Learning Table

Learning Table has a new home!

2014-11-15T23:47:00.004-05:00

We've moved!

Please visit our new site at mylearningtable.com

Hello Monday {Construction Zone}

2014-11-10T10:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday!

We're working hard behind the scenes to spruce things up around here.

Learning Table is moving, and we'll be back in a few days, new and improved.

Have a wonderful start to your week!

Hearts for Home Blog Hop #90

2014-11-06T09:39:00.001-05:00

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Welcome to the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!

Every Thursday over 20 bloggers host the Hearts for Home Blog Hop.

The blog hop runs from Thursday through Wednesday, so please be sure to stop back by and share your family friendly posts throughout the week! As wives and moms, our hearts are focused on our homes, and we all can use inspiration and encouragement from time to time!

So please share your posts on topics such as: faith, homemaking, marriage, homeschooling, crafts, DIY projects, recipes, parenting, and anything else that can be an encouragement to someone!

The most popular post from last week's hop was:

Scripture Journaling
from Worshipful Learning

I hope you'll play along and share your posts this week, and maybe you'll discover some new ideas from all the fabulous links! Use the form below to enter your links. Please just kindly link back to this blog or display our Hearts for Home button in your post or on your sidebar.

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If you were featured this week, help yourself to one of our “I was featured” buttons to display on your blog!

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Happy Hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

7 Steps to Meal Planning Success

2014-11-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

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1. Organize your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Throw away anything that has expired and anything that you’ve had for a year and haven’t used yet. Sort everything out and shelve it by type: Canned soups, veggies, and fruits lined up on one shelf; rice, pasta, and boxed side dishes in one place; a designated drawer for frozen meat. If everything is easy to see and access, you will be more motivated to cook, and you'll save money by knowing what you have when you make your shopping list. Cleaning out the freezer is like going on a treasure hunt!

2. Choose simple storage options. Clear plastic containers with snap-on lids are great for keeping cereal, crackers, and cookies fresh. Small baskets make single-serve snacks easily accessible for kids. Recycled jars are great for storing beans, dried fruit, rice, and nuts. When you come home from grocery shopping, empty things into containers and put everything in its place. Freezer bags are such a money saver, allowing me to purchase large family-size packs of meat and divide it up when I get home.

3. Sort through cookbooks. Weed out the ones you never use and whittle down to a few that have recipes your family likes. Store them front and center on a pantry shelf or on the kitchen counter so you can easily grab them for inspiration. Use sticky tabs to mark pages to find favorites quickly. Write notes inside to remind you of alterations or substitutions, or for meals that bombed or were especially successful. Bookmark your favorite recipes online, and pin them to a Pinterest board to find later. Many cookbook recipes are available on the author's or publisher's websites, so you really don't need as many cookbooks as you think.

4. Write down, or type out, every meal you can think of in your repertoire. Ask your family for help. Once you have all of them listed, sort them by common ingredients. For instance, group spaghetti, chili, sloppy joes, and beef tacos; and chicken pie, chicken stir-fry, and chicken parmesan. Now, consult your recipes for any additions you want to make to your list. Strive for at least 25 options. Check out my Easy Meals Pinterest board for some ideas.

5. Create a master shopping list. Decide what common ingredients you need to stock in your pantry, such as canned tomato sauce, pasta, spices, flour and sugar, cereal, and staples like coffee, tea, and chocolate. Determine what ingredients you can live without, and don’t be afraid to skip them when following recipes. I will buy some specialty items, but I hate to waste money on a spice I’ll only use for one recipe, only to have it get dusty on the shelf. When planning your weekly shopping trip, consult your master list first.

6. Make your monthly menu plan. Look at your calendar, and choose meals accordingly: Crockpot meals for game nights; more involved meals for at-home days; quick and easy meals for field trip or co-op days. Be strategic about planning meals that you grouped on your list so you can cook large portions of a common ingredient and store the rest for another night. Take advantage of leftovers to create another meal: spaghetti becomes chili bean casserole; leftover chicken chopped up goes into chicken pie or becomes BBQ sandwiches.

7. Keep family mealtime a priority. A little advance planning will ensure that you’ll always be able to answer the question, “What’s for supper?” and you can gather your family together at mealtime. Enlist the kids to help with prep, cooking, setting the table, and clean up (Click here for some Kids in the Kitchen ideas). You can even incorporate cooking lessons into your schoolwork. Gather around the table together at the end of the day to celebrate, reconnect, and share.

Farm Unit Study Ideas

2014-11-04T00:02:00.000-05:00

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One of our favorite field trip destinations is to the farm. In fact, we became backyard farmers to a certain extent as a result of one of those field trips. My sons came home from an alpaca farm with three fertilized eggs, which they successfully incubated and hatched. Now I'm a chicken mom, and our hens are actually the best pets we've ever had!

Fall is a great month for farm field trips where we live, because the weather is nicer. In our area, we have the aforementioned alpaca farm, apple farms, horse farms, goat farms, a huge dairy farm, and farms with fall hay mazes and pumpkin patches.

To extend our field trips back to our classroom, I plan some type of activity as either a lead-in or follow-up to our activity. Usually, I start by scouring our bookshelves or the library database to find some books as a starting point. One fun resource we have is Farm Anatomy, which is like an almanac of all things farm-related. Below are some peeks inside the section about chickens, where we are learning all about chicken anatomy, comb types, predators, and what goes on inside an egg.

It's not difficult to find at least one book that ties in with our field trip. Once I find some resources, I use them as inspiration for a couple of hands-on activities:

Draw what you observed in your nature journal, particularly something unique to the farm you visited, such as an alpaca, the "life cycle" of an apple, or cotton growing on a plant.
For older students, write an essay describing what you learned. How does a dairy operation work? What is the difference between organic farming and non-organic? How do you prevent predators from attacking a flock?
Bring home something from the farm store to cook at home. We've made delicious apple sauce, apple tarts, and baked apples after our visit to an apple orchard. Local honey makes a delicious addition to hot tea, and cornmeal from the grist mill serves as a base for Johnny cakes. We have also tried new things like goat cheese and goat milk, which we discovered are delicious.
Do an art or craft project based on your farm visit. Check out my Pinterest Farm Unit Study board for some ideas.

What to Read on a Snowy Day

2014-11-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

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We don't get many snowy days where we live, but when we do, you will find my boys knee deep in it. Okay, maybe only bottom-of-foot deep, but it's still heaven to them!

When they finally come inside to get warm and dry, what's a mom to do with all that leftover energy? You can't "do school" on a snow day, can you? Well, being that we are homeschoolers, why not turn a snow day into a unit study?

So, grab a cup of hot chocolate and plenty of marshmallows, snuggle under a warm blanket, and spend some quality time celebrating all things SNOW!

Snow by Uri Shulevitz is a Caldecott Honor Book that depicts what happens in a village when a single flake of snow appears. Watch as this gray world suddenly becomes vibrant and alive. When you're done reading, try painting your own scene with watercolors.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is the classic story of a little boy named Peter's day in the snow. Peter makes interesting tracks in the snow by pointing his feet in different directions and by dragging his feet along. When you head back outside, see what kind of tracks you can make.
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert is a fun picture book that uses collage illustrations. If you don't have enough snow for a snowman (like us), gather some materials like the ones in the book or use scraps from magazines and junk mail to make a snowman collage on paper. You can also cut scraps from Christmas cards and leftover wrapping paper.
The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader, another Caldecott Medal recipient, is a timeless classic (1948) that shows what happens to the animals when the big snow arrives. This book explores migration and hibernation, as well as depicting how the other animals prepare for winter. Pull out your nature journals and draw what the animals in your backyard are doing. Be sure to throw some seeds out for the birds and watch from your window to see what appears.
The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson is a science lesson in picture book form. Learn how snow is formed and see enlarged actual photographs of snow crystals as if you were looking through a microscope. Take a piece of dark card stock and a magnifying glass outside to catch your own snow crystal and see what it looks like. This book might also inspire you to make cut paper snowflakes in different patterns to decorate your window!

Even if you don't get snow where you live, you can always turn the air conditioning on and pretend it's snowing outside! Everyone deserves a snow day once in a while.

Hearts for Home Blog Hop #89

2014-10-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

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Welcome to the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!

Every Thursday over 20 bloggers host the Hearts for Home Blog Hop.

So please share your posts on topics such as: faith, homemaking, marriage, homeschooling, crafts, DIY projects, recipes, parenting, and anything else that can be an encouragement to someone!

The most popular post from last week's hop was:

Favorite Kindergarten Read Alouds
from The Sunny Patch

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If you were featured this week, help yourself to one of our “I was featured” buttons to display on your blog!

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Happy Hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

Falling for Fall

2014-10-29T01:48:00.000-04:00

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Fall temperatures aren't in the air yet where we live, but we are finally seeing some changing leaves on the trees. Looking forward to cooler weather to go along with the beautiful leaves, we are knee deep in fall fun!

Need some inspiration to get into the fall spirit?

Discover fall leaves with a leaf discovery day.
Make a fall nature journal for leaf rubbings and recording outdoor finds.
Make a bird feeder from a small pumpkin.
Paint some rainbow leaves!
Learn about different varieties of trees as you Count Down to Fall in this fun Arbordale book by Fran Hawk and Sherry Neidigh. Not only are there learning activities included in the book, but the Arbordale website has a free printable teacher's guide packed with geography, language arts, science, and math resources.

The Homeschool Balancing Act

2014-10-27T13:26:00.002-04:00

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Homeschooling and Getting it All Done

We moms know that life in general can be a balancing act, but when you throw homeschooling in with all the other stuff you have to get done, it can seem like an overwhelming task. On top of that, you might be teaching multiple grades, tackling high school subjects, or dealing with a curious toddler. Field trips, errands, sports activities, and trips to the vet keep you on the road A LOT. Some days, it seems like it’s time to get supper started before you’ve even pulled that first load of laundry out of the washer.

So, how do you manage the homeschool balancing act?

Well, I don’t really have all the answers, but after eleven years of homeschooling, there are a few things I’ve learned that I can share with you. First and foremost, accept that right now -- this moment -- this is life. Life isn’t a “someday when I catch up” moment. When you are in the thick of it with dirty dishes, piles of laundry, science projects on the kitchen counter, and fussing kids, embrace it, enjoy it, and make the best of it. You’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating, your kids are only young once. Don’t save your best for “one day.” Live it now: enjoy this time with your children.

This realization brings me peace, which helps me maintain focus. And that leads to number two.

You will never catch up. Accept it. There will always be more meals to plan, more dirty towels to wash, and more math problems to figure out. So instead of wasting your time playing catch up, chart a course for what you want to accomplish each day, and let the rest go. It will be there tomorrow. My household list includes getting the dishes out of the sink and starting a load of clothes before bedtime. (I can, however rest easy even if there’s a pile of unfolded laundry hidden away in my closet and a full dishwasher waiting to be unloaded.)

For school, instead of looking at a daily schedule, I focus on where I want us to be by the end of each week. Which leads to my third tip: plan ahead, but be willing to go with the flow. Having a written plan for schoolwork helps keep us moving forward, but I also embrace those “light bulb” moments when they arise. Sometimes, spontaneity brings about the most memorable learning experiences.

If you’re in the midst of planning for the new school year, and the task seems daunting, relax a little, celebrate this season of life, and give yourself some grace.

The Ultimate List of Free or Low-Cost Field Trips

2014-10-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

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The Importance of Field Trips for Learning

Field trips are an important aspect of education as kids get to see, hear, and do as you explore your community. Oral histories and hands-on experiences lead to discovery learning, and this kind of learning really sticks. My kids recall things they’ve heard from the people who experienced them much more than from simply reading about them.

From perspectives of World War II as a young Jewish girl or as a young American soldier, to walking around in Shoeless Joe Jackson’s house, these real experiences leave a lasting impression on kids.

When I taught in a public school classroom and ventured out to a museum with my classes to see a Holocaust exhibit, not only was it the first time most of them had even been in a museum, but the artifacts and displays immersed them in the history we had been reading about. They got to see first-hand that history is real. Those kids will never forget that.

I’ve learned that all you have to do is ask, and people are more than willing to provide a field trip for you. (Don’t forget to send them a thank you note!)

The Ultimate Homeschool List of Free or Low-Cost Field Trips:

Art museum
American Legion museum
History museum
Baseball museum
Professional sports team training camp
U-pick farm
Organic farm
Alpaca farm
Goat farm
Dairy
Plant nursery
Grain mill
State parks
Fish hatchery
Horse stables
Zoo (membership saves money if you go often or have a large family, and is often reciprocal)
Veterinary clinic
Dental clinic
Nursing home
Restaurants (cost of food only, usually w/ a group discount and educational talk/tour included)
Grocery Store (Behind-the-scenes tours)
Local colleges and universities
Library tours/talks/classes
Post office
Fire station
Police station
City Hall (meet the mayor)
Airport
Television station
Radio station
Newspaper office
Book printer
Civic center
Free children's concerts given by the local symphony
Children's theater performances
Historical homes
Historical monuments
Manufacturing plant
Recycling center
Waste-water treatment facility

Click here to take a look at how I keep records of our field trips for school credit and print my field trip form.

Have any ideas to add to the list? Add them in the comments and I'll put them on the list!

Hearts for Home Blog Hop #88

2014-10-23T00:28:00.001-04:00

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Welcome to the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!

Every Thursday over 20 bloggers host the Hearts for Home Blog Hop.

So please share your posts on topics such as: faith, homemaking, marriage, homeschooling, crafts, DIY projects, recipes, parenting, and anything else that can be an encouragement to someone!

The most popular post from last week's hop was:

Curriculum Choices
from Monster Ed Homeschooling

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If you were featured this week, help yourself to one of our “I was featured” buttons to display on your blog!

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Happy Hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

Interest-Led Learning for High School

2014-10-22T01:25:00.000-04:00

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My son is passionate about filmmaking, from script writing to directing to camera-operating. He started with a flip camera, then added a camcorder and a stop-motion animation program with a webcam. He worked all summer one year cutting grass to save money for a "really nice" camera, and everything on his Christmas list was related to that (boom mic, lights, reflectors.) He now spends most of his free time writing scripts -- pages and pages of scripts. Because of his passion for the art of filmmaking, I decided to craft an interest-led learning elective course for him for high school fine arts credit.

Stop Motion Animation

My son has already produced both live-action and stop-motion movies to the delight of all of our family members (grandparents make an especially appreciative audience.) Stopmotion Explosion: Animate Anything and Make Movies- Epic Films for $20 or Less has been a great jumping off point into the live action stuff that he really wants to do.

For part of his literature/language arts and elective studies, I scoured the internet and other avenues to find resources to fit into our curriculum. It hasn't been easy to find resources appropriate for teens, but I have managed to put together some things that are working so far.

Free Resources

Educational guides and lesson plans for movies such as Because of Winn Dixie, Hoot, Where the Red Fern Grows, Bridge to Terabithia, Narnia, Holes, City of Ember, and more are available as free downloads from Walden Media. We have used these guides along with the novels and the movies as "going beyond the book" studies.

We also found resources for teachers and students at Oscars.org, including screenwriting, animation, visual effects, cinematography, and more. Although I don't have any filmmaking experience, I've been able to piece together enough resources to help my son pursue his interests.

Film Curriculum

I've found some filmmaking books and curriculum as well, such as Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts and Movies as Literature curriculum from Design-a-Study. These are the base for our coursework, with all the other above-listed resources as supplements to this course.

The Movies as Literature course is an intensive study of movies as short stories. This program is not just about watching movies. Each movie studied includes 25 discussion questions, including topics for compositions and extended activities with either reading assignments, history research, or other movies related to the one being studied. Movies include both classic and modern selections, including Shane, The Quiet Man, Rear Window, The Maltese Falcon, E.T., The Philadelphia Story, and several more. For Shane, we read the novel before watching the movie, then the topics studied in this lesson included:

Character development vs. stereotypes
Film techniques
Plot development
Character motivation
Foreshadowing
Setting
Mood
Symbolism
Underlying messages about: what makes a man, what makes a hero, whether or not the end justifies the means, whether 'A man who lives by the sword, dies by the sword,' the positive contributions of God-fearing families to settlements in new territories.

The student workbook isn't required for the program, but I bought it so that I could make notes in my book and my son could have his own book to follow along in as we discuss the material. Although this is a high school level course, a child strong in language arts could easily use this for eighth grade.

Enthusiasm for Learning

Above all, I want my kids to be excited about learning. If I can incorporate their interests into our curriculum, a huge plus to homeschooling, they are more enthusiastic and motivated. I love it when they ask me to "do school."

I'd love to hear what you do for interest-led electives in your homeschool!

Linking up

Embracing the Teen Years

2014-10-21T00:23:00.000-04:00

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First steps, first words, first birthday . . .

We celebrate these milestones and look forward to them from the day our children are born. The teen years seem so far away, but they arrive before we know it.

Many homeschool parents look upon the teen years with dread. They worry about how they’ll teach more difficult subjects, how hard it will be to keep track of grades, and [gulp] Driver’s Ed. Unfortunately, some parents believe that they cannot even continue to homeschool the teen years: What if my teen is weird and unsocialized for life?

I’d like to reassure you that:

1. You can teach more difficult subjects. When my oldest was in kindergarten, I began having the inklings of doubt for his high school years. Algebra and upper level science scared me to death. A funny thing happened, though. As my son grew older, he also grew to become more independent. I don’t have to do the algebra and science; HE does. I am here to help him, and I coach him and facilitate lessons, but the real work is up to him. And, thankfully, there are plenty of wonderful homeschool materials out there that make these subjects not only doable, but interesting and even fun.

Some math curriculum is computer based, with a virtual teacher to lead the student through the lessons (DIVE CDs for Saxon and Teaching Textbooks). Dr. Wile’s Apologia science texts are written to the student, so I really only have to help by gathering materials for experiments and discussing the study guide questions with my son. The reading is up to him.

Spanish is pretty much self-taught using a computer based program as well. And, supplementary CDs are benefitting the entire family as we listen to them in the car and all learn new vocabulary. (Rosetta Stone and SPANISH in 10 minutes a day® with CD-ROM).

History is similarly written to the student, so he does the reading, and I follow the prompts in the teacher’s guide for discussions (Sonlight, TruthQuest, Beautiful Feet). We’ve learned that there are tons of “helps” out there if we need them, such as supplementary notebooking materials, study aids, and tutors. (Donna Young’s free science printables, Harmony Arts free notebooking pages, and Khan Academy’s free tutorials).

However, even though my son is working more independently, I am finding that I am actually enjoying learning many things alongside him. I didn’t enjoy some subjects very much when I was in school, but I am discovering that homeschooling is producing a love for learning in me as well as in my kids. Don’t forget to sit down with your teen and learn alongside him! It will benefit you both.

2. You can keep track of grades. The only thing I do differently for middle and high school grading is to switch over to a system for letter grades instead of the Satisfactory/Needs Improvement/Unsatisfactory elementary grading system. There are many free resources to help you figure out how to do this, but don’t over think it too much. Establish a grading scale in the beginning (see your state’s department of education website for requirements in your state), and use the numerical grade on the progress report and report card. Include the letter grade alongside it if you’d like, but the numerical grade is what you will use to calculate GPA and class rankings.

3. Driver’s Ed is scary, but inevitable, so you might as well face your fears. When your teen is ready to drive, start out slow – baby steps! It isn’t easy to sit in the passenger seat, and I am still learning to trust my teen. I asked our insurance company to send us free materials for teen drivers. They sent us a booklet with mini-lessons based on driving scenarios and a DVD with tips and safety measures, along with warnings about driver distractions. There is also a pledge my son signed before getting behind the wheel the first time, promising never to text and drive, etc. (Some driving schools even offer discounts to homeschool families.)

4. Teens are weird anyway. They are goofy and gangly and want to stay up all night and sleep all day. Their rooms are disaster zones, and they eat everything in sight. They can be moody, stubborn, and too silent at times.

But, they are also delightful.

You will discover how fun it is to listen to their opinions on things, to get to know them as emerging adults, and to just hang out with them. Their independence gives you more room to trust them with greater responsibilities, which is an enormous help with household tasks, caring for younger siblings, and running errands.

Just remember that they are still children, and they still need your guidance, your time, and your love and affection. They never get to old for these!

Help your teen get organized with a planner of his own.
There'e even a Well Planned DayHigh School Planner
that includes all 4 years in one.
That's the one I use for my high schooler,
and it makes creating his portfolio super-easy.

Linking up

Homeschooling Algebra

2014-10-17T08:58:00.000-04:00

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A Different Perspective on Homeschooling Algebra

Tears.

That is the first word that comes to my mind when I think of the word algebra. My past experience with algebra wasn’t great. I struggled to understand the concepts, spent hours studying, and got help with my homework from friends and family. I just didn’t get it.

When we decided to homeschool eleven years ago, I knew I’d have to face my fear one day in the far off future. I think algebra is one of the subjects that causes many homeschool parents to think they cannot continue through high school. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that far off future day arrived at my house last year, and yes, we are still homeschooling!

I still don’t get algebra, but we have discovered that trying something different and changing our perspective has helped make it a reachable goal. My son has the tendency to want to focus on reading and writing like his mama, so he isn’t too enthusiastic about algebra either. I realized that I needed to check my attitude and not let it reflect onto him.

Whether it’s algebra, chemistry, phonics, or spelling that make you break out in hives, trying a new perspective just might help you make it through your homeschool day and year.

Try a Different Perspective

Find a tutor, or at least find another family member or friend who can explain the material in a different way. A group of friends and I have formed a teen literature discussion group, which I am teaching. My background is in English, so this is right up my alley. I found a former math teacher who meets with my son once a week to review and explain things that are muddy.

Search online. My son and I have discovered many free resources for algebra online, and he is especially responding to the videos on Khan Academy’s website. These give my son a visual explanation and a different “take” on the concepts in his book.

If you’ve given a curriculum your all, and it still isn’t clicking, don’t be afraid to try something else. Our first algebra curriculum just didn’t have enough explanations, so we called it a wash and found a substitute. You can always save the other one for a different child, sell it at a used book sale, or pass it along to a family who could use it.

Break things down into manageable pieces. Instead of trying to complete an entire lesson in one sitting, spread it out and spend twenty minutes on it, then move on to something else and come back to it.

Stick with it every day. Because algebra is so challenging for us, we do it EVERY DAY. That keeps everything in our brains. Even if it just means watching a short video or working a few problems, daily exposure really helps us not have to go back and re-learn past material.

Don’t move ahead until you’ve mastered a concept. Even if it takes a few days to complete a lesson, it is important not to move ahead “lost.” One of the luxuries of homeschooling!

Sit down with your child, no matter what his age. Even a teen benefits from your undivided attention and should not be expected to work independently all the time. Just being there beside them to guide them through the lesson and offer support makes a world of difference in their attitudes.

Don’t cry. It’s only algebra (or phonics, or chemistry, or…)!

Linking up

Hearts for Home Blog Hop #87

2014-10-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

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Welcome to the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!

Every Thursday over 20 bloggers host the Hearts for Home Blog Hop.

So please share your posts on topics such as: faith, homemaking, marriage, homeschooling, crafts, DIY projects, recipes, parenting, and anything else that can be an encouragement to someone!

The most popular post from last week's hop was:

Mommy Burn Out
from Monsters Ed Homeschooling

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If you were featured this week, help yourself to one of our “I was featured” buttons to display on your blog!

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Happy Hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

Should You Let Your Kids Use a Calculator for Math?

2014-10-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

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Could using a calculator hurt your child?

I don’t remember when I was first allowed to use one, but I do have a memory of it being a novelty at the time. As a child of the seventies, I was just beyond the years when the abacus was considered modern! Technology has certainly come a long way since then, and with computers, smartphones, and tablets at our disposal, our kids are better versed than we were in the use of technology.But, could calculator use do more harm than good?

Click here to read the rest of my article at Home Educating Family!

Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

2014-10-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

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It’s the middle of the school year, and your child is not thriving or growing. You think it is time to pull him out of traditional school, but you aren’t sure you can do this. You might be wondering, can I homeschool? What will my family think? What will my friends think? How do I start?

I found myself in this same quandary a few years ago when we took the plunge and started on our homeschool journey. Okay, it was eleven years ago, but time has whizzed by like a shooting star.

I felt like I was literally stuck “between a rock and a hard place” when my oldest son was in kindergarten. It just wasn’t working out—he was unhappy, and I was unhappy. It was really due to a combination of things, but I could see the difference in his attitude and in his enthusiasm for learning. School was a requirement, not a joy. It was a place where he was under the care and influence of others all day without me. I would ask him how his day went and what he learned and did each day, but all I usually got in response was, “okay” or “I don’t know.”

After meetings with the teacher and the director of the program, and talks with other students' moms, I began to discover what some of the problems were. Basically, however, he was not thriving in the classroom setting, and it was doing damage to him.

So, here I was, seven months pregnant and with a toddler in the house, bringing my six-year-old home to school. What was I going to do with a newborn and a toddler while I learned how to “do school” with my son? How were we going to break the news to the grandparents?

Well, you know what? We did fine. After a month or so of decompressing from the school routines, we began to find a rhythm in our days. We started off slow, with a simple curriculum to guide us, and my son eventually found his joy in learning again. My only regret is that we didn’t start homeschooling sooner.

So, if you find yourself stuck in that hard place, I’m here to tell you that you CAN do this. And, there are a bunch of us who have been at it awhile who would love to share our successes and failures with you.

Huge 50% Columbus Day Sale at Home Educating Family

2014-10-13T12:24:00.003-04:00

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Don't miss this huge sale at Home Educating Family! Today only, save 50% on EVERYTHING in the shop, except foreign subscriptions. The sale price shows up after you add your item to the cart. This is a great time to order your planner or a subscription. Even the new teen magazine, DEAR, is on sale! Click here for more!

Art Collage Project

2014-10-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

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Creating an Art Collage About You

Creating an art collage can be a great pre-writing activity for all ages, and don’t forget that teens can benefit from hands-on activities, too! (Click to tweet!) My teen sons especially enjoy creating collages from found objects. This activity can be used to explore a theme or even to “report” on a book.

What is an art collage?

A collage is a form of mixed-media art in which pieces are combined to express an idea or theme. Pieces can be cut out of magazines, newspapers, photographs, or even other artwork, and can also include materials such as fabric, wood, metal, and items from nature.

{Click here to read the rest of my article at Home Educating Family!}

Favorite High School Books

2014-10-10T09:45:00.003-04:00

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Are you teaching high school or do you have a soon-to-be high schooler?

HEDUA has a list of favorite books for high schoolers on their blog today. Go check it out, and add your picks to the list!

Click here to see more!

Hearts for Home Blog Hop #86

2014-10-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

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Welcome to the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!

Every Thursday over 20 bloggers host the Hearts for Home Blog Hop.

So please share your posts on topics such as: faith, homemaking, marriage, homeschooling, crafts, DIY projects, recipes, parenting, and anything else that can be an encouragement to someone!

The most popular post from last week's hop was:

6 Ways to Turn Scripture into Art
from A Nest in the Rocks

Some of my favorite links from last week are:

Classification and Legos
from The Homeschool Post

Yarn Apples
from Christianity Cove

Fascinating Fungi
from The Tiger Chronicle

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If you were featured this week, help yourself to one of our “I was featured” buttons to display on your blog!

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Happy Hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

5 Ways to Motivate Middle School Writers

2014-10-07T23:49:00.003-04:00

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Ah, middle school! A time of hormone surges and living in a sort of limbo stage between childhood and adulthood.

As a parent, I do sometimes feel like we’re living in the Matrix when it’s time to sit down and focus on “schoolwork.” And English gets a bad rap anyway as a “boring” required class.

Literature and Grammar

It’s easy to make the literature part more fun and meaningful by choosing books that appeal to your child’s interests and adding in short stories and poetry that complement them as well.

For the grammar side of it, try giving your student a grammar handbook and letting him use it as a reference book instead of assigning them endless grammar and punctuation exercises to complete. When he makes errors in his speech or writing, refer him to the relevant section of the handbook so he can learn how to correct them.

So what about writing?

No, texting does not count as composition, but there are some fun ways to motivate middle schoolers to write. Think outside the box, or the page, a bit, and give students an alternative to the traditional essay once in a while. There's nothing wrong with a three- to five-paragraph essay from time to time, but there are other options that might motivate reluctant writers. The rules are the same, however, and they must still use good grammar and sentence structure, with a clear theme and thesis.

Teach your child that writing is a process. The finished paper is only the result of time spent brainstorming, note taking, pre-writing, writing, revising, re-writing, revising again, and careful editing. Instead of giving a grade only for the completed paper, give grades as you go along at each stage of the process. This will give teens an incentive to spend more time at each stage, carefully crafting something they will be proud of.
Chopped--Give your child three words as "ingredients" that he must incorporate into a story. Using a timer, have him write non-stop for thirty minutes. In this activity, anything goes. Don't worry about errors or grammar. The goal is just to get their story on the page. After time is up, they can go back and polish it if they'd like or just leave it as is. My son was frustrated that he didn't have time to finish his story and decided to keep writing after time was up! Read what he came up with using these ingredients: a Nalgene bottle, the President, and a slot machine. (narrative writing: telling a story).
Propaganda posters--Have your students design posters to back a cause. This can be anything they are interested in or related to a specific book or historical era you are studying. They must have a clear thesis, and everything on the poster must support it. Give them a large sheet of paper, markers, and time to let their creativity flow. Don't forget to tell them to illustrate it! The idea is to get kids thinking about how to present an argument with evidence (persuasive writing: convincing your reader).
Cartoons--Students can design a cartoon and add captions and dialogue. Encourage them to try to tell the story through the pictures, using the words as the secondary element to the cartoon. Then, discuss how to make the words enhance the cartoon and make it funnier or more understandable. This activity isn't about artistic ability, so encourage kids who don't think they can draw to use stick figures. The cartoon should use words and pictures together to set a scene (descriptive writing: painting a picture).
Newspaper--This activity is a good complement to history or literature. Students design a "front page," complete with title, headlines, and news articles. Either allow students to come up with it all on their own, or assign a specific date for them to "report" on. When we read To Kill a Mockingbird, my son designed a "Maycomb Gazette" and reported on the major events from the novel. (Expository writing: just the facts).

What about you? In what ways do you motivate your middle school students to write?

Fall Fun

2014-10-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

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Ahh, fall . . . the air finally starts to cool down, and nature bursts forth in glorious colors. My favorite season seems to go by so quickly, making me want to savor every minute of it. Before the holiday season comes around, why not celebrate fall with some ideas for simple fun.

Here are my top 10 fall fun ideas:

1. Read fall themed picture books for read-aloud time. Some of our favorites are In November by Cynthia Rylant and Jill Kastner, If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond, Oxcart Man by Donald Hall and Barbara Cooney, Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert, Nuts to You by Lois Ehlert, and Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Let’s Read and Find Out Science.

2. Go on a color scavenger hunt outside. Set a timer, hand out small paper bags, and send kids out to find something red, green, brown, yellow, orange, black, purple, and white in the backyard.

3. Then, pull out your nature journal and some color pencils, and draw some of your finds. Observe what looks different outside during this season.

4. Gather some leaves and make rubbings on plain paper with broken bits of crayons. Cut out the leaf rubbings, punch holes in the bottom, then string on a strand of yarn to make a fall bunting for your schoolroom.

5. Paint leaves with different colors of acrylic paints and press them onto paper like stamps. Overlap to create a fall collage. Once dry, cover with clear contact paper to create a fall placemat for your school table.

6. Put leaves between sheets of wax paper. Iron until it sticks, and then cut out around leaves, leaving a small edge. Stick onto your window with double stick tape for some pretty fall sun catchers.

7. Clear a spot on your kitchen counter to set up a drink station. Fill jars with flavorful tea and hot chocolate, and gather some mugs. Don’t forget the sugar cubes and honey! Snuggle up with a steamy mug while you read your history lessons in the afternoon.

8. Visit an apple farm, and bring home some apples to bake or use to make Crock Pot apple butter. Pick out a big orange pumpkin while you’re there!

9. Fill your bird feeders and observe the different varieties that visit this time of year. Keep a field guide near your window, and turn bird-watching into a science lesson.

10. Rake up a big leaf pile, and spend the afternoon diving in. It’s fun!

Linking up here:
The Homesteading Hippy
Family Fun Friday
Hearts for Home

The Importance of Imaginative Play

2014-10-03T00:45:00.000-04:00

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Many parents say that their child would rather play with a cardboard box than with the toy that comes inside. As the mom to some cardboard-loving boys, I can confirm that this is true. But what is it that these parents have tapped into?

Imagination . . .

Imaginative play is important in the development of a child, and in this era of too much screen time, it is especially important to encourage children to use their imagination. Do you need any special supplies? Not really. Do you need a plan? Nope. Do you need to direct? Not so much.

When kids are set free to explore, create, pretend, experiment, and play, they thrive. They develop problem-solving abilities, improve critical thinking skills, increase kinesthetic awareness, and even enhance language arts learning. Plus, I have witnessed how imaginative play helps my children become confident with their own ideas.

With a cardboard box and his trusty sidekick, a child travels back in time, chases bad guys, blasts off into space, and arrives back safely, just in time for a snack.

Here's hoping your weekend is full of imagination and wonder!

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Hearts for Home Blog Hop #85

2014-10-01T22:12:00.000-04:00

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This week we have a fun fall giveaway for you!

Welcome to the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!

Every Thursday over 20 bloggers host the Hearts for Home Blog Hop.

So please share your posts on topics such as: faith, homemaking, marriage, homeschooling, crafts, DIY projects, recipes, parenting, and anything else that can be an encouragement to someone!

The most popular post from last week's hop was:

Happy Heritage Day South Africa
from Monsters Ed Homeschooling Academy

Some of my favorite links from last week are:

Art Study in the Elementary Years
from The Sunny Patch

Three Ways to High School Credit
from BJ's Homeschool

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If you were featured this week, help yourself to one of our “I was featured” buttons to display on your blog!

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Happy Hopping!

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