From Cindy's Heart

WELCOME TO HOMESCHOOLING THE EASY WAY E-ZINE!

12:40 AM, Mar. 15, 2006 .. Posted in Our E-Magazines .. Link

WELCOME TO HOMESCHOOLING THE EASY WAY E-ZINE!

THIS ISSUE:
Planning FUN and EASY Lessons!
PLUS! Check out our NEW Organized Moms Super Set! (HALF PRICE this week!)

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Cindy Rushton and Rushton Family Ministries

SEE US ONLINE!
http://www.CindyRushton.com
http://www.CindysDesktop.com
http://www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/CindyRushton
http://www.Mom2MomDiscussion.com

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Can’t see this issue in its entirety? See it online at:
http://www.Mom2MomDiscussion.com

Lesson Planning…

Sound dreary, boring, and exceedingly difficult? Did a vision of a school teacher from your past pop into your mind? Or perhaps, did classroom sessions from your childhood pop into your mind?

Well, homeschooling need not be dreary! Homeschooling certainly does not need to be boring! And…beloved friend, homeschooling can be fun and easy! It all begins with planning! Ready to see how EASY it is to plan fun and easy lessons? Let’s dig in…

--> CHOOSE A TOPIC… What do you want to study first? Now, if your brain is getting carried away (and it probably is! Grin!), go ahead and print out our brainstorming planning page. Just list any of those ideas that come to mind—you may find that one of those is the best choice for now or, at minimum, you will have a wonderful list of future studies so your brain can rest now! :-) Then, ask your children what they would like to learn. Any good studies? Now, really take this very serious—if they have an area of study that they would like to pursue, this is probably a good time to dig into it while their interest is peeked. (I have lost windows of opportunity by “sticking” to MY plans with intentions to pursue their interests later—later they were no longer interested! UGH!) You may want to move their area of interest to the top of your list and plan out a study on that topic first. Finally, do be sure to think about what would be a good theme for this time—Presidents (during the election/inauguration??)…Lewis and Clark Expedition (during this two hundred year anniversary of their expedition??)…Egypt (during Passover??)…etc. Choose a fun topic! One that excites YOU and just begs for your family to dig in!

--> FIND RESOURCES! Here the whole world opens up to you! REAL curriculum is not limited to a textbook. As a homeschooler, you can use REAL curriculum—real books, real life, and real people! Go back to your theme. What books would make this a great study? Now, you do not have to BUY books (unless you want to!). Your local library will probably have a wide variety of great books if you will take time to dig! Use their computers to search for resources on your theme. You may also want to brainstorm ahead of time for a bunch of great options for things to study while covering your theme. For example, we recently studied all about presidents/government/elections during our study on PRESIDENTS AND ELECTIONS. I brainstormed different topics to look up. When I went to our local library, I had lots of ideas for topics to look up. I also used this same list to research on the Internet. This was where I hit an unlimited resource of materials! There was anything from printable notebooking pages to coloring pages to games to pictures cute for our lapbooks to games to even full studies. I was elated to find so much great material. That is not all! After we wrapped up our study, Matthew and I were blessed to get to travel to Washington, DC. It was like having a complete review in REAL LIFE—oh! Yep! Another curriculum resource! And, we also were able to access REAL PEOPLE who were able to share what they knew to make the study great! Easy…fun…and VERY doable studies!

--> DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO COVER DURING YOUR STUDY? Go back through your resources. Choose key points that you want to cover in your study. What do you want your children to learn? Not sure? Why not study your topic like an investigator, asking who, what, where, when, why, and how? If you have a study like our LEWIS AND CLARK study, why not study that topic in order? Your study may wrap around a single book that you plan to read. You may prefer to brainstorm what to cover by what can help you teach the various subjects. There is NO right or wrong way to plan a study. Just be sure to make a basic plan of what you want to cover in the study so you will have direction and a basic checklist to know that you are studying the topic fully.

--> WRITE DOWN IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES. This is where we always try to include all of the subject areas. Since we study so many different themes, I don’t get upset if a study doesn’t “teach it all.” We have had no problem balancing studies through the years. So, what would you teach? What kinds of activities would be good for developing a study? What about copywork? Are there neat quotes to copy during table time that will coordinate with the study? What about costumes? We have made costumes as part of our study and we have also just let the children dress up in scraps to “play” what we were studying. It worked either way! The children would dress up in their costumes and BEG to hear me read from our books so they could “play” what the characters were doing in the book. What a great way to KNOW what they are taking from the study! What about food from the period? Research what was eaten and try it out! Try an experiment! Turn the children loose with a video camera and let them “act” out what they are studying! Oh…surely you are having ideas pop into your head…write them down! Don’t forget to write down what you will read and write or any field trips!

--> DECIDE HOW LONG TO DEVOTE TO THIS STUDY. Ok. Now, go back over your plans so far. How long do you think it will take to fully study this topic? NOTE! You can be wrong! (GRIN!) Get a basic timeline of how long it will take. Group your activities under your objectives of what you want to cover. How long will it take to work through your activities and books? Do you have activities for each objective? If not, brainstorm.

--> DECIDE ON THE LOGICAL ORDER TO COVER YOUR STUDY. Are you going to cover the study in chronological order? Is there a sequence that just makes good sense? Do you prefer to have special studies for each day—art on Monday…crafts on Tuesday...etc?? Is it going to require a certain sequence for any research or writing projects? Pencil in a logical order. OH! And do note! This is the time to begin scrapping anything that seems insurmountable! Make it easy! Unless it is easy, it cannot be fun! :)

--> GET READY TO DIG IN! Gather all of the resources. Get all of the supplies together for the study. Make any copies you will be needing. Get that plan finalized and together. Got it all? Then, it is time to dig in! Have fun!

GEARING UP FOR ANOTHER BIG HOMESCHOOL YEAR?

Need a friend to help you plan it out? WE CAN HELP! Check out Cindy's NEW
Organized Moms Super Set!

See it here: http://www.cindyrushton.com/OrganizedMomSuperSet.html

This set is PHENOMENAL! It includes everything that you need to get organized and ready for a new school year. AND...it is ON SALE this week for HALF OFF!

ACT RIGHT NOW and SAVE 50%!

The retail prices for all of these items individually is $174.85. The regular sales price for this information-packed, profit-making E-Library is $99.95.

But as a Limited Time, Introductory Promotion, we are offering the complete library to you at less than HALF PRICE. This price WILL change without advance warning, so grab it now -- or kick yourself later! Use the SECURE order link below to order.

Get the entire Organized Moms Super Set!
Now For Only $49.95!

(Offer Expires Sunday)

http://www.cindyrushton.com/OrganizedMomSuperSet.html

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READY FOR A FRESH IDEA FOR YOUR HOMESCHOOL? TRY LAPBOOKING!

Have the Lapbooking fever?? Watch out! You are sure to catch the Lapbooking bug! Are you ready for a FUN way to encourage your most reluctant writer to write AND like it??? Not sure if you want yet ANOTHER thing to do? Oh, beloved friend, you are going to just LOVE making Lapbooks in your homeschool! Your children are going to LOVE making Lapbooks. Don't believe me? Join Cindy as she takes you through the simple steps of creating Lapbooks. Cindy will take you by the hand and walk you through the easy steps of creating your own Lapbooks with your children.

Want some help?

CHECK OUT WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER!

Let's Try Lapbooking
Webpage with chapters from Cindy's book online! FREE!
http://www.cindyrushton.com/Lapbooking.html

Cindy's NEW Book: Let's Make a Lapbook
Rather have everything ready-to-print? Check out our E-Book--comes with a FREE Online audio workshop!
http://www.cindyrushton.com/LetsMakeALapbook.html

Let's Make a Lapbook Audio Workshop
Want to listen into the workshop by Cindy? See her online audio workshop! Just $5.00!
http://www.cindyrushton.com/LetsMakeALapbook.html

March 21st!! Let's Make a Lapbook Workshop--FREE!
Make your reservation for our Mom-to-Mom Meeting March 21, 2006 for this fun workshop! FREE! Bring a friend!
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyRushton/93373/

Just tune in on our blog for a FREE Online E-Workshop!
And...the handouts are provided too!

10 Fun and Easy Ideas for Making Homeschooling Great!
By Cindy Rushton
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyRushton/67528/

Hi Cindy,

I'm so very grateful for the link to the sale. Just 2 days ago I told my husband about a set I saw on your site about teen and eBay businesses. We got so excited about saving up for this program, and talked about using the material both for ourselves and our oldest girl, Monessa! We loved what you and your husband have done for Matthew, and talked about "buying" a business for Monessa, who is 15 now. We do not want her working under anyone but ourselves, and are committed to teaching her skills she can use to help her family in the future, but not leave them to go earn! We actually had bought her "Merchant Maiden" last fall, and she got very excited about it. She has cleaned houses a bit this year, and earned a spectacular exchange of money for her time....it's the area we live in right now--we're definitely at the bottom end of the scale here!!

So, thank you, thank you, because there in the sale are books to help us get started NOW! We will have to save up for the one on your site, but I'll consider it an investment in my whole family's future! We have 5 children whom we want to foster lovingly into whatever God has for them, and with Nessa being 15, we're just starting to work on that harvest! We have been dreaming up a natural dog biscuit business all year and we want to get started.

About us: We love Jesus, first and most of all! He has given us so much, I can hardly begin to put it in an email. He drew my husband (Lyle) and I to him the first week we were married, and kept on tugging at us gently until we began to see how to yield all those things we learned in our English degree classes...like the Bible is a mythology, etc. We started our marriage with me already having a daughter, Monessa, who was 2. When she was 4, we were blessed with little Lyle, and now we also have Lacey, Aislinn, and Liam. We have one little one who is in Heaven. I was an English teacher---first in public school, then in Christian school, then homeschool, for 8 years now!! WE LOVE HOMESCHOOLING! I've learned so much more than in my "teacher training," which was more like "worldly indoctrination." This year we'll be moving up to Oregon (we're in AZ right now) to begin a new adventure living on some property we've owned up there for a loooonnnggg time. We have 5 acres we share with Lyle's dear folks, and God has given us an incredible boon...we can live mortgage free with the proceeds from our current home! I will have Lyle home with me more, and we want to have home businesses to round out my Social Security disability. I have MS, and have been given the okay by SS to receive benefits, but they're veeerrrrryyyy slow getting started. It's been 6 months so far since they said yes! But we know God is just asking us to be patient.

I will stop talking about me now, I promise. I wish I could share more, but you only have so many hours in your day, I'm sure!

We have benefitted greatly from your Notebooking and High School books, your Christmas book, and your joyful newsletters. Your message and Barb Shelton's have felt "right" from the beginning, but it's a process of working through old ideas to find the gold in the new ones. One of the joys of homeschooling is that we all grow together! I learn constantly, the children learn constantly, and none of it "looks" the way I thought it would, years ago. Every year is different, takes lots of prayer, and is fun to watch unfold. I would like one of everything you have! Someday, someday! I'm also having fun listening to you on audio. I can hear the smile in your voice, and I realize you love what you do, you love Jesus, and you love your family in the way that I do. It makes me feel I have a sister several miles away! In Jesus, I certainly do.

Thank you again, and thanks for letting me ramble on. I actually could "talk" some more about our notebooks and other fun, but as I said, only so many hours in the day!

Love much, Nicki Burley and all the other Burleys, too!
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TRUCK FIRE SALE!

Want to know WHAT she bought? Oh! YOU MUST see this!

http://crushton.homewayp.hop.clickbank.net

If you have not takend advantage of the awesome homeschool and home-business product sale package from HomeSchoolRadioShows.com, the price has gone up a small bit today, but it's still a steal. Don't miss this! It is not too late--yet!

Check it out here: http://crushton.homewayp.hop.clickbank.net

NEW! We have a BLOG!! Check out FROM CINDY'S DESK(TOP!)!

See it HERE!
http://www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/CindyRushton

Join Cindy Rushton as she blogs from Cindy's Desk(TOP!)! Catch up with the Rushton Family, read Cindy's potpourri of articles, find out about new links on her website, and stay abreast of upcoming events and projects! Grab your cup of tea. This will be a fun part of your day!

Check it out today!
http://www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/CindyRushton

Visit us today! Leave a comment and be entered in our weekly drawing! This week you COULD be the winner of a FREE E-book! Join us for tea-time today!

LAST WEEK'S WINNER:

Cheryl Angelini

Others who will receive our Let's Get Organized Audio and Ebook Set:

mlpburke
DreweLlyn
EEEEMommy
kim c.
ClassicalEducation4Me
Lucia M. Claborn
grandmommy
telmar
KarenW
DandelionSeeds
sarahdawesukatyahoo.co.uk
stacia emerson
Sherry Foster
Corinna
Sharon Block
Donna
GrayHairedMom
creativehsmom

These moms left PRECIOUS comments last week. We APPRECIATE your feedback!

Leave a comment this week! One of you who leaves a comment will be the winner of a FREE E-book of your choice!!

DRAWING THURSDAY NIGHT!!

Why not join us today for your time for tea!

Seen our website lately? Grab a cup of tea and check out our home on the web at: http://www.CindyRushton.com

Check out MY NEWEST Website! Free Ezines, Free E-Workshops, and Regular Audio Podcasts! http://www.CindysDesktop.com

Announcing!!! My NEW Blog! Grab a cup of tea and check out my tidbits FROM MY DESK(TOP!)! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyRushton

Are you a writer? Wanta be a writer? Get the help and encouragement that you need at our Writer's Nook! NEW! You will LOVE IT!
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/AWritersNook

Ready to tune-up your marriage? Check out our FREE Romance Toolbox!
http://www.CindyRushton.com/RomanceToolbox.html

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As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

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