Education Jump-Off

Out of The Box 3

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Photo credit Growing Tree Toys

Well, I guess you can tell by the picture that I finally have gotten out of the box. But, it was not the school year of 2008-2009 however, I was getting there. I decided because the boys were only two years apart they could do science and history together. I, yes that is right me, because after all thus far it has been about what I wanted them to learn American history. Brett announced he had an interest in chemistry, which did not shock me, he loves science.

I set out to find something they both could use and found a web site where there was free curriculum for teaching American history. After much searching I decided to use Christian Kids Explore Chemistry, the boys loved it, every day an experiment. I dropped any type of Bible curriculum and we gathered together to read the Bible where ever the Lord led us. This was a blessed time for us and would sit, read and discuss for an hour, the time just ticking by as we indulged our selves in the world. I was amazed by Brandon's thoughts and comments and listened with delight what he believed the Lord was saying. It was a grand year for art, even Brett did not care for art, he is more athletic and Brandon let him know it. By using Discovering Great Artists I was able to help Brett let out with his inner creativity with out having to be artistic and the days of him leaving the table frustrated had been brought to an end.

It is now time for the new school year of 2009-2010 which was a challenging year due to your move. It also pushed me back to traditional text books due to my lack of time. This was indeed what I deemed to be the worst homeschool year we had ever had.

Okay, it is the summer of the 2010-2011 back to the text books, well to an extent anyway. I decided, yeap still me that the boys did not have enough knowledge still about American history. I had never until this point used Alpha Omega, but thought it was not a traditional text book and liked that it was set up as reading comprehension. For Brett I chose two living books which he enjoyed and would actually come to me and share what he had read.

Science was a fly by night subject, we did some every now again, nothing structured. What is this no structure, tsk tsk, yes, I was finally loosen the reigns and giving them some room to discover their own interests. I have a shelf were I have placed books on numerous topics for the boys to chose from. The one that was the biggest hit this year was Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking. This book gave Brett a new interest and he now indulges when ever possible. It is funny because Brett asked Brandon one night if he had any boring books that would help put him to sleep. Brandon handed him the book and said, "But it's really not boring." Brett spent the night indulging in the book getting very little sleep.

The two areas I struggle the most are math and English I feel this are very important and have not found a way to do away with traditional text books. So, now we come to the 2011-2012 homeschool year and I am dreading it, high school help!!!!!!! I spent my summer searching for any and all information I could get Lee Binz was the best thing I found even if I do have to pay to get the good stuff. She has taught me how I can use Delight Direct learning during the high school years, what a blessing. However, things are still pretty structured. Brandon started the school year using Konos which did not last long when I tossed it to the side and went off on my own along with Brandon.

World history by way of the Ancient civilizations was not cutting it with him, through Lee I learned how to take his interest in Ancient Japan and use it for a credit in world history. He enjoys Teaching Textbooks for math and also loves Apologia science. A big writer Brandon is writing a novel this will be used as credit towards English. He has also written various essays, learned about credited resources, how to brain storm and will learn how to create a bibliography We are also using Total Language Plus, The Swiss Family Robinson and will also, my boys still love to be read to, love it. Brandon is doing a study of Proverbs which he recently started after tossing Konos, no comments as of now. He is also doing game design, his big passion, art, communication and received a guitar as a Christmas present.

Brett has joined us with Total Language Plus, likes to watch the History Channel or read one of his books on Ninja's and their weapons, history. Science comes through watching educational television along with books located on the shelf mentioned earlier. He totally dislikes his Rod and Staff English he did previous to starting the Total Language Plus. Using Saxon math this digital communicator has deemed the book insufficient. Brett loves his Bible, I find him hugging it sometimes in the morning and he sleeps with it every night.

Well, it has been a long journey, but as you see I have progressed and enjoy watching my children learn about the things that truly give them passion. Are you stuck in the box? Are you working on getting out? Share with others how.

Sorry this was long, but I felt three posts on the topic was enough.

Out of the Box 2

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:03:00 +0000

Well, what I decided to do was go to college and get my associates in business. Because my children are my breath I wanted to make sure they had easy access to me and did online college. The teachers ranted and raved on my boys and commented that they had experience with homeschoolers before, but mine were different, it was a good thing. I loved the school, the principle and the staff were amazing, I wish all schools were like Jacks Creek Elementary. The principle was awesome, she knew every child's name, how to deal with them if they got into trouble to make it effective and the type of child they were I never saw the like. It was actually the second year my children were in school that I decided to go back to school and was delighted when Brett was in second grade won the Principle Award. Yes, it is strange that they actually issued this type of award, but oh well.

The third year of their public school education was upon us, it was the end of July, school starts at the beginning of August. I was at the computer working on a school assignment when both of my boys approached me saying, "We don't want to go to school anymore, we want to be homeschooled again." They stood there pleading with their eyes, please, please, I paused from my assignment, turned to them and said, "Why?' They both had the same response, they did not like the way the other kids talked. I took a deep breath and sighed, I explained to them that I was doing school online and it would be hard for me to school them. I also went to great detail how it would have to be different than before, no homeschool support group, limited outside activities, become independent learners and they agreed.

Okay this is great, I have no curriculum and school is about a week or two away. While I talked with them about waiting until I could get their curriculum the boys have always liked being on the school schedule. Plan B find online resources and use those until the curriculum arrived. That is what I did I found work sheets and for a time that was their curriculum. You would think that two years off of homeschooling would trigger something to stray from traditional schooling, but no I was still stuck in the box. My poor boys dealing with my brained washed way of thinking and dreading history mostly.

So, now Brett is doing third grade work, remember what I said before about building a foundation, and his curriculum consists of every subject he will need for a well rounded education. I look back and feel so bad, here I thought I was the best for my children, but instead was actually torturing them. I did try though I gave Brett a choice of what he wanted to study for both science and history, but he was not thrilled with what I chose. Mind you we started homeschooling in 1997 and it is now 2007 and all my attempts to remove myself from the box failed.

Now it is time for summer break and for me to prepare for the next year. Brandon will be doing 6th grade work and Brett will be doing 4th grade work. Will 2008-2009 be the school year were I finally get out of this box that suffocates my poor children, or will I continue to torture them?

Stay tuned for the ongoing saga of "Out of the Box"

Out of the Box

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:58:00 +0000

Photo credit:Hydroponics.com

For years I struggled to get out of the box, away from traditional schooling with text books. I struggled and struggled with thinking this is the only way my children could get a proper education. I was brain washed by the public school system and did not know how to undo the damage.

I saw my children day after day despising their text book learning and screaming inside their little heads, "Let me out!" But, I couldn't this is the best way for them to learn, what else is there? Yes, we played games and I did my best to make learning fun, but I could still hear them screaming inside their little heads. They would come to me talking about what they were interested in and I blew them off thinking well that is a cool thing to be interested in. Never thinking I could take that love and nurture it through their education. During the early years I was able to be more relaxed with my second child and did gain some new insight. I felt that learning needed to have a strong foundation, like a house, and decided not to start any formal teaching of spelling, English, history or science until the fourth grade. Instead I wanted to give them a strong foundation of math, reading, writing and the Bible. However, I was totally open to any suggestions they had in the way of knowledge and ran with it.

My plans were blown, their father went home to be with the Lord and a year later the Lord blessed me with a new husband and home. We moved from Chicago with everything at our finger tips to the middle of nowhere in West Tennessee. My daughter was about to start her freshman year of high school and was very bitter at the move and location. The school systems were better than those in Chicago and contained a nice number of Christians including the principle who would preach from time to time. There was a little country school for grades K-3rd, my husband knew the principle and the community raved about this little school. My heart broke as I sent my babies on that horrible yellow bus. Now what was I going to do, my middle child was starting third grade and my youngest was starting first.

To be continued...

Homeschool Channel

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:15:00 +0000

The Homeschool Channel is a great resource for information. You can get email updates for what is going on, for instance today I received an email letting me know that at 4:30 eastern time today January 17, 2012 Colette Stanley will be conducting a web cast entitled Lapbooking 101 . Videos are archived so if you miss one you can still watch it. If you have ever wanted to go to a conference, but for what ever reason were not able to go this is a great way to get that same knowledge, plus you can ask questions and it is free.

Other web casts coming up this month include Ham Schooling with Mark Caruth on Wednesday January 18, 2012 at 4:30 eastern. I find this an interesting topic for homeschooling, Mark is going to talk about the benefits of HAM radios for families. Monday January 23, 2010 at 4:30 eastern join Janice Campbell for Decoding the Classics. Colette Stanley will be giving another web cast this month on Reading Strategies on Tuesday January 14, 2012 at you guessed it 4:30 eastern. The last one is the one I will be attending with Jean Burk author of College Prep Genius a curriculum for studying for the SAT. She will be talking about Chart Your Course To High School Success on Wednesday January 25, 2012 same time as the others.

If you have fears about homeschooling the high school years the last web cast is a must see. I was scared to death of the high school years, but with the help of Jean and Lee Binz I am confident, excited and thrilled to be at this new point of our homeschool adventure. Don't wait until the high school years to get started Jr High is a perfect time, I have also heard of others starting their research earlier and even earning scholarships at the 5th grade level. So, don't wait and don't think you can't do this you have to send them to school, those are all lies.

Watch live streaming video from homeschoolchannel at livestream.com

Are Little Lies OK?

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:02:00 +0000

Photo Credit Laura's Psychology Blog

Brett has asked me various times if he could get a Facebook, he was told no due to the fact you have to be 13. He pointed out how so many of his friends are on Facebook and they are not 13. I know the parents of these friends and I am kinda of shocked that they would let their child/children on Facebook and lie about their age in order to do so.

While this does not really seem like a big deal it is breaking a rule that has been set in place. By doing this it also tells children that under certain circumstances it is okay to lie. Should we then be shocked when our child/children breaks a law or tells a lie. In their young minds they can rationalize away the right decision just like with Facebook.

Now Brett is old enough to join Facebook and connect with his friends back in Tennessee. To my amazement, he says he no longer cares, but with some prompting from big brother he caves and joins. He is not on much and feels it is over rated and feels like he did not have for so long why bother. It just proves that sometimes we think we need something and as time goes by realize it is no big deal.

Children learn by our behaviors, what we say and what we do. We need to be good examples of the way God wants us to live, honestly.

Amanda Bennett 12 Days of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:59:00 +0000

Amanda is sharing daily specials every day during the twelve days of Christmas. Today you can get Constitution Celebration and/or Ben Franklin for $3 usually $7.95, these are a one week unit study/lap book for grades K-4th. You can also purchase Elections and/or American Government for $5 each usually $10.95. These are four week unit studies geared towards K-12th grades, be sure to check back now through January 6, 2012 for each days sales. Daily sales will end at 11:59 PM mountain standard time.

Sign up to win an iPad, drawing to be held on January 7, 2012, no purchase necessary.

Eggnog Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Photo credit All Recipes.com

In a previous post I talked about the boys and I making cookies for Christmas and letting them chose recipes. Well, here is one that Brett chose and now has been made every since, eggnog cookies. Brett and I will be making a batch of these yummy cookies later on today.

Makes 3 dozen hope you like eggnog, we do.

2 1/4 Cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg

1 1/4 Cups sugar

3/4 Cups softened butter

1/2 Cup eggnog

1 tsp vanilla

2 large egg yolks

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl cream together the sugar and butter until it resembles a grainy paste. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks, beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until blended, be sure not to over mix. Drop by tsp onto ungreaed baking sheet 1 inch apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg and bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.

We are always looking to try something new, have a holiday favorite? We would love to hear about it.

College Prep Genius, Jean Burk

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:56:00 +0000

College Prep Genius, Jean Burk

If you are homeschooling a high school student or thinking about it, please read this article.

Honey Gingerbread Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:45:00 +0000

Photo Credit Thomas Stasiuk CC

I know many homeschoolers at this time of year take some time off or at least slow down a little. Of course for many there is so much to do and older children can not only help, but learn at the same time. They boys are 15 and almost 13, so what used to be a great time for creating homemade decorations has gone to the wayside. At this point they have no interest in crafting however, they do like to bake, so each year they make a batch of cookies of their choosing. Brett loves ginger bread cookies and will usually make a batch. I remember one year we had no molasses, which we usually keep for making homemade barbeque sauce, so we used honey instead. I had a hard time finding a recipe, but was finally successful. I had read some say that substituting honey takes away from the natural ginger bread taste however, I did not think so. I also felt that the texture was much better, I love soft cookies, it was not as hard as the traditional ones. So, anyway if you would like to try something a little different this year here is the recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1/2 Cup sugar
3 Cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp powdered ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp of powered cloves and nutmeg
1/2 lb butter cut into dots
1/2 Cup honey

Sift the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

Work the dots of butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips

Refrigerate for an hour or longer if possible

Roll the dough out about 1/8 inch thick on a floured board or between sheets of wax paper

Cut into desired shapes and bake for 12 to 15 minutes

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Have you made ginger bread cookies that are not traditional?

Cinnamon Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:22:00 +0000

Picture credit: Mom Blog Domestic Crusader

I have forgotten about these due to the ages of my children. The boys ages 15 almost 13 feel crafts are too babyish for them but my 20 year old daughter and I still indulge, mostly in decoupaging jars.

These ornaments are made with cinnamon, applesauce and white glue. This recipe comes from Kaboose and is very easy to make not to mention they smell amazing and last a long time. All you need to do is mix 1 1/2 cups of cinnamon, 1 cup of applesauce and 1/4 cup of glue. Mix that all together and the dough should be similar to cookie dough if you need to add a little water do so. Take the dough and kneed it, place it back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap for about a half hour. Place the dough between two sheets of wax paper, do not use flour, and roll it out as you would cookie dough.

Once the dough has been rolled out use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes and place on cookie sheet with wax paper. Note that you can use these not only to hang on your tree, but also to add a nice touch to a gift, just use a straw to make a hole. These will take anywhere from 3 to 5 days to dry and will need to be turned them a couple of times a day. Once they are dry you can decorate them using acrylic paints, beads, pom poms, googly eyes and more, tacky glue worked for us, we let them alone to dry.

These are so much fun to make and safe for young crafters who may be tempted to try some dough.

Do you have a recipe for making ornaments with food? Please share with the other readers.

Usborne Books and More Black Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:49:00 +0000

The page is live for the Black Friday sale at Usborne Books and More. While I just blogged on this I had to blog again to let you know what my favorite items are for this sale.

Time to Read Revolving book case and rocker are usually $149.99 and $129.99, but from Friday November 25, 2011 until midnight Monday November 28, 2011 you can get the book case for $60 and the rocker for $59.80!! This is amazing and they are so adorable nicely decorated your child will feel like royalty. There is also a book rack for favorite reads and a clock to keep track of reading time. The book case revolves to easily access favorite books and includes photo frame bookends as well.

I have not seen everything that is on sale, but will only comment on things I have seen and do like. The Farm Magnet book, these books are great for travel. Geared towards age 3 and up children will delight in this book which contains magnet pieces which store nicely on the inside cover of the book with sturdy board pages and pieces that stay this is a must have.

That's Not My Polar Bear is only one title in the series of That's Not My and kids love them. While this is a board book full of touchy feely fun for nine months and up, older children love them too. When first asked to bring these titles to a book fair for children 4 and up I was thinking, I don't think so, but they sold like crazy. This is a great gift for a new mother, the repetitiveness of the book will aid young children in their development of speech. Older children will gain confidence in reading due to the ease and repetitiveness of these books.

While I have not seen the Under The Sea Jigsaw Book I have seen some of the others and they are another item I can't keep stocked. This book is made of sturdy board and contains fourteen pages of which six are puzzles. This is a great item for doing a unit study on the ocean due to the hands on learning it brings to a child along with beautiful, colorful images and information.

Wow!!! How did I miss this, Twas The Night Before Christmas recordable book for $10!!! This usually sells for $24.99, this is similar to the one you might have seen advertised by Hallmark. Great gift for those far away or for those who travel and have to leave little ones behind. I have also heard of some sending it to loved ones who are deployed. This is a great deal and the pages are thick and sturdy so the book will be sure to last.

Black Friday Sale Usborne Books and More

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 23:32:00 +0000

Black Friday is book Friday!! The great thing about a book for Christmas is that it is a gift that keeps on giving time and time again.

I recently did a book fair for a Montessori school which I also did last year. One of the instructors was sharing how she had purchased some of our products for a child on her Christmas list. The child opened all the presents, but when she got to the books she said everything else was forgotten. Everyone looked at her, she said, like wow I can not believe what just happened.

You can get that same response from the child/children in your life this Christmas and starting at midnight November 25, 2011 you can do it for up to 50% of the cost. But, it gets better, this is not a one day sale it is a four day sale. Some titles have limited copies available for purchase so don't wait sale ends at midnight Monday November 28, 2011.

Some of the titles which will be included in this sale are Conspiracy 365 January an action packed book about a boy on the run from a group of individuals who believe he knows something about his father's death. My boys love this series, they are making a movie which the boys are also excited about. Note, this series must be read book by book, there are currently 12 in the series with an extra one due to be released in December sometime. Take a sneak peek here.

One Night at the Zoo is geared towards ages four and up. I have not had the pleasure of viewing this title, but you can read some of the reviews on the book here. I want to mention that this book is library bound which guarantees a stronger binding along with a guarantee from Usborne to replace it at any time for 50% of the cost unless of course the book is out of print. I want to mention that one of my customers, a long time fan of Usborne, has a book of ours which is hard back, ten years old and you would never know it, I was shocked to see the condition. Not because I don't believe in the product, but because it is located in the same Montessori I mentioned earlier and caters to small children.

Wind up Pirate Ship is a big seller for me, all the wind up books are always gone. The kids love them and so do the parents, this is a must have this Christmas for the pirate fan in your life. This book has fourteen pages, while I had this in my possession I have to confess I did not look at it. However, the others I have looked at contain three tracks which take up two pages, so I think it is safe to say this one is the same way, ages four and up.

Hannah's Winter is about a young lady who is relocated to Japan while her mother does some research on the gardens. I have previously blogged on this book and while I do have it currently I have not read the whole book which is geared towards ages 9 and up. It is fair to say that the book is said to have some supernatural elements contained within the plot. Read the reviews and a small excerpt here.

The last title which has been revealed to us, oh there is more this is only what the company has told us about, comes from one of my favorite series' that Usborne carries, See Inside Space. This is just one of the titles in this lift a flap series and children will love learning about space as they lift the flaps for pictures and information. Great addition to a unit study or for that space buff in your family. I wish I knew about this book when my youngest went through his space stage. This book is also internet linked which means you get more for your money with links supplied by Usborne on this amazing topic, you take a peek if you like geared towards ages seven and up.

For each customers that spends $60, before tax and shipping, Usborne Books and More will include with your order this 12.625"(W) x 13"(H) x 8.75"(G) eco tote free.

Posted on No Ordinary Blog Hop

The History Channel

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:14:00 +0000

I received my newsletter today from the History Channel which included a PDF teacher's guide, programming details and more.

The teacher's guide is for teaching on the history of Thanksgiving and can used along with the program The Real Story of Thanksgiving airing tomorrow, Thursday November 24, 2011 7/8 pm central. While many of us have plans for this day consider recording it and using it in at a future time. No grade/age is mentioned however, the study guides are all geared towards middle and high school students.

Links included were the Thanksgiving site and Plimoth Plantation. Students can watch some videos on the History of Thanksgiving or the construction of the Mayflower.

While those are great resources the one item which popped out of the newsletter was for FREE, except for the $4.95 for shipping. Receive "A Presidency Revealed" free multimedia classroom CD a source for teaching on Pearl Harbor. Includes short video segments for each teaching objective, printable maps, primary sources, historical images, review questions, critical thinking assignments, Internet-based activities and a full-length HISTORY® documentary included as an added bonus. This can not be viewed on their site you can call 1-800-344-6336 to order (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST.)

In the Homeschool World

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:05:00 +0000

Today, November 17, 2011 at 3:00 pm click on to The Homeschool Channel for the biggest lapbooking collaboration of the week. Featuring Colette Stanley who will be discussing the creation of a Thanksgiving lapbook. Join in to share, learn and gain inspiration for creating your own wonderful lapbooks.

The seventh annual homeschool blog awards is up and voting ends tomorrow, November 18, 2011. Visit the Homeschool Post to see if your favorite homeschool blogger is listed and vote.

Amanda Bennett's new Passport Geography series is coming along and just released is Passport to France. You can get this new release is on sale until November 25, 2011. There are three to choose from K-6 for $5.00, 7-12 at $5.00 or get the combination of both for $9.00. Oh and to celebrate the release of this study Amanda is having a giveaway for a Le Creuset's enameled cast iron pot. It is a beautiful heart shaped casserole pot, no purchase necessary to enter.

TimberDoodle is having a Facebook party tomorrow, November 18, 2011 from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM PST. Visit their blog to learn more about the party and how to enter to win prizes. If you are not familiar with this company check them out by visiting the about page on their blog along with their web site.

Free from the Biography channel a teacher's PDF manual for Biography Experience it! for grades 6-8.

Homeschool Blogs

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:04:00 +0000

I want to start a page for homeschool blogs, so if you have a button and a homeschool blog let me know and I will add it. Please include what type of blog it is, crafting, Charlotte Mason, unschooling etc... If you do not have a homeschool blog, but one they may be of interest to homeschoolers with a button I will be willing to take a look at that also. Just email me the link to your site and include how to list it, I look forward to seeing what comes through.

Cautionary Tales

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:52:00 +0000

Anyone who reads my blog on a regular bases knows I often post about my business, Usborne Books and More. While I love everything I have seen so far I was sitting at a book fair board and decided to look at some of the titles I never have. I decided to take a look at a series I have called Cautionary Tales. Each book addresses a behavior we do not want to encourage in our children, but discourage.

I read the first one "Don't Tell Lies Lucy." I figured these stories used a moral and found it they sure did, but not the type I would tell to my young child. Lucy never toke responsibility for her actions, instead she would tell a lye about what happened. Everyone in her family would say to her, "Don't tell lies Lucy." Well one day Lucy stormed off to her room upset that no one believed her lies. She heard her father tell everyone to get out of the house because a big wave was headed straight for it. Lucy screamed from upstairs to her father, "Don't tell lies dad!!" Lucy was taking away from her family by that big wave, I thought this is terrible!!

I continued to read through the rest of the series and each child met with unfortunate situations at the end. Greedy Graham wanted a snake at the zoo, but ended up being eaten by it. Another child was taking away in a space ship, I didn't get to finish the series, gee shucks!! But, I will say this I do not recommend this series of books for teaching a young child how to behave appropriately unless you want to scare them and I hope not.

So, now you can see that while I love what I do and know that Usborne puts out great quality books, there are a few bad apples and this set is one of them.

Have any suggestions for some good books on teaching on topics like lying, bullying, being greedy or others?

Free Art Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Many of you may know that I am the Baton Rouge Homeschool Examiner on Examiner.com. Sometimes it gets a little tricky writing two blogs on Examiner.com and recently I was excepted to write on Heart of the Matter. I love writing, but sometimes, as funny as it may seem, I don't know what to write about.

My inspiration comes from various sources, God, newsletters, a web site or something totally random. But, there happens from time to time that I lack a muse. Well that was not the case today, I wrote an article on Examiner.com which includes some of the best resources for free art lessons on the web. You can check it out here.

Usborne PDFs for Kane Miller Titles

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Usborne is always popping out something new, this morning in the newsletter for consultants were four PDFs for some books.

These are for the Kane Miller titles we carry and the first two are geared towards adjectives. What a fun way to learn about adjectives than to read a story which includes them. The first book is called Dogs, Dogs and the other one is Cats, Cat. Both of these books are for 2-6 year olds and cost only $5.99. These are paper back books and each book contains 32 pages. Coloring pages in PDF for Dogs, Dogs and for Cats, Cats.

“An easy read and enjoyable introduction to adjectives for beginners to read alone or fun to read aloud to the very young.” - Picture Book Reviews (September 24, 2011)

“Simple, vibrant drawings attract the attention of young readers.” - Picture Book Reviews (September 24, 2011)

The next PDF is for a series called Pet Vet which includes five titles. Children love to read books about animals and this series includes some of their favorites, cats, horses, snakes, dogs and kittens. This series is geared toward 7-ll year olds includes 96 pages and for those in school it is also an Accelerated Reader title. These books are available in paper back for $4.99 or library bond for $11.99. This PDF file includes a crossword puzzle for each title along with answers.

While you are on the site looking at these great titles set up a wish list for the child/children in your life. This is great for gift giving, tie it to a e-show and earn some FREE books. I can't wait to help you earn some free books!

What types of books do the children in your life like to read about?

Posted on No Ordinary Bog Hop.

Best Holiday Gifts for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:29:00 +0000

The holidays are fast approaching and what better gift to give this year than a book. With over 1,400 books to chose from you are sure to find something that interests the child/children in your life. Did you know you can create a wish list on Usborne Books and More? You and your child/children or you can select the products you are interested in and than let family members know about it. This is great for those who live out of town and never know what to get.

You may want to also host an e-show and earn some free holiday gifts also. It's easy and I will help you with emails to send out and the best thing is you don't have clean the house and prepare food. You can still utilize your wish list, so you can get even more with those ordering from your wish list.

Select from products for 0-Junior High, our products are geared towards education along with interests a child may have.

So, when can I schedule your e-show for?
Need recommendations?

Fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:04:00 +0000

Usborne Books and More has come out with a new fundraiser called "Cards for a Cause." There are two boxes of cards to chose from, one for children's birthdays and the other is an all occasion mix.

I ordered both boxes so I could see what they looked like and was totally surprised at the quality. From the picture the box looks cheap, but they are sturdy boxes which come with a magnet closure system. The one with the all occasion cards in it can easily be reused and comes with sorters. Think of how easy it would be to just go into the box and pull out the card you need? I have a container where all my cards are kept and I have to shift through all of them to find what I want. But, with this box in hand everything is so easy to find.

I love the children's box because I think of how many times one of the kids had been invited to a birthday party at the last minute or I simply forgot to pick up a card. No, problem anymore just go to the box and find the appropriate card.

Each box will be sold for $30 each and they include 30 cards and envelopes. The all occasion box has the card and envelope sealed together in plastic, stickers are included with the children's box. Think about it that is a $1.00 per card and these are way nicer than the $1.00 cards in the stores.

You can view details here.

Do you need to raise funds for church, curriculum, mission trip? Want to make back more money than most fundraiser? Want something unique and different? Look no further you need more information? Contact me through my contact page.

Big Blessing Sale, Help a Family in Need

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:46:00 +0000

We all know we are living during hard economic times and this family knows it all very well at this point. You see they are about to lose their home, so this blogging mom was able to get some items donated for the Big Blessing Sale.

This is a package deal worth over $120 for only $19.95 Some detonators include Knowledge Quest who I have blogged about in the past. WriteShop has also made a donate along with Raising Real Men, Ultimate Homeschool Expo and many more.

With every purchase you will be entered to win prizes this week. First prize comes from WriteShop and you get your choice of one curriculum package. Second prize the Mystery of History MP 3 volume 1, second edition. Hey! There is another second prize from the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, winner gets to chose from three different items. Lastly the third prize is a gift a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.

Even if you are only interested in a few of products this a great buy and a great opportunity to help a fellow homeschool family in need. Maybe you can bless another homeschool family with the items you do not need, donate them to your support group lending library or consider doing a review of the product on your blog, if you write one, and using it as a giveaway.

The sale started October 10, 2011 and runs through October 14, 2011.

Unit Studies Amanda Bennett Party!!

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:18:00 +0000

Amanda is throwing a Face Book party to celebrate the second birthday of her Down Load and God series. Like Amanda on Face Book and then on October 11, 2011 at 1:00 pm EDT get on Face Book for the party. As always at Amanda's parties there will be plenty going on and lots of giveaways

Also to celebrate this event Amanda has some specials going for the Download and Go series. All week long you can get Birthday Bonanza for only $5.00. This unit study is for Kindergarten through 4th grade, you can view a sample on the site.

The rest of the week Amanda will have a one day sale, each day has a theme. For Monday, today, it is Terrific Travel and you can get the Expedition Fun Pack for $20.00 verses $42. She has Israel by itself for $3.00 instead of $7.00. All of these are geared towards Kindergarten to 4th grade. This link will take you to the site map where you will be able to find the title of the product and view samples.

Tomorrow's theme, Tuesday is celebrate, stay sane Wednesday, go outside Thursday and Friday is lasting fun. So, every day this week go to the specials page to see what is on sale.

Blog Frog

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:47:00 +0000

while going through my morning routine, I saw a post by one of my Facebook friends who wrote an article. So, I went to read it and while looking around I found a button that said submit your blog. Well, it is a button with the word blog in it so I had to click it.

It took me to this site called Blog Frog, it is similar to a social network,but set up better. You can utilize your blog to create your own community, so I did, even though I should be cleaning the living room instead of making more work for myself. I can't help it, it's fun and I love sharing.

The biggest reason I created a community is because I do like to share. All the writing I currently do is geared toward homeschooling, while I love this I know about other things to that I would like to share.

I linked to Education Jump-Off because I would like to get to know those who follow me better and interact with everyone more. Come on everyone awwww!! Click on the Blog Frog link on the right side of the page to join me as learn from each other about everything in our lives. I mean after all it is education.

Sign Language

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Knowing sign language has many benefits for adults as well as children. We had the pleasure of learning sign language from a deaf man who was the instructor for one of the youth in our support group. Our instructor was a lot of fun to be around and interacted with the children marvelously.

He also told us that just like people speak with a different dialect the same is true with sign language. Depending on where you go some signs maybe different, he said that there has been times he has run into this problem. I guess you could always finger spell, I'm not sure if that varies also would be interesting to find out.

Knowing sign language has given my children and I the opportunity to speak to each other during church and at other times when we could not be verbal. It has also helped when we would meet someone who was deaf, they really appreciate it when someone can talk their language.

During church I have used it to scold the boys when they would act up. While they are older now the sign for stop is still used during church time. When they were younger I would also use it to tell them they were doing good. We do not use it that much anymore, but every now and then we will just so we don't forget.

My husband works with a deaf woman, he drives a truck and goes in to conduct business with her. However, the only business really taking place is the paper work he needs so there is little need for verbal communication. One day he needed to use the bathroom and had a hard time communicating what he needed. I gladly showed him the sign for bathroom, well toilet so next time he will be able to communicate with her.

The other night I was watching 19 Kids and Counting and Michelle was saying how they taught Josie some simple sign language. She commented that Josie's ability to sign what she wanted caused her not to cry out like most children who are not yet talking do. While it was her bottle that she wanted Josie has been taught the sign for more and uses it to let them know she wanted her bottle. It may be used for other items as well, but no matter she can communicate with her hands rather than causing a commotion by crying and carrying on.
There are many free resources for learning sign language on the internet.

Signing Time sign of the day, products, more benefits, coloring pages and more.

Babies and sign language

ASL Pro has free signing resources along with
products.

Your Dictionary has resources for free worksheets.

Education Jump-Off on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Joyce) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:22:00 +0000

Many times I come across sites, but do not always share them here on my blog. However I developed a Facebook page where I put links up for sites of interest along with sales. Come join the Education Jump-Off Facebook and don't miss out on any great sites or sales.