Free Earth/Mars Comparison Poster – Teachers

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 06:10 PM PDT

NASA is offering a free Earth/Mars Comparison Poster for teachers.  This offer is available to U.S. teachers.

I am not certain that they will mail this out to home schoolers, but I am hopeful that they will.

Blessings,
Hope

Last week, the children and I went on a field trip to Fort Knox State Park (no, not the one with all the money:).  Jim and Trisha organized this field trip for members of Guilford Christian Academy.




It was a wonderful trip, the weather was nice, the children were cheerful, and enjoyed discovering the Fort.  We were given a tour by one of their employees, Roger, and he did an outstanding job informing us.  

There is also the Penobscot Narrows Bridge there, with an Observatory.  While we were walking down the sidewalk to the Observatory, we saw a Seal rolling in the river.  I think that was actually the highlight of the Observatory trip.  Once we reached the top of the elevator, we were met with a solid glass wall, which reveals amazing views.  However, this triggered a Migraine Headache for me.  I thank God that we had a good friend along with us, who was able to drive home for me.

We got a kick out of this....link is at the bottom - great grammar practice!
Ladies and gentlemen, on this crazy occasion, it is a privilege to address such a/an funny-looking group of captains.  I can tell from your smiling sandwiches that you will support my mighty program in the coming election.  I promise that, if elected, there will be a/an cotton candy in every band and two airplanes in every garage.  I want to warn you against my horrible opponent, Mr. Coy.  This man is nothing but a/an wide-eyed snow.  He has a/an shaggy character and is working apple in glove with the criminal element.  If elected, I promise to eliminate vice.  I will keep the mosquitoes in the public till.  I promise you magnificent government, damaged taxes, and tired schools.


http://www.madlibs.com/

Blessings,
Hope and kids

CurrClick offers free downloads as well as great resources you can purchase.  This week they are offering

Math Mammoth Clock - a great lesson which teaches as well as reviews the clock.  I often find with my children that even though we've always taught the clock, there is a tendency to 'forget' how to read one...this will make great summertime work...quick and easy lessons they can do in just a few minutes to keep their minds fresh through the summer playtime!

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I've been googling sites with information about this wonderful season:

A few Worksheets

http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/misc/thanks/

A few sites with really good lessons about Thanksgiving

http://www.plimoth.org/kids/homeworkHelp/pilgrims.php

http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/

Thanksgiving Proclamation by George Washington

http://www.ashbrook.org/articles/washington.html

 Thanksgiving Crafts

http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/thanksgiving.html

Blessings,

Hope

Garrett has made it to the summit of Letter Mountain!  I say this with all the pride and love a mother can.  We have struggled for the last year to teach him all the letters of the alphabet.  He has excelled in learning addition and subtraction, but until recently, has been unable to recognize all the letters.  I watched with great concern as he would become easily frustrated during letter lessons.

He developed some interesting ways of dealing with this frustration.   Sometimes he would say “Oh mom, I know that letter, I’m just not going to tell you!”  Other times he would say “I know it, but you have to say it first!”  And then there were the tears…many tears.  He would become so frustrated over his inability to recognize a letter, he would cry in defeat, saying ‘I’m never going to know all my letters!’  He even told me at one point this summer “I am the only six year old who can’t read.”  I would lovingly reassure him that he would read one day, and point out his strengths – math.

To help him learn, I have done so many different things.  I have started and stopped at least 3 phonics programs, because it was obvious he just wasn’t ready for them yet.  No one learning method has helped more than the other.  It has been through repetition and allowing him to develop to the point of his brain being able to recognize letters that he has finally learned his letters. 

Here are a few websites and activities we have used to help Garrett master Letter Mountain:

Alphabet Flashcards – done every day

Alphabet matching game

Alphabet Bingo

ABC Order http://www.learningplanet.com/act/abcorder.asp?contentid=172

A-Z Phonics http://www.marks-english-school.com/games/A-Z.html

Clifford Letter Round up http://www.scholastic.com/clifford/play/roundup/index.htm

Starfall ABCs http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/index/play.htm?f

Letter Sounds http://www.yourchildlearns.com/letters/lettersounds.htm

Rats letters http://www.learningplanet.com/act/rats/rats1.asp?rats_letters

The ABC game http://www.primarygames.com/theabcgame/start.htm

Blessings,

Who says school has to be all book work?  While schooling is traditionally bookwork, we don't school traditionally if we homeschool, do we?

Yesterday after ball practice, the boys were playing with a few friends and they foudn a horrendous bug...

Funny, this picture doesn't serve it well....

No one whom we showed the bug to knew what it was.  One lady at the post office gave us a few clues though - she believed the bug came out of the water and didn't always have wings.  Another lady called it a pine bug....my husband had NO idea what it was.  A friend of ours said they are all over her house in the summer, and they hiss....she lives by the river......

After doing a quick internet search, Calvin found this information, (sopied and pasted from http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg121.html )

Dobsonfly

Click on image to enlarge   A hellgrammite, Corydalus sp. (Neuroptera:Corydalidae). Photo by Drees.     A dobsonfly, Corydalus sp. (Neuroptera: Corydalidae), male. Photo by C. L. Cole.   A dobsonfly, Corydalus sp. (Neuroptera: Corydalidae), female. Photo by Drees.

Common Name: Dobsonfly Scientific Name: Corydalus sp. Order: Neuroptera Description: Dobsonflies are large (can be over 2 inches long), and have long antennae. Their large, many veined forewings are often mottled. When at rest, wings are held flat over the back and extend beyond the abdomen. Males have long, extended curved mandibles which are used to grasp the female during mating. Aquatic immature stages, called hellgrammites are elongate, dull colored larvae with gill filaments and feathery gill clusters along the sides of the abdomen. They have two hooks on the end of the abdomen. Alderflies (Neuroptera: Sialidae) are similar to dobsonflies but smaller. Larvae of alderflies differ from hellgrammites in that they lack the two hooks at the end of the abdomen. Life Cycle: Immatures develop in water, especially well oxygenated and high quality water. Habitat and Food Source(s): The adults probably do not feed. The long mandibles of the males would make feeding very difficult. Hellgrammites are aggressive predators that attack other aquatic insects and other organisms in the water. They are found in flowing rivers and streams hidden among rocks. Immatures can be collected in riffle areas of streams where they hide among rocks (see Mayflies). Pest Status: Adults are noticed when attracted to lights at night. Immatures (hellgrammites) are collected and used as fish bait; immatures are fierce biters, but medically harmless. Management: None, not considered a pest.

 The boys were so tickled to find out what the bug is...and that as scarey looking (at least to momma) it is, it isn't harmful.  They released the bug in our backyard after our little lesson was done.

Hope

Homeschoolingmommaof4 (JoAnn) shared this with me, and I'm sharing it with everyone else.  You can find her blog here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolingmommaof4

And the workbook is here: http://www.mediafire.com/?pbc1t20btux

Thank you JoAnn for your hard work and willingness to share.

God Bless,

Hope

This link was shared by a friend of mine, Jayedee.  I have held on to it, intending to post it here for everyone and for later use....oddly enough, a week after she shared this link with me, I went to a garage sale where I found about 20 antique apron patterns, some so old that the patterns are falling apart!

These would make great gifts for friends and family, if you are into sewing....just imagine the sweetness of recieving a handmade apron from a friend.  And with all the fabrics that are out there....oh the possibilities are endless!

http://tipnut.com/56-free-apron-patterns-you-can-make/

And, for a sewing lesson for our daughters, here you go, comliments of PaternReview.com:

http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/sewingclasses/index.pl

Blessings,

Hope

I am sharing an article I recieve in my inbox because it touched me so deeply. 

Crosswalk Home School Encouragement
Welcome to Crosswalk Home School Encouragement, a free newsletter from Crosswalk.com, the world's largest Christian website. We honor your privacy and time If this newsletter no longer meets your needs, please use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this newsletter and you will be removed immediately.

What a busy day!  The boys had swim at 9, then ball at 10, then we hurried through a quick lunch of sandwiches and headed to Bradley Maine, to Leonard's Mills.  http://www.leonardsmills.com/ 

Leonard's Mills is a living history museum with a focus on old style logging.

We arrived later than most people, but it was still fun.  We ran into a friend of ours, Isleen, along with her 3 children, and had the chance to see many other friends too, like Trisha and Jim and the kids, and Sandee and her family. 

My good friend Trisha set this event up for local homeschoolers.  (http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MaineHSMom/).  She told me there were over 200 people in attendence, with 64 families!   What a blessing!

Thanks Trisha for all your hard work!

Blessings,

Hope

We had one terrific thunderstorm last night!   Calvin is working nights this week, and the boys take turns sleeping with me when he's gone....at one point, Coy got up to go potty and climbed back in his bed....then came the thunder and lightning!!!  I knew he woudl be awake soon, so I waited for him to call me, and he didnt'....then BOOM!!!   The loudest of all thunder and brightest of lightning struck..I walked to his room and brought him to my bed.

As he climbed in my bed, lightning and thunder crashed and a car passed the corner of the house at the same time....he thought he saw something jump off the roof of our house...it took me about 10 minutes to convice him it was just a shadow from the lightning or passing car.  Then I told him how I used to be afraid of lightning, and he started with a MILLION questions. 

I decided this morning to do a little research on lightning, and came up with a great site from FEMA.   After breakfast, I'll have him read through the site and answer the questions on it.   I figure it will be a great lesson for him.

Here's a link if anyone is interested in it:

http://www.fema.gov/kids/thunder.htm

And here is another interesting lesson about lightning:

http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/lightning/index.html

Blessings,

Hope

It is the end of the school 'year' for us.  It is not really accurate to say the school 'year' as we typically do school (bookwork) all year, and learning is a daily event..  BUT, for legalities sake, in keeping up with how many days we've schooled, we have under 2 weeks to meet the state's requirements. 

And so, with summer oh so close, days warming and growing longer, getting down to the business of schooling isn't so easy.  The great temptation to send the kids outside in the sunshine pulls at me.  Yesterday is one of those days I gave into cancelling school.  Call it a Play day, and I figure since we don't have snow days - when it snows, we still do school, we can afford a littel fun now and then!   In the early morning, a friend of mine called and invited us over.  We loaded the truck with necessary items - diaper bag, changes of clothing, snacks...and headed out.

What a great time we had playing and visiting with our friends!  To see 10 children ranging from the age of 17 months to 8 and 1/2, both boys and girls, playing together....a mother's dream!  And not a single fight.  Even the two toddlers shared their toys!  At one point, I looked up to see Isabella, age 17 months, and Yorgi, age 2, taking small rocks and filling up each other's seashells:)  One kiddo did fall out of the hammock and bump her head, but after finding comfort in momma's arms, she was off to play hard as ever.

And the four of us moms had a great chance to catch up, talk about being moms, plans for our gardens and summer.  I look forward to gathering again with these ladies, perhaps at the lake this summer....or the park...or at each other's houses.

Blessings,

Hope

I have started a reward system for behavior during school.  A very simple one.  WHoever gets the most stars during the week gets a treat on Saturday. 

Three stars = you worked well, quietly, and did not disturb anyone else. 

Two stars  = you needed to be redirected, you distracted someone, you didn't focus on your work.

One star  =  you did your work, but not very well.

No stars = you didn't finish your work on time, you played, you distracted...

So far, no one has recieved less than 2 stars a day.  But boy when I tell them "Do I need to take a star away?" they straighten up and work well!  This is based on behavior only.  It is hard sometimes to get them to focus on their work, especially when little sister is trying to play with them. 

This week, they both got the sme number of stars - 14.  They worked REALLY well.  I was so proud of them.  Their treat was a root beer float.  Both of them earned it this week....not sure what next weeks will be yet.  And I'm not telling them what it is either, not until Saturday morning.  This way, no one can say "Oh, I don't want that".   Or say they wanted something else.

Blessings,

Hope

This link was posted on a group I'm on, and it is chock full of all kinds of activities, including recipes....

http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1496.html

Here's another site you might find helpful:

http://schoolathome.blogspot.com/2005/01/little-house-on-prairie-lesson-plan.html

Blessings,

Hope

It's off to another busy school day.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all I hav eto accomplish in a day.  I see other moms, whom don't homeschool, but have all day to themselves.  I'm finding more and more that it is necessary for me to follow a schedule.  I don't keep a terribly strict schedule, but I do try to follow it closely.  This means I must be up adn prepared for the kids before their feet hit the ground.  So, when I get up, I get dressed, have a coffee, and have my time with the Lord.  Then I start a load of laundry, wake the kids, and check my email.  .

I've been told that we take too strict an approach to education.  My husband and I both have discussed this, and we both feel that God comes first and a good education MUST come second.    We want our children to first and foremost, love and serve the Lord.  As adults, we want the men to be able to provide well for their family. 

Blessings,

Hope

On the right side of my page, you'll see links.  I've put the majority of my favorite HomeSchool links there.  These consist of mostly elementary level, since that's what my kids are.  All of it is on the internet and free.  There are some free curriculums there.  There are some games.  I hope you will find some, if not all of it useful. 

Blessings,

Hope

We have struggled with teaching our second son to read.  He will be 6 in April, and still can't read.  Our first son read at like  4 1/2, so this is so frustrating for us.  BUT, that;s about to change!!!!

Today, he brougth me a paper that said "Monday" on it and said "Momma, this says Monday."  I was so happy, but I figured it was b/c we're working on tthe days of the week and he recognized it.  So, here we are 3 hours later, and I wrote "Today is Monday" on a paper.  I have never wrote this before.  We usually just fill in the date on his school papaers.  I asked him which word was Monday, and he pointed to it.  Then I asked which word was Today, and he pointed to it.  That left is, and he pointed when asked.

Just now, I wrote cat, fat, hat, rat.  I asked him which word was cat.  He missed it.  BUT, he got the other 3 words without a problem!!!   This is so great.  This tells me he is starting to put the sounds of letters together, finally.  I know it isn't reading, but we're so much closer than we were even a month ago!!!!

My heart is swollen with pride!  You should've seen his face!

Hope