Homeschool Help Web

Resource of the Day: State Study Notebooking Pages (Homeschool eStore)

2008-02-22T07:11:00.005-06:00

Here is this week's freebie at Homeschool eStore, a 34 page set of notebooking pages for state studies:

Homeschool eStore

34 pages of notebooking layouts including:

Notebook Cover (1 pg)
Map, Nickname, & Motto Page (1 pg)
Symbol Pages incl. bird/flower coloring page, tree coloring page, flag, seal, song (5 pgs)
Map Pages (2 pgs)
National Anthem Pages (2 pgs)
Pledge of Allegiance Pages (2 pgs)
Template Pages incl. History, Government, Famous People (2 pgs each)
Blank Template Pages for your own topics or topics from our given list! (4 pgs)
Blank Symbol Pages to draw your own symbols (8 pgs)
Cutouts: mini flap-books & other graphics to use on your notebooking pages or in a lapbook study (3 pgs)
Also includes 2 pages of info, topic ideas, directions, and facts. Fully reproducible for your family or single classroom!

(Pssst.... if you're a regular reader who likes to use the free notebooking pages I make, would you mind popping over to a previous post and answering my poll about one-inch ruled notebooking paper? Thanks!)

Frugal Friday: Coupons in the phone book

2008-02-21T19:22:00.003-06:00

A quick frugal tip - when you get your new phone book each year, check the back for coupons. A lot of times they might be for food you never will buy, or the most expensive home repair place in town, but sometimes you can find some really good ones. Our local phone book has some great ones for a fairly new hair salon in town - only $4.99 for a haircut! Plus other discounts for the same place which are almost as good. I ended up with three phone books this year, so I'm covered on cheap haircuts for the next year!

Be sure to visit Crystal's blog for more great frugal goodness!

(Pssst.... if you're a regular reader who likes to use the free notebooking pages I make, would you mind popping over to a previous post and answering my poll about one-inch ruled notebooking paper? Thanks!)

My Favorite Homeschool Product - THotM Friday Meme

2008-02-21T19:11:00.002-06:00

Okay, it's Thursday night, but I'm going to be really busy tomorrow, so I'm tackling this topic tonight. This week's Friday Meme at The Heart of the Matter is "Your Favorite Homeschooling Product". Hmmm. I don't use a lot of "products". We're very eclectic around here. But I think I came up with one thing: dry erase boards.

We've used dry erase boards for many things in our school work over the years. We've used small ones, medium ones, and one really large one for different things at various times. The smaller ones are great for one-on-one work, and the larger one is perfect for showing something to more than one child at a time. They can practice on the board, you can correct it and they can work again, and no paper is wasted in the process. Hey, that's "green"!

As a matter of fact, I just today bought a new medium sized board at Target (there are a lot on clearance right now, you might want to check for them there if you're in need of any) for using with school work. I got a medium one with a magnetic background. I'm thinking of doing this math project with sheet magnets, and using the magnets on the board where we can use the blocks and write all on the same surface.

So, what's your favorite product? Don't forget to check in at The Heart of the Matter to see what everyone else has to say - you might find a good idea for yourself!

(Pssst.... if you're a regular reader who likes to use the free notebooking pages I make, would you mind popping over to the last post and answering my poll about one-inch ruled notebooking paper? Thanks!)

A question for those of you who use my notebooking pages...

2008-02-21T12:26:00.001-06:00

I have a question for my readers and users about the one-inch notebooking pages that I offer. Should I continue to offer them? I think they would be useful for very young writers, or those with writing difficulties, but if nobody uses them, I'll probably stop bothering to produce them. Please take a moment to vote in this poll and let me know what you think!

Resource of the Day: Spanish lessons in 15 minutes a day

2008-02-21T07:41:00.000-06:00

While this site doesn't have a *lot* of lessons, it's about 40 - good for daily practice, certainly. The lessons come in the form of podcasts (so you have to know how to wrangle those things) with a listen and repeat format. The lessons tend to be for everyday, survival Spanish; things you really need to be able to say to get around if you're in a Spanish-speaking country.

Oh, there is also a quick link to a translator, and a hangman game!

My Spanish Connection

Resource of the Day: Make your own math manipulative blocks

2008-02-20T08:16:00.002-06:00

Inspired by the demo of a popular math program this past week, I've put together a set of math manipulative blocks that you can print yourself on heavy cardstock to use. Just print the blocks on different colors of paper, or color them after printing on white paper, and cut them out. There are many, many math applications for these blocks. We're currently using them to practice skip-counting: just deal out a stack like playing cards, counting while you put down each one.

All of the blocks are 1 inch square, so they fit on top of each other. You can do all of the four major operations, as well as work with fractions.

Homeschool Help Web Math Manipulative Blocks

Resource of the Day: Fun State Facts from the Census Bureau

2008-02-19T08:04:00.002-06:00

Looking for facts about the 50 states? How about from the best source of all - the Census Bureau?

Fun State Facts

This is the "Facts" page, but there are other pages down the side as well - quizzes and information about the census.

Resource of the Day: Greek Mythology for kids

2008-02-18T08:04:00.002-06:00

The study of Greco-Roman mythology is actually fairly important in order to be literate in the English language. The stories so pervade the ancient culture and have been since referenced so much that a basic understanding of at least the major stories helps quite a bit. I've found a cute site for kids:

MythWeb

While it only goes over the Greek versions of the names and stories, it's not hard to then research and find the Roman equivalents if you so desire.

Frugal Friday: Good habits will save you frugal grief

2008-02-15T09:45:00.003-06:00

This week's Frugal Friday posting is a warning - form good habits with your coupons and forms!

Since we moved, I've been rather discombobulated. Haven't updated my coupon binder in ages. Don't manage to pick up the paper half the time. And worst of all - I'm losing stuff.

I'm not the most organized person in the world, but I did used to have decent habits with my coupons and other pieces of paper for savings. But I've just let it all slide and now? Horror of horrors, I have managed to MISPLACE $29.99 worth of CVS Extra Bucks! Can you believe that? It just makes me SICK to think about it. I don't know if I dropped it out of my car (I remember leaving the store with the register tape), cleaned it out of my car, cleaned it out of my purse, or if I did bring it home but misplaced it when I got home. I am just beside myself. And since Corporate will no longer reset ECBs for us, it's just gone. Poof. No reprieve.

Learn from my mistake - form a habit and stick with it! You'll be sorry if you don't!

Be sure to visit Crystal's Blog for more, positive frugal tips!

New social site - just for homeschoolers!

2008-02-15T09:31:00.002-06:00

Have you heard about The Homeschool Lounge yet? It's a lovely, lovely social site built just for homeschoolers! It reminds me of other places I've been, like Cre8Buzz, but it's calm and soothing and there are just OODLES of features built in, even chat! If you're looking for me, you can find me right HERE.

Where Do You Homeschool: THotM Meme

2008-02-15T08:00:00.002-06:00

Today's Friday Meme at The Heart of the Matter is the question, "Where do you homeschool?". That's a simple one: everywhere!

I so well remember back when I was still in school, and my aunt was homeschooling her children. They were lucky enough to have a large home, and had an extra room that they could set aside for school. I was so impressed with their little school desks and how cute the whole thing was. Yes, you guessed it, those were her early days.

My husband seriously thought about getting a desk with the Kiddo was getting old enough for school. I think the only thing that put the kibosh on that was the fact that there was no room for it. Come to think of it, it wouldn't have been safe around his younger sister, either - she likely would have tipped the thing over on her own head.

So, we've done the couch thing, and the kitchen table thing. We've done floor work and bed work. They've worked in their own rooms, or in the living room under my watchful eye.

But the beautiful thing about homeschooling is that the world and all of your life becomes the classroom. Go out and do leaf rubbings. Measure the sidewalk for math. Count street signs - or read them. Talk about why the sky is blue as you're driving down the road. Spend time at the library just looking, talking, researching - instead of getting in and out as fast as you can. Take a walk in the woods.

Field trips, store trips, family trips - they're all opportunities for learning something! Take advantage of them!

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Resource of the Day: Lesson plans for literature

2008-02-15T07:37:00.002-06:00

Here are a ton of lesson plans, study guides, unit studies and so forth for middle school - high school literature. Lots and lots of great links here!

LitPlans.com

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Resource of the Day: Science lesson plans from Discovery Channel

2008-02-14T07:56:00.002-06:00

Discover Channel has a fabulous site online, full of information and ideas. Part of the site is lesson plans! They are broken down into K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grade sections, so it's easy to find the right level of curricula for your child.

Discovery Education

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WFMW: Valentine's Fun

2008-02-13T07:38:00.003-06:00

You know what Works For Me? Having something fun for my kids to do for Valentine's Day!

We may not get to do the large-class Valentine exchange thing, but we can still do fun things. I can give them a search-a-word puzzle instead of English work, perhaps.

We could cut out paper heart chains and decorate them, or write Valentine's cards to Daddy, to thank him for all that he does for us.

I could write them notes on special Valentine's Day paper, or they could write notes on them to distant relatives.

We can bake cookies instead of doing math, or if they were younger, we could do math with those silly little conversation hearts. Hey, that could count for reading, too!

Show your kids that you love them, and do something unexpected with them - that Works For Me!

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Resource of the Day: Fun craft project - foam glasses case

2008-02-13T07:24:00.002-06:00

Today's project is a fun project that would be good for these end-of-winter, cabin fever days. Those of us down here in the Deep South are lucky in that we are already starting to see the occasional sign of Spring - but then it gets yanked away again in a couple of days, anyway. Those of you up North won't see good weather again for quite awhile, I'm afraid!

Even if your child doesn't wear glasses, they may know someone who does and would like to make a unique, custom case for them. You'll find the instructions RIGHT HERE.

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Resource of the Day: Free Mary Cassatt Lapbook

2008-02-12T07:46:00.000-06:00

This week's freebie at Homeschool eStore is a lapbook at the life and works of Mary Cassatt:

Mary Cassatt was an American painter during the late 1800’s. Your student can complete a lapbook on one of the first impressionists in history with the Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child. This 56-page unit includes a 9-page Research Guide with information about Mary’s childhood, family, and her experiences as an artist as well as examples of her work. In addition, you will find 17 hands-on activities to help your student learn about this famous woman!

Homeschool eStore - Marry Cassatt Lapbook

Resource of the Day: Math Worksheet generator

2008-02-11T07:50:00.000-06:00

Even if you don't use textbooks or worksheets as a rule, it seems that sometimes you just need one. Here's a great site for producing worksheets with just a few clicks:

The Math Worksheet Site

They have addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, of course, but also graphs, fractions, measurement, time and "hundreds charts" to print. Each time you generate a sheet, it comes up in PDF format, so you can easily save it.

Resource of the Day: Alexander Hamilton resources

2008-02-08T08:04:00.000-06:00

Have you seen the Alexander Hamilton exhibition? It's coming to our town in a few weeks, and we may pop in on it. In the meantime, the society that is putting on the exhibition has a GREAT site, full of resources about Alexander Hamilton, one of our founding fathers:

Alexander Hamilton Exhibition

There's a virtual tour, a document tour, quiz, lesson plans (look under "About the exhibition", then "For Teachers") and more.

Sorry for the light posting this week, I've been working on two exciting projects that have taken up most of my time - more about those next week, hopefully!

Resource of the Day: Indoor rockets!

2008-02-05T08:10:00.000-06:00

Looking for a fun indoor activity? Try our Paper Rockets activity and let your kids have a "blast"! Just make sure they don't point rockets at each other's faces. Lots to do here - coloring, cutting, taping and then blasting off to their hearts' content.

When a group that my kids were participating with one day did this activity, I thought we were never going to get them to stop shooting these things - they're that much fun!

Resource of the Day: Music Notes: An Interactive Musical Experience

2008-02-04T07:40:00.000-06:00

Wanting to learn more about music? Music Notes from ThinkQuest has several sections to teach you about various parts of music: Theory, History, Styles, Professions, Instruments and Interactive Games. There are also other links at the bottom of the page with a message board, other links, and more.

Music Notes

We have a winner!

2008-02-04T07:28:00.000-06:00

Using Random.org, I picked a winner this morning for the Presidential Election lap book folder kit - the winner is Meg Wilson! Congratulations, Meg, and I'll get in touch with you via email to hammer out the details.

Book Review: "The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child"

2008-02-02T19:27:00.000-06:00

Volume 1: Ancient Times (From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor) by Susan Wise Bauer

At first glance, Susan Wise Bauer's The Story of the World seems like every homeschooling parent's dream — a well-written, engaging version of thousands of years of history condensed into one easily-read volume. And, in fact, that is what it is. As with all books, though, there are just as many cons as there are pros.

Susan Wise Bauer is a well-known name in homeschooling circles. A graduate of homeschooling, she is now a college professor and home educator to her own children. She is the author or co-author of several well-regarded books including The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. A study of world in history, done in order, is a very important part of that classical education, and she found existing curricula to be lacking because so often children are taught history all out of order, and many times in a "me-centric" method, with the social sciences first (neighborhoods, city, state, country) and world civilizations and history last. To combat this, Ms. Bauer has compiled her volumes of The Story of the World.

Resource of the Day: Free lesson plans for kids' Bible studies

2008-02-01T08:15:00.000-06:00

These two pages have some great, basic Bible lessons for kids. For the most part, the lessons are all about the "stories" of the Bible - characters and events. There are a few geared toward ideas, such as The Fruit of the Spirit and images of the book of Revelation; however, there is no theology presented that I've seen. They are pretty much just basic, follow-along-the-verses lessons with no expounding going on.

Each lesson has a cover page, coloring page, two lesson pages (covering the same questions, but at different age levels), two search-a-word puzzles (again, at two age levels) and one easy crossword. These make a good jumping-off point for discussion style lessons.

Calvary Chapel - Old Testament
Calvary Chapel - New Testament

And don't forget - you've still got a couple of days to enter my CONTEST to win a homeschool freebie!

Resource of the Day: More than 40 homeschool freebies!

2008-01-31T07:26:00.000-06:00

Wowee, look at the email I received from the "The Old Schoolhouse" magazine the other day! They have put together a directory of free things for homeschoolers, and let me tell you, they are quality. Writing, history, atronomy, critical thinking, Bible, e-books, curriculum samples and SO much more are available - you really have to check it out yourself!

The Old Schoolhouse Freebie Directory

I can't wait to delve in and grab some of these for my two!

And don't forget to enter my CONTEST to win a presidential election lap book folder kit!

Resource of the Day: "Within the Web" unit study on Charlotte's Web - free @ Homeschool eStore (and don't forget my homeschool giveaway!)

2008-01-29T07:49:00.000-06:00

This week's Homeschool eStore freebie looks really nice: a unit study about Charlotte's Web.

Introduce your child to the amazing world inside Zuckerman's farm and into a web of learning! Based on the classic Charlotte's Web© by E. B. White, this unit study contains fascinating activities that deal with insects, friendships, animal classification, barn photography to name just a few. Using our unique approach to activities based on the whole child's needs, there are an amazing amount of activities to pick from to meet your child's needs and interests.

Free only this week, as usual. This looks really nice, I'm excited about it!

Homeschool eStore

And don't forget to go HERE and sign up to enter my Bloggy Giveaway contest for your chance to win a Presidential Election lap book folder kit!