Turkey apples are a fun craft to make with the kids as well as a healthy snack. You will need an apple, 6 toothpicks, 1 large and 5 miniature marshmallows as well as some raisins and one piece of candy corn for each turkey.
Set the apple stem up on a flat surface. Stick a toothpick in the top part of one side of the apple. Add the large marshmallow to the top of the toothpick. Decorate the face of the turkey with two raisins as eyes and stick the candy corn in upside down into the marshmallow to make the beak.
Thread each of the remaining toothpicks with 3 raisins, and then top it off with one of the miniature marshmallows. These will be the tail feathers of your turkey. Stick the 4 toothpicks evenly spaced on the opposite side of the top of the apple.
Corn Collage
Cut a basic corn shape out of yellow construction paper. Tear little pieces of yellow and purple tissue paper and crumble them into little balls. Glue them on the corn shape to represent kernels of corn. Cut leaf shapes out of green construction paper and glue them behind your ear of corn.
Pilgrim Hat
You need a large paper grocery bag and some construction paper in black and yellow for each child. Fold the rim of the bag over to make a brim for the hat. Then cut a large strip of black construction paper and tape or glue it around the hat. Cut a belt buckle shape out of the yellow construction paper and glue it to the belt in the front of the hat.
Turkey Handprint crafts
This craft is a family tradition in many homes. First, outline your child’s foot once on a piece of brown construction paper. Then, outline her hands twice on red or yellow construction paper. Cut a beak out of orange construction paper.
Of course, if you visit craft stores like Michaels or online craft supply stores, like Oriental Trading, you’ll find thousands of craft ideas for your kids. Oriental Trading offers foam leaves, felt Pilgrim hats, quilts in fall colors, foam turkeys, stickers, craft kits and more.
Posted By Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
At a homeschool convention last year, another vendor and I struck up a conversation. He had a lot of energy but seemed a bit uptight; however, he readily admitted that he felt totally out of place because he didn't homeschool and this was definitely not his "typical convention." Not really interested in finding out what his "typical convention" was like, I smiled and assured him that we all knew he was out of place the minute he walked in the vendor hall, but we're a polite group and so we didn't point or stare as we talked about him to each other. He grinned and relaxed a bit.
"Obviously, you're a pretty direct person," He said. "So I was wondering, how does a guy who knows nothing about homeschooling sell his product to homeschoolers?"
Ignoring the fact that this out of place "greedy capitalist" was there just to make a profit, I chuckled and asked him, "Why do you think homeschoolers would even want to buy your product if you know absolutely nothing about us?"
He didn't seem to want to answer that, so I continued, "Get to know us a bit and you'll figure out it's not that hard to sell to us. We're pretty frugal but can be gullible in the right circumstance with a promising product, especially at a homeschool convention."
"Fair enough." He replied. "Then I'd like to show you my stuff and see what you think. But first there's one thing I've been wondering about homeschoolers for quite a while now."
"Oh, and what is that?"
"Why do you homeschoolers have so many kids?"
"Umm, gee, maybe it's because we have more exciting things to do than watch Jay Leno after the kiddos go to bed?!?" (Okay, I didn't really say that but I did think it.)
Instead, I politely tried to explain that for some of us homeschooling isn't just an educational choice but a life decision based on a belief that children are as a blessing from God. He wasn't getting it and I was getting hungry so the conversation quickly died of natural causes.
If I ever run into him again, however, I'm sending him over to Ethan Demme (of Math-U-See fame) who gives a much more thoughtful and complete answer to the question, How do I reach the homeschool community? His post is directed at politicians but he starts from the same premise that you have to know something about us, past and present, in order to reach us.
As a homeschool grad and marketing guru, Demme provides an excellent round-up of information and resources to understand this growing but changing movement of homeschool radicals who actually believe they can teach their children at home and live to blog about it. Check it out and keep in handy if you ever run into my vendor friend at your state homeschool convention.
(Note to Demme: Please add a paragraph on fecundity and homeschoolers, thanks in advance.)
Nov. 10, 2009 - Holiday Hunt Week1 - Enter to Win a 12 Days of Christmas Devotional!
Posted By HomeschoolBlogger Company Blog in
Contests
Attention, Super Sleuth Homeschool Moms!
Join our Holiday Hunt!
We're holding several holiday scavenger hunts here on HSB. Once a week for the next three weeks, you'll have a chance to join in the fun each week! (One entry per family per week, please.)
All of the entry details and clues for the first week are below, so please read them carefully.
The Prize!
The prize is this wonderful Christmas devotional--The 12 Days of Christmas: A Guide to an Old Tradition with a New Purpose by Linda Coates and Leslie S. Kelly
The 12 Days of Christmas helps families discover that Christmas Day is the kickoff for the celebration, not the final affair. The twelve-day adventure begins on December 26. In it, you will learn more about the tenets of the Christian faith through wonderful stories and meaningful activities, and create new traditions to last you and your family a lifetime. By uncovering hidden meanings in the old classic Christmas song, Linda and Leslie bring you a new and exciting way to finish one year and begin the next.
You have until midnight EST Friday, November 13, 2009, to send Tan your answers.
At that point, we will conduct a random drawing to determine a winner from this week’s submissions to receive The 12 Days of Christmas by Linda Coates and Leslie Kelly - a Christmas devotional.
Again . . .Each week one winner of our random drawing will win a copy of the beautiful Christmas devotional from Linda Coates and Leslie Kelly, entitled The 12 Days of Christmas: A Guide to an Old Tradition with a New Purpose.
Each day of this devotional has scripture, discussion questions, activities, a prayer, a devotional story, and points to ponder. Your family will delve into the true meaning of Christmas, starting with Day 1-December 26. This is truly a beautiful and meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Christ.
"Whose birthday is it anyway? Have you ever wanted more from the Christmas Season? The Twelve Days of Christmas is more than just another Christmas book. It is a way to recapture what has been lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas so that this year it can be different. This inspiring book will help you discover that Christmas Day is the jumping point for the real celebration, not the final affair . . . The Twelve Days of Christmas is a beautiful way to finish one year and begin the next and to celebrate Christ's birth by giving our gifts to the One who has given us the greatest gift of all." Tate Publishing, http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60696-260-2
1.This company is known for their quality films. Find two that films or one film collection on their site that your family would enjoy. List their url/Web address.
2.This company was voted #1 by Homeschool.com in 1994. Provide their url/Web Address
3.See if you can find who sells the book The Big Book of American Trivia, Over 3,000 Questions and Answers. Please send us their url/Web address.
4.Go here for some amazing photos of birds, bears, and other critters. Send us the url/Web address.
5.Find a wide selection of construction or farm machine on this site. Tell us which one is your favorite and send us the link to one of your favorite machines. (Must include the link.)
6.Find Sketchy Adventures, it’s free! Send us the url/Web address.
7.The author of this website has traveled to 46 states and several Canadian provinces to encourage home educators over the past twenty years and look forward to lots of fruitful ministry in the future. Please send us their url/Web address.
Okay Fans, you can do this! Be sure to email your answers to me at thogate@thehomeschoolmagazine.com to be entered into this contest.
Nov. 10, 2009 - Home Ec ~ Chaos Tamers in Training
Posted By HomeschoolBlogger Company Blog in
tamingchaos
This week is home economics week on The Front Porch.
Home Economics in the schools is really an institutionalized attempt to replicate the home, so as homeschoolers we have the perfect environment to impart "home ec" in the same, effective way that life skills have been learned through the ages--passed down generation to generation, parent to child, in daily "on the job" training.
As we tame the chaos of meals, clutter, cleaning, budgets and mending, we can apprentice the children alongside us. Relationships are strengthened, they absorb valuable skills. Additionally, household efficiency is increased as the whole family shares in the work!
Homeschoolers have the luxury of being able to learn home-economics in context as a natural part of life. There are great curriculums to help lend a systematic approach or provide additional dimensions to the natural family-style training, but the beauty of home-economics in the homeschool is the seamless practical application aspect.
As you tame the chaos, draw your children along side you--whether they are 18 months or 18 years. Gradeschoolers can help calculate costs as you shop in the grocery store and get an idea of living within a budget. Give a small child a button to sew onto his own scrap of cloth as you tackle the mending basket. Make the same muffin recipe three times in a row with your 8 year old, having her do more of it herself each time. (Then do it a 4th time as only an observer, and on the 5th see if she can do it entirely on her own!) Encourage a child to organize a cupboard or drawer that's gotten out of control.
Older children can try their hand at managing a month of meals, and grow into budgeting confidence as they handle finances for their hobbies or entrepreneurial endeavors.
Domestic Chaos Tamer and Homeschool Mom of Five,Dellwrites about home, heart and hearth.
The kitchen is obviously a great place to teach Home Ec. My teaching style for all subjects is very relaxed and this one is no exception, as a matter of fact, I seldom think about teaching Home Ec. My girls help out in the kitchen and the home with whatever is needed. They learn basic cooking, cleaning, menu planning, shopping, etc. by participating in the daily routines of the household. As of yet, there has been no "Home Ec. curriculum", and though it might not be a bad idea for some families, I doubt it will be the way we go. I do have plans for all of the girls (Mom included) to create a Home Journal which will contain recipes for cooking as well as cleaning (love those natural cleaning products), and whatever other "home keeping" things that we decide to put into them. I certainly wish that I had started out with one of those when I first attempted to create a home years ago. It would have saved lots of time and tears, not to mention money!
My 11 year old daughter probably has more cooking and homekeeping skill than many young ladies twice her age. She, like her Mom, enjoys cooking and can frequently be found perusing a cookbook for a new treat for snack time or dessert. I believe that is because she has someone at home with her to first of all model this, cooking is fun in our house. And since a maid has yet to appear in our home to clean up our frequent messes (though no one would complain if she popped in this morning), someone (and that means everyone) must learn to do the house keeping. And finally, she has time to practice and develop these skills during the course of her homeschool day.
We had a conversation over the weekend with the mother of 2 young men who were in my husband's youth group a few years ago. She said both of her boys are still unmarried and living at home. They have no desire to get married and move away from Mom because none of the girls they know can cook! She told us that one young lady blew up their microwave attempting to make a grilled cheese sandwich! An extreme example, of course, but so many young people today simply do not have the basic skills for running a household. I understand this dilemma, because though I could cook, I was sorely lacking in the other areas of home keeping when I moved away from home and started a household of my own. It took some real effort on my part to learn exactly what all went into running a household, especially when that household included children.
I find it interesting that Titus chapter 2 equates the aged women teaching the younger women to be keepers at home (sounds like home ec. to me) with sound doctrine.
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:1-5
My best advice for teaching Home Ec. is to simply include your children in the day to day tasks of the home. Let them help with the grocery lists, menu plans, cooking, cleaning and so forth. Give them lots of opportunities to practice and develop these skills as they grow. Living and learning together is a blessing, and the skills they learn will bless their future families as well.
Catherine Love lives in the heart of Texas with her husband Carl, and their 3 daughters, Sarah, Hannah, and Cana. They enjoy cooking, gardening, and learning new things as they live a lifestyle of learning together. You can read Catherine's Kitchen Adventures and more on her blog- Seeds of Love.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending an Above Rubies Retreat in Hardin, Kentucky. It was my first Above Rubies Retreat that I've attended. I've received the Above Rubies Magazine for years and I was thrilled to finally get to meet Nancy Campbell and her daughter Pearl, along with Pearl's daughter, Meadow. I've been dealing with some "things" lately and I am SOOOO happy that I attended. My dear friend Tammy T. attended the Retreat with me. On the last day of the Retreat it was "Share Testimony" time. A few of the ladies got up and shared what The Lord had ministered to them during the Retreat. I got up and began to share what I call my "Nightmare Story" on the day that My Elgin was killed by a drunk driver. It's ALWAYS a very emotional time for me whenever I share about that HORRIBLE day that My Elgin was killed. I think there were only two other ladies there that was "close" to my age, and I was the only Widow in attendance. All of the ladies there looked to be under the age of about 30-35, and none of them have experienced the lost of a husband before. After telling my "Nightmare Story" numerous ladies came to me and thanked me for sharing my "Nightmare", that my Story challenged them to put more of an effort to let their husbands know just how much they are loved. Even Nancy Campbell told me that my Story challenged her and that my Testimony was the most Inspirational lesson taught at the Retreat. I always said, That if God allowed me to go through this "Nightmare" to be able to help other ladies to "Love" their husbands while they still can, then I will be that willing vessel. I pray that each of you who reads my entry will be inspired to Love Your Husband. Pearl, Me & Nancy Campbell
In all the changes that I have made this year I have been learning the importance of "piggybacking". Piggybacking is when you butt one thing after the other and save because it is already heated up. For example... to dry one load of laundry after the other and save because the dryer is already heated up. Another way I have piggybacked my savings is when I roast my coffee beans. I roast what I need for that week...one batch after the other. A third way that I can think of right off the bat is piggybacking while baking or cooking with the oven. Get the biggest bang for your buck by baking several things together and right after the other. In the winter time it is also a nice way to raise the temperature a little in your house. I guess you can say it is like multi-tasking your energy use and save. .
Now to join in the fun of Tightwad Tuesday....
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Link your TWT post click on MckLinky and give exact the URL of your post. (each Tuesday that you join in on the fun)
SpellQuizzer is a spelling program that helps kids learn their spelling and vocabulary words. SpellQuizzer is spelling software for children that need help learning their spelling and vocabulary words. The SpellQuizzer web site has pre-made downloadable spelling lists that you can download and use with SpellQuizzer. ~SpellQuizzer.
A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Dan over at SpellQuizzer and asked if I would be willing to review this new software. It was an honor to be asked and I was certainly eager to do so. I really didn't know what to expect, but my initial hope was that the program wouldn't take a four year degree to understand!
I am pleased to say that it did not! From download to first use took only moments and SpellQuizzer was very simple to use. However, don't let the simplicity fool you, this is one powerful tool! My children get tired of writing and rewriting their spelling lists. SpellQuizzer allows for a little variety. They are able to type their spelling words using verbal cues that YOU create. All that is needed to use this software is an inexpensive computer microphone.
In a nutshell, you will take your child's spelling list and record them in the SpellQuizzer program. Say it, use it in a sentence and then repeat it if you'd like. Your child will then have the opportunity to type the word into the space provided. Further information can be found on the SpellQuizzer site.
I like this program for several reasons but mostly because it is another tool that I can use to reinforce my children's spelling words without making them write them each and every day.
Now for the contest:
SpellQuizzer is willing to award a FREE copy of the software and user license to the winner of this contest!!! (Thank you Dan!) Add a comment to this entry for your chance to win. Post on your blog about this contest and then come back and leave a second comment with the link to your post for a second chance to win. The contest ends at midnight, on Sunday November 15, 2009 and the winner will be drawn at random using Random.org. The winner will be contacted on 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.
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.
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.
Pearl, Me & Nancy Campbell
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