Tag Archives: homeschooling

Back to School Shopping

Today I have blessed. Currclick has gone out of their way to encourage homeschooling families by offering an awesome sale.

I subscribe to Currclicks e-mail listing and use many of their free offers and sometimes even spend a dollar or two. But, this sale is more than that. This sale is more like them saying, “We support homeschooling, we care about you and want to help you out.”

I am having fun looking for notebooking, copywork, and lapbooking materials for our US History unit studies we’ll be starting in the fall. I’m not spending much more than time and stocking up my files.

For those of us who pull our resources from different media, and are on limited budgets, this sale is perfect.

The great deals end July 29. Here’s the link!

http://www.currclick.com/cclick_pwyw.php#selectpub

Happy Back to School Shopping!

betty jo

Unit Study Theory 101 – Class 2

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Welcome back to Unit Study Theory 101. Today’s class will be covering the answer to the question, “How do you keep records for the subjects covered in a unit study?”

First, I want to make it clear that the way I keep records is partly because the state of Kentucky mandates that I keep attendance records and scholarship reports. Some state laws do not require such records and some laws require more. If you are unsure about what is required of you, then you can find help here http://www.hslda.org/ or here http://www.nhen.org/home.html.

Author, Dave Ramsey uses an acronym often when giving financial advice, “KISS” it stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. I don’t like it put that way, however it is a pretty good system for most everything. Let’s change it to “Keep It Simple, Sweetie” for our purposes. OK?

My record keeping system is as KISS as one could be. The subjects (in an abbreviated code) run across the top and dates run down the left side.

The chart ends up looking a bit like graft paper and continues for 15 days. So, it takes 3 copies per 9 week grading period.

With this form I check off the subjects covered each day. If my child did an extra good job they get a check with a “+”, or if they could have done better, they get a check with a “-“. If I have a % grade (spelling or math test) or a letter grade (notebooking, essay, report) to record, I just put it in the correct box instead of a check. After nine weeks. 45 days, I average the grades in the bottom columns. I count a check+ as an “A”, a check as a “B” and a check – as a “C”. I also include a note about field trips, activities, or other comments.

You are welcome to use my daily subject checklist form if you’d like.

DAILY SUBJECT CHECKLIST with Titles

DAILY SUBJECT CHECKLIST BLANK

If you missed the first post Unit Study Theory 101, you can catch up here. https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/07/22/unit-study-theory-101/

Class 3 of Unit Study Theorey 101 , Planning the Unit Study Week,

Unit Study Theory 101 – Class 3

If something was not clear, or if you have questions or suggestions, just leave me a comment.

betty jo

Our Homeschool Week Ending 7/19

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This week was very little studying and a lot of tomatoes. Our keyhole garden science project is producing tomatoes. We are picking about 15-20 ripe ones a day! For just six plants, I’m impressed. I remember last year we couldn’t get anything to grow.

We shared a few of them, but kept the rest.

Gallons of chili mix for the deep freezer! The tomatoes and 3 kinds of peppers are from our garden experiment. Spices added and smelled great, considering it’s like 100 degrees out side and no one is wanting chili. All we’ll have to do is add the meat and and beans when we’re ready to cook chili.

We will share more later when it’s time for church and homeschool group chili suppers.

No more summer schooling for us. We are taking the rest of July off. The kids can just have some downtime and fun. I’m going to be having fun too, but downtime isn’t going to be happening. I’ll be organizing my resource links, and making lists, finding back to school bargains, and changing some organization strategies , and wearing out my printer, and running out of ink, and…

For more about our keyhole garden science project click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/14/homeschool-gardening/

and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/05/23/watching-our-garden-grow/

betty jo

Roar!

Dinosaurs…kids love them and want to learn about them so homeschooling parents teach it. But the study of dinosaurs can lead to debate, especially for the parent who is using social media to ask for lesson links or curriculum suggestions. This discussion/debate is active once again as many of us are planning out our studies for the school year. I have some thoughts, article links, and some teaching resources here.

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/05/25/dino-debate/

betty jo

Rembrandt

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According to my July’s special days calendar, artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, was born July 14, 1606. He will be the subject of our homeschool/summer school lesson of the day. (And an excuse to bake a birthday cake. Studies are always better with cake.)

I so agree with Rembrants parents. They recognized that their son had talent and provided him with opportunities to study so that he could be his possible best. And because of that, he developed into one of the world’s most famous artists. If only they would have taught him money management skills too, as he became bankrupt from overspending.

Below are the links we will be following for our Rembrandt study.

For a brief biography, gallery, quiz, printables, and more we will go here http://www.gardenofpraise.com/art44.htm

For notebooking, we will use the free artist biography page https://practicalpages.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/latest-famous-artists-biography-pages/ (Sorry, but you’ll need to copy and paste the link.)

For a tour and documentary of the Rembrandt House we will click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmcR4Iqzuio

Because we like mysteries, we’ll research the theft of this piece. It has never been recovered.

(Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee)

And we may even make a bit of a mess and try some impasto (Rembrandt style 3D) painting. http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/impasto-presto!-lesson-plan/

Artist studies are one of my favorite homeschooling subjects. I always try including artists on our history timeline or our calendar studies. For other artist posts click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/12/leonardo-da-vinci/, here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/06/raphael/, and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/07/art-day-sistine-chapel-style/

For my listing of July’s special days, click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/06/28/julys-special-days/

betty jo

Our Homeschooling Week Ending July 12

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Our homeschooling summer school week was relaxed (as summer school should be.) Only B and E had places to go and they didn’t need me to take them. I enjoyed my time at home working on the plans for our everything American history studies starting in September. I also had some awesome opportunities to share homeschooling ideas with a few ‘newbies’.

We have been picking peppers and tomatoes daily from our homeschooling garden science project. We’ve had the privilege to share some too!

Not all is well in the garden. A month or so ago, the two year old neighbor uprooted and broke one of our plants. We re-planted it in hopes that it would be fine. It looks sad, but still has tomatoes growing on its only green vine.

E17 was in the kitchen this week. This newest recipe was a huge hit. Sauteed steak, mushrooms, and onions stuffed in a pepper half and topped with cheese and baked. She also made yummy potato wedges to go with.

Z went to the Dome Theater show at our local library. He particularly enjoyed the volcano parts. .

Z and J have started a new chapter book series, Cork and Fuzz by Dori Chaconas. I’m impressed with these tales of an unlikely friendship and I’m happy the boys are enjoying them. We will be checking out more of them soon. Our local library has the entire collection.

We had a much appreciated break from the humidity and heat the past couple of days. It was wonderful spending time in the yard and taking some summer school studies outside.

While spending time in our backyard, we enjoyed the neighbors rose bushes. I love their garden which boarders our yard. They do all the work and I get to witness all the beauty.

This week was the most relaxing, no pressure week I’ve had in a long time. I hope yours was as well.

betty jo

For more about our science project garden click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/14/homeschool-gardening/ and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/05/23/watching-our-garden-grow/

For more about this week’s summer school studies click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/07/08/the-liberty-bell/ and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/07/12/studying-ramadan/

Studying Ramadan

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According to my special days calendar for July, the Muslim holiday Ramadan started on the 9th and continues for thirty days. Other than knowing that it is a time of fasting followed by a celebration for those of the Islamic faith, I know very little about the holiday. With the current estimated Muslim population being over 1.6 billion, I think learning more about Ramadan is something we need to add to our summer school calendar studies.

Below are the links we are using for our Ramadan study.

The Homeschool Buzz has a free download for a Ramadan activity book designed for children 5 to 7 years. I think this is an excellent source for all of us who are not familiar with the holiday regardless of age. I learned a great deal and I’m sure others who are not of the Muslim faith would also. I appreciate the work and creativity put into this resource and the willingness to share. You can download the Ramadan activity book here. http://pakistanhomeschooler.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/ramadan-activity-book-free/

For a Ramadan guide that is not in a pdf format click here http://www.msichicago.org/scrapbook/scrapbook_exhibits/catw2004/traditions/countries/ramadan.html

Several basic Ramadan information links here http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/ramadan.htm

The Huffington Post has put together a photo album of current Ramadan pictures from around the world http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/ramadan-2013-pictures_n_3573707.html

For traditional Ramadan recipes from around the world click here http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Ramadan/Detail.aspx

Click here for my July’s special days calendar https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/06/28/julys-special-days/

betty jo

To Homeschool or Not

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“To homeschool or not to homeschool” that is the question that many parents are asking themselves. Most homeschool groups, private and public schools start in August, so now is the best time to be making that decision if your children are school age.

My first piece of advice is not to “cave in” to pushy advocates on either side of the education debate. You MUST do what is right and best for your family. And only you can determine that. Period.

With that being said, I’m definitely a home educating advocate (for many different reasons). I’ve been homeschooling for a while (about to start our 16th year). I’m part of the leadership team for our local homeschooling support group. I’m an admin for Homeschooling Around the World https://www.facebook.com/groups/567122276640599/?notif_t=group_r2j and Schoolin’ Swag https://www.facebook.com/groups/210519735725683/. You would be welcome at either or both groups.

For months I’ve been hearing daily of families who are considering home education (for many different reasons) and have some questions or are seeking a little advice. If this is the case for you, then I recommend you just ask a homeschooler about it. Homeschoolers love to talk about homeschooling (both the good and the not so good). In fact it’s our favorite conversation.

If you have made the decision to home educate, of course I have some advice for you on how to start this adventure (oh yeah, it will be an adventure). Here is my top 5 list explaining what I think should be done first.

1 Pray for wisdom and patience.

2. Understand your state laws: http://www.hslda.org/laws/ or http://www.nhen.org/home.html

3. Check out a local homeschool support group or co-op. If you’re not aware of one, this link may help you find one http://www.home-school.com/groups/

4. Figure out your teaching method and your children’s learning styles. This link has a free assesment for both you and your children if you are unsure. http://www.mardel.com/ Hover the mouse over “Homeshool” on the header. From there click “Resource Center” and “Currently Homeschooling”. There you will have the choice of “Learning Style” or “Teaching Method” assessments.

5. Remember that you want your child to love homeschooling so plan some fun and interesting learning activities and plan for unexpected learning opportunities.

For links to my posts containing advice on home education click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/homeschooling-advice/

Please know that I welcome your questions and comments. Like I mentioned above, homeschoolers love to talk about homeschooling.

betty jo

The Liberty Bell

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“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” Leviticus 25:10

The Pennsylvania State House bell was rung to summon the people of Philadelphia to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776. Though the bell wouldn’t be called the Liberty Bell until years later, the bell’s message of liberty certainly rang that day.

The Liberty Bell and the mystery of it’s crack will be our homeschool/summer school lesson of the day. Below are the links we will follow for this brief study.

For starters we will take an up-close look at the Liberty Bell in this short virtual tour.

Next, we’ll read some famous quotes about the Liberty Bell. http://www.ushistory.org/libertybell/quotes.html

I like these Liberty Bell themed notebooking pages for copywork and journaling. http://notebookingfairy.com/2011/05/liberty-bell-notebooking-page/

I’ll also print off a detailed coloring sheet from Activity Village http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/fourth_of_july_colouring_pages.htm

And while we are coloring we will be listening to The Liberty Bell March. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6Dd0EaEbqg

There is Liberty Bell curriculum available for free from the National Park Service. We will read a few of the articles and I’ll be asking the discussion questions that it suggests in the lesson plans. https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/stories-libertybell.htm

betty jo

Fireworks

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These photos were taken at our city’s riverfront last night. It was our family’s second year to attend their annual event. A few of the families in our neighborhood have been celebrating Independence Day all week and we have seen some beautiful fireworks and heard some BOOMS. Z has been excited and J has tried to be tolerant. They have had some questions. My answer is the same for each of them, “Let’s google it”. Our search resulted in our homeschooling summer school lesson of the day and covers the subjects of history, science, and because we use the internet, computer lab gets a “check”. We have a community service project also. (There is quite a bit of firework trash to be picked up in the neighborhood yards and street.)

Below are J’s and Z’s questions and the links to the answers.

“Where do fireworks come from?” “The birthplace of fireworks is generally recognized as China, with the first explosive mixture found being black powder, during the Sung dynasty (960-1279)” For the rest, click this link to the brief article, The History of Fireworks http://www.pyrouniverse.com/history.htm

“Why do we celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks?” According to Slate, that answer is , “Because John Adams wanted us to. Before the Declaration of Independence was even signed, he envisioned fireworks as a part of the festivities. In a letter to Abigail Adams on July 3, 1776, he wrote that the occasion should be commemorated “with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” The first commemorative Independence Day fireworks were set off on July 4, 1777.” You can link here for the full article. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/explainer/2012/07/history_of_fireworks_in_america_why_do_we_celebrate_fourth_of_july_with_fireworks_.html

“What makes fireworks explode in different colors?” According to a post from the Interactive Technology Experience Center’s Facebook page, “Sodium produces yellow/gold colors. Barium creates green, copper compounds produce blue, strontium salts give you red and titanium metals give you silver coloured sparks.
Other commonly used chemicals are carbon which provides the fuel, oxidizers which produce oxygen for burning, magnesium which increases the overall brilliance and brightness, antimony that gives you a “glitter” effect and calcium which deepens the colors.”
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Interactive-Technology-Experience-Center-iTEC/115400341904918

“How do fireworks work?” We found the answer in this video from Science Kids and The Franklin Institute. http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/chemistry/fireworks.html

“Can we make some fireworks?” We don’t have to google this answer, I already know it, “NO!”

betty jo