*** Homeschool List ***

[Ellester]

Good afternoon! Just thought I'd add my two cents with some successes! I am a 26 year old woman who was homeschooled with three other siblings my whole life! I currently run a bankng branch, am involved in community development, and I write some historical fiction and paint on the side! My older sister graduated top of her class at Johns Hopkins University a few years ago, and is currently working as a nurse in the children's ward at Johns Hopkins Hospital. One younger brother is studying to become a minister at a well respected seminary, and the youngest brother is studying astrophysics at MIT in Boston! Our parents made the decision to homeschool us after the expense of private school became apparent, and the public schools in our area were so poor in academics that they were loathe to send us to any of them! Neither one of them had any teaching experience, and they certainly weren't college professors, but they had a great sense of family and were committed. Homeschooling isn't for everyone... but it is certainly the best way to tie a family together as one unit, and teach some extremely important, often forgotten attributes to your children. None of us would have traded our education for the world. It made us all who we are today. We have worked for every thing we have in life... including our education. Hurray for homeschooling!!!

Thanks for the reassurance! Somedays I wonder if we've made the right choice, but I know in my heart that we have. What a great testimony your family is!

 

[TNKBELL]

I have been reading another book called Please Don't Drink the Holy Water, it is a funny commentary on homeschool life and it's refreshing to hear that this mom is not perfect!! Sometimes the books I read about homeschooling are so idealistic that I feel discouraged that how could I possibly live up to those expectations, this book is a much needed sigh in my day!! Even better it doesn't strain my brain to read it!!
I can't believe Thanksgiving is around the corner, how do you integrate Thanksgiving into your homeschool curriculum?? Special projects, books, videos, crafts...ect...

 

[dturner]

Hello everyone! I just found this thread and it happened at the best time. I am not home schooling my DD, but I am strongly considering it. She is in the second grade and I just am not satisfied with the public schools. She is doing fine academically, but I feel that I have done most of it at home. By the time her school gets around to teaching something interesting, we usually have already studied it at home. I go to book stores and teacher supply stores and purchase workbooks for her

I have a huge problem. I work and it's not an option. I am divorced and my income is the only income in the house. What do you guys think about me doing my DD schooling in the evenings insteading of morning and afternoon? Also, I have talked with a retired teacher who lives in my community about paying her to babysit/school for me while I am at work. She was a wonderful teacher, who tought for almost twenty years passed her retirement year "just because she loved it". She already has a good relationship with my child. My DD calls her Granny. Do you think that this would be a good schooling situation for my child?

I work full-time and homeschool my DS(9) at night/weekends - have been the last 3 years - you can PM me if you have any questions.

 

[nuzmom]

Are there any homeschooling families going to WDW in December? Feel free to PM me if you prefer.

We're going from Dec 4 - 12 (MVMCP on 6th) and are staying at SSR. I have 2 DSs (9 1/2 and 4 1/2). I think it would be cool to try to do a QUICK meet. Believe it or not, my DS9 1/2 doesn't have a single homeschooled friend that is his age. He mostly hangs out with 11 and 12 year olds. Not a big deal, but a potential of having a HS pen pal might be cool for him, at least meeting someone else "like him" would be GREAT.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I have been reading another book called Please Don't Drink the Holy Water, it is a funny commentary on homeschool life and it's refreshing to hear that this mom is not perfect!! Sometimes the books I read about homeschooling are so idealistic that I feel discouraged that how could I possibly live up to those expectations, this book is a much needed sigh in my day!! Even better it doesn't strain my brain to read it!!
I can't believe Thanksgiving is around the corner, how do you integrate Thanksgiving into your homeschool curriculum?? Special projects, books, videos, crafts...ect...

I'll have to get that book!

I bet disneymom3 is incorporating Thanksgiving in her Colonial America studies. That would be a good way to cover it.

 

[sweet maxine]

**********

 

[disneymom3]

As a matter of fact, I just recently got a CD by Focus on the Family called The Legend of Squanto and it is awesome! I was going to be waiting until after the holidays to start the colonial stuff but now the kids are totally into this whole first thanksgiving thing so we are going with that piece of it now.

Tnkbelle, that book sounds fun. I know what you mean about the perfection lives represented in books sometimes. Ever read The Organized Homeschooler ? If you don't want major guilt, don't read it. If anyone wants to read it, I have a copy I can lend you--actually you can keep it!!

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh, I like this thread- so I thought I'd post an idea... I taught my kids how to read ,follow, and use a calendar based on our Disney trips...usually about 4 months ahead, they help me make the calendar pages,either with rulers and markers, or off the computer, - then they get to decorate it with stickers and markers to their hearts content. They mark off daily till our vacation, and it helps them keep track of how much money they're saving for their trip, and how long they have left to save! I love learning like this that's painless and easy.
Another bonus I've discovered for ds1 who is now 12, and a great reader but a VERY reluctant writer... He LOVES guidebooks!(who could've guessed?) So for the last 2 years,I bought him the Disney for kids guidebook, and the Universal guidebook.
He spends hours, every night in bed, for months, making absolutely flawless lists of places to go and things to eat in the parks! The 1st time he did it, he was 10 1/2, and I almost fell over from the shock! He's writing! And doing it well! Disney schooling! Yay!

 

[jojowentbyby]

Samuel Eatons Day and If You Lived in Colonial Times are great books. We live in Mass and just visited Plymoth rock the Mayflower II and Plimoth Plantation their website has a lot of info. www.plimoth.org. My kids (9&5) really enjoyed the books and the trip.

 

[disneymom3]

! I love learning like this that's painless and easy

: Disney schooling! Yay!

I call this Stealth Homeschooling. It rocks! When DD was in first grade, we ended up studying the Revolutionary War because she was sooo into Liberty's Kids. She watched it every afternoon and we ended up doing a study of Ben Franklin and several other side items as well. All was going fabulously until one day DH was asking her questions about the show and she didn't answer right. He got all worked up and said, "You are supposed to be learning something from this, you know!" Oh, thanks honey. That was smooth. After that she refused to watch the show anymore. Bummer.

(Gotta cut DH some slack. He was unemployed at the time and really stressed! We still love him and he "gets" it now.)

 

[hsmamato2]

My Dh is learning also- but all in all, for such a straight arrow type of guy, he agrees amazingly with most of our learning styles...only once in a while does he break down and insist that the dk's should be writing 500 word essays on various subjects that Dad is interested in!

 

[Ellester]

Just wondering if any of you have made up "report cards" to take to Chuck E. Cheese to get the tokens for the kids. Their ads say they accept any grading system, up to 15 tokens per child. I don't give my dd "grades" per se and we're not required to by the state. But, I think she deserves her 15 free tokens!

 

[TNKBELL]

Just wondering if any of you have made up "report cards" to take to Chuck E. Cheese to get the tokens for the kids. Their ads say they accept any grading system, up to 15 tokens per child. I don't give my dd "grades" per se and we're not required to by the state. But, I think she deserves her 15 free tokens!

You can print out report cards to use on www.chartjungle.com How fun!! Also through Pizza Hut you can do the book it program and reward each child with 1 personal pan pizza every month from October - March, they send them all at once. The goal is up to the teacher. Not related to the topic but free is www.sonicdrivein.com when you sign up each child for the birthday club they receive a free kids meal coupon emailed on thier birthday.

 

[Ellester]

You can print out report cards to use on www.chartjungle.com How fun!! Also through Pizza Hut you can do the book it program and reward each child with 1 personal pan pizza every month from October - March, they send them all at once. The goal is up to the teacher. Not related to the topic but free is www.sonicdrivein.com when you sign up each child for the birthday club they receive a free kids meal coupon emailed on thier birthday.

I knew someone would have the perfect suggestion! Thanks, TNKBELL! We have our Book It certificates, that's a great deal too. I just signed the kids up for the Sonic coupons. If you live near a Bob Evans, they do the same thing with the free birthday meals. www.bobevans.com You have to love a free meal!

 

[TNKBELL]

While we are on the topic....Burger King Kid's club also sends children coupons in the mail for a free birthday meal. Unfortunately no Bob Evans near us!!!
I just looked at the site and there is a Bob Evans in Branson,Mo and we will be there in April, so that would be great, thanks Ellister!!!

 

[Ellester]

Mostly just bumping to keep us from getting lost in the back pages! We are having a fun easy two weeks of "Thanksgiving School". Has anyone else used the books by Kate Waters? We borrowed four different ones from the library and my dd7 loves them! They show what life was like for a pilgrim boy, a pilgrim girl, and an Indian boy around the time of the first Thanksgiving. They use real pictures taken at Pilmouth Plantation and the surrounding area. I think they really bring home to her how different and tough life was back then. I think we'll make butter next week to show her how even the little things we take for granted were a major deal back then!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

TNKBELL--hubby found a new kids link I thought you may be interested in:

http://www.ewtn.com/ewtnkids/

Sign up is free and when we had to miss church this morning and hubby was looking for internet masses...he came across this website. The girls enjoyed it very much.

 

[TNKBELL]

Lisa... that is a great site!! My Dks love the clubhouse, at the Washington's house it tells the kids how to make a prayer corner, so the boys made one in their room. Another good Catholic site is www.americancatholic.org you can sign up via email for the Saint of the day and it is an audio that plays so the Dks can listen to it everyday! Also free.

 

[Ellester]

****Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!****

 

[PLUTO2]

Lisa... that is a great site!! My Dks love the clubhouse, at the Washington's house it tells the kids how to make a prayer corner, so the boys made one in their room. Another good Catholic site is www.americancatholic.org you can sign up via email for the Saint of the day and it is an audio that plays so the Dks can listen to it everyday! Also free.

Thank you!