I so wish I could say this is what my kitchen looks like, lol ..... I just love this picture.
We are in full swing of the school year now and boy, I could use a Fall break already. Please do not tell my girls that, they may take advantage of me.
We are doing so-so with the school year. I believe we all might be getting bored with the text books, but what do you do when you have been homeschooling for over 11 years, you pretty much have all the text books you need for each level of school and because of the state of the nation, nobody is really buying used school books the way it use to be. I can not justify buying new things, spending money that is not really available for that, and not be able to sell what we have. Don't get me wrong, we love the whole Abeka text book program. They are great books, we beleive in them and they are easy to buy, when needed. But we are just bored with the same thing every day, day in and day out.
I do have a few unit studies, small ones, that I can slip in here and there for a change, but I am not sure that I want to include my oldest one with it. She is just starting high school and unless I have a "full program" laid out with it, I do not want to take the chance of messing up her credit earning. That is very important to consider when chosing what to use with hs students. I would never want someone to come in, deem her not ready to graduate, because I used the wrong thing, or not enough hours for a credit.
Fall is setting up around here and we should be in full swing around here soon. I am looking forward to it. I am ready to turn the a/c off for good and pull out the quilts. I am ready to plan my menu around soups, stews and comforting food for the cooler weather.
I hope to sharing some recipes here with you as I come up with new things to make. If you some thing to share, please leave me a link to your post and I will come by and get your recipe.
Act Now to Stop Costly Federal Early Education Spending Bill
Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,
Action is needed now to stop a harmful early education bill, H.R. 2343, the Education Begins at Home Act. Despite the bill’s seemingly homeschool-friendly title, the legislation is actually yet another “big government” encroachment into the sphere of education.
H.R. 2343 seeks to expand the Head Start Early Home Visitation program to supposedly “educate” parents of children from infants to 5-year-olds on parenting strategies. If passed, this bill would literally open the door for government employees to enter private homes to impose unelected officials’ educational agendas, which may prove offensive and contrary to many families’ moral and religious beliefs. Although at this point enrollment in the home visitation program is voluntary, government programs almost always grow beyond their original scope when bills are amended.
This intrusive and unnecessary legislation comes at a whopping starting cost of more than $190 million—a burden that will be incurred by already struggling American taxpayers.
Action Requested
Please call your U.S. representative today and urge him or her to oppose H.R. 2343, the Education Begins at Home Act. It is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. You can say something as simple as the following:
“I am a constituent and I strongly oppose H.R. 2343. The government should not be involved in funding questionable early education programs, especially at a time of financial uncertainty when our hard-earned tax dollars could be better spent elsewhere.”
You can reach your U.S. representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or by using our Legislative Toolbox.
This bill has been placed on the House calendar and could come up for a vote anytime this week, or even during the weekend as Congress rushes to finish legislative priorities before they adjourn.
Background
For more information on H.R. 2343 and the dangers of early education, please visit our online bill page.
I have the following set. They are like -new, no writing, no tears and from a smoke-free, pet-free home. I would like to take non-credit PayPal but will accept a money order or check (will hold till clear). Media Mail is included in Prices listed.
Abeka Items 3rd Grade:
Our American History- Student text
TE also with text answers
Set- $15.00
Health Safety & Manners 3
Students text
Answer Key to Text
TestQuiz & Worksheet Key
Set- $15.00
Exploring God’s World 3 (Science)
Student Text
TE with text answers
Test, Quiz & Worksheet Key
Student Test, Quiz and Worksheets (Chapters 1-3 missing :4-10 still new)
Set- $20.00
Saxon Math 4th Grade
This set is just like the ones for 1st – 3rd grade. Not for sale from Saxon (this is used in schools only)
TE 3-ring binder (larger) everything needed to teach the course
Student Workbooks 1 & 2 ( bk 1 is missing the first 25 lessons out of a totel of 140 lessons in all.)
If you loved the first 3 grades of Saxon, this is great to use before entering into Saxon’s older levels of text books.
Set- $35.00
ALSO:
A Handbook for Reading #31070
Paths to Adventure #55697
FootPrints #56391
Primary Bible Reader #53694
Crossroads # 56448
Pilgrim Boy #56480
Secret in the Maple Tree #56502
Better Bridges #56529
World of Wonder #56464
All of these sell new at $8.95 and two of them at $9.95.
I am asking for $4.50 each or $38.00 for the set.
Just let me know if you would like to buy any of these. Please email directly. I have these listed on other places and I will sell to the first buyer I hear from.
· Instant delivery—No waiting for your mail to arrive. Your sub starts with you immediately receiving our Summer '08 issue. You'll receive our next three issues as they go to print. Summer '08 is just around the corner!
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........Now where did I put those school books????
For real, we will be starting back to school work the first of August. It is just too darn HOT to do anything else. My girls do not mind starting back this time each year, they know that we will be taking a break during the Fall and enjoy the cooler temps.
Back to school things...........
We use all of the Abeka books but I have a thought in the back of my head, (trying to come to the front, lol), about using one of the unit studies type programs that I have here on my shelves. I like the thought of using a unit study, and all of the different type paths it would bring to our studies, but I just am not very good at keeping up with them. I tend to forget to get things together for the next topic or unit of it and then we fall behind. I mean, I start the year off right, but lose ground before our fist break, you know?
I have my second one to be starting high school. It really makes you stop and look back at what you have been doing. This daughter has never been in school, just all homeschooling. I sit back and think about if I have taught her everything that she will need, you know the basics of education. She is really a "home-maker" type young lady but I have been planning her courses as if she will be heading to college. I do not want her to get to that place in life and then think that she should have taken a certain course or two to prepare her for a college education. My oldest one is doing well in college, she even made the "Dean's List" this last semester !!! She has a 4.0 GPA right now.
My youngest is starting the 5th grade and is totally unaware of life, lol . She just does whatever I tell her to do and then goes on with the day. She has no set plans (not at her age) and she just wants to keep busy. So if you give her school work, arts and crafts or whatever, she is happy.
I have a lot that I want to be doing around the home and it is really easy for me to get over there wondering what life would be like if I did not homeschool. What great projects would be going, how much quilting would I get done, what type of Christmas presents I might could make??? Then the news comes on and you hear what kids are doing out in the world, or your neighbors stop by and you see how their children are acting.......My daughters are not perfect, they fight with each other and they can get loud, but at least I am right in the middle of their lives, knowing what they are doing, how they are treating each other and I can train them in the right ways.
Yes, as my daughters get older, they do go and do things without me or their father with them, but we do not fear what they are doing or how they are acting........we have trained them up in a godly way, that we trust they do what is right and act as if we were right there with them. And if they should do something they shouldn't, we are at home praying at night that God will convect them so bad that they can not sleep and that they have to come and confess what they have done. This does not happen very often, but it has happened with our oldest one.
Well, this post certainly went all over the place. That's what happens when I sit down on a Monday morning with my thoughts going all over the place.
