I bet I'm on the slow boat!  I have enough children to pass books through that I normally don't buy used.  I thought I'd post it anyway just in case it's a new find to others. 

I was looking for a Rod and Staff English 6 book and found this site.  I thought it was great and will visit again.  They sell books on consignment. They had a pupil text listed as 'rough'.  I've got so many visions of rough!   So we will look some more.

A box of books for 'later' use was lost in the abyss of our crawl space.  So I know I have this book somewhere but after an hour or more, I gave up.

This site is loaded with used books, a real blessing.  Take a peek if you're in need!

http://www.curriculumexchange.com

Theresa

This was posted on a group I belong to and I am so glad it was.  We are always looking for enjoyable supplements to our history program.  WOW!  Jim Hodges productions has "You Are There" history recordings.  I am going to quote directly from their front page because I cannot describe them any better than what they already have:

" Each show begins with "live" background coverage of the historical event, and then the "on the scene reporters" take over. Everybody knows there were no radio announcers onboard the Nina, Pinta, or Santa Maria, (or from Ancient Greece, Medieval France, or the Battle of Gettysburg either!) but you will be transported back in time anyway as the show "broadcasts" from the ships, the shore, and from Spain. The dialogue is very believable, historically accurate, and very much in character."

There is a sample download of The Signing Of The Magna Carta.  This is incredible!  Stop over and listen to it!  We are going to be THRILLED to listen to these CDs.  Feeling like you are right in the middle of history while it's happening kept our attention and I knew this was for us.  I ordered the combo set ($35) because this is an AWESOME supplement to have and we are excited!!  Thank you Jim Hodges Productions!

http://jimhodgesaudiobooks.com/otr_youarethere.html

We are excited to be back to the table!  We do minimal school through the holidays.  Our year runs January to January, no summer break but a winter break.  I'll be posting soon about us starting Harvey Bluedorn's greek books.  I am really enjoying them and think they won't be as hard as what I assumed.
Has anyone had trouble editing their blogs?  I had an awful time updating my template.  I also can't 'view blog' while logged in.  I have to open a new window and go to my blog that way.
Look forward to sharing our new year!

Blessings, Theresa 

These are FREE this week!  Christmas Notebooking Pages By Amanda Bennett

These are nice pages.  We are going to let the children use them to write a birth anncouncement for Jesus, and send them for our Christmas cards.  Enjoy~

Blessings, Theresa

http://www.homeschoolestore.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2168

Would you like a free unit study on hymns and carols?  This is so wonderful!  You will have to do a little research to make it in depth, but the writing assignments are great ideas.  We love carols and hymns, what a blessing this was to find!  Hope it blesses you too.

Theresa  Find it here!

If you want all the Little house resources in one place this is it.  I'm not sure about price in comparison to other resources, but you can find bonnets and dresses, books, readers, and fiddle music with Laura's voice in the recordings.  I thought it was a great find to post!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Theresa

Discover Laura

http://www.homeschoolestore.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1052

My friend Kim (Her blog is The Sun Porch under my favorites!) posted this on our group this am, it is a wonderful freebie for those who are interested in lapbooking!

Blessings, Theresa  Thanks Kim!!

I just received my copies of "A Greek Alphabetarion", "Little Bitty Baby Learns Greek", and "A Greek Hupogrammon".  I'm am so pleased after just browsing through them, they are exactly what I expected!  I can't wait to really devour them with the children.  These books are very well written for a beginner.  The copybook is written in large print, which I consider a very important feature for a copy book.  I'll post again as we tackle their lessons. 

I am so truly thankful for the Bluedorn's very hard work to make something that appears to be difficult, understandable!  

More later, Blessings, Theresa

First here is a site that is worth looking at!  It's the Homeschool E Store, lots of resources here if you like ebooks :)

Here is a nicely written sentence that sums up the colony study we are doing.  I had them copy it and then reduced the size to 5x7 so it would fit in their lapbook.  For older children you can dictate.  This is not my narration, it came from an online history source (maybe the Williamsburg site?) and I can't remember where in the world I read it!  If you recognize this nicely written sentence please let me know and I'll give proper credit..:)

"The thirteen colonies were thirteen British colonies in North America, separately chartered and governed, that rebelled against the crown and signed a Declaration Of Independence in 1776 to become independent sovereign states, thereby establishing the seed for the United States Of America."

Blessings, Theresa

This is a great site to find printables for coloring, short stories, and more.  Always look through the stories for them being accurate, I'm not endorsing those, I didn't have time to read all of them. 

www.applesfortheteacher.com

Blessings, Theresa

Here are some more great sites. 

www.audible.com  You can download childrens books onto cd's here.  I didn't toddle around too much, I just used the search box.

www.Homeschoolradioshows.com

This was a neat site!  Anything but the TV folks! 

Blessings, Theresa

I'm am so very much enjoying a relaxing month of lapbooking and notebooking.  Today we drew indian pictures for the notebooks which turned out so nice.  It took about 2 hours to get them done.  I love to see their personalities in their artwork.  We use Drawing With Children by Monica Brooks.  The book has helped me so much to learn drawing.  If I can draw anything that looks like a human, with a neck and hands, I've done well!  My indian first looked like a bit of an ape, but the little guys quickly helped me form a nice chin.  My daughter said I put too many muscles..I just imagine the indians to be in great shape I'll show two pictures, my 11 yr.olds left, 9 yr. old's right.
Blessings, Theresa

I love getting the Homeschool Minute and reading all of Julie Nott's freebie finds.  If you want to make an Alphabet lapbook with your preschooler, here is a good link.  Look around through the other links, I always get lost with all the great info and then forget what I was looking for!   Great Free Pages!

This link has all sorts of free coloring pages, many suitable for a cover page in a lapbook.   

Blessings, Theresa

We lived in Colonial Williamsburg for 6 years.  What a beautiful place.  We had access to all the sites and learning there was to offer.  This website is great, you are able to view tons of clothing, food, decorations, maps.... the other site I found has animated maps, and (yeah!) links to primary sources for American History.  What a find!  Enjoy!!

#1  Colonial Williamsburg

#2  Animated Atlas

This has been a great help to our colony study, I can't wait to post our finished products.  The kids are off to the library right now to find more books.  Blessings, Theresa 

There are so many great sites out there about lapbooks and unit studies.   I've only looked at pictures so far, I haven't bought anything with a guideline.  I developed our frame for our colonies lapbook with the children today. 

We folded the letter sized folders, making the two {I like to call them doors} doors.  On the inside I wrote out the plan and discussed it with them.  One door is going to be famous people, things or jobs held at that time in the state they chose; underneath that clothing.  In the middle they will write their paragraph, draw or find pictures; underneath that vocabulary.  On the other inside flap or door will be food and underneath that they will sketch the state.  Which brings me to my weekly find!  Here at this link you will find free outlines of each state to print out.  Awesome.   I didn't have time to go through the rest of the site but it looks great.  Enjoy!  Blessings Theresa

http://geography.about.com/library/blank/blxusx.htm

I have to post more when I wake up in the morning.  I have so much on my mind then compared to the evening, when the children have me in a trance.   

I'm trying unit studies, lapbooks and notebooking for the next few months.  ALSO, if anyone is interested in Classical education (Christian), I recommend that you try "Teaching The Trivium" by Harvey Bluedorn.  You can get this from the The Old School House store.  I have enjoyed it so much.  He  lays a real biblical foundation for teaching which is exactly what I needed.  There was something very dull happening with our school.  Last year I switched to all creation science and there was an amazing difference in everyone's attention.  I was really hating any science until then.

In reading,  there were a lot of things I did not know about some of the suggested so called classics.   After I inquired with my daughter, now 19, who has read some, I realized I had been giving them nothing but bad literature. 

He eased my mind about math also, and I was able to look at my children's progress and move them on.  He doesn't suggest a text until age 10 but my children are already accustomed to working in them and enjoy it.   I have a 6 year old able to complete 4th grade problems, I never pushed him to do this he moved himself right along and I just went with it.   Mr. Bluedorn's experienced suggestions gave me some freedom to not worry too much about the texts.  Sometimes I'm so set on them finishing a book, they get bored.  Hey, maybe I should be posting this on my homeschool blog?!

Ok, well off to the day, blessings and more blessings to you.  Theresa

I'm sure many moms know about Dover Coloring books.  I normally order them through Rainbow Resource Center.  There is a site www.doverpublications.com that has tons of great stuff if you have time to look through it all.  This has to be my weekly find because of the old reprints, art pictures, coloring (of course), stickers etc...  

I'm just getting into lapbooks with the children this month.  This above site had a huge amount of useful products for them.  I just had to stop looking because there was so much I would love to have. 

I'm a bit burned out I think and need a refreshing break.  I love hands on activities so we are starting unit studies instead of just our traditional read/narrate sessions for the rest of the year.  I love Cindy Rushton's sites, which is where I read about the lapbook/notebooking.  Can't wait to dig in!

Have a wonderful day! 

I wanted to add "My Weekly Find" to my categories.  I find so many sites that are useful but if I listed them in Super Educational sites, my sidebar would be too overwhelmed!
Today I just wanted to find some charts...of course I could make them, but I didn't have time.  I found www.helpingwithmath.com; a great site, very basic but just what I needed.  I use packing tape to laminate my charts on tagboard.  I have number lines that have lasted 5 years!  Also, here is a thought.  Why not print out Mathhelps geometry shapes and defintions.  Your children could memorize a shape way before they get to geometry.  Even a 3 year old can do this.  We teach them circle, triangle, and square...what is so hard about saying Polygon or Hexagon and doing an exercise in counting?  Have them draw a Polygon house...be creative with that one.  No need to overwhelm them, but exposing them to some concepts with shapes won't hurt them.  My children love to draw. 

Blessings! Theresa

I watched my 3 and 5 year olds be completely content with this and thought it would be good to post.  I needed to get sewing done after the academics part of our day.  The other children left to go out in field exploring so...there they were.  My 3 and 5 year old.  It's easy to use videos for an excuse at this time but we use music and puzzles.  Some women tell me they can't get their children to play with them long.  Here is an idea.  I keep my puzzles up on a shelf.  They can see them, but I don't leave them where they can take them out without asking first.  They are "special".  I don't allow them to be toys.  We use them to learn and they know this.  So when I say let's do puzzles they know it's a special treat.  They don't get sick of them.  I use this for all of our "special" toys.  Zither, handbells, Xylophone...

And if you really want to make it a treat, make them popcorn while they play.  My 3 year old can build advanced puzzles and we attribute his attention span to this method of keeping the puzzles at bay from them until we allow their use.  The music holds them to the play longer.  They were listening to the Charlie Brown Christmas CD...a nice little childhood memory for me.  :)

Hugs Theresa.. The smiley was too cute