Will It Be The Big Yellow Bus or Homeschooling this year??

A while back, I was with the Homeschooled Young Man at a Civil War Re-Enactment that he was re-enacting in and my cell phone rang. It was one of my doctors calling me with a report. Of course, it was VERY loud on my end with all excitement and cannons being fired that goes on with a re-enactment. The doctor asked me where I was and I explained we had taken the day off from homeschool to participate in the re-enactment. My doctor looked out his office window and he could see the general area that we were in and he said "Wow, your son gets to do the coolest things!"

As parents, we can all offer up cool opportunities for our children to experience, but it's so much easier to just put them on that big yellow bus and let someone else handle it all for 8+ hours a day. No worries and no responsibility for our kids. Sometimes the Easy Button is not the right button to push.

Are you considering home education for your child this coming school year? It is not too late, even if you have already registered them for the big yellow school bus to take them away each day. You can do it!! Let me know how I can help you.

Favorite FREEBIE Homeschool Websites

These links are a wonderful way to bring education into your home and to supplement your homeschooling. There are links for preschoolers, grade schoolers, junior high, high school and Moms.

Some are oldies but goodies and some are ones you may have never seen before. These are in no certain order, just some different sites that we really enjoy and get a lot of help from. These are also great to have in a SAFE folder for your child to be able to go to when they have their media time. Please let me know if any of the links are bad and I will get them fixed.
Happy schooling!
Homeschool encouragement

https://thehomeschoolgal.blogspot.com

Homeschooling boys (they also talk about homeschooling girls too)

https://www.raisingrealmen.com/

http://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/index.htmlhttp://www.spellingcity.com/

LOVE this site! I entered in an entire year of spelling words and each week he uses this site to learn them. There is a ‘teach’, ‘play’ and ‘test’ area. He loves this site.
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/
Make your own comics, this is a great tool for creative thinking
Thanksgiving ideas (plus other holidays)
http://localhs.com/holiday/thanksgiving_elemetary.asp
Math games
http://sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm
Tests grade school through high school
http://www.thatquiz.org/
Math games http://www.quia.com/mathjourney.html
Word scramble and puzzle makers
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/printable-worksheets/make-your-own/word-scramble/
Math & grammar games
http://www.funbrain.com/
Math games
http://www.lizardpoint.com/math/add-ws.html
Christianity Today home school info
https://www.todayschristianwoman.com
Lots of neat stuff here for Bible believing homeschoolers & Bible studies & character studies
http://highland.hitcho.com.au/bibleforms.htm
http://www.tlsbooks.com/
Worksheets for different grades
http://www.squidoo.com/50statesnotebook
Great ideas for state notebooks
http://www.barbarafrankonline.com/
Let’s play math
http://letsplaymath.wordpress.com/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/
Lots of printable lessons
http://www.sonlight.com/TF4.html
I don’t use Sonlight curriculum, but the website offers up lots of great info on home schooling, books to order from your local library and it has book lists by grades. I enjoy the emails they send too.
Lots of printables
http://www.canteach.ca/

http://www.canteach.ca/links/linkhomeschool.html 

http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/grade_4.php

Math games & printable
http://homeschooling.about.com/
http://www.homeschooldiner.com/
Lesson plans
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/dailylp/dailylp/dailylp067.shtml
Crafts/Art
http://www.teacherhelp.org/crafts.htm#recipes
Physical science
http://www.physicscentral.com/experiment/physicsathome/index.cfm
Free resources
http://blog.learningresources.com/
Coloring pages & resources from National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coloringbook/archive/
http://highland.hitcho.com.au/index.htm
Neat stuff
http://www.unshackled.org/
Pacific Garden Mission-great place to take a field trip.
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/
Good info & printables
http://www.distance-education.org/Articles/100-COMPLETELY-FREE-Distance-Learning-Resources-for-Homeschoolers-125.html
Evangelism tools for kids & fun stuff
https://www.wycliffe.org/resources/kids/activities
Homeschool Classifieds
http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/planner_form.asp
This is a funny home school blog a few great articles & links to home school websites
https://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/
Timeline helps
https://store.homeschoolinthewoods.com/blogs/words-from-the-woods
Frugal website (sometimes has home school content, but otherwise about saving money with kids & being frugal.
https://www.livingonadime.com/
Interesting home school blog
http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/2007/10/homeschool-resources.html
Science homeschooling
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/Default.asp?bhcd2=1256956745
Socialization of homeschoolers
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/sasschool/socialization.html
home schooling forms to print
http://www.donnayoung.org/forms/index.htm
Candy science experiments
http://www.candyexperiments.com/
Geography worksheets
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/geography.html
Scholastic
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/play/games/
Neighborhood Bible Time kids site
http://www.nbtime.org/kidscorner.html
Weather
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/treehouse/
History
http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/
Lego building projects

http://creative.lego.com/en-us/FamilyTime/buildinginstructionssecret/BuildingInstructionsBoxSecret.aspx?domainredir=legofamilytime.com

Hoping your enjoy some of these free goodies along your journey of crisis homeschooling or full-time homeschooling. Some of the links contain Christian materials and I did not receive any compensation from any of these websites for listing their links in this blog post.

The Price Of Home Education: Dollars & Sense

 

What is the true price of home education? Not in terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of what it really takes to home educate: dollars & sense. Are you willing to pay the price? Read on...

The Homeschooled Young Man's hero ever since the 4th grade has been Dr. Ben Carson, MD. If you get the chance watch his movie Gifted Hands, we have watched it several times and I am so not a movie watching person...lol. Dr. Ben Carson also has an autobiography book for younger kids and a book called America The Beautiful, which is good for teens and adults. A homeschool friend was able to help me secure 2 tickets to see Dr. Ben Carson speak. During that time the Homeschooled Young Man was able to meet Dr. Ben, shake his hand, get his picture taken with him and get his autograph. Let me just say that this might have been the highlight of his homeschooling career! I think this may be a close runner up to meeting Dr. Jay Wile, PhD, who authored the Homeschooling Young Man's favorite science textbooks.

Now mind you, we are not a well to do family, we live on one income, we follow Dave Ramsey's budget planning, save as we go and scrimp some months. We had to figure in gas, food, miles on the vehicle, hotel, tickets to the event and purchase of Dr. Ben's latest book. So as you can figure it took a bit of financial planning to make this trip to see Dr. Ben a reality.

I was talking with the executive director of our state homeschool group and he was asking me about the medical school program that the Homeschooled Young Man is in and the experiences that all that carries with it. And he said this to me in an email. "Do you understand that you can't separate that interview from making the sacrifice to hear Ben Carson? One is affected by the other. This is where so many homeschooling parents miss the mark. They want the convenience of slapping a worksheet down in front of their children but miss the importance of real life, usually because it comes at a price of time, energy and resources."

This is what homeschooling is all about. Yes, some homeschoolers have a set of state standards that they must abide by, but there is so much more that we as homeschoolers can focus on. So many more rich life changing experiences that we can afford our children. What are you spending your homeschool resources on? Worksheets only? What can you change up this coming school year that will afford change in your child's real life world? Homeschooling dollars & sense: it's what you make of it.

Are you considering home education for your child this coming school year? It's not too late, even if you have already registered them for the big yellow school bus. You can do it!! Let me know how I can help you.

Moe

Moe's Top 10 Reasons Why...

Moe's Top 10 Reasons Why...You Need To Be A Part Of Your State's Home Education Association.

 

Are you a part of your states home education association? If not you should be! Ask yourself why you are or why you are not.
As homeschoolers we like to be different and be on our own...haha...do I lie? NOT!

In the case of state home education associations we have strength in numbers. Here are just a few things that your state home education association can and should offer you.

1) Information on changing homeschool laws and what we can do about them.
2) An annual home education state convention.
3) A listing of local homeschool groups throughout your state for you to join.
4) Help and encouragement for homeschoolers at different stages (beginner, grade school, junior high, high school, special needs)
5) Information about local and state events.
6) Updates on things like Common Core, graduation requirements, drivers ed and lots more.
7) Tips for preparing for each new stage of homeschooling.
8) Ideas for passing on the baton of homeschooling from you to your children's children.
9) TONS of resources for FREE!
10) MUCH MORE!

So what are you waiting for? Do a GOOGLE search for your state's homeschool association to see what you have been missing out on!

Worried About Socialization In Your Homeschool?

Thinking of homeschooling your only child? Or many you have more than 1 and you worry about socialization, read on....
When we first started home educating 6 years ago (has it REALLY been that long?) I worried and worried about socialization. Now as my dear homeschooling friend Christine says "My kids don't know a stranger!" I would totally agree. Even with our son being an only child, he is chatty, bubbly and full of all sorts of chatter. He is able to converse with toddlers, little kids, elementary & junior high kids, high school & college students, grown adults, the elderly and so many more types of people. His pediatrician and him discuss gardening and their love of sauteed zucchini, garlic and olive oil...lol. Yes, my son and his doctor sit around and discuss the finer things in life during his well checkups. He gets lot of comments on his phone etiquette and how he handles himself in various social situations. I think that comes from him being in many different situations throughout the day.

He does struggle to understand how other kids around him that are in the "school" setting are embarrassed to answer questions, say "I don't know" & "I dunno" all the time, are embarrassed to get up and speak or afraid to speak up about things. So he does see a difference in himself and other kids, but is this really a bad thing? Our son has been interviewed on radio & TV, he has written newspaper articles as well as being interviewed by newspapers. He has given many different types of speeches to a variety of audience ages, he has done piano recitals and played piano at church. Yes he has flopped at times, but has used those as learning experiences. He figures that he is young and learning. What a blessing to not be bummed out, but to think on "How can I do this better next time, what would I change or how can I use this experience to further my learning?"
HipHomeSchoolMoms has a pretty HIP article on socialization and the only child. Check it out before the new school year starts.

Have you socialized your child today?

 

Lone Star Learning Math Review

 

 

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, we were sent a set of the Lone Star Learning companies Target Vocabulary Pictures Math Set 1 flashcards. You can find these flashcards by clicking here lonestarlearning.com/ they come in two different sizes:
The Large cards measure 11″ x 8.5″ $34.99
The Small cards measure 5.5″ x 4.25″ $29.99
Grades 1st-8th

We were given the small cards to review. I think at first our 7th grader thought, "Oh, yeah! Flashcards! YIPPEE!" Well by the end of the review he was telling me that
"The Target Vocabulary Pictures Math set 1 flashcards would be great for high school students that needed a math review."

What we liked about the Target Vocabulary Pictures Math Set 1 5.5x4.25 size cards:

PERFECT size for homeschool use (the larger size would be great for classroom teachers)
GREAT for on the go use in the car.
FITS perfectly in purse or bag to use while waiting at appointments.
FUN to play with.
DOES not feel like we are doing school when we use the cards.
HIGH quality flashcards, I don't see these falling apart anytime soon, they are laminated.
GREAT for all ages, recommended for 3rd-8th grade, but could be used with 1st-12th grade.

What could be better about the
Target Vocabulary Pictures Math Set 1:

STORAGE there is no box to store these in. I actually think that I am going to hole punch each card and put it on a ring for easy storage.
PRICE since I have an only child, these were a bit out of my price range, ($29.99 for 57 flashcard) but they are WAY COOL and if I had the extra money in my budget I would buy them for the coolness and fun factor to help with teaching math terms! We both actually learned several new terms using these flashcards.
ANSWER SHEET was on just plain paper, it was not on a flashcard type of paper or laminated and it started looking pretty wrinkled up after just the first week of use. So I laminated it myself and it's holding up well that way.

Paper Answer Sheet

We had a lot of fun with this review and learned a lot, it's amazing how much you can learn when you see the word and then also see a picture of what the word is describing (cone and a picture of a cone). I would recommend these for any homeschooling family and even classroom teachers. We used these as flashcards for guessing, writing definitions and just general math review each day.
"Target Vocabulary Pictures Set 1 consists of math vocabulary presented visually to facilitate recall. Sets are not arranged by grade level. Please view sets to determine the appropriateness for your students."

 http://store.lonestarlearning.com/