Homeschooling in Nova Scotia, Canada - Homeschool Blogger

Important Notice - Blog Address Change!

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 21:19:00 -0600

Hello everyone!

TOS has decided to close down the Homeschool Nations blogs. As a result, I am moving my blog posts to www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolnovascotia You'll find all the information, links, and reviews from our beautiful province of Nova Scotia at the new blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Live, Love &
Laugh,

Kimberly

Old Schoolhouse Magazine - Special Offers Expire Midnight Oct 30

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:54:00 -0500

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has offers for those in the U.S. & in Canada...

We are a magazine with a heart for homeschooling.

For U.S. Subscribers...Now, you can enjoy a one-year subscription for only $7.95!

The Real Deal--Get at least $100 worth of gifts for FREE!

These are tight economic times. Many homeschooling families are sacrificing extra income to provide an education for their children.

At TOS Magazine we support and stand with you, in your convictions and in this economy. That is why we are delivering big savings on subscriptions and at least $100 worth of free gifts!

Subscribe or renew for one year (U.S., print) and pay only $7.95. PLUS, receive 10 FREE gifts--while supplies last!

There are 19 gifts from which to choose and you won't even have to pay shipping--that's free too.

Hurry! The 10 gifts are gone at midnight on October 30!

How do you get the 68% savings and 10 free gifts of your choice?

It is so easy to get all of these goodies!

Here's what you need to do:

Place the one-year, print (U.S.) subscription in your cart. Or you can purchase a one-year subscription plus current issue (U.S.) for only $5.00 more. Or purchase a gift sub for friends!
Enter coupon code 10GIFTS at checkout.
Complete the checkout process.
We will email you a gift selection form after your purchase.
Complete and return this form via email.
We'll U.S. mail you 10 gift cards which can be redeemed for the gifts via U.S. mail, though several companies will allow you to redeem online or by phone. All of the companies will pay the shipping to get the product to you--no strings attached.

For our returning customers, you'll enjoy a FREE bonus gift.

With your renewal, you'll receive a FREE copy of Dreams and Designs--Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool! This bonus E-Book is in addition to the 10 FREE gifts! Renew now!

You'll receive one year of The Old Schoolhouse®
Magazine at a 40% savings and the E-Book Dreams and Designs for FREE!

With a spark of low-cost creativity and a few simple instructions . . . you'll be amazed! Design fun, easy-to-make learning aids and imaginative organizing tools using household items--and dream of your best homeschool year yet!

Read more about the Dreams and Designs: Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool E-Book.This $12.45 value is yours FREE, when you renew your Canadian or international subscription.

Do you know someone with whom you would like to share this fantastic deal?

Christmas Hymn Copywork E-book Review

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:41:00 -0500

From Sharon Crooks comes a new title in the WisdomKids series: Delight in the Lord - Celebrating our Saviour in Hymns, Volume 1. It is part of a Bible and copywork program designed for children 6 and up. However, I know my 5 year old daughter, who loves to sing, is going to enjoy working through this as we get closer to Christmas. I was provided with a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

There are 6 hymns inside this 80 page e-book, including such favourites as Away in A Manger and The First Noel, as well as a couple new ones for me that I've learned. I love that definitions of possibly problematic words are included before each hymn. Plenty of room is given to copy the words of each hymn, and I like that tracing is omitted since I'm a fan of the children forming the letters on their own. In addition, the copy-work pages are plain and uncluttered so the children can concentrate on their printing. Fill-in-the-blank, colouring pages, and activity pages are included for each hymn, along with Bible verses and discussion.

There are a few things that would improve this e-book. First, it would be nice if the words to copy were also written in on the lines that are provided for the children to copy - this may be problematic for those children who are just starting to learn to print and forget which letters are tall and which end at the mid-line for instance. Second, none of the links provided to listen to the hymns online worked for me, which is unfortunate since this is a nice idea, integrating musical links to listen to with your child. (Note: as of Oct 29th the links work, Sharon Crooks has fixed them - now you can listen to the hymns!) Lastly, an index would be handy, so you don't have to scroll or flip through the entire e-book to see which hymns are included, etc.

Delight in the Lord - Celebrating our Saviour in Hymns, Volume 1 is available for download at Currclick.com for $8.95 US. You can also "become a fan" of Sharon Crooks on Facebook to keep up with her newest products.

Friday Open Skates at Dartmouth Complex

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:43:00 -0500

Join other homeschoolers at the Dartmouth Complex 10:15 - 11:45 am Fridays for an open skate. $4 per child, $9 per family. Afterward the homeschoolers will go upstairs to the cafe for tea and hot chocolate.
For more information about this and other homeschooling activities going on in the Halifax-Dartmouth area, go to the Facebook group "The Comedy of Errors"

FREE maps from Knowledge Quest

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:34:00 -0500

Knowledge Quest is releasing a new book full of maps, including historical maps - "Map Trek Volume 1, Ancient World". They have been pre-releasing some of the maps. They're just terrific and you can download them for free HERE. I'm using the map of Mesopotamia today in our homeschool. They will be releasing more - to receive notification when more free maps are available, join the Knowledge Quest Facebook Fan Page.

Note: Map Quest is now available for download HERE for $14.95 US. I've purchased it myself, what useful maps for our homeschool and what a great deal!

Homeschool Talent Show November 4th and 11th - online

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:13:00 -0500

CLICK HERE to reserve your seat for the Talent Show! Begins 8pm Atlantic Time.

Autumn Treasures FREE Unit Study & Lapbook by Amanda Bennett

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:18:00 -0500

Click above for your week-long unit study/lapbook. This is just the first in a series that The Old Schoolhouse is releasing...

Where Unit Studies and Lapbooks Come Together
Easy . . . Innovative . . . Effective . . .

An exciting, brand new, E-Book series by Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse®. Amanda Bennett is well-known for her groundbreaking unit studies that are popular with homeschool families around the world.

Download instantly! The learning process is on GO from that point on--let the fun begin!
Units are theme based and full of exciting discoveries and motivation to develop lifelong learners.

Each study is one week in length, having five daily lessons with lapbook components for each day.

Each student creates a complete lapbook--a finished capsule of learning.

All the research and preparation have been done!

Hyperlinks are embedded right in the study--saving you time!

Integrated studies include history, geography, reading, science, spelling,
vocabulary, writing, art, and more.

Units are reusable year after year--nothing is consumed.

There are no expensive resources required!

Includes a great list of books that you can use to enrich your study, but
they are not required.

Check out some of the fun and unique upcoming themes for 2010:

              Seasons                        Americans that Made a Difference
              Places in the World                 Toys and Gadgets
              Presidents & Patriots               Sports
              Ocean Animals                        Literary Giants

Special Introductory Pricing. Limited Time Offer!

Get in on the special introductory pricing and save 20%! Purchase a semester--19 weekly studies--Regularly priced at $114--Click here for a Special introductory price of only $91.20!

Pre-pay for an entire school year--38 weekly studies--Regularly priced at $190--Click here for a Special introductory price of only $152!

Canspell Spelling Bee - Register now!

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 19:48:00 -0500

Register your homeschool by October 16th to participate in the 2010 Canwest Canspell Spelling Bee! Go to canspell.com and fill out the form. Regional Bees begin February 12, 2010.

Some Canspell Webpages of Interest...
Spelling Activities & Games to download for teachers

Spellers' Corner with Dave

Other spelling resources...
www.spellingcity.com

www.Spellquizzer.com

Enjoy spelling with your children!

Live, Love &
Laugh,
Kimberly

Someplace Called Special - A Look At Homeschooling Special Needs Children - Review

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:51:00 -0500

Someplace Called Special is a new e-book from The Old Schoolhouse. I received this e-book free of charge from The Old Schoolhouse in exchange for an honest review. In its pages are personal stories from Christian families about their own experiences homeschooling children with special needs. Ten stories are included, about children with Dyslexia, ADHD, deafness, Asperger's, Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome, gifted, Lupus and Sensory Processing Disorder. Also included are an FAQ, a couple articles about I.E.P.'s, a glossary on the special needs mentioned, and my favourite, a fantastic list by Amanda Fuller, "Ten Reasons to Homeschool Your Child With Special Needs".

Even though I don't have a special needs child per se, I could see some of my son in the story shared about the gifted little girl, in his perfectionism. I have some new perspective on it, and gleaned some ideas on how to handle his perfectionist streak when next it rears its head. If you are considering homeschooling your child with special needs, this book will give you some confidence to begin and some ideas for how-to. If you're already homeschooling your child, this book will give you some terrific perspective, and energize you to keep on going.

This e-book is now available for download at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $12.45 US.

Registering for Homeschooling

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 15:18:00 -0500

It's that time of year again, time to register your homeschooled children. Perhaps this is your very first year homeschooling and you're not sure of the requirements.

It's fairly easy to homeschool in Nova Scotia. All children ages 5 - 16 (re Amendment to Education Act Regulations, Section 3(1)) must be registered by September 20th of the coming school year, said registration including: "in the case of previous public school experience, the last grade level attained; in the case of previous home education experience, the program level of achievement and estimated equivalent public school grade level; and identification of the proposed home education program" (Regulations Section 39 (2)) You may send in a letter to register. You may send in a letter to register with the required information, or fill out the Registration form offered by the Department of Education on their website (see link to the right). Please be advised that if you are registering your child for the first time, the Ministry will demand a copy of your child's birth certificate, so you may want to include one with your registration.

In the Regulations, reference is only made to providing your children with an "educational program". There are no stipulations as to what the "educational program" must be and can be whatever you feel is appropriate to give your child a well-rounded education. This gives you complete freedom to choose whatever materials (religious or secular) you want and to design your own program that meets your child's needs - the possibilities are endless! If you are new to homeschooling, the task of choosing curricula can seem daunting, but don't let it scare you! Start by chatting with other homeschoolers. Please see the list of links to the right for more information on contacting homeschoolers near you. Another way to connect with homeschoolers throughout Nova Scotia would be to join an email group. There are Yahoogroups for Nova Scotia homeschoolers, such as HomeLearnersNS and one for Cape Bretoners called HomeschoolingCapers - both listed in the sidebar.

A couple of great articles and resources for those new to homeschooling...
HomeschoolStarter.com the homeschool how-to site
New to Homeschooling? Getting Started
10 Good Reasons to Homeschool

Live, Love, &
Laugh,

Kimberly