Jul. 1, 2009 - No-Cost Homeschool Resources
Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest Maps has generously let us share the below, very helpful, article.
5 Must-Have, No-Cost Resources for Homeschooling
This past year has not been an easy one for many Americans, that’s for sure. With businesses downsizing and laying off staff, many loyal employees find themselves out of work. With the bursting of the real estate bubble, many hard-working homeowners find themselves in a house they can no longer afford to keep and yet can neither afford to sell. We live in hard times, but often it is these very hard times that generate the most creative thinking. As they say… Necessity is the mother of invention. I believe that was first spoken by Plato. Or you could say... “Invention is the mother of necessity.” Thorstein Veblen, the author of that quote, was a U.S. economist and social philosopher who lived during the latter portion of the 19th century until the Great Depression. He lived in times not unlike our own. Swift change can cause turmoil.
So, if invention and creativity is spurred on by necessity or difficulty (and vice versa), then now is a great time to look for and use no-cost resources that will serve us well during this economic downturn.
There are many of you who cannot afford homeschooling curriculum this year. Does that mean that you should put your children into public school? No, what it means is that it is time to get creative, even inventive, when it comes to our children’s education.
And this is your place to start. I am going to share with you my top 5 “must-have” homeschooling resources that won’t cost you a dime. Bookmark each of these sites and refer to them often as you prepare and teach your children during this upcoming school year.
Top 5 Must-Have No-Cost Homeschooling Resources
(These are not listed in any particular order because they are all good! Bookmark or sign up for them all!)
- Jim Erskine’s Freebie of the Day - http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/. If you are not aware of this site, then I am excited to share it with you. Jim works with homeschool publishers to provide you with 1 freebie each day. The link to the freebie is only active for 24 hours, so you have to act fast, but these are quality offerings and not just filler junk. Trust me, I have participated in this program and we have given away a full U.S. geography curriculum on one occasion and another full ebook on another occasion. Other publishers are doing the same thing. So sign up using the “Join List” tab at the top of the page.
- The Old Schoolhouse’s Teacher Toolbox - http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/E_News/index.php#teacherstoolbox. Most of you are probably aware of their Freebie Friday newsletter (if you are not, then sign up for that one as well). But the Teacher Toolbox newsletter is a lesser known treasure. The Teacher's Toolbox is a great way to inject something extra into your teaching plans especially when you are homeschooling on a shoestring.
- The Homeschool Mom Unit Studies - http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/schoolroom/unitstudies.php. Actually, the entire Homeschool Mom site is a gem and you should spend some time there getting familiarized with it and find out what it has to offer. But I specifically highlighted the unit study page because unit studies are a great way to homeschool your children especially if you are working with limited funds. You can teach them all the same topic but at varying levels. You can often utilize library books and online information resources – all for free.
- Donna Young Printables and Resources - http://donnayoung.org/index.htm. Yes, this site is a treasure trove of lessons, planners and forms. There is a form for everything you could ever need. I especially like her diplomas! If you are looking for a specific form, a planner or a lesson for a certain subject, make sure that you check here! Donna Young has so many useful forms and resources that you will think you have hit the jackpot.
- Homeschooling ABCs Free 5 Day MiniClass – http://www.homeschoolingabcs.com. Sometimes when you are throwing it all together yourself and not using pre-made curriculum, you can start to wonder if you are on the right track. Worry no longer… sign up for the free 5 day mini-class at the site above and receive information on:
Ø What to Teach and When
Ø 4 Steps to Homeschooling Success
Ø Homeschooling on a Dime
Ø Getting the Help You Need
Ø Planning and Scheduling
There you go – 5 “Must-Have” No-Cost Resources for Homeschooling. Take advantage of them. Let them be the fuel that starts your creative engine and keeps it going strong. My hope and prayer for you is that you have NOT been hit hard by this financial mess our country has found itself in. But if you have been, then look for the silver lining amongst the gray clouds. As Patti Handy says, “Don’t let a good financial crisis go to waste.” (www.teenscashcoach.com)
Warmly,
Terri Johnson
Bramley BooksTM, a division of
Knowledge Quest, Inc.
1.877.697.8611
Jun. 14, 2009 - What Are Your Goals?
Check out this post on our sister blog and let me know your thoughts. I thought it was pretty intersting.
http://pjsallday.com/?p=91
Jun. 13, 2009 - Brad
One down, four to go! lol
Brad graduated today, magna cum laude, from Eastern Washington University. He received an award for Outstanding Senior in the Criminal Justice Program.
There were a LOT of kids. And we were FAAAR away.
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![""]("http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v336/redmom6/grad5.jpg")
And two weeks ago, he got married!
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A good month! :-)
May. 18, 2009 - ~Weekend Wonders~
I didn't "technically" go yard saling this weekend. We were too busy getting ready for our trip to Florida.
Paige and I are at the hotel in Spokane now, and get on our flight at 6am. YAY! We'll be meeting Paul, Gena and the rest of the Suarez family, along with our Marketing Director, Michelle, for meetings. Then we get to attend the FPEA Homeschool Convention. Oh! And Paige and I have one day for sightseeing! Can't wait to tell you about it.
So....back to the yard saling that I didn't have time for...we did stop by one sale on our way home from church and I snagged two Cub Scout shirts with scarves and one with a cap. My boys already have shirts, but these will be a real blessing to someone. (I'm a Den Leader) I got them for $1 each. This is probably over $50 retail!
Don't forget to share your Weekend Wonder over at Econobusters.com!
May. 11, 2009 - ~Weekend Wonders~
I've had a terrible time finding a dress for my daughter to wear for my son's wedding. First, there are no dresses in this town. Second, anytime I could get away for a shopping trip, she had ballgames. This weekend she had a game and we stopped at the ONE store I hadn't tried (I'd looked for me, but not her). Believe it or not, we found a dress in the perfect colors that she loved. Unfortunately, it cost more than mine did, but we went ahead and got it.
As for my "weekend wonder" this week, we were able to find a pair of ballet flat type shoes in new condition at a consignment store that will work perfectly with the dress for $5.99 instead of the $15-$30 we would have paid. Not a SUPER bargain (ie: yard sale or thrift store prices) but still better than buying new.
Better yet (and I can't call this a yard sale/thrifted wonder) was how we got a shrug. She really needed a little shrug to wear with the dress. Would you believe they were actually selling them for up to $79, where we bought the dress??!! NUTSO! We did find something suitable at Walmart for much less, but they only had brown and coral and neither would do.
When I got home, I ran over to my neighbor's for some knitting help before I could take a bath and hop in my jammies. She's teaching me to knit and I had a quick question on my project. Well...I had Paige walk over with me and we showed her the dress and commented about the price of shrugs. My neighbor then offered to knit one "real quick" as she had an extra skein of black. (I'm actually working on one as my first project, but I'm guessing it'll be weeks before I'm done) Would you believe she brought it over this evening, LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER and it's perfect. It used one small skein of year ($2.49)!
I guess I should have taken a moment to straighten it out first. lol It's really not lopsided, like that. It'll look lovely with the dress which is black and white, with pink accents. (same colors as the wedding)
I also got a couple tops for my daughter and a top and pajama bottoms for my son and several books to go with our Sea and Space study next year.
Do you have any Weekend Wonders to share? If so, be sure and share them with Molly over at Econobusters.
Feb. 21, 2009 - 1200 Free Digital Prints!
Believe it or not, if you sign up at ArtsCow.com you will receive 1200 free prints. 600 4X6 prints and 600 5X7 prints. I even read the fine print and it stipulates that you can only use 100 4X6 and 5- 5X7 credits per month. OK, I can do that. That will be a HUGE help printing out that backlog of photos I've got on my computer. (I want to give each child an album when they leave home and try to have actual prints of major events and family members at different ages).
I then thought that the "gimmick" must be in the shipping rates, but no, they're right on the site and perfectly reasonable. They looked to be about $5.99 for 100 prints. I can do that!
They also have some good deals on photo books so you might check those out while you're there as well.
So if you have a bunch of pictures you're needing to get printed out, check HERE first!
Feb. 7, 2009 - ~Netflix for Homeschooling~
If you subscribe to Netflix, be sure to check it for videos related to your studies. We've found some real jewels. I was recently considering purchasing some Drive Thru History videos but thought to check Netflix. Believe it or not, they have three of them for rent, including one we needed.
Feb. 5, 2009 - ~Free Audio Book Dowload!~
Get a download of The 7 Secrets of Highly Effective People HERE. (I have no idea how long this is good for)
Feb. 3, 2009 - ~Funny!~
Favorite comment from The Office:
"I need to have Youtube come down and film this!"
I know that probably shouldn't have made me laugh as hard as it did.
Feb. 3, 2009 - ~Works for Me Wednesday: New Music~
A Facebook friend recently let me know about Pandora.com internet radio. I LOVE this site. You simply type in the name of an artist you like and it will start playing songs that are musically similar. THEN, you can click the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on each song it plays to further fine-tune and allow it find your likes.
I started out by entering "Jack Johnson" and have been pleased with almost all the songs that have been pulled. This is a fun and FREE way to hear new music and find songs you might like. (I can't wait to add "Todd Agnew" and "Creedence Clearwater" stations to see what I get for them)
New music works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.
