Monday, February 8, 2010 - Monsanto - The Evil Giant

Sunday, February 7, 2010 - Tips for increasing attention/focus and energy for kids

Thursday, January 14, 2010 - Home Education, Low Cost Resources for Early Childhood Learning

 *NEW* Download this free unit study curriculum - Teaching God's Heart for the World. Raising our kids to have loving, serving hearts is the most important thing; this curriculum lays out plans to teach your kids about missions and evangelism incorporated in your own studies. I found this on a clearance table at the used homeschool store, and I love it.

Brainpop

Hubbard's Cupboard

Garden of Praise

Scholar.Google.com

Kideos

Heart of Wisdom Robin Sampson is my homeschooling hero. Excerpts and printables here.
Ticket to Read This is a great site for kids to practice reading fluency and earn points for goals.
ABC Reading Eggs Another subscription site that helps children learn to read and earn fun rewards.
Homeschool Share Parents upload materials to share with other families. Unit studies, etc.
Worksheet Works Truly useful resource! Print your own worksheets instead of buying them.
Teachers Domain Register as a home educator to have access to expanded PBS lessons, etc.
Time4Learning Paid monthly membership, fun online curriculum for complete 3R mastery.
VSmile Learning System - Check eBay or Craigslist for used systems with games.
Old Fashioned Education Back to basics, free traditional education ideas.
Rod & Staff Publishing Low cost, Bible-based workbook curriculum, plus wholesome Christian readers. I have many of their books.
Keepers of the Faith More wholesome Christian resources for homeschooling here.
Georgia Dept. of Education
Danielle's Place Check out the ABC, I Believe Christian unit studies for a curriculum for preK, K, 1st.
Ambleside Online Charlotte Mason style free booklists.
First School - Amazing array of printables!
Starfall Kids learn letters, phonics, and get started reading simple stories.
Children's Books Online Self explanatory, printable book downloads.
Montessori Short Vowel Phonics Bingo
Jigzone
USA Jigsaw Puzzles online
Pamm's House - Homeschool for Little to Nothing Check this one out for some ideas!
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
The Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project
Bible Based Spelling Lessons

The following curricula are sort of expensive upfront, but can be used for many, many years. A great investment for these unit study plans!
KONOS Offers online membership homeschool co-op where Jessica teaches YOU how to teach the material! More hands on projects and crafts for moms who are into that!
Weaver Curriculum - Starts with the Bible, ends with the Bible.
Use Five In A Row? Download this document which lists Usborne books that can supplement each book in the curriculum.
This document lists Usborne books recommended by the Moore Foundation if you are interested in following the formula by Raymond and Dorothy Moore.

After you've decided on your three R's (reading, writing, 'rithmetic) curriculum (I'm pretty partial to BJU and Rod and Staff myself), next step in planning to homeschool is start building up a good home library. Things to look for: lots of colorful non-fiction books like Usborne, good classic historical fiction from Sonlight, wholesome character building readers such as those from Rod & Staff. Moms, I recommend you read books by Raymond and Dorothy Moore, such as Home Grown Kids and Home Style Teaching. Also, the Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach by Robin Sampson (download a huge ebook excerpt from her site), and Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola. These books will take you far in your confidence to be a homeschool mom. Oh, and I have also compiled a list of books and resources that I want at my Amazon wishlist - maybe it will spark an idea for your own home!

For local Tarrant County moms, The Book Cover in North Richland Hills, is your new favorite bookstore. Every curriculum you can imagine, but lots of fun reading for kids and adults. Mom nights out too! Order online, and pick up in store.

Also, if you are looking for a Christian school for pre-K - 8th, check out Handley Baptist Christian Academy. Located in east Fort Worth, Texas, this small school (less than 60 students) offers a great education, reinforces a Biblical worldview, and is an awesome value being one of the cheapest private schools in Tarrant County. They use a combination of materials - Abeka and Horizons, and are sensitive to letting children work at their individual level. Due to some setbacks and falling behind because of my health issues, I decided that school for a spring semester would be the best for my oldest son. God led me here, and my son, who had never been in any school, loved it from the first day. I help with the after-school care as well. If you check it out, tell them I sent you!

Bring a bookstore to your home! I offer personal shopping appointments with Usborne Books and More, I can help you pick out the best books for your child's age and interest level. Usborne Books is the choice of educators and curriculum publishing companies like Sonlight, My Father's World, Heart of Wisdom and more! Their books are highly regarded, award winning educational books for children all the way through high school. Orders over $85 get $15 in additional free books, as well as other discounts.

Need a spark of creativity for bored kids? Here's a long list of ideas to get you started!

Here are some Christian materials that reinforce Bible learning which we use on a daily basis:

Video/DVD
Faithville and Ms. Charity's Diner - Don't let the low budget appearance of Faithville turn you off to this meaty series for children. Live action, real human beings teach children solid scripture and Biblical principles.
Bible Adventures with Mr. Fix It - Great old fashioned dvd featuring live action combined with still illustrations. Bible stories with the friendly Mr. Fix It.
Nest Animated Bible Stories
Donut Man & the Donut Repair Club - This series is great. For kids 7 and under.
Friends and Heroes - Older kids like this series incorporating fiction with Old Testament Bible, my 7 & 5 yr old boys do!
Cherub Wings Cherub teaches kids under 7 about Jesus and fruit of the Spirit.

Music
Auto B. Good Car Tunes Vol. 1- Call me a dork, but I actually like listening to this Jesus-centered music CD!
Sing The Word Scripture Memory Songs - Excellent music and solid, catchy straight from Bible songs.
God Rocks Bibletoons NIV Scripture Songs
Mr. Henry's Wild and Wacky Bible Stories

Books/Bible
True Story of Noah's Ark
Jesus Storybook Bible
Day by Day Kids Bible
Word and Song Bible
Blessings Every Day
LullaBible

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 - Power and cooking off-the-grid

Truly going off-the-grid requires a hefty investment, and specially designed architecture and positioning in order to maximize heating and cooling.

But we can reduce our dependence on the power grid, and be less vulnerable to outages and blackouts - with a much smaller investment!

The bonus is that most of these items are great for camping, so if you're outdoorsy, you'll get a lot of use out of them too.

I already addressed lighting on an earlier post, so this will focus on products that will allow you to cook and generate power without electric hookups.

From simpler to more complex/expensive:

Battery charger and rechargable batteries - Always good to have around, especially if you have small children and electronic toys!

Wing stove and fuel tablets, and Sterno burners - Inexpensive ways to heat food in small cans

Charcoal fire - I keep an extra bag of briquettes stored in a dry place.

Car Power Inverter - Super easy way to cook - just plug into your cigarette lighter, and use an electric hot plate to make a meal! Uses electricity from your car's battery.

Camp Stove - Coleman fuel is readily available, and easy to store. This one can also use unleaded gas if you need to.

Jetboil or MSR stove - Ideal for backpackers for their light weight, they boil water quickly and can easily reconstitute dried foods.

Small solar chargers - Keeps your cell phone, mp3 player, or even a laptop (though you'll pay more for that option!) ready to use, simply by charging in the sun!

Portable gas grill - It's like what you use to BBQ at home, but easier to transport.

Homemade solar generator for under $300

Wind turbines - We've all seen the huge ones, but smaller ones are available for residential use, too.

Portable Generators - Noisy, and use a lot of gas, but they generate a lot of power.

Propane indoor-safe heaters You can ONLY use propane-powered heaters that are deemed to be indoor safe!!

I'm sure I've overlooked many other options, but hopefully this will get you started in the right direction to find the power/heat sources suitable for your family.

Friday, November 13, 2009 - Gift ideas for simple and sufficient living

Monday, November 2, 2009 - Food - What you'd eat if stores closed doors

I don't like the term 'food storage'. I think there needs to be a shift in terminology so people will take this stuff more seriously, and that it doesn't just apply to one religious group, but everyone.

I like referring to it as buying in bulk, learning how to shop your own pantry, and cook more from scratch. When you are less in the mode of convenience foods, you will find you keep more raw ingredients around. A bucket of hard white wheat berries won't seem so freakish if you are regularly using it in everyday meals. :-) That's the key. Skip the overpriced, expensive food storage cans that will last you 25 years. Not sure that's necessary! Start with the government-recommended two weeks of food and water. The food in your 72 hour kits must be easy, ready to eat stuff like trail mix or cereal bars, real fruit roll-ups, dried fruit, canned tuna, chicken, meat, canned beans, etc. Food Storage Made Easy has a great video to teach you how to make your own kit that tucks inside a gallon milk jug.

For daily use though, amounts and products will vary according to your family's tastes. I could tell you to buy so many buckets of hard white wheat, yet half your family might be allergic to gluten. Fortunately, the world of grains offers something for everyone. Research, experiment. Then make sure you have enough in your home stock to prepare meals for at least two weeks. Popping corn is good and versatile, you can grind it as well as pop it. Oats can make cookies and bars in addition to being great for breakfast. I bought two books that are really good for learning how to actually use foods with a good shelf life - Make-A-Mix and I Can't Believe It's Food Storage. Use the calculators on Emergency Essentials or Shelf Reliance to get an idea how much food it really takes to feed your family, but realize it's marked up. I've heard there are only a couple canneries in Utah where everyone gets their stuff, so there's no reason why some charge so much. Check out Best Price Storable Foods for canned butter and cheese!

If you don't already know how to bake your own bread - well, it's time to learn, honey! ;-) I can't possibly teach you here, as I'm a newbie too and learning my way around the ropes, but here are some links that should get you covered in some flour at least.

Serene of Above Rubies Sourdough Bread Part 1 Part 2 

Artisan Bread the MaryJane Way 

Baking911

While I'm talking about food, I want to stress how important it is to avoid the processed grains, the white stuff,  and eat food as close to it's natural state as possible. If you would like to learn more about this, some good resources are Oldways, and Nourishing Traditions - Sally Fallon.

Growing your own sprouts and herbs indoors also helps you get some fresh greens in your diet no matter the weather outside or if you have a black thumb. Store some seeds that are sprouting-friendly. Here is a lot of information to get you started.

*By the way, I don't agree with every opinion expressed on these linked websites or resources.

Monday, November 2, 2009 - Off-the-grid and emergency lighting

• Emergency candles - the kind that burn liquid paraffin are great to have, burn clean, and you don't have to worry about them melting or becoming misshapen in your storage.
• Create your own oil lamps, using metal or glass containers, a wick and some vegetable oil.
  
• Lanterns with a high light output - you don't want to always have to be squinting by candlelight. Coleman dual fuel lanterns are highly reviewed and versatile. Keep a couple of cans of Coleman fuel in your storage.
• LED lanterns also offer bright output, so have a couple of these, along with some rechargeable batteries. Or check out solar or crank options.
  
• LED flashlights that can be shaken to recharge are a dependable option.
• Solar powered landscaping lights can light the path to your door.
• Stock up on waterproof matches, a butane lighter refillable lighter, and extra fuel.

Of course, a trip to Dollar Tree will get you stocked with simple taper candles and votives at a great price. Be sure to get a chamberstick or candle pan with handle; if you must move a candle from room to room, you'll be spared dripping hot wax! These are found at import stores or through primitive country retailers.

Monday, November 2, 2009 - Skills to teach your children

Sunday, November 1, 2009 - Special Considerations for Women and Children

There are a few things that you might forget when planning for emergencies.  Pre-menopausal women need to store supplies for menstruation in the event that you can't get to a store. A good solution would be a reusable menstrual cup that can simply be rinsed and reinserted. They take up much less space than a box of tampons, and pads are much too bulky to include in a 72 hour kit. There are different styles and sizes available on the market, and it might take some trial and error to find the best one for you. For more information that you ever dreamed you read about the subject - visit menstrualcups.org for reviews and comparisons of what is out there.

If you have a very young child, you will also have to deal with diapering.  You could store a couple of extra packages of diapers, but what do you do when they run out? Have some simple cloth diapers available. There are countless variations, but for our purposes, I'd go with birdseye weave flat diapers. They are thin, quick drying, and take up less space. A few good covers, such as Bummis Super Whisper Wrap, (or the even cheaper Proraps) will work great. You might want to pick up a dozen diaper service quality (DSQ) prefolds that are thicker for nighttime. In the event that water is in short supply, disposables would be the first line of defense, so that precious water is not wasted washing diapers.

It would be worth learning how to make your own cleansing wipes, for your own hygiene as well as cleaning tushies for diaper changes. Here is a recipe for wipes solution. Use washcloths from the dollar store, make your own from fabric scraps (flannel works well) or old clothing.

Sunday, November 1, 2009 - Body Temperature and Basic Survival