This week is my 3rd time hosting the carnival of homeschooling and it also happens to be the 333rd carnival, started over 6 years ago. If I think about what I was doing on that very first day the Cate family published this weekly collaborative resource, it was, of course, homeschooling. My two oldest children were just learning how to read and write the most simple of book reports and I was also coping with a toddler and expecting baby #4.
Today we have our oldest child in Catholic school, are homeschooling four of the others and still have a toddler underfoot. But it won't always be like this, in another 6 years I will have graduated two children and the youngest will be finishing 3rd grade.
But we must focus on what today asks of us and so…
Homeschool Blog Buzz
- 7-Quick Takes
- I Heart My Kids (and Matzo Ball Soup)
- The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and thoughts under control
- A Pentecost Table Craft
- Our Trip to California
- Highline Park & The Museum of Tolerance
- Teaching Parents Association Convention, Here we come, and a giveaway!!
- Teaching Parents Association Convention, Here we come, and a giveaway!!
- To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool?
- Saturday Review of Books: May 26, 2012
- More Homeschool Blog Buzz...
333rd Carnival of Homeschooling
333rd Carnival of Homeschooling – Floatin’ Down the River
This week's carnival takes its theme from a post at Tea Time with Annie Kate. Annie Kate recently took her homeschooled crew Floatin. Down the River Again (AKA Homeschool Phys Ed). No boats, no rubber rafts–just a few lifejacketed kids (and mom) getting close–really close–to the elements.
Belated carnivals of homeschooling
I’ve been lax again. More belated carnivals of homeschooling.
May 9 - The NerdMom is hosting Carnival of Homeschooling – jump right in
Welcome to the Carnival of Homechooling! Won’t you come on in, get a cup of coffee and make yourself comfortable? We have quite a few great entrys this week so lets jump right in!
No matter what your education style is we all agree that life happens. One of the blessings of homeschooling is that homeschooling can work with the chaos of life! We have some great entries that specifically look at life and the flexibility of homeschooling!!!
May 2 - The LaughingLioness is hosting Carnival of Homeschooling – Pioneer edition
Each carnival writer has the option to put their compilation to a ‘theme’ if they so choose. I’ve chosen the on a Pioneer theme for 2 reasons. First, I live in the Territories and have some great pictures to share (I’m shallow like that). Secondly, because those of us who homeschool, chose, by intention or default, to Pioneer. One of the definitions for Pioneer is one who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or progress. Love that. And the synonyms for Pioneer are just as rich: leader, trailblazer, forerunner, pathfinder. Homeschooling is pioneering a new educational landscape and one that is and will change the face of the future. It takes a hardy soul to pioneer. And while each of us has our own unique hopes and dreams of what homeschooling might afford, we do so with the common effort of providing well for our children.
April 26 – “Christine The curious” is hosting Carnival of Homeschooling - A typical April
I looked through our Archived photos from Aprils past, to see what a ‘typical’ April was like for our family.
Homeschooling: the infographic
Some comforting statistics about homeschooling brought to life here by this inforgraphic.
One interesting point, homeschool sucess is not significantly affected by household income, teacher certification or curriculum budget. These are all the things public schools reflexively cite for the reason for their failures.
Created by: CollegeAtHome.com
A month’s worth of Homeschool Carnivals
I have been lax in posting carnivals recently. Too much going in the non-virtual world.
Here are the carnivals I missed but you don’t want to miss:
- April 17 – Carnival of Homeschooling: The Balloon Dog Lessons
- April 10 – Carnival of Homeschooling – instead of TV…
- April 3 – Blog Carnival Spring Edition
- March 27 – Texas Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling
Carnival of Homeschooling – Creativity Edition
Homeschool Bytes is hosting theHomeschool Blog Carnival – Creativity Edition
We’ve all chosen to homeschool for a variety of reasons and many of us have discovered that every child is a bundle of different needs, learning styles, and undiscovered talents. Nurturing the creativity of our children fills the journey with diverse and amazing discoveries.
Carnival of Homeschooling, to those who homeschool because of illness
This week, Notes From A Homeschooled Mom is hosting Carnival of Homeschooling, to those who homeschool because of illness
Hi and Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling at Notes from a Homeschooled Mom. I am have homeschooled for nearly a decade now and am near the end of the journey with my children. You may have noticed I have recently changed my blog name. It was a simple change of one word: Homeschooling to Homeschooled. The reason for the change is that I now know that I wasn’t just teaching my kids, they were teaching me all along. Homeschooling has made me braver, stronger, more opinionated, and less afraid of expressing those opinions. Homeschooling has also taught me to face life standing up and not to let it mow you down. Read more…
Last week’s Carnival of Homeschooling
Last week, The Common Room hosted the Homeschool Carnival. Sorry, I’m a week late!
Welcome, welcome, welcome to this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling! It’s time for a teacher inservice day. Let the kids go out to play, fix yourself a cup of tea, and replenish your homeschool toolbox as you read through the collected experiences, wisdom, ideas, and more, all shared by your fellow homeschooling parents! Read more…
LEGO / Apple Store
LEGO® CUUSOO | Modular Apple Store
Someone has posted a Lego version of the Apple Store on LEGO CUUSOO. If they get 10,000 supporters, the idea will be reviewed by LEGO for a chance to become an official LEGO product. If the project passes the reviewand is produced, the idea owner will receive 1% of the total net sales of the product.
It seems a bit crowded to me.
DIY Education
Why Urban, Educated Parents Are Turning to DIY Education a Newsweek story via The Daily Beast
In the beginning, your kids need you—a lot. They’re attached to your hip, all the time. It might be a month. It might be five years. Then suddenly you are expected to send them off to school for seven hours a day, where they’ll have to cope with life in ways they never had to before. You no longer control what they learn, or how, or with whom.
Unless you decide, like an emerging population of parents in cities across the country, to forgo that age-old rite of passage entirely.
The Crucible
Below is an essay my son wrote on the Crucible. This is one of those books you’ll find on many “must read†high-school literature lists, and is a classic that has earned it’s place there. Who can forget John Proctor’s sacrifice for truth. Read more...
The Pilgrim Adventure: Our America series Volume 1
Homeschooling mom and author Susan Kilbride has a new history series that is sure to spark your child's interest in learning about our Country's roots. Here's what she shared with me about this new title, and she generously includes a free unit study on pilgrims. Finn & Ginny’s parents are lost back in time, and the two young twins have decided to go back to early America to find them. Read more...
Zero the Hero
A child's first exposure to math should be fun. Forget repetitive drills and boring worksheets. One of my favorite books I first used to teach my young boys the concept of counting was the M & M's Counting Book. It's a fun and yummy introduction to basic math. I'd get other colorful books from the library, anything creative and eye-catching would work for such an important concept. Read more...
Fablehaven
Siblings Kendra and Seth are sent to stay with their grandparents while their mother and father cruise the Caribbean. Disappointed not to be vacationing with them, the kids anticipate the 2 weeks will be drudgery. Contrary to their beliefs, when they arrive at their grandparents estate, they are surprised to find a tree house, swimming pool, and a gigantic playroom full of books and toys. What they don’t know is how many secrets await them. Read more...
Mathematical Reasoning: Middle School Supplement
There are some kids who have an insatiable appetite and intense passion for mathematics. You may recognize the signs: cruising through math homework, A+ average, may watch extra math lectures, answers your questions with statistical probabilities, and looks for logic and reasoning themes in both games and reading material. If you see this love for math in your middle schooler, you’re likely on the look-out for puzzle books or supplements to keep your budding Archimedes challenged and happy. Read more...
The Code Book
The Code Book is a nonfiction book on the history of code-makers and code-breakers. It starts out with the trial of Mary queen of Scotts--whether she lives or dies is determined entirely by queen Elizabeth’s code-masters. If they crack Mary’s code and see the messages she had been smuggling out of jail are plans for a rebellion, she’s as good as dead. The book recounts the captivating, historically accurate tale of the evolution of code. Read more...
Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner
I have a struggling learner, and we had a tough 4th grade school year. Math was a chore. Writing was like medieval torture, and the basic rules of grammar might have well been a foreign language. It seemed as though everything I tried to teach my son ran out of him like water through a sieve. We needed help. When I heard Kathy Kuhl was speaking at our local homeschooling convention this past June, I knew I had to go and hear her talk. Read more...
Chord Buddy
I fell in love with the guitar when I was 12 years old and my romance flourished for over three decades. I still have the Martin Sigma Anniversary acoustic my parents bought me when I turned 16. I admit the first year of learning to play was touch and go - sore fingers, muffled sounds, buzzing strings. It seemed I would never produce anything that resembled music. Never one to give up easily, I persisted and eventually things clicked. Read more...
The Ultimate Top Secret Guide to Taking Over the World
As soon as I read the title of this book I knew it would be just right for my 10-year-old reluctant reader. I toss him at least 3 different books a week – he'll read a chapter (if even that) and quickly loses interest. A typical boy, he likes video games, playing outdoors, staring out the window, eating candy, and scheming secret plots to take over the household. Household today. Country tomorrow, and I'm sure world domination is in his long-term plans. Read more...
SAT ACT TOEFL: College Prep English Practice
Now that two of my boys are in high school, my ears are frequently tuned towards SAT information. When to take it? How many times? How critical is scoring well to future college placement? And finally, how should my sons best prepare? If you want to know the basics of the test, visit here. Should a high SAT score be your goal? Of course you want your student to do well, but the SAT is only one piece of the puzzle. Read more...
Zondervan Bibles
Zondervan recently sent me three of their new bibles - The Liberty, The Clutch, and The Bloom. Looking at them brought back memories of when I bought my first bible 30 years ago. I went to the only Christian bookstore in town in search of the perfect one. Even back then I was overwhelmed by the choices. Read more...
Crypto Mind Benders: Famous Quotations
The Critical Thinking Company has a vast selection of materials to both teach and allow application of reasoning and thinking skills. As I've mentioned before, I've used an array of their products over my past 10 years of homeschooling. I recently sampled their Crypto Mind Benders: Famous Quotations, a tool that specifically requires the use of deductive and mathematical reasoning skills. Read more...
Bindi Wildlife Adventures Book 1: Trouble at the Zoo
Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin (AKA The Crocodile Hunter), has followed in her father's footsteps with her desire to help endangered wildlife. She's been a busy young lady – staring in a TV show, designing her own fashion wear, traveling the world, and now she's the heroine of her own adventure book series. Read more...
James Madison Critical Thinking Course
I am a huge fan of The Critical Thinking Company's products. Over the past 11 years of homeschooling I have used their Science Books 1 and 2, Editor in Chief, Building Thinking Skills, Mathematical Reasoning, and Mindbenders. When I heard about this new critical thinking course, I was anxious to review it. If you need convincing about why you should teach (or you yourself learn) critical thinking skills, click here. Read more...
Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers
This collection of fun science lessons and activities are designed to offer hands on experiments that will satisfy the curious nature of children, while making it easier for parents to teach science. Kids love to pour, measure, taste, alter, and explore their environment. If you can direct their experimentation to teach a concept, then you are more likely to help them remember the material. Read more...