Aug. 8, 2009 - Migrating to Blogspot/BloggerI let my daughter talk me into moving over to Blogger, where, as she pointed out, there aren't any issues with archiving, plus there are a lot more other features to use.Thank you, homeschoolblogger. I do appreciate the service you provide. I still have about 20 more posts to copy over, and all new posts will be going up there from here on out. So, you can now find THE FAMILY TOGETHER HERE.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 7, 2009 - Google Voice - Interesting PremiseHave you heard about GOOGLE VOICE? It's a free service that gives you one phone number that you can keep forever, no matter where you go, work, or move. You get your Google number, then "tie" it to however many phone numbers you want. You can use your home phone, cell phone, and work phone. You can decide which/how many of your phones ring when someone calls your Google number. It also comes with a free voice mail service that you can pick up by phone or online. That's the concept I find interesting. If you have a pay-as-you-go cell phone, you could use this free service to hear any voice messages, and not spend your minutes on it. (We have a prepaid cell phone, but it's only for emergencies and we spend $10 a month on it, so really, this doesn't matter to us. We've never even set up the voice mail for it, so people couldn't leave messages, even if they wanted to. Still, I can see where this would be useful to some people.)There's a video on the website that explains it more, plus a lot of links with more info. I am intrigued by the concept. Of course, I'm also wary. I can see what Google meant when they said they wanted to know more about you than you do. I think Google may really be out to take over the world. :P
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 6, 2009 - Essay Writing & Free K-12 CurriculumTHIS PAGE of the FREE WORLD U website is for language arts for 6th graders. If you scroll down to the bottom, you'll find a section covering essay writing.The topics are: The Free World U website offers curriculum for K-12, and there's even some pre-med/med school info. It operates under an interesting concept of "flash card" learning. They don't have everything up yet, but there is quite a bit, especially for the younger grades.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 6, 2009 - ArchivesI don't know why, but I *cannot* get the archive tags to work here. I've tried, but no matter what, my blog archive pages show up as my blog, with no entries.I gave up and built AN ARCHIVE PAGE FOR JULY, by hand. I'll add to it at the end of each month. I listed the posts by date and title, and left off some that were simply extraneous, like me talking about having problems with IE, and posts that referred to sales that are already over. Anyway, you can use that page to search for specific topics, if you want. :)
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 6, 2009 - Basic Stir FryThis recipe must be so un-authentic it may well be an insult to the name. I'm not sure; I'm just saying that because I did a search and couldn't find anything like it online. It's adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe from the 80s. We use it quite a bit for its versatility and the fact that it doesn't have any ingredients that cost too much, like rice wine.Basic Stir Fry 1/2 cup cold water* 3 Tablespoons soy sauce. (That's a LOT of salt. You may want to cut back.) 1 Tablespoon cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 Tablespoon oil 1 cup cooked meat - chicken, turkey, ground meat, pork 3 cups frozen or fresh vegetables, a mix of anything you have on hand (chopped into small, uniform pieces, if fresh,) Cooked rice Make the sauce by stirring together the first 6 ingredients. (*We make and freeze our own chicken broth, so instead of the water and bouillon, I just substitute 1/2 cup broth, and it works fine.) Preheat a large skillet over high heat and add cooking oil. Add frozen/fresh vegetables, cook and stir for three minutes, then push to the outer edges of the skillet, making a well in the center. Pour sauce into well and cook and stir until thickened, about two minutes. Mix everything together thoroughly, and cover and cook for about 4 minutes, until vegetables are crisp-tender/to your liking. Add meat, stir well and let heat through, about 2 minutes more. Serve over rice. 4 servings.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 5, 2009 - NaNoWriMo Young Writers ProgramAlthough this doesn't officially kick off until November, I wanted to take a moment and mention it now, after bringing it up in the comments section of another blog.If you aren't familiar with NANOWRIMO and in particular, THE YOUTH PROGRAM I *highly* encourage you to check it out. Na(tional) No(vel) Wri(writing) Mo(nth) happens ever year, has thousands of participants world-wide, and encourages students to join the fun. There are supportive e-mails from published writers, forums (with a section just for homeschoolers!), and more. While NaNoWriMo has a set goal of 50,000 words in one month, the youth program is more flexible. You, as teacher, can set a specific word goal before the month starts. I've been following the rule of thumb given to me ages ago: Your Child's Age X 1000 words. So, a 9yo's goal would be 9000 words. The youth program has NOVELING WORKBOOKS for elementary, middle, and high school grades, to help with the project. Each year, after completing NaNoWriMo, my kids then take several months to clean-up/edit their manuscripts. Then, strictly as a treat, we PUBLISH them. (Actually, we are considering switching to Amazon's CREATE SPACE this year. NaNoWriMo had a deal with them last year to get one free book published for all "winners" - those who met their word goal.) Self-publishing their books usually costs us around $20 for both kids, and they love having "real" books they wrote themselves. When the books arrive in the mail, we even have a "Book and Author Dinner" to celebrate. The best part about this program is - aside from the optional publishing - it's free. (LOL! I'd likely not be even mentioning it otherwise, eh?) The workbooks, the program, the fun... yes, it is fun! doesn't cost you anything, though it's nice to make a donation to the cause if you can. Also keep in mind, there are no NaNoWriMo police running around making sure you do things exactly one way. If you're just looking for a creative writing curriculum, you could download the workbook(s) today and get started on them immediately. Another thing I like - your child earns a nice certificate, just for participating, even if he didn't quite reach his word goal. You can SEE THE 2008 CERTIFICATE HERE. Even if you don't publish the final manuscript, you can still hold a Book and Author Dinner, and present your child with a framed copy of his certificate. So, do check it out. And be sure to click on the Dare Machine. Very funny writing prompts. :)
|
| Comments (1) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 5, 2009 - SparkNotes SourcesTHIS LINK will take you to the SparkNotes biology page. As SparkNotes are just small summaries, you wouldn't want to rely on them as a primary source for teaching. However, they *can* help you get a course view - an idea of what topics your student needs to know in any one subject.SparkNotes covers a wide variety of courses, from sciences to mathematics to literature. Consider them a useful planning tool. In addition, there's a Test Prep section, if you have a student gearing up to take the SAT or ACT.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 4, 2009 - WHOA - Awesome source for free curriculum for high schoolers.Don't know how I never found this one before, but there you have it. :) I just stumbled across HIPPO CAMPUS and I'm rather blown away. In fact, I would definitely alter my biology plans listed below, to make this site the primary source, and the other textbook I found the secondary source.In addition to biology, this site has: Algebra, American Government, Calculus, Environmental Science, Physics, Psychology, Religion, Statistics, and US History - including "regular" and AP levels. There are texts, slide shows, and videos. It's hosted by the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education and everything is free.
|
| Comments (1) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 4, 2009 - Since I've Always Failed Miserably At Tomato Growing...I wonder if I should give this - MAKE YOUR OWN TOPSY TURVY TOMATO PLANTER - a try? I do know a few people who claim their Topsy Turvy planters work wonderfully well.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 4, 2009 - A Little Clarification About Shopping ListsI realized this morning that I wasn't entirely clear in my post on budget cooking about the matter of shopping lists. While I do not make meal plans, look at recipes, and write down ingredients before I shop, I *do* have a list with me.I have three "permanent" lists in my kitchen. The first is for the pantry. The second, the fridge. The third, the freezer. They are inside those cheap-o plastic sheet protectors-thingys. (That's the official name, you know. ;) ) When we run low/use up an item, I put a star next to it on its list, using a dry-erase marker. Before we go shopping on Saturdays, I write down everything that has a star, so I know what we need to buy, in addition to any sales/good deals we come across. I add to that the few non-food items we buy, like toilet paper, when needed, and that's my shopping list. Again, these are staple items I am referring to, so, when I use something, if I'm getting close to the "bottom of the barrel," I make a judgment on whether or not there's enough to get us through the rest of the current week AND the entire following week, as we only shop once a week. If not, I mark it with the star. For instance, on Sunday's baking day, we made a brown bread* we'd never tried before that required 1/2 cup molasses. This left us with very little molasses, so I starred it on the pantry list. *The recipe we tried is called "Dark Bread" and we found it HERE. While tasty, I would like to point out that it actually came out peanut butter colored, so "dark" bread? Not so much! :) My daughter particularly has loved it. I think she's already eaten half a loaf herself. Also, we buy yeast in bulk. I use about 2 1/4 tsp anytime a recipe calls for "one packet."
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 3, 2009 - High School Biology For FreePlease See: THIS POST for an update to Biology for Free, if you haven't already read it. I found a new source I am really impressed with.I was asked by a HOMESCHOOL LOUNGE sister (*waves to new sister!*) how I would handle high school biology. Since my previous post on using the internet for creating a homeschooling curriculum was more of a general post, I figured this would be a good way to demonstrate the steps in specific. STEP 1 - choose the course. That was done for me. :) STEP 2 - decide how to teach it. I expect a good deal from my high schooler. A long-time goal of mine, from the start of homeschooling, was that my children become self-directed learners. That said, I still provide an outline and list of goals, plus other requirements. For this course in particular, there will be a combination of reading from a text, internet research, online videos, and in-home experiments, plus 2 research papers, one due each semester. (I don't give "final exams" to my children. We do sometimes have quizzes, but in place of final exams, I require in-depth term papers, now that they are MS/HS aged.) STEP 3- Google it! My googling yielded the following: Main Source: AN ONLINE BIOLOGY BOOK - this is for an introduction to biology college-level course. Secondary Source: BIOLOGY LESSON PLANS - includes experiments, activities, projects, worksheets, and tests. Additional Sources: MIT OPEN COURSE MATERIALS - this includes lots of video lectures. BIOLOGY 4 KIDS - a general biology website, with easy-to-understand explanations, and quizzes. HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY - this is a portal site that links to other biology sources on the web. STEP 4 - complete the Subject Planner sheet, and begin more detailed planning. My subject planner would LOOK LIKE THIS. For more detailed planning, my son would be involved. As noted in the planner, we would need to cover roughly 1 3/4 chapters of the textbook per week, to finish by the end of the year. Now, one, I'm not a huge stickler for getting absolutely everything done, so there may be a few things here and there that we miss. Two, some chapters are longer than others, and that will affect how much we get done of any single chapter or chapters per week. We would start by looking at what topics the first 3 - 4 chapters cover. We would visit our other saved resources, to see if they can add to what's covered by the book. Maybe a video, an experiment, or a quick quiz. Then, using a weekly planner, we would map out what would be done for the first 2 weeks. I leave a lot of that up to my son, because, again, I want him to be more self-directed and I also figure this helps build his time management skills. As long as he includes enough variations, an experiment here, a video there, and looks like he's keeping pretty well on track, I leave the final planning to him. Every other week, we would build 2 weeks more worth of lesson plans. (That's just my preference. I like to have two weeks planned out; no more, no less.) From there, my son simply follows the directions laid out for him. If he has a question he can't seem to find the answer for, or just wants more explanation for a topic that's troubling him, I will step in. If I can't answer it myself, I will find the answer online. This planning might sound complicated, but it's really not. It only takes an hour or two to work out each 2 week's lessons for all of my son's courses. STEP 5 - reading materials. I wouldn't really bother building a list from the beginning, simply because I don't know any titles off hand to cover this subject. Instead, I would keep a quick list of topics covered over the two week periods, and, on our visits to the library, see what could be found based on those topics. STEP 6 - printing. Sometimes I do print the books I find online, but because of the sheer size of this one, coupled with the number of links for reference, I wouldn't. I would, however, print off the review questions, and have my son answer them as he finishes each chapter. Notes: We are Christians, and this curriculum is not Biblically based. This means, as we reach the lessons pertaining to evolution, we would have discussions on the flaws/holes in those theories. I think it's actually good for my children to learn from this type of text, though, because, frankly, they will need to know what the state/colleges teach as "true" in order to succeed on tests like the SAT. I hope that answers the question sufficiently! Please let me know if you want any more details.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 3, 2009 - Budget Cooking & Cream Soup SubstituteI have an old cookbook - ©1978 - called "The Budget Cookbook" from the Culinary Arts Institute. On the inside cover there is a handwritten inscription, "To Danielle From Grandma Pat 2 - 1- 98". As I bought it myself at least 8 years ago at a used bookstore, I guess Danielle didn't much appreciate/use the gift. Who knows. Maybe she already had a copy?In the introduction pages, there's this: "CAN SHE BAKE A CHERRY PIE?That? Would definitely be me! While in high school, we hosted an exchange student for a week. One night, I served her (and myself, obviously) frozen dinners. Turns out, it was the first time in her life to have ever eaten one. She was amazed at the food - not in a good way, I'm sure, though she was too polite to say - and I was amazed to know someone who *didn't* eat frozen dinners 3 - 4 times a week. My mother was a divorcée who dated frequently and left it up to me and my brother to fend for ourselves from whatever was on the pantry shelf or in the freezer. I was only 19 when I married, and my husband, a Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps at that time, made less than $1000 a month. Even with being able to shop at the commissary, his income, plus my measly $200 a month from a job at a movie theater, meant we were on a tight food budget. We did not have free housing. There was an enormous waiting list for on-base housing, so we were given the oh-so-generous "housing stipend" of $185 a month. This didn't even cover the rent on our tiny 1-bedroom apartment, much less utilities. At that time, if you had asked me to make pudding, I would've bought the little box, added the milk, and tossed it in the fridge. As far as I knew - that was the *only* way to make pudding. Noodles always came dried in bags. Hamburger Helper was "thrifty." (I still cringe at that now.) I didn't even know there was such a thing as powdered milk, and I thought baking bread was something only really talented people could pull off. I never bought anything that wasn't name brand. In the 70s, there was this short-lived "generics" craze. All sorts of food items were sold, packaged in these plain, bright yellow boxes and cans. Our local grocery store kept them on a shelf separate from the rest of the store. My mother bought the peanut butter and saltine crackers. The crackers were about as tasty as cardboard and the peanut butter was worse. That left me with a particularly bad opinion of generics and no-name brands. In the early 90s, just a few years into our marriage, I heard about this newsletter you could subscribe to, called The Tightwad Gazette.* I loved it from the moment I got my first issue in the mail, and it completely changed my way of thinking. One of the first things I learned? Often the items in the store-brand cans came from the exact same factory as the name-brand ones. That got me thinking, and I started looking into store/unknown brands. Many of them came with guarantees. If you didn't like it, you could return it, and the store would replace it with the equivalent brand-name product. The TG also changed my way of shopping. Up until then, I had been dutifully planning my meals ahead of time, making my list, and sticking to it no matter what! because that's what all the budget gurus advised. It never crossed my mind to walk into a store, see what was on sale, make my purchases, then come home and build my meal plans from that. It was such a novel approach for me, but as soon as I did, our grocery bills dropped dramatically. Big changes also came when I started to look at things and ask, "Is that *really* a staple, or can you make it yourself?" Once upon a time, I had no idea brown sugar wasn't something only a manufacturer with special equipment/ingredients could make. When we fully made the transition to staples cooking, several things happened. We started eating *much* better, and everything tasted wonderful, compared to what we were used to. We stopped clipping coupons. It was so rare to stumble across a coupon for plain flour or sugar or bananas, it just wasn't worth the time. Our shopping time decreased, even with visiting 3 or 4 stores each week, because there were very few aisles we needed to cover. We discovered that my middle school home economics teacher lied. (LOL!) She always stressed "Never alter the ingredients or change measurements in a recipe!" because it would "ruin the dish." Nowadays, when I come across a recipe that looks like something my family would enjoy, the first thing I do is evaluate the ingredients. Are there canned/pre-mixed items that I can make myself instead? Are there too many ingredients that would be "one-time use," to make it not worth the cost? Are there items I can substitute? These questions make or break the deal on whether or not the recipe gets added to my personal cookbook. And speaking of substitutes, there seems to be no end to the recipes that call for a can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup. THIS RECIPE for a cream soup substitute is nice to keep handy for such recipes that you may want to try. *Yes, it was the same Tightwad Gazette you can now buy in book form. I subscribed to it after an article appeared in Parade Magazine.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 3, 2009 - Guide to Creating Your Homeschool Curriculum For Free Using Internet Sources*Please note: If you've come here by way of The Homeschool Lounge Open House, or possibly a search engine, once you have finished reading this post, you can GO HERE to see a bit more detail based on single subject planning.This guide is a simple, short overview, serving to demonstrate how it is possible to build a homeschool curriculum using free internet sources. It is "practically" free, as opposed to "totally" free, because in using this method, you will have the expense of paper and ink for printing, as well as typical school supplies such as pencils, map colors, and glue. The nature of the internet is such that websites seem to come and go. You will want to download and save as much information as possible from any site you choose to include in your curriculum, as a precaution. STEP 1: Decide the courses you will teach for the year. This would include core subjects, such as English and math, as well as any electives you might want, like home economics or music. If you need ideas on what subjects to teach for what grades, you might want to refer to the following core subject guide: WORLD BOOK CURRICULUM STANDARDS. Choose which courses you will teach to individual students, based on grade level and ability, like math, and which courses you can combine for multiple age groups/all of your students, such as history. Start working up a Course Description page for each subject. (Here's an example of a SUBJECT PLANNING FORM. Other forms can be found at THE DONNA YOUNG WEBSITE.) STEP 2: Determine how you want to teach/present the subjects. For instance, if you will be using NOTEBOOKING or journaling, traditional worksheets, etc., you will want to make note of that. If you aren't certain, skip to Step 3. As you find sources available to you, that will help you decide how you will teach them. STEP 3: Find your resources. Google, google, google, and then google some more. For each subject/topic you want to cover, google it. Create favorites folders, or use an online source like GOOGLE BOOKMARKS to record and store all sources you find. If you need a "jump start" for ideas, I have created a PAGE OF LINKS through delicious.com that covers multiple grades and subjects. There are currently over 110 links listed, all pointing you to free sites you can use. Try to find at least 2 websites per subject. STEP 4: Add your sources to your Subject Planner, and begin building a more detailed planner, such as THIS WEEKLY PLANNER. For an idea of what a yearly planner might look like, SEE THIS 6TH GRADE 40 WEEK PLANNER AT OLD FASHIONED EDUCATION. It is up to you to decide how much/detailed planning you want to do at one time. STEP 5: Build a general reading list of books you would like to get from your local library. If you do not know a specific title, write down the subject/topic. STEP 6: Print the materials you need. I like to print them by week only, in case we make changes to our curriculum, or find new sources. EXAMPLE #1: 7th Grade History Main Source: AMERICAN HISTORY Secondary Source: HISTORICAL TALES, VOL. I: AMERICAN Additional Sources: TIMELINE PRINTABLES, HISTORY NOTEBOOKING PAGES, US HISTORY STUDY GUIDES, library books. Student will create a history notebook and timeline, covering major events in US History. THIS TIMELINE can help determine topics to cover. Student will choose 2 events in US History and write RESEARCH PAPERS (one per semester of school year) for each event. General Weekly Schedule: Monday: Choose an event from the AMERICAN HISTORY WEBSITE and research it online. Add a notation to timeline. Tuesday: Read a story from the Historical Tales book. Create notebooking page, summarizing events of story. Wednesday: Read from a library book covering either/both events studied on Monday and Tuesday, or conduct further research online. Thursday: Give an oral report about historical events studied. Research time period online and identify three events that happened in other parts of the world at this time. Add them to timeline. Friday: Work on term/research paper. Use a weekly planner form such as the one listed above in Step 4 to plan/determine events to study, by week. Also, search for websites such as THIS ONE to get free clipart and images that can be used with the timeline. EXAMPLE #2: 10th Grade Literature Main Sources: DAVID COPPERFIELD, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Secondary Sources: DAVID COPPERFIELD STUDY GUIDE, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING STUDY GUIDE, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO STUDY GUIDE, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST STUDY GUIDE. Additional Sources: Online websites dedicated to each novel/author, as needed. Student will read one novel per quarter, and complete one project per novel. Project ideas include: critical essays based on novel (ideas can be found in the study guides), biographies of the authors, display boards (similar to science fair exhibits), or oral presentations of scenes from either play. Any essays/papers written should FOLLOW HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH PAPER STANDARDS. Upon completing each novel, student shall write a short BOOK REPORT about the novel. The study guides can help cement ideas for the report. General Schedule: Student should plan reading accordingly, to complete each novel/play within 5 - 6 weeks. Student may use study guides as each chapter is completed, or refer to them upon finishing the entire book. The remainder of the quarter is to be used developing project and writing book report. EXAMPLE #3: 2nd Grade Science Main Source: LEARNING PAGE THEMES - 1 theme each 6 weeks, Dinosaurs, Insects and Spiders, Oceans, Reptiles and Amphibians, Space, and Zoo Animals. (Website requires free registration to access all of the theme worksheets.) Secondary Sources: library books per topic General Weekly Schedule: Monday: Complete 1 - 3 fact file worksheets. Start/Add to mural. Tuesday: Read library book about topic. Wednesday: Complete 1 - 3 fun sheets. Add to mural. Thursday: Research topic online with teacher. Friday: Give oral report of information learned. Use a weekly planner form such as the one listed above in Step 4 to plan/determine topics, by week. EXAMPLE #4: 5TH GRADE YEAR COURSES 1. Language Arts, including grammar, reading, handwriting 2. Mathematics 3. Science - earth science 4. History - Ancient World 5. Art - focusing on art of ancient civilizations 6. Bible - Old Testament history Each course is covered on a weekly schedule, either as one short "period" per subject, per day, or you may choose to follow a schedule where certain subjects are taught for longer periods of time every other day. You may have four day weeks, five day weeks, six day weeks, depending on what suits your family. As you begin to design your curriculum using this method, you will be able to customize it toward your children's needs and interests. For instance, you may have a high school girl who would prefer to read Jane Austen over Charles Dickens. Also, always be on the look-out for new internet sources you might use, and don't be afraid to change/alter your curriculum as needed. Is creating your own curriculum time-consuming? Yes. Difficult? No. The internet is a vast and amazing resource. The hardest part of creating your curriculum is narrowing down your choices to what you need. If you are the type who likes much more detailed planning lists, you definitely want to explore the Donna Young site fully. There are several homeschool planners out there for purchase, but you needn't spend money unnecessarily, when this site has hundreds of forms available for free. The COLONIAL PLANNER is particularly nice. Again, feel free to VISIT MY FREE INTERNET SOURCES PAGE to get ideas. I've separated the links by subject as much as possible. Use the tags in the right-hand column to find what you are looking for. One final note. If you are concerned about being on "grade level," you might want to VISIT THIS WEBSITE to access the Texas State Standards exams. I have my children take these exams each year more for the practice than any concern over their scores, but they do serve as a nice reference, if you want/need. For LOTS! more great info on homeschooling, visit The Homeschool Lounge's 2009 Open House.  ETA: OOPS! I was supposed to include a "prize preference" list here on my post, if I'm a lucky winner in the Homeschool Lounge's Open House drawing. :) After reviewing the prizes, I would definitely choose the Currclick prize first, followed by Revive our Hearts (Lies Young Women Believe - my, golly, what an AWESOME product!), then the Homeschool Boutique. Beyond that, I would say anything would be nice, though the items more suitable for younger families, like the IttyBitty Bookworm, should of course go to a family who can use them.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 2, 2009 - Awards Certificates for Keeper at Home/Contenders for the FaithSeveral years ago, our homeschool support group started up KEEPERS AT HOME/CONTENDERS FOR THE FAITH clubs. (If you have never heard of these clubs, they are similar to scouting clubs.) While we were able to do a surprising number of the badges with minimal expense, one thing that was a concern for many of our families (especially the larger ones) was the cost of each badge once earned. We hit upon the solution of making awards certificates instead. These can be printed out, filled in, and framed with a dollar store frame.After a discussion about the Keepers clubs came up at THE HOMESCHOOL LOUNGE, I went into my backed-up storage files and found the certificates I made the year I was one of the club leaders. I had to edit them a bit - because they included our support group's name, but now I have posted them to my FREE FORMS page for anyone to use. I really recommend Keepers and Contenders clubs. First, they are Christian-based, so they include Bible reading and memory, and second, unlike scouting - YOU are completely in charge of your own clubs. There are no expensive uniforms, no strict rules. You work on the badges, as suggested by the handbooks and website, but you can determine the final requirements yourself. These clubs can even be done on a single family basis. Two final notes: 1) If you join or start a club, check eBay and Amazon for the handbooks; you can find them there for about 1/2 price. 2) Be sure to visit the website for new/more badge ideas not in the printed handbooks.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 2, 2009 - More Curbside ShoppingYesterday, as we were leaving for shopping, we saw that a family on our block was moving out, loading their belongings onto a U-Haul. I hope that they were moving for a good reason, but I'm not entirely certain. By late afternoon, they were gone, having left behind a lot of furniture on the curb. We picked up two end tables, one small bedside-type table, and some plastic shelving. None of these things is in very good condition, but my husband is going to clean it all up to use for better organizing things we keep in our garage.Another neighbor took a desk and two plastic chairs, and someone else took several bags of clothes. Later, as I was out walking our dogs, a young man in an old pick-up pulled up and took everything else. He didn't even stop to sort it. I'm assuming he takes things somewhere else, then figures out what he can sell. Certainly, this latest "find" doesn't come close to the giant TV we got a few weeks ago, but again, it will go to good use, and didn't cost us anything but the labor of carrying it home and the time it will take to clean it.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Aug. 1, 2009 - Reason #47 to Homeschool.THIS ARTICLE speaks about shrinking school budgets and growing class sizes. What I find most interesting about it is this quote from an elementary school teacher:“You may have a child that needs you, that needs that adult figure, to spend the extra five minutes with them. If you have five or six extra kids, that five minutes is gone.”followed by this quote from a mother: “If you have more people in the room — trying to get their hand up, trying to get their question answered, trying to get someone to stop kicking the back of their chair — there are going to be more problems.”Translation: Your child in public school is lucky to get even five minutes of a teacher's individual time, and your child may be competing just to get noticed and get his question answered. It's asking a lot of any child to expect him to learn well in an environment like that. (And *ahem*, we'll ignore the teacher's grammar error.)
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Jul. 31, 2009 - Making Lined CurtainsLined curtains can help block out heat and light, and lower your electricity bills. THIS ARTICLE explains making lined curtains.Just to note, the article talks of spending $500 to make 8 curtain panels. You do not need to spend nearly as much, obviously. Look for fabrics on sale, or consider re-using materials, such as bedsheets. (I know that probably makes some people cringe, but you don't have to tack up old 70s floral sheets to your windows! You may, however, have some plain sheets, in white or any other color, which would actually work well. When my son was young, we wanted yellow curtains for his bedroom, and it turned out purchasing 1 yellow, full-sized flat sheet was the best bargain with the closest color match, and it provided all the fabric I needed, after I paired it with thermal lining.) We only have 6 windows in our house, plus one sliding-glass door, so it wasn't too time or money consuming to make coverings for each, and we've even been able to change curtains to match a new paint job in three of our rooms recently. HERE'S some more info on making window treatments, in general, including NO-SEW CURTAINS for those who would like to make curtains, but don't know how/like to sew.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Jul. 30, 2009 - Free Baby Dress Crochet PatternTHIS pattern is for a cute little dress that is quick to complete and would make a nice gift for someone expecting a little girl.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Jul. 29, 2009 - Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program - Free BookIt's not too late to participate in THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM at Barnes and Noble, where your child can earn a free book.This is for grades 1 - 6. Your child must read 8 books, fill out a form, and turn it in to a B&N store by September 7th. The free book comes from a list of choices, and includes such things as Curious George, and Biscuit, for lower grades, up to Ben and Me and Sounder, for older children.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
Jul. 28, 2009 - Zesty Vegetable EnchiladasI have seen variations of this recipe on different websites, including this one here at ORTEGA but never one *exactly* like this. This one came from a magazine (Sorry copyright police! I can't remember which any more. If anyone can identify it, please do!) in the early 90s, that ran an article with budget-friendly recipes. I cut them all out and put them in a binder with other collected recipes.The things I change are: I use 1/2 Tablespoon oil, not 1 full one, and I use whatever suitable cheese I have, be it cheddar, or MJ, or a Colby-MJ blend. Also, unless I happen to stumble across Mexican stewed tomatoes on sale - which has happened to me maybe twice in 20 years - I use regular stewed tomatoes and add some salsa for flavoring, which, interestingly enough, brings it more in line with the Ortega version. So, here it is: Zesty Vegetable Enchiladas 1 1/3 cup water 1/2 cup dry lentils (3 1/2 oz.) 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 6-inch flour tortillas* Nonstick coating spray 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder or ground cumin (I use 1/2 tsp chili powder and 1 tsp. cumin.) 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced (about 2 cups) 1 14.5 oz can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, cut up 6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups) 1) In a medium saucepan, combine water, lentils, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover; simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until tender. Drain; rinse with cold water. Set aside. 2) Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil; heat at 350° for 10 minutes. Spray a 3 quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick coating. (Just to note - If you can get your hands on a REFILLABLE PUMP SPRAY, they're very handy to have.) 3) In a large skillet, stir-fry carrots and chili powder or cumin in hot oil for 2 minutes. Add zucchini; stir-fry for 2 - 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. (Add more oil if necessary during cooking.) Remove from heat. Stir in lentils, half of the undrained, stewed tomatoes, and half of the cheese. 4) Spoon vegetable mixture onto the tortillas, dividing it evenly. Roll up the tortillas; place seamside down in the baking dish. Cover with foil. 5) Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake for 7 - 12 minutes more or until heated through and tortillas are crisp. 6) Spoon remaining tomatoes over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake a few minutes more, until cheese is melted. Serves 4. (We usually have some leftover. These are pretty filling.) My children have been eating these since they were very young, and like them enough to request them occasionally. I've also served them to guests who have enjoyed them as well. *We make our own tortillas. They're absurdly easy to make. HERE'S a recipe, if you are looking for one.
|
| Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link |
| <- Last Page :: Next Page -> |