Jan. 24, 2008 - Learning to read in 100 easy lessons
I bought this book for my kindergarten daughter. I started looking it over today while one of my daughters was in music class. It looks interesting so far. A lady saw the book and mentioned that she used it and it was really good. So I am looking forward to giving it a try. Anyone else used it successfully?
Oct. 7, 2007 - Fall Time
School is back in session. And fall has arrived. My daughters are taking soccer and gymnastics this year. They are enjoying it very much. We also joined a new homeschool co-op. We meet weekly to learn and play. It has been good for the girls to see the same children on a weekly basis. They are getting to know some new friends. I also like that the soccer and co-op include a variety of ages. I think that it is good for the girls to learn to relate to various ages.
How is everyone else's fall going?
Sep. 15, 2007 - new school year
I am sure many of you have started your new school year. Some of you just continued on through the summer.
We moved this summer. So it was a very hectic time for our whole family. So, I decided to extend our summer in an effort to recoup some of the downtime. We are starting our school year this Monday. Mid-September. That is one of the benefits of homeschooling. We can make adjustments for those major events in our lives.
My girls started soccer and gymnastics this week. It was my 8 year old's 2nd time playing soccer and taking gymnastics. But it is my 5 year old's first time with any sort of organized sport. I was very pleased with the way that she jumped right in there. I was concerned that she would be hesitant to participate.
So how is it going for everyone else?
Aug. 18, 2007 - Here comes fall
Today was a beautiful day. The high was in the 70s. I spent a few hours outside trimming out the flowers, getting them all neat and tidy again. My daughters sat outside in the lawn chairs, reading books. The dog ran around barking at the neighbors. Fall is my favorite season of the year. And I could definetely feel fall in the air today.
May. 30, 2007 - Biology Labs
Our son is in 10th grade. He is taking Biology. We would like to do some more Biology Labs. Does anyone have some suggestions for Biology experiments/labs? Do you have a particular website/company that you would recommend for supplies?
Thanks for any suggestions or input.
May. 13, 2007 - Some awesome e-books
I subscribe to a wonderful e-newsletter called "Biblical Womanhood". I receive encouragement in my homeschool journey. I glean great wisdom from the input of other moms. It is a very uplifting experience. If you would like to try it, you can sign up here.
Biblical Womanhood
Crystal, the owner of the e-newsletter, has also written many great e-books. I have purchased several and have already finished reading two of them. The two are called "The Merchant Maiden" and "Homegrown Business". "The Merchant Maiden" has a lot of advice for young ladies wanting to start their own business. "Homegrown Business" has great tips for a homeschooling family that would like to work from home. Here is the link, if you would like more information.
Crystal's E-books
May. 10, 2007 - Fires and floods
I was watching the news last night. They were reporting on the fires in Florida, Georgia and California. Also on the floods in the mid-west. It is always so hard to watch when natural disasters send havoc on people. And to think that the fire in California may have been caused by someone's carelessness with a cigarette. How awful. My heart goes out to those affected by the fires and the flooding. My prayers are with the emergency workers as they try to deal with the situations.
May. 10, 2007 - CAT testing
Well, the CAT testing is done. It seemed to go well. My DS didn't get held up too much on any particular part. And we don't have to deal with that for another year. So, that is a huge relief.
Has anyone used a several different year-end tests? Did you have a particular favorite? I have not tested my 2nd grader. It isn't required for 2nd grade. And I didn't want to put undue pressure on her. But I am considering testing her at the end of 3rd grade. For my own benefit. To measure how things are going.
May. 8, 2007 - Preschool
One of my daughters will begin homeschooling in Kindergarten after the summer break. I find myself wondering how prepared she is and how well she will do. I have tried not to overburden her with schoolwork. Just a few things a day. And then listening in on a lot of her older sister's lessons for 2nd grade. She listens to the science lessons on Nature Science and can even list some of the U.S. Presidents. I have read so many things that say to take it easy until around 1st or 2nd grade. To remember that they are only little for a little while and to let them play. I also worry because I spend so much concentrated time on the 2nd grader, that maybe my little one isn't getting the attention and playtime that she needs. She is always welcome to sit with us and listen, but I don't know if that would be considered quality time. So, as you can see, I am struggling with trying to find the right balance.
So I do what so many other Christian homeschooling moms do...I pray and do my best and the next day, I pray and do my best again. I adore my children and am so very grateful to have them at home with me every day.
May. 8, 2007 - End of Year Testing
In South Carolina, end of year testing was optional. Now that we are in New York, the rules are different. Children must test every other year from 4th till 8th grade. And then they test every year for 9th till 12th grade. My stepson joined us in February to begin homeschooling. He is in 10th grade. So we are getting our first experience with the year-end testing.
In fact, as I write this, my DS is taking the CAT. He has always done well with standardized testing. And I keep telling myself not to worry. But even though we have only been homeschooling a few months, I find myself worrying that the results might reflect poorly upon our homeschooling. Even though, as I stated, he has only been homeschooling a few months.
So, I am trying to calm my nerves and pray. For God already knows the results before our DS even finishes the test. And He knows our situation and our concerns. And He knows how much we are enjoying having our DS here on daily basis, watching him learn.
Apr. 21, 2007 - Spring
Spring has peeked its head out in New York. In the 70s today and beautiful. We decided to spend the morning out at the park. We played on the playground, walked down to the pond and had a picnic. All in all, it was a lovely morning.
We need the fresh air, sunshine and exercise after our first winter in New York. I think I experienced some good ol' fashion "cabin fever". Don't get me wrong. I loved having a real winter, with the cold temperatures, snow and real changes of the seasons. That is not something we had in South Carolina. But, on the other hand, there were very few days in SC when it was too cold to go out and run around. So spending so many days inside was definetely something new for us. It felt good to be outdoors today. Another plus, was that the temperature was SO NICE. It has already hit near 90 in SC. But up here, it is just wonderful spring weather. We played outside for hours without breaking a sweat. I LOVED IT!
May God bless you and your families. Have a wonderful weekend.
Feb. 24, 2007 - First snows
We have had our first big snows of the winter. My daughters are so very excited. They are loving the snow and can't get enough of it. Coming from South Carolina, snow was a rare thing indeed.
We are enjoying a homeschool co-op classes. My 5 year-old daughter is taking 2 classes, arts & crafts and playtime hour. My 8 year-old daughter is taking 2 classes, a class where they take apart small electronics and a singing class.
My 16 year old stepson moved in with us a few weeks ago. He moved here from out-of-state. We are so very happy to have him here. He has begun his homeschool classes and is getting use to his new routine. We are proud of his progress so far.
Best wishes to all in your homeschooling ventures. God bless.
Jan. 17, 2007 - A great post by a fellow homeschooler
This is a great post entitled "What Non-Homeschoolers May Not Know". It is at the blog www.homeschoolblogger.com/PreschoolersandPeace . I learned about it on an e-mail newsletter that I receive called Homeschooler's Notebook.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PreschoolersandPeace/257413/What+Non-Homeschoolers+May+Not+Know.html
Jan. 8, 2007 - Adjusting
Has anyone made a major move lately? As you may know, we moved from South Carolina to New York in September. We have enjoyed seeing the new sites and visiting different things. We sure love being close to family.
But then there is also that adjustment period. Finding new doctors, dentists, vets. Finding local libraries and playgrounds. Finding a homeschool support group. I find myself missing the familiar. But I know that in a year or two, everything here will feel familiar. So I should look at it all as a grand adventure.
Anyone been in this boat lately? You know you are where you are supposed to be. But sometimes, you miss the familiar?
Jan. 5, 2007 - New Year
I hope that you had a great Christmas Season. We moved to New York in September. And are now over 20 hours away from my side of the family. We had hoped to be able to spend Christmas with my mother-in-law, 2 hours away. But she had an emergency hysterectomy 3 days before Christmas. Thank the Lord, she is healing quickly and feeling great. So it was the 5 of us for Christmas...since my stepson was able to join us for the week.
It was so wonderful having all 5 of us home for the week. No school, no work, no commitments. Lots of time for resting and playing and cooking yummy treats. It was such a great week. I was very sad to see it come to an end.
Now it is a new year, 2007. I am amazed at how quickly time flies by. My youngest is almost 5. My stepson is 16 and ready to learn how to drive. When I first met him, he was 4. Like my youngest now. It seems like I blinked and he grew up. So, I am trying hard to cherish the sweet time with my 4 and 8 year old daughters. I am so grateful for the precious gift of homeschooling. That I am able to spend so much quality time with my little girls.
Dec. 21, 2006 - MERRY CHRISTMAS
Hi everyone! I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and of course, a happy new year. I would love for some of you to share your Christmas traditions with me. Either ones that you have with your children or ones that you had when you were a child.
As a child, I remember some special things about Christmas. My Dad would read the Christmas story from the Bible. My Mom would make a birthday cake, so we could sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. My sister and I would not know which gifts were ours until Christmas morning, when my mom would reveal the secret code. Sometimes it was a special wrapping paper for each us. Or an initial somewhere on the gifts. One year, all the gifts with my name turned out to be for my sister and vice-versa.
With my family, we start our advent calendars on December 1st and count-down every day. We attend local Christmas events: a Singing Christmas tree at church, drive through the Christmas lights, go to Living Nativities, etc. We read lots of Christmas books. We sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. The children are allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve, but we get to pick the gift.
I would so enjoy reading what other people do...so post away.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Nov. 29, 2006 - Thanksgiving
We were able to spend our first Thanksgiving ever with my husband's side of the family. After 10 years of marriage. When we lived in SC, it was just too far to get to NY at Thanksgiving. That meant that we also hadn't spent Thanksgiving with my stepson in over 10 years. Because he lives in CT. But now that we are in NY, we were able to pick up my stepson and spend Thanksgiving with my husband's extended family. It was such a nice day. I love my girls having the opportunity to spend time with Grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins. I love that they will see them enough now to really to get to them.
Of course, I missed my own family very much. We used to all live in SC and spent the holidays together. But last year, my sister's family moved to Arkansas with the Air Force. And my parents moved to Mississippi to help take care of their mothers. And this year, we moved to New York. So now we are scattered and missing each other a lot.
Oct. 17, 2006 - New York
We are here in New York now. Have been for just over a month. We are adjusting to the new area. We are in an apartment, so I sure miss my fenced-in backyard in South Carolina. But the apartment and the area is nice.
There has already been snow in Buffalo. So I'm guessing that we might get some in a few weeks. Although, I really have no idea. Maybe it will still be awhile.
We are enjoying seeing the new things and the new scenery.
I am trying to adjust to the differences in homeschool regulations here. I now report directly to the school district. Whereas, in SC...we reported to a local homeschool accountability group.
God bless.
Sep. 8, 2006 - Moving Week
Well, we are down to the wire. Our home is almost completely packed. We load the truck and pull out in just a few days. Our apartment is ready and waiting for us in NY. I am getting excited. But we are also very tired. This has been way more work than I could have imagined.
If you get a chance, say a prayer for my family as we make this transition.
Sep. 1, 2006 - Almost moving day
Praise God! Our house sold. So we spent last week in New York looking for a new home. We found a very nice apartment, very close to my husband's new job. We are still packing and move in less than two weeks.
My mother-in-law is so excited that her little granddaughters will be nearby. She has missed out on so many of their milestones. My stepson has been cheering up my girls by reminding them that they will also get to see more of each other. He is back at his mother's home now and preparing to start 10th grade next week.
Anyone out there have any experiences with homeschooling in New York to share with me? I know it will be different, but I plan to join a support group as soon as possible.
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