Nov. 22, 2009 - I've been neglectful
with blog posts lately. Seems there are too many other things to fill my waking hours. We went to my Dad's ranch this weekend for an early Thanksgiving. Always an enjoyable time. We were even able to hunt arrowheads, a favorite pasttime on Sunday afternoons when I was growing up. I didn't find any arrowheads, only pieces of pottery and petrified wood. I was able to share the experience with my kiddos, pointing out to them the signs of long ago Indians in the area, specifically the gray "burnt rocks" indicating there had been a camp/cooking fire.
We expect to move Mom into the back house this week. She's begun bringing boxes over, but we need to get the final certificate of occupancy, hopefully Wednesday.
School - I'm looking forward to next semester, hoping things will be more settled by then. We've learned a bit about the Hittites, Cretes, etc this week, coinciding with our study of Israel preparing to enter the promised land. We're also studying communication. I'm pretty sure I didn't do a very good job teaching about telecommunications, lasers and satellites. Science is my weakest subject and it shows!
C had a good math week. We use MUS with her, but she rarely enjoys math. This week, though, she got the concepts quickly, aced most of her work, and even said math might be her favorite subject!
I'm keeping this short so I can get some prep time in for school tomorrow. Hoping your Thanksgiving week is filled with reminders of God's faithfulness.
November 21, 2009 - Exercise + Math + Fun = Gymathtics!
Exploramania is the Company created by Carrie Scheiner (aka- Miss Carrie on the DVD) Carrie has a really inspirational story about how she decided to start her own company and how she overcame a disability to make the DVD which you can read in detail here if you would like: https://www.exploramania.com/TheStory.aspx
Miss Carrie’s story can inspire us to do some of things that we have only dreamed about, and her Gymathtics DVD will inspire your young children toward becoming, and staying strong and healthy.
In addition to helping in our quest to stay healthy by finding ways to make exercise a fun activity for our kids, scientific research shows that physical activity actually has a positive affect on our thinking skills. Once you know that, exercise and Math seems like the perfect combination.
We had a lot of fun with this even though the music was not the style my kids prefer - I thought the bouncy music was a little repetative too, but the workout was enjoyable and we can always wait until later to " rock out"! It was not a really hard workout and it was a neat way to start our day.
The simple exercises and simple math concepts keep the exercise program from being overwhelming to young children and yet keep some of the older ones interested as well. Oddly enough, my son had just asked for a definition of perpendicular lines and she covered it in the video! The Math concepts weren't deep, but I do think that the video effectively reviews some math skills, and gives active kids with active minds a a fun way to review.
If you are interested in adding some more exercise into your daily routine, this 30 minute routine would be a great and inexpensive way to do it and rev up your mind at the same time!
Gymathics is available here for only $24.99 along with some other cute products that follow along that same philosophy of bringing education and healthy activities together in a fun and creative way!
The Gymathics Video that was sent to my family by Exploracise was received in exchange for my review and opinion on this educational product and no other compensation was received - they are not even paying for my ibuprofen!.
Merit K
You will probably look as happy as me after you get in some comfy sweats and exercise with Miss Carrie!
November 16, 2009 - Free Language Learning Resources for Home Educators!
I just received this from Catherine Fortin - she has been a real resource for Language teachers and Home Educators and she offers classes as well:
(see link for details on her classes: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/NorthCarolina/744124/ )
My colleague Diane Farrug & I are starting up an exciting resource for homeschooling parents: a free e-newsletter full of free ideas, activities, and printables supported by clear "how to teach" tips for parents.
We realize that what we do, teaching a foreign language takes so much training and experience, and we want to give this to homeschool parents. We also include free videos on how to teach and how to do specific lessons and activities. The days of giving children a Spanish or French handout and not really knowing what to do with it to maximize it are over. We're here to help.
Here is the link to the sign up for the free homeschool e-newsletter:
http://foreignlanguagefun.com/2009/11/free-nativity-mini-book-in-french-and-spanish-for-homeschoolers/
Catherine F Fortin
http://foreignlanguagehouse.com
This looks Great 
- Go Sign up!!!! Merit K 
November 15, 2009 - Craft Ideas that Remind Us to Be Thankful!
This is a time of year when as a family, we focus on the virtue of Thankfulness. We have been studying American History this year and how even though the colonists suffered greatly in this land they had travel to, they remembered to give thanks to the Lord for the things that they did have- especially their freedoms!
One of the ways that we have always loved to use to help us remember to be grateful, particularly at this time of year, is to make a "Thanksgiving Tree".
I haven't done it this year, since the kids are a little older now, but I used to make a "tree" with branches out of a pattern and some brown construction paper and cut out "leaves" from colorful paper similar to the ones here:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/leaf/leaftemplate.shtml
An easy way to do lots of these leaves is to print them on the computer. You can buy colored paper for the printer. Then have your little ones work on some small motor skills by cutting them out with you.
We put the Tree on the wall with "sticky tack" and then every day, the kids would write something that they were thankful for on a leaf and we put the leaf on or around the tree. When they were small, I made this part of their handwriting practice.
Here is a site that has a craft idea for a really cute Thanksgiving Tree using "handprints" from your kids instead of my leaf idea:
http://www.familycorner.com/archives/familytime/2.shtml
Another clever way to make a "Thankful Tree" is with branches or trimmings from your yard and a bucket or large plastic butter tub. You will need plaster of paris for this tree. Mix the Plaster of Paris according to directions and then fill the butter tub with it. Place the branches into the tub and let the plaster harden (about 1-2 hours) You might need to hold them up for a little bit until they stay upright on their own :0 )
Once this is fully hardened, cover the butter tub with colorful tissue paper or burlap fabric so that it looks "Fallish"
Then attach the leaves by punching a hole in each one and tying them to the tree with a ribbon, yarn or raffia.
The fun thing about the plaster of paris tree is that you can change the covering on the butter tub for lots of different occaisions and make it a Christmas tree or a candy tree, an Easter Tree (you are getting the idea)... so it makes a nice decoration and learning tool in the future seasons as well, depending on what creative ideas you come up with for using it!
Have a creative week full of Thanksgiving!
(and try not to be a turkey)
Merit K
Nov. 15, 2009 - Science experiment....before lunch.
Science isn't my thing. I'd rather....just.......not. BUT, the silly state regs require it to be done, so we comply.
Barngirl is doing Apologia General Science (which she really likes), and this was one of the experiments she chose to do:
"Get a glass and some toilet bowl cleaner." (Really, what could go wrong with THOSE ingredients.....?)
Boil some red cabbage leaves in some water for a few minutes and pour the cooled cabbage liquid into a glass cup:
Mmmmm. Looking good. (Smells like dirty feet, but LOOKS nice).Pour purple cabbage liquid into the glass, and add a teaspoon of toilet bowl cleaner.
It turns the liquid red. The hydrochloric acid "acidifies" the liquid.Gameboy likes to get in on the action too:
Then we add an antacid tablet to "neutralize" the acid:
And the liquid turns purple, I guess indicating the change in the chemical balance? Actually, this was about a month ago, and I can't exactly remember all the particulars.
We then added more toilet bowl cleaner (the acid).....
So this is what is going on in my tummy during our 5-hour marathon movie nights with the girls? Hmm. Well, let's not read too much into this....
HEY! This picture in NO WAY represents what we eat on movie night. I don't even know who slipped this image onto my blog.....it's some kind of high-tech espionage....I will be lodging a formal complaint momentarily....Well, science has been done. CHECK! So after I got the kids their lunch, I settled down to throw mine together. Let's see.....add a little bacon, and VIOLA!
On second thought, maybe science isn't that bad after all.....
Nov. 13, 2009 - looking in
what makes one press forward? Where does the will to continue stem from, especially in a life bombarded with challenges and fears? Where does the faith to believe in the future take root?
As I draw nearer to the four year anniversary of Todd's cancer diagnosis I've been reflecting on my journey with the Lord. It's a journey filled with highs and many lows. We are blessed that Todd is healthy, that he has an excellent prognosis. We are blessed with two more sons, two lives that we were told would never be. We have our home, our children, and great friends. Yet, we also have scars. Large aches that are so easily nicked, so easily brought to the surface.
When I look at the scars on my heart, scars that I've defined as failure and fear, it's easy to try to hide them from others view. They're raw and painful. I won't measure up to the "ideal" wife and mother and friend that I've created in my head. An ideal based on the world, not the Word. I began to reflect on my journey during that time, and thus I started to read the journal on my caringbridge site. I wanted to remember the rawness of my heart during those dark, dark times. What did I find? A hurting soul desiring that the Lord take this tragedy and turn it to blessing. A heart aching to bring truth and joy to others.
Waiting and wandering is a confusing place to reside. As I wrote before, the battle is less clear, less defined. When cancer was the enemy I knew the weapons. I knew how to fight. Right now? I'm not so confident, not so sure. The battle within, the battle with self, with identity...that's not so black and white. But I've learned from battling oppressive giants that the daily battle needs and requires as much, and perhaps more diligence. It's critical to surrender, to look in at those emotions that are so easily allowed to dictate moods. Look at overwhelm. An individual in overwhelm technically feels that he/she has no options. And as external triggers continue to pile up so does the overwhelm. Daily life, at least at my home, can leave me feeling overwhelmed constantly. So I'm forced, once again, to throw up my arms in surrender to the God of peace and order. And my family watches me. They observe my actions...and the difference when I "pull up my bootstraps" on my own versus getting strength from our God. The scars were there, but I wasn't learning from them. Using them.
I've started to realize that these last couple weeks I've been trying to do it all on my own. I was going to tough it out. I can do it. I can't fail, right? And yet, I was becoming more and more exhausted. Worn out. Feeling like I was failing. Well, it was all self. As much as I spoke of my love and reliance on the Lord, I wasn't living it. I wasn't living and looking to Him for breath and life. It was me. And I was losing.
So today, once again, I surrender. I realize that without Him I am nothing. When my life became reliant on my strength I grumbled, much like the Israelites. Why didn't he hear me? See me? See the daily struggles? Grumble...grumble...grumble. How pitiful. God has been so good to me. It's so easy to look at all the valleys, to look at the time spent in them, and to complain. To be resentful that I have scars. But, in God, those scars are beautiful. When I look in they show a soul reliant on Him, not self. And in Him I find rest. Rest from overwhelm. Rest in the midst of wandering. Rest in the valley, rest on the peaks. Rest.
Psalm 62:1-2
November 9, 2009 - I am Thankful for Freedoms and Free Stuff!
Free Homeschooling History Curriculum – really!
Some of you know that I am a member of the Old Schoolhouse “Crew” (a homeschool product review team). We were recently sent a CD of an American History Curriculum product called “
We were asked to examine and use it and then to post our opinions of it so that you could decide if it was a resource that might work for your family.
“The Miracle of
In only a little more than 200 years, our ancestors transformed this country from a wilderness into a great nation. This nation demonstrates what can be accomplished by free people who create a government limited to serving the people rather than being their master. The moral and ethical basis of good conduct was derived from the faith that built
As I mentioned, the
It seems to be geared towards a classroom setting, but it contains some great kernels of information that both public school students and those that learn at home can benefit from. My daughter and I both loved that the curriculum included the wording of some of our original documents, such as the Mayflower Compact and the Bill of Rights. It did a good job of trying to relate the rights and responsibilities we have today and those original writings which have so clearly enumerated those rights for us throughout our History.
In my opinion, the lessons are a bit dry, but they can really be spiced up by using this along with some living books and the internet. Overall this could be used as a good framework around which you and your student can hang some additional discussions and research.
Did I mention that the American Heritage Education Foundation’s High School American History Program is FREE? You can also request a CD to be sent to you, (also free). If you would prefer to have everything already printed out, this excellent resource is available in a printed our binder format for only $19.50.
It is simple to pay that online: http://americanheritage.org/online_pay.html, or you may mail them a check.
If you just want the free stuff (and there is some good stuff in there) you can download the pdf files or request a CD Here: http://www.americanheritage.org/
Celebrate American Heritage Month in November!
“American Heritage Month gives us all an opportunity to reflect on our roots as Americans from a fresh perspective. It is a time to remember that we Americans have brought with us many different heritages, but we have joined together in this country as one people.
The Declaration of Independence sets forth our fundamental values, and the Constitution serves to protect those values. Our schools, teachers, students, and other citizens help preserve and strengthen the miracle that is
The American Heritage Education Foundation, Inc.
I truly am Thankful at this time of the year, for the many blessings of faith, freedom, friends and turkey!
Merit K
November 9, 2009 - Uniting America's Story, Piece by Piece
The History text we recently reviewed, has this eye catching phrase as it's subtitle:
"Uniting America's Story, Piece by Piece"
That thought provoking phrase caught my attention on the shiny cover of the lovely new book in front of me.
It is true that puzzle of our relatively young country continues to come together, and there is only one who can see the complete result. But surely, one way we can improve our chances of making sure that the future result is a thing of beauty, is to understand our past and to trust in God with our future.
This History curiculum is one great resource for giving your students the ability to do that. The author truly brings to life the people of the time periods that we are learning about. Being able to read about how things began is an exciting way to relate to some of the things that are happening in our culture in the present era!
For the purpose of this review, our family received this History textbook set free from Bright Ideas Press.The History Textbook's title is ” All American History, Volume One- The Explorers to the Jacksonians” by Celeste W. Rakes.
We reviewed the entire set which includes the Student Reader, Activity book and the Teacher’s Guide. It is available for purchase as a set, for $68.00.
This is a complete curriculum, intended for grades 5-8. The 32 weekly lessons in Volume One can easily be modified to meet the needs of your family or classroom. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide offers many ideas for adding value to your student’s learning experience with creative activity suggestions and research ideas for your older students, as well as suggestions for adapting the material for the younger set, so it works very well either for a Home educator or a classroom teacher.
This book is also perfect for use with a timeline! It includes some of the figures you will need in the back of the Teacher’s Guide – your students can add them to the pages in the activity book and then put those into a timeline notebook, if they like. Bright Ideas Press also sells additional timeline characters in a separate package which are very nice (I use them)
The Teacher’s Guide contains Lesson Plans, including activity ideas, additional resource suggestions, timeline dates and even a checklist for materials that lets you know which materials are optional and which materials you will be required to have on hand to teach each lesson. The Answer Key for the Student Activity Book is also found in the Teacher’s Guide.
The Student text includes a very good amount of information about the people, places and events that began our American History. The material is organized in an easy to follow chronological format with clear maps and Student Activity Pages in the Student book which make it simple to create your own timeline or American History Timeline Notebook. We found that the Student text is written in a way which is not just informative, but creates interest in the historical events and the people who lived at that time period. We are enjoying this curriculum very much. (not just because the cover is shiny :)
The Teacher’s Guide offers the teacher guidance in how to use the text as a framework for further research and exploration.
I especially love that the activities included in this extensive Teacher’s guide are more than just “busywork”- they involve them in more learning! There are game ideas, geography and map work, quality book suggestions which are conveniently listed by age groups, and writing assignments which allow for integration of writing skills into your history curriculum.
I have always believed that integrating subjects is a great way to increase both retention of information and enjoyment of the subjects! This textbook does that very well. If you are looking for an American History program for next year, I would suggest that you look into this one. It is very creative and yet logical!
Two thumbs up from Mom (who is not typically a textbook kinda gal) And two thumbs up from the kids
Here is where you can find more information or even purchase these books (There is also a Volume Two)
http://brightideaspress.com/?page_id=6
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AllAmericanHistory/
Timeline Guide and figures can be seen here (I really do like these too):
http://brightideaspress.com/?page_id=132
Nov. 9, 2009 - back to Philippians...
....again.... It seems as if I might want to camp out in Chapters 3 and 4 for a bit. I've been mulling over these words, "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on..." (Philippians 3: 13b-14a)
Life seems to be a journey in the desert right now. I've been comparing it to the 40 years that the Isrealites wandered in the desert before entering the promise land. While there are no pressing trials, there are still thorns from years of fiscal struggle poking unrelentlessly, and life seems stagnant...almost still. There's really no good option to pluck these thorns from our life, and yet I know they're there, and am reminded, at the most inopportune times, that they're there. It's a battle with an overpowering opponent and I'm given no obvious and immediate weapon. And despite it's potentially crushing weight I'm determined to live joyously and with victory.
So reading Paul's words encourages me to continue straining forward. The reality is that I'm not defined by these thorns, and that my Savior knows full well they are there. He's heard my prayers for victory for years. The greatest defeat would be living bitter, scared, sullen and resentful. At that point, my earthly trials would be trumping my eternal reward. Where is the vision of hope and future?
When the Israelites were wandering there had to have been a vision of hope. Hope that is less self-centered, but more generational driven. After all, only the new generation was allowed to enter Israel. What would be the goal of walking and wandering for them if it was only based on their own life? They'd never get the earthly reward. However, there children, and their children's children, and on and on - would reap rewards for their faithfulness. Of pressing forward, of obedience, repentance, and listening to the Lord.
Parallel that to my life, the vision needs to be not only mine, but also one for my children. A life vision rooted in the Lord. Living defeated and burdened by fiscal thorns that I can't attack now would, in a sense, rob my children of the parent that they need now. I've had to learn to let go, to forget, and press forward. Faithfully doing what I can to resolve issues, and if nothing can be done now, letting myself release any anxiety to the Lord.
I can't imagine how Paul felt. Here he persecuted the very people that He was now working to bring to Christ. I'm sure that it would be easy to allow guilt to plague his thoughts and slow his mission. Imagine the weight of his errors, the lives lost. And, yet, he allowed himself to move forward straining to a goal that is centered on Christ. This life is hard. I can truthfully tell you that. I've spent my share of time being angry and questioning the love the Lord has for me. And then, humbled by His amazing and undeserved love, I've been redeemed by His grace - not of me - but from Him. Despite all the trials, losses, and defeats He is still worthy of praise. And not just a wimpy voice, but a surrendered life screaming "ALLELUIA!"
So I press on. Enjoying my son's sixth birthday today. Laughing with my children. Praying to the Lord. Praising Him. Forgetting. And living a life of joy from Him.
Blessings friends,
Rachel
November 2, 2009 - A Resource for All Seasons!
According to their website, they are a teacher’s site that, “With high quality content added on a weekly basis, abcteach is considered a world-class educational resource by its many members across the globe, and one that exceeds the offerings of other websites while offering unlimited access at very competitive prices.”
Membership to “ABC Teach” gives you access to over 35,000 pages of printable worksheets and activities, to abctools, our exclusive custom document generators- plus 
really cool clip art (my favorite)!
I believe that I may be addicted to their clip art section!
Our family's learning style naturally tends to be “non-worksheet” oriented. We lean towards “Hands On” activities, living a Lifestyle of Learning, as well as using lots of "Living books" and natural learning as the framework of our educational plan. Ruth Beechick and Charlotte Mason are my heroines, so you can imagine that I began by thinking that "it just wouldn’t be my “cup of tea”. Although most of what was available, I wasn't able to use, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a lot of nice things on the site (Wow- not just boring old worksheets -lol!).
I did enjoy exploring a lot of their membership areas and I found that just browsing, seemed to inspire my creativity.
I came away from the website with some really good ideas to ‘tweak’ for my homeschool! The worksheet generators were easy to use and I liked the idea that you could customize them to use with whatever curriculum or books you choose. A lot of what they had was below level for my kids or I would classify as a little too close to "busy work" for my students. But much of it would be great for a classroom teacher and some of the things would be great for Homeschoolers too.
You could save a lot of money using this website to create your own tests and worksheets for your child, from any textbook.
In addition, they have many ready made worksheets available in all the subject areas:
Oh how I wish I had access to this stuff when I was a substitue teacher!
They have some really great things you can try FREE on their website as well, so I would suggest that you might enjoy a look around and if you find that you use a lot of worksheets or especially would like to create your own worksheets, you might like to obtain a membership at this award winning site!
The yearly membership fee for ABC Teach is $40.00.
Just to let you know, the “Homeschool Buyers Co-op” offers a Group Buy price of $20.00 per year (plus the Co-ops’ processing fee of $2.00- it is free to join the co-op). This is available until
https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1203
Many thanks to my fellow “TOS Crew” member, Lisa, at the Berry Patch, http://maineberrypatch.blogspot.com/ for the update on the group discount!
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