We recently had the pleasure of reading a creatively cute book titled The Little Man In The Map. Our whole family found it to be a delightful read and the children, especially the youngest, are voluntarily choosing to re-read it during free time. This award winning book could be used by ANY age to learn the geographic position and names of the states in the US in just a few easy reads. The illustrations are breathtaking for me as an adult, and definitely captivating for the kids! Obviously child friendly, I will state for my more conservative readers that it does make mention of imagination as magic and there is an elf. The clues the author provides for remembering the states work with ANY map. The price is reasonable at $19.95 and I highly recommend this book to any home that wants their children to learn the states the easy way, homeschoolers or not ;) There is an optional wall map for the same price if your child is younger or has special needs and might need to see the map frequently. You can find everything, including some free coloring pages and a link to the author’s blog at http://www.schoolsidepress.com/ . Have fun!

Ever so sorry for the absence. We were moving cross country and we did not have internet access for longer then we anticipated. I didn't even realize I was nominated for the blog awards until it was over :(  - so sad when you don't even vote for yourself! On the positive side though, we are into our new house and almost settled. The kids and I have been playing with loads of new curriculum and we have tons to share with you.

Just in case you don't know about the HSB Front Porch, I thought I'd drop a quick note in here today to let you all know that you can link over and enter to win The Quest for Thunder Mountain. This is the first book in the Tales from Terrestria series and sure to be a great read.


If you don't want to wait, click on the purple TOS store button over here --> and you can find it at the store

I don't want our blog here to start sounding like a billboard for The Old Schoolhouse, and I PROMISE, we'll be getting you some fine info and special deals on other products in the next few months. However; TOS keeps putting out these great products and deals and I don't want you guys to miss out on. Do you remember that yearly planner I told you about a few months ago? Well, they have monthly themed modules  you can purchase to go along with it. You can get all of them, or just some. You aren't *in the dark* on a module if you haven't purchased any of the previous ones. Each one stands by itself. It works basically like a theme unit that seamlessly integrates with your planner - OR, don't tell them I said this, I found out you can use it all by itself. Our family started using the November module and I was shocked. This month’s planner module isn’t just amusing, it’s amazing. My son is loving the puzzles section and my typically math resistant daughter is begging me to do the *fun* math please Mom. They have sheets to color and fill in for a variety of fun projects, links to do them interactively online, jokes, challenges, answers just in case we moms don’t want to straggle our pour time cramped mom brains for them, and even some of those famous Old Schoolhouse recipes we can make to finish out a few well spent days. Really, mine will be on this for weeks at least, but it’s all a matter of choice. Just like everything in homeschooling. Plus, there's a little something for all ages in here. You can get the Amusing Math November module by clicking the banner above and visiting the planner website. The monthly module will always be found at the bottom Free shipping is always included. Have fun, we did!

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When I first started dating my dh, one of the gifts I wanted to give him was a proper tea. There are different styles of tea depending on where you live or family originates from, or the tradition or atmosphere you are trying to set and honor. No matter which type of tea you endeavor to make though, a woman or girl should learn to do this as an honor, not as a chore. The gift of tea time has been given to us to celebrate many things. While there are many steps in learning a proper tea, I have chosen to introduce our readers to what our children are learning. The first step - Preparing the "Perfect Pot of Tea". As with many things, my children find natural earplugs when I am teaching them certain things, so I turned to my friend Cindy, who just so happens to be doing a series on tea time right now. Here is an article she sent me, along with information on her upcoming Memory Makers seminar. I hope you enjoy this as much as our family has.


Cindy Rushton's Perfect Pot of Tea…                                                  

And other Memory Makers for the Season

Have no idea how on earth to begin? Don’t even know how to prepare a pot of tea? There are a few tips that make a very real difference in whether a cup of tea is just OK or really great! Let me help step-by-step…

Warm your Teapot. I always rinse mine out anyway. Use warm water, let sit with the lid on while you prepare the tea. (“Tempers” the pot so it keeps the tea warmer AND protects the teapot from extreme temperature changes.)

Prepare water. Rinse out your teakettle. Fill it with cool, fresh tap water. Bring to a boil.

Prepare your Teapot. As water reaches boiling, empty out teapot. Add tea leaves; 1 teaspoonful per cup of tea being prepared and 1 extra teaspoonful for the pot. If using tea bags, use one bag less than the number of cups you will be making. For example, if your teapot holds 5 cups of water, use 4 tea bags OR 6 teaspoons of loose tea.

As water reaches boiling, pour water into teapot immediately. Do not let the water “over-boil” or it will go flat.

Let steep…put lid on teapot and cover with a tea cozy for 3-6 minutes, dependent upon how strong you like your tea. Small tea leaves take less time to steep than larger tea leaves. Stir once while steeping.

Strain off leaves (or remove tea bags) and serve.

Don’t forget! Tea BEGS for relationship. Include a loved one in your teatime!


About Cindy Rushton... 

Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Let's Make a Memory, her annual holiday fling for mothers around the world. She is recording Preview Chats for the Let's Make a Memory RIGHT NOW! Join her wonderful guests FREE for the next weeks as they count down to the Let's Make a Memory Virtual Seminar (November 7-8--BUT! NEVER ENDING because it is an ONLINE seminar!). Get your ticket NOW and begin to dig into her FREE gifts now! Check out all of the details here.

Those cute little tote bags went faster then my kids on candy. TOS didn't want to leave it's new subscribers go here out in the cold this fall season though, so they decided to GIVE AWAY their new Homespun Holidays e-book to everyone that orders by the end of the month. This is a great deal when you add in all the other free gifts they were already giving, and the monthly Teachers Toolbox, my personal favorite. Of course, when I heard about this deal I wanted to let you all know about it as soon as possible. TOS has more information here:

Did you ever dream of getting a horse for Christmas? You can get a sneak peek of our Fall issue and see Nancy Carter's first horse! Oh, and she's not the only one sharing her childhood pictures. You'll see photos from the 50's through the 80's.

But, you'll need the Fall issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine to go on this walk down memory lane.

Plus, do you like to create holiday memories? The brand new TOS holiday E-Book can be yours, too. It's all about the fall and winter holidays - mainly Thanksgiving and Christmas. But it's not even for sale yet. This is your chance to get it first  - for FREE ($12.45 value)!

Normally when a person subscribes, their subscription starts with the upcoming issue which can take a while. But, TOS thought about that when they planned their  Fall Special.

If you subscribe now with their Fall Special, you'll get

Almost 50% off the cover price for 2 years The current Fall issue as soon as it is ready

6 Bonus gifts

12 months of Teacher's Toolbox, which contains a FREE E-Book every month PLUS, the new E-Book, Homespun Holidays for FREE!

This is over $250 worth of product for only $39!!

I heard tell there are tasty treats shared in the e-book. Just click on the banner above and you can get all these great goodies headed your way right in time for a special Homespun Holiday!

I think it's about 8 groups now this subject has come up on, so I figured, what the heck, I'd better go ahead and get this blogged. How does your family teach nutrition and good exercise habits? Important medical information? Do the kids track any of their own information? At what age do we start helping them be responsible for how their treating their bodies? DS is a Boy Scout, STAR rank. He is working very diligently on his Personal Fitness merit badge. He read the book, contacted the merit badge counselor, kept his log of activities for 90 days; he even started following his weekly meals at Nutrition Data
to make sure he was getting all the appropriate nutrients. He worked with me on the weekly meal plans and helped with the shopping. He finished writing up his experience as Scouts do for all their merit badges and then contacted the merit badge counselor for the final meeting. Before that meeting happened - disaster! For a kid that;s 13 and doesn't like to write that is. He cant find the daily log of exercise now. 90 days and this is mandatory for the badge . After turning the place upside down, inside out and every other way - and I do mean it took him days to clean my house back up, he resigned to the fact that he was going to start over. He asked me if I could help him set up a program to put this info in on the computer so this wouldn't happen again. Surely someone has already thought of this. People do this on diet sites all the time. There must be a freeware program for dieters somewhere or something. So began the search...

I didn't think a search could turn up so many nutrition, diet and exercise sites, but Jimminy there were hundreds. I narrowed them down with him and we finally got to just a few. One was the site he originally used for his nutrition tracking. It was great and free (still use it for nutritional info sometimes as Wellness 360 is just starting their database), but if he was going to be serious about this and continue the habit after the merit badge was completed as he indicated to me, there was one site we found that was even better Wellness 360. Before I tell you about their services, let me start with an explanation that anything you choose to do at their site is held in THE UTMOST of confidence and privacy as they are first and foremost a medical site. That means they are bound by HIIPA laws protecting the privacy of patients and clients. Now, they offer a multitude of services, each is opt-in and customizable by YOU. You can track your weight, food intake, and or exercise like a diet site. You can input just a little bit of personal information and activate an emergency medical ID card. I happen to find the card an immensly useful feature. I have two health conditions and cant wear those little ID bracelets. Now I just have this ID card, with it's safety feature to protect me so only medical professionals can access the information, and I can know if something happens to me they will know. You can read up on medical studies or the latest treatment advice for health conditions. There is so much more ! I think my fingers would fall off if I typed everything you can do here.

Now for the best part! Everything you do on this website earns you points. Put in what you had for dinner - points! Read an article on asthma - points! Print out an exercise plan for the next week - points! You decide what to do at the site and you earn points. Every quarter you have the option of converting those points into MONEY. Yes, cash for those points you earned for doing what a conscientious person would be doing anyway!

I told my son that to help him cement the good habit of continuing tracking his own food intake, exercise, weight and (under certain conditions -medical information), I would allow him to keep any of the money he earned from this process. He is overjoyed at this prospect! So far his progress has been excellent. He is really learning a great deal from this, and hopefully, will be earning a little bit too.

One last thing you can earn points/money for: referrals. I was hesitant to include this at first, but; not only do I want to help my son get started off right, but I honestly believe many of you will come to use this site as a regular part of your lives and refer your own friends (and therefore would want to know about this bonus $ opportunity). If you are at all interested in Wellness 360 ds would be ever so thankful if you would use his sponsor code: ahm825602 .

Mine is: ahm825093

I hope we have given you enough information to help you see how this site might benefit you, the teens in the family, and your family as a whole. Especially when we or our loves ones have special needs or medical concerns, I feel a site like Wellness 360 can help us bring it all together, teach and protect our family.

You know I'm always a fan of the Old Schoolhouse magazine, with their great layouts, inclusion articles and wonderful resources. This fall they have a subscription special with . Not only are they going to give you a spectacular discount, but they have the cutest little "Homeschooling with a Heart" tote full of goodies you're sure to love. That doesn't even include the Teachers Toolbox - a monthly themed resource that is always chock full of *extras* I have found extremely useful. Not only that, but the Teacher Toolbox lets you download a related unit study each time. I personally found that using only a few of these has already paid my subscription back twice over. See what an Old Schoolhouse Magazine subscription can do for you.

Here's what TOS has to say...
I wanted to tell you all about The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Fall
Special. You can get two years of the magazine, 6 fabulous physical
gifts (no downloads!) worth over $120, plus the current issue of The
Old Schoolhouse Magazine that is full of ideas for the new school
year, so you start receiving your magazine in a flash!

It really is one of their best deals ever and you don't want to miss
out. In fact, they've got a really cute Homeschooling with Heart tote
bag (valued at $13.95) for the first 1000 to subscribe. About half of
them are gone, but you should still be able to get one if you hurry!
(They will remove the info from the subscription page when the bags
are all gone.) The total value is over $212, but you receive it all
for only $39 - 50% off of cover price! Plus subscribers get their
online monthly Teacher's Toolbox which focuses on a different topic
each month, giving you words of encouragement, hands-on teaching
ideas, book recommendations, field trip ideas, and a bonus download
item.

As always, you can rely on me to find you THE best deal in town. Click here for the fall promo now
http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/US_Promotion.php.

Or, if you are still unfamiliar with TOS, you can check out the digital version here before you buy
http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=145&products_id=2515

I just reordered myself, so I am walking the walk here

As part of their new science curriculum, eFantasmic has its new Biodiversity unit free for all right now. I am not sure how long this is going to last, so I want all my online friends to get there now so they can download all the components. This is a good unit for all grades. For early grades stick to the easier living vs nonliving, for upper grades, have them do all components and then go into further detail. You can find this resource here http://www.efantasmicms.com/members/efantasmic/adminpages/UNIT01

Have fun!

My internet mentor Cindy Rushton recently organized an online seminar with Leslie Valeska on a topic reaching all of our pockets these days - Debt! This was an amazing weekend with real, down to earth steps we each can take to get ourselves out of debt, and STAY THAT WAY FOR LIFE! This topic is a passion for these ladies and we really did get concrete methods for people at every income level. While the live seminar is over, Cindy knows that many people still need to hear these words and grab the seminar goodie bag for themselves. She has organized everything into a website where you can go and download everything we did - just as if you were there. All the seminar audio's right to your computer, all the notes we received during each session, she's even throwing in the free e-books we got for attending. Now that's generous! If you have been looking for an honest plan to get yourself out of debt, a cheering section that reminds you to stay on track and to keep your eyes on Gods plan for your family, then this is where to start. Cindy's Simple Journey to Debt Free Living
and if you're really in bad sorts, Simple Journey to Debt Free Living - bring a friend and you each save money, but both get ALL the benefits

Best of luck on your debt free journey :)

    Thanks to my growing supporters here, our hard work paid off and we made the cut to be in the TOS Homeschool Crew. This means that in the coming months I will be bringing you our family's opinion on even more great products. Save my page, because you know that I will give you the very best info on every item I get my hands on. I've promised TOS & their partners diligence and lots of time with the kids banging things around

HS Crew buddies- let me know when you find me     Add me

PS- Don't be surprised if I change things up in here. This blog was just getting started...

I have had numerous requests to share my favorites list lately, or at least some of my freebie sites. I would not have room or inclination to list them all in just one post. These are either the most used sites by our family or understood to be the most popular ones that people forget to check. Keep your list handy and check it daily/weekly/monthly as needed to get the most for your family.

 ANYTIME

**http://www.internet4classrooms.com/k12links.htm This site doesn;t do free downloads or giveaways, but it is a teacher resource site that allows you to find just about anything you need at any grade K-12 and any ability level. You can find lesson plans and that sort of thing if you’re into that. I use the site to find websites that have material (instruction, tutorials, interactive labs, games, etc) on a given subject. You can find material on a given subject within specific grade parameters if you want also (Ancient Egypt grade 2). If I am unsure we have covered everything for the year, I can click on the subject and the grade and just go down the list on the left-hand side of the page to double-check. For record-keeping I usually just print the completed pages or certificates the kids get at the end. I believe these are TN standards. If your state doesn’t require specific standards, this is a good check “just to be sure” as most moms get that spring panic, but you should never feel pressured by a standard.

http://www.archive.org/index.php Almost anything in the public domain can be found at internet archive. Books, pictures, videos, audios, movies, anything that’s been on the internet ever.

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page Public domain books reprinted in digital form.

 http://librivox.org/ Free audio versions of books in the public domain. Good for popping into the player for littles to listen to, or even for full family study.

http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/ Florida Educational techonology clearinghouse

http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/ She has a few free unit studies on her website you can access whenever you need – left side page 2/3 down.

http://www.efantasmicms.com/members/efantasmic If you are a member of e-Fantasmic, then you want to be sure to check in here every once in a while and see what they have. My children are not worksheet lovers by nature, but this works for when I need something in the file or periodic book reviews. They are getting some new stuff up. We’ll see if they have varied their format any.

http://www.wowio.com/index.asp WOWIO has digital format books in both public domain and recent publisher agreed variety. They are no loner free to download, but remain a useful source for research and reading material if you don’t need it physically in your hands.

 Daily

http://homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/ Every *school* day Jim Erskine pops a different homeschool related freebie up onto this website. They have been all over the map so far. There have been kinder things all the way through teen/college adult things. Old style stitching to financing college to science and bridge building. There will definitely be something here for everyone in turn.

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/                    http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/

These sites provides us with a new software programs and new game software programs of varying reliability and usefulness each day. There have been real winners and real foul eggs – I highly recommend checking the download page to see if anyone is having difficulties before downloading the days software. That said; Our house has found some real gems here Mom & Dad would NOT have paid for based on the descriptions.

 Weekly – Usually on Monday because that’s the day Currclick turns

http://www.currclick.com/ Every week currclick offers a different product free for download in whole. Changes each Monday. Sometimes there are extra small freebies on the site if you look and there are usually specials for just $1-2 as well.

http://www.ecobrain.com/ Works like Currclick with downloadable merchandise only, but is strictly for things that relate to the envireonment somehow. I check weekly but so far they are changing freebies less frequently (will get better as they get bigger I think).

http://www.quamut.com/ These are downloadable *charts* (like barcharts – summaries) of assorted topics. You can search in the database to find one if you really NEED it & pay. They give a free one each week (used to be daily – might change back –who knows)

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/ Cliffs doesn’t really seems to restrict what you get right now, but they are relegated more to just the scholastic sector. I wanted you to remember to check them periodically though, so by Quamut they are J

http://www.schoolexpress.com/ You need to sign-up for the newsletter. They send you a link and you will get a free unit each week (topic changes bi-weekly) alternating thematic and activity units.

http://www.teachinglearning.com/free-teaching-ideas.php TLC updates their site each week with new portions of free curriculum for K-8. If you come each week faithfully you will have the entire products and special curriculum items.

http://talk-a-latte.com/category/sweet-goodies-for-you/ While Cindy Rushton does MUCH more then simply provide free goodies, if you are on the hunt, I really must direct you to her desktop to see what she has there this week J. While you’re there, take a look around and see if anything inspires or refreshes you. Cindy & her friends have a way of doing that!

 Monthly – Midmonth as that’s when Hands of a Child changes theirs

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/toolbox/ This is a subscriber only benefit for The Old Schoolhouse magazine. In months we don’t receive a magazine there is newsletter with loads of useful teaching material and information (mimi-magazine) and we get to come here and download a free product.

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=145&zenid=4314fc68512f6513d7ec1cda1fb382b9 The Old Schoolhouse Store gives away a free product also, and the current one can be conveniently found here under “free”

http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/ If you are a HOAC SUPER member (and I highly recommend the lifetime purchase even for penny watching families) then you definitely want to come here each month and get your free download. EVERYONE gets to share in the fun and get a free download once per quarter – go now, they just changed it. HOAC has excellent customer service and they have online coops to extend these Lapbook studies even further. It’s an all grades affair and you can find out more or join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HOAC-Co-Op-News/

http://www.fortunatelyforyoubooks.com/ Starting in October they will have a free product download each month.

http://christianaudio.com/free_download.php Christian audio gives a free download of one book per month. Pop in and see what they have going on. It’s always nice to have something grown-up to throw in the player to feed your mind J

http://www.thehomeschoolshop.com/sh-freedownload.htm The level of product you get will vary (as do most of these) from K-12 products on their site. All very usable versions.

http://www.baggetta.com/ Bagetta developes software for teachers. As he does so, he places the new software on the website for free for us to try out and let him know what we think.

Registering to vote has never been more simple. Just link across below and you're on your way! Don't forget, if you've had any changes; name, address, etc you need to re-register with your new information. This years vote is historic, and especially important in states with controversial ballot measures. If you want a voice, you want  the vote!

http://www.rockthevote.com/rtv_register.html?ms=rtv.com-homebutton

We are a semi-plan and relax type household; as in, put the appointments in Outlook so it reminds me because otherwise we’ll be catching lizards or something kind of family. That being said, I wasn’t sure exactly what The Schoolhouse Planner was going to have to offer us. Everyone kept telling me it had forms from here to eternity, but who likes forms? I live in California and we like only one of those a year and its online. So color me blue! I got this thing in my hot little hands (or should I say hard drive?) and everyone found something they wanted “right away please Mom”. This baby is interactive all the way! That is the first ticket to my family’s heart. My son decided his coop groups and Scouts could use the monthly calendars and vacation planning sheets for their various activities. He noticed that along with the monthly themes came these great lists and tables of information every student should know. Several of these are now lining my walls to help in memorization at his request. The periodic table list is the most up to date one we have and we just received one with our science curriculum this year. My daughter noticed recipes throughout and she is looking forward to being my special helper in the kitchen on the days we try those recipes. They look delicious to be sure! Even Dad noticed the Kitchen conversions chart and asked me to print it because we are always trying to figure out which pan can replace which size pan when baking and etc. More goodies are packed in there each month depending on the particular special theme. If you are new to homeschooling, or need a break from your usual routine, you could easily follow the themes through the year for your curriculum. 

 

Then come the forms! Forms for everything. They have forms for planning the day, the week, the year, their entire school life if you want. Since The Old Schoolhouse knows no two homeschoolers are alike, for every form, there are usually two or three different variations so you can find the one that suits you. For those of you in reporting states, TOS has you covered. There are forms for everything you need, and every way you need it. They even have an unschooling form. I had to look at it twice! Really; take what you have done each week and plug it into the school related fields. They make it easy for you to figure out what might go where. They don’t stop at school either. They know we’re doing this from home. They know we need to shop, plan meals, do it on a budget, assign chores, make “to do” lists and who knows what all. There are several forms our house is going to be putting to great use after all! We especially like one of their shopping lists where you put the item needed in the department of the store it’s likely to be found in (great if you end up needing to send the hubby). Also up there was my son’s choice of the weekly menu planning sheet where you put the menu items on the day/meal side and the ingredients needed on a shopping list side. He is just starting on meal planning and cooking so he thinks this will help immensely. Obviously your family will find different picks most valuable, but I am positive you will find a use for The Schoolhouse Planner in your home.

 

To get a free sneak peek of The Schoolhouse Planner go here

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=145&products_id=2629

A few months back I did a mini review of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s new digital format. I really liked it then, and I said so. Since then our family has had the chance to really use it. It’s not like every line is to be memorized or anything, but absolutely every quarter there is SOMETHING for everyone in the family. While I am reading an inspiring article to keep me refreshed and ready, my daughter is reading the article they have on bugs! The guys like the articles on energy and discuss which method they feel is best and why. There are others, trust me! The new digital format means we all get everything day one. We can read it by accessing it online or by downloading it to our computer. Either way, the format makes everything easy to find if a subject comes up and I want to come back and reference an article later. This has been immensely helpful integrating some of their pieces into a few of our unit studies. I still only print what I need. I really like The Old Schoolhouse magazine for their quality articles and uplifting spirit. I feel this digital format really hits the mark though, as the magazine comes of age in our electronic, instant information world.

 

I like this product so much I wanted everyone to know you can get a free digital review copy here http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=145&products_id=2515

 

Also, I will be giving away a full 1 year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine –Digital edition on August 20^th.

Please leave a comment to this blog here that includes your contact information (preferably your email because that’s how they contact you – can have spaces to avoid bots and I will know to take them out). On the 20^th my daughter will draw a number from however many comments have been left and that person will win the subscription. Good luck to all!

Well; I've sent in an email letting the Old Schoolhouse magazine folks know how and why our family is well suited to their new viral marketing campaign, but 100 families out of a ton of people that want it might not be very good odds. This blog was originally intended to be our own resource. A place our family could document things we ran across that worked for us, or that we had heard about and thought would be great projects and really wanted to get into. After hearing about this latest project idea from TOS though, it sounds like we could do a great service to everyone. We are already reviewing products here, so why not put forth some effort getting to know TOS partner products and let you all know about them. Did they enhance our educational experience? Did the kids like them? Did it make teaching easier? Would I pay what they want for this product from my hard earned pennies? I think TOS has a great idea going here and we REALLY want to be in on it! If we get in, I'll let you know and start posting my thoughts here for you all to see.

Until then - Stay cool and stay safe - it's hot outside!                             

We've had a couple years to get the hang of things now, and we are getting ready to embark on the next part of the Homeschooling journey - ORGANIZATION. Basically, now it's time for me to start helping the eldest decide which things he needs to accomplish between now (8th grade) and *Graduation* in order to prepare for the type of college/University experience he wants. What courses does he need to take? Which will he likely accelerate through? Can we take our hands on living/learning approach and turn that into a credit/course situation for a transcript that a college will recognize? Which of his evergrowing extra-curricular activities is the most important to him? Why? How will this affect him later? Is this just for fun? How do we get all this done and still let siblings have their fair share? Just how much of this should fall to me and where should the child be taking it up? How much can *I* really do (there is only so much time in a week/month)? How do we put all these plans into action and HOW DO WE KEEP TRACK OF IT ALL? All the great questions most people getting ready to homeschool during the high school stage have asked before. I have attended my first online conference and am taking what I can from that experience. I have looked over some great products that promise to help me out with different parts of this, and will let you all know later which ones did the most for us.

                                 $$ YOUR FAMILY COULD SAVE MONEY ON GAS BY DOING THIS COOL SCIENCE EXPERIMENT$$

Start saving $ on gas! 

These two books can save you tons on your vehicle fuel costs! But it doesnt stop there. This site throws in numerous bonus goodies just to make sure you have EVERY angle covered. This is so easy, high schoolers or gifted middle schoolers can complete it as a science project. One that helps the whole family! How is THAT for hands on education? Don't miss out on this awesome science, experiement that'll save you money too!                        

http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=45

This board hosts information and organizes educational travel groups for homeschoolers. I have mainly seen east coast venues, but they do seem to get reasonable discounts and there have been a variety of venues. This is a message board, so there is no cost involved with the information. Travel packages vary in cost according to venue and features.

                   It's never been easier to home school your high schooler!

                                         

Check out Transcripts made easy for step-by-step directions, forms and samples on just how to bring all that *STUFF* your teen has been doing and transform it into a pristine transcript those colleges and universities will love. It's never too early to start. The author's suggested forms and advice on painless recordkeeping is priceless to those just entering the teen years.