I don't know about you, but it is about this time of year that I am ready for our homeschooling to be OVER! Our family only has nine more weeks before we begin our summer break, but it is often the longest nine weeks of the entire school year. The warmer weather beckons us outside, we all begin to talk of our need for more free time. So, to help all of us through these final months of school, many of your fellow bloggers have shared some great tips for homeschooling our children. I've grouped them by subject matter and hope it helps you "spring" into action and make the next few months a bit more enjoyable! 

But, before you start reading the carnival ... Why Homeschool is having a contest for images to represent the Carnival of Homeschooling.  Drop in and vote.  Then tells others about the contest.

Now, to get us started, let's visit with Tami as she shares with us the details of her plans for school for the month of March in Our Month Ahead.

** LANGUAGE ARTS **

When I was in school, the research paper was often the final task for the year. On Living by Learning shares information Regarding Research - Research is often the first step in any learning venture. As part of an ongoing venture to develop writing skills through the Pen On Fire assignments, let's look at a set of instructions and resources for online and offline research.

SisterLisa of At the Homespun LIfe gives a product review for elementary age grammar and simple instructions on how to create the same game at home for those on a limited budget in Have Fun with Sentence Structure.

Did you know that April 17th is the first annual Poem in a Pocket Day? Well, Seabird Chronicles does! The idea is to carry a poem around with you that day and read it aloud whenever you like. There are more details in her post, so check it out!

Shez of Homeschooled Twins explains why she "believes that good, old fashioned grammar programs need to be reintroduced into the education of our children" in Cantankerous Curmudgeon.

Most homeschool families have a limited budget to work with, so this next contribution is very timely. April shares a post on Easy, Fun Spelling: My No-Cost Approach for Kindergarten/First Grade.

Elisheva Levin says, "There is a tendency toward a certain priggishness about grammar floating about the homeschool blogosphere. When writing, however, the writer must consider the audience, the voice, and the standard acceptable usage for a particular place and time. All of these things make writing using a living language more nuanced and interesting than the Grammar police would have you believe" in her post entitled The Attack of the Grammar Yekke.

** MATH **

Wild about Math! shares a review of a nice way for kids to learn the multiplication tables without memorizing them in Review: Numbers Juggling - Times Without the Tables.

At Homeschool Math Blog, learn how to solve simple ratio problems using the bar model, and even see a more complex problem solved in A Bar Diagram to Solve a Ratio Problem.

** HISTORY **

At Bookworms and Tea Lovers, Samantha shares a list of fiction books that play in prehistoric times. She says, "They are for older teens and adults mostly. It can help liven up the history lessons, or they can be read if your interested in that time period."

This week, Angela of Mother Crone's Homeschool shares her thoughts on Teaching History to the Reluctant and gives six tips to help bring history alive in your homeschool.

Are you studying the Colonial period? Well, Mrs. C is going to show you how to make a tri-cornered colonial hat out of paper.

Chris of A Mountain Homeschool leaves us with a link to 1900 Predictions, a fascinating article from the 1900 Ladies Home Journal predicting "what may happen in the next hundred years."  Of particular interest is the section on "how children will be taught."

** GEOGRAPHY **

At Travelin' With The Kid, Amy shares a post called The Caine Mutiny and Other Snowbird Pursuits in her series of blog posts from the road in Florida. Amy says, "We take our homeschool on the road in February, mainly to get out of the snow, but also as homeschoolers, because we can!"

Rebecca also shares a little Florida sunshine with her readers.

Although Mom is Teaching is a homeschooling blog, Summer recently shared an article called What Makes Finnish Kids so Smart?

The Hayes Family of South Africa shares a post which focuses on the freedom that homeschooling allows a family ... from tailoring curriculum to suit the child’s learning style to taking mid-week vacations in Why We Homeschool: Freedom.

** FINE ARTS **

At Reese's View of the World,  Reese's mom says, "Photography is something my son & I like doing together. A picture I took was chosen as the cover photo of a magazine & I just had to share my excitement! Needless to say, the cover child was VERY proud to see himself."

Don't you think that all homeschool projects should be edible? Well, I do especially if they include chocolate - LOL! At Home Spun Juggling, Cristina shares some family experiments involving Food! Glorious Food!

Alasandra has put in a request for homeschool bloggers to enter the graphics contest to create the graphic for the 2008 Homeschool Blog Awards.

** THOUGHTS FOR THE HOMESCHOOL PARENT **

ChristineMM of The Thinking Mother does some  Thinking About the Homeschooling Lifestyle and ponders the homeschooling lifestyle and the myriad of factors that contribute to who a child ends up developing into.

Homeschooling means you get interrupted with your children's questions at times, but it's worth it. Barbara Frank reminds us that sometimes, it is worth the interruption.

Jennifer of Diary of 1 writes an important post about struggling to be inclusive in an age-segregated culture in An Integrated Family in a Segregated World.

Sometimes we just need a new Perspective and Renae reminds us of this at her blog, Life Nurturing Education.

What would happened if our children never had a chance to experience failure? A post at Lorem Ipsum is In Praise of Failure.

Accepted to College says, "Colleges are becoming increasingly sensitive to the needs of homeschooled students in the admissions process. However, there are still things that a homeschooler must do to ensure that their child is as competitive as he or she can be" in 9 Things Homeschoolers Must Do for College Admission.  

The Reluctant Homeschooler talks about the perks of Customizing Curriculum - "Since I'm not following a set curriculum, I have some flexibility in what I teach my son in tenth grade. And I'm really taking advantage of that to coordinate what he's learning in history to what he's reading for literature. And since I read all the books I assign him, I'm getting quite the education!"

Sometimes we need change and that's a good thing. Missy of The Life Without School blog shares a heartfelt moment, "I need to grow with my kids, to learn with them, because homeschooling is a lifestyle."

Principled Discovery has some recent thoughts on homeschools and the gender gap and why it even exists.

Sebastian engages us in an important discussion of the merits of single gender education and how it may apply at home in Teaching Them Apart.

HappyCampers shares her opinions on a fantastic article on homeschool & "socialization" in Civilized is Not the Same as Socialized.

Beverly shares some videos of Kelly Cobiella, who shares some positive media about homeschooling on the CBS Morning Show. This comes at a time when homeschooling is under attack in California, making it very refreshing to watch.

After 5 years of homeschooling, here are some things Rebecca has learned about how to homeschool her kids.

Kristin gives us a description of the joys of homeschooling little kids in I Love Little Kids.

** HOT TOPIC: CALIFORNIA HOMESCHOOLING **

Many states want you to register with them if you homeschool. This is dangerous as registration leads to confiscation, sooner or later. Yankee CowGirl ponders the question, "Is registration worth the cost?"

Katherine shares her commentary of the recent court ruling effectively outlawing homeschooling by non-certified parents in California Homeschooling Parents Scared.

Along the same lines, Tammy reminds us that It's Not Illegal to Homeschool in California and shares her thoughts on Fearless Homeschooling in Times of Stress.

In the wake of the In Re: Rachel L decision in California (which for the record did NOT revoke our rights to homeschool), Timothy presents a look at our nation's theory of liberty and how it impacts parents' rights to educate their children in Homeschooling and Constitutional Rights.

The Not Quite Crunchy Parent talks about why the recent California State Ruling requiring teacher credentials for homeschoolers matters for ALL parents in Homeschoolers Under Attack - Why It Matters.

Notes From A Homeschooling Mom shares her Final thoughts on the California Ruling in a video blog entry.

And NerdMom posts yet another post on the ruling in California. This one, Homeschoolers: Be Ye Attentive But Not Panicked, talks about things to be aware of and the bonding that is growing in California.

Finally, Rose has a response to those that believe parents must be credentialed to teach their children.

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So, there you have it! Lots of great links to check out and read this week ... make plans now to enjoy the upcoming months with your children - you won't regret it!

( School graphics by Graphic Garden and RecycleBinGraphics. Spring "swing in a tree" graphic by Irene's Graphics. )

Blessings on your day ... Kris