Posted in Everything Else - Page 2

I need to put this into practice more -- it's a good reminder . . .

Teach Kids To Do More

One of the parts of our honor definition is that we do more than what's expected. That means seeing what needs to be done and doing it. It means solving problems instead leaving them for others. One family had a sign in their kitchen that read:

If it’s broken, fix it.
If it’s empty, fill it up.
If it’s open, shut it.
If it’s out, put it away.
If it’s messy, clean it up.
If you can’t, then report it.
That’s honor.

Take time to teach children that they don't have to be asked in order to do a job. Honor means that we’re all contributing to family life. In fact, you may ask a child to go around the house and look for one job that needs to be done and do it, then report back to you.

These kinds of discussions and exercises will help children think outside of their little box and discover that they have a responsibility to the family. They can contribute to family life by just seeing something that needs to be done and doing it.

Of course, that's what makes a valuable employee so you can teach your children something more important than just how to get along better in your family. You may be preparing them to be outstanding employees as they get older.

This parenting tip comes from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids.

If you'd like to continue to receive tips yourself, you can sign up at www.biblicalparenting.org.

Posted in Everything Else - Page 2

www.freerice.com -- I love this website!

How does playing the vocabulary game at FreeRice help me?

Learning new vocabulary has tremendous benefits. It can help you:

• Formulate your ideas better
• Write better papers, emails and business letters
• Speak more precisely and persuasively
• Comprehend more of what you read
• Read faster because you comprehend better
• Get better grades in high school, college and graduate school
• Score higher on tests like the SAT, GRE, LSAT and GMAT
• Perform better at job interviews and conferences
• Sell yourself, your services, and your products better
• Be more effective and successful at your job

After you have done FreeRice for a couple of days, you may notice an odd phenomenon. Words that you have never consciously used before will begin to pop into your head while you are speaking or writing. You will feel yourself using and knowing more words.

How does the FreeRice vocabulary program work?

FreeRice has a custom database containing thousands of words at varying degrees of difficulty. There are words appropriate for people just learning English and words that will challenge the most scholarly professors. In between are thousands of words for students, business people, homemakers, doctors, truck drivers, retired people… everyone!

FreeRice automatically adjusts to your level of vocabulary. It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, assigns you an approximate starting level. You then determine a more exact level for yourself as you play. When you get a word wrong, you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. This one-to-three ratio is best for keeping you at the “outer fringe” of your vocabulary, where learning can take place.

There are 50 levels in all, but it is rare for people to get above level 48.

How is the difficulty level for each word determined?

The program keeps track of how many people get each word right or wrong, and then adjusts each word’s difficulty level accordingly. So the words at the easiest levels are the ones that people most often get right. The words at the hardest levels are the ones that people most often get wrong. As more and more people have played the game, these levels have become increasingly more accurate.

Yes. A team of professional lexicographers from the firm of Lexiteria is working to add words and additional levels to the FreeRice database. In particular, the hunt is on to find the hairiest and most difficult words in the English language. But we are also looking to add easy words, medium words and all the other words you might ever want to know. The new entries should begin to appear in January 2008. In short, we do not want you to run out of vocabulary to learn anytime soon...

Posted in Everything Else - Page 2

I received the following in an e-mail and don't know who wrote it.  If you know of the original source, please leave me a comment so I can give credit where credit is due.  Thanks! 

A Homeschool Mom's New Year's Resolutions

I will not be late for field trips, classes, parties, doctor's appointments, church or any other important events, even if I have to take the baby 'as is.'

I will limit my e-mail to two hours a day so I can remember to feed the children.

I will quit stealing grocery money to buy more books at the local library sale.

I will never again commit the cardinal sin of buying Megablocks instead of Legos.

I promise not to get mad or yell at anybody before church, even if the children have to go with one shoe and unmatched socks.

I will quit hiding in the bathroom when the children overwhelm me.

I will quit wearing denim jumpers as soon as all those I have wear out.

I will start a home business to finance my book addiction.  I think I'll start with buying and selling books on eBay.

I promise myself I will lose 20 pounds before my high school reunion in June.

I promise to read all the neat books I bought to the children before I sell them on eBay.

I promise to put $20 every week into my Education Envelope so I don't cry in the vendor hall at our local homeschool convention this spring.

I will go to bed on time so I can wake up before the baby even if I have to leave the dishes in the sink again.

I will faithfully do whatever the FlyLady (flylady.net) says and keep my tennis shoes tied.

I will wash the car every week and clean it out after every trip out of town.

I promise to control all conflict, including screaming, kicking, throwing things, slamming doors, pouting, fighting, leaving, locking people in the bathroom, and other such childish behavior, when I don't get my way.

I promise to read to the children every night and quit pretending I'm asleep.

I promise not to usurp the answering machine's authority.

I promise not to hog the computer once my husband has come home from work even though he only wants to play solitaire.

I promise to try to think of one positive thing to tell my husband when he comes home from work before I unload on him the 20 things that went wrong.

I will not buy one more math program.

I promise to limit returned phone calls to 10 minutes each, even when it's just the plumber.

I promise to teach my children the correct response to store clerks and bank tellers so they don't reply, 'I don't go to school.'

I promise to quit bribing my children to be quiet by paying them money or candy.

I promise to read all the books I own before I buy anymore.

Posted in Everything Else - Page 2

Browse through our amazing archive of over 100 fascinating educational, family-fun videos at:

http://www.greathomeschoolvideos.com -- These are GREAT!!!

Posted in Everything Else - Page 2

I often have people ask me what we use in our homeschool.  It's not always easy to think of them off the top of my head.  Some things change, some things we try and end up dropping, and some we use year after year and they have become the things I most often recommend.   We have used a lot more than this and have used a lot of living books in our homeschool.  I realize this list doesn't cover every subject.  If I don't have it listed, either I couldn't think of it right now (very possible) or we didn't like it well enough to hang on to it for the other kids to use.  Two things to remember -- 1). There is no perfect curriculum.  2). Any curriculum is just a tool -- do not feel like you have to do every single thing in it for it to work for your family.  Just thought I would post a short list here of some of my favorites that have worked well for us over the years.

Reading Made Easy - I loved using this along with Bob Books.

Italic Handwriting - I really like this for beginners.  We switch curriculums after the first couple of books.

A Reason for Handwriting

Explode the Code

Math-U-See - We are still using the older (Classic) version since I had everything already.  I have one son who liked Math-U-See so well that he is flying through their Algebra 1 book (instead of switching to Teaching Textbooks like the older one did).

Key to Fractions - There is a point where I always have supplemented with this.

Apologia Science for Younger Kids - We have done Astronomy and Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day so far.

Spelling Power

Shurley English - I wish I had known about this when my older kids were younger!  My younger two really enjoy this and have learned so quickly!

Story of the World

Apologia Science - We have used General, Physical, and Biology so far.

Teaching Textbooks - We have used Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and plan to use Geometry.  Very user-friendly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Everything Else - Page 2

Please check out my other blog for some great bargains.  After everything here gets switched to a new server and is running fast again, I plan to move my Homeschool Bargains blog here.  Stay tuned! 

Posted in Everything Else - Page 2

Here are links to the three websites that I keep visiting for their movie reviews when we want to have a family movie night.

 

ScreenIt.com - You can search in a variety of ways, such as title, by MPAA rating, etc.  This website gives very detailed information about the movie and a very detailed review of what the movie is about.  You can pay to be a member and have access to more titles, although I have never done this.  If you scroll down and click on the "No Thanks" link, it will take you to their home page.  Here is a link directly to their search page -- ScreenIt.com Search Page.

 

Christian Spotlight on Entertainment -- This is a ministry of www.christiananswers.net and has reviews from a Christian viewpoint along with reviews from people who have seen the movie.  I have found some older movies on here -- not just new ones out in the theaters.  You can search by title or by Morality Rating.

 

Internet Movie Database - So far, I have found movie reviews on every movie I have searched for on here, including old war movies.  Two fun categories within their movie reviews are Trivia and Goofs.  This site also has comments from others who have seen the movie that I have found to be helpful.

 

We have had a family movie night fairly regularly using these websites and the great technology of satellite television with Tivo (if you're going to have a TV, this is the way to go.  I can't stand watching TV without Tivo anymore!   )  When time allows, I plan to list some of our favorite old movies that we have enjoyed.

 

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Here is a link to a well-written article about Civil Air Patrol.  It explains very well exactly what the program entails, so if you've heard of it but didn't really understand what the kids do, check it out.

 

Homeschoolers Join Civil Air Patrol