La Kooka Rancha
Nov. 9, 2009
-
Schoolhouse Smarties ~ Math Monday
Posted By
HomeschoolBlogger Company Blog
in
Contests
Ready for some questions in Math? There are three age categories of questions today. Be sure to email the answers to me at thogate@thehomeschoolmagazine.com.
Correct answers will be entered into our drawings at the end of the month. We will be giving away two gift certificates to the Schoolhouse Store.
For more information on the contest, please see: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HSBCompanyBlog/674688/
Okay, here are your questions:
- Elementary (Grades 1-5) What 3 consecutive integers will add up to 27?
- Middle Grades (Grades 6-8) The town of Hippity-Hoppity has a population of 17,480. Five percent of the people are one-legged. Half of the remaining population goes bare-footed. Sandals are the only footwear. How many sandals (not pairs) are worn in Hippity-Hoppity?
- High school and adults: A boy agreed to work one year for $240 and a horse. At the end of seven months he quit and received $100 and the horse. What was the value of the horse?
Alrighty, email me your answers. Also on the email, I will need your name, age, state you live in, and email address. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
To enter you must live in the US. Click here for full contest rules.
Blessings,
Tandy Hogate
~TOS Marketing Assistant
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 9, 2009
-
Classical Education ~ Teaching From a Place of Rest, Pt. 2
Posted By
HomeschoolBlogger Company Blog
in
classical
| As my children become older and my teaching load increases due to more students, teaching from a place of rest seems quite inviting to me. It is like an oasis in the middle of a teaching storm. I yearn to be able to teach with a sense of calm and peace. I think I have reached the tip of this iceberg but I am always eager to listen on conversations (usually cyber ones) that deal with rest.
As I noted a few weeks ago, teaching with a sense of rest can mean many things. It can mean a sense of contentment with how you are teaching your children and the curriculum you are using. It can also mean paring down the subjects you are teaching to the bare minimum. This concept scares many homeschooling moms. This idea is equivalent to academic suicide to the minds of many. This flies in the face of modern education. Today in public schools, the students' days are filled with numerous classes that are not just academic in nature but vocational as well. The premise for this is that the schools are trying to prepare the student for the world and a job, hence, computer classes, home ec. classes, welding classes, etc. In overloading the student in this manner, we are increasing the odds that he or she will not be able to learn anything very well. The basics will be pushed under the rug, so to speak, to make room for the extras. Therefore, we end up with young adults that do not know much about anything. We, then, wonder why Johnny can't write or read when he graduates high school.
When we focus on the basics and a few extras, we have time to teach in a thorough and effective way. When your child is doing the basics of math and language arts (grammar, spelling, writing, lit. study, vocab) plus the extras of foreign language (some are doing 2 or 3 different language studies) and content subjects (history, science, geography, etc,) there is no wonder that it is taking them much longer than 6 hours to get their school work done. Also, what are they truly learning?
Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons and The Latin-Centered Curriculum by Andrew Campbell speaks to simplifying our academic expectations of our children. In doing this, we can teach more deeply and effectively. There is a sense of rest in teaching this way. Also, teaching this way requires trust. We need to trust that God will fill in the gaps in the way that only He can. Trust is key in rest.
The first few years of our homeschooling was chock full of various subjects like geography, science, vocab, Latin and Spanish plus all of the CM variables of picture study and composer study and we haven't even gotten to the basics yet. Our days were full and I taught with a cloud of pressure hovering over me the entire time. When we didn't finish all of our plans (which happened regularly) I felt like a total failure. Another consequence to this kind of schedule was children who were burnt out come the end of the first term. They were beginning to hate learning. This is not how I had envisioned our homeschooling to be. Again, failure.
It has taken me a few years to clue in, but I am seeing now that less is better. I am able to give more time to my kids to teach them. We do not have time pressures anymore. Our frantic, crazy days have been replaced with a relaxed, calm atmosphere. It is a soothing balm to my soul.
Our days are now focused on math, reading, writing and grammar. We do one content subject which is history. We do science but in a very relaxed manner. We will not do science as a formal subject until my children hit Grade 7. I do teach Latin to my children but it, too, is done in a relaxed manner as my children are dyslexic and foreign langauages are tricky for them. We also do Plutarch, Greek Mythology, Poetry, Recitation, and Shakespeare but they are done one a day. Even this sounds like a lot but it is do-able for us. We do not feel the familiar pressures of days gone by. There is that sense of calm and peace that I have been trying to attain for the last 5 years. I am sure that I will always have to strive for this rest every year that we homeschool but I think I am up to the challenge.
Julia lives on the Canadian Prairies with her husband, homeschooling their 3 children (10,8,6) and is attempting to give them a Classical Education. You can read more at her blog. |
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 9, 2009
-
Craft Corner ~ Homemaking
Posted By
HomeschoolBlogger Company Blog
in
CraftCorner
There are some pretty neat things about homemaking, and some pretty neat things you can use in your home! Try one of these lovely ideas!
- Woven Potholder ~ This lovely is bound to fill you with delight every time you have to rescue cookies, or protect your tabletops.
- How to Make a Rag Quilt ~ A rag quilt inspires me, and makes me think of a warm fire, a delightful book, and knitted slippers. Can't you just imagine one of these draped across your bed?
- Practical Endpapers ~ Do you have a favorite cookbook? Fit it out to be even more useful and user friendly!
- Homemaking Journal ~ This isn't exactly a craft, but I love the idea so much! Pass down your own tips, tricks, and favorites to future generations, with this charming idea.
Miss Eyebright loves crafts of all kinds, especially knitting. You can find her blogging at Defective Compositions.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 9, 2009
-
Small and happy prayer request
Posted By
LeslieN
Small and happy prayer request
Hi Friends,
Would you pray for Rebecca and I? We have been invited to speak to a group of 150 student athletes at Duke tomorrow night on the topic of community service. They love the idea that one person can make a difference and Rebecca's story starting when she was just 11yo is a sweet one.  (Those new to my blog - Rebecca started making and selling bracelets shortly after Eliana was born to raise money for other babies with heart problems so that they could get help like Eliana did. She has to date raised over $8000 for Duke Children's Hospital.)
We will be sharing our story (with pictures). Would you pray for us and for what we will say. And for my sweet girl who is very nervous about speaking to a crowd that size.
After sharing, we will be leading/teaching them to make some jewelry. They will be helping to make some things to build up her inventory. The idea of trying to lead this many is a little daunting too. I'm not going to worry about it - but am trying to plan and prepare as much as possible.
We are working on wrapping up details and really need to practice a little on what we will be sharing. Any prayers you want to offer for us would be appreciated. I'll post more details either tomorrow night or the following day.
I'm sorry I haven't been around to post much. I am reading and praying for y'all.
Love
Leslie
PS Our week-end was great and I'll hopefully be posting more on that later tonight or tomorrow!
|
Comments (
1
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 7, 2009
-
Featured Blogger ~ DiamondsInTheRough
This week's Featured Blogger is Diamonds In The Rough!
"Mrs. Diamond" and I have been getting to know each other through our blogs. Her "Diamondettes" (I refuse to cal them lumps of coal), have been blog friends with my girls for awhile now. It's fun to meet families as a family on HSB!
Now there are TONS of blog posts I could link you to, but I had such a hard time deciding what to go with. I've opted to link to categories, that way you can see a bunch of posts at one time.
The first category up is Emily's 400 Questions, and Mrs. Diamond isn't kidding when she makes that claim! Some of the questions her daughter comes up with will surely make you chuckle and wonder where that question came from. Others are very thought provoking. All are fun to read! Now if Mrs. Diamond would put the answers she'd have her own Q & A Encyclopedia!
Ever wonder what it's like to live in the desert? Then the category Life in the Desert is what you want to click on! It's hot, it's cold, and it's always full of blessings--and lessons from the Lord.
With the holidays coming up you are more than likely looking for some new recipes. Try this little recipe "book" Recipes From My Kitchen. The recipe that is a family favorite for my family is the Dutch Baby. Yummo!
My all time favorite category though is Diamonds and Other Gems. Wow! There are some lessons to learn here! Like the worth of diamonds--and souls.
Please click on over and say hello to my friend, DiamondsInTheRough!
Tia Linchied
Senior Editor of HSB
|
Comments (
1
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 6, 2009
-
Walk to Cure Diabetes
Tomorrow, Nov 7th, our family will be participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes. This is sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Joshua has been looking forward to this walk for many months. We started talking about it when he was in the hospital. He is familiar with "walks" because we go to the local Buddy Walk (supporting Down syndrome) each year.
Here is a note from Joshua.
I think the walk is going to be fun. I hope that the JDRF gets more money so that they can find a cure for diabetes. I hate diabetes. I don't like getting shots and pokes. I want to be able to have food whenever I want it.
I know that money is tight and that there are many worthy causes. I do feel the need to share this one though as it is important to us and many other families as well. If you are interested in sponsoring Joshua, please go to this link.
http://walk.jdrf.org/
You can type in his name Joshua Nelsen and state and his page should come up for you. Our team name is "Joshua's Fan Club" which should also show on the site.
Blessings
Leslie |
Comments (
5
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 6, 2009
-
Homeschooling Only One ~ In Honor of Our Veterans
It is so sad that events occurred yesterday at Fort Hood, north of state capital Austin, near Killeen, Texas, during the same week that we had chosen to honor our Veterans and write about honoring them. I'm assuming by now everyone has heard that a shooter, a psychiatrist major, opened fire upon his fellow soldiers, killing 12 and wounding 31. Thankfully, he was stopped before the statistics became higher, and in this case, he survived and is in stable condition (as of Thursday night). It is sad that for whatever reason he snapped. Sadder still that he happens to have an ethnic name, helping others to automatically put blame towards domestic terrorism. (Although things are coming out that his religion, Islam, might have contributed to his thoughts and actions.)
Last night, I was at my dog class, which is held at an National Guard Armory in Fort Worth. In fact, due to the Fort Hood event, they were asking us to lock the front door behind us as we came and went. We voiced our support to them. Being there and having to be in a "lock-down" situation helped to put a face on those who serve us by being willing to protect us and our country.
You never know when your path will cross with those who have served (or who are serving). I want to encourage you to voice your support and appreciation for and to them. It can be a simple "thank you for your service;" it doesn't have to be anything elaborate or overly formal. (I usually include our police officers and fire-fighters also, since they serve and protect us "closer to home.")
Reach out to those who come across your path and show them your appreciation for their service. They deserve our respect and gratitude.

Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, Donna's mother, Charlotte, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completed his homeschooling in the fall of 2008. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One in 2003, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can find these free resources, including a message board for those who HOO, on her website at http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC
copyright © 2009 Donna Conner ~~ All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of author, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles where the title and author are listed. |
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 6, 2009
-
Special Words for Special Needs ~ Veterans Choose to Serve
Welcome my friends! Veterans Day is November 11. I have a particular soft spot in my heart for veterans, after all my husband and I are former Navy.
In researching for this post I found this quote on the VA website,
"A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good."
VA site for kids
Why join the military? The money isn't terribly good. Starting pay is nice but it doesn't keep up with the private sector. The locations are great but even a tropical island is blah after the third holiday you don't see your family. Then there is boot camp and the continual physical tests and challenges that are just plain hard. So why join the military?
I can tell you why we did. My husband and I both chose to serve. Someone must stand on the line and say no further. I will protect my family and friends. I will stand up for my rights and those of my neighbors. I chose to serve because it is a responsibility as a citizen of the United States of America that I am able to fulfill.
Times change and now we are no longer in the military. I am glad that I had that chance. Now how can I continue that sense of service to country? This year we are looking into sending packages and cards to soldiers around the world.
American Red Cross Cards for Heroes
I would like to thank the veterans out there! Thank you for your dedication and willingness to serve and protect. God bless!
Heather lives in West Virginia. She and her husband have been homeschooling their 5 children for 8 years. Due to a genetic disorder their children have multiple special needs. Living life to the fullest for the glory of God is their goal! Visit Heather's page at www.homeschoolblogger.com/gfcfmomofmany/ or at Special Needs Homeschooling. |
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 6, 2009
-
FIAR Co-op: Pumpkin Runner
We had another great co-op day last week. I just haven't gotten around to posting about it. It is always such a treat to spend time with friends and have fun learning in the process. We had a beautiful day and spent it all outside.
So what did we learn about today? Well, pumpkins of course.


We had a few more experiments on density and learned that all pumpkins float no matter the size or weight.

One thing that I thought was really interesting was watching them turn in the water so that the stem was facing down. I'm not sure why they did that, but all of ours from small to large turned in the water like that. (Can you see that the large one is in the process of turning?)

We also learned about the human body. We talked about joints (and had a neat visual) of how the joints can break down (ouch that one was a little close to home!). They also learned about the bones in the body.

They came home with a neat project to label the bones as well as a skeleton to put together. (The black dots are velcro to which the names of the bones can be attached. There is a copy of the same sheet with the answers behind it so that they can check their work.)

After learning about the body, we talked about the style of running done by the man in the book who "shuffled along" and won the race! The children had several rounds of running a course. What a fun course too! It was through the woods and the path had pumpkins all throughout as well as pictures of various Australian animals.

Lastly, the children learned about hot air balloons and why they float. They made their own hot air balloons from a trashbag.

They used hair dryers to fill them with hot air and then watched them rise!

We had a yummy snack of pumpkin muffins and granola. While they were snacking the children watched the "dancing raisins" experiment. More on the experiment here.

While the other children were learning about pumpkins and such, Daniel again had his private nature study class with his sweet friend Miss Lynn. He so looks forward to these days!

Thank you friends for another wonderful day! I'm blessed to be a part of such a creative and sweet group of friends!
Love
Leslie |
Comments (
2
) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link
|
Nov. 6, 2009
-
$5 Friday at UnitStudy.com - it's crazy! :-)
Posted By
Amanda Bennett
Good morning!
I woke up to an overwhelming response to the new $5 Friday - what a wake-up call! I am thinking that having the Christmas Unit Study in the mix has been helpful?
Have a wonderful Friday!
Blessings,
Amanda B.
www.UnitStudy.com |
Permanent Link
|
|