Jul. 13, 2008 - Oooh, another benefit to the file system!
WinterPromise ladies, I've discovered another great benefit to using the file system for organizing the weekly lesson plans.
I noticed on Yahoo news this morning that there was an interesting article on WWII bombs still present in Japan. The brief article described that this is a common problem, and thousands had to be evacuated while the bomb was diffused. I thought, "Oh! I should print this out and save it. Sam could read it and summarize it, adding that to his MYO pages when we study WWII." And you know what? You can do just that, if you have a file folder system for weekly lessons! Gotta love it.
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Jul. 13, 2008 - The Completed Work Binder
Another item I use for our homeschool is a 3-ring binder for each child for completed work. I like to keep a three-hole punch by my side during the day, and put any work they've done into the binder. If I didn't use this method, in no time I'd have paper piles of finished work here, there, and everywhere!
To set up each binder, I simply made a cover sheet for each subject. I find nice pictures through a Google image search, and sometimes add a famous quote or Bible verse. I slide each into a pocket protector. Then I use self-adhesive tabs labeled by subject to turn these into dividers.
The inside pages of Catherine's notebook:
Sam's cover and inside pages (the page shown is for Apologia's Swimming Creatures notebook pages). I will file his MYO history pages in this notebook, rather than placing them in the timeline.
This makes it so much easier to keep records of the work they've completed. In addition, when you have company and someone innocently asks, "So what have you been learning?" You guessed it - they are forced to look through the entire binder! (grin)
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Jul. 12, 2008 - Another method for organizing worksheets
When I was working outside the home and taking college classes, my kids did some of their lessons at my mom's house. This was usually a phonics page, spelling worksheet, math page, and handwriting. In order to keep this organized by day, I used the Avilian method. While I'm no longer using it, it worked wonders for us. It was so easy to load the workbook pages into the divider pockets for each day. The work was organized and easy to transport. I'm including it here, because I think it would work great for a mom who works part-time, full-time, or is just super busy (wait. . .wouldn't that be all of us?)
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Jul. 11, 2008 - Setting up the Desk Apprentice
One purchase I made for homeschooling which I've never regretted is the Desk Apprentice from Staples. Think of it as the Lazy Susan of homeschooling supplies. I have one set up for each of my kids, although if I had a large family I would probably just get one for myself to hold lesson plans, forms, and so forth.
Here are some photos of my daughter's eighth grade materials, all set up and ready to begin next month!
In this view, you can see that the Apprentice has an interior section and exterior pockets. Four corner pockets hold pens, pencils, scissors, staplers. There are six external pockets which can each hold two slim workbooks or one larger one.
 A view of the other side, with the two additional outer pockets. Inside this section are her science and art books.
The view below shows the Apprentice from above. You can see how the interior section can hold quite a few file folders. I use these to hold bulkier items. It also has a removable organizer for paper clips, erasers, glue sticks (for those timeline figures!) - as you can see, the middle compartment of this is large enough to hold our apologetics flashcards, science vocabulary index cards, etc.
One of the things I really enjoy about the Apprentice is the ability to pick the whole thing up and move to a different location. We can have our materials with us in the screenhouse during nice weather, the kitchen, or just stay in the schoolroom, where they sit on my hope chest. Much nicer than having piles of books on a table, where they are likely to be destroyed by spills. . .umm, what did you say? What kind of spills? Well, there's this year's Apples Spelling workbook. I knocked over a jumbo size cup of coffee onto the table the first day we used it. And, yes, she had to use that coffee-stained, warped workbook all year! (blush)
I also keep a date stamper in the Apprentice. When my kids do any kind of writing or a workbook page, I use the date stamper on it. This way it is easy to keep the chronology of the work clear ~ a great help when organizing a portfolio or just as documentation of work done.
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Jul. 9, 2008 - Organizing WinterPromise American Story II
This past week I read great posts about organizing homeschool plans on the blogs by Dawn and Three Plus Two. I also happened to be reading Vicki Caruana's book called "The Organized Home Schooler." All these ideas really came together for me, and I decided to spend this week tackling an organization of my WinterPromise American Story II materials. The secretary in me loved setting up this file system, and I was happy that I had the materials to do so kicking around already. It felt great to get organized without spending a dime!
First, I grabbed a plastic crate hanging file holder, which was already in the schoolroom, along with hanging file folders, colored manilla file folders, and labels. I created files for all the categories of paperwork in ASII, from the Make Your Own History pages right down to a file just for the narration ideas. I hung these files in the crate, to use as I put together manilla file folders for each week of the school year. I decided to take the rest of July off, making our start date August 3. I then created files for each week between that point and our December break. The files are labeled with the WP week number and the dates for that week. This will enable me to add seasonal information to each file, based on the dates. Even though we have a schoolroom, I sometimes like to school at the kitchen table, or sit at my desk to review lesson plans, gather materials, and so on. I like my lesson plans to be portable and not all in one huge, overwhelming notebook. By using the file folder method, I can just grab the file for the week we are on and have almost everything I need at hand.
For each file folder, I put in a self-adhesive paper fastener at the top on the right-hand side (see image below). I adjusted my three hole punch to the correct setting to punch two holes that align with the width of the fasteners. I punched holes in the WP lesson plans for language arts, history, and independent pages. So, all lesson plan pages are on the right-hand side of the file folder when open. I then put in the grammar exercise page, MYO page, and any pages from the American Achievements pack that would be needed for that week. These are not fastened, but are tucked into the folder.
On the left-hand side of each weekly file folder, I created a pocket for the timeline figures from Homeschool in the Woods. To create this, I used a pack of large index cards I had hanging around (cut into halves or thirds as desired) and some scrapbooking photo adhesive stickers I had on hand. Using the list in the lesson plan for each week , I cut out the needed timeline figures and tucked them into the pocket. This was a good thing to do, because I noticed one time line figure, for example, which was listed on the plan yet not in the Homeschool in the Woods set as it was supposed to be. I made a note to myself to search for a good Google image.
In order to keep myself ahead of things in terms of DVDs I might need to order through Netflix and supplies for projects, I used post-it notes to create reminders for myself. The post-it notes in each file folder refer not to the week at hand, but to the following week. (For example, if I open week 5's file folder, the post-it note inside refers to what I need to have ready for the following week, week 6.) This gives me a week to order and receive a DVD from Netflix, add items to my shopping list, and verify any upcoming links. To create these, I simply opened up my folder for Optional/Needed Resources and the Activity Planning Chart and jotted the info down on a post-it.
My goal is to swap out these folders during our December break and re-do them for the next semester. Later today I will add in items from AS I resources, such as the 3-D maps and Mini books. I will also be using the Quarter Planner form at Donna Young's website to plan out our math, science, and extras such as Latina Christiana I. I will be adding a weekly plan for these subjects to the file folders.
My next project is to create "Completed Work" notebooks. I did this last year and it made it so easy to three-hole punch workbook pages, writing samples, etc., and pop them right into the notebook. At the end of a quarter or semester, it is easy to sit down and sort out which will go into a permanent portfolio and which can be trashed. I'll also be setting up the Desk Apprentices with books, workbooks, etc. I'll blog it as I go! |
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Jul. 5, 2008 - Congratulations to my friend, Karen!
One thrill of the week was visiting my friend, Karen, in the hospital. She just gave birth to their 13th child, a beautiful girl named Ysabel Grace. Congratulations!! Here's a pic of Catherine with the baby.
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Jul. 4, 2008 - Fourth of July
Yesterday was perfect weather here in Maine to celebrate the 4th of July. This was a nice treat after weeks of rain!
We enjoyed the day and had a cookout in the evening. It was so nice to eat in the screenhouse and watch the hummingbirds and finches at my mom's bird feeders. The kids enjoyed lighting off sparklers, and we watched the fireworks with the Boston Pops with my mom.
Here are a few pics. I love the Happy Bunny t-shirt.
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Oct. 10, 2007 - The Satisfaction of Being Home
As a single homeschool mom for the past seven years, I have done everything from cleaning houses to working full-time. I have taken college classes off and on, and look forward to graduating with my B.S. in Library Science this coming May 10. But I'm pleased to say that, praise be to God, I am currently home full time.
Thanks to God's provision, we are now receiving support monies for the first time. I shared with a friend that something happened to me over the years as I worked outside the home, shouldering the weight of supporting my family. What happened is this. . .I stopped trusting in God for our provision and began trusting myself instead. In my mind, our provision was the paycheck in my hand instead of our kind and lovingly Heavenly Father. Don't get me wrong, working was an absolute necessity then and will be for me again someday. But my heart attitude needed an adjustment.
I cannot even begin to describe my joy at being home with my children. While I'm finishing three classes this semester, for the first time in years I am able to focus on keeping my home and educating my children. I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind as I put all my trust in God, and we can trust Him for He is good! |
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Jun. 6, 2007 - Currently Being Read at Our House
Here are a few of the books we are currently reading at our house:
I am reading the Michael D. O'Brien series Children of the Last Days. I just finished Father Elijah and am moving on to the next book. Father Elijah was impossible to set down!
Catherine is working on several books at once, as is her habit. One of her current reads is Three Against the Tide, a former Winter Promise selection. This is a great book for gaining a southern perspective on the Civil War. A just for fun book is Baby Island and she is getting quite a few chuckles reading about the challenges of caring for babies! (Incidentally, this would make a great go-along for Adventures in the Sea & Sky . I wish I'd saved it for the fall!)
Sam is currently reading Tornado, which is a great dog story. He's also discovered an interest in Japan has several books checked out on Japanese culture and history.
We have two read-alouds in progress right now - The Great Turkey Walk and Devotional Stories for Little Folks, Too. The Great Turkey Walk is both poignant and riotously funny. Devotional Stories is a wonderful tool for supporting the Catholic homeschooling lifestyle, with enjoyable stories about a realistic homeschool family.
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Jun. 5, 2007 - The Decisive Homeschooler
This morning I sat over coffee looking out at the rain, thanking God for leading me to the Winter Promise curriculum for my family. I was putting together our materials for the week, and enjoying the simplicity of following the lesson plans.
I use a 3 ring binder to hold what we need for the week in plastic pocket dividers- the lesson plan page for the week, the timeline figures, maps, Make Your Own History pages, etc. I slide read-alouds and readers into their own pocket, too, to prevent me from losing them! I appreciate having everything in one place, and after having used a rigorous curriculum (it took 4 3" binders just to hold the lesson plans!) I rejoice in this simplicity.
This morning the Lord was showing me why this system works for me. In a nutshell, it works because it narrows the amount of decisions I have to make each day in running our homeschool. I have friends who use no curriculum, and this works beautifully for them. They are able to make a million decisions a day for each and every child in their homeschool. They pick which books each child will read next; pick which passages their child will use for copywork; create a spelling list from scratch. . .well, you get the picture. I could never do that. I would suffer what I joking call "Squirrel in the Road Syndrome." Yes, I would dash frantically from one extreme to the other, and eventually be road kill!
When I've tried other methods, particularly unit studies, we've had some small successes. Yet more often than not, I felt like. . .well, like I feel when I eat at Subway. It is an eatery I strive to avoid. Why? I simply can't make the decisions necessary to build a sandwich. White or wheat? Mayo, mustard? Which vegetables do you want?" Ugh! I end up tearfully saying, "Can you just make it like the picture in number 3? If I like it, I'll order it again. If not, I won't."
A friend and I studied Russian together in college. She was able to spend a summer in Russia and later her host family came to visit in New Hampshire. She took them to grocery shop at Shaws. They were in the pet food aisle when the Mama finally broke down in tears. She simply couldn't believe that there were so many choices for pet food. An overhwelming abundance of choices for dogs, when she came from a land of hungry people and limited material goods. The Lord brought that to mind, because it is often how I feel about the outrageous number of materials being marketed to homeschoolers. I pray sincerely for peace for all new homeschooling moms who must make a thousand decisions just to get started. It is wearying.
What can a homeschool mom do to avoid being a Squirrel in the Road? She can be a decisive homeschooler. This means eliminating many options and steeling herself to not be tempted by methods and programs her friends are using, when she knows in her heart it isn't right for her. For me, it means avoiding the computer and catalogs when I am experiencing the turbulent indecisiveness of PMS for several days a month. It also means being decisive by delegating and not reinventing the wheel in every academic area for every child. What helps you to be a decisive homeschooler? |
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Feb. 20, 2007 - Crown of Thorns
In preparing our home for Lent, we found a great idea posted by Michelle at 4Real Learning ~ making a Crown of Thorns centerpiece for the table. I purchased a $3 grapevine wreath and then dismantled it, as it was much too large. I wove a Crown of Thorns with it, and used toothpicks for additional thorns. As the children do penance, offer extra prayers, and make sacrifices this Lent, they will be pulling out the thorns.
I think that on Easter they will each find a crown at their place setting, in keeping with Isaiah 61:3 - "to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes"!
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Feb. 19, 2007 - Stations of the Cross Grottos
I had posted on the 4RealLearning forum about Stations of the Cross Grottos. I noticed these in several catalogs and thought they would be a nice addition to our Lenten devotions. The cost was prohibitive for me, however. Instead, we bought some craft sticks and ribbon and made our own. This was easy and fun, enjoyed by the kids alot!
I'll be hanging these around the living room walls and up the stairwell, so we can move around while we pray the Stations this Lent.
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