You’ve heard, haven’t you??  The great news??  The news to beat all news??

Yup. 

Kindle for the PC is here!!!

Ok, perhaps that is CRAPPY news to those of you who shelled out 300 or so smackeroos for the little handheld doodad.  But for the rest of us who either were too skint to splurge, or just knew that if we waited long enough it would come, we are PSYCHED today!!

Today, we feel justified in our reverse snobbery, and are not one bit sorry for rubbing it in the faces of those elite Kindle owners. Nope. Not one bit.

So now that it is here, I find myself just a bit overwhelmed.  I mean there are THOUSANDS of books to choose from.  What do I pick first??  I could really use some input, folks.  What have you read lately that knocked your socks off? 

And please hurry.  My "Click here to Purchase” finger is twitching like crazy!!!

That’s right.  Someone has actually nominated Topsy-Techie in this year’s Homeschool Blog Awards for the category of “Best Unschooling Blog”.  I even get a button!!

Of course I never know about these things until its almost too late, but thanks to one of my gal-pals who IM’d me tonight, I found out in time to be able to grovel and beg and humiliate myself enough to actually ask you to vote for me. 

That’s right…a contest I didn’t even know I was in until 15 minutes ago, now has my competitive “ire” up.  I blame it on Firefly Mom.  She created this monster by taunting me with her fieldtrip bragging.  Now I’m like a bull who has seen the red cape.  I’m out for blood, baby.

So I’m not sure who to thank for this lovely honor, but I figure I owe you big time.  So whatever the prize is for winning this thing…if I get it, you’re entitled to half.

What’s that you say?  There is no prize??

Oh, in that case, you can have the whole thing.

You head to the microwave to warm a cup of tea, and discover that the clay version of the angel of death (complete with sword) beat you to it…

(warning: this could become an occasional regular feature.  You have no idea the crazy things that randomly show up around my house!!!)

So I had a whole other post idea ready for this week’s HHH, but, the Sesame Street 40th anniversary has really done a nostalgic number on me. 

Which number you say?  Well, the number THREE, of course…ah, ah, ahhh!!  (I used to love the Count and be terrified of him all at the same time!!)  I had this Fisher Price Sesame Street playset, and I would always make sure that the little figurine of the Count was poked deep inside the little Sesame Street garbage truck – - with the little plastic doors closed – - before I went to sleep at night. 

ANYWAY…

This trip down memory lane made me think back to all the wonderful ways we studied phonics when the boys were younger.  We definitely watched our share of Sesame Street episodes, but we also found all kinds of other creative ways to have fun with letter sounds. We created letter sound “hopscotch” on our front sidewalk, listened to phonics songs, and played phonics board games.

Of course now, there are also plenty of great online and software-based phonics helps.  One of my fave of all time is a program called Read Write & Type.  It addresses multiple learning styles at once, by teaching phonics, reading, writing AND keyboarding in one seamless program.

Another terrific site that unfortunately came along after my boys were past the beginning phonics stage was Starfall.  This free program is one of the very best programs I’ve ever seen for introducing phonics in a fun, non-threatening, go-at-your-own-pace kind of way.

And speaking of Sesame Street, one of PBS Kids other flagship shows, Between the Lions, has a terrific website with some really engaging phonics games, activities, and printables.

I can’t forget to mention Time4Learning’s preschool program either, which has been completely revamped and created with all new activities this year.  When I was in FL in July, I even got to read for one of the interactive stories in the new curriculum, so if your kids use the program, don’t be surprised if you hear my southern “twang” from the computer! 

And not to leave out you iPhone’ers, there are of course multiple phonics apps coming out just for your portable needs.  One I think shows real promise for its interactivity is Alphabet Air, which is designed for even the youngest of toddlers who are showing interest in letters and letter sounds.

If you have any favorite phonics software programs, websites, or mobile applications, how about sharing them in the comments?

I see those hands.

We are pretty proud of our doesn’t-fit-in-the-box kind of learning, aren’t we?  Knowing that no matter how much someone tells us “how” to do it, we are probably always going to forge our own path and create our own techniques.  (cue self-satisfied smiles)

I LOVE being a buccaneer…well, except for the fact that I don’t look good in an eye patch.

Other than that, though, I’m so excited to be going on this brand new unschooling adventure this year.  I get almost giddy watching my oldest son make incredible leaps and bounds in his programming skills, and seeing my youngest son take risks and try out chemistry experiments completely on his own! 

It’s thrilling, I tell you!

You know who would probably agree with me?  James Bach.  If you don’t know who James is, it’s time to get with the program, because James actually COINED the phrase “Buccaneer Scholar,” and has even written a great new book called Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar, which describes how he found success in a highly technical field without the benefit or burden of a conventional education.

If you haven’t read this book, you need to, and you might not even have to buy it because I am giving away a copy over at SecularHomeschool.com this month!!  (As well as other great giveaways).  So stop by and enter, or head to Amazon via my link if you need to get your hands on it immediately.

And then keep right on buccaneering out there in homeschool land, OK??

In typical Uber and H-T fashion, Halloween was yet another demonstration of the polar opposites that are my children.  Born only 22 months apart, these two young men might as well have been born 30 light years and 747 planets apart.

Here is the pictorial evidence of the differences in their personalities.  H-T, of course, is my rifle-bearing, horror-flick aficionado, and nothing would do him but to pay top-dollar for the official “Scream” movie bad-guy costume.

My vegetarian, pacifist, minimalist kiddo, on the other hand, has never been big on dressing up.  But knowing that his youth group was expecting him to take part of the Halloween festivities, Uber found something he could live with.  Everyone said they had never seen a costume that fit a person’s personality so well!

We had a ball going trick-or-treating with our youth group to a local senior center, taking a quick stop at a free local haunted house, then back to the church for a terrific supper prepared by a gracious mom and dad, then finally finishing off the night in the youth room with the “Sixth Sense”, which none of them had ever seen before, so it was like sitting there with this Cheshire Cat grin on my face the whole last half of the movie waiting for them to gasp at the “big twist.”  And boy did they ever!

It was one of the most fun Halloween nights I can remember in a while, and I’m already looking forward to a repeat next year! 

Hope your All Hallow’s Eve was great too!!  Look forward to reading everyone’s blogs and hearing about their frightfully fun night!!

I don’t know what your take on the Blu-Ray players is, but mine has always been…what’s the point?  I mean DVDs work perfectly fine.  They are definitely a step above VHS because of the whole no rewinding thing, and they take up less space in the entertainment cabinet, so I see no reason to change-over to Blu-Ray. 

UNTIL…our DVD went kaput.  Then there was a choice.  Do I plunk down money for another DVD player, OR move with the times and get a Blu-Ray?? Decisions, Decisions.  And with my birthday coming up in just a month, I knew that this new gadget would be attached to the celebration, so I decided it had better be one HECK of a gadget!!

Thus began my search.  After a while I realized that for the most part, a Blu-Ray is a Blu-Ray is a Blu-Ray. 

UNTIL…I found it.  A Blu-Ray that was most definitely NOT just a Blu-Ray.  This Blu-Ray had network access.  Which means it connects to your home network, and lets you watch YouTube, Netflix Instant Watch, and even new releases via CinemaNow.  Oh-ho-ho-ho!!  Now that was a Blu-Ray worthy of my last year in my 30’s!!

With one flick of my remote-hovering thumb I have basically TV-on-demand – - especially with YouTube offering more and more network shows, and Netflix having plenty of reruns of stuff I’ve been meaning to catch up on.

This is the way TV was meant to be.  What you want, when you want it.  Sometimes, a techie just can’t resist the temptations and seducements of the “next big thing.” 

I mean have you seen those refrigerators with the internet screen built right into the door?????

I think I need to start a whole weekly meme called “loose ends Tuesday”, because every Tuesday seems to be dedicated to just that, lately.  So here goes…

If you haven’t entered the October giveaways at SecularHomeschool.com yet, be sure and stop by and enter before the end of the month.  I am giving away some premium accounts at Spelling City™ and some free preschool accounts at Time4Learning™.  You need to be a member of the site to enter.

My other random giveaway-related item is from Blog2Print.  I’m thinking about taking the plunge and putting this year’s blog posts into a keepsake book.  I mean, my blog posts are pseudo journal entries, of sorts, and our family has been through lots of different things this year that I wouldn’t mind having record of. 

With Blog2Print, you can take those posts and turn them into a beautiful book layout where you get to pick the cover (hardcover or softcover), the images, the order and number of posts included, and even which comments you want to add.  You can even get just a pdf of your book!

And Blog2Print was nice enough to share a discount code with me that is good through November 9, so if you think you would like to order yourself an early Christmas present, now’s the time.  The discount code is for 20% off your finished blog book.  Here is the code: fall4b2p

I hope you take advantage of some of these opportunities! Have a totally random Tuesday everyone…

One of the coolest aspects of this interest-led learning gig is that I get to do internet research.  Have I mentioned that doing internet research is right up there with imbibing a well-prepared mojito for me?  Love, love, LOVE it!

So when Uber wanted me to find some good sources of info on Ancient Greece, I was all over that like skin on a potato.  And of course Googling Ancient Greece takes you to sites that aren’t just about Ancient Greece, but Ancient Rome, and then those sites lead you to checking out Ancient China, and the next thing you know you’ve got enough fodder for a whole HHH post! 

So if your “free form scholar” ever asks you for info on Ancient History, you are good to go, thanks to my rampant internet research addiction.

As far as I’m concerned, it is impossible to study history of any kind without a good movie or two to supplement the often dry text of historical books, so be sure to stop by Historybusters for a complete list of history-related movies catalogued by era and age/grade appropriateness.  We even discovered a great documentary series on Ancient Greece that is available on Netflix Instant Watch!

Probably everyone has used Mr. Dowling’s great “Browse the World” site, I suppose.  But I’m listing it for any newbie homeschoolers out there…just in case!

What is ancient history without a timeline, and in my opinion, this is one of the most comprehensive ones, and links you to tons of great resources and images of whatever you are studying.

When the kids were younger, we always included some great historical fiction and nonfiction books to round out our studies of different periods and eras.  A Book in Time offers a great reading list of historical books for kids.

If you have some favorite Ancient History tools to tell about, by all means list them in the comments!

As always, in a perfect ironic twist, I blog far less when I am teaching the Blog Writing Course.  Time is simply at a premium, I guess – - especially with 18 new bloggers to keep track of!

But the course is going well…even Uber is taking it this go-round! He is having SO much fun with this unschooling experiment.  In fact, I can’t believe the incentive he has taken toward his own education once I handed over the reigns.  I’ve been flabbergasted, to be honest.

Currently, Uber is teaching himself lots of techie stuff (no surprise  there).  He is learning LINUX, networking and network administration, and database management.  Those, obviously, take up a lot of his time, but he is also making room for Ancient Greek History, blogging, healthy living and fitness, nature journaling, piano and Japanese.  He is also taking Geometry via YourTeacher.com, which he is really enjoying, btw, if you are ever looking for a cool high school level math curriculum!

H-T needs a slight bit more encouragement, but there is no lack of miracles for him either.  My son with dyslexia is reading like never before!  In fact, he isn’t waiting for the audio-books to arrive via the mail before starting in on new stuff.  Before, he would pick out his books from the library, or buy them, and then order the accompanying audio-book from his Library of the Blind and Physically Handicapped membership.  This way, he had auditory support for following along with words and phrases that might be too difficult for him to tackle. 

No more.  His reading doesn’t wait for anything, these days.  He just grabs three or four books that pique his interest at the library, and next thing I know, he has worked through them.  It’s kind of freaking me out a bit, actually!

He still has his YouTube addiction, but he has been putting it toward worthy endeavors of late.  He has worked his way through an entire series on WWII, and is now studying the holocaust with equal interest.  His other current interests include drawing, meditation (he’s asked to turn his room into a zen room…if you have ideas or info on this, I’m all ears!), guitar, and American history.  And his biggest project of late was that he asked to be in charge of the Halloween decorating of the porch this year.  You can bet I’ll be posting pics of that when he is finished!  He’s still doing math via Time4Learning, as well.

Anyway, that’s my interest-led learning update for this week.  So far so good! 

Hopefully, I’ll find more time to update again in the very near future…