Nov. 1, 2009

Important Notice - Blog Address Change!

Oct. 29, 2009

Old Schoolhouse Magazine - Special Offers Expire Midnight Oct 30

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has offers for those in the U.S. & in Canada... We are a magazine with a heart for homeschooling. For U.S. Subscribers...Now, you can enjoy a one-year subscription for only $7.95! The Real Deal--Get at least $100 worth of gifts for FREE! These are tight economic times. Many homeschooling families are sacrificing extra income to provide an education for their children. At TOS Magazine we support and stand with you, in your convictions and in this economy. That is why we are delivering big savings on subscriptions and at least $100 worth of free gifts! Subscribe or renew for one year (U.S., print) and pay only $7.95. PLUS, receive 10 FREE gifts--while supplies last! There are 19 gifts from which to choose and you won't even have to pay shipping--that's free too. Hurry! The 10 gifts are gone at midnight on October 30! How do you get the 68% savings and 10 free gifts of your choice? It is so easy to get all of these goodies! Here's what you need to do: Place the one-year, print (U.S.) subscription in your cart. Or you can purchase a one-year subscription plus current issue (U.S.) for only $5.00 more. Or purchase a gift sub for friends! Enter coupon code 10GIFTS at checkout. Complete the checkout process. We will email you a gift selection form after your purchase. Complete and return this form via email. We'll U.S. mail you 10 gift cards which can be redeemed for the gifts via U.S. mail, though several companies will allow you to redeem online or by phone. All of the companies will pay the shipping to get the product to you--no strings attached.  For our returning customers, you'll enjoy a FREE bonus gift. With your renewal, you'll receive a FREE copy of Dreams and Designs--Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool! This bonus E-Book is in addition to the 10 FREE gifts! Renew now! You'll receive one year of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine at a 40% savings and the E-Book Dreams and Designs for FREE! With a spark of low-cost creativity and a few simple instructions . . . you'll be amazed! Design fun, easy-to-make learning aids and imaginative organizing tools using household items--and dream of your best homeschool year yet! Read more about the Dreams and Designs: Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool E-Book.This $12.45 value is yours FREE, when you renew your Canadian or international subscription. Do you know someone with whom you would like to share this fantastic deal?

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Oct. 26, 2009

Christmas Hymn Copywork E-book Review

From Sharon Crooks comes a new title in the WisdomKids series:  Delight in the Lord - Celebrating our Saviour in Hymns, Volume 1.  It is part of a Bible and copywork program designed for children 6 and up.  However, I know my 5 year old daughter, who loves to sing, is going to enjoy working through this as we get closer to Christmas.  I was provided with a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review. There are 6 hymns inside this 80 page e-book, including such favourites as Away in A Manger and The First Noel, as well as a couple new ones for me that I've learned.  I love that definitions of possibly problematic words are included before each hymn.  Plenty of room is given to copy the words of each hymn, and I like that tracing is omitted since I'm a fan of the children forming the letters on their own.  In addition, the copy-work pages are plain and uncluttered so the children can concentrate on their printing.  Fill-in-the-blank, colouring pages, and activity pages are included for each hymn, along with Bible verses and discussion. There are a few  things that would improve this e-book.  First, it would be nice if the words to copy were also written in on the lines that are provided for the children to copy - this may be problematic for those children who are just starting to learn to print and forget which letters are tall and which end at the mid-line for instance.  Second, none of the links provided to listen to the hymns online worked for me, which is unfortunate since this is a nice idea, integrating musical links to listen to with your child. (Note: as of Oct 29th the links work, Sharon Crooks has fixed them - now you can listen to the hymns!)  Lastly, an index would be handy, so you don't have to scroll or flip through the entire e-book to see which hymns are included, etc. Delight in the Lord - Celebrating our Saviour in Hymns, Volume 1 is available for download at Currclick.com for $8.95 US.  You can also "become a fan" of Sharon Crooks on Facebook to keep up with her newest products.

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Oct. 19, 2009

Friday Open Skates at Dartmouth Complex

Oct. 16, 2009

Someplace Called Special - A Look At Homeschooling Special Needs Children - Review

Someplace Called Special is a new e-book from The Old Schoolhouse.  I received this e-book free of charge from The Old Schoolhouse in exchange for an honest review.  In its pages are personal stories from Christian families about their own experiences homeschooling children with special needs.  Ten stories are included, about children with Dyslexia, ADHD, deafness, Asperger's, Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome, gifted, Lupus and Sensory Processing Disorder.  Also included are an FAQ, a couple articles about I.E.P.'s, a glossary on the special needs mentioned, and my favourite, a fantastic list by Amanda Fuller, "Ten Reasons to Homeschool Your Child With Special Needs". Even though I don't have a special needs child per se, I could see some of my son in the story shared about the gifted little girl, in his perfectionism.  I have some new perspective on it, and gleaned some ideas on how to handle his perfectionist streak when next it rears its head.  If you are considering homeschooling your child with special needs, this book will give you some confidence to begin and some ideas for how-to.  If you're already homeschooling your child, this book will give you some terrific perspective, and energize you to keep on going. This e-book is now available for download at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $12.45 US.

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Oct. 13, 2009

FREE maps from Knowledge Quest

Knowledge Quest is releasing a new book full of maps, including historical maps - "Map Trek Volume 1, Ancient World".   They have been pre-releasing some of the maps.  They're just terrific and you can download them for free HERE.  I'm using the map of Mesopotamia today in our homeschool.  They will be releasing more - to receive notification when more free maps are available, join the Knowledge Quest Facebook Fan Page. Note:  Map Quest is now available for download HERE for $14.95 US.  I've purchased it myself, what useful maps for our homeschool and what a great deal!

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Oct. 13, 2009

Homeschool Talent Show November 4th and 11th - online

CLICK HERE to reserve your seat for the Talent Show!  Begins 8pm Atlantic Time.

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Oct. 13, 2009

Autumn Treasures FREE Unit Study & Lapbook by Amanda Bennett

Click above for your week-long unit study/lapbook.  This is just the first in a series that The Old Schoolhouse is releasing... Where Unit Studies and Lapbooks Come Together Easy . . . Innovative . . . Effective . . . An exciting, brand new, E-Book series by Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse®. Amanda Bennett is well-known for her groundbreaking unit studies that are popular with homeschool families around the world. Download instantly! The learning process is on GO from that point on--let the fun begin! Units are theme based and full of exciting discoveries and motivation to develop lifelong learners. Each study is one week in length, having five daily lessons with lapbook components for each day. Each student creates a complete lapbook--a finished capsule of learning. All the research and preparation have been done! Hyperlinks are embedded right in the study--saving you time! Integrated studies include history, geography, reading, science, spelling, vocabulary, writing, art, and more. Units are reusable year after year--nothing is consumed. There are no expensive resources required! Includes a great list of books that you can use to enrich your study, but they are not required. Check out some of the fun and unique upcoming themes for 2010:               Seasons                                  Americans that Made a Difference                    Places in the World                 Toys and Gadgets               Presidents & Patriots               Sports               Ocean Animals                        Literary Giants Special Introductory Pricing. Limited Time Offer! Get in on the special introductory pricing and save 20%! Purchase a semester--19 weekly studies--Regularly priced at $114--Click here for a Special introductory price of only $91.20! Pre-pay for an entire school year--38 weekly studies--Regularly priced at $190--Click here for a Special introductory price of only $152!

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Oct. 9, 2009

Canspell Spelling Bee - Register now!

Sep. 3, 2009

Registering for Homeschooling

Sep. 2, 2009

Young Minds - Numbers & Counting DVD - Review

Math Tutor DVD has come out with a new series!  You may remember my previous review of their Algebra & Word Problem DVD's, and their DVD's offer math help all the way up through Calculus and Physics.  Now they have a series for young children, entitled "Young Minds".  The first offering involves numbers and counting.  As a music teacher, my ears were delighted to hear the soothing sounds of Classical, Baroque, and Romantic composers such as Bach and Beethoven throughout.  First, the number one appears on the screen, followed by pictures and videos of various things which are then counted, followed by the number two, and all the way through to the number 10.   I was impressed with the gorgeous visuals - stunning photographs and video clips with such luscious colours and perfect clarity - food that looks like you can reach out and eat it, and fuzzy animals that look like they're close enough to touch.  The little girl who does the voice-over for the video has a terrific voice, just adorable.  But I'm an adult, what do the children think?  My 5 year old daughter and her friend enjoyed watching - in particular they enjoyed the bonus materials, especially the "What Animal Am I" - an extreme close up of an animal is shown and as the camera pans back, clues are given as to which animal it is.  The two girls were jumping up and down, guessing, and the adults in the room got in on the guessing game too.  A toddler I showed the video to was absolutely absorbed by it - he would shout out when he saw something he really liked, such as "flowers"!  I like that it's not just mundane things like cats, apples, and oranges that are showcased on the DVD, but also things like meerkats, apricots, and colourful cans of paint.  What a wonderful way to reinforce counting to 10 and identifying numbers! If you'd like to see a video clip and some screen shots, go to the Math Tutor DVD website.  There you can purchase the DVD for $19.99 U.S.  The more you purchase the more you save (4-7 items will get you 5% off your order and so on).  Shipping and handling is a flat fee of $19.99 US (via Fedex) across Canada.  So you can really save on an order of more than one, but this makes the cost of one just a bit steep.  You could get your Homeschool group together for one big order and split the shipping.  Math Tutor offers great customer service and their return policy is terrific - "If you are not 100% happy, you may return the DVD for a full refund" within 30 days of purchase.   You can also purchase the DVD at Amazon.com. Would you like $10 off one DVD?  Click here to learn about how you can get a $10 coupon by becoming a "fan" of Math Tutor on Facebook.  Also, join the mailing list and be entered into a draw every month to win a complete bundle of Math Tutor DVD's worth $435 US, as well as being notified when they release a new DVD.

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Aug. 31, 2009

NOT-Back-To-School Pool Party - Sept. 3 - Cape Breton

Aug. 31, 2009

Atlantic Fringe Festival - Dartmouth - Sept 4-12

Aug. 28, 2009

College Success Begins at Home - E-book Review

If you're planning to homeschool through high school as our family is, or you're currently homeschooling high schoolers, TOS' new e-book College Success Begins at Home: Seasoned Homeschoolers Share Their Experiences is for you!  Fourteen Christian parents and students share encouragement through their stories, along with practical how-to suggestions and advice.  Although this e-book is American in perspective, the majority of the stories and information presented are still relevant for Canadian homeschoolers.  Some things you may not have considered are covered, such as the importance of instilling character and communication skills to prepare them for college/university and for life.  Various options are presented - things that can be worked on in the homeschool high school as well as things that can be worked on concurrently, such as apprenticeships and college classes.  You will find tips on record-keeping and portfolios for the high school years as well as transcript preparation - things many homeschoolers are concerned about.  The importance of researching options and preparing your student even before high school, in Grade 8, is recommended.  Many resources are shared, from books and CD's to curricula and web sites, and all of them are handily listed and linked at the end of the e-book.  Discussed as well are alternatives to traditional college/university, such as online courses, apprenticeships, and personal study.  In particular, I liked hearing from actual homeschool graduates. I enjoyed reading the e-book and will come back to it as each of my children approaches and goes through the high school years.  I almost can't wait to homeschool high school. College Success Begins at Home is now available for download at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $12.45 U.S.

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Aug. 26, 2009

Music For Young Children Open House Sat. Aug. 29th!

Music For Young Children - Cape Breton Open House Saturday, August 29th 10am - noon 3704 Highway 327, Marion Bridge Come on out and see what MYC classes are all about :)  Registering now for classes beginning August 29th for age 4 and up and September 22nd for newborn to age 3.  Go to www.myc.com/teacher/kcharron for more information or join us on Facebook or Twitter. Do you live elsewhere in Nova Scotia?  Try-it Classes, Open Houses, & Registration are now going on across the province.  Go to www.myc.com/teacher to find a teacher near you! Live, Love & Laugh, Kimberly

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Aug. 26, 2009

New E-book about Homeschooling High Schoolers - Review

Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Homeschool My High Schooler! is an e-book full of 13 personal stories about homeschooling high schoolers, including an introduction from Amanda Bennett.   The stories cover Christian families with all different kinds of children - from children with processing problems, ADHD, or dyslexia, to children blessed with special gifts such as in the arts or sports.  Some children started working on college/university work during high school, some attended traditional university, attended university early, worked on college at home, or took up trades or jobs when homeschool was complete.  All are wonderful, affirming stories of homeschooling success!  The joys and benefits of homeschooling are expressed, along with some surprising benefits such as homeschooling filling gaps in the parents' knowledge, or being something to while the usually wasted time away at all the doctor's visits with a child with leukemia.  Also mentioned are homeschooling styles and curricula which worked for these families during the homeschooling years.  The treasure trove of suggested resources by each contributing author are listed and linked at the end of the e-book - from books and CD's to websites, courses, and more! My children aren't high school aged yet, but I am so happy to have received this e-book to review from The Old Schoolhouse.  I love to read stories of homeschooling successes, it really helps reaffirm the value of homeschooling and gives me a boost of energy to keep on homeschooling my own children.  I can see myself re-reading this again and again as my children approach and go through the homeschool years, to gain perspective and that boost I need.  I'm looking forward to homeschooling my children through high school. Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Homeschool My High Schooler! is now available for download at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $12.45 U.S.

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Aug. 24, 2009

University Credit Online Computer Course for Grade 11 & 12 Students!

Aug. 8, 2009

Cape Breton Homeschool Informational Tea - Sat. Aug. 22

Aug. 6, 2009

Action Week Festivities in Sydney August 1-9

Aug. 6, 2009

Annual Not-Back-to-School Camping Trip! Sept 7-11th