If you like downloaded materials for your homeschooling, CurrClick, formerly Homeschool EStore, has a great selection and good prices to boot. They have notebooking resources, unit studies, ebooks, curriculums, and more. I've used a few of their items with my children over the past couple of years, and we've been happy with the value and quality received.
AHEM has created 6 unit studies on our states government and is sharing them! They have also worked out a shedule of field trips to coordinate with these studies. Please see their website for more information and to sign up for the field trips. To get the newsletter or to ask about the unit studies, please email them at info@AHEM.info
The new Old Schoolhouse issue is coming out and there is a great unit study about trains beginning on page 128. If you'd like to visit some great train places in New England, we have a few to choose from.
The Charles Ro Train Store touts itself as the largest model train store, and having been there, I think I agree! They also have some cool models up and running.
662 Cross St. Malden, MA
The Conway Scenic Railway in New Hampshire is a really fun place to go. It is a bit costly to ride to the top of My. Washington, but there is also a museum you can check out.
800-232-5251
Route 16, North Conway, NH
AHEM now has a page for educators discounts available to homeschoolers. For the complete listing so far (they're still adding more as they find them), please go to their web page. If you know of any that have not yet been listed, please contact them to add it on.
So far they have the Boston Children's Museum, the Museum of Science in Boston, Borders bookstores, and Barns & Noble bookstores.
If you are looking for resources and supplies, the choices of where to go can seem endless and overwhelming. I'd like to list some favorites here that might help narrow your search. If you have any suggestions, please email them to me and I can update this list.
Here are two places to get you started:
Rainbow Resource is a family run business that has gotten quite popular. Good prices and a huge selection has a lot to do with it, I'm sure.
There's a new Yahoo group for buying and selling new and used curriculum materials called Teaching Tots to Teens. It's a moderated list as well as not allowing 'freebie' email addresses (such as Yahoo or Hotmail) to cut down on spamming.
A quick search through Yahoo brings up these other moderated 'swap' and 'for sale' homeschool resource lists:
There are many more lists out there for swaping and selling. In the Yahoo domain, type in "homeschool" and what it is you are looking for in quotation marks into the search box and you should get quite a few choices.
***The Young Game Inventors Contest is on! University Games is sponsoring the Young Game Inventors Contest, open until September 1, 2006 to all kids ages 5-12. The challenge is to design a board game, from the 'board' up. They invent the game, rules, pieces and board, and enter for a chance to win a $10,000 savings bond, a trip to San Francisco, and even a chance to see their game produced for the market! Please see their website for all the details.
***Birding links! Love to watch those birds in your backyard but not sure what they are? Want to see some cool birdcams? Check out these birding sites.
Just heard about a wonderful internet book/curriculum resource for homeschoolers struggling to make ends meet, and I thought this would be a good time to list any other resources out there for that need.
The one I heard most recently about is The Book Samaritan. They provide free books and curriculum to homeschooling families that are stuggling to afford educational materials. To receive materials, please fill out their online request form. All they ask is that the families not re-sell any of the donated materials, but rather they either pass them on, or return them to the Book Samaritan to forward them on to others. To donate used materials or money, you can use the same contact page.
Another one that came to my attention last year after Hurricane Katrina is Project Noah which also helps families in need with obtaining curriculum. They currently have a temporary physical location, 17519 Warm Winds Dr., Tomball, TX 77377, but their website and email are the same. The website may not have been updated since the fall, but I just recieved an email from them reassuring me that they indeed are still going stong.
If you need/like free online resources, there are sites aplenty out there. Here's a quick list:
I hope this information will help some of you out there. As homeschoolers, we tend to live on a tighter budget than the "expected norm", but there are times the belt gets a bit too tight. In those times, it's good to know there are generous souls out there, doing what they can to help. :-)
Messengers of Faith Talking Bible Dolls: Teach Your Children the Bible One Character at a Time!
Talking Bible character dolls quote Scriptures at the press of a button. There are 5 articulated dolls in all; Jesus, Mary, Moses, David and Esther. They sell for $24.99 on the website.
The company, one2believe, also has a "work-at-home" plan, as well as a fundraiser plan for groups. Their "work-at-home" program hasn't been listed on their website yet, so posted here is the info I received. Please contact the person listed below with any questions.
"one2believes Work at Home Program
2 Ways to Start
1) Buy in: $50.00 cost (plus shipping) $100.00 value You receive: 5 Messengers of Faith Dolls 2 - 8½ inch x 11 inch Point-Of-Purchase display 4 - Messengers of Faith full color brochures 2 - Messengers of Faith order forms 1 - Messengers of Faith promotional DVD Selling literature, endorsements, articles, reviews *Additional brochures, DVDs and POP available for purchase Free consultant websites will be available 4/1/06
2) $0 upfront: You receive: 2 - Messengers of Faith brochures 1 - Messengers of Faith order forms 1 - Messengers of Faith promotional DVD Buy individual dolls for $14.00* each *Additional brochures, DVDs and POP available for purchase Free consultant websites will be available 4/1/06
3 Ways to earn money with Messengers of Faith
1) Individual sales- Home Parties, Playgroups, Bible Study Groups, Town Fairs $20.00 selling price $14.00* your cost $6.00 your profit (30%)
2) Fundraisers- Churches, Religious Schools $20.00 selling price $14.00* your cost $6.00 your profit (split with church)
3) Become a Team Leader sign up new independent consultants Earn 10% of a level 1 consultants purchases. Example if 3 members of your team each purchase 20 dolls at $14.00 each, you earn $84.00 (60 dolls X $14.00 = $840.00 X 10% = $84.00).
*independent consultants pay all shipping charges ($2.00 per doll with a minimum purchase of 6 dolls to one address). Orders for less than 6 dolls will be charged calculated shipping charges.
Are you ready to join us? Contact Josh Livingston at josh@one2believe.com or by calling (860) 693-0511."
I just got this info in an email and wanted to share it with you. Please see their website or email their Promotions Coordinator at fairpromo@voyagersinc.org for more information. It is open to everyone; you can be a seller, buyer or both, but you must contact them for details on how it works.
"Voyagers' First Annual Homeschool Traders' Fair
A one-day consignment sale to buy and sell homeschool books and materials ? curricula, books, manipulatives, educational games and toys. Saturday, May 20, 2006, 11 AM - 1 PM
At Voyagers Homeschool Coop, 530 Main Street, Acton, MA.
Check our web site for directions: www.voyagersinc.org "
Looking for materials to use with your dear children to help them learn in your homeschooling journey? While my family has never used a 'curriculum in a box', we have found a great many things of good use. Listed below are a few of our more well liked items.
Children's magazines:
My dear children have loved getting magazines in the postal mail, so we've tried to make sure that what they do get is something worth reading cover to cover without a lot of advertising.
ASK (Arts and Science for Kids) published by Carus. From their website: "ASK is a kids magazine about science, history, and more. Written with 7- to 10-year-olds in mind, ASK magazine is about everything from dinosaurs to cathedrals, from distant stars to microbes...ASK helps kids understand how the world works and how discoveries are made--it challenges kids to explore new ideas. It introduces them to the inventors, artists, and scientists of the past and present, and to their ideas."
ZooBooks published by Wildlife Education. From their website: " Zoobooks is the kid-friendly animal magazine for children ages four to 12. From elementary to middle school and beyond, Zoobooks will teach your children to appreciate animal nature, something most children are already interested in. With Zoobooks, they can learn everything they ever wanted to know about different animals--from zoo animals to wild animals, insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and more"
DIG published by Cobblestone Publishing Co. in cooperation with the Archaeological Institute of America. From their website: "Dig brings the excitement, mystery, wonder, and fun of archaeology, paleontology, and earth sciences to children ages 9 and older in a style that both entertains and educates its young readers... Dig lets young people share in the thrill of archaeological discovery while learning about the cultural, scientific, and architectural accomplishments of different societies. Recent developments in the field of archaeology form the magazine's core subject matter."
Your Big Backyard published by the National Wildlife Federation. This is for kids ages 3-7, and is the 'little brother' to the magazine Ranger Rick.
Educational DVD Rentals:
FamilyPass From their website: "FamilyPass online DVD rental service offers a large online library of family-friendly entertainment. Our DVD library contains thousands of entertainment, educational, and inspirational DVDs suitable for the entire family. Whether it is supplementing your childrens education, enjoying family movie night, or just wanting some spiritual inspiration we have the DVDs for you."
We've also used parts of these curriculums:
Math-U-See From their website: "The reason we study math is so we can apply what we learn in everyday situations. The students learn their math facts, rules, and formulas, and are able to use this knowledge in real life applications. The study of math is much more than committing a list of facts to memory. It includes memorization, but it also encompasses learning the concepts that are critical to problem solving."
How we use it? In the beginning, we watched the videos together, (not consistently, I must admit) and I let my boys just play with the blocks (the same as Cuisinaire rods and Base 10 blocks, but different colors), but now for my oldest, I give him the weekly test at the beginning of the week and if he answers all the problems correctly, he's free from any math work that week. If he gets things wrong, then I know he needs help understanding that particular concept and he has math work that week. This way, we avoid repetition of concepts he already understands, he's motivated to avoid careless mistakes, and I'm not rushing him through levels of math he may not be ready for.
PowerGlide From their website: "The Power-Glide Spanish Children's Course was designed for children Pre K - 3rd grade. Course activities are designed specifically with these learners in mind and include matching games, story telling, speaking, drawing, creative thinking, acting, and guessing--all things which children do for fun."
How we use it? Well, I really enjoyed it, and listened to it when we would go places. My children, on the other hand, weren't interested. I'm not sure if it was the methodology, or that they didn't want to learn another language. We're saving our pennies to try Rosetta Stone next. This is one area that I would really like for my children to learn that I didn't. I did take French classes in middle and high school, but it never was a language that was in current use in my life. My father was from Mexico, but never taught/spoke Spanish at home. I would like for my children to be multi-lingual if they can.
Alpha-Phonics by Samuel Blumenfeld From the website: "Anyone who already knows how to read can teach reading using Alpha-Phonics. It is easy to use and free of the professional jargon characteristic of so many reading instruction books. Parents who wish to teach their children to read at home will find Alpha-Phonics particularly useful, as it does not have a classroom format which would need to be adapted for home-school use."
How we used it? We bought this program back when it still had cassette tapes to accompany the book, so we listened to the tapes and read the book at the same time. Again, I must admit that we were not entirely consistent in our schedule, but we did make it through the first half of the book. By that time, though, my oldest was reading independently and sounding out words he didn't know, so we stopped using the Alpha-Phonics book in favor of reading real books. My second son is having trouble with phonics, so we're currently using the McGuffey's Readers to help him learn the fundamentals of reading.
McGuffey's Eclectic Readers Sold on the CBD website: "If Rev. McGuffey were teaching today, he'd still focus on godly content that promotes moral growth and a well-developed mind! Introduce your children to his 19th-century classics, which stress phonics, memorization, and progressive vocabulary building. Students begin with the alphabet and one-syllable words in the Pictorial Primer and by high school they're learning about Napoleon and Wilberforce in the Fourth Reader. Slight clarifying changes maintain the spirit of the originals."
How we use it? We read about 3 lessons a week. I read it to my younger son, he reads it back to me, and then usually he writes the first sentence out, but not always. It's been fun seeing the slightly different uses of language, such as "I am but six." (Meaning "I am only six years old.") It's brought about some interesting conversations about why we use the words and phrases we do. My older son reads his lessons daily, then writes a sentence from the story, and then tells me what is was about.
Ambleside Online This is a completely free online curriculum. From the website: "Ambleside Online [is] a free curriculum designed to be as close as possible to the curriculum that Charlotte Mason used in her own PNEU schools. Our goal is to be true to Charlotte Mason's high literary standards. Ambleside Online uses the highest quality books and costs no more than the cost of texts. The curriculum uses as many free online books as possible, and there is no cost to use this information or join the support group."
How we use it? The book list alone can be overwhelming, but it is chock full of wonderful literature. We are a family of bibliophiles, so most of these books are owned by at least by one extension of our family. We gather them up and read together as a family. We don't have a certain time each day, nor do we stick to any of the sample schedules posted, but we love reading to each other and being read to. Once in a while a particular book goes over like a lead balloon with the kids, and in these rare cases, we put it down and pick up another. Most of what AO is about is the philosophy that education should be regarded "not as a shut off compartment, but as being as much a part of life as birth or growth, marriage or work; and it must leave the pupil attached to the world at many points of contact."
The Core Knowledge Series Sold on Amazon.com: "With its comprehensive curriculum providing a sound basis in the fundamentals of math, art, history, language arts, science, and technology, the phenomenally successful Core Knowledge series has become an esteemed tool for parents and teachers striving to better educate today's children."
How we use it? This is really only a reference for me, I don't use it with my children. It helps me to formulate the education plan I must give to the schools each year, as well as helping me with translating our lives into 'educationalese' for reporting at the end of the school year. I find it rather funny that although I don't use these books as schedules, plan books, or textbooks as they are intended, I find them to be very useful. As my husband has said "These are great atlases rather than road maps." For the bulk of the school year, they sit on my shelf collecting dust, but twice a year, they are an immense help. Incidentally, they're also useful for explaining to curious family and friends what we do in a language that those who are used to 'school life' can relate to.
This is only a very small list of what is available out there for homeschoolers looking for educational materials; there are whole methodologies that I haven't even touched on here. If you click on any of the other state blogs listed to the right on this page, you will probably find lists of other materials that other homeschoolers use in their educational journeys. There is also a new curriculum store on The Old Schoolhouse website. I'm sure the store will be growing as time passes on, but it's a good starting point now.
CLEP, the College Level Examination Program, can serve as both high school graduation requirement and college credits. ClepPrep has lesson plans to help you study for these exams.
From the email: "Through our FREE lesson plans you will be able to use your child's independent study skills, replacing the instructional phase of the college class process with the appropriate books and videos we've selected as study tools. Your child will prepare for the exam and the college board will issue them credits for passing the test."
What a great way to get the most bang for your buck; not only are the exams less expensive than a college course, but one can '"test out" of those freshman courses that are often refreshers of high school material.
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