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What time is it? 2007-03-13 15:38:14
*yawn*
Good morning all. I was up late watching a movie, later than I should have been. As a resultthis morning I’m dragging a bit, taking things slowly. I noticed that most of the neighbors were gone before I even got out of bed. I can’t imagine getting up earlier this morning, even with a full night’s sleep. It is chilly and foggy out there, not the kind of weather I would want to be out in. There may be a hundred great reasons to homeschool, but the lazy factor cannot be discounted around here.
The 63rd Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Why Homeschool this morning. Like me, they are thinking about time and what a valuable resource it can be.
And speaking of valuable resources I wanted to point out the Homeschool Buyers Co-op. It is free to join and gets you special discounts on various homeschooling tools, prizes, news, and offers. If you join you can sign up for their newsletters and have their offeres and finds emailed right to you. Which is good because on m
Its another Method Madness Monday! 2007-03-12 06:48:31
This week we’re going to be looking at Waldorf curriculum for homeschoolers.
Waldorf Education is based on the work of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Its premise is that the human being has three aspects: thinking, feeling and willing, and that education has to come from experiencing the world from all three aspects. Waldorf Education does not use textbooks. The children make their own based on their experiences.
Waldorf Education is a very popular choice among homeschoolers who prefer a looser aproach with their children. Although it is originally designed to be a school based education it is actually quite adaptable for homeschoolers. There is a lot of emphasis on rhythms and the seasons and seasonal holidays are celebrated as part of the education. For younger children there is a lot of free-play to allow them to learn by doing. As the children age the emphasis turns to the arts and the imagination. There are no set textbooks, instead the children create their own books Read more:Madness
, Monday
, Method Madness
HomeschoolEstore’s Spring Essay Contest For Homeschoolers 2007-03-11 09:49:42 For any blooming writers out there, there is a great contest going on right now at the homeschoolestore.com. A spring Essay contest for homeschoolers, featuring great prizes such as an MP3 player, a mouse pad speaker, or a journaling and writing kit. The contest is simple:
Have your 5-8 year old child write a 1 paragraph essay entitled “Everything’s Coming Up.” Children ages 9 and up should write 3 paragraphs, also titled “Everything’s Coming Up.”
To learn more about the contest and to enter visit the site above.
homeschool, homeschooler, essay, contest, writing, children, Spring
, homeschoolestore.com
Read more:Contest
, Homeschoolers
A little promoting 2007-03-10 05:32:49 I wanted to link everyone to a small blurb I wrote on deciding to homeschool. Its short and too the point, and there are other small articles by others that you can also read to get a differnet perspective on this.
Deciding to homeschool: Parent’s guide
I also wrote a short piece on Childhood discipline and responsibility.
Tomorrow is Saturday, finally. I hope everyone has a great weekend, and don’t forget that Monday I’ll be talking about Waldorf education.
articles, children, parenting, homeschooling, responsiblity, discipline
Read more:little
What’s in the box? 2007-03-09 16:17:49
We love getting mail around here. Love it, love it, love it. As long as its not bill at least. Boxes of fun seem to be the favorite of all. And really, who could resist getting a big box full of godies just for you? Toys, games, books, and more all brought together directly for you. That’s why I’m such a fan of the Homeschool Shoebox Swap. Every month families are paired together randomly and get to send each other a big box full of fun. Its almost as fun for the parents as it is for the kids. I still remember our first swap. It was from a family in California. We got an awesome wooden train whistle, some “fool’s gold”, old fashioned stick candy, and more information about the history of the area than you could find in a simple history book. It was such a treat for us, and the candy was good too.
Now if you’re like me getting books in the mail is the real treat. I’ll admit it, my shelves are covered in books. And the dining room table, and t
Dinosaurs! 2007-03-08 15:36:14 We’re having a dinorsaur day in our house. It all started when my oldest rolled out of bed in a foul mood, angry and arguing. As he grumbled through breakfast, complaining about everything, he realized hat his new dinosaur book was still out on the table. He’s like a little curly headed dinosaur, somping and growing his way through he house. So I promised him a dinosaur day. We’ll color in his coloring book, mabe watch the dinosaur video I bought him from the Discovery Channel store, we’ll look through his books and alk about he different kinds there are, and mos likley we’ll do a lile dinosaur roll-playing. Especially since crawling around and growling is something that he baby brother can join in with glee.
It is days like this when I both wish I could send him off to school for a few hours, and I’m glad that I don’ have to. As much as his mood will grate my nerves, I could not imagine handing him off to some poor eacher, one not as attached Read more:Dinosaurs
Frightening 2007-03-08 07:07:54 I wanted to tip my hat towards Janine Cate over at Why Homeschool. She has a great post on a frightening issue happening in New Jersey. Apparently one judge has some “issues” with homeschooling and is using his position . See Homeschoolers in the news.
homeschool, New Jersey, law
Read more:Frightening
Thriving or Surviving? 2007-03-07 16:06:44 Yesterday I found a few free moments to sit down, put my feet up, and read a magazine. Sounds like heaven, I know. I grabbed the latest issue of my MomSense magazine and flipped to the feature story called “Are You Thriving
or Surviving
?” The main focus of the article was mothers should not stay stagnent, they need to grow and change and mature just as their children do. As I was reading a small section stood out to me.
“But there’s a difference between learning and growth. Learning is gaining knowledge and growth is moving towards maturity.”
Wow, does that say a lot about why some parents choose to homeschool. Giving our kids an education is more than just learning, it is about helping them grow. Knowing how to add and subtract is great, what what about knowing when it is worth saving your money or worth spending it. Reading about animals will help you learn, but it can’t beat going out and getting your hands dirty on a farm. For every lesson that
Carnival of Homeschooling 2007-03-06 17:26:12 The 62nd edition of the Carnival
of Homeschooling
is up over at Tami’s blog, and your’s truly has a post there.
Go check it out and see what other great posts there are.
Carnival of Homeschooling, homeschooling, blog carnival
An apple a day 2007-03-06 08:05:35
One of the fun things about homeschooling is getting to celebrate every little important day and turning it into a learning moment. March 12 is Plant A flower day, the perfect day to go out and get your hands dirty. Of, if the weather is bad spend the day learning the parts of a flower, make some flower crafts, or take a flowers for kids online course.
Also coming up is the death of Johnny Appleseed on March 18. There are some great ideas for things to do at applejuice.org.
Johnny Appleseed, flowers, homeschool, unit studies, spring
College Scholarships For Homeschoolers 2007-03-14 15:55:04 I apologize for not reporting this sooner, somehow it slipped through my radar.
The Oklahoma House voted along partisan lines Monday to expand a popular state-financed college scholarship program to home-schooled children.
The measure by Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, would make home schoolers eligible for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, which grants scholarships to students from families earning less than $50,000 per year who take a rigorous college curriculum, maintain a 2.5 grade point average and stay out of trouble. Read more…
Personally I think this is wonderful! This gives a big boost to many homeschooled children who want to go to college but may be having financial hardships. By focusing some of the money towards them we can get more in college and showing their stuff. I hope that this leads to breaking some of the stereotypes that homeschooled children can not make it in college.
homeschool, scholarships, Oklahoma, college
Read more:College
, Scholarships
, Homeschoolers
A bit more Waldorf-ish 2007-03-14 15:31:21 Christine at The Thinking Mother left me a note to let me know that I missed some great parts of Waldorf
in my Monday post. Not one to let things go half finished I’m going to try to add in the missing information here. Now, mind you that I’m not a Waldorf user so this isn’t my strong point. If anyone has some great links they would like added drop me a note and let me know.
Here is a list of the frequesntly asked questions about Waldorf Education. You can find out what is unique about the Waldorf method, what the typical curriculum looks like, and how did it get started.
If you are looking for other Waldorf inspired homeschoolers to chat with there are several groups you can join. There is the Waldorf At Home forum, WE_HS is a Yahoo! group for homeschoolers with a majority of members using Waldorf Education, WaldorfHomeschoolers is another Yahoo group for homeschoolers and unschoolers with an emphasis on Waldorf ideals, and those with younger children will enjoy Natu
Homeschooler contests 2007-03-15 15:33:09
I love learning about contests that homeschoolers are elegble to join. Loni over at Joy in the Morning shares an updated photo and writing contest for homeschoolers. There is a poetry contest and a photo contest sponcered by the HSLDA. Sylvan Publishing is hosting a Picture Book Writing contest for homeschoolers. The Air Force Association is having an essay contest for students in grades 7-12 that is also available to homeschoolers. The Midwest Creation Fellowship is having an essay contest on the topic of creationism verses evolution.
There is a Holiday writing contest from the Homeschooler’s Writing club. They also have an open-ended contest to take a photo and write an essay about something where you live. And lastly ther is a writing contest hosted by children’s book author Tabitha Yeatts. Entrants are to write about a selected photo in any style they choose.
Does anyone know of any other contests for homeschoolers going on? If so let me know and I’ll add them to
Spring time! 2007-03-16 15:51:43 Spring
is nearly here and it is gardening time again. Don’t you just love this time of the year. Everything looks so fresh and green, it is warming up outside, new flowers are blooming, and we can go out and enjoy some sunshine. There’s nothing better. We’re planning to spend each morning out side, digging in the dirt and taking care of the baby plants growing outside. Unless the weather is bad, in which case we’ll be curled up inside doing something fun.
Here are a few links for activities and fun for spring time.
DLTK’ Spring Section
Spring Crafts
Kid’s Domain - Spring Crafts
Spring Craft Ideas for Preschoolers
Celebrating the Spring Equinox
spring, spring time, crafts, activities, fun
Living a frugal life 2007-03-16 01:40:16 Homeschoolers know how to save money. Most are living on one salary trying to afford not only the normal household expenses but also add in the cost of any homeschooling supplies they need. This can cost a pretty penny, especially if they choose to use an expensive packaged curriculum. Many learn how to cut corners in other areas in order to save money from an already tight budget. That is why I wanted to share an article called Frugal Living
Tips. It is just some simple, easy to do tips that can cut some of the financial burden.
frugal, frugal living, frugal living tips
What does homeschooling look like for you? 2007-03-17 05:11:23 I got a tip about this post by Greg Laden at his blog. He wants to know more about what homeschooling looks like, what the typical day holds.
I guess it would be interesting to hear about what a “typical” or “atypical” day is like, but I think it would be much more interesting to hear about more specific ideas or activities, or rules-of-thumb that guide the process.
It seems to me that one of the great advantages of the traditional system is that courses divide the topics into a certain size range of material, and individual classes, with assignments, periodic tests or quizzes, etc. keep everyone on track (both teacher and students) to get a certain amount of work on specific topics done over a specific time. That is actually a great tool, in my opinion, but it is a shame that traditional education uses this as it’s main tool to the exclusion of all other possibilities.
Nonetheless, “courses and classes” provide useful structure, or at least a useful framework. How do yo
Carnival of Stay at home moms 2007-03-19 00:50:35 If you like submitting posts to blog carnicals there is a new one about to take place. The Carnival
of SAHMs will make its debute on March 26. If you’ve got a funny, cute, sad, or anything in between post about your life as a stay at home mom submit it to the blog carnival. And be sure to pass this around to anyone else you know who keeps a blog as a stay at home mom. Submissions are due by Sunday, March 25. The link to add a post is on the site.
blogging, blog carnival, SAHM, stay at home mom, carnival of SAHMs
Read more:home moms
Lets have a contest! 2007-03-20 16:34:25 I’m hosting a contest here at Mom Is Teaching. So get out your thinking caps and get ready.
Here’s what I want: 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 Wednesday, March 28. The next day I’ll list links back to everyone’s posts with a brief description of each. Once all of the posts are up I want you all to be the judges. Read all the posts, have fun, share a laugh with another homeschool parent who knows what it is like to have a day go off. When I post the list of posts in the contest I will also add a
Not just for US anymore 2007-03-20 14:42:23 I’ve noticed that when I am spending time online looking for other homeschoolers the majority I find are Americans. Maybe more Americans feel the need to get online and talk about their homeschooling experiences, or maybe I’m just not looking in the right places.
But homeschooling is not just an American issue, as many have seen from the Busekros news. It can be exciting to find news about homeschooling in other countries; learning about parents in places I have never been and living lives I will never understand and yet making the same choices that I make here. News like Homeschooling triples in the UK and Home education catching on in Canada remind me that the choice to homeschool really isn’t so odd afterall.
homeschooling, UK, Canada
homeschooling, UK, Canada
Trading Spouses unschooling mom 2007-03-19 23:44:55
LaToya Brown, the unschooling mom from Trading
Spaces, is talking about being on Trading Spouses and on her homeschool/unschool life at the Natural Mom Talk Radio show. If you are interested in hearing what she has to say you can listen to it there. If you have a popup blocker you may need to shut it down to be able to run the program.
homeschooling, unschooling, Trading Spouses, TV, LaToya Brown
Monday Method Madness 2007-03-19 16:03:14
This week we’re delving into unschooling.
This method is a bit trickier to discribe, because it looks so differetn to everyone! Unschooling, or child-led learning, is style that really isn’t a style. Largely influenced by the writing of John Holt, unschooling is allowing the child the freedom to grow and explore at his or her own drive. There is almost no formal teaching done, no curriculum, lesson plans, work books, nothing. Unless, of course, the child asks for it. It takes a leap of faith. Faith that your children really do want to learn and grow, and that they will in their own time and with their own reasons. With unschooling the families just live their lives and let learning be a natural part of it.
Of course this style does not work for everyone. Some people prefer a structured and controled learning environment rather than the freedom allowed with unschooling. It can be a bit unsettling for those who are used to the planned education found in most public schoolin Read more:Monday
, Madness
Around the web 2007-03-21 15:33:43 I love surfing the blogosphere and find new and intersting things from the web. My system is simple. I go to technorati.com and type in homeschooling into the search. Then I read what comes up until I find something interesting, and I go from there. Tonight it didn’t take much to start finding some fun on the web. The first place I stumbled upon was Mom loves being at home who shared a fun link called Literature_Map. Enter in an author that you love and the map will share other authors that you might enjoy as well. She found this great tool over at Just Enough, Nothing More. A quick hop over to that blog and I found a great link to a new webring for Homeschool Empowerment. From there I found myself at Learning as we go, another great homeschooling blog that has a great post about Right Brain Learning.
You may be wondering what does this rambling have to do with homeschooling. Well, besides some grat new reading ventures, my main reason for sharing this is that as homeschooling pa
Spring Reading Thing 2007, are you in? 2007-03-22 07:49:36 Katrina at Callapidder Days is having a readings challenge called the SpringReadingThing
2007 right now. All you have to do is make a list of the books you want to read this spring and include a link back in your post. For more info click the link above. I’ve got enough books sitting around waiting to be read, so I’m in.
Here’s my list:
Coloring Outside the Lines - Rober Schank, Ph.D
The Absorbant Mind - Maria Montessori
Magical Child - Joseph Chilton Pearce
raising Your Spirited Child - Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves - Naomi Aldort
These books ahve been sitting on my table, bookmarks sitting where I left them, just begging me to pick them up and finish reading them. So I’m going to take up the challenge and get them read. If anyone else has some unfinished, or even unstarted, books on their “to read” list join in the fun. There’s even a $10 prize for one lucky person, choosen at random, if you get your post w
carnival of homeschooling is up 2007-03-22 01:56:16 The Carnival of Homeschooling is up over at Principled Discovery. This week’stheme is Celebrate the Journey. So head over and celebrate with some other wonderful homeschooling parents.
blogs, blogging, blog carnival, carnival of homeschooling, homeschooling
Got any tips to share? 2007-03-23 07:11:15 Put a group of homeschool parents together and you’re sure to find more tips and tricks than you knew existed. Everything from entertaining younger children while you teach to turning every day tasks into lessons. If you are stumped just ask around and you can be sure to find a dozen or more different tips and ideas for whatever is stopping you.
So what are your tips? What are your best suggestions for homeschooling your children? What is that one piece of advice you love to share with others?
Email your tips to Tips@HSContest.com, and if your’s is choosen you will get a $50 Gift Certificate at HomeschoolFunkits.com to load up on lots of goodies.
Or share them here, where I can’t offer you any money, but you might help another homeschool parent in need.
tips, ideas, help, homeschool, homeschooling
Homeschool Blog Awards 2007-03-26 17:39:29 Is there a homeschool blog that you love? A blogger that really tells it like it is? One that makes you envious? Well why not nominate them for the Homeschool
Blog Awards
!
Nominations for blogs begin today, and with over 20 categories to choose from you can find a place for all of your favorite blogs. The categories are as follows:
HOMESCHOOL BLOG AWARDS CATEGORIES:
1. Best Homeschool Mom Blog
Everyone is the best homeschool mom for their own children. With thousands of homeschool bloggers out there, please know that there will only be one winner online – but EACH OF US are winners in our own homes. If there’s a blogging mom out there that has been a particularly good example to you and you want to let her know… consider her for this nomination! [Her blog does not have to be exclusively about motherhood or homeschooling.]
2. Best Homeschool Dad Blog
We love to hear what dad has to say. Especially if he includes homeschool posts off and on. [Blog doesn’t ha
Method Madness Monday 2007-03-26 07:53:43
Yes folks, its that day of the week again! This week I thought we might delve into Montessori and learn some more about this fascinating approach.
“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement is being formed.”
Dr. Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
Lets start with the basics. From the FAQ page at www.montessori.edu:
Q. Where did Montessori come from?
A. Montessori (pronounced MON-tuh-SORE-ee) education was founded in 1907 by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman in Italy to become a physician. She based her educational methods on scientific observation of children’s learning processes. Guided by her discovery that children teach themselves, Dr. Montessori designed a “prepared environment” in which children could freely choose from a number of developmentally appropriate activities. Read more:Madness
, Monday
, Method Madness
“We can’t afford for me to stay home with the kids” 2007-03-28 08:19:55 One of the obsticles to homeschooling is that it often requires one parent to stay home and cuts the family income in half. In today’s society with high prices and low wages that can be the coffin nail to any ideas of homeschooling. Many parents are looking for ways to supliment their income from the comfort of their own home and without taking away hours that should be spent with their children. Luckily, if you are creative and resourceful there are many ways you can earn extra income each month.
Job Ideas for the Stay at Home Mom has many suggestions that any parent can use to make up for missed income. If you are just looking for writing ideas you can find some at Get Paid To Write Online. Want to write an awesome blog like mine? Apply here at 451Press, just mention that Summer M from momisteaching.com sent you. there are available topics on everything from fatherhood, divorced life, knitting, astrology, and more.
Earlier today I read a great post from another great homeschool Read more:afford
Blog carnivals 2007-03-27 15:23:45 The 65th Carnival of Homeschooling is up and running over at Alasandra’s blog. This week’s carnival is dedicated to Charles Darwin. It looks like a fun one this time so head on over and enjoy the posts.
Also, the first ever Carnival of SAHMs is up at Wired For Noise. Check it out and see if you have something to submit to it next time.
blogging, blog carnival, carnival of homeschooling, carnival of sahms
Rain 2007-03-29 16:43:11 Spring has landed on us with a splash. My oldest is chomping at the bit to get outside and play just as soon as the sky clears. I haven’t the heart to tell him it may be days away. Since we’re stuck inside we’ve been trying to turn the days around. We collected rainwater, talked about the plants getting greener, and read the book Rain by Marion Dane Bauer.
After lunch we loaded in the car and drove to a friend’s house. Over there the kids were reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder and making their own butter. It was an extra exciting day there because my friend’s oldest daughter has decided she no longer wants to go to public school. She’ll be homeschooling with her younger siblings again, and her mother couldn’t be happier.
Even when the day is rainy and cold the fun doesn’t stop. We always find something to do. I am always happy that homeschooling means that rainy days are not as bad as they could be. If my oldest son spent the day sittin
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