This Thanksgiving I am giving thanks for my continued ability to homeschool my children. As our economy takes a nose dive, I sit in relative comfort and stability. I pray for those struggling with the economic side of homeschooling, and pray that God brings them peace in this area.
I know these are hard times for the, in most cases, one income homeschooling family. But, homeschooling moms are generally resourceful. For many of us, the financial balancing act is not new. For many years, I was no only a stay-at-home mom, but my husband was a student as well! So as I pull out the old 'play-book', I am at perfect peace with my ability to tackle what comes our way.
Here's to a happy, peaceful Thanksgiving to all of you!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Ideas that worked! - Transpiration Experiment
While planning a recent lesson on evaporation, I ran across an experiment that demonstrated one way water vapor gets into the air: transpiration.
Transpiration is the process by which plants release water vapor into the air.
The Procedure: I wrapped a plastic sandwich bag around a few leaves of our house plant. I sat the plan in the sun. After about 2 hours we checked on the plant. There was condensation on the inside of the plastic bag!
Eureka Moments: I enjoyed watching as the kids pondered the question, "Where did that water on the inside of the bag come from?" All three boys had a lot of fun with this lesson.
The Spin-offs: From this moment we were able to discuss the pores and stoma on the plant's leaves. We were also able to re-visit soil, roots, and how water travels in a vascular plant. This turned out to be a great teachable moment.
This experiment works. I am sure your kids will enjoyit. Best of all, the materials are all around the house.
Two new blog sections
In addition to the regular Golden Nugget. Homeschool Reviews, I have decided to include two new regular sections to this blog. You should enjoy, "Ideas That Worked", and Ideas That Bombed".
Have you ever had those days when you are just "ON"? Everything you do is just clicking and working well? I do have those days. When I'm good, I'm good. I will share the joys of the days that are a homeschool triumph in the new section, "Ideas that Worked".
There are also times, usually in science, when I just bomb. My kids either give me a blank stare, or just laugh in my face. I even have gotten a hug of sympathy following some of my most egregious slip ups. Sometimes, I have to laugh at myself. In the section, "Ideas That Bombed," I will share these funny, pitiful moments with you. Maybe you can improve on the idea and do better. Maybe I will help you avoid looking silly in front of your kids. Maybe you can submit comments, and point out where I went wrong, and what I can do better.
These two new sections will definitely show how unique my 'Homeschool Journey' is.
Have you ever had those days when you are just "ON"? Everything you do is just clicking and working well? I do have those days. When I'm good, I'm good. I will share the joys of the days that are a homeschool triumph in the new section, "Ideas that Worked".
There are also times, usually in science, when I just bomb. My kids either give me a blank stare, or just laugh in my face. I even have gotten a hug of sympathy following some of my most egregious slip ups. Sometimes, I have to laugh at myself. In the section, "Ideas That Bombed," I will share these funny, pitiful moments with you. Maybe you can improve on the idea and do better. Maybe I will help you avoid looking silly in front of your kids. Maybe you can submit comments, and point out where I went wrong, and what I can do better.
These two new sections will definitely show how unique my 'Homeschool Journey' is.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Golden Nugget Product Reviews -- English from the Roots Up, Volume 1
When I was in high school I took a year of Latin. This was not by choice, and I was always looking for proof that my mother had made a grave educational mistake on my behalf. I had plenty of fuel. I hated the teacher, it never made any sense, the other kids in that class don't like me. A new complaint each day. My mother held fast to her position that I would do better on the SAT. I would learn not to give up on things. I would be around the creme of the crop students in my high school. I would be an awesome speller. At the very least, I would thank her later!
Whether it was my bad attitude, or a true lack of ability we will never know, but I have images of that report card with the big fat 'F' emblazoned in my brain. I still fail to see much value in the year I spent in that class. Despite the 'F', I actually learned a few things. But, I couldn't help but wonder if there was an easier, quicker way to get the benefit of Latin without 'attempting' to learn the entire language.
So, there you have my bias.
I had put the whole ordeal out of my mind until I began to homeschool. Latin instruction is big with homeschoolers. I began to pity the little ones who were forced, as I was, to learn Latin. The curriculum vendors at the homeschool fairs were soaking up this trend. I later spoke with a fellow homeschooler about her decision to teach her children Latin. She had the same reasons that my mother had years prior. However, after hearing her kids speak Latin, and learning how it fit into the classical approach to homeschooling, I came to really respect Latin instruction. I was turning into my mom!
Then, at a later curriculum fair, I found a Golden Nugget. English from the Roots Up spoke to me. This approach gives all the benefit of Latin (and Greek) without learning the entire language. It is a powerful punch of the essentials needed to 'decode' the English language, as opposed to a slow language learning approach that may prove daunting for home teacher and student.
I am using English from the Roots Up with all three of my boys. They love it! They really enjoy working on a subject together. I have noticed improved spelling for my 6th grader, awesome standardized test score for my 8th grader, and awesome clarity in word meaning for my 2nd grader. They can't wait for me to introduce a new Root of the week. I watch them hunting for opportunities in their other subjects to decode the meanings of new words.
The book offers 100 color coded root words(Red=Latin, Green=Greek) with examples of the root in many words. Very soon, you have several roots to link together. My 6th grader described it as building vocabulary houses. For example, when we learned that 'tele' means distant, far away, the kids were excited to point out the many times they have seen this root in their daily lives. But when we learned that 'scope' means to see, the light bulb lit up. 'Telescope', a device used to see things far away! Eureka! Soon there was 'telephoto', 'telephone'... The light bulb moments are too numerous to count these days.
As I said earlier, we introduce a new root word each week. I give prizes when my kids notice the root in their reading, and properly decode a new word. The English from the Roots Up Flash Cards make this approach much easier. I tack the card to the wall so they can see it all week. The cards follow the book exactly with color coded borders to match the language (Latin, or Greek), the root on the front and several examples on the back. I highly recommend purchasing both components.
Judging by my kids success and continued enthusiasm, this product gets an A+. If you are considering full Latin instruction, I highly recommend taking a look at this program first. I wish my mother had!
(also available: English form the Roots Up, Volume 2)
Whether it was my bad attitude, or a true lack of ability we will never know, but I have images of that report card with the big fat 'F' emblazoned in my brain. I still fail to see much value in the year I spent in that class. Despite the 'F', I actually learned a few things. But, I couldn't help but wonder if there was an easier, quicker way to get the benefit of Latin without 'attempting' to learn the entire language.
So, there you have my bias.
I had put the whole ordeal out of my mind until I began to homeschool. Latin instruction is big with homeschoolers. I began to pity the little ones who were forced, as I was, to learn Latin. The curriculum vendors at the homeschool fairs were soaking up this trend. I later spoke with a fellow homeschooler about her decision to teach her children Latin. She had the same reasons that my mother had years prior. However, after hearing her kids speak Latin, and learning how it fit into the classical approach to homeschooling, I came to really respect Latin instruction. I was turning into my mom!
Then, at a later curriculum fair, I found a Golden Nugget. English from the Roots Up spoke to me. This approach gives all the benefit of Latin (and Greek) without learning the entire language. It is a powerful punch of the essentials needed to 'decode' the English language, as opposed to a slow language learning approach that may prove daunting for home teacher and student.
I am using English from the Roots Up with all three of my boys. They love it! They really enjoy working on a subject together. I have noticed improved spelling for my 6th grader, awesome standardized test score for my 8th grader, and awesome clarity in word meaning for my 2nd grader. They can't wait for me to introduce a new Root of the week. I watch them hunting for opportunities in their other subjects to decode the meanings of new words.
The book offers 100 color coded root words(Red=Latin, Green=Greek) with examples of the root in many words. Very soon, you have several roots to link together. My 6th grader described it as building vocabulary houses. For example, when we learned that 'tele' means distant, far away, the kids were excited to point out the many times they have seen this root in their daily lives. But when we learned that 'scope' means to see, the light bulb lit up. 'Telescope', a device used to see things far away! Eureka! Soon there was 'telephoto', 'telephone'... The light bulb moments are too numerous to count these days.
As I said earlier, we introduce a new root word each week. I give prizes when my kids notice the root in their reading, and properly decode a new word. The English from the Roots Up Flash Cards make this approach much easier. I tack the card to the wall so they can see it all week. The cards follow the book exactly with color coded borders to match the language (Latin, or Greek), the root on the front and several examples on the back. I highly recommend purchasing both components.
Judging by my kids success and continued enthusiasm, this product gets an A+. If you are considering full Latin instruction, I highly recommend taking a look at this program first. I wish my mother had!
(also available: English form the Roots Up, Volume 2)
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Don't let the holidays de-rail your home schooling
My family is always excited for the holidays. This is the time of the year when I can pass on so much family tradition to my kids. In order to pull it all together, the preparations for the holiday season begin in September. But, after homeschooling for a couple of years, I realized that holiday time brought a new tradition in our family... falling behind in school. No matter how hard I try, cooking, shopping, decorating, and preparing for the holidays put us behind.
Through the years, I have come up with a few ways to prevent the post-holiday backlog:
Through the years, I have come up with a few ways to prevent the post-holiday backlog:
- Starting in mid-October, we do 5 lessons in 4 days. This approach gives me a free day for shopping, cleaning, or decorating.
- When a lesson has an accompanying exercise (like a workbook page), I leave this work for a time when I need to keep the kids busy as I prepare.
- We normally have a 9:00am school start time, during the holiday season it has been helpful to start an hour early. This hour is spent doing special projects, or unit studies on the upcoming holiday.
A Homeschool Consultant...is that for me?
The growth of homeschooling is quite obvious. Few people are unfamiliar with homeschooling. As this educational option becomes more common, so does the information and materials surrounding it. Some may think that this plethora of information means that it would be easy to get the information you need. A Google search for 'home school curriculum' produced more than 10 million hits! After homeschooling eight years, only some of these were familiar to me, and a I have personal experience with an even smaller portion. For a new homeschooler, I can imagine that this would be daunting.
This is when a homeschool consultant can help. In just about every field, consultants are used to navigate new waters, perform research, or do the leg work for their clients. As homeschooling grows this service area will surely grow.
Consulting is not just for the 'newbies'. Sometimes seasoned homeschoolers have tried several solutions to a problem with no success. I have heard of people buying math curriculum, after math curriculum. Then, they used a consultant to uncover and present them with options they hadn't thought of. Having many options presented at one time, made it easy to make an appropriate decision.
Homeschooling can be costly. Used curriculum sales are very popular, and filled with evidence of mistakes. I have put together materials for a used curriculum sale, and marveled at the money I have wasted. Many of these items are unused. A consultant would have provided a customized list of options to choose from, based on my families needs. This could save not only time, but money.
Are your kids showing signs of a real talent in a particular area? Is your elementary student moving to middle school. A consultant could also ease these transitions. As homeschool parents, we not only have to consider curriculum, but socialization, finding local support, and keeping abreast of you local homeschooling regulations. A consultant can provide help in all these areas.
If you think a homeschool consultant can be of assistance, here are a few things to consider.
What to look for in a Consulting Service:
Accord Home Education Services (www.accordeducation.com)
The Road Less Traveled Homeschool Consulting (www.freewebs.com/theroadlesstraveledhomeschoolconsulting/)
Christopherus Consulting (www.christopherushomeschool.org/consulting.htm)
This is when a homeschool consultant can help. In just about every field, consultants are used to navigate new waters, perform research, or do the leg work for their clients. As homeschooling grows this service area will surely grow.
Consulting is not just for the 'newbies'. Sometimes seasoned homeschoolers have tried several solutions to a problem with no success. I have heard of people buying math curriculum, after math curriculum. Then, they used a consultant to uncover and present them with options they hadn't thought of. Having many options presented at one time, made it easy to make an appropriate decision.
Homeschooling can be costly. Used curriculum sales are very popular, and filled with evidence of mistakes. I have put together materials for a used curriculum sale, and marveled at the money I have wasted. Many of these items are unused. A consultant would have provided a customized list of options to choose from, based on my families needs. This could save not only time, but money.
Are your kids showing signs of a real talent in a particular area? Is your elementary student moving to middle school. A consultant could also ease these transitions. As homeschool parents, we not only have to consider curriculum, but socialization, finding local support, and keeping abreast of you local homeschooling regulations. A consultant can provide help in all these areas.
If you think a homeschool consultant can be of assistance, here are a few things to consider.
What to look for in a Consulting Service:
- Customizable options
- A wide variety of options
- Ongoing support
- Knowledge of the industry
- Accessibility
- References, or testimonials
- Timely turn around of information
- Affordability
- Communicate your expectations (time, goals, etc.)
- Think clearly about your needs
- Provide all necessary information
- Check up on the status of your case
- Consider providing feedback so the consultant can continue to provide a quality product
Accord Home Education Services (www.accordeducation.com)
The Road Less Traveled Homeschool Consulting (www.freewebs.com/theroadlesstraveledhomeschoolconsulting/)
Christopherus Consulting (www.christopherushomeschool.org/consulting.htm)
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