is awake outside, and your kids are ready to get done and get outside. Maybe you’re ready for a break too. Toss the books out the window, forget about finishing up the studies, and just slump back and rest. For some parents this end of year burnout can make them wonder if next year is the year to try public school.
If you are feeling a little (or a lot) burntout there are some things you can do to get your groove back and feel ready to homeschool again. Often the burnout comes from trying to do too much too fast. We feel over-extended and desperate for a break. So why not just take one? Take a day or two off and just relax. Forget about finishing the chapter, put the research to the side, and just breath. There is no point to keep pushing when you feel Read more:Feeling
The Fairy Chronicles are here! 2007-05-21 15:58:13
I have been fortunate enough to get my hands on books 1 and 2 of The Fairy Chronicles by J.H. Sweet. I sat down immediately and began reading them and I fell in love! The books follow the tales of a group of ordinary girls who find out that they are also fairies created by Mother Nature to care for the world.
Fairies: Delightful, magical spirits with likenesses and kinship to flowers, incents, and other small creatures. fairies are problem solvers, helpers, fixers, and protectors of nature. They get along well with gnomes and most other living things.
Geared towards girls ages 7 and up these books are wonderful tales of young girls blessed with special gifts. Each girl is unique in her own way and learns that each has their own special power. The tales are fun without being too over the top. Each of the characters is very believable, even for fairies and gnomes. There are beautiful illustrations sprinkled through the pages that makes the books even more delightful . These are definit
Funny yet sad 2007-05-19 16:46:42 I found this interesting song over at More Than Fine and it made me giggle and wince at the same time.
Not On the Test - Tom Chapin
(listen here)
Go on to sleep now, third grader of mine.
The test is tomorrow but you’ll do just fine.
It’s reading and math. Forget all the rest.
You don’t need to know what is not on the test.
Each box that you mark on each test that you take,
Remember your teachers. Their jobs are at stake.
Your score is their score, but don’t get all stressed.
They’d never teach anything not on the test.
The School Board is faced with no child left behind
With rules but no funding, they’re caught in a bind.
So music and art and the things you love best
Are not in your school ’cause they’re not on the test.
Sleep, sleep, and as you progress
You’ll learn there’s a lot that is not on the test.
Debate is a skill that is useful to know,
Unless you’re in Congress or talk radio,
Where shouting and spouting and Read more:Funny
Catalog season for homeschoolers 2007-05-24 09:07:08 If your house is like mine you are probably alrady drowning in the sea of catalogs coming. Every curriculum company, educational toy maker, book supplier, and more are filling my mailbox with offers to “Get ready for homeschooling this fall!” I’ll admit it, I do get a little tempted by some of the great deals and interesting supplies I find. It is probably a good thing I don’t have a credit card with a high limit or I might get myself into trouble.
There are some notable ones out of all the catalogs that I wanted to share, in case your mail carrier isn’t giving you dirty looks like mine.
Shekinah Curriculum Cellar Lots of great books on sale is what I love the best about this catalog. There are some amazing books here as well as some great curriculum supplies.
Timberdoodle Doesn’t everyone love Timberdoodle? I love the Never Bored books they offer as well as all the fun games.
Bright Minds I don’t even know how this catalog found me, but I&r
How do you find the time? 2007-05-23 09:06:51 A hilarious comment over at the blog of my good friend, and homeschooling super-hero, Welcome To My Brain was just begging for a response. Though I know the commenter will probably never return and never read this, it is still a bit of therapy to reply. And who knows, there might be others who feel the same way. So here is the chance to answer them before they leave remarks. (A bit of background- Christine is a breastfeeding supporter, and every week posts a random photo of a mother nursing)
I just can’t seem how people can homeschool their kids and they get enough stuff in one day then being in a regular public school. I would NEVER homeschool my kids because I would be afraid that they wouldn’t get into a good college. And if they couldn’t I would think about that forever, like the “what if’s”.
And Im sure your kids don’t enough schooling… when they are learning, their mom is on the internet trying to find pictures of womens boobs and
Carnival time! 2007-05-22 08:48:05 The Carnival
of Homeschooling is up and running over at Lilting House. It is a great read this week, definitely something to check out.
If you are the crafty type Make it from Sratch is also up at Stop the Ride. Thats a great carnival for getting inspired.
If you’re looking for something a little more laid back the Carnival of Family Life is a great place to start.
Don’t forget to get your posts in to the Carnival of SAHMs. I’ll be hosting it here on the 29th.
Some of you may remember the Country Fair. Doc has brought back it back, Call for submissions - 7th Country Fair.
Congrats Donna! 2007-05-27 10:34:03 Donna
of Crazy Crafting Mama if the winner of the Fairy Chronicles books! She will be receiving volumes 1 and 2 of the series, some awesome flower seeds, and some beautiful garden decorations. I hope her daughter loves them.
And don’t worry, I have 2 more books that I will be offering in a contest very soon. This time the books are for mom, so be on the lookout for the next contest. And thanks to everyone who entered!
Blueberry homeschooling 2007-05-26 09:00:29 I thought I would share a glimpse into our week and share a recipe that we enjoyed. My oldest has been really into animals lately, so we have been enjoying Animal planet in the evenings. On Monday we watched a show about bears living in Canada. At one point the bears were grazing through a field of blueberry bushes. So on Tuesday when we went to the library I made sure to grab Blueberries for Sal. We also picked up some books on hiking and camping and all the animals you can see.
Then on Wednesday we packed up and went to a local park that we love. There are lots of trees, flowers, a creek, and a small hill covered in brush and plants. Its a pretty small area, but to little kids it is huge. That evening We went to the store and bought some blueberries and a small thing of plain yogurt. Thursday we used the plain yogurt to make our own yogurt that we could eat with the blueberries. It cultured all day Thursday and was ready to eat Friday morning for breakfast.
(more…)
Read more:Blueberry
Congrats Caitlin Snaring! 2007-05-25 09:25:28
Caitlin Snaring, a homeschooler, becomes the second female ever to win the National Geographic Bee.
I am actually watching the footage of the 2007 National Geographic Bee as I type this and am enjoying see the background on all of the amazing children who participated. They are all so intelligent and and interesting, and beyond that each are great kids in so many ways beyond just geography.
Sources:
Caitlin Snaring Wins National Geographic Bee
Washington Girl Wins Geography Bee
CAITLIN SNARING FROM WASHINGTON STATE WINS 2007 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE
Caitlin Snaring, National Geography Bee, geography, homeschooling
Should we homeschool? 2007-05-30 09:44:35 Every summer a new wave of nervous parents enter the homeschooling debate. Maybe they had an unnerving year, or maybe it is the accumulation of several. For some the school year went by fine, but they wonder if it could ahve been better. Some parents don’t even have school aged children yet but are anxious about sending them off to outside schools. What ever their reasons they spend the summer biting their nails and trying to decide whether to take the leap or not.
(more…)
Low Impact Week! 2007-05-29 13:00:49
June 1-7 is Low Impact week. To celebrate I am going to share some great tips, advice, and information on what you can do with your children each day to lower your impact on the earth. I hope you all will join me, and maybe blog about your own adventures in being low impact.
Is homeschooling better than formal education? 2007-05-29 09:05:24 I am sure asking this question is like striking a hornets nest, but I’ve never been afraid of getting stung.
I actually found this very debate happening at Helium. You can read my answer to the dangerous question here. Being as this is a homeschool blog I am sure you can guess where my loyalty lies, but if you are interested in the specifics of my answer it could be a controversal read.
Melissa over at The Lilting House stirred up a great conversation in her post “Can We Really Educate Every American Child?” where she shared the US Secretary of Education’s less than clear answer to the question “what would you do, in a perfect world?”
I wanted to share this quote from the Madam Secretary Margaret Spellings.
The other thing is this notion that, I mean, can we really educate every American child? I mean, we’re so far away from doing that, it’s not even funny. Half of our minority kids aren’t getting out of high school on time. Most o Read more:better
, formal
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