Our spontaneous homeschool life! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:52:00 -0500 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:52:00 -0500 I take my children into the church service with me. And usually, I enjoy it that way. Once in a while I have a discouraging Sunday. (the three year old announces he has to p**p out loud, or the 1 year old won't fall asleep as I planned) Here's the encouraging part: Joshua 8:35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them. 2 Chronicles 20:13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. I read this today and was reminded that we are a family before God and He enjoys my children more than I do. Maybe I am reading something into these verses but it was an encouragement to me to continue doing what we are doing! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/710067/ Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:52:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/710067/ Here is a "report" I print and pass out at our end of school party (which is mostly attended by my family...) I just thought it might be fun to read, but I can't figure out how to get the double spacing that I used in Word to show up on my post, so it all runs together. Sorry! If you suffer through reading it More Power to YOU! Education Facts & Homeschool Report for Huff’s Home Life Academy 2008-2009 Funding for public school comes from City taxes and Property taxes. Where does this funding get our nation in educational terms? "We're No. 1" honors go to Finland, Japan and Korea. Finland, Japan and Korea were the top finishers in a study that measured 265,000 15-year-olds' literacy in reading, mathematics and science. U.S. students finished 15th in reading, 19th in math and 14th in science - and in a study that only ranked 31 nations. Smartest State? TN ranks 30th among the 50 states, with Vermont being the smartest at #1. In 2008-2009 school year, Crossville public schools spent on average $4,316 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. Vermont spends in the $7-8,000 range. Funding for homeschooling comes from the parent’s paycheck (after they pay the taxes that pay for public school student’s education). If we spent what Crossville spends per student ($4,316 x 4 = $17,264) imagine what I could do! This figure doesn’t even include the fact that I teach two preschoolers, buy books and other educational supplies for them! What we spent last year on our homeschooling: (not including preschoolers) $442 Math (text books can be re-used year to year by other students) $160 Literature, History, Geography, Science (videos and text books can be reused) $1200 Field Trips: (one week in Colonial Williamsburg, groups and socialization ;o) $28 Vocabulary, Spelling $650 Spanish Curriculum (can be used with multiple students, forever, a one time expense) $150 Filing and Registration compliance with laws $220 Renting Educational materials & (25) Out of County (Knoxville) library card $200 supplies such as ink for printer, paper, notebooks, pencils, erasers, binders… This comes to about $762.50 per student for 2008-2009. (You could say that homeschoolers get a private education for less than the cost of a public school education couldn’t you? I penny pinched, scrimped, sold stuff, and heavily utilized the Crossville and Knoxville libraries to keep my expenses this low. (Basically a lot of extra work for the teacher (me), resulting in less time for teacher to student hands on learning time.) By the way, if you transported books back and forth to Knoxville library for me last year THANKS! Projected expense for 2009-2010 $ 250 Math (need higher ed. books, Calculus, Trigonometry) $1050 Literature, History, Geography, Science, Biology, Ecology $150 Filing and Registration $300 Textiles and Clothing (high school elective for Macey) $1000 Field Trip $500 Senior Year Expenses, testing, diploma, etc. $400 Music Related Expenses $200 supplies such as ink for printer, paper, notebooks, pencils, erasers, binders… $XXX ***wish list A new Computer, if things go well This would come to $962.50 per student this year (again, not including preschoolers). This is a “projected expense” in other words, the money has not been spent, but this is what I (the teacher) would like to have to spend on homeschooling this year. This is the basics of what I feel I will need to get by this year, with the only “frills” being the Field Trips. Field trips are not only for education and socialization, but also a time when we reconnect and talk about “big” topics, such as “what am I going to do with the rest of my life???” and “what are my goals for my future?” So, I could easily spend $1500 per student this year or more, but I do try to keep my projected expense in the realm of possibility based on what we are likely to have access to, financially. I am praying that this year money will appear and we will be able to go above the standard of what we have done previously and include a few more fun/educational items to the school day. Just an extra little bit of information here, just for kicks… Things I did this year to soften the financial blow: used the library as much as possible, purchased literature from The Book Cellar and other used bookstores, used an online resource called Paperback Swap, wrote product reviews for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, sold/swapped used curriculum, purchased in bulk, made up my own lesson plans/curriculum for many subjects. School can be comprised of many things. Learning about food safety, nutrition, shopping and meal planning is considered home economics! Gardening is considered agriculture. Raising and breeding animals is educational. When educating teachers must think outside of the box, hands-on learning leaves more of a lasting impression than workbooks. Being creative is the key! Always finding a way to teach while we work makes learning natural. Field trips we have taken include many museums, studios, farms, tours and other places to see first hand “how it works” or “how it’s made.” Sometimes it’s been so much fun that “we” didn’t even realize we were in school… As for progress towards The Big Goal…graduation…Macey has earned all but 6 of her high school credits and that with a 4.0. If she continues and works this summer, she can graduate in December (that would be ½ year early)! Benton and Ivy are both a little behind in Math, so they will be having summer school, but they are also taking advanced classes like first year Spanish and typing. Since I hate to leave Haley out, she will be summer schooling too! Haley has tested out of some math levels. She is actually a year ahead of schedule and will be earning high school credits again this year. It is possible that Haley could graduate a year early, easily, and if she applies herself, she could possibly graduate even earlier. The requirement for a legal day of school is four hours, which we always surpass. It is mandatory for children to attend school for a minimum of 180 days per year. As of today, this year’s school end, the children have attended for approximately 198 days. This is even with our sporadic and often spontaneous schedule! As always, I would like to stick to a schedule, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Our plan for 2009-2010 (including summer school) is as follows: Monday School Tuesday School Wednesday Off/sometimes/Teachers In Service Day (Mimi) Thursday Off/Teacher’s In Service Day (see below) (Nana) Friday School Saturday School Sunday Off for Church/Family On school days the children will be completing formal lessons from 9:30-12:30 and finishing up from 1:30-3:30. During these hours the children will have assignments to complete as well as lecture/instruction, hands-on, etc. Occasionally, the children will need extra time during their day to complete assignments; they have quiet time and free time for this. Classes for Macey this year are as follows: English IV, Calculus, Church History, Ecology or Biology II, Textiles & Clothing, Interpersonal Communication, Family Dynamics, Visual Arts, Adult Living (6 credits) Macey will continue to study Spanish, although she has already earned the maximum credits allowed. Classes for Haley this year are as follows: English II, Literature, Algebra, Spanish II, Physical Education, Music, History, Church History, Economics, and Journalism, SAT/ACT prep class. Ben and Ivy will be continuing in Math, English/Language Arts, Literature, History/Geography, Church History, Vocabulary, Spelling, Art/Music, Computer skills and typing, and Spanish. Harmon and Shawna both have short pre-school lessons daily, either taught by the older children or myself. They both enjoy having books read to them, singing Bible songs, learning Nursery Rhymes, colors and doing their Five in a Row lessons! So, if you are hanging out with them, offer to read them a book or teach them a new song! Things I would like to do during Teacher’s In Service days this year (a new thing I am implementing) include, staying on top of grading papers, planning lessons, reserving/picking up books from the libraries, etc. Since the children usually spend at least one day per week away from home with either Mimi or Nana, I would like to start using that day as a Teacher’s In Service Day. By having one day alone (with just Shawna) at home at least every other week, I would be able to be a better teacher. Being a teacher requires a lot of work, but teaching 4-6 children on different grade levels requires even more work and planning ahead, something I didn’t always get to do this year. The children enjoyed the end of unit celebrations this year and we plan to continue them again for the upcoming school year. Because they do not go to a public school I do not often get to brag about their accomplishments, show off their grade cards, etc. Having end of unit celebrations gives us a chance to show what we are studying and have a good time at the same time. We hope you will continue to be a part of the journey… http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/695564/ Wed, 3 Jun 2009 16:03:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/695564/ I got this in my email today from a Garden website and had to share, I love the last line, by the way, cause if you know me, you know I don't forward chain mail! Thanks George, I think you hit the nail on the head! A Message by George Carlin: The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete... Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares? George Carlin http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/679516/ Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:58:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/679516/ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/678283/ Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:22:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/678283/ Spring is such a wonderful time of year, isn't it? I absolutely LOVE the "new beginning" feeling, don't you?  So much hope... So, we're bustling around here planting seeds, clearing orchards, mowing, getting the yard in order, playing in the greenhouse... We are doing something all the time! I love it. Time to get outdoors and breathe in the fresh air... SPRING IS HERE!!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/677319/ Wed, 8 Apr 2009 20:42:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/677319/ This week we are gearing up for our Renaissance and Reformation Night to celebrate the end of Unit 2 of Year 2 Tapestry of Grace. I have learned SO much this year. How I wish I had heard of Tapestry a long time ago! Some of the things we are planning to do on R&R Night: Sing a Martin Luther Hymn Feast on Renaissance Food...think Leonardo's Soup, Crusty Rolls, Aztec Hot Chocolate, Salai's Cookies.... Do a Renaissance dance, to Renaissance music...think of the dance in A Knights Tale Show off our maps, reports, display boards and art work Have fun and be together! I have truly enjoyed this unit and am so excited about the upcoming unit on the New World, Captain John Smith and a well known Native American Gal... A friend recently asked me a million questions about Tapestry...Here are a few answers I would like to share with everyone. First of all, I have to say that I LOVE Tapestry of Grace, ok, now that I have that out of the way... My children LOVE TOG It is very challenging, but the beauty of it is you can do as many or as few of the assignments as you want! It's up to you! It CAN be overwhelming...the first 3-4 weeks are the hardest. Once you have looked over the materials and decided what you want to do and just finally dive in ready or not, and start doing it you will feel better. The key is to Just Do It.... don't be intimidated by all the materials. Just start with one or two things the first week and add a couple of assignments each week until you are doing as much as you want... Prep work. Yes. There is prep work. But the time spent doing it is worth it.  Right now here is what I do. On Monday I read "next week's lesson plan" (about 5 pages), I look up and reserve books online via library website. On Thursday I go to the library and pick up books, then that same afternoon, I write out the assignment charts, what pages are to be read, etc. Simple. On Monday we go over the new assignment chart for that week. The Plan I follow is Monday and Tuesday are heavy reading days. Wednesday is a map making day, vocabulary words and timelines. We take off Thursday from school for our Nana. Friday we finish up any reading assignments, have discussions, look at writing projects and work on those, getting the final drafts ready. Saturday is the Hands On day... we do all the craft work, art assignments, field trips, etc. on that day. It gives us something to look forward to. Getting the books. At the beginning of the unit, I purchase maybe 2-5 books, only the ones that will be used for the entire unit. I maybe spend $25 at Alibris or something like that (used.) The rest I find at the library. I live in a small town, so this is my thorn in the flesh, our library has very little to choose from, but I usually find what I am looking for. I also travel about 45 minutes to a different library and get books there. I never suffer for the lack of books :o) I would highly recommend the MapAids CD...it is essential if you want to do the geography assignments. And I would really like to do the overlay style next year, but this year we are just using paper to print them on. I like the writing assignments but I honestly haven't been doing them this year, because of the new baby, but definitely worth doing. I have the "Classic" version of Year 2 and I like it right well. I am searching for the redesigned version of Year 1 and Year 3. Now they are selling it Digitally, something I have not wrapped my mind around yet. The books are engaging and we all (my husband included) love to be together to read some of them aloud. However, when we can not do the read alouds, I'm ok with that, too. I just read the "teachers notes" and I'm fine. I like that I can be very involved or only a little involved. It is flexible. I can be flexible. I like that. The cost of the actual curriculum is worth every penny...even when you are pinching them :o) Oh, and I like that you can teach four levels (lower grammar, upper grammar, junior high, and high school) out of the same book and they are each challenged to their level. Not like some when you have to choose assignments that are below some children's level and above others. I have a 17, 13, 11, 9 all doing the same curriculum...now how's that for saving money? We do get different library books, but that is ok. AND you can use the same four years, over and over because after four years your child will be moving into the next level. For example Child A is doing Lower Grammar for Year 1 in 2009, so in 2012 they will be in Upper Grammar for Year 1 which is all new assignments, but out of the same curriculum. Hard to grasp, but it's true. You could actually purchase Four Years curriculum and use it for your entire schooling K-12 for every child.... Ok, maybe more later...I do recommend it, but if you are an All or Nothing type (like me) just tell yourself that you do NOT have to complete every assignment available. (Even the designer admits you couldn't do them all.)  Hope this helps someone! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/647669/ Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:06:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/647669/ From www.gentlerevolution.com (Spencer Doman) Social Growth Begins at Home Do children really need other children  to become socially excellent?         One of the great modern myths is that children need other children to become "socialized." The exact opposite is true. The notion that little children learn how to be civilized from being with each other has little to recommend it. What can a three-year-old teach another three-year-old? Answer: How to behave like a three-year-old.      When we place tiny children together, the result is chaos. If one child is a biter, then other children get bitten and learn that biting may be useful in self-defense. Generally, this is not the kind of social idea that mothers want their children to have.       Sometimes mothers are convinced to put their child with other children in what are called "play groups" or "kindergarten" because mother wants her child to learn to share. Mother believes that this cannot be learned at home from her. Sharing is an admirable and worthwhile objective. But two and three-year-olds are not ready to share anything. Instead, they defend their belongings against any and all comers. The "play group" only stays civilized if each mother stands right next to her child and protects that child from all the other children in the group. "Sharing" occurs only when mother pries the beloved toy truck out of her child's grasp and hands it to another child, who then gets a death grip on the truck until his mother says that he has "shared" the truck for long enough and it is pried out of his grasp to be returned to its little, very anxious owner.       If the above scene takes place without a mother with each child, then the result is much worse. Without mother at his side, the child will simply fight to keep his toy or be overpowered by a bigger, more aggressive child. He either learns to fight or to flee.       Is this socialization?  Civilized behavior begins at home.   When little children are herded together like so many little lambs with only a few shepherds to protect them, we are foolish to expect "socialization" to be the result.    Little children do not need other little children to become socialized - they need mother and father. Civilized behavior is learned at home from mother and father. Children learn right from wrong from mother and father and grandmother and grandfather, or they do not learn it at all. The longer a small child spends with his mother each day, the more civilized he will be. The less time he spends with mother each day, the less civilized he will be.     All mothers know that.   Take This Challenge Arrange for your child to spend more time with you every day and less time with other little children. Be consistent, fair, and honest in all your interactions with your child. In a few months you will have a more mature, kind, and helpful child, but, even better, you will be spending precious time with a wonderful companion who will love and support you for the rest of your life. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/646311/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:59:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/646311/ Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since I updated this blog.  The library has taken a great stance in the homeschool situation and allowed homeschool teachers to hold a Teacher Library card. This is a great step in the right direction for our town... Whether or not a homeschool teacher has a certificate or degree, which some of us do, should not impact this decision.  We check out around100 books per week from the libraries, some we need to keep for several weeks, some we only keep out for one week. Having a teacher card really cuts down on the numerous trips to the library as well as worrying about renewing books repeatedly when we are using them for a unit study. THANKS to our wonderful library staff!!!! Things are going great with our second unit of Tapestry of Grace Year 2.  We LOVE this curriculum. I don't know who enjoys reading the books and doing the maps more, the children or myself!  We are also using Math U See for the first time this year and LOVE it as well.  This has most definitely been our best year of homeschooling yet!  I was thrilled when my husband bought us the RosettaStone Spanish levels 1,2,&3 homeschool edition! We are all enjoying the lessons and looking for local friends who speak Spanish so we can become friends and PRACTICE! Right now we are even preparing and planning for our next Unit End Celebration which will be the R & R Night, Renaissance and Reformation Night. I have finished two costumes and still have to make at least two more... God has blessed us with a church we all dearly love. It has been so wonderful to finally be going to church again.  Although, I did enjoy homechurch, going to church and worshipping there has also been nice for a change. We still continue to listen to "extra" sermons at home throughout the week and of course we still LOVE our Scripture Songs CD's. For the new year we are planning a little family party where we plan to stay up all night playing games and exchanging gifts for the new year ahead.  We are also planning to watch the first sunset of the New Year, a tradition I plan to start.  I almost always see the sunrise (due to the fact that I am an early riser, and my children have followed suit). Thankfully, we have had a few sunny days which has really gotten us moving around here.  I even washed some of my grubby windows.  (very long overdue) I hope that all my buddies and friends out there are having a great last few days of 2008 and are gearing up for an even better 2009. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/637939/ Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:28:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/637939/ Recently, I picked up a newsletter / bulletin from our local library here in Tennessee. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were offering Teacher cards. The benefit? Longer check out time periods, etc. and I was thrilled, since we use Tapestry of Grace and I can't purchase all those literature books. I utilize our local library on a weekly basis.  My husband, children and I collectively check out 50-85 books per week.  Keeping track of due dates, books and such is a job!  So you can imagine my joy at the thought of being able to keep out a book for 4 weeks! Imagine my disappointment when they told my husband that homeschooling parents were not recognized as teachers by the Public Library! The public library that our tax money supports! We were told that it would be brought before the Board to see if they can change their stance on the program, so we are holding out hope that they will see the error of their ways! I don't have to mention here that homeschoolers pay taxes on schooling they never use, right? Ok. Well, if you know me and you live where I do, you know that our library isn't top notch to begin with, so lets get together and sign a petition stating that homeschooling parents are just as much a Teacher, as someone who goes to public school to teach, right? I'll keep everyone updated on happenings at the library! My husband fully intends on requesting a meeting with the board if we don't get a favorable response soon.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/602331/ Thu, 9 Oct 2008 14:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/602331/ Wow! Our baby girl is one month old and I haven't even posted her picture yet! Shawna Danielle Huff (named after her daddy...Shawne Daniel Huff) was born on August 6, 2008 weighing 9 lbs 2 oz! She entered this world with only two pushes from her mommy! Her birth was the least eventful birth that I have ever experienced.  We were very happy with the hospital staff and the birth experience. Things went wonderfully, and we thank God and give Him all the glory.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/587543/ Tue, 9 Sep 2008 15:50:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/rebeccahuff/587543/