Parental Tech

Looking for a New Writing Curriculum....

2012-02-12T23:22:00.001-05:00

Well, we are mid-year and I know one thing that is DEFINITELY going to change for next school year!
WRITING!
Why....because the program my Mom is using for their writing program, just isn't cutting it anymore! The boys at 8th and 9th grade are beyond worksheets, beyond cursive practice, beyond dictionary work! Not bashing the wonderful writing program my Mom came up with for them! It has worked the past 3 years! Love you MOM!!!
But....they are tired of it! I am tired of fighting them on it! They get bored easily and are doing sloppy work. Therefore, Grandma is tired of fighting with them on it. And since she lives 6 hours away...it isn't exactly easy for her to pop over to deal with it.
So, together....she and I are on a mission to find something that works and works well!
For EVERYONE!
Right now we are checking into a homeschool online writing curriculum! We have several things in mind! These would be tied in with physical writing as well! Never want them to forget pen and paper!
So....guess what I am saying is....my faithful readers.... do you have a writing program for your older kids that you like? One you dislike and warn people from?
I am looking for input!

Homeschooling Middle School and Beyond....

2012-02-12T23:03:00.001-05:00

In this house....I am constantly busy! Not only are we homeschooling but as some of you may or may not know...I run a childcare, I write for a living and am basically a SAHM as well! Constant chaos, constantly busy but content!
The time we spend on learning is almost 24/7 and it never is dull! Why you ask? Well....because I homeschool my 2 boys....1 in middle school and 1 in high school. Plus I run a preschool program for the daycare kids. 2 different programs in use at the same time! Time 4 Learning is what we use for Preschool and Middle School homeschooling because it covers PreK-8th grade and incorporates EVERYTHING! We love, love, love it!
Our High School program this year is a new one for us called eLearning and we are just getting used to it.
We are on our 4th year homeschooling and we started homeschooling Fall 2008 when my oldest son was in public middle school and we ended up with many issues and decided it wasn't worth the stress and aggravation and to give homeschooling a try!
We love it! We are homeschoolers for life!
Was I scared to start homeschooling in middle school! Yep! Not gonna lie! The first month was misery! For both my son and I as I basically relearned a lot of MY schooling!LOL But, once we worked out the kinks and got on the right track...it was GOLDEN!
Would I do it over again, given the choice! YEP! Except this time around we would start them homeschooling from the very beginning!
What do I tell people when they ask me about homeschooling?
Well, it isn't right for everyone! Try it out! You may be surprised how well it fits you, your child and your family!
Happy Homeschooling!!

Being a Secular Homeschooler...

2012-02-05T12:49:00.001-05:00

Who is a secular homeschooler....WE ARE!
What is a secular homeschooler? It is someone who homeschools but NOT for religious reasons, nor do they want or need religious content IN their studies!
That is us!
Finding strictly secular curriculum online is not as easy as it sounds!
I do mind the word "God" in something, I am not as STRICT for the secular as some people but I do not want my boys to have religion or religion based in their learning.
Luckily, we have found a great Secular Homeschool Forum as well as AWESOME online schooling that is Secular with Time 4 Learning!
We have a wonderful group of people that help us find places to go, things to do, answer questions we have, make suggestions to curriculum, create awesome and funny blogs about their secular adventure, etc.
I am not bashing a religious homeschooler, that is their preference and their thing. Good for them, not for us.
So....if you are a secular homeschooler and willing to spend a little bit of time weeding through the amass of online curriculum, you will find that there is actually a lot of secular learning!

Prefix means preparing the wall for repair and painting right? WRONG!

2012-01-26T13:20:00.002-05:00

When you hear the word prefix....you think of getting prepared to FIX something like getting your tool bag, wall prep, paint brush out.....right?....not language arts!LOL At least in my book! While I am excellent at language arts...if you ask me to break down things like prefix, adverb, adjectives, etc. forget it!
We whizz through our daily language art activity or what we called English in my day.....until we get to one of these pages....and then we come to a screeching halt! Until I get one of the handy dandy webpages pulled up that explains the whatnot of who is who!LOL Thank goodness for the internet! Google is a staple in this house! If you do not know, GOOGLE it!!!
And you would think we would retain this info for future use...no. We use prefixes in our daily talking, writing, reading but to remember what is actually a prefix means something else in this Mom brain has to be lost.....because I don't know about you...but my Mom brain only holds so much so if something NEW has to be retained...it means something OLD falls out!
This is where things like prefix games come into play! There are some really great online games for your child to get a good background as to what prefix, adverb, adjectives are! And the fact that it is a game means they are learning while playing! So.....stop that panic moment(love the Sylvan commercial where the kids asks Mom for Math help and she takes off running because I feel like that some days!) and find a way for both you and your child to learn that prefix doesn’t mean getting prepared to paint!LOL

Can we live without Math? The answer is NO...unfortunately!LOL

2012-01-12T14:05:00.002-05:00

Can we just live in a world without MATH! Honestly....I hate it! I hate teaching it, I hated it in school, I hate that my son is struggling with it just like I did! I hate that even as a grownup, I feel stupid when we are working on it! I thought teaching math in homeschool, with the programs I found would be SO SIMPLE! It is and it isn't.....some days we want to rip out our hair and others we whizz right through high school math!
It doesn’t help that my younger son is brilliant at math! He gets it! But, due to his age....he can't explain how he gets it...AND his older brother definitely does NOT want help from his younger brother...the HORROR! Jeez, younger brothers carry cooties and germs ya know!LOL
It has become a daily challenge to make it through the math lessons for my older son! We both stress as we are opening the computer file... I assume we must look like we are opening an explosive, that turn away slightly and cringe as you push the button....will it blow up and consume us, or is it a simple cut the red wire and we are saved!LOL
We have turned more to working on life skills with math, rather than algebra for things that he will never use! Balancing the checkbook, keeping your savings intact, how much paint will you need for a room, etc.
I know then, that if nothing else gets through his skull about Math....he will have the skills it takes to go through daily life!
So....in reality....we cannot live in a world without Math... use it daily BUT we can simplify HOW we use or need it!
That is my theory!LOL

How we became accidental homeschoolers....

2012-01-12T13:41:00.000-05:00

So.....if you are a reader of my blog... you know we are accidental homeschoolers! Though it seems so long ago that I forget we haven't always been homeschoolers.
What is an accidental homeschooler....well, if your child is attending private or public school on a normal basis and you suddenly either have an issue and decide to pull them and homeschool OR they have been kicked/removed from the school and you are forced to homeschool them to continue their schooling...that is considered an accidental homeschooler!
Ours was a combo of both! My oldest son was 5 weeks into 6th grade, his first year at middle school when it came to blows-literally! My son was over 6 ft. tall at 12! He was taller than most of the teachers and all but one other kid. We had already had issues with his Math teacher over lessons and her non-communication and/or help....so the day that my son was jumped in the school by 2 kids was the final straw. HE was punished for defending himself. HE was sent home and suspended for 3 days because HE was walking down the hall and attacked by 2 students and in defense, he punched one. The other 2 kids were NOT punished, the school did NOT call us to inform us of the fact that our son was in an altercation OR that they were suspending him, they claimed that they DID call us and number was disconnected when in fact all numbers they had on file for us were correct and working and I am a SAHM so there was someone here. We never got an official notice, they just sent him home on the bus and he told us. At this point....I am sure FLAMES were shooting out my eyes! I was LIVID, my husband was livid!! This tops off the week where he had turned in some REALLY stupid word problem to Math teacher, they had 2 weeks to work on it and it was this CRAZY problem that ended up in pages of written work to show how we came up with answer. It took all 3 of us to attempt to figure it out. He brought it home with a D. No explanation, no telling how she came about the correct answer, nothing. He was crushed. We sent her an email asking for help. She replied that she doesn’t help. WHAT? You are a TEACHER....that is your JOB! We said apparently he is not getting the Math you are teaching, is there a way to get assistance from you on this matter. She replied that she doesn’t help but suggested that he get a tutor and spend 3 hours a day after school in the library with the tutor, the front office had a list. WHAT! Really, that is your answer..... OMG!
So....we were already hot under the collar about that when the fight and suspension came about!
My husband took the day following the suspension off to confront the school. He left here with the words that if something was NOT fixed, he was bringing my son home to be homeschooled!
2 hours later, they were home with the contents of my son's locker and a refund check for his lunch account!
We were officially homechoolers....
And I am here to tell you, while it was the start of a crazy, wild adventure and there are days I want to pull out my hair and scream....it is also the best darn decision we ever made!!

Picking an Elementary Online Curriculum, so many choices...so little time!

2012-01-01T21:01:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe that we are on our 4th homeschooling year, in fact we are about midway through it! It seems like we just started and yet that was Fall 2008! WOW! We were accidental homeschoolers then, now we are lifelong homeschoolers! But, I can still remember the panic feeling of WHAT DID I DO?! I was a childcare provider and a SAHM, not a teacher! I was luckily adept at finding things on the internet so the day after we pulled my oldest son from public school....I was online looking for a elementary level online curriculum. I knew that there was no way that I could piece together bits of this and that and create a whole for my son. No way! I was not that together, not that confident and not enough spare time! I had to find something that had ALL he needed to get a basic education as we waded into this thing called homeschooling! I am still thankful to this day, for finding Time 4 Learning! I tell anyone I know who is thinking of homeschooling to check them out! They were and still are my lifesaver! We are on our 4th year using T4L and I love it every bit today as I did Fall 2008!
They taught my son to become a better reader, learn Math and get up to speed for his grade level, learn that science can be fun or history silly! They taught ME to relearn all that I had forgotten about elementary education! It was amazing how quickly I picked back up on things! They taught him how to spell with their sister site, Spelling City. They taught both of my children that they can do things, they can be confident and they can learn at a pace that works for them!
So, I am telling you....if you are stumbling upon this blog as a newbie to homeschooling or as an old timer that is needing something new....check out Time 4 Learning, Time 4 Writing and/or their sister site Spelling City....you will not be sorry you did!!!

Rolling down the highway...learning about America.....ROADSCHOOL TRIP!

2011-12-26T09:45:00.002-05:00

Since we became accidental homeschoolers, I have wished we could roadschool. I think that concept is the bomb! Hope in the car, go hit the open road and learn along the way. You get to travel the places we live, stopping at your whim, learning what America is about. What better way to learn history than actually being at Custer's Last Stand, Battle of Bunker Hill or heck, even where Elvis lived because let's face it...he is The King! LOL
Unfortunately, with Hubby's job and mine....this is not a reality. But, we do take every opportunity to roadschool when we hit the road to Grandma's, take our family vacations or just travel around Portland while we run errands. We leave a little earlier so we have time to stop at our whim, or we plan stops into our schedule IF we know about them.
So..... as I sit at home with my 8th and 9th grade sons....working on yet another complex math issue....I dream of hitting it big on the Lottery and becoming a roadschooler.
I would love to hear from other homeschoolers who DO roadschool, whether like us...when you can OR all the time. I can live vicariously through you!LOL
Happy Homeschooling!

Becoming a book lover.....

2011-12-15T18:30:00.001-05:00

Growing up, reading was second nature to me. I learned to read by 4, I was reading college level by 2nd grade and reading anything I could get my hands on for the rest of my life.
I worked and volunteered in the school libraries at any school I attended. In fact, my 9th grade year I worked as extra curricular the whole year and made a goal for myself to read at least 1 book per day. I ended up reading 380 books during those 9 months of school. Part of that was traveling on a school bus for an hour+ each way 5 days a week, the rest was I was a teenager and could stay up late and read until 1 am, get 4 hours sleep and function at school the next day! LOL
Before I even had my first child, I had a collection of children's books for them. By the time my oldest son was born....I had a huge bookshelf full and read to him daily. By the time my second son came along, that had doubled. When the military moved us for the last time, we had 10 boxes of just children's books... needless to say, I hoped my boys would LOVE reading.
Neither of my boys learned to read as early as I did but they did know by the time they finished Kindergarten. I worked with them at home and they had a really good reading program at their school. One of the few things that was good about that school....but that is another story. My oldest son was not a strong reader, he was not into reading and it was a chore for him. I felt bad, I really hoped that my boys would be like their father and myself....book devourers. I tried every trick in the book, I bought books that would appeal to his interests, I bought books that were companions to movies that he liked, I even bought comic books and cartoon books in hope that it would spark his interest more....nope. I hoped that his brother being a reader and sharing a room with him would help, nope.
I thought it was a lost cause with him......
Now that he is homeschooled and we have learned how poor of a reader he was and his lack of spelling knowledge....I am thinking that a lot of that was the issue. Over the past 3+ years of being homeschooled, he has not only become a better speller and reader but he has learned to read and LOVE IT! We have a hard time telling the boys to turn off the lights at bedtime because they are reading. They never go out of the house without a book now, just like their Dad. Because you never know when you will have to sit somewhere and a book will keep you busy.
I get requests from both of them for new books, companion books to the series they found at the thrift store, wanting to go to the library to look for new books..... it just makes both of us proud that they are now book lovers!
My motto is you can never have enough books. Every Christmas and Birthday, every one of our nieces and nephews receive a new book from us. My boys get multiples, especially if I find a new series I would think they like. I cannot wait until this Christmas because of the books I bought them! I love giving them, especially when it is to book lovers!
Have you read a good book lately?

Is Spelling part of your homeschool day?

2011-12-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

Anytime I hear spelling, I do not think of Tori Spelling..... but of winning 2nd place in the Siskiyou County Spelling Bee in 6th grade! That is my major accomplishment of my young life!LOL I lost the first place win with the STUPID word, mathematics. UGH! That should have been my first clue that Math would be the bane of my existence!LOL
I was really surprised when my own kids were in public school and I realized that spelling was not part of the curriculum. My oldest son was a horrible speller, he could barely spell his name. Something was wrong with this picture. So, when I started homeschooling them...I knew that I was definitely adding a spelling curriculum to our lesson plans.
Not only did they do the spelling on Time 4 Learning but I plugged in their lists on Spelling City so they could use them to take tests, play games and become better spellers.
It has worked because my oldest son went from barely being able to spell his name at the start of 6th grade to being able to send an email or chat with a friend via online and Mom doesn’t have to hover over him, correcting his grammar and spelling! I am so proud of him, because I know it was hard but I feel that if spelling were part of the every day curriculum in public school...kids would be better off. Nothing is worse to me, than reading a post or an email and it is written poorly, the spelling is atrocious and you know they could do better.
So, is spelling a part of your homeschool day? If so, what do you do to make it work best for you and your kids? I am always interested in other ideas!

Writing for a blog.....what to do, where to go, how to get started!

2011-12-09T09:10:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe it has been over a year since I started writing on this blog. It was already established when I came in so it was easy to step into others shoes. I love writing for others to read!
But, I did start my own blog back in April(www.preschoolersdaybyday.com) talking about my chaotic life of raising my own teens and homeschooling them while running a full-time childcare and teaching preschool lessons.
I had to learn how to create a blog page from scratch, set it up to my liking, add my décor, learn how to post, what the heck are widgets and how to eliminate all those comments from spammers!!
What is the easiest way to figure all this out? Take a blog writing course! I did and it helped BIG time! I went from not knowing which button to push, how did that get there and why, what the heck is this widget word you keep speaking of....to writing, posting, deleting spammers, adding widgets, adding sponsors, adding friends blog buttons.....
I am a blog queen now! Ask me about my blog! I am very proud of myself, because I am not really a techo person....heck operating my basic cell phone is confusing sometimes....but I was able to set up my own blog!!

Making homeschool work for your Visual Spatial Learner!

2011-11-22T15:33:00.001-05:00

Do you have a visual spatial learner at home?
I do and I am one!
I prefer the hands on approach for ANYTHING I do. Show me, do not tell me or let me read it.
Most textbook approach to things is SO boring, I am lost. Forget it, done deal.
Give me the same thing on TV or hands on....I got it, I enjoy it and I will retain it.
My oldest son is like this.
Very rarely does he read directions, he can look at this 1,200 piece Lego kit and know EXACTLY how it goes together and completes it within a short time period.
It amazes me! I would at least have to look at the picture directions for part of it!
So...when it comes to his homeschooling we tend to switch things up so that it works best for him to learn at his optimum!
Homeschooling math is our biggest issue, as my readers know! It is my bane of existence and his as well!
So..... writing the problem down on paper does not always work.
Instead, we use objects or if I do have to write it down....I try to do it in relation to something he can relate to...like Legos.
Science, that is ALL experiments or I find an experiment that goes with the reading he HAS to do.
Social Studies....well, this one is harder. But, I do try to find videos that go along with as much as I can find.
So....if you have read this and realize that you DO have a visual learner and might need to shake things up to make homeschooling work better for them!
Jump on the old computer and find answers on how to do that!
I did!!
Happy Homeschooling!

Do you lapbook?

2011-11-22T15:18:00.001-05:00

Are you and your kids lapbookers?
We are just starting to get into homeschool lapbook writing!
I first heard about this right after we started homeschooling in 2008, we were accidental homeschoolers and had NO clue about homeschooling and thought it sounded really cool to add to our curriculum!
Bought a ton of supplies and then we forgot......
Our goal this year, once the holidays are over....so one of our 2012 New Year's Resolution is to each create a lapbook.
I do not care what subject they pick, just that they each put their heart and soul into it and come up with something great that they enjoyed making!
There are lots of great sites out there to help you get started! Basically, if you have some paper, poster board or manila folder, scissors and crayons you can make a lapbook.
If you want to get even more creative....you can get sticky pockets, pop-ups, stickers, etc.
It is basically something that creativeness in your child is GREAT because they can get as crazy or as simple as they want!
So.... when you are stuck with what to do....bring out that art box and let them learn to lapbook!
Get creative!

What are these phonics you speak of?

2011-11-08T11:24:00.001-05:00

I dislike phonics! I would go so far as to say I hate them. Which I know isn't cool but that is the way it is!
I can read and write perfectly well since I write for 2 blogs, am published, etc. BUT.... when it comes to the breakdown of phonics...
I rely heavily on the internet, my Mom and many handbooks we have around the house!
Yes, I was taught phonics in Elementary school. I learned more in High School! I even took a course in College on phonics to see if as an adult, I could retain it better....NOPE!
Luckily there are great cheats on remembering phonics, helping with phonics, teaching phonics, etc. so as the homeschooling middle schoolers parent....you at least come across like you have some understanding!LOL
We do ok, we all 3 fumble along but usually between the 3 of us and unlimited long distance calling to my Mom(LOL!) we can get through any phonics lesson!
So, do not despair. If you are phonics challenged like I am, there is help out there! Just jump on your computer aka lifesaver and you will find some great places to help!

Things that are lost in public school education.....

2011-11-08T11:08:00.001-05:00

You know, they say that Cursive is a lost art in public schools nowadays and I have a tendency to agree with them! But I also think that the importance of Spelling and things like knowing States and Capitals are too!
Therefore I make sure that in our homeschooling week, if not every day we do some of each! Their cursive is through the writing program my Mom does for them. Not only do they have assigned cursive from her but they take their Spelling words and because we use Spelling City, I can turn them in to practice cursive pages. I love Spelling City because not only can I make lists for my boys but I can also pick from a great bunch of popular word lists when we run out!
When I pulled my son's from public school, not only could my oldest son barely spell but neither of them could pick out easily identifiable States on a map, knew nothing about the State they live in and their handwriting was barely legible.
They now can sit and write a letter to anyone using cursive, it is spelled correctly about 95% of the time and given a map of Oregon, they can tell you a lot about it.
I am proud of our homeschooling choice! I am proud of what I have taught my boys and how far they have advanced in just a little over 3 years!

Algebra.....the Horror Story!

2011-11-08T10:57:00.001-05:00

Who doesn’t cringe when you hear the word ALGEBRA! If you're hindered with a Math block in your learning like I am.... and my oldest son is.....the word ALGEBRA ranks up there with Zombie Attack, Head Lice and the sound of the dog throwing up next to your bed in the middle of the night! Basically all give me the shivers!
I knew when we started homeschooling in Fall 2008, that Math would be our biggest challenge! I took Algebra 6x in High School! Yes, you read that right. I took pre-Algebra in 9th grade and got it. Understood it, not a problem! Felt like a genius! Hit 10th grade and Algebra....big fat F. It didn't compute, I thought my brain had fallen out. I went down to a class that was Algebra in the most basic degree..aka baby Algebra. I took that same STINKING class for 10th, 11th and 12th grades BOTH semesters. And to this day... I still stink at Algebra. FF to the past 3+ years of homeschooling and homeschooling math to be more specific and building up to learning Algebra....YIKES!
I have to say thank goodness for the computer and ALL the smart people that create TONS of online algebra help! I swear I should send all of them muffin baskets or something!
Last year for 8th grade and this year for 9th, we have spent many challenging days working on Algebra and if it wasn't for GREAT search engines to help us find out answers on MANY great sites.... I am sure my son and I would both be bald from tearing our hair out, crying and ready to give up!
So, my word of advice.... if you have an albatross of any subject....do not despair! There are plenty of places online to assist you in wading through it. Maybe not enough to master it, but enough that you can get through it and learn a little bit while you are at it!

Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti...... The Sound of Music!

2011-10-23T13:58:00.002-04:00

Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti
Do, a deer, a female deer.....

You know everytime I hear that... I think of Sound of Music.
So...public schools have band and choir taught be a music teacher.
You are a homeschooling parent, you are not musically inclined and your child wants to learn about music OR take up a musical instrument!
YIKES!
What to do!
Let your fingers do the walking...on the internet!
So, if they want to play a musical instrument...you have 2 choices....Choice 1, hire someone local. You can get suggestions from your local homeschool group, check the yellow pages, look on the bulletin board at your local library or even ask at your local public school. Choice 2, purchase or download one of those DIY lessons from the internet. I have seen them for piano, organ and guitar and that is just skimming the internet so I am sure there are others out there if you delved deep enough!LOL This to me would be if your child can be self-taught or not.
Or...if they want to learn about music...there are many great choices out there. Music games, music books, music websites, etc. and it greatly depends on the age of the child learning.
Elementary grades, less intense. Middle school or High School(which is when band and choir are typically introduced) can get a lot more intense.
The internet in my opinion is AWESOME! And a little research goes a long way in making your homeschooling day go easier for ANY of your lessons!
So, go research and then ROCK ON!!!

How did I chose my homeschool curriculum...?

2011-10-23T13:40:00.001-04:00

In my homeschool search 4 years ago I was all over the internet, checking out homeschool curriculums. There are MANY choices out there. Religious, Secular, Montessori, Waldorf and the list goes on and on! I had to decide what I felt would work best for my son and myself as inexperienced homeschoolers. Once I narrowed my choices down, I started checking the homeschool curriculum reviews on them. Some looked great on paper but when you got real time reviews from people who had used this...you learned that they were no good. I tried to find curriculums that had better than 50% satisfied. There is always going to be someone that doesn’t fit and the whole world is full of complainers. If you go through the reviews on ANY curriculum, you can learn to spot which ones are people who genuinely liked and used it, people who got offended about 1 word and people who didn’t really use it but decided to lodge a complaint for the sake of complaining.
I also joined forums and posted my questions of several different curriculums, getting real people reaction from other homeschooling parents.
In the end after an intense 2 week search, we chose Time 4 Learning. It was one of the best decisions we ever made. My oldest son used it for 3 years and my younger son is on his 4th and final year of it as their main curriculum!
So, check out different curriculums for your homeschooling. Then check the reviews on them. Research, talk to people and research some more! In today's day and age of the internet...you have no excuse not too! Good luck in your search!!

Gosh....raising a freethinker....the horror!LOL

2011-10-09T17:25:00.001-04:00

So, we often get asked a lot as to WHY we decided to homeschool.....
Well, how much time do you have!LOL
My boys started out in public school..... they were like every other kid. We were happy with their schooling but then....government budget cuts started, the recession started and schools among many other things started having budget cuts and those affected our kids.
They were no longer allowed to be kids, they were shuffled through their day...missing out on things that make kids..well...KIDS! No recesses, eat lunch like you are in military boot camp(aka 5 minutes to shovel as much in as possible), no arts, no science, no field trips, no extras.....
I grew up with a Mom for a teacher, back when things like ART, BAND, RECESSES, LUNCHTIME, FIELD TRIPS were all the norm. Kids learned, kids were kids and school was fun.
We decided after several issues that public school was no longer an option for my boys.
We wanted them to be free thinkers, freethinking homeschoolers to be specific!
We wanted them to learn at their pace, at our pace, to give the donations required weekly at public schools back to US, to learn that they can stop and take a break when wanted or needed.
And guess what.... they are smiling, happy, normal, well-adjusted kids who have learned MORE in the past 3 years homeschooling my boys through middle school than they did in 6+ years of public school.
Would we do it again, you betcha!
Not only am I a firm believer in homeschooling is the right choice for my kids, but my husband is and my Mom, the retired public schoolteacher is a believer!

Creating a Homeschool Portfolio!

2011-10-09T16:31:00.001-04:00

Every year as we start back to school, I start a folder for my boys!
I guess it would be considered a homeschool portfolio of their school year. It is where I keep their weekly printouts, a copy of their homeschool paperwork from our county, etc. I label and date each one and at the end of the year, I put them in a file box just for this.
Why would I do this....well, it is proof of their homeschooling. I live in Oregon, which is a pretty easy State to homeschool in and other than regular testing every couple of years... we have little laws telling us what we have to prove. BUT....that does not mean that I do not want to have the proof in case lawmakers decide to change the rules.
Some States are more lenient, some are intense on what the law requires in order to homeschool.
So, what I tell new homeschoolers...check the laws in your State, check with a homeschooling group and double check these laws. Then start a homeschooling portfolio for each child you want to homeschool. Keep it somewhere safe and accessible, update it as needed....do not procrastinate.
I love the curriculum we use, Time 4 Learning because it is SO easy for me to go every weekend and print out a record of their weeks work.
So, whatever program you use...whatever curriculum you use.....check your State laws and get your homeschooling record started! You will be glad you did!

Up, down, left, right, backwards and diagonal! WORD SEARCH TIME!

2011-09-27T11:20:00.001-04:00

I love word searches!
My kids love word searches!
I think they are a great way to get those spelling words into their brain or just a good brain teaser to keep their mind active!
The best way to expand your knowledge is to keep your brain active!
And you can find word searches on the internet for ANY grade level from Kindergarten to High School.
For ANY holiday or activity from MLK to Easter to Columbus Day to Boxing Day!
Even on a down day where we are just not into homeschooling or they have run out of things to do.... Mom pulls out a word search!
I even found a word search game for the car! Came with a little stylus and runs on batteries. It is a great thing to have in the car for those times we have to wait. Traffic jam, Dad getting haircut, Mom ran into grocery store, etc. And I am looking for a 2nd one, because they fight over it!
Who knew my kids would fight over the educational toy!LOL
So, if you are looking for something for those bored kids to do on a rainy day(and yes, they have rainy day word searches!LOL) then get online and find a free printable word search! You can even find sites that allow you to make your own and print them out! Think of the possibilities! Hints for the next family trip, announcements about a new baby, surprise class you signed them up for....
I don't know about you.... but I am off to find one for my boys right now!

Go, Research, Learn and Decide!

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

As the homeschool year starts, as homeschooling parents we start to work on curriculum.
So, how to decide what to teach this year.....
Of course there are the basics of Math, Language Arts, Social Studies and Science.
But those cover a broad expanse of subjects.
Math, what are they ready for? What is geared to their age? And once you get into the high school age... you have even MORE choices, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, calculus, etc.
Language arts covers English, Writing, Spelling, Reading and then some. What is geared for their age? What are they ready for?
Social Studies covers history, economics, geography and more. Again, what is geared for their age and what are they ready for?
Science covers Health, Chemistry, Biology, Green Living, etc.
Now as a homeschooler...you have the freedom to choose and set it up how it works best for you!
There are TONS and I mean TONS of programs out there that can completely cover, enhance or help each subject!
The problem is picking which ones! Well, that is a very personal decision for both YOU and your child! How cool are you with teaching homeschool language arts for example? Are you totally capable? Then maybe some workbooks are ok for you. Have no clue what you are doing? Then maybe an online program would be better.
The best thing I can offer new to homeschooling parents is RESEARCH! And breathe! Because we are homeschoolers, we have the luxury of picking and choosing things that work and if they do not work, toss them and find something that does. We are never tied down by anything other than ourselves!
Go, Research, Learn and Decide!

Butter+Fly=Compund Word! Who made that butterfly and why!LOL

2011-09-08T12:02:00.001-04:00

So....how do you explain compound words to your kids.
Like I said previously, the English language is hard enough.
You have taught your child what butter is, how to spell it, the meaning, etc.
You have taught your child what a fly is, how to spell it, the meaning, etc.
And now we have a compound word "butterfly" which has nothing to do with butter OR flies.
It means something TOTALLY different, has the same spelling but is 2 words now squished together AND a totally different meaning!
WHAT!?
Compound words can be fun, they can be confusing, they can be silly.
They are usually introduced towards the end of Kindergarten or the start of First Grade and make for a learning experience!
Learning about compound words helps your kids understand the English language, builds an interest in words and their creation and meanings and will help prepare them to learn prefixes, suffixes, and word roots which comes later in their studies!
I like to get my kids started on these and then give them a challenge to see how many compound words they can come up with!
Kids love challenges and a challenge that lets them learn at the same time is even better!

So, now we will let the "Butterfly" wake up with the "daylight", have some "breakfast" and then seal the purchase on his new cocoon with a "handshake"!

Syll-a-bles

2011-09-02T12:06:00.001-04:00

How did you learn about how to count syllables? I learned to place my flat hand horizontally under my chin and say a word, how many times my chin touched my hand... was how many syllables the word contained. Try it, it does work! Now, you can end up adding extra syllables into words because of how you say the word or saying it to slowly or putting emphasis on spots that don't have them.... but overall, if you just say the word like normal..this trick does work.
I have used this for my own boys as they work on their writing lessons from Grandma because she has where they look up dictionary words and must write down the number of syllables in each word as part of it as well as creating a sentence, etc. When we learned about haiku and they had to create their own haiku's, they used this trick.
It goes back to my emphasis that if you give kids some creative tools for learning, they will stick with them for life and always have a good base for understanding!
Now, how many syllables does the word "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" have?
Try the chin trick and see!

Read this blog post so you can say you read it.... Multiple word meanings!

2011-09-02T11:49:00.001-04:00

The English language is said to be one of the hardest languages to learn. If that is true... how, as a homeschooling parent do we best approach teaching it.
We have words that have multiple meanings, we have words that are spelled the same but sound different, we have apostrophes that change how a word is used.... confusing to say the least.
So think about this as we start back to school and our kids are learning this in English or Language Arts....
When it comes to things like multiple word meanings or words that are spelled the same but sound different, I think a good visual approach works better than most other methods. Think back to basics and yes, your kids will think it is babyish but it will help establish in their minds the differences. That way, later on in like when they have a job in a fish market and have to scale a fish, then cut and weigh it on the scale for a customer.....they will know the difference! Please read your book, but Mom... I have already read the book. Things like this will be understood because you as a parent gave them a good base to work with!
Now go wind up the cords on the blind before the wind blows them away so you can learn how to scale the fish you just caught but weigh it on the scale before you do that. Then read this blog so you can tell your kids you already read that!
And that is my lesson for the day.....!LOL