I was driving some of my boys home from a birthday party the other night and somehow we got to talking about some of the fun activites we used to do at the AWANA group hubby and I ran in our old town years ago.  They remembered movie nights, all-nighters at the church, dress up nights, craft nights, prayer puppies, all the fun stuff.  Since we are not attending AWANA anymore, they commented
"Mom, we need to do more fun things in our TOG co-op" (our history/literature co-op)
"Well, we are going on a field trip to DC to the National Gallery of Art.  They are having a special exhibit on Pompeii that will be amazing and right around the time we will be studying Greece and Rome."
"Greece! (protests)  we've already studied Greece!"
"Yes, but that was early Greece, the Mycenaeans, the Trojans.  Now we will be moving into the golden age of Greece.  We will be learning about:
- the Olympics
- the beginnings of philosophy
- Socrates
- Plato."
"Huh?"
"Well, the ideas of the Greeks still linger in our society today so it's important to study them."
"Ok, but I still don't get what play-doh has to do with it!'
My oldest picked up on what was going on started laughing.  I still didn't get it, I thought I was going to have to go into a detailed explaination of who Plato was.
"Mom, he thinks you are talking about the philosophy of play-doh - as in clay!"
My boys think I have taught some crazy things throughout our homeschool years and rolled their eyes at many of my ideas, but the philosophy of play-doh?
No wonder he was confused!

In celebration of Museum Day, The Smithsonian Magazine has a coupon for 2 free passes to tons of participating museums.  The passes allow you and a guest free general admission on Saturday, September 27th.  Here is the link:  Museum Day Admission Card
Click on find a venue, then click on your state on the map and it pulls up a list of participating museums.  I am glad it is on a Saturday so hubby can go - he and I can get in free and only have to pay admission for our boys. 
Stop by Weblink Wednesday by socalval for more great freebies and links
Enjoy!

WIN a 1 year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Digital Magazine!

I have blogged about my favorite homeschool curriculum, my favorite homeschool resource, and now I would like to share about my favorite homeschool magazine: The Old Schoolhouse magazine.
     I have subscribed to a few other homeschool magazines in our homeschool journey, but The Old Schoolhouse is by far my favorite.  It is diverse, thourough, insightful, encouraging, and professionally produced. 
     They have articles from homeschool moms just like us to well known homschool supporters like Ruth Beechick.  The content is rich and plentiful - everyone is sure to find an abundance of information and resources that are applicable to their own homeschool setting no matter what their teaching style or philosophy.
     Another unique feature about The Old Schoolhouse is that they offer it in a digital version!  At first I was skeptical but after looking through it, I was sold. 
     I have been trying to simplify and declutter anyway and this is a perfect way to do that and still have what I need at my finger tips.  The digital version looks exactly like the printed version of the magazine.  The pages flip on the screen as if I am flipping them in my hand. 
     Here are some features I like about having a digital version:
- You can download it to your computer - you don't need to be online to access it
- The contents are searchable (unlike the hard copy!) so if you are trying to quickly get your hands on that article about college scholarships - no problem
- If a company or website on the page interests you, click on it and their web page pulls right up (I love this feature because I am notorious for jotting down sites I want to visit as I come across them but then I will lose the slips of paper or forget all about it!)
- It is cheaper than the print version ($16.95)
- The settings are easy.  To zoom in on a page you just click on it.  You can also adjust the settings to view a 1 or 2 page spread
- I can't "lose" this version like others that I couldn't find when I needed them!
- You can even email articles to your friends!
     I have been thinking of how to celebrate my 100th blog post and when I found the digital version of The Old Schoolhouse I knew it would be the perfect giveaway!  So, leave a comment below and a winner will be picked randomly in one week on Sept 9th. 

     My favorite curriculum, Tapestry of Grace, has won several Excellence Awards!  These awards were published in the Spring, so I am a little behind the times but I am thrilled that more and more moms are hearing about this wonderful curriculum!
     What I like most about the excellence awards is that the winners are selected by moms just like you and me who actually use and are blessed by these resources.  Votes are tallied by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - click here to vote for your favorites!

Tapestry of Grace won in several categories this year:

BEST UNIT STUDY
     1st place
BEST CLASSICAL RESOURCES
     1st place
BEST OVERALL HOMESCHOOL COMPANY
     2nd place
BEST RESOURCE BOOK
     3rd place
FAVORITE BIBLE CURRICULUM
     3rd place
FAVORITE HISTORY CURRICULUM
     2nd place
FAVORITE GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM
     2nd place
FAVORITE LITERATURE CURRICULUM
     2nd place
FAVORITE WRITING CURRICULUM
     2nd place
They also won 2nd place in the FRIENDLIEST and MOST UNIQUE categories.

Now that is a lot of awards!  I am thrilled to see this little known resource getting this much praise.  I only wish I had found Tapestry of Grace sooner!  If you would like to find out more about this multi-level, multi-subject curriculum for ages K to mom order a free information packet below.  It includes a sample cd.

• Wake up.
  Eat cereal or waffles.
  Sit down and they would do their schoolwork. They would ask questions that I have no idea what the answers are. Then I'd say let's move on to the next subject.
  Lunch would be macaroni and cheese or Cici's Pizza.
  We'd come home and be too full to finish school. So we'd take a nap.
  That's about it.
• Field trip!!
• We would take a sick day and play video games all day.
• Cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I would not answer the phone. We would read books, and watch educational videos all day.

I want to share with you all an awesome resource for homeschool moms - The Homeschool Minute.  It is a weekly newsletter put out by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine folks and every issue is jam packed with great information and encouragement.  The articles that are included are short - which I like - because I tend to skip and email newsletter if it is too long.  They usually have a contest and a homeschool freebies section.  Each newsletter is centered around a theme with articles and links reinforcing the theme.
I have subscribed to a lot of email newsletters, but in my opinion, this is one of the best.  Short and sweet - just the way I like it!

Want more great links?  Visit socalval's weblink wednesday

I have to speak tomorrow at an AARP meeting and I can't believe I am so nervous!   I have spoken in public many times but it was usually pertaining to homeschooling or foster care/adoption.  I wasn't really nervous speaking about those topics because I feel like I "live" them and can speak easily from experience and from the heart - but tomorrow is a little different.
We had a group of AARP folks come to the home where I work for their day of service.  They brought cookies and visited with the elderly who live there.  They liked what they saw and toured our facility and private cottages.  They loved it so much that they wanted someone to come and share with their entire group about our facility.  And my boss thought I would be the perfect person to do it (what is he thinking!!!!!!!)
I feel that our philosophy is truly unique but I am afraid of representing something that is not my own - my own idea - my own business - you know what I mean?
But,
because I thought they never really would contact us again - but they did
and
because my boss was planning on going with me - but at the last minute can't  
I know that the Lord wants me to do it.  So, I am resting in His peace, and counting on His direction.  I am praying that I convey the message He wants me to send about our facility that truly operates to honor Him through honoring the elderly. 
It sure makes me thankful though, for all the public speaking opportunities, speech, and debate classes my boys have had through our local homeschooling community!  No matter what they do in life they will need to be able to speak in public.  My boys aren't great at it, and neither am I, but I know that practice makes better.  So, I'm going to look at tomorrow as more practice.

Kid's bedrooms are another good room for extra learning to take place.  Here are some ways we have incorporated learning into their bedrooms:
- of course, the obvious: hanging posters up!  We have hung posters on topics such as WWII aircraft, planets, animals, etc.
- hang wall mounted magazine holders beside each bed next to the pillows to hold books and magazines that you want them to read.  Ours are often filled with art books, sketch pads, chapter books I want them to read but don't necessarily want to assign, zoo book magazines, or ranger ricks.  We find the boys use these more than their stand alone book shelves.
- create a reading corner: we used dust jackets off of books (you can usually get them at your library if you don't have enough of your own) to decorate the reading area.  We put in a comfortable chair and a magazine rack/table to hold books.
- use the ceiling: this works especially well if you have bunk beds.  I hang pictures and charts that the boys will be able to read as they are laying in bed.
- next to the boys cd/tape player we put a basket with books on audio, cd stories like those of Jim Weiss and Classical Kids stories, and cds of music they wouldn't necessarily just listen to on their own (like learn with Vivaldi)
- create a science corner: we have a small computer desk in one corner and that is where the boys have a microscope (just a cheap kids one that they can't harm!), magnifying glass, prism and other tools they can just experiment with safely
These are just a few of the things that we have done to try to make their rooms a place to think and not just play. Please post a comment to share your bedroom learning ideas, I want to hear what you all are doing as well!
Part 1 - Schooling in every room of the house - the BATHROOM

I wanted to share more on the subject of strewing and thought my older posts "Schooling in every room of the house" would fit in well with this topic.  Here is the first post in the series:
Schooling in every room of the house Part 1: the BATHROOM!
As homeschoolers we are famous for using every nook and cranny in our homes to our advantage in schooling our kids.  I love to learn in unexpected or overlooked places.  I am going to start this series of blog entries with ideas for learning in the most overlooked room in the house:  the bathroom
I think the bathroom is one of the BEST places to sneak in learning! It is a room that my boys seem to spend lots of time in - especially when I tell them it is time to clean their room (you all know what I mean!).
Here are some of the ways I squeeze learning into the bathrooms:
1.)  I put a small basket on the floor and a file organizer on the back of the toilet and stuff them with books that my boys don't realize are "educational" (like When is a Pig a Hog?, 5 Minute Mysteries, Big Book of Questions and Answers, More Than Meets the Eye, Brain Surgery for Beginners, Art Fraud Detective, the Murderous Maths  books, Kids Discover magazines, etc.)  Mostly things that they normally would not just pick up to read.  I can't tell you how many times they have come to me after a visit to that room and say "Hey, guess what, listen to this!".  I try to put books in there in the subject areas that I feel we need to spend extra time on such as science, logic, art, or language.
I switch the books out every once in a while and sneak in ones that pertain to what we are learning. 
Here is a picture of one of the file organizers in my bathroom:

2.)  I also use the walls on the bathroom to hang posters, charts, and things I want them to memorize.  Here are some examples:
- When we were studying Shakespeare I plastered the bathroom (yes, the one our guests use) with Shakespeare quotes.  They were sayings that we use every day and never realize we are quoting Shakespeare such as "Eaten out of house and home" - my life story!
- When we are studying an artist I tape their work up on the bathroom wall to be admired while "lounging".  Sometimes I use those cheap Dover $1.00 art postcard packs - while studying Picasso I taped his famous painting post cards up on the bathroom wall in chronological order.
- I have a chart of the books of the bible hanging in there for us to work on memorizing.
- I hang pictures of the solar system, skeletons, the alphabet in sign language - anything!  The possibilities are endless.
So, when you get time, go look in your bathroom and see it with fresh eyes.  You can learn a lot in there!

     I have always been a fan of strewing.  I’m not sure where I ever learned about it.  Honestly, I'm sure many, many homes, including ours, used the art of strewing long before it was ever considered an “educational method” or a “system”.  But simply put strewing is strategically placing books and other items in places where unsuspecting children will find them in hopes that they will pick them up and read or use them.
     One of the things that I like to strew in my home is newspaper articles.  My boys would rather eat the newspaper than read it as an assignment.  Yes, I could “make” them read it each week - and as soon as they have graduated they will probably be thankful that they never have to read the paper again.  That’s how boring they think the paper is! 
     I certainly want them to know how to navigate their way around a newspaper but more importantly, I want them to understand that reading the newspaper can be a very enjoyable experience!  So, when I notice an article that I think might be interesting to them, I leave it where I know it will be found in hopes they will actually read it.  I am hoping that if this happens enough times during their school years, that when they are older and on their own they might actually WANT to read the paper every once in a while because their memories of reading it as a child were not forced or assigned, but discovered and enjoyed.
Here is a example of how I help them “discover” the newspaper in our home:
     The Washington Post Magazine recently had a whole issue on education.  It had some interesting articles that I wanted the older boys to read and I knew one of them in particular would catch their eye.  It was an article about students at a particular college who hold a humans vs. zombies nerf fight on campus every year.  The contests can last for days or even weeks – all while classes are being held and studying is being done (hmmm, not sure about that one!). But in light of recent school shootings (including in our state at Virginia Tech) not everyone is thrilled with the game being held on campus.  Some think that guys with guns (even play ones that are bright yellow, blue, and orange) walking around shooting each other is just not a good idea.
     I thought this would lead to a good discussion so one night I left the magazine open on the kitchen table.  Sure enough, Ryan began reading it while eating his breakfast the next morning.  He began to tell Joseph about it and Joseph bugged and bugged Ryan for the magazine so he could read it too.  I didn’t want to “push” a conversation on them and make my planting and strewing tactics obvious, so I just let them enjoy reading it and discuss it amongst themselves to see what would come of it.  Later that afternoon, Ryan came to me asking if I had read the article.  After he talked about how fun this game (and this college) sounded and relaying the exciting details of the story he asked me what I thought about the controversy.  Joseph of course heard us talking about this and joined the conversation too.  It turned into a great discussion about guns, freedoms, responsibility to others, all kinds of things.  Many opinions flew and that was exactly my goal.  I listened to their opinions and then shared my thoughts.  It gave me an opportunity to see what direction their thinking was going on this topic and why.
     Joseph has been carrying this magazine around sharing it with all his friends – mostly because they think it is such a cool idea.  For me, as a parent, it opened a door to a discussion that might not have been as enjoyable if it was just an “assigned” topic to study. 
     So, every Sunday I scour the paper looking for interesting articles to strew.  I have two articles waiting in the wings to strew as soon as I finish reading them myself.  They are: “Truth: Can you handle it?, Better yet: Do you know it when you see it?” (an article on the fact that there is a lot of information at our fingertips but it might not all be accurate) and “Somebody’s got to do the job.  But just what is it?” (an article on what the President of the United States actually does all day).
     Newspaper articles are perfect for strewing.  Don’t be afraid to strew articles written for adults (as long as they don’t have objectionable content of course).  My initial reaction is always: they won’t understand this or that wouldn’t be interesting to them – but both of those are wrong.  We don’t need to dumb it down.  Our older children are more than capable of discussing these current events and ideas.  Usually, they even find them very interesting. 
     My boys don’t always start a discussion on the articles they have read.  But, If I KNOW they have already read it I may try to start a conversation myself by picking up the article and saying something out loud like “huh, this sounds interesting”.  They almost always respond.  
Here are some newspaper strewing tips I have learned along the way:
- Make sure the article you want them to read is on the front page or open and fold the paper so that the article is on the front.
- Leave them where your kids read most: kitchen table, bathroom magazine rack, living room coffee table, etc. (my boys like to read while eating breakfast and lunch so I leave a lot of articles out on the table)
- Pre-read it yourself so you will be ready for a discussion when and if your kids are.
I strew other things in lots of other places and ways but I think this is long enough.  Maybe I will add more in another post.

I have had several friends ask me about the curriculum I use - Tapestry of Grace - lately.  It is that time of year when we are all re-evaluating our homeschools and looking ahead to next year so I thought I would share the reasons why I chose this curriculum and why it works for my family.
First of all, let me start with a brief description of Tapestry (TOG):

Tapestry of Grace (TOG) is a unit study curriculum that covers most of the major subject areas for students in grades K through 12. Some features that make it especially appealing are Christian worldview studies incorporated throughout the curriculum, a chronological approach to history as the basic organizing theme, and a classical education approach based on the grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric stages of learning.  Subject areas covered include history, English (writing and literature), fine arts, some science, geography, church history including missions (more extensively covered than I recall seeing in most other curricula), Bible, and history of fine arts and sciences (reflecting a classical approach). You will need to use other resources for phonics, English grammar, math, foreign languages, and high school lab sciences. (From Cathy Duffy's 100 top picks)

We have homeschooled from the beginning and our boys are now 8, 12, 13, & 17.   I have used just about every curriculum under the sun in my quest for the one that works for our family.  NO curriculum will be right for everyone but if you have several children in wide age ranges then Tapestry might be beneficial to your family.  I will mention a few curriculums in this post - not to say they are not good curriculums - but they just did not work for our family and I will share with you why.

When I began homeschooling, I set up "school" in my home - after all, it is "HOME SCHOOLING" right!  We said our pledge to the flag, had little desks, the whole nine yards.  Complete with our Abeka textbooks/workbooks.  One for each subject.  This went on for a while but I ended up realizing that this was pretty boring!  I was becoming a slave to these workbooks and while my boys were doing the work, they just were not enjoying it.  I did not want them to end up hating school!  I felt like I was just duplicating a classroom at home.  I wanted them to learn how to learn - and not just finish workbooks. 
So, I tried a literature based curriculum - Sonlight - because of the rich literature and read alouds that we could do as a family. Sonlight was like a breath of fresh air!  We had so much fun with the great books that we read aloud or independently - we learned so much and really enjoyed it.  But, having 4 different children it became quite expensive and a lot of work for me.  One child would be studying ancient China while another would be studying the American Revolution at the same time!  Sorry to be blunt but that was just stupid - what was I thinking! 
So then I tried unit studies - KONOS - at least we would all be studying the same things right?  That was true but it ended up being a LOT of work for me as far as research.  Also, the jumping around in history drove me nuts.  It just didn't make sense to me.  Another down side was that the majority of the history was US history or major ancient history themes (egypt, knights, etc.)  A lot of connections were lost in this method.
A lot of other curriculums were tried in between the examples above and all have their pros and cons, but I am so thankful that the Lord led me to Tapestry.  It has everything I was looking for:  a curriculum that studies history chronologically, is from a christian worldview, has the family studying together, and uses living books and classics.  It even has lots of extra activities we can add in if we want to - such as ideas for projects, vocabulary, church history, timeline, and so much more.  And all the information and ideas I need to teach each week are all in one easy to use format.

I find that my boys learn so much more with this method of 
- interesting books
- chronological history, and
- family learning
so much better than dry text books!  When the whole family is learning together, my boys have that added support and motivation which is much more conducive to learning than just duplicating a typical class room - with typical school books.
Tapestry does have it's cons - it's size alone can seem overwhelming.  The author of Tapestry Marcia Sommerville (wife of HSLDA lawyer Scott Sommerville and mother of 6) explains that Tapestry is like a buffet where you pick and choose what you will use each week - just like a food buffet - you don't try everything!  Also, there is what they call the 4 week fog.  It really takes a while to get the hang of how this curriculum is best used.  I recommend that you get the free sample weeks that Tapestry offers.  Here are the links:
Go To Egypt  
Sail To The New World
I would also recommend that you get the free Explore Tapestry Packet.  It has more information in addition to a sample CD.  You can get it here:  Explore Tapestry Packet
Take your time and slowly look through the material.  Then spend time asking questions of current Tapestry users, and peruse the Tapestry forums.  I found that most Tapestry users are happy to talk about this curriculum, to share ideas and resources and answer any questions you may have.  I am not trying to say Tapestry is "the" best curriculum for everyone, or fits for everyone's homeschool, but for us, with Tapestry of Grace, I really feel like we are finally learning together - not just doing school!

I have heard this question in my home on more than a few occasions.  In my Grammar with guys post I shared my struggles with trying to convey why learning grammar is important.  But I want to share with you an inspiring story I found that might be helpful in this area.  I work part time at a home for the elderly and one of the activities we like to do is read aloud.  Right now, we are reading "In My Father's House" by Corrie Ten Boom.  When I read this portion of chapter 6, I could not help but think of my children's question "when are we ever going to use this?" . . .

Bible Study Was a Game
     With the dishes cleared off and kitchen duties accomplished, the oval table could be turned into a place for games.  We didn't play cards (for that was considered a form of gambling), but we had a lasting enjoyment in the type of games which taught us something.
     Different languages were introduced as a game, not as a forced study.  When I was in the fourth grade, we began to learn French.  As I remember, I loved the melodious sounds of this beautiful language, but it was and remained a difficult language for me.  The next year I started English, which was easier but I wondered as I struggled with all the different English meanings for words if I would ever go to England or America and have an opportunity to use the language.
     Father wanted me to learn English well, and he gave me a little Sunday-school booklet in English which was called "There's No Place Like Home."  I read it over and over again.
     The greatest fun in language-learning came during our Bible study.  The entire family would take part, each one of us having a Bible in a different language.  Willem usually had the original in Hebrew and Greek; I would have the English; Mother the Dutch; Nollie the French; and Betsie or Father, German.  It was a special and joyous time for us.
     Father would begin by asking what John 3:16 was in English.  I would answer from my English Bible, Mother from her Dutch Bible, and Betsie would reply in German (and so on).
     When I was so young, it didn't seem possible that Betsie would ever have a chance to use a Bible verse in German.  We didn't know Germans then!  However, God uses such seemingly insignificant ways to prepare us for the plan He has for our lives.

These girls could have never known the events that would take place some 40 years later.  Before being taken away to their concentration camp, one of Corrie's relatives managed to smuggle a small Dutch Bible to her.  In the evenings in their barrack room, Corrie and Betsie would read that little Dutch Bible.  The women who shared the barracks with them were from many countries including Poland, France, Germany, and Russia.  Corrie and Betsie translated their Dutch Bible into German.  Then someone else translated the German into Polish, and so on.  Just like her family used to do around their dinner table all those years ago. 
Reading in a different language was difficult and frustrating for the girls when they were young.  But sitting in that barrack, under those terrible conditions, sharing the message of God's love that brought all of them comfort, I am sure Corrie and Betsie were so thankful that God had stirred their father to make them learn to read their Bible in German.  He obviously made learning fun, and somehing the whole family did together.
I am so thankful that I found this story.  There are many day to day tasks that we do that seem meaningless.  But God in his sovereignty will lead us to stick with those things that will later help us fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives.  And yes, that probably even includes those sometimes unpleasant tasks like learning a language and grammar!