Aug. 27, 2008 - Looking for great literature..

Here are several links for great book lists.

1000 Good Book List

Paula's Archives
This particular site has several interesting lists and links.  Like Easy Chapter Books, Living Books for Science, Books to Supplement History and Movies to Supplement History.

Living Books for Children

Bethlehem Books

Sonlight Curriculum has a catalog that features their literature selections.  You can order a catalog at their website.

Tapestry of Grace This site is massive.  You need to click on Year 1, Year 2, etc. and then on the literature link on the left of the screen.  It will take you to each of the four units for that year.  Click on the unit and it will give you lists of books to read and links for extra helps in literature.  They have put a lot of work into this site to make it very helpful. 

Homeschool Share has great lists of early reading books, plus free lesson plans to go with them.

Hopefully, you will be able to get ideas and direction from these sites.  Gladys Hunt has also written some very helpful books called Honey for a Child's Heart and Honey for a Teen's Heart.

Blessings,
Robin

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Jul. 25, 2008 - Online Conferences

Homeschool conferences can be such a blessing and encouragement to you and your family.  Here in Indiana most of the conferences are in the spring, so come late summer and fall we don't have any available to us to attend in person.  That is when online conferences can be such a blessing.  I found this site from Christian Home Educators in Colorado that lists all the talks from the past 3 years of their homeschool conferences online.  You can listen to them from your computer for free anytime.  If you want to download them there is a charge. 

You can sort the talks by speaker, topic, year or just scroll through the entire list to see if there is something that you are needing to hear right now.  By listening to these speakers you can be inspired and encouraged in your role as a homeschool parent.

Blessings,
Robin

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Jul. 25, 2008 - Is it legal to homeschool?

YES!  It is legal to homeschool in all 50 states.  Each state has it's own laws concerning homeschooling and they vary state to state.  Here in Indiana we have very friendly laws to work with.  The legislators have decided to trust parents to teach and train their children without burdening them with excess paperwork. 

Home School Legal Defense Association has worked tirelessly over the past 25 years to help make homeschooling legal.  They have a very helpful website that will help you find out more about the legal requirements for each state.  You can find out more about the requirements for Indiana here at the HSLDA page for Indiana.  They also have a page on the general news and updates concerning Indiana here.

The Indiana Association of Home Educators also has a summary of the laws of homeschooling in the state of Indiana here.

I highly recommend joining Home School Legal Defense Association.  Legal issues concerning homeschooling in Indiana are infrequent, but they do happen.  Being a member of HSLDA will help ensure that your homeschooling rights will be defended by knowledgeable counsel, and will benefit homeschoolers across our nation.

Blessings,
Robin

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Apr. 14, 2008 - Indianapolis Homeschool Convention

The Indiana Association of Home Educators (IAHE) will be having their 23rd Annual Home Educators Convention this coming weekend, April 18 & 19th.

The  keynote speakers this year will be Michael Smith, from HSLDA and Norm Wakefield, of the Spirit of Elijah Ministries.
The theme for this year's convention is "Embracing the Vision."
You can get more information about the convention at the IAHE website.

At the convention you would be able to look through different curriculum in the vendor hall, but more importantly you would be able to hear a wide array of speakers that will encourage and challenge you in your homeschooling journey.


Blessings,
Robin

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Apr. 12, 2008 - National Poetry Month

Did you know that April in National Poetry Month? I have some links that you can check out that will help you celebrate Poetry Month and incorporate it into your homeschool year round.


Poetry in Homeschool was put together by Jimmie, a homeschooling mom who continues to amaze me.

Poets.org has a lot of information, as well as the "put a poem in your pocket" day.

Ambleside Online, a Charlotte Mason site, has a lovely poetry section here.

I found this little site that has 30 days of lessons for poetry.  Looks like it would be easy and fun to use.


I hope with all these different sites that you can find something that will be a nice fit for your homeschool.

Blessings,
Robin

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Apr. 2, 2008 - Places To See

With spring here and summer on its way you may be wanting to do some traveling or take some field trips.

Here are a few links that will give you ideas and information on places of interest.

Homeschoolbuyers Co-op Indiana Field Trips

Homeschoolbuyers Co-op US & Canada Field Trips

Indiana State Parks & Reservoirs

Visit Indiana


Happy Traveling!
Robin

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Apr. 1, 2008 - How Do I Begin?

You have heard about homeschooling and now you would like to learn more about it, but where do you begin?

Homeschooling your children will take a commitment from you; and maybe you're wondering if it is something that you would really be able to do. It does take hard work, but it is not so different from being committed to being their parent. Begin by seeking the Lord's direction, read and learn as much as you can about homeschooling, talk with other homeschoolers, and if possible, attend a homeschool convention.

As your children grow, they will need to be educated and you will have to decide how that will take place and who will be doing it. God's word tells us in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 that our children are to be taught by us throughout the day.

     "And these words, which I command thee this day shall
      be in thine heart:
      And thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine
      house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when
      thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

You may choose to delegate the teaching of your children to someone else. But do you have any control over what they will be taught, what they will be learning, or what the environment they will be in? Those are some important questions to ask yourself. If you choose to homeschool your children, you will be able to be with them throughout the day and will be able to choose what they will be learning. Along with your spouse, seek the Lord through prayer and His Word for direction and guidance in this area.

Reading as much as you can about homeschooling will help you have a better understanding of what it is and also how to do it. There are so many wonderful books on this subject that will give you a better understanding about what it is all about and why you would want to homeschool.

Here is a very short list of books and websites about homeschooling that I'd recommend. (You can check your local library for these titles. If they do not have them you can ask your library if they would inter-library loan them. An inter-library loan is when they get the desired item from another library for you. If you still can't find them, you could ask a friend if they have any you could borrow, or you could buy them from one of the homeschool companies listed in the left sidebar.)

Home Schooling: The Right Choice - An Academic, Historical, Practical, and Legal Perspective by Christopher Klicka

Homeschooling Methods: Seasoned Advice on Learning Styles by Gena and Paul Suarez

The Heart of Homeschooling: Teaching & Living What Really Matters by Christopher Klicka

Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson

Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola

Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn

100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum and Approach for Your Child's Learning Style by Cathy Duffy

Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling by Mary Pride

Homeschooling - How to Get Started to download this FREE e-book Click Here

HSLDA You Can Homeschool (Click Here)

Beginning to Homeschool

How To Homeschool

Biblical Reasons to Homeschool by Chris Klicka

You can also learn so much by talking with other homeschoolers, such as how they homeschool, what they use, what works for them, and what didn't work for them. One of the beauties of homeschooling is the diversity that each family can have - there does not have to be any cookie cutters stamping out exact duplicates. Each family will teach different and have a different style because the people in each family will be different. If you don't know any other homeschooling families, you might want to just ask around. You could also go to the Indiana Association of Home Educators website and look up the region that you are in and contact your region representatives and they can help you connect with someone locally. You will find that site here.

Another option would be to search around on HomeschoolBlogger and look for families that are sharing what is going on in their homeschool and how they do it. It is a great way to learn the different ways real families are educating their children at home.  You can find the link to that at very top of this page.

Attending a homeschool convention would be a great advantage for you as you begin this adventure. You can learn from speakers who will share their insights and knowledge concerning all different aspects of homeschooling. There are also vendor halls so you can get a first hand look at the different curriculum available. Being able to see the curriculum and browse through it before purchasing can be very helpful. The statewide Indiana convention is held yearly in the spring. You can find out more details about it here. The Fort Wayne Area Home Schools have a convention yearly in May. Details for it are here.

We have put several links on both sidebars of this site so you can connect with different resources that will help you with your homeschool. One of the most important and helpful sites is the Home School Legal Defense Association. They offer legal assistance and information, as well as work tirelessly to help keep homeschooling legal. You should direct any legal questions directly to them. Looking over their website will give you much encouragement and information.

Another helpful site is the National Home Education Research Institute. It offers documentation about homeschooling and how homeschool children compare with public and private schooled children.

As you investigate homeschooling, you will learn about different styles of homeschooling such as Classical, Charlotte Mason, Unit Studies, Traditional Textbook, Delight Directed, etc. You will find that many families use an eclectic approach and pull from many of these different styles to make their own unique homeschool.  You will also be able to learn more about your child's own learning style.

Homeschooling does indeed take a major commitment in your life, but what you may be surprised to find is that after the initial learning and adjustment phase, it will become a way of life, and your family is closer as a result of it. May God bless you as you begin to teach and train your own children.

Blessings,
Robin

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Mar. 28, 2008 - Welcome to our new site!

Welcome to our new site! We hope that you find it informative and helpful. Our goal here is to create encouraging and informative posts and have a place to keep all the wonderful links to sites that are great resources for homeschoolers and families.

On the left sidebar you will find links to homeschool companies that sell a variety of educational books and curriculum. Further down on the left side are companies that specialize and sell curriculum in the many different styles of homeschooling. One exception would be the Charlotte Mason section, most of its links offer free resources. We wanted to keep it listed with the other styles.

On the right sidebar you will find some important websites that deal specifically with our legal rights and statewide information. Further down on the right sidebar are listings of sites that offer free resources!

We will be adding links and updating this blog when time allows. Comments are welcome, but we would prefer them in an email. You may use the email me link on the upper left sidebar.

May God bless your homeschool!

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Mar. 27, 2008 - Link To Us

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Blessings,
- Miss Emily Rose -

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