Reflections on homeschooling life - both struggles and successes. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:31:00 -0500 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:31:00 -0500 Much as I like the idea of homeschoolblogger, I found that it's just an unwieldy interface. I already have several blogs on blogger, so I just added a homeschool blog there. Cornerstone Home Learning  Come visit me! (Anyone from the management of homeschoolblogger who is interested in the problems I encountered and the contrast in functionality to other blogging services, please feel free to contact me.) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/549930/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:31:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/549930/ I don't think I'll be posting much here anymore. Even though I like the idea of a homeschool blog site, I much prefer the functionality of Blogger.  I am also finding it hard to remember to post here, although I post there almost daily. If you'd like to stay in touch, please email me and I'll let you know my blog address, if you don't already know it.  lisaquing@gmail.com http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/504558/ Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:26:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/504558/ Cool Contest! Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while -- next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE!  This is a $219 program (and believe me it's worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian. This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program.  Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking.  Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they're included!  For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports.    To win this most excellent program -- in the language of your choice -- copy these paragraphs and post it in (or as) your next blog post -- then to enter the contest, go to the original contest page HERE: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/501132/  and leave a comment with the link showing where you blogged about it.  And please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post it.  And good luck!  The winner will be picked randomly on March 26, and will be notified thru the link they left to their blog pg.   And if you have more than one blog, you can post them and enter those separately for more chances to win.   Yay for free stuff! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/503684/ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:23:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/503684/ The Detroit Institute of Arts was our field trip yesterday!  David, Emily, James and I spent several hours exploring the newly redesigned and far more child-friendly museum. Accompanying us was my good friend Debbie and 3 of her children - some of my children's favorite companions. (We both left our youngest children home as we were not so brave as to take five year olds along this time.) It takes about 75 minutes to drive to the DIA and then about 30 minutes to find a place to park since the parking lot was full. Evidently the museum is free to Detroit residents on Fridays, a fact we were unaware of when making our plans.  (This Sunday is also free, if you are so inclined!) It was the first time for James to visit the art museum. He liked the Egyptian mummy the most as well as the mummy cases. He also liked the suits of armor - big surprise! lol He wanted to explore the Native American section more but we ran out of time and attention span. Emily had been to this museum before. She also liked the mummy a lot. The giant painting of The Last Supper made a big impression on her because Jesus had light shining from him. She thought Judas looked suspicious because of the way his body was positioned. She bought a mood ring in the gift shop. David also had visited the DIA previously a couple of times. A large crocodile headdress from the African collection made a big impression on him. The armor was also a favorite. David thought this triptych was "cool" because he "likes to carve". I always love the Egyptian collection and wish I could spend a lot of time just staring at each object. Sadly, children's attention spans are not that long.  I would have liked to examine more closely this page from The Book of the Dead. I have little patience for African "art" or Native American items, although the latter is far preferable in my view.  Some of the things I liked were the triptych David admired, a stone effigy of a knight, the intricately designed ceilings, some very beautifully and skillfully done portraits by Rembrandt Peale including one of George Washington, and some lovely Greek and Roman jewelry. One pair of earrings reminded me of a pair I made at a workshop given by my friend Penny, except that the museum earrings were gold, pearl and amethyst and mine are just glass beads. lol  A painting with symbols of immortality was also quite intriguing. We were all pretty impressed by a section of mosaic flooring from ancient Rome (pictured above).  The kids all liked going up and down the spiral staircase. Also one of their favorite things to do was to attempt to lean over the railings and look down into the 'courtyard' inside the building. We had to go up to the 3rd floor merely to attempt this, although the adults did not realize this goal until after the 3rd floor had been reached. They also loved riding in the elevator. Simple pleasures!  The "Eye Spy" puzzles placed in many rooms were a big hit with the kids as well. There was a lot we did not get to - Asian art, the 3rd floor (British, Dutch, Fashionable Living, etc..), Modern, Rivera Court, and much much more. Plans for going again were discussed vaguely and I am sure we'll make another visit. I'd also like to go with just ADULTS so I don't have to repeat ad nauseum things like, "Don't point so close to the painting" , "Don't get so close to the statue" , "Remember, no touching" , "Quit leaning over the railing" , "Didn't we just go to the bathroom"  and more. lol  Then I could just look and read and browse to my heart's content. Someday.....  Anyone up for a Mom's Night Out?  Or Mom's Sunday Afternoon? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/495039/ Sat, 8 Mar 2008 15:15:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/495039/ I asked David and Emily to write just a short reaction to the Pride and Prejudice movie we watched last week. (If you watch, get the LONG version from A&E!)  Anyway, I thought the reviews showed so very clearly the reactions of men and women to this story. See if you can guess whose is whose. LOL Btw, I left the spelling intact, in the interest of being "real". Review 1 This is the story of 5 girles and there famaly. It is a romance book and movie. I guess it's a classic novel. This movie is about 6 hours long. Not much happened in the story. I guess it didn't captivate my intrists. The way everyone talked was odd. It's like they wanted to complicate everything. Review 2 I liked the whole movie especially when they loved each other at the end and he smiled.  I cannot believe it. Lydia married Mr. Wickcamm and visited them (the family) and at the end two girls got married. Did you guess whose was whose? lol http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/493546/ Thu, 6 Mar 2008 09:35:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/493546/ The description of my blog says "struggles and successes." Time to post a struggle. I think prayer time is important for a family. My husband agrees. So we have implemented a family prayer time that is held fairly regularly - several times a week, anyway - since fall at least. That ought to be enough time for the kids to get used to it, right? Prayer time starts with taking requests. My husband often does this but lately the kids have wanted a turn at writing them out. We keep them in a notebook. So there are spelling questions and suchlike. This part takes FAR too long, in my opinion. Then we usually sit in a circle on the living room floor for the prayers. We sometimes hold hands, but that usually causes more troubles than it's worth. "I don't want to hold HIS hand," or kids scooting around the circle once they realize who they're sitting by to avoid hand holding. One of the kids begins and prays and we pass the notebook around to help us to remember the requests. Bob always ends up, so that none of the requests are missed. Sounds straightforward, right? Well, it's almost always a struggle. Bad attitudes, wiggly kids, opened eyes, distractions, etc. etc. etc. Today I got so frustrated that I got up and left in the middle of it. Yep, I thought I'd be honest and share our struggles. No preaching, please! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/488643/ Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:46:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/488643/ I have declared today Jane Austen Day - which is really just an occasion for me to watch Pride and Prejudice. Ah wait, did I just say that? I MEANT it was an opportunity to introduce my children to the writing of Jane Austen and the British culture of the early 1800's. We have watched about half of the 6 hours, so it looks like tomorrow will be Jane Austen Day Continued. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/487427/ Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:31:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/487427/ Emily (age 10) read the A Beka Book version of Pilgrim's Progress recently. (Yes, I know it's a 3rd grade reader, but I don't care. I don't think she would have enjoyed as much in 3rd grade. Besides I forgot to have her read it then! lol)  David had read it a few years ago, as well.  (Yeah, probably in 3rd grade. Back then I was a little more anal about stuff like that.) ANYWAY. When I taught school, I taught in a Christian school that used A Beka. (And yeah, I had third graders.) So we did Pilgrim's Progress. And then we watched the video afterwards. It was an animated video and I don't have access to it now.  I think I saw it in the CBD catalog the other day, however! But on Netflix, I found an older live action movie version. It even starred Liam Neeson, in what I found out was his first movie role!  So, I got it for the kids and we watched it today. It was pretty good, even considering the special effects circa 1979 and the obvious low budget.  My kids all enjoyed it, even 5yo Suzy, and I think they got the concept of the story and could follow the plot.  Before the movie started, there was a short overview of the life of John Bunyan, the author. George Beverly Shea, the famous hymn singer, was the narrator. And yes, they all recognized Liam Neeson. After all, he plays Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars movies AND he does the voice of Aslan in the Narnia movies. David asked me if Liam Neeson was a Christian. I had to say I don't think so, based on his movie roles, although I don't know for sure. He sure would have to know the truth as his main role in this film was Evangelist, and he also played several other characters including Jesus. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/481887/ Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:35:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/481887/ Today I began teaching Suzy to READ!  Whee!  Well, she's been learning letter sounds all year, but today we began the section of Alphabet Island Phonics that teaches the student to decode short vowel words.  YAY!  It struck me that soon I will have FOUR reading children and I will have taught all of them to read!  How cool is that! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/470870/ Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:40:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/470870/ I thought it would be cool to post a list of books I have received free from paperbackswap.com. Over two hundred books have come my way through PBS since I joined, but I'm just going to list the ones specifically for homeschooling over the last few months. Explode the Code, Bk 6 History Pockets, Ancient Civilizations, Grade 1-3 Literature Pockets, Folktales Fairytales, Grades K-1 A Guide for Using The Cricket in Times Square in the Classroom The Cricket in Times Square 100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing The Right Curriculum And Approach For Your Child's Learning Style Nitty-Gritty Grammar : A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication Seascapes (Looking at Paintings Series) Draw Fantasy: Dragons, Centaurs, and Other Mythological Characters History Pockets, Ancient Egypt, Grades 4-6 Pyramids: 50 Hands-On Activities to Experience Ancient Egypt (Kaleidoscope Kids) 6,000 Years of Earth History (CD) (Vision Forum) Alternatives to Worksheets: Motivational Reading and Writing Activities Across the Curriculum Gonzo Gizmos: Projects Devices to Channel Your Inner Geek Storytime Crafts for Kids Making God's Word Stick Backyard Ballistics History Pockets, Ancient Greece, Grades 4-6 (History Pockets) Ancient Greece!: 40 Hands-On Activities to Experience This Wondrous Age (Kaleidoscope Kids) The Enormous Egg DK Readers: Going for Gold (Level 4: Proficient Readers) DK Readers: Robin Hood (Level 4: Proficient Readers) Literature Pockets, Fiction (Literature Pockets) Johann Sebastian Bach (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) Twizzlers Percentages Book The Bronze Bow A Coloring Book of Tutankhamun A Coloring Book of Ancient Egypt Steven Caney's Invention Book Child's Play (6-12) : 160 Instant Activities, Crafts, and Science Projects for Grade Schoolers Life in Ancient Egypt Coloring Book Honestly, Katie John That's a nice list, isn't it?  Now, to use paperbackswap, one lists books she no longer wants and mails them out to people who request them, earning a credit per book. You pay for the books you mail out - an average of $2 per book.  You can use your credits to request other books you want and the sender pays for the shipping.  It is AWESOME!! Wanna try it out?  Link in my sidebar! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/469328/ Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:52:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaQuing/469328/