How Do I decide what curriculum to homeschool? A brand new Website offers help!

ABeka?  Bob Jones?  My Father's World?  K12, Griggs?  Full curriculum?  Eclectic?  Which is best for me?  Which is best for my kiddos?  ...  If your head is swimming trying to figure it all out, welcome to the crowd.  Many homeschooling parents struggle each day to figure out how to teach their children.  Back in the day when homeschooling was new, there were very few choices.  Now, there are tons.  With many publishers coming on board to offer the homeschooling community a full range of curriculum options, it makes the journey easier in terms of having access to every resource your child needs.  But, this also makes things very complicated.  With choices, comes making decisions.  Are you making the best decision for your child's educational needs?  Do you homeschool more than one child with different learning needs?  Hand In Hand is a homeschooling Website that now offers reviews of homeschool curriculum.

This is a site homeschoolers can turn to to read reviews of other homeschoolers before making a decision and shelling out money to find yet another curriculum that disappoints or falls short.  Better still, if you have experience with a particular curriculum, you are invited to share your reviews with others to read in making their decisions.  Homeschoolers helping homeschoolers.  What could be better than that?

         
 

My Review Of Sabbath by Dan B. Allender

The Fourth Commandment - The Sabbath!  Entering a day of rest, or just another set of rules to follow?  Or, is it just an ancient command made to the Jewish people?  These are questions I've had in my personal life in recent days.  They are also questions that Dan B. Allender addresses in his book, Sabbath.  Provided to me through Booksneeze.com, I had the privilege of reading and reviewing this book and having many questions I had about the Sabbath answered.  The book was a sheer delight to read.  Once I began to read this book, it literally drew me in and I was compelled to keep reading.  It took me less than a weekend to complete the nearly 200 pages.
 
Mr. Allender paints a picture of the Sabbath that leaves the reader wanting to climb inside and experience like a chalk drawing in the child's movie, Mary Poppins. By the end of the first section, I felt the passion propelling from the author's pen as he described how the Sabbath Day should be one the is embraced and enjoyed not just a mundane set of rules to follow out of duty, but in a celebration of a feast.  He expresses Sabbath as being a time to "taste and see that the Lord is good," through taking part in the joy of the Sabbath that only our creator can bestow.

The book describes more than just a grand idea of something that sounds too good to be true and impossible to attain.  He describes how to practice the Sabbath amidst interruptions and catastrophes of daily life.  He invites the reader to find out how God changes our mourning into joy as he talks through days of sorrow that come and how to experience a Sabbath rest through the sorrows.  He explains how it is in our sorrows and our despair that joy and abundance are allowed to bloom and come to fruition.

The author does address the issue of what actual day the Sabbath should be and stops short of a direct answer, leaving it up to the reader to decide.  While, I personally take God at face value and believe the Sabbath should be from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, I applaud the author in an attempt to invite all believers to partake in a Sabbath even if that day is not Friday sundown to Saturday sundown to another individual.  The importance of his book is to set a believer in the direction of considering keeping Commandment #4 as well as the other nine.

Even if you've never kept a Sabbath; by the end of the book, you will be longing for the next Sabbath Day where you can enjoy the fourth commandment of your God in the way it was intended.  The book is part of The Ancient Practices Series and now comes with a study guide which I did not review but sounds enticing to use in a group setting.

I give the book 5 stars out of 5.

Discovery Space Shuttle Launches Today - Watch It Live!

Watching a space shuttle launch is always very fascinating.  It's a wonderful way to interest a child in space and science learning.  It can also be a bit nerve-wracking.  If you are of the generation, like I am, who remembers the black-out moments when the newly launched rockets would return to earth and all communications were cut off for a very loooong minute or so.  Then, splash!  They would safely splash down.  Not every mission has been successful.  Missions like Apollo 13 met what could have been a tragic end but was not with almost all of America praying for their safe returns.  Another shuttle exploded in the skies on January 28.  Others have had close calls.  Let's hope and pray this one that is launched today is safe and successful in their mission.

Watch live here!

Enjoy the launch!

Why does the counter viewpoint push my apparent sketch?

Why does the counter viewpoint push my apparent sketch?

What does this mean?  I'm not sure what this means.  What do you think it means?  What is a counter view point?  It is the viewpoint opposite of what is mine.  What is my apparent sketch?  The truth is that this is simply a random sentence that I have been asked to put in my blog by PayPerPost.com as part of the signup process.

My son hates school, but he's writing a book

I'm amazed, I'm speechless and shocked!  And, these adjectives just touch the surface of my emotion.  I have a 10 year old son who absolutely hates school work.  Getting him to sit down and read a history book or finish a math lesson is worse than pulling teeth.  He can spend - And, I'm not exaggerating in the least - 3-4 hours arguing and explaining why he does not need to do traditional school work.  Meanwhile, his 9 year old sister has finished her work for the entire day.  Yet, he's still debating the merits of never doing school work and why it is unnecessary.  So, you can imagine my shock when the following happened.

Last week, I sat down with my son and asked him what his perfect school day would be like.  We talked for quite awhile as we discussed what makes him excited about learning and what squashes it.  We came to the conclusion that, as is typical with the rest of his borderline asperger personality, that it's the transition he has difficulty going through.  He doesn't like to jump from one thing to another until he is completely prepared and ready.  On Monday morning, even though we all know it's coming every week, it somehow comes as a surprise to my son who has difficulty transitioning from one event to another.

When he was a toddler, I lived this transitional difficulty many times as we would leave a playground or leave a toy train table set up to entertain children in waiting areas, libraries or stores.  I learned very quickly that I needed to tell him something like, "Make the train go around the table 3 more times, and then we're leaving."  Or, "go down the slide 4 more times, and then say bye bye!"  This worked well.  So, how could I apply this to school?

We decided that Monday would become our library day.  Every Monday when he wakes up, instead of quickly transitioning into school books which he hates, we would make a trip to the library where he could pick out books he has an interest in reading and exploring.  Since the first Monday fell on President's Day, and the library will be crowded with off-school children, we went to the library on Friday last week.  To my amazement, I have not been able to pull my children away from their books and DVDs that they picked out that day.  But, there's more.

My son read some Magic Tree House Books over the weekend.  He became very absorbed in these books.  He became so absorbed that he is now, on his own, writing his own Magic Tree House-inspired book of his own.  He understands it has to be his own words and his own ideas, so there is no plagerism issues.  And, he has come up with some really fun ideas.  He has made a cover for his book and written a larger portion of the first chapter.  To top it off, this book is based on facts.  He is currently, as I type, researching facts about his topic from other library books we picked up that day.

I'm very excited and told him I would self publish it when he is finished.  So, my 10 year old is in the process of writing his first novel all because I sat down to ask what would be his perfect school day.  I will not give away too much of his story line.  I will say, it's inspired by the Magic Tree House books, and it's about his youngest sister's favorite animal.

Enter Your Teen for Jeopardy Challenge By March 1 And Watch Final Day of IBM Watson Computer v. Jeopardy Champs

Jeopardy is a fun way to take a break from books and sit back and enjoy.  A lot of learning takes place during this fast-paced half hour game show.  This week, Jeopardy has a special face-off challenge of an IBM computer named Watson and 2 of their best challengers.  Find out more about this here, and don't miss it as today is the last day.

Find out who is ahead - The Computer or one of the Challengers



If you have a teen in your house who enjoys this show, you can register him or her to enter the Teen Challenge which will take place online on March 1.

If you are a teenager - Enter the Teen Challenge!

Stan The Man Musial To Receive Presidential Medal Of Freedom Today

Last year, my family took a Flat Stan along with us on vacation.  Yes, it was the infamous Flat Stanley.  But, we also took another Stan along.  We brought a copy of Flat Stan The Man Musial.  Why?  Because people in St. Louis were pulling for him to get nominated to receive the highest civilian honor - The Presidential
Medal of Freedom.

We took Stan The Man to Isle of Palms, SC.  We took Stan The Man to Wisconsin.  We took Stan The Man with us everywhere we went.  Enjoy some of the numerous pictures we took along the way.

Here's the article on his honor......

Doodle 4 Google Is Back

Last year, Google sponsored a contest called Doodle 4 Google. It was intended for schools to get their students engaged in dreaming and learning. This year, it's back. And, it's open again to homeschools as well as after school programs and public and private schools.

This is a really fun way to get kids using their imaginations and maybe even changing the world. Find out more about how to register (By March 2) and what your child needs to do to enter here:

Doodle 4 Google Homeschool Style!

History Is Changing As Mubarak resigns in Egypt: How Do You Talk To Your Kids About Egypt?

With all the news that has been unfolding in Egypt in recent days, a lot of parents have probably been shielding their young children from the nightly news as some of the protests have been extremely violent.  Today, February 11, 2011, history was made and the beginning of more changes taking place before our eyes is about to begin as Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt.  This is news that excites some and brings fear to others as the uncertainty of the future of Egypt plays out.

It's the perfect time to introduce some basic facts and inspire learning about Egypt within our children.  Following are two excellent articles to get you started:

St. Louis Homeschool Examiner on Egypt


Facts About Egypt from Factoidz

You could win Spell Quizzer Free!

You could win a free Spell Quizzer spelling software.  Here's how:

 

Download your 30-day free trial from Spell Quizzer here:

 

Then - Like Elephant Ears Education and/or Teachable Scotts Tots Homeschool on Facebook and leave a comment as to what you liked about the software on the Facebook Page.

 

You could win your free copy of the software to use immediately or when your 30 day free trial expires.

 

You must have left your comment on one of the Facebook pages before February 18.  The Giveaway will take place on Friday, February 18 - So get started today for your chance to win!!!

 

All God's blessings to you!!!

A Spelling and Vocabulary Software Program Your Kids Will Love

As a homeschooling mom, I have one child who excels at spelling as though it comes naturally. I have another who struggles with almost every word, though loves to read. Imagine how much more this child could read and learn if spelling were second nature? Sitting with this child and constantly spelling every word that trips her up can be time-consuming for me. And, it never comes at a convenient time. I could be in the middle of reading something myself when I'm interrupted to spell a word or to explain how a word is to be pronounced properly. I could be in the middle of a conversation with another child or my husband when these words come up. Imagine if I could say these words for her, sit alongside her and help her read even when it's inconvenient for me?

..........There's an answer to this problem! It's called Spell Quizzer Spelling Software!

This software is so easy to download and install. Then, you set up a list of spelling or vocabulary words for your child. As you do this, you record your voice onto the computer. You say the word and use the word in a sentence. It's fast! It's easy to set up and ready for your child to use! When your child sits down with the computer, he or she will hear your voice as if you're right there alongside them cheering them on to excel. They type the word into a box on the computer. When they reach the end of the list of words, they will hear cheers of excitement encouraging them to want to learn more.

Your satisfction with the software is guaranteed, so there's nothing to lose. It comes with a 30-day free trial, but once you've tried it, you'll want to keep it forever.

Get yours here!

Come Explore Cultures and Learn New Languages With Passport to the World

The kids finished their English and Math curriculum books for the year, so we've decided to take on learning cultures and having fun with everything we explore. We decided to do this because I am a member of the Christian Homeschool Hub, and they started the project of traveling the world in 26 weeks. They are using Craig Froman's Passport to the World! Each week we will study along with hundreds of others around the world as we learn the flags, the population, the currency, how to say hello, good-bye, thank you and more from each country. Each country we learn about will get us a stamp on our learning passport.

You can join us in our adventure. You can purchase the book at Amazon.com or through Master Books. Or, you could win a copy by joining the Christian Homeschool Hub and conducting various activities. Find out more here at the Christian Homeschool Hub!

What Happens When The Ground Hot Is Snowed In? Early Spring or 6 More Weeks of Winter?

We all know what is supposed to happen according to tradition if the ground hog sees his shadow (6 more weeks of winter) or if he doesn't (early spring). But, what happens if the ground hog is snowed in?

What do you think? Find out more about Ground Hogs Day Here!

Recycled Fabric Gift Bag Purse Miniature Carry Tote by Selahsmiles

Recycled Fabric Gift Bag Purse Miniature Carry Tote by Selahsmiles

Blogger: Joyful Sounds dj music - Publish Status

Blogger: Joyful Sounds dj music - Publish Status