Are you interested in a free virtual homeschooling conference?
Posted on 2009-Jun-2 at 04:07 PM
Lampstand Press is holding a "virtual homeschool conference" this year, complete with free speakers, free samples, and conference specials.
There are workshops on the following topics:
writing instruction (beginner and advanced),
personal devotions for Moms
how to help kids grow in their own spiritual life
"Teaching with Tapestry of Grace."
Click here for info (click the "workshop" tab to see all the workshop topics). You can sign up for as many, or as few of the webinar sessions that you want.
We've received lots of mail this year, being on the TOS Homeschool Crew, but right now I've been buying some curriculum for next year. So, the new things coming in the mail are things I picked out and bought (used).
Monday, Tapestry of Grace Year 4 arrived! I scrounged up 5 ugly binders (3 are from the basement and smell like it) to get it out of the box before anything was lost or damaged. I'm still waiting on Tapestry of Grace Classic Year 3 to arrive.
Tuesday The Mystery of History, volume 1 arrived. I just wanted to see it. I keep hearing about it and wanted to have it in hand to compare with Tapestry of Grace. I don't think we'll be switching, because we're ready for year 4 of Mystery of History, and she's still writing it. Plus, I think it would take more work to adapt it to everyone. But I just wanted to see what others were talking about. I've never bought any curriculum just to see it before. But I used my Big Fat Check from ebates.com to buy it.
Tuesday I paid for Beyond Five In A Row, volume 2. Once it arrives, I'll own all the FIAR teacher's manuals, except BY FIAR vol. 1. I owned it once, but loaned it to someone and haven't ever had the nerve to ask for it back. I still waffle over whether I should ask, or just let it go and replace it.
Today A Reason For Handwriting, book F arrived for my oldest daughter who wants to improve her handwriting and try regular cursive instead of the italic cursive she already learned. I've never used A Reason For Handwriting before. I'm looking forward to seeing how she likes it.
Now to dig in and look this stuff over! Fun!
I'm smiling right now, watching my 8 yo son and my 2 yo daughter dancing while listening to Pure NRG, a Christian tweeny group. I love watching children dance, full of joy and without any reservations.
We're hoping and hoping to receive a package from FedEx today with the Schleich animals that we'll be reviewing. The kids pray every night that FedEx will come tomorrow. Silly kids. I'm hoping the other two curricula I bought arrive soon, but I'm trying to be more patient than the kids are being.
Free Bird Study Coloring Book for your Nature Study
Posted on 2009-Feb-26 at 01:32 PM
This is a great little coloring book with line drawings of 47 different birds. Each page has the bird drawing for your children to color, as well as space for the children to take notes on the bird's field markings, size, shape and differences between genders. It can be used as part of your nature journals, or along with Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day study.
It's totally free. Just open this PDF link and save it to your computer by clicking on that handy little disk.
Have you heard of Jonathon Park yet? These are great creation science adventure radio shows that my children love! We listen to them in the car when we are going to be driving awhile. I love that my children are learning science from a Christian perspective while we drive, and enjoying it. They beg for Jonathon Park!
From now until Friday, 2/27/09, you can download the entire volume one set for FREE! You can read the details at my friend Dawn's blog. Go HERE to read about it.
And you can check out Jonathon Park's website HERE.
Would you like to have a free digital issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine?
Posted on 2009-Feb-25 at 08:52 AM
The Old Schoolhouse has gone digital. If you would like to try out the digital format, or want to preview The Old Schoolhouse magazine, this is your chance!
They're letting you view the Fall 2008, digital The Old Schoolhouse issue. You can read about it HERE at the Store Spotlight blog. Or simply go HERE to view the digital Fall 2008 issue of The Old Schoolhouse magazine.
We had less birds wintering here this year than last year. I've missed my little junco friends and the cardinals I enjoyed last winter. I've missed the wood peckers, too. But they're back! For the past week, my little junco friends have been everywhere. I've seen woodpeckers and cardinals. Today I saw 6 robins!
In the quiet mornings, I hear the birds singing through the closed windows. What a beautiful sound! They're back a couple weeks early this year, but I'm so glad to see them and hear them.
The juncos are just passing through on their way north, but I'll enjoy them while they're here. I guess it's time to start planning our garden.
Today in our Beyond Five In A Row (volume 3) lessons, we were studying The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. Migration was the science topic today; what a timely lesson! I love those serendipitous homeschooling moments. Providence!
We're also beginning Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day science textbook. Those bird and bug lessons are going to be fun as Spring arrives here in Kansas.
I love homeschooling, and I love spring. I can't wait to be able to turn off the extra propane heater in the kitchen and put away the little electric heaters.
With the arrival of spring, we also have the arrival of kittens. Our Persian is due to have kittens in 10-11 days. We've set up her "nursery" in the kitchen and will start shutting the kitchen door at night, to keep her from giving birth somewhere else. She's huge and the kids are hoping for extra kittens this time. She usually only has 2-3 kittens. She's never had more than 3, but they're hoping.
Two FREE Charlotte Mason Ebooks from Simply Charlotte Mason
Posted on 2009-Jan-27 at 07:27 AM
I just discovered (thanks to Freely Educate blog) the Simply Charlotte Mason website. It's a great website with so much helpful information! While I was there, I found two FREE e-books on Charlotte Mason style education.
The first FREE e-book is Education Is An Atmosphere, A Discipline, A Life. You can download it HERE.
The second FREE e-book is Masterly Inactivity With Charlotte Mason. You can download it HERE.
I'm looking forward to some encouraging Charlotte Mason reading ... and I just wanted to share it with others, as well.
In order to reduce their potential loss if the CPSIA law is not changed, In The Hands Of A Child is also marking down theirProject Kit Packs. 35% off, automatic discount. Spread the word, and help them clear their shelves!
If you blog about it, you can get a free kit pack when you order one kit pack. So place an order for at least one kit, then email them with the URL of your blog post, your order number, and the kit you'd like to receive free. They'll add the free kit to your order as a thank you for spreading the word and helping them clear their shelves.
This is just sad. How many more businesses will be sending out similar emails in the next week or two? I know I've seen CPSIA sales on etsy shops, too.
CPSIA law strikes again ... Hands and Hearts discontinuing kits!!
Posted on 2009-Jan-13 at 09:22 AM
I wanted to let everyone know that Hands and Hearts is discontinuing the sale of their history kits, unless the CPSIA law I referenced earlier is changed.
Here is their letter that was emailed to customers on their mailing list:
It is with the deepest possible regret that we must announce that we are discontinuing production of our Hands and Hearts History Discovery Kits. We, like so many other small business in America, are simply unable to afford to get in compliance with the new Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act. We know that these kits have blessed thousands of homeschoolers around the world, and we have prayed, wracked our brains, and sought council in hopes that we would not need to take this step.
As of today, the prices of our kits are discounted. We will discontinue the sale of these kits on February 9th, or when current stock is depleted, whichever comes first.
We do honestly believe that amendments will be made to the CPSIA, and it is our hope that these amendments will be reasonable enough that we will be able to offer our kits again at some point in the future. We want to absolutely walk in integrity, so we want to be clear that while we HOPE to be able to offer these kits again, we simply cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Only you can decide if you want to buy a kit now so that you know that you will have it, or whether you are comfortable waiting and hoping with us.
It is also our hope and intent to leave our store open after Feb. 10, but the loss of revenue from our kits may force us to close our business entirely. If it is important to you to purchase anything from us, please consider doing it now or you may be unable to do so in the future. This law affects MUCH of our inventory, and there are many, many products which are being discontinued by their manufacturers. As a result, we will not be able to reorder any of those products once our current stock is depleted. We would like to urge each of you not to buy in a panic, but to pray about what you need to do.
Please read this article that I have written. It contains an overview of the CPSIA and a detailed action plan with steps that we can take to try to get this over-reaching law ammended.
Please let other homeschoolers know both about the above article and about our sale. It saddens us to know that we cannot reach everyone and that there will surely be many homeschoolers that come to our site too late and are unable to purchase kits. We will be continuing to send updates and breaking news about the CPSIA and the status of our company through our newsletter, so if you are not a subscriber please use the form in the left-hand side of our website to subscribe.
IMPORTANT: Shipping times WILL be delayed due to this sale. If you need your order within a certain time frame, let us know and we will try to accommodate you. As we sell out of kits, they will be removed from the website.
So, if you were needing any of their history kits for this year, or next, you'd better order them soon. They'll be on clearance sale until February 9, 2009, or until sold out. (Unless the law is changed at some point between now and February 9.)
Do you want to try some new curriculum yourself ... Free?
Posted on 2008-Oct-24 at 09:29 AM
The Old Schoolhouse magazine has a directory of freebies for homeschoolers. Many of the vendors we'll be testing this year for the Homeschool Crew are on the directory. You can go to the directory for some free samples and trial memberships yourself.
Since we'll be testing curriculum for TOS Homeschool Crew this year, we're rethinking our curriculum plans. Our vendor list includes 6 different core curriculum products. I don't know if we'll end up testing all of those, but since I intend to give each product we test a true trial, we'll be using whatever we're offered as our actual curriculum.
Tapestry of Grace would be difficult to start and stop throughout the year, so we're going to set it aside. We'll use Five In A Row instead. I will use FIAR volume 4, although the older girls will need extra assignments to make it challenging enough for them. It will be easier to start and stop FIAR, since it uses picture books and each book is only 1-2 weeks of schooling. No chapter books, no continuing theme or chronology to disrupt. But it will still provide a good education for the kids, and it will fill in the structure when we don't have something to test.
We'll continue with our usual math curriculum, until/unless something else arrives. We'll continue working on phonics with Josiah, and use our other usual books (grammar, logic, spelling, penmanship) in between testing products ... unless we decide we like one of our test products better and choose to stick with it. The only one using a science textbook is 13 yo A, but we may be testing Friendly Chemistry for her, so we've set it aside for now. If we don't get chosen for that, she'll resume it. The others are still reading their science books (Christian Liberty Nature Readers, and It Couldn't Just Happen).
Since some of the curriculum/products we'll be testing are not subjects we usually cover, I want to be careful not to overload anyone. So we'll try to keep a balance of challenging everyone, covering our basics, and not pushing too hard.
This will be an unusual year, switching between different curriculum. But, I know we'll still be learning, and growing. I'm not worried about falling behind, or anything. We'll resume Tapestry of Grace year 3 when we're done reviewing other curriculum. We're looking forward to this year, and the opportunity to try new products.
I am probably dense, and y'all may have already heard about PaperBackSwap.com, but I am excited about it. A friend of mine just told me about it, and how she was using it to get some of her curriculum needs for next year. I signed up using her referral, and started listing books yesterday. First, I listed my mandatory ten books to get my first 2 free credits (each credit equals one book trade). Today I worked on creating a wish list there, and looking for books that I've wanted to buy. Most of them weren't currently available, so I put them on my wish list. Some were, so I put them on my reminder list to shop from once I have more credits.
But then today, I started listing more books, and I've already got 5 of my books requested. Once I mail them, I'll get a credit for each book. Since I paid for and printed my delivery confirmation at the Paperbackswap.com website, I'll get my credit as soon as my post office scans the delivery confirmation. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't get credit until the recipient went to the website and marked the book as received.
So, I pay postage to mail out the books I'm swapping, but I pay nothing to receive books that I request from others. I have two books already requested that we will need to use on an ongoing basis for Tapestry of Grace this upcoming school year. Once I receive more credits, I'll be able to get more books. So, for the price of media mail postage, and delivery confirmation, I get books I need sent to me. I couldn't buy a decent copy of most of these books for that price, let alone ordering it from the internet and paying for the book, plus postage.
So, I'm thrilled to get to swap books I'm not using for books that I need! And my girls are excited, too. They have been hovering over me all day long as I list books, look for books, and package books to mail.
The sad part is that I think I've seen this discussed on several email lists I'm on. But I didn't realize it was for anything but paperbacks, and I didn't realize curriculum could be swapped. So, I just ignored it, and didn't even bother to really read the emails. Oh well! Better late than never.
If you're interested in signing up for PaperBackSwap.com and would like a referral, just use my "Email Me" link in the right column under my picture. I'll send a referral to you. Once you sign up, and list 10 books, you'll get 2 free credits, and I'll get 1 free credit. Then every time someone requests a book from you, and you mail it, you'll receive another credit. You can even buy credits for $3.95 each, if you haven't earned any and want a book ... which is still a bargain on many books.
Well, that is the end of my advertisement, but I was excited about how this is helping me, and wanted to share it with others. The more homeschoolers that participate, the more of us that will be able find curriculum to swap with others.
The Old Schoolhouse magazine has a new summer reading program for our kids. You can read about it at their Summer Reading Splash page. And be sure to check the Summer Reading Splash Blog for weekly questions with drawings for a free book, and ideas to encourage our children to read. Every participant will receive their choice of 1 free children's e-book (out of ten choices) at the end of the summer. The program runs May 19, 2008 through July 31, 2008.
Christmas unit studies and activities, most of which are free ...
Posted on 2007-Dec-4 at 03:48 PM
We just started school again yesterday. I was sharing with my friend Shurleen about the Grinch unit study/lapbook we're working on, and then talking about what we might do in the next two weeks. She asked me to put together a list of different Christmas ideas and resources to share. So, here it is:
Read any of the Little House books that has a chapter or two related to Christmas ... Little House in the Big Woods, The Long Winter, Little House on the Prairie come to mind. Or read only the Christmas chapters from each book.
Read Little Women, or at least the Christmas chapter.
FIAR vol. 1 has a unit on Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, the one illustrated by Susan Jeffers. It's a beautiful book!
FIAR vol. 4 has a unit study on Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin ... beautiful book.
You could read both of those books together, even without a unit study by FIAR.
Other FIAR winter books I love, even just to read without the unit studies: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats We're Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews The Clown of God by Tomie DePaola Cranberry Thanksgiving (and Cranberry Christmas) by Wende and Harry Devlin Another Celebrated Dancing Bear by Gladys Scheffrin-Falk Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton Owl Moon by Jane Yolen A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert Warm as Wool by Scott Russell Sanders (my very favorite!) The Wild Horses of Sweetbriar by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock Hanna's Cold Winter by Trish Marx
Tiany is hosting the Homeschool Open House 2007, complete with door prizes for those who participate. To read about the Open House, and how to participate, go to Tiany's blog. She has a Mr. Linky posted with all the participants. Even if you don't choose to participate, you can enjoy a peek into many other families' homeschools ... even MINE.
NatureBackpacks.com is having a contest. They are giving away a free copy of Fun With Nature. You can sign up to enter the drawing at their contest page. They will be taking entries through the month of June. At the end of June, they will draw one lucky winner! And while you're there, enjoy their great nature photography at the top of each page.
I don't normally do this, but I was so excited about this week's offer, I decided to share it here. I love learning about missionaries and sharing about their faith and obedience to God with my children.
This free e-book (121 pages) from the Homeschool eStore is made by In the Hands of a Child. It has projects and research guides for 4 missionaries: Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael, David Livingstone, and George Muller. You can download this e-book free THIS WEEK ONLY at Homeschool eStore. Once you sign up, you will receive emails with a new free e-book offer each week.
Kansas is trying to lower the compulsory education age, which will
limit a parent's ability to decide when their child is ready to begin
school. Please go to this HSLDA website page and read the E-lert they
have been sending to members. Even if you are not an HSLDA member, you
can read the E-lert and take action by emailing the Kansas Senate
Education Committee members that are listed in the E-lert. Let's not
let them take away more parental rights!
We are a Christian homeschooling family with 7 children (ages 13, 12, 10, 8, 5, 3, and 9 months). We love having "room to breathe" in rural Central Kansas, and are working to make the "family homeplace" our own home.
• Steve 36 yo hubby
• April 35 yo SAHM
• A - 13 yo girl
• R - 12 yo girl
• C - 10 yo girl
• J - 8 yo boy
• M - 5 yo boy
• L - 3 yo girl
• G - 8 month boy
