Top 10 Answers You Should NEVER Give to the Question "What?! No School Today?"

School Planning for the New Year 2010-2011

Yes, it's that time again... Every July I begin the practice of planning my new school year... I usually have a good idea in mind what curriculums to use and what areas to cover, but I always refer back to a specific book that has helped me tremendously since I started homeschooling 6 years ago...

Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp



It cover Preschool through 12th grade and is very detailed with specific comments about what is expected... It is perfect for those who have questions about what to teach next, whether they are on the right track, or like me just want an idea of where to go next... The resource lists are great and it is a definite help for those of us who like to use unit studies or like to make our own...

Another great resource is, yes, another book by Rebecca Rupp... "THE COMPLETE HOME LEARNING SOURCE BOOK"



I pull this out every year as I look at different curriculums and when I am planning our unit studies... It's classified by subject area and sub-divided into topics, so you can easily find resources for what you are looking for whether it includes books, films, science kits, board games, coloring books and more ... A treasured item in our HS library for sure... The only draw back is that it could use some updating as new curriculums and resources are continually coming out...

And last I always turn to "HOMESCHOOL SHARE" ... This has to be my favorite FREE resource ever!!! I use things from this website all year long, whether it be a literature-based unit study, a lapbook, mini-books to go along with a book or subject that we are using or studying... I can't say enough about the wonderful things you will find there... and all the hard work put in by different homeschoolers and their willingness to share their work with others.. It has definitely been a blessing to our homeschool...

Well, these are the things that I use every year as I plan... If you have any other resources, I would love to hear about them... Anything that makes planning easier is certainly a benefit to us all...

Have a great week!!

Junior Rangers

This year the kidlets finally completed their Junior Ranger Programs and were sworn in and received badges making them full "JUNIOR RANGERS"... This is a program sponsored by the National Park Service where kids visiting National Parks attend classes (which are FREE) and complete a workbook... My kids have been working on theirs for a couple of years as we have always been able to attend a few classes but never met the requrement for that summer... This year the number of classes was lowered to 3 and we were able to complete all of them and count them as school days  as well...

BTW, DH and I also got to complete our "NOT-SO Junior Ranger" programs and recieved our patches in the mail...

Learning about DNA

Our local zoo offers weekly homeschool science classes... We had participated in these in the past, but decided to take the last semester off from them since it took up half a day with the 2 hour drive (there and back)...
I just happened to look at the schedule back in December and saw that in March, the class would be studying DNA and thought this was a great opportunity for the kidlets...
So today, we attended the first DNA class...

In the past, the classes were divided based on age. This year, they are doing it on grade level... I decided to put both kidlets in Gr. 3-5... I was afraid this was a stretch for my 1st grader, but I really didn't relish the idea of spending 4hrs. waiting around at the zoo, which is what I would have had to do, if I had separated the 2 in different classes...
Well, the class was very interesting and not so advanced that my 7yo. DD couldn't understand it... The kidlets learned about genes, genomes, cells, nucleus, DNA, variations and mutations...(which we will be reviewing the definitions again later this week so we are able to take advantage of next weeks class...
We got to go out into the zoo and look at animals with variations in their DNA... (specifically a gibbon, zebras, chimpanzees, and a white tiger)
The chimp got extremely excited seeing our large group and actually threw a stick at us at one time... Chad (the instructor) said to be glad he didn't throw something else... *LOL*
One of the chimps had a baby that was around 2 and was the star, swinging around on a rope and was so cute...
The kids learned a lot I found, as I quizzed them on the way home... (just checking)
So looking forward to DNA 2 next week!!
Happy Learning

Another great FREE resource!!

Another resource that I use all the time is Homeschool Freebie of the Day . They have something different everyday that you may or may not want to use, but 8 out of 10 times, it is something that I will be able use or save to my thumb drive for future use...
Today they are offering an Mp3 audio of Treasure Island  (which I burn to a CD to listen to in the car for the kidlets) and they are also offering the hard copy of Treasure Island for download...
So if you get a chance, you might want to check this resource out...
Happy Learning!!

CURRCLICK FREEBIE of the Week!!

This week, Currclick is offering a neat freebie on the Human Body by Dorinda Oakes.  This is an all-encompassing unit as there is something for everyone... It includes book suggestions, websites, worksheets, and the "Body Game" which is a great way to review what you have learned...
and the best part is that you can get it FREE this week from CURRCLICK...

ALEKS Math

Well, we have finished our first week using ALEKS math as a supplement to our Horizons math program... And I am pleased to say that DS LOVED it!! The only bad thing is that DD isn't able to partake in that it is only for 3rd grade and above... I signed up for the FREE month through the freebies from TOS, but now I am considering signing him up under the monthly option... It has been something he has actually asked to do everyday and even in the afternoon in his free time.. It is $19.95 a month or $99.95 for 6 months so the price isn't completely unreasonable in that it actually could be his math program in whole... They also have downloads and printables on the site to use as well... I will continue to post about our use through the month... then we will see if the newness wears off or if he continues to be as happy with it as he is now...

Valentines Day

Our co-op had a Valentine's Day party... It happened to be a week late due to the fact our classes were cancelled because of snow... The kids were thrilled...
They decorated their bags to hold their valentine goodies, decorated sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles (which didn't last long without being devoured) and then exchanged valentine's... We had around 50 or so kids show up, most from the co-op, but a few that were HS'ers out in the community (which was a great way to extend the homeschool arm of fellowship)...
My kids couldn't wait until they could go through and look at each one...
Gotta love Valentine's Day through the eyes of children...

Here's some links for fun things to do about Valentine's Day.
Valentine Exhibition
Candy Heart Sentences
Graphing Valentine Candies
Valentine's Day lesson Plan
Chocolcate Box Craft
Kleenex Box Cover
Valentine Rice Krispy Treats
Word Play online game for Younger KidletsValentine Word game for Older kidlets

and my favorite link for all activities Valentine is this one  at Family Fun...

Valentine's Day gifts...

           Look what my DH and DC got me for Valentine's Day... I LOVE them!!!                                                                      a new iron skillet

                                  and an iron dutch oven with a ceramic lining
                                 I am in cooking heaven!!!

Feburary Little Hands Art Group

This was our first meeting of 2010 and we had the new art program to use...
As I posted in an earlier post, I managed to find the Level 3 module of the Atelier Art program for $5... this was a real find for us...so today was our first time to use it...

I really like it... It is easy for us and for the kids... I just preview the video to see what items are needed for the class, gather them together, pop i n the DVD and the on TV instructor explains the lesson, teaches the method and it flows smoothly...

Today's class was on "SHAPE"... The kids were able to make pictures involving shape, by "tearing" paper with their fingers and gluing them into the "shape" of the scene they desired...The theme was "PENGUINS" (which was great since it went right along with our study of Antarctica)...
Here's some photos of their work...


                                                                        THE GIRL'S TABLE

                                                                               THE BOY'S TABLE


A LITTLE PENGUIN ON AN ICE SHELF



OUR GROUP WITH THEIR FINISHED MASTERPIECES
 For our music / composer study that we have been adding to Little Hands, we watched a video from the "How Things Work" series called "Musical Instruments" which went through a make-believe place called Mammoth Island and described how musical instruments work and how they are related to things in nature... (it's based on the book by David McCauley)...
It was a good video and a great addition to the class... 

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

Today we went on a field trip with some HS friends to Ripley's Aquarium... It was a snowy day so we were practically the only ones there which made for some great hands on viewing without being rushed...

The kids got to take a class called "Life at the Poles" where they learned some interesting facts about the North and South Poles and made a cute little penguin bead craft...


The kids got lots of hands on experiences with horseshoe crabs, seeing the coral reef center, the rain forest area, shark lagoon and stingray bay...

  Touching the Sting Rays at "Sting Ray Bay" with the diver leading them along with a "snack"



            "A face only his mother could love"... The aerial view from the "Shark Tunnel"...

                                                           The Fossil Exhibit


                                                         My little Divers!!


I like this aquarium since it caters to the kid population (the kids in all of us that is)... They have information in easy to understand terms on every exhibit and lots of hands-on things... They also offer monthly home school class on Saturdays...I am grateful that we live in an area which has so many things to offer for the home school community... I look forward to going again in the spring when their new exhibit on the African Black Footed Penguin will be open... It sounds like it will be a wonderfull addition to the already great stuff there...
You can check it out here..

Trying something new...

In this month's The Old Schoolhouse magazine there are some freebies that I couldn't pass up. One of these was the opportunity to try ALEKSOnline Math program FREE for a month.
I couldn't wait to sign up DS as an added resource to our current Horizons Math program. Our first day with it will be tomorrow. I am  looking forward to seeing how he likes it and how it fits in with our current studies.

Cincinnati Homeschool Convention

I CAN'T WAIT!!! 
Oh, yes, I am getting to go this year!!
DH is taking some time off work to be home with the kidlets and I, along with 4 other homeschool moms/friends are hitting the road to Cincinnati!!
This is the first time for any of us to attend a homeschool event of this size. so we are all looking forward to attending the seminars and workshops,  listening to different speakers, and actually getting to see and touch curriculum that we have wanted to check out but never had the opportunity to do so "in person" shall we say.
And have you seen the list of speakers that they have lined up so far... So looking forward to Cathy Duffy, Susan Bauer and Jim Weiss (why he's the reason my kids love history, thanks to his wonderful readings of Story of the World 1)...
Well I can't say much else, other than I am truly looking forward to the topics list when it come out!!
So check it out, April 8-10, 2010 at Cincinnati Homeschool Convention

Christmas in Sweden

This year we decided to take Christmas time to do a unit on Christmas in another country. We wrote down a list of countries we wanted to learn about and chose one from the list...
SWEDEN was the lucky country chosen...

We used a FREE unit study from HSS called  "Christmas Around the World" as a guide and for lapbook pieces.

We read several books including:

 "Christmas Around the World"  by Emily Kelley
"Kirsten's Surprise" by Janet Beeler Shaw
"Annika's Secret Wish" by Beverly Lewis

We ate rice pudding and dressed DD up as a St. Lucia girl after reading about the tradition. Using an old sheet and a red scarf for her waist for the dress, we then made her headdress out of a paper plate and with leaves glued to it and paper candles... She loved it... We also made a cone hat out of construction paper and put some star stickers on it for DS ....


                                 The beautiful stamps on our Swedish package of goodies!!



And the best part was getting a package in the mail from Sweden with some goodies in it... My friend from work had a friend in Sweden and an e-mail later, we were receiving the best part of our trip...
The kids each got a straw ornament, some wonderful chocolates and candy, and a letter with pictures about the holidays, Knut's Day, and St. Lucia....

Atelier Art Program

Our homeschool art group "Little Hands" has been looking at a art program called Atelier. It is a video based program that teaches to the right side of the brain (which is supposed to enourage creativity and increase learning skills).
All the materials are easy access, the instruction is clear, and the video instructor makes it a breeze to teach art even to a non-creative person like myself.
The one draw back that our group had was the cost. There are several different modules that teach varying levels. Each module had price tag of ~$55. This was really too expensive for our little group who basically had no extra means other than for supplies.
But as things are provided, I happened upon a module, BRAND NEW in the shrink wrap, at our co-op registration and used curriculum sale. I managed to snag the Level 3 Module (which is exactly where our kids need to be) for $5.
What a blessing this is going to be to our group and I can't wait to post about our first opportunity to use this great program.