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Homeschooling Resources
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Thursday Happenings
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Thursday, February 28, 2008
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I am not feeling very creative with words tonight. But I wanted to post here quickly to say that I am updating my other blog with the stats of my 30-day challenge. Go over and read today's entry. I spent a good part of my evening working on our tax return, hence being brain-dead. I do believe it is time to log off for the day.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: challenge |
posted @ 6:30 PM 
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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I am getting ready to study the Tabernacle with my children, and I have been researching books. I thought I would list what I have found so far. I was also able to add these to my website for anyone else who needs them.
Have a blessed day! Tami |
posted @ 10:48 AM
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WFMW - Plastic Tumblers
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
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For this week's Works for Me Wednesday, I have a tip that is especially helpful to those with larger than the average families, or for those families with younger children. On a recent trip to Sam's Club, I spent a little time in the catering area. You know that part of the store where they sell really large pans. I spied a box with 12 plastic tumblers in it. They held 20-ounces. Suddenly, a light bulb went off, and I thought of the mismatched glassware we had in our cabinet. Over the years we have had nice glassware, and I mean "glass" in the word "glassware." So our glasses were a bit mismatched, and I only had a small number of those lovely Tupperware plastic cups. So I bit the bullet and bought the set of 12 matching plastic tumblers! Those same tumblers that you would see in a restaurant setting. After bringing them home, my family OOOOHHHH--ed and AAAAAHHHH-ed over them, and we washed them and put them to use. They are WONDERFUL!! Now all 7 of us (baby gets a sippy cup still) have matching cups at dinner, and it does not matter if one falls from the table. One of the most attractive features of our new "plasticware" was the price! They were quite affordable. Next time you visit your local warehouse-type store, check out some of their catering supplies. You might be surprised at what you find there. I am attaching a stock photo of mine for your pleasure.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: large family, WFMW |
posted @ 11:05 PM
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Tasty Tuesday - Taco Soup
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This week's Tasty Tuesday at our house was a pot of Taco Soup.
To make this tasty treat, I used the following ingredients: 1 lb ground beef (precooked) 1 packet of taco seasoning mix 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix 1 can of whole kernel corn 1 can of kidney beans 1 can of Rotel (tomatoes and green chilis) After I browned the grond beef, I added the taco seasoning mix and let it simmer for about 10 mins. Then I added the Ranch seasoning mix, corn, kidney beans, and Rotel. I do not usually add extra water, and I let this come to a boil. Then I cet the heat back to simmer and allow the seasonings a chance to flavor the soup. I serve this with corn chips, shredded cheddar, and sour cream!! YUM!!! Sometimes I also bake a pan of cornbread to go along with this. It is an easy one-pot meal. I got this recipe from a dear friend. And it is usually an inexpensive meal to fix. Have a blessed day! Tami |
posted @ 10:01 AM
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Settling back into our schedule......
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Monday, February 25, 2008
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Monday is not always my favorite day of the week. It always involves settling back into our daily routine after a day of rest on Sunday. Today was not too bad though. The younger boys had dentist appointments this morning, so I sat down with all of the boys last night to do our math lessons. Monday is always the day we start a new lesson, and with two of the boys using Math U See, we have to work in time for the DVD lesson. After getting math out of the way, it was very easy to go to the dentist early this morning, and then we had time for our out loud reading time when we got back home. We are reading Thomas Edison: Young Inventor, and it has been such a great book for us to read together. It is fun to read about some of young Edison's experiments, and it is especially funny to the boys when an experiment goes awry.
Have a blessed day! Tami
Labels: homeschooling, unit studies |
posted @ 5:02 PM
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Back from the bookfair.........
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Sunday, February 24, 2008
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I am back from the WNC Bookfair. What a great group of vendors and speakers were there! I enjoyed meeting and talking to all the homeschoolers who visited my booth. It is always a joy for me to talk to homeschoolers face to face. I enjoy the connections I am able to form through the internet, but it is hard to beat a good face-to-face talk. I was also privileged to meet Zan Tyler for the first time. I heard rave reviews about her seminars from the participants.
Now, I will be unpacking books tomorrow and gearing up for a Christian Event in Charlotte, NC next month. I will have free tickets to give away for this event, so keep an eye on my blog for more info!
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: bookfairs, homeschooling |
posted @ 2:59 PM
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Hello, from the WNC Bookfair!
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Friday, February 22, 2008
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Hello,
I am writing tonight from the WNC Bookfair in Black Mountain, NC. We had the opening night/sneak peak at the bookfair tonight. And it was fun meeting more homeschoolers and also talking to those who I have met before. There are lots of great vendors here, too. I am one of them, but there are others who have some really neat materials, too.
It's not too late to come! If you live in western NC or eastern TN, come on over!!!
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: bookfairs, homeschooling |
posted @ 5:35 PM
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Leaving for a bookfair
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Just a quick note that I am off to a bookfair today. If you live in western NC or eastern TN, this would be within driving distance for you. There are two well-known speakers for this confernce, Michael Farris and Zan Tyler. So if you want to escape the rainy, cold weather and warm up to some great homeschool seminars and vendor booths, come join us.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: bookfairs, homeschooling |
posted @ 7:19 AM
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WFMW: Cough/Flu tip
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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This week's Works for Me Wednesday post came about due to necessity. We have had the flu in our household, and I coughed and coughed and coughed at night. And do you want to know what worked for me to quiet my cough?
I put Vick's Vapor Rub on the bottom of my feet at night and put my softest socks on over it. And I went to sleep, and I did not cough once ALL night long!!!!
I heard this once, and I thought it was CRAZY.
Now, I am not a medical professional, so please do not take this as advice from a medical professional. This is just a "mom tip" that someone shared with me. If you have a persistant cough, it is a good idea to seek medical attention, especially if it has been lingering.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: cold, cough, WFMW |
posted @ 6:24 PM
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Are homeschool marriages in trouble?
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When you first started your journey into homeschooling, did you notice that you had some obstacles put into your path? I know that we did. And after a time, we settled into a pattern of homeschooling. And the little things kept popping up to derail us. One thing that we had going for us was a strong marriage, and that is still true today. But it takes a lot of work to keep a marriage strong.
Some friends of mine have seen the need in the homeschool community for a marriage encounter week-end specifically for homeschool parents. It is their desire to give you the tools needed to keep your marriage strong, because if you don't have a strong marriage, you don't have a strong homeschool.
I am also doing a 30-day challenge to further strengthen my marriage. You can read my daily posts at my other blog.
Have a blessed day! Tami |
posted @ 7:41 AM
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This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up!
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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The ladies at The Homeschool Blog Awards are hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling. They even create this snazzy graphic for it. Hop on over there and enjoy reading this week's submissions!
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posted @ 7:22 AM
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One Room Schoolhouse---my thoughts
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Sunday, February 17, 2008
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The ladies at The Homeschool Blog Awards are hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling, and they have a theme about a one-room schoolhouse. It just so happens that the boys and I are doing a read-aloud book this week based on the life of Thomas Edison. He did not have a good experience in a one-room schoolhouse situation, and he ended up being homeschooled by his mother. I compared this to poor experiences that we had with our local public school. We left public school behind us, and we created our own one-room schoolhouse.
Today, I am teaching my children who range in age from 17 years to 18 months. And we have our lessons together each morning. I can see the benefits of homeschooling this week. We have homeschooled since 2001, and my 4th-born son on down to the baby have no idea what life was like around here before we homeschooled. They have always been a part of our lesson time.
I see the fruit of this when my 7-year-old tells me that he already knows a new concept that I am teaching him. He was there when I was teaching it to an older sibling. Around here we call that "the trickle down effect." What I have taught to the older children has trickled down to the younger ones. It does make my job easier, but at the same time, I have to sometimes bring in different books for my younger ones, because they remember so much of what I have already taught them.
I am also exposing my younger children to higher levels of reading and math by teaching everyone together. My young ones can sit and listen to me read chapter books or go over math concept, and they get very absorbed in this. It is always a joy to hear them ask questions based on something I read to them during the read aloud time. And I love to hear that they already know a math fact that I am introducing to them.
I have also noticed that my younger children score higher on end of grade tests, because I am covering a broad range of topics with them alongside their basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.
In closing, I am so glad that God brought us along the path of learning alongside our children. What a privilege it is to enjoy learning more about the beauty in the world around us as a family.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: carnival of homeschooling, homeschooling, one-room schoolhouse |
posted @ 7:44 PM
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Day 5 of my challenge
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I just posted an update on my 30-day challenge. And I am quite pleased with the changes that are happening in me. I am in such a good mood that I am going to start a new challenge. This one involves getting active! I am going to start working out in the morning. I have a goal to lose one pound per week. Tomorrow morning, I will weigh in and measure and start a journal. It has been a couple of years, since I was able to focus and get excited about doing something for me. We had a really hard year in 2006, and I had a baby in the summer of 2006. And I have had to deal with a lot of emotions stemming from losses in 2005 and 2006. So this has just been a journey for me. Now I am ready to take charge and lose some weight. Anyone want to join me?????
Have a blessed day! Tami |
posted @ 7:39 PM
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Happy Valentine's Day
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
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Hello! I am still having trouble uploading posts, so I am still writing a post each day to test. Be sure to do something sweet for your spouse today!
Visit my other blog to see my 30-day challenge.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: Valentine's Day |
posted @ 8:31 AM
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Sorry for the quiet week on this blog
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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I have been trying to post new entries since Monday, and I have been having some technical difficulties.
I am posting regularly on my other blog.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: blogging |
posted @ 3:23 PM
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Do you subscribe to my newsletter?
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Monday, February 11, 2008
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I wanted to mention that I have a weekly email newsletter that you can sign up for on my DHSS website. It is a free service that I use to keep you informed of happenings on my website, and I also have been known to hold contests and give away items. And this week I have a free item for my readers. It is a link to an excerpt from the book, Easy Homeschooling Techniques, by Lorraine Curry. Lorraine sent me the link to share with my readers.
If you sign up for my newsletter this week, I will send you the link to the excerpt, plus you will get a copy of my ebook, Overcoming Obstacles While Homeschooling. I am working on a revision of that book, so you might see more information about that in the coming months.
I also posted my convention schedule on my website, so please check that out, too.
Have a blessed day! Tami
(Editing to say that I have been trying to get this post to upload to my blog since Monday.)Labels: DHSS, homeschooling, newsletter |
posted @ 7:43 PM
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We now have lapbooking supplies!
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Friday, February 8, 2008
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Discount Home School Supplies now offers supplies for your lapbooking needs! You can see what we have to offer by following this LINK.
We added these products to make it easier for you to gather supplies for making lapbooks.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: Lapbooking |
posted @ 12:58 PM
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Just released! Preschool Activities in a Bag 2
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Preschool Activities in a Bag is a book written by two homeschool moms, who have 11 children between the two of them. They wrote the book because they found a solution to keeping their preschoolers busy and wanted to share it with other moms who also have preschoolers. Now, hundreds of moms across the country are using Preschool Activities In a Bag. It’s hard to tell who is more excited about Preschool Activities In a Bag, the moms or the preschoolers! The book contains detailed instructions for mom to make the preschool activities on her own or with a group of moms. The activities are easy for mom to make and fun for preschoolers to use. The best part is that they: -
Are educational and fun -
Require little to no help from mom -
Are self-contained and easy to store -
Are self-guiding and self-correcting -
Cost very little to produce -
Can be used over and over again
Now available at Discount Home School Supplies!!!
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posted @ 11:55 AM
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Valentine's Special
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A friend of mine, Kerry Beck, has pulled together several great resources to celebrate Valentines Day. Some are for your kids and some are for you & your sweetie.
Kerry's package includes Valentine recipes (over 200), creative & cheap ways to add romance to your marriage, Valentine crafts & games, and some fun February school activities. The coolest thing about her package is the price. Get this...it's 7 items for $7.
Since it's so low, I thought some of you might want to check it out.
Here's the link: http://www.curriculumconnection.net/valentinesday08.htm
Happy Early Valentines Day,
Tami |
posted @ 10:40 AM
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Informational rally in Texas sponsored by the Texas Organizers for ParentalRights.org
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ACTION G o to www.ParentalRights.org and sign the petition.
ATTEND informational rally to hear: Michael P. Farris, J.D. Founder of ParentalRights.org Chancellor of Patrick Henry College in VA Founder of Homeschool Legal Defense
March 1, 2008 (Saturday)
7:00-9:30 pm Fellowship Bible Church Dallas at 9330 N. Central Exwy. (Hwy. 75 / Park Lane; NE corner behind Bed, Bath, Beyond) Dallas, TX 75231 214-739-3881 CONTACT Texas Organizers for ParentalRights.org to help: Wade / Jessica Hulcy wade@konos.com or queen@airmail.net ; 972-924-2541 Gavino / Ruth Perez gavinoperez@sbcglobal.net ; 210-732-0893
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posted @ 10:19 AM
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A peek into our week
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Thursday, February 7, 2008
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I am sure you have noticed that I have been bringing posts over to this blog instead of writing new articles this week. There is a good reason for that. We have had flu this week. It's been hard to think of new things to write about when your brain is not functioning 100%. We are on the mend, and it has not been a terrible case of the flu, since we had flu shots this year. We are resting and drinking fluids as much as possible.
I do want to bring some of my favorite posts from my other blog to this blog, so you will continue to see some recycled articles. I will try to write new posts, too.
We are working on the last 8 weeks of our school year, too. We started our school year off in July, so we should be finishing up our school year at the end of March. We typically school year round with breaks, so we will have a short break, and then get back to our basics.
We have been reading a book about Thomas Edison this week. It has been entertaining for the boys to get a peek into the childhood of someone they have heard about for many years.
Have a blessed day! Tami |
posted @ 8:14 AM
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One of my favorite KONOS memories....
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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
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(This was posted on my other blog in July of 2005, but it refers to a memory from the fall of 2001.)
This particular moment came very soon after we started using KONOS. We had an 11 yr old, 7 yr old, 3 yr old, and 8 month old. We started with the character trait of Attentiveness, so the children would learn to be good listeners. The first dramatization was the story of when God called Samuel. First, we read the story from the Bible. Then I told the 11, 7, and 3 yr old to work together to dramatize it.
The 7 yr old decided that he needed to play the part of God first, and the 3 yr old wanted to be Samuel. That left the 11 yr old girl to be Eli. So they dramatized. Then they switched parts and did it again. Then they switched parts again and did it one more time for me. Later when we had moved on to something else, the 3 yr old could be heard in the living room pretending to be God calling Samuel. He did this for months afterwards. And they did the whole scene for Dad several times, too.
I also have to say that now that they are older, they still love KONOS, and they have asked to study the Civil War from Volume 3 this summer while we are on break.
Have a blessed day! Tami |
posted @ 8:16 AM
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A Typical Homeschool Day (circa 2005)
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(I thought I would post a typical homeschool day for us from a few years ago, and then I will post a typical day for us in 2008 in the near future.)
This originally was posted on my other blog on June 28, 2005.
I have long wanted to write about a day in our school. Thank you, Gena, for the opportunity to share a day in our homeschool.
Our day typically starts out with me rising about an hour before the children. This gives me time to spend some quiet time with the Lord, and also gives me a few minutes to prioritize the things on my list that I need to accomplish for the day. I will write a daily chore list on our dry-erase board for the children. That way they know who is supposed to do what chore, and I have a way to monitor the chores being completed.
I wake the children around 8:00, and while they eat breakfast, I start the laundry and any other chores that I am responsible for starting. Then I will shower while they finish breakfast and get dressed for the day. They know to start their chores for the day after they are dressed.
We usually begin our school morning at 9:00 with a Bible verse or verses that pertain to our KONOS lesson for the day. Then we will spend the next 45 minutes to 1 hour on our KONOS plans for the day (see below in my blog for my plan sheets). After that, the children being their grade-level work in math and language arts. The younger ones typically end before the older ones, so it has worked best for us to start with the one thing we all study together, and then move into other subjects.
Normally, we will work on schoolwork until lunchtime. Then we will have a lunch break and do a few more chores for the day. Usually, I am running back and forth from the laundry room putting clothes in the washer, then the dryer, and then folding. The children will help move things along in the laundry room, too. We try to share in this monumental task.
After lunch, my youngest will take a nap, and we will do any big hands-on projects that need to be worked on while he is otherwise occupied. After this, the next two younger ones will have a quiet time. Then the older two children will have time to work on other educational things that interest them, such as computer time or foreign language time. They also can use this time for reading any books related to our KONOS lesson for the week, or they can work on their writing assignment for the week. The afternoons change a lot for us, since they have so many things they like to do.
Around 4:00, we try to go through the house and pick up anything the littlest one has scattered about and vacuum the kitchen and living room. We like to have an orderly house when dad arrives home from work. I will also start dinner at this time, and each day, I have a different child assigned as the kitchen helper. This child will help set the table, as well as clear off the dishes at the end of the meal.
After dinner with dad, the children will have a read-aloud time with Dad, and a family devotion. Sometimes, I use this time to work on something that I could not attend to during the day, or I will use the time to spend some one on one time with my youngest.
Then we will spend time together as a family until bed time. Sometimes we will watch a family movie or play a board game.
That is a typical day in our school. We also go to some support group functions during the month where we get to have PE together. And we also attend a 4-H meeting once a month. So we have some outside activities, but they are not a daily or even weekly part of our schedule. This fall we are planning on particpating in our first KONOS co-op once a week.
Have a blessed day! Tami |
posted @ 8:14 AM
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Why I chose KONOS for our homeschool
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(This article is a real blast from the past. I posted it on my other blog on June 29, 2005! So it is a bit dated in terms of the references I have to that particular school year. But it is a good article none the less!)
We have completed our 5th year of homeschooling. And we have five children. We use KONOS as the spine of our school. I was first drawn to KONOS when I read about it in Diana Waring’s Abundant Life Homeschooling. After I read her review of it and looked at the KONOS web-site, I talked to my husband about it. When it was time to go to our state homeschool bookfair, the KONOS booth was one of my first stops. I talked to the rep, and then I left to walk around the bookfair. That night I spread out all the information I had gathered on my hotel-room bed, and I compared everything I had looked at and written down. I prayed about what God wanted us to use, and I felt that He was leading me to purchase KONOS. I was drawn to two major factors about it. The first was that it is a curriculum based on character traits from the Bible, and the second was that I could use it multi-level.
The next day, I went back and purchased the first volume and timeline figures. The only other curriculum decisions I had left was our math program and language arts program.
Now that we have used KONOS for the past 4 years, I have to say that my children and I all love using it. We love reading and learning together. And you cannot beat the hands-on learning that takes place. My youngest ones also participate. They love the dramatization and experiments! They can remember so many of the people they have dressed up as and re-enacted scenes from their lives.
They love it so much that they have asked to study the Civil War this summer while we are on our break from school. Next year, we will enter a new level of KONOS as our oldest begins KONOS, “History of the World 1 – Ancient Times.”
I am also very blessed to be a part of the KONOS on-line community through yahoo groups. It has such a family atmosphere. We share our joys and our trials. We are able to share and ask questions. My family was privileged to attend the first KONOS Retreat in Oklahoma. It was one of the highlights of our school year this past year.Labels: homeschooling, KONOS, unit studies |
posted @ 8:10 AM
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Homeschooling a Houseful
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(This is reprint of a post I had on my other blog on June 18, 2006. I am trying to bring over some of my favorite posts as time allows.)
How do you homeschool a houseful of children? And why would you want to homeschool that many children? Wouldn't it be easier to send them off to school all day? Couldn't you get more done, if your children weren't around all the time? You have how many children? Are they are all yours?
These are all questions I have encountered since we began our homeschooling journey. I thought my reader would like to read some of my responses to these questions. In doing so, I hope that you are encouraged.
Starting with the first question, I will tell you that homeschooling 5 children while pregnant with a dying grandparent to visit every day and three surgeries for two of our children was definitely one of our harder school years. Would I change anything? No. So the "how of homeschooling a houseful" starts with prayer and planning and mercy and grace. I do pray about our homeschool. And I pray that I teach the children exactly what God wants me to teach them. I use the unit study approach for most subjects. And I have picked math curriculum based on each of my children's different learning styles.
When we had a day when we needed to visit my grandmother, we went to see her. When we returned home, we worked on our schoolwork. When a child had to have surgery, I gave all the children the day off from school. We would make up the day later. They have been known to do two days' worth of work in order to catch back up. I do have a lesson plan. The children know what is is expected each day, and they know that we can adjust it if necessary. This summer, we are focusing on spelling, reading comprehension, and math skills. I know which child needs review in which subject. We are using Spelling Power to bring up our son and daughter's spelling levels. I have never tried this program before, and we like it.
Why would I want to homeschool 5 children (and more, if God sends them to us)? Simply, because God told me that He wanted us to homeschool our children. We take the passages in Deuteronomy and Proverbs very seriously. My husband and I want to train our children for the Lord. We want them to know what the Bible says, and we want to direct their education. We have sent our oldest two children to public school, so we know that parents do not have input into what their children are taught or exposed to in public school. Our relationship as a family is stronger, since we began our journey as a homeschool family.
Wouldn't it be easier to send them off to school all day? No, we have had that experience. And it makes the evenings very busy and chaotic. We also have spent hours getting a child to complete her homework. Would you want to work at your job all day, and then come home to 2 or 3 hours' worth of additional work? I know some professions do require that of their employee. Usually in those cases, there is compensation for that type of work. It made our child hate learning.
There are more time-consuming parts of sending your children off to school. You have to get them transported back and forth each morning and afternoon; you either have to get them to and from the bus or drive them or carpool. And there is the fund-raising, parent-teacher group, the push to volunteer at the school, and many other things that take a lot of your time.
Couldn't you get more done, if your children weren't around all the time? No. I did not get as much done in the hours that the children were in school compared to what I get done now. The time they were at school, I had to take care of a preschooler, so I only had the few hours that he napped to really get anything done around the house. Now, we have a schedule each day, and the children are responsible for helping out with household tasks. Or they will supervise the younger children while I work on chores.
You have how many children? Are they are all yours? In most homeschooling circles, these are not common questions. Normally I get these questions from people when we are out in public. God laid it on our hearts to leave the number of children we have up to Him. And since we have given that area over to Him 8 years ago, He has blessed us with 3 more children and a another one on the way. We also believe that we are married for as long as we are on this earth.
I would love to hear any comments about what I have shared today.
Have a blessed day! TamiLabels: homeschooling |
posted @ 8:06 AM
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Overcoming Obstacles (part 5)
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Tuesday, February 5, 2008
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Another way we have overcome obstacles to our homeschool routine is by having mercy and grace as parents and teachers. There are days when it is just best to put the bookwork aside and spend time building our family relationships.
There are days when one or more of the kids is out of sorts, and there are days when the teacher is out of sorts. Those are the days when it is best to take a field trip that we have been putting off. Or it may be a day to spend time baking or doing arts and crafts. Or may be just be a day to stay in our PJ's and play games all day. Whatever the change in routine, I am being sensitive to their needs and showing mercy and grace on how our schedule goes for that day.
If you realize that there are 365 days in a year, and in my state, I only have to have to do "school" 180 days. That leaves me days when we can have mercy and grace with our schedule. Our son, who just had eye surgery, is going to have a week of mercy and grace while he heals. He is not able to read well with the ointment I have to put in his eye four times per day, and he is not yet 7. So I am not tied to counting his school days anyway.
I am going to do end-of-grade testing with the older two this coming week, and then the next week, we will all be ready to start back on our regular schedule, Lord willing.
Have a blessed day! Tami
Part 1 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-while.html
Part 2 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-2.html
Part 3 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-3.html
Part 4 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-4.html
Labels: homeschooling; overcoming obstacles |
posted @ 5:23 PM
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Overcoming Obstacles (part 4)
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Hello, last night as I went to bed I was thinking about this post, and for me, another way to overcome obstacles while homeschooling is to be creative.
No, I am not talking arts and crafts creative, though that certainly has its place in our homeschool. I am talking about how to creatively cover the 3R's when doing actual bookwork will not fit in the schedule on a day when there are lots of obstacles in your way.
What constitutes a math lesson? There are many hands-on ways to learn math. One of our favorite ways is to bake. But if we have errands and appointments take us away from the house, we can count things alongside the road. We can review math facts. There are lots of ways to do math without using a book. We also can use math if we need to do some shopping. I am trying to teach my oldest child how to calculate percentages off when an item is on sale.
What constitutes a reading lesson? We can read labels on things. We can read road signs. We can play I-Spy with ABC's. We play license plate BINGO. For my little ones, just singing the ABC song is review for them. The older children can read maps and directions for me while I drive. We can also listen to great literature with books-on-tape.
How about writing? The children can help me make a list for shopping and check it off while we gather the items. They can take puzzle books along. The little ones like to take crayons and paper. If we are going to be outside, they can do some nature journaling.
The lists are endless. You can truly do a lot of school on days when you just can't seem to get the books out. I would love some comments with ideas on how you are creative on those busy days.
Have a blessed day! Tami
Part 1 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-while.html
Part 2 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-2.html
Part 3 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-3.html
Part 5 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-5.html
Labels: homeschooling; overcoming obstacles |
posted @ 5:22 PM
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Overcoming Obstacles (part 3)
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Since the birth of our children, I had to add a new word to my vocabulary---flexibility. This is very important in balancing my day-to-day life and school. Things crop up all the time that interrupt our day, and I have had to learn to accomodate things into our schedule on a moment's notice.
A prime example of this would be something that happened a year and a half ago. I went to take my morning shower while the children got dressed and started chores. They have been told not to interrupt my shower unless I need to take someone to the emergency room. I had no sooner got into the shower when there was a loud banging on the bathroom door. Our then 5-yr-old had jumped from the top bunk onto a double bed and hit the headboard with his mouth.
After getting out of the shower very quickly, I decided that he was going to need stitches for the gash in his lower lip. He had cuts inside and outside of his lip. So I dropped everything to take him to our pediatrician. I called my DH to meet me there, and our oldest child watched the other boys while we were gone. The pediatrician said she could not do the sutures, since he had a cut that extended into his lip. So we were referred to a plastic surgeon. We arrived at his office and were wisked into a treatment room.
After he was numbed and stitched, we were sent home with a boy with a very fat lip and lots of stitches. I don't think much school work was done that day, but we worked together as a team to take care of the immediate need.
I was flexible with my schedule that day, because I had to be. But there are other days when it is better to visit an ailing grandparent in the morning and come home and do school in the afternoon. And there are days when we do school work very early in the morning, in order to do something later in the day.
We have also added two babies to our family since we started homeschooling. And for a time, it was more productive to do school in the evening with Dad home. Does it matter what time of day we sit down to read and write and do math? No, not really. And if we miss a day or two, will it hinder them for the whole year? No. We are being flexible with our school in order to live our lives, and I have not seen any negative repercussions from doing that.
Have a blessed day! Tami
Part 1 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-while.html
Part 2 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-2.html
Part 4 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-4.html
Part 5 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-5.html
Labels: homeschooling; overcoming obstacles |
posted @ 5:21 PM
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Overcoming Obstacles (part 2)
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Next to my faith in God, my biggest asset would be my supportive husband. When I have had a particularly bad day (and there have been many lately), he is always there to pick me up and encourage me. He helps me see the "big picture." For us the "big picture" is to raise godly children. That requires godly teaching and training on our parts. Those are the two parts of parenting that take a lot of time and energy.
We have seen some fruits of our labor in this area. Our two oldest children will do extra things not asked of them when life is chaotic for me. Most recently, we have dealt with a lot of medical issues. And the two older children have pitched in where needed to get daily and weekly chores done.
When I am dealing with a sick child or am sick myself, a lot of what I do around the house is left undone. My older children will pitch in without being asked and do some of my chores. My husband will also come in from a long day at work and cook, if necessary.
Having children willing to help when needed falls under character training. We have used the unit study approach to our homeschooling for a variety of reasons, but one of the main reasons was to use our unit studies as a vehicle for character training.
Stay tuned. I will have more posts to add to this series in the coming days.
Have a blessed day! Tami
Part 1 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-while.html
Part 3 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-3.html
Part 4 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-4.html
Part 5 in the series - http://www.tamifox.com/2008/02/overcoming-obstacles-part-5.html
Labels: homeschooling, homeschooling; overcoming obstacles |
posted @ 5:19 PM
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Rose Book of Bible Charts and Timelines (a review)
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Monday, February 4, 2008
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The Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Timelines is an excellent reference book for anyone studying the Bible. You will have access to materials worth $250 if purchased separately. I have used materials from Rose Publishing in our homeschool and for church use, and I have been very pleased with their products. I am happy to have their different products in one handy book for only $23.99 . If you would like to read more about this, you can click HERE to read about it on my website. Labels: Bible, Charts, Maps, Review, Timelines |
posted @ 7:32 PM
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Why we chose to homeschool our children
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This is a reprint of a post I did on my other blog on January 6, 2006. I thought you might enjoy reading it.
When our oldest child was in 2nd grade at public school, I read a book by Joni McCoy, called "Living on One Income in a Two Income Society." She talked about homeschooling her children in this book. I became intrigued at the idea of teaching my children at home. I LOVED being a stay-at-home-mom, and I MISSED my daughter greatly while she was in school. At this time, I also had a two-year-old at home. And I was dreading the time when he would go to school. I thought I would have to get a job outside the home again.
Around the same time as I was reading this book CBD (Christian Book Distributors) sent me a catalog with homeschool materials in it. I would sit and look at this catalog every day. I REALLY wanted to do the "Prairie Primer" study. I talked to DH about homeschooling, and we neither one knew a lot about it.
So we just kept sending our daughter off to public school year after year. By the time she was in 4th grade, her younger brother started kindergarten. We also had a another son and another one on the way. Our second child made it less than 2 weeks in the public school system, before we took him out to teach him at home. His class at school had too many children in it, mostly boys. And our son was in trouble daily. The breaking point was when he was sent to the assistant principal for a minor infraction. He was scolded until he cried. We decided it was not worth his self-esteem to leave him there, so we took him out. At his age, we did not have to notify our state of this decision.
Our daughter was not happy in 4th grade. The homework was overwhelming, and they were using the semester system to teach science and history. And this meant a lot more homework and tests more than once a week. I talked to the teachers and principal about it, and they were unwilling to make any changes. Our daughter asked to be homeschooled, too. So we registered with our state and took her out of public school on her 10th birthday.
We have not looked back. I felt like I got my children back, and our daughter tells us that her worst dream is that we would send her back to public school. She is a 9th grader this year, and she is loving high school. We are providing opportunities for her to be with other teens, and we are hosting a monthly dissection class at our house. We have all ages at this class. Last month, they dissected cow eyes. And this month, we did microscope work. Next month, we are dissecting a sheep's heart.
God has blessed us as a family since we took the leap of faith and followed Him in teaching our children at home. (See Deuteronmony and Proverbs for more info on that.)
I am also blessed to be serving the homeschool community with our home-based business. It is our goal to honor God with this business while serving homeschoolers. I hope one day someone looks over my catalog day after day and dreams of homeschooling, too. And then I hope they take the next step of faith and decide to homeschool.
Have a blessed day! Tami
PS We finally did use the Prairie Primer!Labels: beginning to homeschool, homeschooling |
posted @ 7:17 PM
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Lapbooking is a great way to teach your children
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(This is a review that I posted on my other blog in January 2008. We have been using lapbooks to learn about various topics, and it has been a fun way to learn facts.) Oregon Trail Lapbook By Hands of a Child – Niki McNeil, Kimm Bellotto, Katie Kubesh
Recently, my children and I embarked on a study of our country’s westward expansion. I enlisted the help of a friend of mine, Niki McNeil from Hands of a Child, for a fun way to learn about the Oregon Trail. She provided me with a project pack with the reproducible pages already copied onto color paper called a kit pack. Since I was teaching four boys of various ages and abilities, she sent me pages with “type it in” words on the activity pages for my younger boys. And the copies for the older boys were blank for them to fill in the information themselves. Ms. McNeil also provided me with a teaching guide that provided me with a daily lesson plan for approximately ten days of teaching. It took us closer to two weeks to complete our lapbooks. I am a novice at making lapbooks, and all of the resources that Ms. McNeil provided enabled me to easily create these lapbooks with my boys. I did most of the cutting of the projects due to the fine details of the projects that were provided. My oldest son is 12-years-old, and he could cut his own activities out. My sons, who are 8 and under, needed my assistance with the cutting. The Oregon Trail Project book also includes the teaching materials for the activities. This made my job so much easier, since I was able to read the section in the teacher’s guide that went along with the daily lessons. Katie Kubesh does most of the research for the project packs for Hands of a Child, and she did an outstanding job on the research for this lapbook. It was informative without being overwhelming. We enjoyed creating lapbooks for the Oregon Trail that I have ordered four more project packs to complete with my children. I would highly recommend any of the project packs or research packs from Hands of a Child for your lapbooking projects. You can even choose to purchase their template pack and create a lapbook on the topic of your choosing. If you would like to see more of the items available from Hands of a Child, please CLICK HERE to visit their website. It was recently upgraded, and I love the new look and new features! Submitted by: Tami Fox of Discount Home School Supplies ( http://www.dhss.com/) December 2007 Labels: Lapbooking, Oregon Trail |
posted @ 5:54 AM
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iBible Pro King James Version
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Saturday, February 2, 2008
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I received a really nifty gadget called an iBible Pro, and it is an electronic pocket Bible. It has all kinds of great features. I can look up any passage in the Bible and read it. I can also type in a phrase and search for it. And I have the option to have the Bible passage read to me. It also has some PDA features, and it can use a miniSD card for MP3 functions.
As a busy homeschool mom, I know how hard it is to find time to read my Bible every day. I have a little helper who gets up every morning at the same time as I get up, so he is always chattering about while I get my day going. It's not very conducive to a morning "quiet time." So I have to find time when it fits in my schedule to have my one on one time with the Lord. With the iBible, I can select a passage and have it read to me. What an ingenious idea! And it is small enough that I can put it in my pocket and listen while I am washing dishes or doing laundry.
I added it to my website, so if you want more info, you can click HERE and read more. |
posted @ 4:50 PM
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Fun train destinations in NC
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The first destination is Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, NC. This is one of our favorite field trips. We buy season passes each year, so we can go multiple times. And with our passes we are able to ride Thomas the Train when he comes to visit Tweetsie each June. The fall is probably my favorite time of year to go, and if you are not a season pass holder, they have a great way for you to visit. Each Friday in Spetember after Labor Day and each Friday in October, you can particpate in Education Days. The link for information about that is found at http://www.tweetsie.com/for_groups/education_days.html. You do have to register as a homeschool group and have 20 people in your group to qualify for the group rate. It is well worth the trip. And on Fridays in the fall, it is usually not very busy. There are school groups there in the mornings, but they tend to leave after lunch. We have found we can do everything in the park in about 3 hours on a Friday afternoon in September or October.
While you are on the Tweetsie site, be sure to check out the Kidz Zone. There are 4 free coloring pages that you can print out. My little ones are coloring right now.
Another fun train experience in NC is the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in Dillsboro, NC. We have only been there one time, but it is set in a magnificent little mountain town.I do not know how they classify homeschoolers, so if you are planning a trip there, please ask when you make your reservations. The Polar Express looks like a fun little excursion.
And the last train experience in NC that we have participated in was at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. This train and other transportation museum is situated closer to the middle of the state than the two previous train experiences. I am hoping to set up a homeschool field trip there this fall. Click HERE for group information.
If you decide to go to the NC Transportation Museum, you need to allow time to visit the Dan Nicholas Park. They have several things to do at this park, including riding a miniature train. They sell tickets for the various acitivties at the park, and all of them are reasonably priced. In the warmer months, you can rent paddle boats and cruise across the lake. I noticed that they offer educational programs at the park as well. It is definitely worth the trip, if you are close to Spencer or Salisbury, NC. We like to go to the Transportation Museum first, and then have a picnic at Dan Nicholas Park.
If any of you have other train experiences in NC, please comment below.
Have a blessed day! Tami Labels: field trips, trains |
posted @ 1:44 PM
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Welcome to my new blog!
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Thank you for stopping by for a visit! I am in the process of moving my blog from HomeschoolBlogger to this new domain for Tami's Blog! I hope you enjoy the journey with me!
For my new readers, I will introduce myself. I am a homeschool mom of 6 children. I also own and operate a homeschool business, Discount Home School Supplies. I began our homeschooling journey in 2000.
I hope to share with you about our homeschool, about products that I have found useful, and other interesting things as I come across them.
Thank you for joining me!
Have a blessed day! Tami
Labels: intro, welcome |
posted @ 1:35 PM
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| About Me |
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Name: Tami
Home: North Carolina, United States
About Me: Welcome to my blog!
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