May. 9, 2007
Watch this!! STUPID SCHOOLS
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Thanks to EmptyNestMom who posted this on her blog. I've been having one of those days when I feel inadequate in the mommy/teacher department, but BOY, after watching this I'm back to "at least I'm doing better than that!" Check out this link. The video's long, but SOOO worth it! Stupid Schools |
May. 5, 2007
Online school: Time4Learning is AWESOME!!
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In February, I signed us up with an online learning tool called Time4learning. My 6yob had no interest in phonics or reading at the time and I was looking for something that might be fun and exciting enough to spark his interest in the language arts. My 8yob was not excited about his bookwork and frankly, neither was I. With my online business, difficult pregnancy and college classes, trying to come up with unit studies and other lessons that would hold their interest was wearing me out and not working very well. So, as I was browsing the internet one evening, I came across Time4Learning.com and learned that they might have exactly what I was looking for. I noticed that they offered a 2 week trial and thought that 2 weeks would definitely be long enough to decide if this was the answer I was looking for. OH BOY WAS IT!!! My boys LOVED it. It was such a hit with us, that I decided it would be the core of our curriculum. I am free to supplement it with anything I deem necessary, but it sure has taken the load off of my shoulders. My now 9yo does his school without being reminded, my 6yo is reading 2nd grade level chapter books (Junie B. Jones, etc.) and they're both continually learning things that I didn't know they were ready for. The progress they've made has been phenomenal, they have a blast doing it and it has made homeschooling so much easier for me. Some of the things I really like about Time4Learning are: 1. Each child can do more than one grade level at a time. My 6yo is doing level 1 math and language arts, but level 2 science and social studies. My 9yo is doing level 3 math and language arts, but was able to do level 2 science and social studies (so we could all discuss the topics together) and also able to back up and refresh some topics in level 2 math when level 3 proved to be a little advanced for him in certain areas. I had considered Switched On Schoolhouse for him before, but this works out great for us because he can progress through the grade levels at his own pace, in each subject independently of the others. 2. Scope and Sequence and Supplemental Lessons - there are printable worksheets to go with the lessons that I can use for extra practice when needed and the scope and sequence helps me track what they are learning at each level, so that I can plan supplemental unit studies and such if I wish. 3. Reports - I can see at a glance what assignments they have completed today, this week, and this month or any range of dates I enter. Because the system grades their work for me, it helps me to easily evaluate their progress and see where we can either skip things or where we need to spend more time. 4. Fairly priced - I pay about $35 a month to have all this for BOTH my children, which I find to be a great bargain. Everyone should check out Time4Learning to see if it's something their family could use to enrich their homeschooling experience. It has made a world of difference in our family. JUST CLICK THE LINK TO THE RIGHT CALLED TIME4LEARNING and you'll go right there. If you do decide to sign up, please let them know that I referred you: Lamonica Smith, tlasmith@windstream.net. You can't go wrong with the 2 week trial and if it's not for you, just cancel, no big deal. I think your kids will love it as much as mine do, though. |
May. 5, 2007
Wow, how time flies!!!
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Well, I set up this blog, fully intending to use it and then forgot how to log into it. Then I forgot about it completely until now. Hee hee, brilliant, huh? So, here I am, still operating my ebay business, but without my friend, who decided it wasn't where she needed to be at the time. So, even though it's still 2Moms Homeschool World, it's just 1Mom doing it. I am enjoying it, though. I am also still the mom of 2 boys, but will be adding a little girl in June, which I am so excited about. We are still homeschooling, I am still in college and once again, I am going to try this blog thing. I'm pretty much a techno-dummy right now, so this is all a learning experience, but I enjoy reading other women's blogs so much that I'm giving it another try. So, again, welcome to my blog. |
Jul. 26, 2006
Hello, and welcome to 2Moms Homeschool World
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This is a new thing for me, but I am looking forward to meeting new friends and sharing ideas on this blog, so please drop me a line when you visit. I am currently homeschooling my 2 young boys and getting excited for our year to start. We will begin on July 31st, since that enables us to finish the first half of our school year by the first week in December. Since I am also a full-time college student, I wanted to get the boys started before I had to dive into my lessons; maybe set up some good routine with them first, instead of diving in all at once with everything. I am passionate about our decision to homeschool, and have been educating myself about homeschooling since my oldest son was an infant. In addition to homeschooling and college studies, I run an ebay homeschool bookstore along with my best friend who also homeschools her children (hence the name "2Moms Homeschool World"). I hope you will visit. I am always looking for great new homeschool products and ideas. I hope to use this blog as a way to meet other moms who share my passion for homeschooling and make some new friends. Well, goodbye for now. Lamonica |