Learning Glitches

Dyslexia runs in our family. It's been a challenge to deal with and caused me to spend lots of time in prayer. It has also made me very thankful that we can home school.

I've recently been made aware of Diane Craft's materials for teaching the right brained child. I am really excited about trying them.
If you have kiddos with "learning glitches" she may have the resources you've been looking for.

I'm excited about trying the multiplication cards for the right brained child. They have pictures for each number and a story which will help the RB child get the facts into their long-term memories. I'm also going to use her materials to help my struggling reader.

Her web site also has some fascinating info on nutrition for behavior problems.
Check her out! : )

~Becky

Christmas vacation

~Enjoying a little break in school and on the blog.
See ya next week!
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

My hats off to you...

mothers of preschoolers!
Today we did school with three little visitors at our house who were 5, 3 and 1 yrs. old.
We had a really nice time. It was fun to be reminded of what the preschool years were like. -Boy, do I have it easy now. : )
I'm not sure how we did it, but we got our school accomplished much to my surprise.
I had the two oldest kids join us at the table to color while we studied the Bill of Rights and they were paying attention right along with mine.

My two youngest were such a big help. I was so blessed by their hearts to serve.

And I got a kick out of this:
After I put all three down for a nap, my youngest, who is 9 said, "Wow, its good to have a normal, quiet house again."
Yes, nap time is and has always been wonderful thing! It seems like yesterday that he was taking them. How time flies!

~Becky

Teaching high school or just watching...

The other day, our neighbor who goes to a public high school was over to visit. She saw one of our boys studying their online class on the computer and she said
"I didn't know you took classes on there. You mean your mom doesn't teach you ANYTHING?!"
I needed a good laugh and hearing that gave me a chuckle.
I heard him answer her and say "I take my electives online."
I didn't hear him respond to the part about whether or not his mom teaches him 'anything.' LOL
Today, he mentioned "I'm pretty much teaching myself these days." I had to agree!
And what wonderful practice this is for college!

~Becky

Math

I've been wondering if we should do math all-year-round...
I'm always amazed at what ground is lost during 2 and 1/2 months of summer!
A public school teacher friend once told me that they spend up until Christmas reviewing...

I think there is a correlation between the time off and the time it takes to get back into the swing of it and excelling again.
Anyone else find this happening at your house?

~Becky

Bay cruise by Joy

We went on a boat ride in the bay. We went with another family of homeschoolers. The boat ride was fun and we were on it for an hour. We saw a big battleship and it's name is the American Victory. When we were off the boat we had doughnuts!! Boat rides with friends are fun!

~Joy

Recent Teen Events

Here are some pictures from our teen field trip to a glass blowing studio:

Oh Mercy, was it hot in there. We were pretty up close and personal -with the 2100+ degree furnace and the blow torches.

Wow!
Glass blowing is really a fascinating process to watch. We enjoyed watching the artist make a gorgeous bowl. She gave us three wonderful demonstrations. It was really a quality field trip.

Tonight we had a political issues event. First we played a game to see who could list the most presidents names in 3 minutes. Then the kids gave speeches on the election issue of their choice, told us where each candidate stands on the issue and then gave us their own opinion about it. It was neat!
Then we played charades...
Which was too funny! We had lots of laughs!
It was a great evening!
~Becky

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

I love Diane Hopkins' answer to this question!
Her web site is http://www.lovetolearn.net/ and her homeschooling catalog is one of my favorites!

Diane's answer:
"The question will certainly come to you as you are out and about with kids during the school day. Know that your children will soak up your attitude. I never try to hide the fact that I home school from anyone, from the librarian to the store clerk. I volunteer the information and follow it up with how blessed we feel! I am on my own one-person campaign to change the world's perspective of homeschoolers!
When someone asks my kids why they aren't in school, I jump in and answer for them (as I think it is unfair for others to impose their prejudice on my children) and I say, "We are so lucky because we home school, and have so much fun together! We love it and are learning so much!" and the kids look up and smile. Or, I say, "We home school and I feel so happy to be with my best friends learning—they are so smart! And they teach me so much!" As my children have grown, I hear them answering in a similar way to those awkward questions, and expressing their enjoyment of being home schooled. It is really hard for people to have a hurtful comeback to that kind of confidence and enthusiasm. Attitude really is everything!"

Isn't that great?I love the part about adding how blessed we feel!
I think that attitude will help my own kiddos who sometimes feel self conscious if we are "out and about" during school hours.

~Becky

By the Great Horn Spoon

By The Great horn spoon is a great book except for the front cover and the illustrations. We all said that Joy could do better drawings. It's kind of predictable but has a great ending and some parts are weird. But it's a great book and I think that every homeschooler should read it.

~Andrew

A Homeschooling Day in Pictures

Mom to Five Kids did this once and I enjoyed seeing someone else's homeschooling day in pictures so here is one of ours!
(when our camera was actually cooperating. I think its dying a slow death..)

I usually get the kids up at 7:00 AM, and its time for breakfast!
Nothing fancy as you can see.











Then we have devotional. Some days we have a Bible study together and on other days the kids read their Bibles on their own and we pray together.











Next, Joy and Andrew study for Junior Bible Quiz and Nathan studies for Teen Bible Quiz.










Joy and Andrew are working on learning 30 point questions this year. We don't always get out the box but today they wanted to. Their first match is next Saturday.

Nathan is memorizing the book of Mark in TBQ. They have their first match this Saturday on chapters 1-5. Its awesome to hear him quoting a gospel. We loved the epistles but there is just something special about reading what Jesus said and quoting it. One thing we remarked on yesterday was, when did Jesus get a break?! No wonder He was sleeping in that boat! : )





Our high schooler works on his own all day for the most part.
I took this picture of the back of Zach's head because that is what we see most of him. : )



Last year I really missed having him involved in our studies, but I'm getting used to it. This is life in high school! -He has two classes on c.d. rom and one online so he spends a lot of time at the computer everyday...
He's a diligent student.


Joy, Andrew and Nathan do their math, spelling, reading etc...next and I help whoever needs it.










Then I got distracted by some emails and found this happening. -A certain somebody blowing bubbles in the house! : )










We did some more work and then it was lunchtime! Which I forgot to get a picture of.
We stop for one hour which we all need and enjoy.


Then I do our unit study work with those three and we use Learning Adventures: A New World of Adventure (for grades 4-8) It includes everything but math. But we have substituted some things that suit each of the kids better.











At the present we are studying New Jersey, the Revolutionary War and doing a unit on the different sections of the newspaper by writing our own articles. We finished the section on inventors and are about to start a study one on electricity.
(Nathan has started a high school science course so doesn't do science with us anymore)
I'm so glad this curriculum has a read aloud time because that is one of my favorite things to do with my kids!!! We just finished Sign of the Beaver and since we've already read Johnny Tremain (love that book!) we substituted By the Great Horn Spoon because of our recent trip to San Francisco and our study of the gold rush. (fun story!!!!)

Around 3:30 or 4:00 PM, we usually call it a day. This school day ended on a grumpy note. (just keeping it real!) : )

The kids have a little free time until we do chores and after those are finished they get 15 minutes each of 'electronics.' That's a privilege and sometimes they loose it...


Tonight Nathan had Teen Bible Quiz practice, and so we did more quoting of Mark...
Then I made dinner.
Our favorite part of the day is when Dad comes home!!!
Since it was a Tuesday, he had 'family band practice' with the kids after dinner and I went to pick up Nathan from his TBQ practice.


That's about it for that day!

If you do a homeschooling day in pictures, let me know. I'd love to come and visit! : )

~Becky

Zach on Sonlight

Hello Home-schoolers,

I'm just stopping to comment on the Sonlight curriculum that I have been using for the past ten months or so. I enjoy their English course, mostly because I enjoy language arts. It's a good combination for me even though the work load can be rather arduous. One other thing I wanted to point out as a pro for Sonlight, is that the books they have you read are pretty interesting and fun to work through.

~Zach

Fun Books!

We've stumbled across these books by Jean Fritz and we just love them.



If you are doing a unit study on the Revolutionary War and the birth of our nation then you'll enjoy these. They bring out interesting details about these famous men.
They are also available as videos.

We got a kick out of the one about John Hancock! I guess he was rather vain...

My kids might say these books bring out too many details after today.
We were reading Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? and it mentioned that one man who knew Patrick Henry remembered that 'he always wore clean underwear.'
I had to read that again to make sure I'd read that correctly and then I couldn't help laughing...
I think that would fall under TMI!
Too funny!

Anyway, great books! We are enjoying them.
And lets hope we will all be remembered for more than our clean underwear someday. LOL!
~Becky

Andrew on the Presidential Rally

We went to the John McCain rally and I got to see him in person but it was a bummer that Sarah Palin was not there. After the rally was over something really awkward happened. A bunch of Democrats started insulting Republicans by saying things like "Republicans are not free" and other stuff.

It was a fun field trip. In 45 days I might be able to say that I saw the President of the United States of America!

~Andrew

Marine Biology

I am just thrilled with Apologia Marine Biology! I bought the c.d. version used (Love a deal!) instead of the textbook version. And I'm happy to say that it is SO
Home School-Mother-friendly!!!

When my son answers questions he submits his answers online and afterwards the answer comes printed out next to his answer for me to compare the two. It makes correcting -very easy.
And don't we have plenty to correct already without going to find this teacher's manual and that one ?! I have a cupboard full of teacher's manuals. So, I'm really enjoying this aspect of the course.

We also have a bag full of various sea creatures waiting for him to dissect when the time comes. But that might not be SO Home School-Mother-friendly! BLAH! ; )

~Becky

A New Blog

I've often wanted to have a homeschooling blog,
but the first thing that comes to mind is that I'm too busy homeschooling! : )
I've decided to give it a try! And our kids are going to join me!
It will be a fun place for all of us to share what's going on in our 'school.'

~Becky,
who's blessed to be homeschooling!