Homeschool Day

In our house, just about everyday is homeschool day. After all, we ARE homeschoolers. It's my goal to add more of what we do every week. I always love seeing what others homeschoolers are doing, so maybe you'll be interested to see how we do things, too.

First, though, I wanted to show you a couple of books that we are really getting a lot out of. The first one is Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We LOVE this book! I admit, I was skeptical at first. There's a little bit of preparation on your part, first, but it's not bad. It's worth taking the time, though, to read through all the prep work. It makes a big difference. For me, it's hard to stop to take the time...I want to just rush right through it and get to the bottom line! I'm one of those "just-tell-me-how-to-do-I-don't-want-to-read-the-instruction-manual" type of people. But, I DID take the time, grudgingly, and read it.

We're only on lesson 16, but already I see great progress in Ainsley! She's reading, y'all! With only 16 lessons. I highly recommend this if your child is just starting to read or needs extra help.

Here's another book we love. I've had this one for years and years. We used it a lot when the four older ones were younger. We set aside Fridays as Fun Friday and did art projects all day. The kids loved it. Our favorite was a "stained glass" project made out of colored tissue paper. It was so pretty! The projects take anywhere from an hour to a week to do.

This month we're learning about the body. We found all of these printouts at homeschoolshare.com. They have a fabulous website and you can find a ton of stuff on there for just about any project.

One neat thing we did (I forgot to take a photo of it!) was a tracing of her entire body. I didn't have butcher paper that was big enough so we taped a bunch of printer paper together until it was big enough for her to lay on. Then, I traced all around her. We hung it in our hallway (the only empty wall space!) and as she learns new things about her body, she draws it on her outline. We just finished with her teeth - she drew ALL pointy teeth on the mouth. Kinda scary!

Next week, we'll do eyes.

What are you doing this week?

Happy Homeschooling!

Allermates

Got this idea from Alyssa over at Bloggin 2 Noggin! Thanks, Alyssa.

We have a couple of family members who are allergic to certain foods and pollen. When I read about this on Alyssa's blog, I knew I had to share with you, too.

Allermates is a new company that makes necklaces and wristbands for kids who have allergies. The little characters are fun and colorful. Kids would love to wear these tags. Hey, even adults would love to wear them.

First Day of College

Wow! Two more off to college! I can hardly believe it. It seems like just yesterday that we were starting our homeschool journey. How time flies!

Technically, we're not finished with their high school years though. After the first two jumped the next we decided to go a slightly different route with the next two entering high school. Their ninth grade year was spend in hard study on a semester system. We completed two full years in one school year with this method.

Now, as they complete their college courses they will also earn the rest of their high school credits. By the time they're 18 they will have graduated high school with college level courses AND have an associate degree from a technical college!

They grow up so fast, don't they? I'm pretty sure I was MUCH more excited than they were. Of course, being homeschool most of their school career, I'm certain they were a little unsure of what to expect. But, seeing as how their father works for the college, they've spent lots of time there already and know their way around. Lucky girls to have that advantage!

And now, there's just one left at home. Well, the college girls still live at home, of course, but I'm down to teaching only one. It's only been a couple of days but I'm already finding I have a little more time to spend with her. I'm trying a new approach with this last child - lapbooking. We did a Cinderella lapbook in the fall and she really loved the hands-on experience. So, we're about to embark on a Human Body lapbook. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Happy Homeschooling!

Dana

Resolutions

Like everyone else, I usually make the same resolutions every year. Lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier. While these are definitely goals I would still like to accomplish and ones I will still work towards, I think I'm going to set my sights on something entirely new this year. Actually, three somethings.

1. I'd like to read my bible more. This past year I've taken some bible studies at my church and discovered that I really love them! Like so many others, I'm especially drawn to Beth Moore. I began following her blog several months ago and really enjoy reading it. She is so down-to-earth and chases Jesus with everyday with every fiber of her being. I want to be more like her.

2. The second goal I'd like to concentrate on is my marriage. Don't get me wrong, I have a great marriage to my best friend. But sometimes we get so wrapped up in our everyday routines that we forget to take time just for each other. This year is going to be especially busy for us as four out of our five family members will be in college. The fifth member will be finishing her preK at home. And that doesn't include the outside activities of church and other things.

3. My third resolution is something I've been thinking about for some time. Human trafficking. I became interested in this some months ago when I watched a Lifetime movie, Human Trafficking. I was shocked and utterly outraged after watching that movie that I wanted to do something about it. After months of thinking about, I've started another blog to help raise awareness. So, that's my third goal for the year.

I hope you will visit my blog, The Anti-Slavery Project, and help me raise awareness of human trafficking.

I hope all of you will have your resolutions and wishes fulfilled this year.

Happy New Year!

Dana