Easter Unit Study by Amanda Bennett - This is an eBook to purchase and download immediately. Gives you the freedom to print all the pages or a selection -- and no shipping!!
A book we enjoyed as a read-aloud a couple of years ago this time of year is Vinegar Boy by Alberta Hawse. "Abandoned by his parents and shunned by society, Vinegar Boy is certain he'll be adopted once Jesus removes the ugly birthmark that scars his cheek. But when he carries the drugged vinegar to a crucifixion, Vinegar Boy finds himself face to face with the only one who can heal his face. Is there still time for a miracle?" I highly recommend this book!
The natural thing to do is to work--to recognize that prosperity and happiness can be obtained only through honest effort. Human ills flow largely from attempting to escape from this natural course. I have no suggestion which goes beyond accepting in its fullest this principle of nature. I take it for granted that we must work. All that we have done comes as the result of a certain insistence that since we must work it is better to work intelligently and forehandedly; that the better we do our work the better off we shall be. All of which I conceive to be merely elemental common sense.
~ Henry Ford
Rerun of an old post of mine, but works every Christmas . . .
I got an idea a few years ago from flylady.net about making coupons as a gift. I did this several years for Christmas for our kids and it is a gift that keeps on giving all year long! I made them in a Word document on the computer, printed them out, cut them apart, and stapled them together at one end like a coupon booklet. I'm going to list some of the coupons that I include...
Going with Mom for ice cream
Going with Dad for ice cream
30 minutes of computer games with no interruptions
Plan a supper meal and help Mom cook
Plan a game night for the family and everyone must cheerfully play
Stay up late and play a game with Mom and Dad by yourself
Have your own movie night with Mom and Dad
Go spend the weekend with grandparents (at their convenience)
Go spend three days with cousins (at everyone's convenience)
Plan an evening out for you and Mom
Sit down and play a game with Mom or Dad as soon as possible
On some of the coupons, I put that there must be a certain amount of advance notice given. I also put an expiration date on each coupon. Several of the coupons are in the booklet two or three times (computer, game night, ice cream). I have learned to make my expiration date be around the middle of November; otherwise, they start trying to use all of their coupons up in December before they expire -- which makes for an even busier month in December!
These coupons have been a great stocking stuffer in our family and they always look forward to getting them. They are fairly easy to customize each year in the computer (after getting it done and saved the first year) so it doesn't take much time at all. We have four kids and this helps us to spend individual time with them on a more regular basis.
Some of the things we have done just this month as a result of these coupons....
I have gone to get ice cream with our youngest son
Two kids have planned and helped prepare supper
Family game night
Sat and played games twice (just the child and me)
My husband and I stayed up late playing games with our youngest son
You could also give a coupon booklet for a birthday or other special occasion. It's just easier for me to know that everyone has the same coupons and they all expire at the same time (less for me to keep up with -- which is always a good thing)!
If you have ideas for other coupons, please leave them in the comments . . . . . Thanks!
I know I may be stepping on a few toes here, but for those of you who don't celebrate Halloween this is a great little book to read to your children that answers their common questions about it. The reasons are backed up by scripture passages that you can look up together and it is written like a conversation between a mom and her young children. I know a lot of Christians don't celebrate Halloween but have gone the direction of the "Christian alternatives" provided at many churches. I'll warn you now that this little book also addresses this issue. You could easily do this as a read-aloud and edit that section out if you don't agree with it. The rest of the book still has some very easy-to-understand explanations of this so-called holiday. We have read this together in October for many years just as a reminder as to why we are just having a regular evening at home together. (I am definitely not trying to start any controversial discussion here, so if you leave a comment, please keep it nice and friendly. Thanks!)
Thought this was a very interesting interview with Richard J. Maybury, author of the "Uncle Eric" books. Check out these books and study guides by Bluestocking Press. I haven't seen any of the study guides, but all of the "Uncle Eric" books are great to add to the list of books for your junior high and high school age kids to read!
I have been listening to lots of seminars from the Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2008 and thoroughly enjoying it! Thought I would post an article here by Cindy Rushton about scheduling our time here at the beginning of the new school year. Enjoy!
Psst! A Secret to Scheduling Success!
by Cindy Rushton
Want to know one of my biggest secrets to homeschooling the easy way? Want to know one of my biggest secrets to scheduling success? This one secret can make your daily schedule finally fit. It can end your scheduling frustrations forever.
I am not a "schedule by the minute" type of person. (GRIN) I fail with schedules like that. They don't meet my needs. My life includes too many areas that have different needs daily. Timed schedules just do not work for me.
So, what has worked for me? Setting up a framework to my day. This is one incredibly powerful tip. It can make a HUGE difference in your day as well. It just might be the secret that has alluded you through the years.
Wondering what I mean by a "framework" for your day? By framework, I mean a general flow to each day that includes all of the areas of my life that I juggle. But, how do I do that? Here are some quick tips:
1. Decide what should be included in your daily schedule. Look at what you are all about. Look at your goals, activities, values, priorities. Look at your husband's schedule--wrap everything around him. Look at what you need to include in your day to get everything done--quiet times, lessons, homemaking, read alouds, work, etc. This is important. Otherwise, you will include things in your schedule that may not be the very best choices. And...one big risk...you may never get around to the things that matter the most. Decide what really needs to be a part of each and every day for your day to be successful.
2. Decide the best time for the tasks you need to complete each day. This will help you get a good flow to your day. For me, quiet times are just best at the beginning of the day. Chores are great right after them--I need them completed so my brain can focus on the table time. Our business work and errands need to be done in the early afternoon. Read alouds are best before bedtime. You get the picture. When I tried to read aloud over lunch, we had so many distractions that we could never fit it in. Trying to work the business in the morning would never work...and of course, we couldn't take care of business errands at night. See how important it is to really look at the best time to get tasks done. Look at the best time for all of the tasks that need to be done. Look at the best flow to get everything done easily each day. You may not get this right at the beginning, but you will get closer and closer each day. You will love it!
3. Balance your day. Don't let any one area of your life get out of balance. Everything that we do in our day has a tendency to grow into a big time thief--homeschooling, homemaking, home business. Those important aspects of our life can easily grow out of their boundaries. While I love each of them, they can get rather exhausting if we don't keep them in balance with the other things that we have to do. The best way for me to stay balanced is to be reasonable about what I expect for each day, keep things simplified and easy, and keep everything inside of its time of the day. I don't mind those days that we want to dig deeper in a topic that we are studying. I also don't mind those days that we tackle a messy room. I don't even mind those days that we have a special business project that needs more time. But, if those areas were demanding extra time every day, it would be easy to get burned-out, frustrated and battle with our time each day. Want to make it work? Find a balance for your day.
4. Set up routines. Talk about a HUGE help for me. Without routines, things can get so frustrating every day--there are constant decisions, there is more strife in the family, there is no consistency. Routines help us to make things go faster, without the strife and struggle of figuring things out DAILY. Routines reduce the stress of making decisions daily. Routines help our children to know what to expect so they can move through all of the things that they need to do each day. Routines are crucial. They assure a smooth ride. They keep us on track. They keep us out of the ruts. They take us in the direction that we want to go. One of the toughest things I ever did was develop routines in my home. However, one of the most rewarding things that I ever did was develop routines in my home. When I got very, very sick, everything kept going. During those times that I have been stretched, things kept on going. All because of routines. Set up routines. Then, your children will know what to expect. They will learn what is next and next and next. The decisions will be made for you. They will be able to "just do it" with or without you. Set up routines for your family. Develop one set of routines at a time--look for the time of day that things go haywire. If it is morning, for example, look at all that needs to be done. Brainstorm. Make a to-do list for that routine. Write it out. Work it as a checklist until it becomes a habit. If you see other things that need to be added into that set of routines, add them. Tweak it until it is smooth. Then, move to the next troublespot. Do this for all of the times of your day. Watch to see how much it helps!
5. Prune anything that is not necessary. Truth is, we cannot do everything. What we do in our day keeps us from doing other things. It zaps our time, energy, strength. We need to be picky about what we add to our day. Every single thing that we do costs us something. We need to constantly prune those things that are not necessary. Prune anything that hinders, distracts. Be honest. Be ruthless. Prune. Even the good things! Go for the best!
6. Take the squeeze out of your schedule. Watch out for the squeeze in your schedule. Don't fill every minute of your day with something to do. Why? Because there are always going to be crisis situations, interruptions, melt-downs, delays. If we have our schedule maxed out, we will constantly be overwhelmed, overworked, and squeezed. Find ways to take the squeeze out of your daily schedule--cut out extra running, watch out for time thieves, prioritize your daily to-do's (and eliminate any that make the day too tight), cut out extras that are unnecessary, keep the day simple and easy. Keep a relaxed atmosphere. Constantly, take the squeeze out of your daily schedule.
7. Stay flexible! Stay adaptable! Actually, one of the reasons that we really want to develop a framework to our day is so we have more flexibility, so we have more "space" in our day to be adaptable. We want to be able to seize opportunities that come our way. We want to be able to slow down and enjoy our children. We don't want to miss teachable moments. These days just go by too fast. We want to enjoy every second. We want to make sweet, sweet memories. This requires that we stay flexible and adaptable. So, take the time to develop your own framework to your day. Do the tough work. Get your plans together. Work on these suggestions. Then, stay flexible. Stay adaptable. Grasp on to all that God has in store for you!
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About Cindy Rushton…
Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Back to School Blast, her annual back to school fling for homeschool mothers around the world. Get your ticket NOW and receive her awesome A Quick Start for Notebooking Mini-Set FREE today! Check out all of the details here.
This is something I have kept on my computer for several years and read each time I am planning school work for the next year.
10 Ways to Simplify Homeschooling
by Colette Longo
1) Keep everything as simple as you can. Jesus wrote with a stick in the dirt, and He was the greatest teacher that ever lived. He used no curriculum or flannel graphs or lesson plans. Homeschooling can be made far more complicated than it should be. A simpler approach is much more effective.
2) Stick to the 3 R's. They form the foundation of life-long learning in every field because they are the tools of study. There will be no need to formalize any other subject if the children are doing their best in these 3, because people who are well grounded in reading, writing and math will approach other subjects boldly, independently and confidently.
3) Let the children teach themselves as much as they are able to. This teaches them responsibility, intellectual independence, and builds confidence. It's also better for the parent/child relationship because you can focus on parenting instead of playing schoolteacher.
4) Use the most direct method available. For reading, read. For writing, write, for math, do it, and for Bible, read it. Don't fall for catchy curriculums or methods that are really just something else for you and your child to learn.
5) Don't worry about your child's age or grade. Just let him do the best he can each day. Children grow intellectually like they do physically: in spurts. Although we may have an audience of skeptical relatives, homeschooling is not a circus, and we refuse to train our children to do tricks for people.
6) Minimize distractions in the home. Watch for excessiveness in entertainments, snacking, outings, phone conversations and the like. These sorts of things can easily get out of hand and compete with the effectiveness of a homeschool and sap the family of time and energy.
7) Seek quality over quantity. A few tapes of great music, a small case of carefully chosen books, a few special play mates, and an occasional outing is better than a large, but poor quality collection.
8) If you must document your school activities, do it after the fact. This way you will not make promises you cannot keep. If you are required to make lesson plans, be as vague as permissible. Don't let transcripts, diplomas, records and tests determine your academic plans. Focus on learning and the rest will follow.
9) Put the needs of your youngest, most vulnerable children first. If an older child gets a little behind in school, I'm sure you can forgive yourself. But if something happened to the toddler while you were busy homeschooling, I don't think you would be able to say the same.
10) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and don't neglect to seek him early...giving him the first fruits of your day and teach your children to do the same. I know that you are tired and that there aren't enough hours in your day, but we serve a God who can make the sun stand still.
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
I am a homeschooling mom of four boys and have always homeschooled. I plan to use this blog for discussion on various curriculum, books, read-alouds, organizing and anything else to do with homeschooling. Feel free to add your comments!
