Day 4 Outside the Home ~ Back to Homeschool 2017

Do you school all by your onesies?  Did you know you don't have to?  Certainly, you *can* but if you'd rather not, there are so many options "out there."  Right now, on a local homeschooling facebook group there are applications for new co-ops, listings for art, open gym, nature, just about anything you could want.  It's pretty amazing and I'm so glad we're schooling in the here and now and not back in the "olden days" of homeschooling.

Today, I'm sharing some of the things we like to do outside of our homeschool.  This is not an exhaustive list of possibilities, just what we manage to fit in.

1. Co-op.  This is our ninth year in our co-op, we started when Mal was four and Xav was two.  Our little group has been around for over 25 years, so it's pretty established and there is a waiting list.  We keep it between 20-25 families or so.  Parents teach the classes that last the full year (16-18 meeting days).  The off weeks, we usually have a field trip, ski lessons, or skating.  Classes range from academic to fun (although, they can be both!).  I guess what I really mean is core or electives.  The students are aged three to seniors in high school.  Babies and toddlers stay in the nursery or with Mom.  I've taught such courses as Stop-Motion animation, Walk Like the Animals (where the kiddos did, literally, learn how to walk like a different animal every week, as well as lots of other fun things about the animal), and Magic School Bus classes.  This year, I'll be teaching classes about native Americans, spies, and helping in a train class.
2. Sports.  Some schools (depending on your state or district) allow homeschoolers to participate in sports.  Recreation departments, the Y, and private instructors are all options, too.  Xav has attended PE classes at the local elementary school.  Mal receives private instruction in Tae Kwon Do at another nearby school.  They've had swimming instruction through a rec department and a private instructor.  Xav and Merrick have also attended gymnastics camps.  We've even gotten archery and ski lessons through our co-op.
3. Libraries.  We have no fewer than four library cards.  I see at least one more in our near future.  Libraries off so many fun opportunities and neat programs.  We often attend a nature class.  They have reading clubs, crafts, and story hours.  
4. Field trips!  I love field trips.  (And I'm laughing now, because I typed fiend trips.)   We've been to zoos, corn mazes, cider mills, water parks, historical sites, state parks, fire departments, police departments, a castle, the Moving Wall (Vietnam Memorial), a granite quarry, a goat dairy, museums, planetariums, aquariums, science centers...  Are you getting some good ideas?

There are so many other places to school "outside the home" (including nature!), but that's the bulk of the not-at-home education my punks receive.  I hope you're feeling inspired and find something fun to do outside *your* home next time a funky school day gets you all down.

ETA:  We haven't done *all* of these things at once, or even on any given year!  Do what fits your lifestyle and personalities.  Happy Homeschooling!

Day 3 Planning/Record Keeping ~ Back to Homeschool 2017

I used to plan everything.  I like knowing *exactly* what to expect.  While I still like knowing ahead of time {When are we going?  What are we doing?  Who will be there?}, I often am more of a "wing it" kind of person.  If someone else wants to involve me in something, I still like to know all about it, but when it's my deal, I'm more willing to wing it.  I have at least one kiddo who is just like me, though.  He needs to know all the details ahead of time if I want him to do something or go somewhere.

I guess I'm somewhere in between when it comes to homeschool planning.  Things change around here pretty regularly because of The Crew.  My commitments to that keep me planning and help me stay on track on everything else, too.  I mentioned yesterday that one of my must haves is my planner.  I won a Well-Planned Day planner one winter.  I spent the next few months with it and realized how very much I liked it.  Ever since then, I've purchased one during the pre-sale in the spring.  Well, except this year because the only shipping option was $10 priority for an item which wouldn't even be ready for weeks, *ahem*  but I did get it again this year.  And I'm pretty sure I will next year.

While I make sure to add my Crew commitments ahead of time, I'm a little more loosey-goosey with other plans.  Usually, I'll write things down for up to two weeks out, but end up drawing a red line through one or two things each day.  As in, I just didn't get to it.  Usually, that's because I added in other things.  Sometimes, we meet friends for a walk, go to the pool or an event at a nearby resort.  Those things get added in place of all those redlined lessons.  We're much less likely to abandon school during the traditional year than during the summer.  It such a short season here, we have to jump at any chance we get to go play!

I'll tell you a secret.  I don't keep many grades.  We use so many types of curriculum that don't really lend themselves to grading.  The online math we use (CTCMath) keeps track of math grades for me, but do they really need that many grades in elementary school?  I'm fully aware of what they do and don't know yet, are struggling with, or have completely mastered.  We do lots of units and lapbooking, but not many worksheets.  I do correct those that they do, but I'm not recording grades.  I have a small bin for each boy that I save some papers or projects that show we have fulfilled our requirements for the state, so pulling things together at the end of the year isn't *too* nervewracking.

I admit to being envious of all those mamas who plan out a whole year and keep it all in some sort of folder file system.  There are so few things we actually use that would fit into a system like that, it wouldn't be worth it to set it up.  How do you handle planning and record keeping?  Check out the links below to see what some of my fellow Crew Mates are writing about today.

Day 2 School Supplies ~ Back to Homeschool 2017

The longer I homeschool, the pickier I get about some things.  Don't get me wrong, the opposite is also true.  I'm an enigma.

I do have a few favorite products that I use often.  I'd like to share my list of musts with you, but please know that you might not even need these things.

Arts and Crafts -
I've learned that I'm a crayon snob.  I might like Crayola a little too much.  However, I've also learned that I don't need *everything* just because it comes from Crayola.  The things I absolutely must get from Crayola, though, are regular crayons, colored pencils, and *erasable* colored pencils.  Generally, the erasable pencils are for writing rather than art projects.  But I *bigfatpuffyheart* having erasable pencils in fun colors.  I also like their glass markers and crayons.  The crayon colors are more vibrant than the glass markers, but there are times when each serves a purpose, just like the different colored pencils.

Speaking of pencils, I buy Ticonderoga.  They aren't "cute," but they do the job nicely and sharpen easily.  The punks sometimes get other pencils as gifts or prizes and they love to look at them, but sharpening? forget it.  Recently, I bought some of the black Ticonderoga pencils.  I've heard they are the *best* of all pencils.  They came pre-sharpened, though, so I haven't tested them out.

Mom's Supplies -
I have got to have my paper planner.  I've used a few online, but I haven't quite gotten to the point where I'm ready to give up my planner.  Every year, I buy the Well-Planned Day.  I'll tell you more about planning tomorrow.

I also own a laminator.  I love it.  It's fairly inexpensive anyway, but I bought a Scotch Thermal Laminator for super cheap on Amazon.  It was on sale for under $20.  I've been using it for several years and it has held up nicely.  Now, looking back, I may not have *needed* a laminator (or the spiral binder), but it's a good tool and I've found it worth it to me to have.  it has been great for all those downloadable PDF games and lots of cards.

Funny.  I don't really have a lot of must-haves.  Maybe I'm "low maintenance."  Whether you're low or high maintenance, I advise choosing high quality items for your homeschool.

Day 1 Curriculum ~ Back to Homeschool 2017

The other night in the grocery store, I had an interesting conversation.  See, I was wearing one of my homeschooler T-shirts.  It's funny because I usually don't get any comments, *except from other homeschoolers*!  Kind of a "you too?" kind of reaction.  Although, the kids shirts are pretty funny and they get lots of attention, it's rare for me.  Anyway, I was asked if "they" send me books and tell me how to teach.  I would love to know who "they" are, because I think they owe me a lot of books after all this time.  Maybe "they" is the Homeschool Review Crew.  I do get some books from them...

Anyway, the real scoop is The Dad and I get to choose what and how to teach our punks.  I always thought that would be super easy, but the more *stuff* I know about, the harder the choices become.  I always loved school.  I was a walker and the girl who stayed behind at school to clap erasers and help the teacher clean her room at the end of the year.  One of the perks of these habits was that I often would come home after the cleaning was done (I'm sure it wasn't really done, she was just shipping me home so she could get to the real work!) with a huge stack of her leftover worksheet handouts.  Even weirder was that I would actually do most of them over the summer.

Some of the curriculum that *I* would have loved as a child just does not work for my very active boys.  Desk and workbook school is not for them.  Not that they don't have that, but it can't be the main thing we use or we might all go off our rockers.

There are so many things to think about when determining curriculum picks for the year.

• What kind of learner(s) do I have? ~ Yes, learners.  Because, of course, you will find the perfect curriculum for darling punk #1 only to have darling punk #2 learn completely differently.  I am the lucky mom of three distinctly different learners.  Thankfully, they do share some qualities, which means they can use some of the same products very well, as long as we get in a little reinforcement in each of their languages.
• What kind of teacher am I? ~ Do you need a boxed set and a scripted teacher manual?  That sounds dreamy to me.  (Un)Forunately(?), my punks are all over the place.  A year behind in math? *check*  A year ahead in science?  *check*  Still can't tie a shoe?  *check*  So, no boxed sets here.  Maybe you love living books.  I do, too.  My kids like being read to far more than the reading part, so when I choose readers for the year, I have to be really OK with reading the books aloud.  Certainly, they read (to their ability) on their own also.  Computer learning is a possibility.  In fact, this is one we can agree on for certain topics.  I kind of enjoy using it for the bulk of their math.  There are fewer "emotions" when mom doesn't teach math.
• What can I afford to spend? ~ Determine a realistic budget. Now stick to it.  It's harder than it sounds.  You found the most amazing science course at XYZ.  Then you realize it's 3x more than you allotted for science.  How much do you need it?  What else on your list can you do without to make up for the difference.  Curriculum can be surprisingly expensive when you start shopping for the first time, or the 10th.  
• Does this curriculum fill a need? ~ You'd be surprised how quickly a need becomes a want when you're trying to find a way to buy that science from XYZ!  Sometimes, that science is no longer quite so necessary and sometimes other subjects become lower priorities so you can purchase that science.

So, with lots of consideration and sorting of piles and thinking, thinking, thinking, I've narrowed down *some* of our curriculum choices for the fall.

Math - CTC Math.  I've been using this for a while now and bigfatpuffyheart it.  No matter how much a certain punk whines about it, the teacher never flips out on them.  It's completely worth it to me.  Plus they offer a big discount to homeschoolers and sometimes have sales, buy a year, get X months free.

Language Arts - Merrick is going to be continuing the Learn to R.E.A.D. program and the bigger punks will work some more in The Logic of English.

Science - Punk #1 and Punk #2 are using Science in the Industrial Age.  It's new to us, but I really like it so far.

Social Studies - I do not actually know exactly what we're doing this year, but part of our studies will be about Native Americans and the bulk of that will use a Once-A-Week unit study.  We'll also learn about interesting Vermonters and that will include the Abenaki peoples and Phineas Gage.  I picked up a book about Phineas from Amazon.

Bible - The Bible, of course, and probably Cold Case Christianity for Kids.

Health, PE, and Art - This is the last year Malachi needs to report these three topics to the homestudy office.  Not that we still won't be doing these things, but I don't have to report it anymore for him.  We don't really use curriculum for them in general, though, so I don't have much to list here.

One last thought.  If it doesn't work, try to let it go.  Sometimes, I have pushed us through to the end of a curriculum we *all* hated, just to check it off.  Done!  Other times, I have just let things go.  It doesn't always work out and you might need to decide to cut. it. out. of your homeschool day.  Life is too short for stinky curriculum.

Well, that's where I'm at for now.  I still have more decisions to make.  And then the planning begins.  Prayers, research, and planning make a great foundation when choosing your curriculum.

Come back tomorrow and we'll talk school supplies!

Back to Homeschool 2017

I'm excited to be taking part in another 5 Days of Homeschooling link up with The Homeschool Review Crew.  One thing I *bigfatpuffyheart* about The Crew, is that we are all so supportive of one another.  Behind the Super Secret Crew door, there is a wonderful forum where we can pray together, hash out our home and homeschool ideas and concerns, and compare notes on so many aspects of our lives.

Another thing I love about The Crew is the genuine desire to help *you* make your homeschool decisions, by sharing our real life experiences.  While we do a lot of that with curriculum, after all that's what we do, many of my Crew mates are fantastic bloggers about many different things that affect our school and home lives.  If you read some non-review posts, I bet there is someone on The Crew roll who is exactly the kind of person you *want* to be reading and never before found.  We have some really amusing ladies, some very academic ladies, some road schoolers, some Charlotte Mason moms, homeschoolers in other countries, all kinds of folks (even a dad!  *gasp*).

Check out some posts next week and find your favorite new blogger.  <3 p="">
Day 1 ~ Curriculum
Day 2 ~ School Supplies
Day 3 ~ Planning/Record Keeping
Day 4 ~ Outside the Home
Day 5 ~ Dear Homeschool Mom

Looking Ahead

Since we have been vacationing off and on in July, I've got a few field trips to share with you.  I can't wait to tell you about Steam Town, Wings Over Eagles Discovery Center, and the Lamplighter Ministries book bindery!

The Homeschool Review Crew is also are planning another "5 Days of..." series the week of August 14-18.  Stay tuned!

Day 5 The Scripture Box ~ Scripture Memorization

WHEW!  Well, I did not get this Day 5 post prepared ahead of time.  It was a crazy week with other commitments and I had no time to finish.  So here is Day 5, one day late.  Thanks for being patient!

I've posted about this before in one of my wrap up posts a couple of years ago.  I'm updating our scripture box and decided to share it.  We haven't actually used it in a while, so we're starting from scratch with daily verses.  I suspect we'll move through it much more quickly since all those verses are already rattling around in our heads.  This is also a great time to start Merrick on the scripture box.

If you google it, I'm sure you'll find lots of similar boxes.  We had ours in a plastic container which was fine when we only had a few cards.  As our card collection grew, I realized they were too big when they had to stand upright.  So, I picked up this new box at Dollar General.  It's tall enough to close even when all the cards are standing up.

I keep several sharpies of different colors in the box.  When I write a new card, I choose the color based on where/why we are memorizing it.  Co-op is orange, Rangers (which we no longer attend) is blue, and AWANA is green, etc.

The first verses you want to learn go under the "daily" tab.  You'll practice them, well, daily.  Once you've learned it/them, you move that card to the "odd" or "even" tab to practice on odd or even numbered days.  As you learn more scripture and shift the cards back, they will go under a day of the week, and eventually under a number card to be recited on day each month.  In this way, even verses you've memorized will be practiced at least one day each month.

Besides the cards I've written, we've collected random cards from VBS, magazines, favorite websites...  all over the place.  These are currently tucked in the back.

We used these cards often for a few years and then got out of the habit.  It's definitely a simple way to keep practicing verses and Hiding the Word in Their Hearts.

Thanks again for joining me (and the rest of my Crew mates.  We've enjoyed sharing our thoughts with you and I sincerely hope you are feeling inspired.

Day 4 Philippians in 28 Weeks ~ Scripture Memorization

Hi again!  It's day four of 5 Days of Hiding the Word in Their Hearts and today we'll talk about  memorizing *entire books of the Bible*!  Yikes!  Right?  I confess, I have not yet actually memorized an entire book myself.  I *have* been able to study complete chapters and file them away in my rattly brain.  Our homeschool co-op used to have the parent who presented chapel assign a memory verse, but a few years ago we started memorizing chunks of the Bible.

This post contains affiliate links.

A really excellent tool for memorizing large chunks of the Bible is Stacy Farrell's Philippians in 28 Weeks™.  Stacy provides cards and techniques that you could use in relation to any scripture you wish to commit to memory.

In order to memorize an entire book of the Bible, Stacy recommends you

• Read it daily. 
• Record your insights.
• Repeat the current verse(s) you're working on.
• Recite from memory.

It's both that simple and that difficult. I know that sounds odd.  The process is easy, but the act of follow through can be (monotonous, time consuming, frustrating, or whatever other adverbs you can think of!  Ha ha!).  The actual Philippians book is a workbook of sorts with places to record your reflections and thoughts about what you are reading, a checklist for each day, marking your progress, copywork, and Philippians flash cards.

A Home School Adventure Co., publication, Philippians in 28 Weeks™ is a simple and painless way to memorize an entire book of Scripture.

I've been debating including this part, but in the end I decided I would.

I'm including a SPOILER ALERT.

It's about a non-Christian movie (The Book of Eli) that is rated R.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm not sure how many of you might have seen the film The Book of Eli.  If you haven't, I'm not necessarily recommending it, though I did mostly like it.  It's rated R and is a pretty rough movie about a post-apocalyptic earth.  In it Eli is trying to get a book (the Holy Bible) to the west coast.  Well, he isn't just carrying the Bible there.  He reads it every day.  The trip has taken him a ridiculous amount of time (30 years or so), and (SPOILER ALERT) when he reaches his destination, he realizes he no longer needs the book.  He has memorized every word of the Bible.

Day 3 Child Training/Virtue Bible ~ Scripture Memorization

Welcome back to Five Days of Hiding the Work in Their Hearts!  I am so honored that so many people are reading these posts and I really hope some of them inspire you to use them or come up with your own new ideas.

Today, I want to tell you about the Child Training Bible.  This Bible is so much more than a Bible.  I bought the set way back when it first came out and I was so completely moved as I assembled my Child Training Bible (CTB).  It was created by a lovely, young mother named Mindy Dunn.


What's included.
A "key" which is what you see on the left below. 
3 Tabbing guides.

You will need to have post it flags, highlighters that won't bleed in your Bible (or colored pencils), and a Bible.

The key sheet fits in a medium sized Bible (you can find a link on the CTB website which leads you to the perfect items to complete the project or see the size and decide if you already have the perfect fit).  The guides show you the correct color and placement of post it flags needed and tells you which Bible verses to highlight.  You can see in the photo above, by lining up the two images, I have tabbed a verse for Jealousy, one for Laziness, and one for Not Listening.  There are also tabs at the top and bottom of the page and highlights on the left facing page.

The best part about this tool really was preparing it for use.  I got so much out of it myself as I looked up, highlighted, and tabbed our CTB.  It took only a couple of evenings to finish it.  I felt positively inspired by it when I was done.

The only thing I didn't *love* about the Child Training Bible was the focus on negatives.  It sometimes felt like the Bible was only used as a list of don'ts.  I didn't want the punks to sigh, "I did something wrong so mom is getting the Bible out again." 

Enter the next product made by Mindy.

The Virtue Training Bible came out a bit after the CTB.  This set is HUGE with many more keywords to tab.  I do not own the VTB, though, I would *love* to have it some day.  What I really like about this set is the more positive focus on virtues.  Rather than the "don'ts" it consists of more of the "dos" of the Bible.

I saw on the website that the Child Training Bible is also available in French and Spanish.

Day 2 N is for Notes ~ Scripture Memorization

Welcome back to Day 2 of Hiding the Word in Their Hearts!

One thing I know really helps *me* memorize a verse is saying it frequently throughout the day.  The most likely way I will do that is if I see it regularly.  For years now, I've added notes to the bathroom mirror.  I've used the markers and crayons that crayola makes to write on glass, but usually all that takes is one shower to cause it to run and make a mess.  I started making post it notes.  Sometimes, they are a new verse I want to memorize and sometimes, they are of an uplifting or encouraging verse that I already know, but may need to be reminded of.

I also have this verse with a picture of my boys right where I see it every morning when I get dressed.

 Confession:  That is not the whole picture.  Some days are rough.

And this one hangs on our fridge.

At Walmart, I found this sweet box of cards to be colored.  I like coloring, but I don't do it often.  It seems sort of like the kind of thing someone with scads of free time can do.  I get out my special Faber-Castell pencils and no one else can use them.  :)

We know repetition aids with memory, so there's no wrong way to make notes for yourself or your family.  Any place in your house or car or work that you will look at regularly is a *perfect* place for scriptural encouragement.

Day 1 Slugs & Bugs ~ Scripture Memorization

There are so many ways to learn Bible verses and to hide The Word in our hearts.  I'll be spending this week telling you about some of my favorites.  Today, I want to show you (and let you listen to) Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible.

This is a review, but not a review.  I love Slugs & Bugs and want to tell you about it, too.

*My disclaimer about a lack of disclaimer*

Ahem.  Slugs & Bugs, Randall Goodgame, and the monsters have never heard of me.  

I am reviewing an item I love, and the kids enjoy, simply because we think they're pretty cool.

I was introduced to Slugs & Bugs when I won a copy of the Sing the Bible CD.  We have listened to it countless times.  The boys sing songs like Two Shirts, Alien, Trust in the Lord, and Old Testament Song all the time.  The tunes are catchy and cover many musical styles.  The best part about Sing the Bible, though, is that the song lyrics are *word for word* Biblical scripture.  Talk about hiding the Word in your heart!

Sing the Bible features Randall Goodgame and his friends.  Sally Lloyd-Jones (The Jesus Storybook) and the African Children's Choir appear throughout the tracks on this album.  A harmonica solo, songs with a Celtic flair, and African beats are among the different sounds.


TEN COMMANDMENTS SONG from Slugs & Bugs Sing the Bible Vol 2.



Slugs & Bugs friends also include The Count and Franky.  Some people may not like monsters in their Christian music, but on the Slugs & Bugs blog recently, Randall said,

For me, reared as I was on Sesame Street (Cookie Monster, The Count, and Grover’s “The Monster at the End of this Book” come to mind) – it is easy for me to use monsters for mildly scary / humorous purposes. 

That said, there are deeper message at work. First, do not fear… maybe the Bible’s most frequent admonition. Also, things are not always as they seem. What may at first seem monstrous may prove otherwise, so be slow to judge. 

Third, I’m thinking of the great passage from Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton about bogeys and dragons… his point was that fairy tales show that there is something stronger than darkness. In all of the way S&B uses monsters, it is with a similar spirit – that the context of the Gospel overwhelms fear. 

Finally, I go back to examples like Sesame Street’s Grover and Bugs Bunny’s abominable snowman. By incorporating “monsters” into fun settings, we bring them onto our level, which allows not only freedom from fear but the beginning of empathy for the “other.” (These are friendly monsters!) And after all, no one I encounter daily is completely evil. most everyone I meet is a mixed bag (like me)!

The monster are also not on every song (or even many songs), so don't let that deter you.  I think they are cute, friendly, and always desirous of doing God's will.

I have Sing the Bible 2, 3, and Christmas arriving in a few months (I got them through the Kickstarter campaign for 3 and Christmas).  It feels like it will be forever and I could certainly purchase StB2 and get it right away, but I will be patient.  You can order all the current, awesome Slugs & Bugs albums in the store.  They are not all scripture, but they are all clean, wholesome fun that moms and dads will like as much as the littles.

If you're lucky enough to see Slugs & Bugs LIVE, I recommend it.

Slugs & Bugs and Randall Goodgame combine fun and scripture.  Some songs are deeply moving and others raucous good fun.



Hey, some other moms on the Crew are sharing five days of posts.  You're sure to find other topics that apply to you and your homeschool.  Check them out!

Five Days of Hiding the Word in Their Hearts

The Homeschool Review Crew is hosting another 5 Days of Homeschooling link up.  I'm happy to be joining them this time.  Here on Insane in the Mombrain, I'll be writing about Hiding The Word in Their Hearts.

Each day next week, starting on Monday, I want to share something we have found helpful for remembering God's Word and bringing it to mind regularly.  I hope you'll join us here and also pop over to the Crew Blog to see what everyone else is sharing!

This is my anchor post and as each post goes live, I'll be listing it here.  If you can't find something, this is the place to look for it.  Thanks for joining me!

Monday ~ Music (with Slugs & Bugs)
Tuesday ~ Notes Around the House
Wednesday ~ The Child Training Bible
Thursday ~ Memorizing Whole Books (Philippians in 28 Weeks)
Friday ~ The Scripture Box

Homeschool Essentials: Co-op

It's Friday of our Homeschool Essentials week.  And my favorite thing about Friday is Christian Friday School, our homeschool co-op.

There was a time when I really felt lonely for women friends who were "like me," women with littles, who loved God, who. LIVE. NEARBY.  I used to pray and cry for a deep friendship.  Since then, I've gotten to know some wonderful ladies and have grown ups to talk to on Friday (and other days, too!).  This is actually the first year, that I haven't taught or helped in one or the other of the Bigger Littles classes all day.  I'm in the nursery third period and on the clean up crew fourth, so I actually have more time to talk to people over four feet tall.  It's seriously Heavenly.

I have lovely Christian women to turn to for prayer and strength, veteran homeschoolers to guide me through Vermont's homeschool requirements, and families to share and laugh with.  I even gained a few baby sitters among the teen girls.

My boys have friends to interact with and older students to look up to.  This is especially important to Xavier who craves social opportunities.  They get to learn things I probably wouldn't be teaching to them.  Even with the classes I teach at co-op, we probably spend more in-depth time on some subjects than we might at home.   Merrick even sometimes participates in a very active class for the littlest littles.

Micah also teaches at co-op.  This is his second year teaching.  He works with the older students and teaches exciting things like electronics and survival skills.  He hasn't lost a student yet!

Co-op is exciting and exhausting.  Every other Friday we are about to drop in our tracks, especially since our library trip is usually after co-op.   But I've grown to love many of the families and I don't know what I'd do without them.


Lisa @ A Rup Life
Jordyn @ Almost Supermom
Jenn @ Teaching Two Stinkers
Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog
Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy
Brandi @ Brandi Raae
Wendy @ Simplicity Breeds Happiness
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles

Homeschool Essentials: Routines and Attitudes

We need a schedule, at least a loose one.  Mal likes to know what comes next and what is the last thing. He will drive me to distraction if I don't give him the information he needs.  When are we done?  Are we done after this?  How much more?  And on it would go.  I have sometimes been lax and it shows in our school time attitudes.

I know what is best in our school for all of us, and sometimes around the holidays (where we generally keep plugging away, but take random days off on my whim) or when something unusual happens (like the nearly eight days of frequent power outages during the ice storm), I don't keep us on track and we pay for it.  The longer we are off the schedule, the more difficult it is to get back on track.

While I know not everyone needs a routine, we have definitely found out how helpful one is for us.  Do you have a schedule?  Do you have a program or form you follow?

Don't forget to visit these other Crew members' blogs.  I hear there may be some giveaways on this crazy carnival.  Click the button at the top of this post to go to the big list of all the bloggers.

Lisa @ A Rup Life
Jordyn @ Almost Supermom
Jenn @ Teaching Two Stinkers
Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog
Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy
Brandi @ Brandi Raae
Wendy @ Simplicity Breeds Happiness
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles

Homeschool Essentials: Daddy Times Two

My husband is so stinkin' incredible.  I thank God for him often.  He is funny and smart and quizzes and jokes with the boys in ways I cannot.  We don't think alike.  I may have mentioned the technology thing, and it doesn't stop there.

His parents raised him to be appreciative, to work for what he gets, and to be resourceful.  They also gave him an absolutely delightful, twisted sense of humor. It was the second thing I noticed about him, because, I have to say, he is CUTE!  Be still my heart!

Micah works so hard to care for us and our home.  The man seems to never tire.  Well, at least not until around 8 PM, when he has been known to drift off in the recliner.  Zzzzzz...  Without Micah's job, his support, and his strong sense of responsibility, it would be much more difficult, if not impossible to homeschool the Bigger Littles.

Now, I mentioned Daddy times two in the title of this post.  While I love my Dad, step-dad, and father-in-law, they are not the other daddy to which I am referring.  I mean my Heavenly Father.  He gets me through every single day.  Without His strength, I would not be doing this homeschool gig.  I cannot tell you how many days I thought would be my last homeschool day.  Some days have been rough.  High expectations.  Restless boys.  Short tempers.  Even apathy.  These things steal the joy from the idyllic family life I imagined when we made the decision to homeschool.  I am not above stopping everything and praying.  I'm also not always in that spot.  Once the snowball is rolling, sometimes we forget that God is for us.  Nothing can stand against us, not even that bright yellow school bus.

"What a privilege to be challenged so beyond our ability we must rely on our great God. Because if we could be a great mom on our own, then we wouldn't need God." - Heather MacFadyen of God Centered Mom

Please go read some of the other bloggers in the Homeschooling Essentials carnival.

Lisa @ A Rup Life
Jordyn @ Almost Supermom
Jenn @ Teaching Two Stinkers
Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog
Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy
Brandi @ Brandi Raae
Wendy @ Simplicity Breeds Happiness
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles

Homeschool Essentials: Technology

Welcome to day 2 of Homeschool Essentials Blog Carnival!  Be sure to click the banner to see what some of the other ladies from the Schoolhouse Review Crew need in their homeschools.  Over 90 bloggers are participating!

Around here, we {big, fat, puffy heart} the technology.  Some days, too much.  Some days, it does not like us (read, me) back.  Some days we have plenty of techie time on the computer and some days I catch my laptop on fire.  Yes.  Literally. Some days, we read on the Kindle Fire and some days, I. Can't. Turn. The Kindle. On.  Thankfully, technology is also for the Technologically Impaired.  And God saw my ineptitude and married me off to a gEEk.

We started the Bigger Littles way back when on Starfall.com which was a huge hit around here when they were just the Littles.  We've used the internet for various things ever since then.  One of my favorite things in our school ever is Amanda Bennett Unit Studies.  (You can read our reviews here.)  I always have loved how videos from the interwebs were hosted on a special Download N Go page so you don't see the sometimes questionable suggested videos.

Right now, our current favorite websites for school include Reading Eggs, KinderBach, and Science4Us.com.  Xavier is doing so very well on Reading Eggs.  I have loved seeing him blossom and gain confidence as a reader.  Reading came so easily for Malachi.  We used the free trial and let it run out.  Eventually, I received an email with a special rate I could hardly pass up.  Mal liked MathSeeds, Reading Eggs sister site, but he and Xav were way beyond that one.  We recently started KinderBach and Science4us.com through the Homeschool Review Crew.  I'll will have full reviews on those sites near the end of February.

What is your favorite piece of technological wonder?  How do you use it in your homeschool?

Can't visit all 90 of the participating bloggers?  Take a few minutes to say hello to these wonderful ladies.

Lisa @ A Rup Life
Jordyn @ Almost Supermom
Jenn @ Teaching Two Stinkers
Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog
Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy
Brandi @ Brandi Raae
Wendy @ Simplicity Breeds Happiness
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles

Homeschool Essentials: Library

This week, The Schoolhouse Review Crew is sharing what we believe are five of our most essential homeschool needs.  I hope you'll join us all week and check in with some of the other mama bloggers.

There is a bit of a love/hate relationship with the library.  Our small, local libraries (we may have cards at three of them) aren't online and getting things in there can be problematic.  The bigger library is 30 minutes away.  And don't let the word "free" in the name fool you.  It's only free for residents of that particular town.  We pay $15 each year for a card there, but it does offer more than the two local places.

Despite that feeling, they are invaluable to our studies.

For one thing, the larger library is conveniently located on the internet.  That's great for reserving and renewing.  (Provided you *remember* your password and get on in time to renew the DVDs which carry a ridiculously high daily fine and can only be kept for one week as opposed to the three weeks everything else can be borrowed for.  Ask me how I know.  ahem)

Though we can't take advantage of all the events I'd like to (who wants to drive over an hour for an hour event?), there are often things going on the days we will be in town anyway.  They hold movies and popcorn nights, explorations in the resource room, story hours, open houses, reading groups, etc. there.

As a fan of unit studies, I love the theme bags that are available.  I mentioned them HERE before.  Friday we picked up the art bag.  Malachi mentioned that he'd like to get the transportation bag again next time.  The only thing I don't care for is all the VHS tapes in the bags.
 

The resource room in the Children's Library is fantastic.  Merrick got his first taste (literally) of do-a-dot markers there.  We find games, picture books on CD, a fun assortment of toys that rotates regularly, graphing projects, and other things I would not be too quick to pull out at home (like the shaving cream and cornstarch goop they had last week).  I need to take a page from their book (puns may be intended), and start rotating toys at home.  They really do seem to enjoy the surprise of finding out what will be available at each visit.

Additionally, we do attend the smaller libraries' events.  Our local science dude holds events at most of them, instructing on anything from the science of milk and eggs to nature hikes.  He's very hands-on science and is great with all the littles.

Be sure to go see what these Crew friends have found to be essential in their homeschools.  Pssst... Jennifer has some giveaways on her blog this week.


Lisa @ A Rup Life
Jordyn @ Almost Supermom
Jenn @ Teaching Two Stinkers
Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog
Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy
Brandi @ Brandi Raae
Wendy @ Simplicity Breeds Happiness
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles