My First Link-up! Sign up here to receive freebies, deals, and resources!! This post contains my referral link which helps support the work of this site. Here’s my full disclosure policy. Hi Everyone! I have a special treat for you! I am co-hosting this weeks “Home School Link-Up this week! That means you will be able to meet some amazing homeschoolers, educators, and moms right at the end of this post! My new blogger friend, Lisa with Squishable Baby is the fabulous coordinator of these Link-ups. Thanks Lisa! Here we go… Hello Good morning homeschoolers, educators, teachers, friends, family and whomever I’ve missed. Welcome to the 9th homeschool link up hosted by Unschooling Momma and Moi. Last week’s link-up was awesome. I learned a great deal from all of you, and look forward to reading your posts this week! The purpose of this link up is to provide fellow homeschoolers, past homeschoolers, eduction buffs, want to be homeschoolers, parents who want to supplement, or whomever – with a variety of fantastic educational resources. Feel free to link up to 3 education posts. We would love to hear about educational projects, crafts, schedules, curriculum, alternative learning ideas – whatever you like that has to do with the education of our children. Feel free to be creative! This link-up is broad for education. If you have an education related giveaway or education related deals and freebies, please link them up. Here are a few guidelines… Link up any education related post or resources or homeschool project or post – old or new. We will pin our favorites to our homeschool Pinterest board. Let your imagination soar. If you are not a homeschooler and have a craft or project that you might think homeschoolers would benefit from – link up. If you link-up an old “deals” please make sure they are still valid at the time of linking. When linking up, please tweet about the link-up to help us grow. Tweet // When you tweet, please use #homeschoollinkup Grab a button and place it in your sidebar and help us grow! Enjoy the posts of your fellow homeschoolers and education experts! This weeks Blogger feature is Tracy at A Learning Journey Written by Tracy, A Learning Journey is an excellent blog for finding new resources for your homeschool. Last week, wrote about Homeschool Legacy, a shop that offers a variety of unit studies. She conducted a very thorough review and is running a giveaway. Personally, we don’t do a lot of unit study stuff, but I always feel it’s good to try new things. You never know what will work and what the children will enjoy. Definitely check out this product and enter the giveaway! Just click on the graphic, and it will take you to the review and giveaway. Our Cohost – Bekki Follow Bekki Blog YouTube Facebook Pinterest Twitter This week, we have a wonderful giveaway that is being offered by our co-host, Bekki Sayers at A Better Way to Homeschool. Bekki is a veteran homeschool Mom of 14 years, who creates wonderful fun packs and lesson plans for all grade levels. Her blog is a great resource for all homeschoolers. This week she is offering 21 fun and engaging Thanksgiving math activities for Preschool-Grade 1. Enter the rafflecopter below to win this great pack. a Rafflecopter giveaway I am searching for co-hosts in an attempt to grow this link up – if anyone is interested in hosting the homeschool linkup for a week, email me (Lisa) at lisa {at} squishablebaby {dot} com. Without further ado, it’s time to… // Since next week is Thanksgiving, I want to wish you all safe travels – wherever life takes you. I wish you a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. I will be looking forward to seeing you in two weeks!
Division Games: Fun or Headache? Does the idea of teaching divisibility make you jump for joy or run for cover? I have taught 5th and 6th grade 7 years total now, (3 years in the classroom, plus 4 of my own kids so far) and I can tell you that many kids struggle with the divisibility rules. You now, things like “A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of all the digits equals a number is divisible by 9”. Easy? No? Fear not. These rules are very important when kids need to reduce fractions, so I got creative. I made 14 Divisibility Games and Activity Pack to help you reinforce divisibility. (I am giving a copy away to one of my lucky readers. Enter below) My boys love the pack. Actually, each time I pull out an activity they help me create a new one. We are now up to 14 fun activities:). You can visit my store to get your own copy. It is only on sale until 11/14/2013. Here is my 6th grader doing the color by divisibility activity. He loved that when you colored the numbers a picture emerged. What will you get in this 37 page activity pack? Let me share the table of content with you: Divisibility VocabularyDivisibility Word Search Divisibility Word Search-Key Match the Vocabulary WorksheetMatch the Vocabulary Worksheet-Key Divisibility Rules numbers 2, 5, and 10 Divisibility Rules numbers 3, 4, 9 Divisibility Rules numbers 6, 7, 8 Divisibility Tic Tac Toe Large Color Number Cards for Tic Tac Toe and BINGO!Large B/W Number Cards for Tic Tac Toe and BINGO! Tic Tac Toe Board Divisibility BINGODivisibility BINGO BoardsSmall Bingo Number cards Divisibility Quick Guide/answers for BINGOGraphing the Winner Template-Use with Games Find Hidden Symbol- Divisible by 5Find Hidden Symbol- Divisible by 5-Key Find Hidden Symbol- Divisible by 9 Find Hidden Symbol- Divisible by 9-KeyWhat’s the Divisibility Drill Worksheet What’s the Divisibility Drill-KeyWhat’s Your Divisibility Worksheet What’s Your Divisibility Worksheet Key Divisibility Memory MEMORY CARDS Divisibility Quick Reference Enter to win your copy a Rafflecopter giveaway Can’t wait? Order your instant download at my store.
Meet Melissa and Doug! Meet the Sponsors Monday! I am excited to spotlight Melissa and Doug… I love these guys! Melissa and Doug are real people who got their toy business started in a very humble way. Doug was too embarrassed to ask Melissa to marry him, so he asked her to start a business with him instead. Don’t you just love that? These guys make the kid of toys that grandparents would be proud to see we bought for our kids! High Quality, purposeful, educational and fun! Here are some of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES! Melissa and Doug Wooden Shape Sorting Clock This is my current favorite!!! What a fun way to allow your children to learn all about the the face of an analogue clock! This multi-sensory clock face has all the fundamental topics you will need to address reading an analogue clock. I love that it even has the “half past”, “quarter past”, and “quart to” phrases! Standard Unit Blocks You have to trust me on this one. Your kids will love plain blocks! This is the opitome of the classic toy. My boys build towers, castles, obstacle courses, and traps using their blocks! Fold and Go Barn Isn’t this the sweetest? My boys have outgrown their play-set days. (I was forced to say that under duress. They will still break out cool toy sets and make believe, especially on rainy days!) Shape Sorting Cube My second oldest son loved this toy when he was a baby! Sturdy, brightly colored, and loads of fun. My kids absolutely LOVED shape sorters. Honestly, I do not think anyone can do much better than Melissa and Doug toys. They are some of the highest Quality toys available for our kids and grandchildren. (No, I do not have grandchildren yet, but someday I will:)) What is your favorite Melissa and Doug Toy?
Yes, I Have Blind-spots Yes, I Have Blind Spot is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+! Did you ever walk right by something really interesting, but miss it altogether? I do this all the time! (Just ask my poor family) Actually I am quite clueless to my environment. I say this with the confidence that this “blindness” helps me have more grace with others. I am able to focus on people’s hearts and attitudes rather than what they are wearing or what their house looks like. Yes, that’s right. You can invite me over to your house when it’s a mess and I would not see it! (I will share some of my most embarrassing blind spots below.) With myself in mind, I would like to give you a slow tour of the right side of this website. See those little colorful squares to the right of my articles? I have you in mind as I partner with each and very one of those companies. (This is where I would say, wow… I never saw those before!) Those squares are called “buttons”. When you click on them, they take you to a valuable resource. Well, I think they are valuable! That’s why I chose each one. We all love sharing resources right? I am going to do a “Meet the Sponsor Monday” Series. I am really excited to spotlight each merchant and share my favorite products, homeschool resources, or cool facts about them. While I do have a business relationship with most of them, I think it’s a good match. I remain committed in my mission to come alongside and encourage and equip new and frustrated homeschoolers. I will only partner with companies that offer stellar products or services that I myself would use. So get ready to meet these amazing companies! Up first, Melissa and Doug… I can hardly wait until next Monday! Top 4 list of “Bekki’s Embarrassing Blind Spots. (In random order) ************************************************************ One of my dearest friends told me once that her husband had shocked her by shaving off his beard. I casually said, “He had a beard?” She almost died laughing at me (In love, of course). Our families spent years together. Apparently even she had never seen him without a beard. ************************************************************* Once I walked into my mom’s house to visit. I walked through the entry, passed the huge open living room and into the kitchen. She looked tired and was pouring a glass of iced tea, so I asked her what she was up to that day. She gave me a funny look, grabbed me by the arm and walked me back to the open living room I had just passed. Yep. That’s right. Christmas tree, piles of lights and about 20 boxes of decorations and village sets All Over the Room. I didn’t even see them! ***************************************************************************** Same dear friend as above asked me to run and get something from her van while she watched the kids on the swings. I looked at the parking lot and then back at my friend. I had no idea which one was hers. I could not even remember what color it was! (Yes, she laughed at me again!) ***************************************************************************** I was giving a new friend directions to my house while sitting in a parking lot. She asked me, “what color is your house?” (Big sigh). Even though I had lived in this home for 4 years, I honestly had no idea! ***************************************************************************** Did You Enjoy this Article? Subscribe here to make sure you do not miss a thing:)
Homeschoolers Have Imagination Homeschoolers Have Imagination is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+! I was sipping on a hot cup of tea as I watched 4 of my 5 boys run and play in our open backyard. The 14 year old had constructed a wildly creative game which included characters, superpowers, challenges to overcome, and evil to defeat. It was amazing to watch them play, but what struck me most was the 14 year old. He was fully “in character”: crouching, running, pressing imaginary buttons on an invisible control panel, and leading his younger brothers. He proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it is “cool to play make-believe”. Even when the youngest (7 years old) became bored, the older son was quick on his feet. “You want to quit now? Awww, I was just about to find a magic power disk that would allow you to use all forms of magic.” And just like that, the game was extended. Years ago I had a fellow homeschool mom share with me about her oldest child. She said he was frustrated with his public school friends because they had lost their imagination and forgotten what it was like to run around and play. At the time he was about 17 and still loved running and imagining. His friends thought he was crazy. What a thrill it is to have children who not only have active imaginations, but who feel the freedom to actually act on them! Let me ask you a few questions. Do your kids play make-believe? Do your kids entertain themselves without a lot of direction from you? Do you marvel at their creativity? Is the “default mode” for down time at your home electronic (TV or Video Game related?) Would your kids have fun or kill each other if you sent them outside right now for 30 minutes? Be sure to follow my next few posts as I share how we have nurtured our “inquiring, inquisitive, talented, and imaginative children. Did You Enjoy this Article? Subscribe to receive our latest and greatest: right here
Chores Update About two years ago I tore a tendon in my right elbow. Of course, I am right handed, so this caused me to be at a huge disadvantage in life (due to pride). I am a “do it all myself” kind of gal by nature, so asking my family to pick up my slack was not on the top of my list. I had surgery to repair my arm last year, and about a week ago I had that “Super Mom” come over and help me reorganize chores. Enter my life today. On the chore card for today was “deep clean mom and dad’s bathroom”. I took the child with the chore into the bathroom and began to instruct him the proper way to clean. Since it had literally been over 2 years since I had done it, I was right there, up to my eyelids in Comet. Did you know that a bathroom gets really dirty in two years? Before you report me to the health department… While I have used those Lysol wipes to tidy things up each week (or more), and I have periodically scrubbed this that, it’s been a long time since the whole bathroom has been spotless. Whew! Why do I share this with you? Without those chore cards, this bathroom would have been neglected longer. The cards have become the authority, not mom. Interesting. The kids have total respect for the laminated chore card. They do not complain. Go figure. They simply read their card and complete the task. We began the new chore cards on Monday. (click here to read more) After 3 days the kids and I have deep cleaned the laundry room, the refrigerator, the oven, the microwave, the floors, the living room, the entry, one bedroom, all the ceiling fans, and the master bath. The kids have commented that they love the cards and they can feel the house getting cleaner each day. Amazing! I would invite you to rethink your chore-list (or team-player duties). Do an experiment. Organize the chores, divide them up, and laminate the cards. Take on a no-excuses attitude. If the chores are on the card, they get done. period. More on Chores.
Homeschool Videos Homeschool Videos is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+! Hi everyone! I wanted to make sure you knew that I have a YouTube Channel where I record videos to help you in your homeschooling journey. If you look a the menu bar at the top of this blog, you will see the tab How to Homeschool Videos. You can follow the link on that page right to this channel. I have recorded over 40 videos so far, and I try to add at least one video a week. My heart is to share with you the good, bad, and ugly of homeschooling from the perspective of a veteran (I’ve homeschooled for almost 15 years). I have 5 boys, ages 20, 15, 11, 10, and 8 as of today. Often times, I find it easier to record a video rather than write and edit a post here. I’d like to encourage you to: 1. First- Subscribe to this blog. Simply add your email in the box to the right and click subscribe. When I post a new idea or thought, you will get an email letting you know there is new information for you. (That way you do not miss anything) 2. Second- Follow the link to my YouTube Channel. Subscribe to the channel by clicking on the red subscribe button on the top right. You will get an email with a link to any new videos I record. 3. If you have any questions or ideas that I can address in an upcoming video, simply email me:). Here’s my latest video: Did You Enjoy this Article? Subscribe here to make sure you do not miss a thing:)
Electricity and Magnetism Electricity and Magnetism is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+! Don’t you just love YouTube? I am using a cool hands on kit to teach the kids about electricity and motors. You can see the actual kit here: Elenco Snap Circuits UC-40 Upgrade Kit SC-100 to SC-500 (affiliate link) What is unbelievable is that even I can teach them about electricity using this kit! I know nothing about electricity and even less about motors and physics. This step by step, easy to snap and operate kit makes me seem brilliant! I do not know about you, but I love things like this. Every time we complete a simple project, we do YouTube research. Did I already tell you I love YouTube? We found a neat little instruction video that taught us all about electricity, magnetic fields, and the homopolar motor. Enjoy learning along side your kids! Did You Enjoy this Article? Subscribe here to make sure you do not miss a thing:)
Projects Don’t Have To Be Fancy! I am so thankful that homeschooling projects do not have to be planned or fancy to have their full impact on my kids learning. Aren’t you glad too? The boys were reading a chapter in Story of the World: Ancient Times and simply could not describe to me how a shaduf would work after reading the selection. They each read it. I reread it. I read it again. Somehow their brains could not picture this ancient irrigation tool. Solution: Impromptu Science, Physics, History Hands-on Learning Experience Materials: 2 sticks at least 4 feet long A Bucket of water A ziplock bag some kind of weight (they chose a shopping bag with pool balls) some string Directions:“Boys, here are the basic elements for making a shaduf. Figure out how to put them together in a way that allows you to fill the baggie with water from the bucket and then swing the arm around to water your make-believe garden.” Results: Dipping bag into the water Swinging the water around to reach the “garden”. “Crops” being watered. Here’s a (windy) explanation of what they learned, narrated by the youngest. Sometimes less is more in homeschooling. I had a whole afternoon of schooly looking activities planned for the boys. Instead, they were able to use critical thinking to solve a problem, build with their hands, and play in the water for over an hour. They learned more in this activity than I had planned for them to accomplish, even though we have nothing on paper to show for it. Aint Homeskoolin” Grate? (Yes, I misspelled on purpose. Sometimes you just have to jump out of the box!) [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=14776fb46639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox]
How to Get Your Kids to Read How to Get Your Kids to Read is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+! I make my kids read. There. I admit it. This summer has been a bit different though. Since I have to be off my feet for the summer, I am personally reading. A lot. The side effect has been that I am watching my boys grab books to read without being told. Apparently the example of me reading has had an impact. How to Get Your Kids to Read: Read aloud to them. Find some cliffhanging adventures, mysterious mysteries, fantastic fantasies, or stupendous science fiction stories and purpose to read every day. I read to my boys at breakfast because I find my day slips away from me. Oh. I almost forgot… Always leave them hanging when at all humanly possible. Find a Book Mentor I lost the ability to find great books for my older kids to read when my oldest passed the 500 words per minute mark. I needed help and I needed it fast. I took him to the local librarian (whom I trusted) and had him ask her for book recommendations. Perfect. Then I got my hands on resource books, like Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt (affiliate link below) and the Sonlight Curriculum Catalogue and used their recommendations. Then I asked my literary friends. That’s it. I am positive that there many be more suggestions like create a reading fort out of sheets and blankets, pop up the camping tent in the yard and fill it with books and bean bags, build an amazing ship in the back by the trees with its own book shelf, or enter a book reading contest and offer a sweet reward but that’s all I’m sharing today. Set a time, grab some books and make them read. Need Book Recommendations? Here are two great resources! Honey for a Child’s Heart Sonlight (click on the appropriate age level when you get there!) Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class. We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets.
Let’s Talk Spring Fever Let’s Talk Spring Fever is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+! I almost had a heart attack yesterday when I realized it was May 1st already! Where has this year gone? Just a quick glance at my last post shows you that I have lost track of time. Not sure about you, but this is typical for my school year. Spring Beckons my children and me to come outside and play. There are weeds to pull, birds to watch, hills to conquer, gardens to plan and plant, adventures to be embarked upon. Who wants to do “school”? Not me. And certainly not my boys. I love Spring. It reminds me of the teacher I really want to be. It frees my sons to be the learners they are born to be. It releases me from any of the “curriculum webs” I have woven around myself that cause me to chain my energetic and enthusiastic learners to my kitchen table. Even though I have a clear vision for the education of our 5 boys, I find myself continuously fighting the impulse to see what everyone else is doing. I am not sure how to fight this. Do you? I know my kids as well as you know yours. No two kids in my home love the same subjects or have the same learning styles. I need to dig in and plan next year, yet I also know I need to do some serious reflecting. Grab a journal and a cup of something warm and comforting (or cool and refreshing depending on your weather). Ready? Let the kids build a fort in the living room while we chat and review this past school year. Answer each question honestly for yourself, then click on the question itself if you want to see my personal reflection post. I’ll be posting my reflections “as links” as I answer my own questions. Let’s Be Honest… Is my home more peaceful now than when the school year began? When I walk through my home, do I see order or chaos? Do the kids have a healthy glow on their faces from spending hours outside playing every day? Do we have fun memories and photographs of a few places we have explored together? How many books did I read aloud to my children this school year? How many books did each of the kids read quietly to themselves this year? What educational “rabbit trails” did we take because either the kids or I had an unquenchable need to know? How many letters of encouragement did each of us write to friends and family this past year? How many mind blowing science experiments did we participate in: both scheduled and surprise? Did I incorporate living math into our daily lives? Do my kids know their math facts inside, outside, and upside down? Did I love and nurture my husband, or silently ask him to take a back burner in my life because I was busy “teaching”? Did I serve healthy homemade meals most of the time? Are my children enthusiastic learners or bored students? What did I learn about myself this past year? How did I grow as a teacher this year? What was my biggest hurdle? How did I deal with or ignore it? Am I happy with the subjects, curriculum, and adventures that our family exposed our kids to? How do I want to manage homeschooling next year? Share some of your experiences with us in the comments below. We learn from each other as we homeschool our children! Did You Enjoy this Article? Subscribe to receive our latest and greatest: right here
History for Homeschoolers History resources, deals, tips, and encouragement. This page is continually updated with new resources! Why do we teach history and geography? History repeats itself! We want to equip our kids to make wise choices based on history. By studying cultures, events, and people of the past we can teach our children to pattern their lives, “based on history”. History gives us an endless supply of examples of wise and stupid decisions of people that have walked this world before us. Let’s teach our children to look for examples in the lives of those who have gone before us. More Important than studying any ONE particular person, event, invention, or time period, is teaching our kids to be natural investigators of the past. “Do you know about the Pony Express?” After asking all four of my sons the same question I beat myself up a bit. It turns out that NONE of them knew anything about this piece of history. I began thinking about all the different things, people, events, and inventions I haven’t made sure my kids have learned. And then I remembered the BIG truth. It doesn’t matter if we miss events, people, and inventions from history… It matters if we don’t pass on a HUNGER for historical knowledge to our kids. I’m not saying we should neglect teaching history. My kids NEED to know about the Pony Express, who wrote the first epic novel, and random and weird history like Knockers-up. Before there were alarm clocks, there were “knockers-up”, who were hired to shoot dried peas from a blow gun at people’s windows in order to wake them up in the morning. We can learn a lot from history! But we have to ask the right questions! {Click here for Free download} Short List of History Subjects: Biblical History Archaeology Ancient Civilizations (They were brilliant!!) Medieval History Renaissance Dark Ages Colonial America Civil War American Revolution Industrial Revolution Cold War World War I and II Native American History Westward expansion Geography! This world is a fascinating place! and more, much more Get your free History Topic Ideas and Questions to ask when studying History before you go… My Opinion: God is the ultimate historian! Read your Bible with your children and research history mentioned. There is so much to learn about God and the character of a follower of Christ wrapped up within the subject of history. You could spend an entire lifetime studying any one area of history. When exposing your children to important historical events, be prepared to pause and dive deeper into an area of interest! Anything that is important to God is important to us and therefore worthy to teach to our children.
Homeschooling Resources and Encouragement Homeschooling is a living breathing thing. Just when you think you have it all figured out, your kids change on you. Life keeps you on your toes this way! Homeschooling moms can lead pretty isolated lives at times. Homeschooling can be challenging, and sometimes downright difficult. We all need encouragement, creative idea boosts, and sometimes a swift kick in the pants (That one is for me). We need to be learning and growing right alongside our children. We need to model good learning and studying habits. There all kinds of “how to homeschool” and curriculum guides out there. This is where I will share my own resources or years of homeschooling experience and wisdom. Click on these links: Start Here! Where do I begin? Homeschooling is a Beautiful thing! Teaching with Toddlers and Babies Why is it “A Better Way to Homeschool?“ Amazing Notebooking Templates for Journalling
Bible for Homeschoolers Why Teach Bible? The easy to read version of Isaiah 55:11 says it best, “In the same way, my words leave my mouth, they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do.” Reading The Bible is like drinking pure natural spring water. Not only will it wet your whistle, it will bring much needed minerals to support your body. It is also an excellent springboard for studying history! Bible 101 for Homeschoolers: Read the Bible together Read from different versions (Choose an easy to understand version for young children) Read the Proverbs of the day (There are 31 Proverbs. Look a the calendar. If today is the 5th, read Proverbs 5. If today is the 29th, Read Proverb 29) Study the history of the Bible. You could spend your lifetime studying Biblical history and comparing it to what you read in “school books”. Choose Bible focused Curriculum. Pray together. Listen to Worship music. Write hymns as creative writing assignments. Use Bible verses as copywork and handwriting exercises. Focus on great Bible stories (like David and Goliath, or Ester) read the stories, draw pictures about the events. Read a Bible story and then enjoy a movie that correlates to it. (Joseph King of Dreams, Veggie Tales, Prince of Egypt, etc) Compare and contrast the biblical account and that of a movie or book. Creation Science Resources Homeschooling through the Holidays Advent Ideas My Opinion: My husband and I are Bible believing lovers of Jesus. We believe the Bible is the written word of God and can be trusted as completely accurate and applicable. If you have never read a bible before, or even do not own one of your own, you can access scripture at Bible Gateway for free. Not sure where to begin? Try the Book of John and Proverbs!
Arts and Crafts for Homeschoolers Art resources, deals, tips, and encouragement. This page is continually updated with new resources! Why do we teach and explore art? Francis Bacon said, “The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” Art is beauty, majesty, and creativity. Monet said, “Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.” Explore art. Create art. Share Art. Do not make the mistake of pushing this critical area aside! If you need help, find some art classes! Short List of Mediums of art: Drawing with crayon, pencils, colored pencils, colored markers Finger paint Pudding painting water color oil pastel cutting and pasting sculpting with paper clay Bread dough sculptures woodcarving soldering needle-work crocheting mosaics *studying the art created during the period in History you study together. jewlry making welding music dance Click on the following links for Art Resources: Subscribe below. New links and activities are posted all the time!e Hand Paining Projects Footprint Art Subscribe here so you do not miss any new resources
Make Your Kids Play Outside- Every Day I can almost say, “YES!” to this one. A fellow homeschooling mom shared an article about schools in Finland comparing them with our wonderful educational system in the United States. Interestingly enough, Finland’s kids have the highest test scores, yet their kids spend much less time in an actual classroom each day. News Flash: In Finland, the kids spend a short amount of time studying a subject and then they are sent outside for a 15-minute recess. Rain or Shine. I immediately tweaked this to apply to my household of boys. Multiple times a day during “school” I send my boys outside to play. At first, there was almost a full-scale revolt. I didn’t realize how much I had chained them to the kitchen table until I began sending them out during school. Benefits: They are getting plenty of exercise. They are starting to get along better on a more consistent basis. (Except right this second. One child is copying one of his younger brothers and it has caused some drama, but no one is perfect). The boys are basically best friends most of the time. The rest of the time they act like little tyrants, giving me plenty of time to practice patience and creative parenting. Anyone else in my boat? That healthy glow is not photo-shopped. The kids not only seem happier, but they look healthier as well. There’s nothing quite like a daily dose of fresh air. Surprisingly Challenging: I found that over the years this is one of those areas that I overlook and neglect. There is always one more book to read, one more paragraph to write, a few more math facts to perfect, chores to be done, and errands to be run. The simplicity of letting the kids get outside and play wasn’t a simple thing for me. I have to purpose to let the kids play. Its so very important, not just for their ability to get out some of that energy, but for their problem solving, creative, and eager little minds. They are better when they have played outside (OK, usually). Quite honestly, I am better when they play outside. It allows me a few moments to form an individual thought, make dinner, or simply regroup. It’s so very important, not just for their ability to get out some of that energy, but for their problem solving, creative, and eager little minds. They are better when they have played outside (OK, usually). Quite honestly, I am better when they play outside. It allows me a few moments to form an individual thought, make dinner, or simply regroup. How about you? Do your kids get enough outside time? Evaluating What Works and What Doesn’t. Click here to read “Spring Fever” to help you take a good look at what you are doing. More from Bekki So, God made YOU a homeschool mom Choosing a chore system that works for your family Inside Out Homeschooling A Better Way to Homeschool
Let’s Be Honest: When I Walk Through My Home, Do I See Order or Chaos? Let’s Be Honest: When I Walk Through My Home, Do I See Order or Chaos? I definitely have some spring cleaning to do! At a quick glance my house is tidy, but I’d never pass a white glove inspection! As I do a self inventory of my home I am fighting the urge to clean everything so I can tell you I have stayed organized this year. Nope. I said Let’s Be Honest, Right? I see multiple areas that need attention: School “Stuff”I have an eclectic homeschooling style. I love to tailor the books and materials I place in front of my children based upon their passions, talents, gifts, weaknesses, and my own curiosity. I also am blessed and cursed with an embarrassing short term memory. I have no idea what I wore yesterday, what chapter I am on in any of our current readers, or even what color my own house is unless I write it down in my journal. (See, anyone can homeschool as long as they are determined to learn and never quit!) I have piles of projects, worksheets, books, readers, lapbooks, books, and more books that I simply leave visible so I do not forget them. What does that look like? Embarrassing photo #1 Yes, that right. This is our school area.Although I have created worse messes in the past, currently everything is piled and mixed up. Sure, that closed door hides more of the mess, sure my high-schoolers supplies are not in this picture, sure I have a bazillion reasons why I stack and not file. Being Honest: I need to go through everything in my school zone and purge what is unnecessary. It’s amazing how chaos creeps in, isn’t it? Do you collect curriculum and art supplies throughout the year? How do you deal with these intruders? More School Stuff. Well, more like art supplies… Embarrassing Phone #2 I am not a shopper, so I do not have tons of supplies pouring out of my cupboards, yet what we do have is a mess! My 7-year-old is like a tornado through our supply cupboard. I have to admit this is a bit humbling. Since my kids have a laminated chore chart posted on my fridge, I fully and naively assumed that I’d have a clean child’s bedroom to report: Embarrassing Photo #3 This is our 3 Musketeer Room. Apparently, a bomb went off because there is no other explanation as to why I should be tormented through the necessity of sharing this disaster with you. What a mess! The issue goes back to the title of this post, Do I see Order or Chaos. Yes, I see chaos. It’s late in the school year. We need to fix that broken picture frame (casualty of the latest Nerf battle), purge a few thousand toys, and pull out summer clothes with the goal of getting rid of torn pants, donating things that are too small, and somehow convince all the young boys that being handed down their older brother’s clothing is a blessing. This chore is way over-due, but always nags me at this time of year. That’s all the “Full Disclosure” my time (and pride) will allow. My honest answer to this question is that I can see through the piles of chaos. I know with a few days of hard-core organizing and purging and a reward of something sweet and wonderful we will soon whip our home back into shape. The order/chaos battle never ends and effects more than my pride.I find it hard to think straight when the home is in disarray.I am less patient and easily distracted when the piles grow faster than I can sort them. It’s a wonder we get any school done in an atmosphere of disorder… Yet, somehow or other, we do. Your Turn:What condition is your home in right this second? [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=141f60546639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox]
Apple TV and Homeschooling Apple TV and Homeschooling is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+! My husband was right. There I said it. Go to Code.org and watch the short video on their home page and see what caught my attention and made me decide he was right. Years ago, my brilliant husband began talking to me about computer programming. I refused to listen because just the thought of software code gave me a migraine. He had just bought one of the first iSomethings that had games on it and said we should learn to develop applications. I nodded and walked away with honestly no intention of ever looking beyond a pretty internet site. Funny how things change over time. About a month ago, my husband and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary by blessing each other with his and her iPads and while at the Apple store he threw an Apple tv unit into the pile. Apple tv is this little box that plugs into our current telelvision and allows us to share whatever we are looking at on the computer right there on the big screen. Netflix, websites, YouTube: anything. I fell in love with this $100ish device. I began using it for homeschooling videos and games. I do not receive anything for telling you it is worth the $100, but I have to warn you. It may cause you to change your mind. I had resisted computer programming for well over a decade, up until that little Apple tv entered our home. I didn’t see it coming. After a few weeks of sharing his favorite YouTube Videos, this past week he crossed the line. He (brilliant husband mentioned in sentence number 3) made all 7 of us sit on front of the television on a beautiful sunny morning to watch videos.on.Python programming!! Yes, I protested internally (which means I left to clean the kitchen and start laundry), but eventually I caught glimpses of what was being shared on our big screen and began to wander closer. (you can read and watch on code.org.) There are currently 400,000 computer science students projected to be employed by 2020. Modest estimates say there will be 1.4 million computer jobs open by 2020. Computer Science is one of the highest paying degrees 9 out of 10 schools do not even offer computer programming classes. By this time I came into the room to watch some of the interviews. Seriously. GO watch the video on their home page with an open mind. Want to dabble in coding? There are a bazillion coding languages, where should you begin? Here’s a great visual of some popular computer languages. What computer code should you learn? Did You Enjoy this Article? Subscribe to receive our latest and greatest: right here
Notebooking Testimonials If you’re like most homeschooling moms I meet, I bet you’re tired. I WAS TIRED. Tired of chasing after the perfect homeschool method, curriculum, and schedule. Tired of worrying about whether my kids are behind or ever going to catch up. Tired of endless hours spent preparing, teaching, and grading lessons no one enjoys. For six years, we did school right up to dinner, trying to check all the right boxes. Of course, my day didn’t end there. After dinner, I had piles of worksheets, workbooks, and tests to grade FOR MULTIPLE CHILDREN. It was exhausting! It wasn’t working. It certainly wasn’t sustainable. I WANTED TO GIVE UP. I wanted to give up the boring textbooks. I wanted to give up the complicated curriculum. I wanted to give up the busywork that was sucking the life out of my kids. I was in a constant state of self-doubt. What is homeschooling supposed to look like? Am I doing enough? Am I ruining my kids? How long can I keep doing this? Am I good mother? On-and-on the spiral went. I WANTED MORE FOR OUR HOMESCHOOL. I wanted more than just checking off boxes. I wanted more than just grades on a report card. I wanted more than just doing “better” than public school. I wanted to simplify our homeschool, make it more engaging, more life-giving. I wanted to cuddle on the couch with interesting and inspiring books and have engaging conversations. I wanted to follow rabbit trails and my kids’ interests. I wanted to to develop thinkers, writers, lifelong learners. More than anything, I wanted the freedom in our homeschool to enjoy the journey wherever it led us day-to-day with no regrets. AND THAT’S WHEN I FOUND THE PERFECT HOMESCHOOL TOOL… Notebooking Pages LIFETIME Membership I am a homeschooling mommy of four children, ages 4-14. I am also a missionary in a remote African village. I have been teaching my children for 10 years, and haven’t yet found my fit in the curriculum world. I have my kids creating binders for Bible history and geography with pages I create & they fill in & decorate. I had no idea that what I was doing was called notebooking or that anyone else did it. I stumbled upon your site a few days ago and can’t get enough! We only have internet access three times a year when we’re in the capital city, so I’ve ordered your CD with ALL your pages. I am really excited about incorporating your pages into my kids’ binders that they started last year. You have blessed our family tremendously. I plan to tell all the other missionary – homeschool moms here about your site. Most here use Sonlight, and these pages would be fabulous for the kids to use to keep a record of what they’ve learned from the books they’ve read. Tina Gebhard West Africa My kids and I absolutely LOVE your notebooking pages! They look incredible and are so easy to use! I love that you can use them for older or younger ones also! All the options for each product page is wonderful!!! Thank you so much for such a helpful and affordable creation! Julie Tennessee Product: Nature Study Pages Wow! Notebookers and Charlotte Mason fans pay attention! Here is a great resource for you. And for those who don’t fit the above descriptions, you may very well like this, too. I think everyone from unschoolers to the classically minded could make good use of this nature-journal facilitating software. The first part of this computer CD contains a slew of nature notebooking pages. At the beginning there is a Nature Study Notebook Cover and suggestions for using the pages themselves, which are categorized in eight sections. First comes the “7 Days of Creation,” with several templates for journaling and illustrating. All of the pages that have writing space include pages with primary-style lines (with a dotted line between two solid lines) and pages with standard lines for older students. Next is “All about Animals,” which has six sub-sections: Amphibians, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Mammals, and Reptiles. Among the myriad options, there is a page for drawing animal tracks, an “observation jar” page for drawing little captive creatures, and lifecycle pages. The spider page has a place for sketching the web, and there is an arthropod page with a sectioned template for drawing the head, thorax, and abdomen. A nice feature found here and in the plant section is a “word bank” where specific terms are printed at the bottom of the page for student reference–good for building vocabulary and spelling skills. The “Habitat” chapter is most comprehensive: arctic, beach, creek and pond, desert, forest, jungle, mountains, plains, prairie, rain forest, streams and rivers, rotting logs, savannah, sea and ocean, under a rock, underground, and yard. I especially like the last one, as that is a familiar and convenient habitat for children to explore! Rotting logs and under a rock sound like fun too. The “Nature Log and Journaling Pages” are lined with “date,” location,” and “notes” column headings. There is a generic page and one for each season as well as various template pages with space for writing and drawing. “Plants, Flowers, and Trees” come next. The flower pages have places for leaf and flower/petal detail. The tree pages have spaces to illustrate the bark, leaves/needles, and the flowers/fruit/nuts/cones. There is also a place for bark rubbings. The last three sections are “Rocks and Minerals,” which includes igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks as well as minerals; “Seasons”; and “Weather,” with all kinds of daily, weekly, and monthly weather logs among other things. There is even a page for the water cycle. Each section contains a cover page for separating each category and organizing your nature notebook. The template pages are most attractive, with beautiful illustrations and pleasing layout. At the end of this Nature Notebooking half of the CD is a bonus section. It is an amazing assortment of nature-themed fun frames and borders. These could be used as additions to your children’s nature journal or would be perfect for letter-writing or stories. The author also suggests using them for copywork and dictation. There are rainbows, birds, flowers, leaves, seashells, snowflakes, frogs, and butterflies to name a few. Some are black and white, most are in color and range from quaint to “cartoon-y” in style. In general, they lean toward “girly” in their appeal. Whew! Okay, so now comes the second half of the CD, which is North American Birds Notebooking Pages. There are 680 notebook pages for 97 types of birds, and there are blank templates for adding other birds. Again, you will find both primary and regular-style line options for all the pages that have journaling space. Seven different page templates are available for each bird. Some are full-page illustrations for coloring. Where it applies, male and female species are shown. Many of the pages have a space for the common and scientific name. One template has a range map printed on it. We usually school year-round, trying to plug in some fun stuff in the summer months along with the usual catch-up. I’ve added “Nature Notebooking” to my summer to-do list, and the kids are 100% behind me. I will also make sure we take pertinent pages (animals, habitats, birds, frames, and borders) with us on our family vacations from now on!
Favorite Family Games Family Game Night!! Jenga Settlers of Catan Risk Scrabble Chess Make it memorable! Why not make homemade pizza?