To Be Busy At Home

Homeschooling High School: Sports

2011-11-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

My oldest daughter is a talented competitive swimmer…and she’s homeschooled. The fact that my daughter is a competitive swimmer and is homeschooled was never an issue for her or for others until she entered her freshman year of high school at home.

Around here, high school sports are a big deal…a really big deal. As our daughter edged closer and closer to high school age, the questions began. “Where will your daughter swim for high school?” When we explained that our daughter would continue to be homeschooled through high school and that she would not be swimming on a high school swim team, more questions and concerns were raised.

In my area, homeschooling for grades K-8 is fairly common but homeschooling all the way through high school is not. Many teens are sent to high school specifically so that they can have the opportunity to play sports. While I completely understand the importance that a sport can play in a young person’s life, the decision is a difficult one for parents who were planning to homeschool through the high school years.

To read the rest of my article about homeschooling and high school level sports participation, please join me today at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Also be sure to read all of the great articles in Kris' fabulous series - 10 Days of Homeschooling High School.

Homeschooling High School: Science

2011-11-14T07:50:00.000-05:00

Have you been reading the fabulous series about homeschooling through high school over at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers? Kris' series is a must-read for home educators who have children of any age. Today is Day 6 of her series and I'm guest posting about teaching high school level science courses. Kris has covered a wide range of topics in this series including:

Here's a sneak peek at today's post:

For years, you’ve been taking nature walks with your child, raising butterflies, and making models of the solar system. Science has been hands-on, low-key, and enjoyable. Science has never scared you or your child.

But now your child has reached HIGH SCHOOL! Now science, according to conventional wisdom, is really hard, intense, and definitely not fun. Most likely, you, or a well-meaning friend or relative, has serious doubts about your ability to offer a high school level science course at home.

To read the rest of my article, please join me at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers for 10 Days of Homeschooling High School: Science.

Why Is There Always a Mean Girl? - New Post at The Homeschool Classroom

2011-11-09T07:05:00.000-05:00

There were mean girls when I was in school. I remember the taunts during my elementary years when fashionably-dressed girls asked me, “Where’s the flood?,”due to my too-short definitely-not-hip pants. I remember comments from high school about my hair, my house, the length of my driveway, my fat arms, my lack of a date for prom, my lack of skill in gym class…the list could go on and on and on. Perhaps in some ways, even 24 years after high school graduation, the wounds have never fully healed.

Why is there always a mean girl?

I admit it. One of the reasons that my husband and I chose to homeschool was to avoid the ugly bullying and bad behavior of children towards one another which is not uncommon in most schools. Sadly, though, we’ve been unable to avoid our daughter being the target of nasty behavior from other girls entirely.

Please join me at The Homeschool Classroom today to read the rest of my article about helping your daughters deal with nasty comments and ugly behavior from others.

Review of Imagination Station Books and a Chance to Win 6 Books in the Series

2011-11-07T05:00:00.005-05:00

Do your children enjoy exciting historical fiction? Do you have a hard time finding educational, wholesome books for your early chapter-book readers? If so, a new series of books from Focus on the Family may be perfect for your family!

The Imagination Station series is written for children ages 7 and up and is absolutely perfect for early chapter-book readers. All of the books feature large print, double-spacing, and pictures in most chapters. The stories are fast-paced and designed to catch and keep a young reader's interest.

The books make excellent additions to history studies. The titles currently available cover a wide range of historical times and events including the Vikings, ancient Roman times, ancient China times, Bible times, the Middle Ages, and Plymouth Plantation.

Voyage with the Vikings - "Mr. Whittaker, a kind but mysterious inventor, has sent cousins Patrick and Beth to Greenland through the Imagination Station. It's the year 1000, and they meet Viking Erik the Red, who is angry about the new God. Mr. Whittaker wants the cousins to find a Sunstone, but what does one look like? And what does it have to do with the mysterious letter found in the inventor's workshop? Most important, can Patrick and Beth find a Sunstone before Erik's son Leif sails away with the Imagination Station on board his ship?"

Attack at the Arena - "'Stop the fighting-in the name of Christ-stop!' Cousins Patrick and Beth are off on their second Imagination Station adventure. Mr. Whittaker's mysterious invention takes them to ancient Rome where they must find a special silver cup. Near the city gate, the cousins are separated when Beth is enslaved to the emperor and Patrick meets a wise monk named Telemachus. All three end up in the famous Roman arena. Telemachus wants to share an important message with the emperor, Beth wants to know how to get the cup. And Patrick just wants to escape with his life!"

Peril in the Palace - "The place - China in 2171. The task? - find the golden tablet of Kublai Khan. The problem? - just about everything! On this adventure cousins Patrick and Beth are kidnapped by Mongol warriors. Only the friendship of fellow traveler Marco Polo saves them from harm. At the Shangdu palace, Kublai Khan dislikes their gifts and their message about Christianity. Next, the Mongol magicians challenge the cousins to a spiritual power showdown, war breaks out, and Beth and Patrick are locked up to prevent their escape. How do the cousins get the golden tablet they need to save Mr. Whittaker's friend Albert? how do they escape the city and find the Imagination Station? Enter the perilous palace and find out!?

Revenge of the Red Knight - "In this adventure, cousins Patrick and Beth meet Albert. But they also meet with more trouble at Lord Darkthorn's castle. The cousins are accused of stealing the very treasures they've been trying to return! To save Albert and themselves, Patrick and Beth need to sort friend from foe, traitor from teammate. And they must do it before the new moon. That's when Lord Darkthorn will return and lock Albert in the terrible tower."

Showdown with the Shepherd - "Travel to the Holy Land, 1000 BC with Patrick and Beth. Their goal is to find the menacing Master Hugh, get the Whittaker family ring, and then send Hugh back to 1450s England. But problems await the cousins as soon as they step out of the Imagination Station. First they meet an angry bear, later an angry giant. Set against the background of the David and Goliath story, the cousins must stop Hugh from changing history and helping the Philistines win. Along the way, the cousins learn that having a giant faith is better than having a giant on your side."

My son and I both read "Problems in Plymouth" for this review. While the book was a bit too easy for my 5th grade son (the books are perfect for early chapter-book readers), he still enjoyed the fast-paced story.

In Problems in Plymouth, readers will learn about why the Native Americans and the Pilgrims didn't always trust each other and the basis for conflict between them. As well, the book also focused on the everyday lives of the people who lived at Plymouth Plantation and the Thanksgiving celebration. The book was action-packed and the plot moved along at a fast pace.

The Imagination Station books are all written from a Christian perspective and I appreciated the references to prayer within the book. As well, the values and actions of the main characters reflected positive character traits.

Do you think your family would enjoy receiving all 6 books in the Imagination Station series? Just leave a comment on this post and I will choose one lucky winner randomly to receive the first 6 books in this exciting series. The books will be mailed directly from the publisher. The winner will be chosen on Friday, November 11th at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

I received the the first 6 books in the Imagination Station series from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review of the book series. No other compensation, monetary or otherwise, was given in exchange for my review.

Week in Review - A Dead Tadpole, A Sinus Infection, and a Fun Science Activity

2011-11-04T20:42:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad it's Friday! While nothing particularly bad has happened this week, I've just been feeling tired, vaguely stressed, and overwhelmed. I'm hoping to gain some peace and clarity this week-end!

Duncan was a bit upset this week to discover that his tadpole had died. I have no pictures - that would be too morbid. Our Grew a Frog is still alive, though.

Mason has had a lingering cough for weeks now. On Monday, we decided that we had better take him in to see our pediatrician. Our doctor diagnosed him with a sinus infection and now he is taking medication and still has a lingering cough.

We have been having small problems with our computer for a few months now. After talking with a computer technician, we decided to upgrade our computer rather than try to fix the many problems. We are definitely due for an upgrade and our computer gets a ton of use as we use it for business and personal use. While we are having a computer technician transfer our data, the whole process is still a bit disconcerting. I will be happy when we are all set up with our new computer next week!

Sadly, not a lot happened in our homeschool this week that was picture-worthy! If I had taken more pictures this week, they all would have been the same - children bent over schoolbooks reading or writing. While working on book-work is very good, it doesn't make for interesting pictures!

We started Friday morning with our weekly "watch all-together" history video. We watched Dawn of the Maya. For the past three weeks, we've watched videos about ancient peoples - the Incas, the Aztecs, and the Mayas.

This afternoon, Duncan and I did a hands-on science activity that he's been looking forward to all week. He saw the "Vroom, Vroom!" activity in his science textbook and he was very excited about trying it.

The main question in this activity was, "Does the amount of force needed to move a toy car increase or decrease as the slope increases?" He compared many different degrees of slope and found that more effort was needed to move the toy car up the ramp when the slope was increased and less effort was needed when the slope was decreased.

The toy car was taped to a 1 meter long piece of string attached to a plastic cup (the effort). Duncan added one penny at a time to the cup until the car moved up the ramp to the top.

He enjoyed predicting how many pennies it would take to move the car every time he adjusted the slope.

Our boys have a swim meet all week-end and Amber is away for the week-end at a church retreat (I will miss her). I know that Monday will be here in the blink of an eye so I better get started on finding that peace and clarity!

Visit Kris at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers to read about what other homeschooling bloggers did this week!

Adding Depth and Interest to History Studies by Taking History-Related Field Trips

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-04:00

We are studying early American history this year and I am so excited to be studying the early history of our country alongside my children! We had the wonderful experience of touring a reproduction of the Santa Maria in September. We took a guided tour of the ship that lasted about an hour. The tour was delightful! The tour guide was quite personable and was great at getting the children involved in the tour.

Now, I love history field trips. I dream of visiting tons of historical sites all over the United States with my husband when we are older. I adore living history as well. To say that my children are not as interested in history-related field trips as I am is definitely an understatement. In fact, my children didn't even want to take the Santa Maria tour - they were eager to get over to the Science Center. They did end up enjoying the tour and learning quite a bit more about Columbus' voyages, though.

Since my children are not usually over-the-top excited about history field trips, I found myself wondering why I even bother planning history field trips. In thinking through the benefits of history-related field trips, though, I came to the conclusion that they are, indeed, very valuable and are definitely worth taking even with less-than-enthusiastic young people.

History-Related Field Trips Help Us to Gain In-Depth Knowledge
Focusing on one location, one event, or one historical artifact allows for more in-depth knowledge about a particular historical subject. Before touring the Santa Maria, we had read quite a bit about the voyages of Columbus in our history programs. Taking the tour helped to highlight to all of us that there was so much more to learn about Columbus' voyages. We learned many new details about the voyages and Columbus himself during the tour.

Visiting Historical Sites Makes Connections Between the Abstract and the Concrete
Taking history-related field trips helps to make connections between the abstract world of history books and the concrete world of experience. When teaching young children, we often focus on making concepts concrete for them. For example, we use manipulatives to teach a young child to add and subtract.

The wisdom of making the abstract concrete, though, is important for all ages. While we had all read about difficult conditions on the Santa Maria for Columbus and his crew, actually seeing where the crew slept and looking at examples of foods that were eaten made the voyages seem so much more real for all of us.

Duncan takes a turn pumping water out of the bottom of the ship with the bilge pump.

Words Take on New, Deeper Meanings
Bilge pump. Tiller. Capstan. While we had heard those words before, I know that all of us gained a much deeper understanding of those terms after taking the Santa Maria tour.

The Santa Maria did not have a ship's wheel. A tiller was used to steer the boat by pushing it from side to side. Interestingly, no windows were available to guide the sailor in operating the tiller.

Vocabulary words come to life on history-related field trips. As my daughter stated in reference to the capstan, "Sometimes you just need to see something to really understand it."

History-Related Field Trips Awaken Imaginations

When visiting a historical site or a living history museum, you can insert yourself into the past for a little while. Inserting yourself into the past awakens imaginations. We begin to think about how we would have felt in that particular situation.

What would it have been like to wear those kinds of clothes? What would it have been like to operate a dangerous cannon on a wooden ship? Did the sailors think the food was as bad as it sounds to me?

Awakening our imaginations and the imaginations of our children will, hopefully, lead to greater interest in and appreciation of history. If history rises above a series of dates and events to an exciting tale of individuals with hopes, dreams, and loves then history becomes a very interesting adventure indeed. History-related field trips can help make history an exciting adventure.

So, have you taken any interesting history-related field trips lately?

Ten Christmas-Themed Movies I Plan to Watch this Holiday Season

2011-11-01T05:00:00.002-04:00

It's almost November! I love to make my entertainment media Christmas-themed for the holiday season. I've already started reading my first Christmas-themed novel of the season and plan to start watching Christmas-themed movies soon. I've been working on making a list of new and old Christmas movies that I plan to watch this holiday season and am hoping to compile a long list from which I can choose over the next two months. So, grab the hot chocolate and the Christmas cookies! Snuggle up with a warm quilt! Get ready to enjoy a movie that will get you in the holiday spirit!

1. Christmas with the Kranks - I love this movie! It's very funny and heartwarming at the same time. I love the scene where Jamie Lee Curtis fights with another lady at the grocery store for the last special holiday ham.

2. A Christmas Story - My children won't let a holiday season go by without watching this classic Christmas gem at least once. If you haven't seen this one, you better or "you'll poke your eye out!"

3. Gremlins - While this movie may not pop right into your mind when you think of Christmas films, the setting of the movie is a small town at Christmastime. My teenage daughter loves 80s films so I plan to watch this one with her this year.

4. The Santa Clause - I adore this film and I even liked Santa Clause 2 quite a bit. I'm going to make all of my kids watch both of these movies with me this year. We'll skip the third movie in the series, though.

5. Elf - Both of my older children have seen Elf and even quote lines from it. I'm not sure where I was when they were watching it (probably wrapping Christmas presents or something) but this year, I'm definitely going to watch this one with them.

6. It's a Wonderful Life - I've NEVER seen this! I'm going to rectify this shocking holiday omission this Christmas season.

7. The Holiday - I adore this movie! I plan to watch this sweet romantic comedy with my daughter since she enjoys the romantic comedy genre quite a bit.

8. The Christmas Lodge - I haven't seen this one yet but last year I watched Thomas Kinkade's A Christmas Cottage and loved it. I'm expecting a feel-good movie that brings tears to my eyes.

9. A Christmas Romance - I just purchased this movie from Amazon for $6.99 after I confirmed it's not available to rent from Netflix. Based on the extremely positive reviews on Amazon, I should really enjoy the movie.

10. Mrs. Miracle - This one is a new movie for me as well. I'm looking forward to a heartwarming tear-jerker. I plan to watch Call Me Mrs. Miracle as well.

I would love to hear about some more great holiday movies to add to my list! If you have some holiday movies that you enjoy, please leave me a comment with the names of the movies so I can add them to my list.

To read more Top 10 lists from other bloggers, visit Oh Amanda for Top 10 Tuesday.

Celebrating Thankfulness - #141-160

2011-10-31T05:00:00.000-04:00

The definite highlight of last week was going out with my daughter on Friday for a movie, dinner, and shopping. Amber has swim team practice every night and week-ends are almost always busy. Practice was held early Friday morning instead of Friday evening, so we took the opportunity to have a fun late afternoon/evening out together. We went to see "In Time," ate at Panera, and shopped all evening at Kohl's. We had such a wonderful time! We talked and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company. I kept thinking the whole time how grateful I am that my daughter and I are still so close when she's almost 15.

141. I am so thankful for my teenage daughter and our close relationship. I can't even think about her leaving for college without starting to get misty-eyed.

142. Hot showers on cold mornings. Every morning I feel blessed to have the luxury of very hot, running water... and I try to never forget that it is indeed a luxury.

143. Movie theater popcorn.

144. Even though I sometimes wish that we had a wood-burning fireplace, I am very grateful for our gas fireplace that we can just turn on.

145. I am so thankful for our dog, Hershey. She is always willing to jump in the car to take our daughter to very-early-morning swim team practice and she is almost always right by my side when we are at home. She's usually napping, but she's there!

146. I am so grateful that, so far, my mother's congestive heart failure is able to be managed with medication and attention to her diet.

147. The new caramel sundae at Burger King. I was so disappointed when McDonald's stopped serving caramel sundaes quite a while back...and now they're at Burger King!

148. The stores are starting to put out Christmas decorations!

149. My large-capacity gas-powered clothes dryer.

150. My large-capacity electric powered clothes washer.

151. Wireless internet service in our home.

152. I am thankful for my middle son's interest in playing the electric guitar and the fact that he learned to play "Joy to the World" just for me.

153. A new cake-pop maker that I purchased on the delightful shopping trip with my daughter. I can't wait to make cake pops for Christmas.

154. My reading glasses - even though they make me feel a little old.

155. Longaberger baskets - even though my husband and I don't buy them anymore, I treasure the ones we purchased in the early years of our marriage and I love the way they look in our home.

156. Yummy, yummy pumpkin caramel latte scented soap from Bath and Body Works.

157. My very pretty planning pages from Mom's Toolbelt. I love organizing my customized planner with the pretty pages from this subscription website.

158. Singing Christmas carols at church...soon.

159. Highlighters.

160. Post-it notes. What did I ever do without them?

To read more lists of thankfulness, visit the lovely blog, A Holy Experience, for Multitudes on Monday.

Thank you to digitalart at Free Digital Photos for the picture of the popcorn and movie ticket.

Week in Review - Clam Dissection, Hands-On Science, and Snuggling by the Fireplace

2011-10-30T00:16:00.000-04:00

This week marked the first pretty cold week that we've had here in our part of Ohio. With temperatures dipping into the 30s at night and highs in the low 50s during the day, we've been enjoying our fireplace quite a bit during our school days! I had to smile when I discovered Mason on the couch by the fireplace listening to his assigned book on tape - he just wouldn't find that level of comfort if he went to school outside our home! By the way, he has a lollipop in his mouth, not a thermometer!

We had another very busy week after a very busy week-end and I must admit that I'm starting to really look forward to our week-long Thanksgiving break!

Last week-end, Amber and I attended the Million Dollar Quartet. Wow - what a fabulous show! Amber and I are both big Elvis and Johnny Cash fans so we didn't stop smiling through the entire performance.

The rest of the week-end was jam-packed. Saturday evening, the children attended a friend's Halloween party. Then, on Sunday, Amber and Mason participated in the Mile Meet. Yes, they each competed in the 1650 Yard Freestyle (one full mile). They both did very well and they both achieved personal best times!

Amber - 18.23.63 (AAA time standard, 2/23)
Mason - 19.58.88 (BB time standard, 7/12)

Amber and I spent the remainder of Sunday running a few errands and we went to see The Three Musketeers. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but it was very entertaining. Sunday marked the third week-end in a row that we've missed church due to swim meets. I'm SO looking forward to going to church this Sunday!

The highlights of our school week centered on hands-on science.

Mason made his volcano erupt with vinegar, baking soda, and red food dye. Erupting the volcano made an exciting ending to the chapter on volcanoes and earthquakes.

As part of the science chapter, Mason also was assigned the task of designing his own invention. He was supposed to design an invention that would help learn more about volcanoes in some way. Bob Jones Science Level 6 has many activities in each chapter and students are not expected to complete every single activity. I almost skipped this one but when Mason read about it in his book, he became very excited, so I decided we would complete the invention activity as well.

Mason made his invention out of duct tape - one of his craft materials of choice.

His invention will instantly freeze lava to stop the flow when it is on a destructive path. As well, the lava can be frozen so that scientists can study it instantly. I thought his invention was very creative!

Duncan is very excited to be working through a chapter on work and simple machines. He conducted an activity to explore the impact of the position of the fulcrum on the effort needed to lift a load.

When we finished the activity, Duncan asked if he could continue experimenting for a while longer on his own. I just love it when my kids are interested enough in a science lesson to want to investigate further when we're done!

Amber and I worked together on her first dissection in Marine Biology. We worked through a clam dissection. I was so proud of the two us because we found everything we were supposed to find, except for the heart and gut, which were listed as organs that MAY be able to be found.

To bring this Week in Review to a close, I will end with five random statements that relate to our school year thus far:

Duncan finished all of the levels in his typing program and earned the Advanced Touch Typist Award. He was SO proud of his award! He printed out two copies - one for his bulletin board and one for his portfolio.
My boys and I all really like the current history read-aloud, Sign of the Beaver.
We all watched The Great Inca Rebellion this week for a history video. While it was very good, it was a bit too gory for my 10 year old.
After dissecting a clam with my daughter this week, I have decided that I don't feel quite comfortable with animals that don't have eyes.
I definitely need to make a meal plan for next week. I was floundering every day trying to figure out what to make for our big lunch!

That was our week in review! To read about what other bloggers were doing in their homeschools this week, visit the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Respond to Literature With a Comic Strip

2011-10-26T05:00:00.000-04:00

My daughter (9th grade) is taking Latin I with a private tutor this year. Amber and I both adore the tutor (she is a retired teacher), and Latin has become Amber's favorite subject. In addition to learning the Latin language, Amber is learning about the culture and history of ancient Rome.

Recently she read Famous Men of Rome from Memoria Press. As an assignment, Amber had to choose her favorite mini-biography and create a comic strip, complete with pictures, about the story. I thought this was a wonderful literature response idea!

Amber chose to write about the first Christian emperor, Constantine. I love how she captured the essence of the information about Constantine from the book in comic strip format! The assignment definitely took time, thought, and creativity. I especially like Amber's cute little drawings as she so rarely draws anymore.

While Amber created her own template, free comic strip templates are readily available at Donna Young's extremely helpful website.

My younger boys will both be doing book reports this year and I plan to make a comic strip book report one of their assignments.

Ten Books I Plan to Read for Christmas

2011-10-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

I love to read and I love Christmas. Therefore, I was so excited when I came up with the idea last Christmas season to read as many Christmas-themed novels as I could during the months of November and December. My very favorite Christmas-themed novel from last season was An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller. I've been collecting Christmas-themed novels throughout the year and putting them in a big, pink shoe box. Here is a peek at 10 of the books from the shoe box.

1. Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

I just bought this book based on a positive review from Kris at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

2. Grace by Shelley Shepard Gray

I stumbled across this book when I was purchasing the book above and found a new copy at a reduced price.

3. Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier

I adore cozy mysteries and Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier are two of my favorite cozy mystery authors. I am sure I will enjoy the short holiday stories by both of my favorite authors and am looking forward to reading one by a new-to-me author, Laura Levine.

4. An Amish Christmas by Patricia Davids

I snagged this one from PaperBackSwap based on the lovely cover image, the title, and the positive reviews. When my teenage daughter opened the package, she remarked, "Oh, this one will have a happy ending." Yes, that was just what I was thinking!

5. The Diva Cooks a Goose by Krista Davis

I've read one book in this series and will be skipping over two books in order to read this Christmas-themed cozy mystery. I prefer reading books in series order but I know I enjoy this series.

6. A Christmas Journey and A Christmas Visitor by Anne Perry

Anne Perry has written a lot of Christmas-themed novels and this novel includes her first two in her Christmas series. I have never read anything by Anne Perry before so I hope I enjoy these books.

7. The Christmas Knight by Michele Sinclair

I adore Scottish Highlander romances so a Christmas-themed Scottish Highlander romance is perfect for me!

8. Highlander for the Holidays by Janet Chapman

I've read all of the books in Janet Chapman's Highlander series and am looking forward to her newest book - a Christmas-themed Highlander romance.

9. All I Want for Christmas Is You by Lisa Mondello

I love reading books on my Kindle and this Christmas-themed romance is free right now.

10. A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a new author for me but this book came highly recommended on Amazon and it seemed like a book I would enjoy so I added it to my Christmas reading list.

So, do you have any great Christmas-themed books to recommend? I would LOVE to hear your suggestions!

For more Top 10 lists on a wide variety of topics, visit Top 10 Tuesday at Oh Amanda.

Celebrating Thankfulness - #121-140

2011-10-24T08:11:00.000-04:00

At this time of year I'm so thankful for autumn - my VERY favorite season. I love everything about autumn and look forward to the season all year. When we lived in Phoenix for 3 years, I missed the changing seasons so much, I absolutely ached for the crisp days and changing leaves of autumn. Since we moved back to Ohio almost 15 years ago, I've never failed to appreciate the beauty of the seasons, particularly autumn.

121. The fabulous colors of the changing leaves that greet me every time I leave my house.
122. Cooler temperatures and the crispness in the air that means fall is here.
123. The anticipation that fall brings for the wonderful holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
124. Hot soup on a cold day made in the crock-pot.
125. Honeycrisp apples.

126. Finding glitter in completely random places a full week after my daughter wore her glitter-fairy dress to a Homecoming dance.
127. My Kindle - I'm loving it more every day. I didn't think I would like reading books on an e-reader...but I really do!
128. The 1/4 cow in our freezer.
129. Generic Allegra for my seasonal allergies.
130. Wearing sweatshirts again - they are much friendlier to my chubby body and they always make me feel like I'm being hugged all day.
131. Target - the only store I that I actually enjoy.
132. My mother-in-law moved in 2 doors down from our house. It's wonderful to have her so close to us.
133. My new Scrabble Onyx Edition that my husband surprised me with...for no reason at all. I've wanted one for years, ever since I saw my best friend's copy of the game. I adore the black tiles!
134. My 10 year old son loves to play Scrabble and is a REALLY good player.
135. Malley's Chocolates.
136. My daughter singing hymns with the residents of the assisted living center and commenting to me that the old hymns are better.
137. Singing and learning the old hymns with my boys in their Bible classes this year.
138. Pumpkin chocolate chip bread from Great Harvest Bread.
139. Cheap medium-point Paper Mate blue pens. They're my favorite pens...and they're cheap.
140. Wearing flannel pajama pants all day long.

Visit Multitudes on Mondays at Ann's utterly beautiful blog, A Holy Experience, to read many more thankfulness lists from bloggers.

Thank you to Ben Wilson at Free Digital Photos for the lovely picture of autumnal leaves.

Fall Travel Swim Meet

2011-10-22T05:00:00.000-04:00

Amber had a wonderful week-end at our swim team's Fall Travel Meet! The highest award that swimmers with our USA swim club can earn is the Super Swimmer Award. To earn that award, swimmers have to swim almost ALL of the different events offered at USA meets. Amber swam three events at the Indy Travel Meet that she doesn't usually swim: the 200 Yard Breaststroke, the 200 Yard Individual Medley, and the 100 Yard Breaststroke. Breaststroke is definitely NOT her favorite stroke but it was great seeing her stretch herself and swim events that she rarely swims.

The highlights of the swim meet for Amber were making 4 personal best times, scoring points for her team in every event in which she raced, taking first place in 4 events, and taking second place in one event!

Girls 14 and Under 100 Yard Freestyle

Time - 53.77
Placement - First Place, 1/56
Time Standard - AAAA

Girls 14 and Under 100 Yard Breaststroke

Time - 1:21.97
Placement - 12th, 12/47
Time Standard - BB
Personal Best Time!

Girls 14 and Under 50 Yard Freestyle

Time - 24.71
Placement - First Place, 1/48
Time Standard - AAAA

Girls 14 and Under 500 Yard Freestyle

Time - 5:18.54
Placement - Second Place, 2/38
Time Standard - AAA
Personal Best Time!

Girls 14 and Under 200 Yard Freestyle

Time - 1:59.03
Placement - First Place, 1/44
Time Standard - AAA

Girls 14 and Under 100 Yard Butterfly

Time - 1:00.42
Placement - First Place, 1/27
Time Standard - AAA

Girls 14 and Under 200 Yard Breaststroke

Time - 2:59.66
Placement - 12th, 12/34
Time Standard - BB
Personal Best Time!

Girls 14 and Under 200 Yard Individual Medley

Time - 2:23.59
Placement - 4/76
Time Standard - AA
Personal Best Time!

Mason had an awesome week-end as well! Mason is also trying to earn the Super Swimmer award from our swim team this year so he competed in a few events that were new to him, the 200 Breaststroke and the 500 Freestyle. Mason just aged-up to the 13-14 division and the competition is quite a bit harder than in the 11-12 division. He did so well at the swim meet, though!

Highlights of the meet for Mason were scoring points for his team in EVERY event in which he raced and 8 personal best times!

Boys 14 and Under 100 Yard Freestyle

Time - 57.51
Placement - 11/31
Time Standard - BB
Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 100 Yard Breaststroke

Time - 1:17.92
Placement - 7/22
Time Standard - BB
Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 50 Yard Freestyle

Time - 25.99
Placement - 4/28
Time Standard - A
Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 500 Yard Freestyle

Time - 5:40.18
Placement - 6/29
Time Standard - BB
Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 200 Yard Freestyle

Time - 2:07.63
Placement - 12/38
Time Standard - BB
Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 100 Yard Butterfly

Time - 1:08.34
Placement - 11/27
Time Standard - BB

Boys 14 and Under 200 Yard Breaststroke

Time - 2:54.03
Placement - 9/26
Time Standard - B
Personal Best Time!

Boys 14 and Under 200 Yard Individual Medley

Time - 2:29.87
Placement - 11/50
Time Standard - BB

Movies Watched in June - September

2011-10-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't done a movies post in quite a while but I have watched quite a few movies since my last movies post back in early June. I have really enjoyed most of what I've seen. My very favorite movie that I've seen over the last few months is Limitless. I liked Limitless so much I even bought in on DVD when it was on sale at Target!

X-Men First Class ***** - My daughter and I both LOVED this movie. It's out on DVD now so I highly recommend renting it! Even if I hadn't really liked the movie, it would have been worth watching just for the brief scene with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in a bar. Great action movie!
Super 8 ***** - My daughter and I went to see this movie when we were on a mini-vacation in Niagara Falls. We weren't sure what to expect since the previews were fairly vague but we LOVED this movie. The movie completely captured the 70s in the details. The acting on the part of all of the young actors was tremendous as well. Highly recommended!
Justified Season 2 - Hands down, this is my favorite television show right now. I can't wait for season 3! Justified is an amazing police drama set in the backwoods of Kentucky. The acting is tremendous, particularly from Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins.
Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 2 ***** - While my daughter and I adored this movie, both of us had mixed feelings about parts of it, particularly the ending fight scenes. We definitely would have liked to have seen the fight scenes we read about in the book instead of the intense focus on a battle between Harry and Voldemort. But, overall, we liked the last installment in the Harry Potter movies very much.
Winnie the Pooh Movie *** - As much as my daughter and I wanted to love this movie, there was little new material in the film. It was also EXTREMELY short. Of course, I would have loved the shortness of it if I had taken very little people to the movie!
The Lincoln Lawyer *** - My husband didn't like this movie but I thought it was OK, not fabulous, but definitely worth watching.
The Adjustment Bureau *** - I liked this movie fairly well. While I was entertained, my main thought at the end of the movie was that there was a great deal of running in the film!
Captain America ***** - My daughter and I really like superhero movies so we were primed to love Captain America, and we did. The movie is also over-the-top patriotic and we both loved that aspect of the film.
A Knight's Tale ***** - A Knight's Tale is one of my very favorite movies of all time. Love the plot, love the music, love the actors and I always enjoy watching it one more time.
Unknown ***** - I never figured this movie out and was shocked at the ending...but then everything finally made sense. Highly recommended!
Cowboys & Aliens **** - I took my daughter and her friend to see this movie and we all really liked it. It was a weird combination but I thought it really worked. Just seeing Harrison Ford as a rugged, old cowboy was definitely worth the price of movie admission.
Friendly Persuasion ***** Friendly Persuasion is a classic that makes me cry every time I watch it. The movie is definitely family-friendly as well. Watch it with your kids and prove to them that old movies are fabulous too!
True Blood Season 3 **** - OK, I definitely have a love-hate relationship with this show. I am uncomfortable with the amount of swearing, sex, and violence in the show but I really like the characters and have read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books.
The Closer Season 6 - Great show - I've watched every season and have never been disappointed. Kyra Sedgwick is so perfect in her role.
The Help ***** - My daughter cried all the way through this movie. Somehow, I managed to hold it together better than she did but I was misty-eyed through much of the film. The movie was absolutely excellent. I have the book...I have to read it.
The Company Men *** - I liked this movie although it is a bit slow and sad. I enjoyed the actors and the exploration of a difficult topic.
Hanna **** - My daughter and I were riveted to the television screen when we watched this movie last night. The cinematography is quite unique and mesmerizing at times. Hanna is definitely a violent, action-packed thriller. Even with a few loose ends left at the end of the movie, my daughter and I both liked it.
Contagion ***** - Intense. Disturbing. Fabulous acting. I took my daughter and a friend to see this movie and we all thought it was incredible. We also couldn't wait to wash our hands after the movie...and use antibacterial gel on them as well. Highly, highly recommended!

I'm always looking for good movies to watch. Have you seen any great movies lately?

Photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net. The movie theater image was created by Salvatore Vuono.

Ten Things for Parents to Take to a Swim Meet

2011-10-11T05:00:00.001-04:00

Amber is swimming the 100 Butterfly at the 2011 Central Zones Championship.

In the month of October alone, my husband and I will be spending at least 22 hours at swim meets. Swim meets are long, the stands are often uncomfortable, and it's often hot in the stands...but we love to see our children swim. With three children swimming year-round on a USA swimming club, we go to more than our fair share of swim meets. Over the years we've learned a few things about packing for a swim meet and I'll share them in the following list of Ten Things for Parents to Take to a Swim Meet.

1. Something to do in between races - At a swim meet, you can easily find yourself with chunks of time between your child's events. Swim parents bring lots of different things to entertain themselves at swim meets:

iPads
books
Suduko books
magazines/newspapers
laptops
knitting/crocheting/cross-stitch

My personal favorite is my Kindle and other books. My husband likes to play Suduko. We've already pre-ordered the Kindle Fire, so pretty soon, he'll be playing Suduko on it.

2. Pens, a highlighter, and a black Sharpie - You will need a few pens to write down your child's times and placements. You will also need a highlighter to mark your child's races in the heat sheet. Finally, you will need a black Sharpie so that when your child can't find the one he put in his swim bag, you will have one to loan him. Most swimmers write their events on their hand at the beginning of the swim meet with a Sharpie.

3. Information about swim times - Swimmers are usually working towards particular time cuts in particular events. For example, my daughter's big goal right now is Junior National time cuts and my youngest son is working towards BB times. We have found it very helpful to bring the time standards with us to the meets so we know right away if our swimmer has reached a goal time. We bring:

National Age Group Motivational Times
Junior National time cuts
Speedo Champions Series time cuts
Team records
List of our children's best times in each event

Mason is swimming the 100 Free during the Central Zone Championship.

4. Snacks and drinks - While there is often a concession stand at swim meets, we prefer to bring our own snacks and drinks. Whatever we don't eat, our swimmers will!

5. Tylenol - The combination of intense chlorine smells, heat, and loud cheering can lead to headaches. I don't get a headache at every meet but I've had enough of them over the years that I always bring Tylenol.

6. Cash - You will need money for admission, a heat sheet, concessions, and sometimes for parking.

7. Layers of clothing - The temperature poolside can vary tremendously, even during the same swim meet. Temperatures usually run on the hot side, though - even in the middle of winter. Dressing in layers is smart for swim meets.

8. Stadium seat or camping chair - There will not be room at all swim meets for a stadium seat or a camping chair but, for those meets where there is enough room, a bleacher chair or camping chair can make the day a lot more comfortable.

9. Cell phone - Communication is much easier between your swimmer and you if both of you have cell phones. Parents are rarely allowed on deck so it's easiest to communicate via cell phone. Plus, you need to text the grandparents to let them know how their grandchild is doing at the meet!

10. A good attitude REGARDLESS of how your child performs - While most swim parents are very supportive, I have seen quite a bit of bad behavior at swim meets on the part of the parents. Your child needs you to be supportive regarding his or her performance, even if he or she does not perform well. When parents put performance in swimming, or any sport, ahead of their relationship with their children, they are chipping away at the bedrock of trust, love, and security that a parent-child relationship should be based upon. (For more on this topic, please read my article, "Encouraging Our Young Athletes")

To read more Top 10 lists from bloggers all over the web, visit Top 10 Tuesday at Oh, Amanda.

Week in Review - Cozy Blankets, Peace Mountain, and a Tadpole

2011-10-07T21:05:00.001-04:00

Mason, snuggled up in a blanket and hoodie, listens and reads along with a book on tape on the "ugly couch" in the school room.

We had a cold snap this week...but not cold enough for my husband and I to turn on our heat yet. So, the kids did a lot of their schoolwork this week snuggled up in blankets.

Now, the weather has warmed-up again. Most likely, the next few days will be the last warm weather here for a long time. That's completely OK with me, though. I'm completely ready for sweatshirts, fleece blankets, and warm drinks by a roaring fire!

This week was a pretty normal week filled with lots of schoolwork. For whatever reason, though, the full weight of the busy fall schedule hit me about mid-week and I had a mini-breakdown. Thankfully, with an incredibly supportive husband, I bounced back very quickly from my feelings of being completely overwhelmed. I think every homeschool mom feels completely overwhelmed every once in a while!

Our tadpole arrived this week. After receiving a full grown frog last time, I was happy to see that this time we received a tadpole. The tadpole arrived happy and healthy...with a gigantic head! The boys have nicknamed the little guy, "Catfish."

Our habitat was all ready to go from the arrival of our little frog. We are all looking forward to watching the tadpole change and grow.

I just love those "I'm so glad I homeschool" moments and was so happy to have one this week. Amber was working on her vocabulary words for her literature class. She had the word, capstan, to look up in the dictionary from the book, Treasure Island. She said, "Sometimes you just have to see something to understand it. There was a capstan on the Santa Maria that we toured last week." I love when those connections are made!

We toured the Santa Maria last week. I think we all have a greater understanding of some nautical terminology and a greater appreciation for Columbus' voyage after touring the ship.

Mason finished his volcano project this week and we will be causing a volcanic eruption next week! Mason asked me if he could take some artistic liberties with his project. I said yes. So, he created Peace Mountain.

Mason's volcano project turned out to be a HUGE project, mostly because he made a very big paper mache volcano. It is much bigger than I was expecting. Even with his artistic liberties, I think he did a great job!

To bring this Week in Review to a close, I will end with five random statements that relate to our school year thus far:

Duncan officially HATES long division. Now I'm 3 for 3. All of my kids have hated long division.
Mason earned the Touch Typist award this week in the typing program he is working through this year.
Duncan earned the Expert Touch Typist award this week in the same typing program. Duncan didn't miss a chance to tease his older brother a bit about his superior typing skills!
I really don't like our current read-aloud book for history, Secret of the Andes. My boys don't like it either. I try very hard not to laugh at their llama jokes during every read-aloud time but am not doing a very good job. We will finish it next week and start a book that I adore, Sign of the Beaver. I'll be glad...so will my boys.
We had history video time first thing this morning to start off our Friday. It was a great way to start the day and I think I will move our Friday history videos to Friday mornings. We watched Biography Christopher Columbus. I thought it was very good and, for the most part, all of my children enjoyed it as well.

Swim meets start back up this week-end. We have swim meets both Saturday and Sunday along with a family birthday party for my newest teenager, Mason!

Happy Birthday, Mason! Mason will be 13 on Monday! Now, I've got TWO teenagers in the house!

That was our Week in Review! To read about what other homeschooling bloggers did this week, visit the Weekly Wrap Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

New Homeschool Showcase Posted at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

2011-10-03T11:36:00.000-04:00

The new Homeschool Showcase is posted at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers! After your school day is done, sit down with a warm cup of something yummy and read about all of the wonderful ideas featured at The Homeschool Showcase! I am excited to have my post about our fabric paintings featured in the newest Homeschool Showcase.

Weekly Menu Plan

2011-10-03T05:00:00.000-04:00

Monday - Roasted chicken breasts and legs using a McCormick Bag and Season packet, green beans, baked potatoes

Tuesday - Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup - I made this very easy soup two weeks ago and it was a HUGE hit with my entire family! I substituted half and half for the milk and had no problems at all with the soup thickening up.

Wednesday - Pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in the crock-pot

Thursday - Chicken Tetrazzini

Friday - Broccoli-cheese casserole

Saturday - Out-to-eat for a late breakfast/early lunch after a morning swim meet

Sunday - Out-to-eat after a morning swim meet

To read about what other bloggers are going to be eating this week, visit Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie.

Week in Review - Santa Maria Tour, COSI, and the Renaissance Faire

2011-09-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

From left to right - Me, Amber's friend, Amber, Kevin, Mason, and Duncan in front all aboard the Santa Maria

We had such a festive week here with multiple field trips during our overnight trip to Columbus! Monday and Tuesday were normal school days but on Wednesday morning we headed out to Columbus for an overnight educational mini-vacation focused on field trips. We had such a wonderful time!

Our first destination was the reproduction of the Santa Maria. I have to admit that I am a HUGE living history buff so, of course, I absolutely loved every minute of our tour. The children were not nearly as excited about touring the Santa Maria - they were looking forward to getting to the science center. Our tour guide was excellent, though, and all of the children ended up enjoying the tour very much.

Our tour guide was great at getting the children involved during the tour. For example, he recruited my boys for a hands-on demonstration of the ship's capstan. The tour group was extremely small so the children got to engage in every hands-on opportunity during the tour. Touring the ship helped to bring Columbus' journey to life for all of us.

After our boat tour, we headed over to COSI for a fun-filled day of hands-on science fun! My boys always enjoy the Gadgets Cafe where they get to take apart something electronic. This time, they got to take apart a computer.

One of the highlights of our day at COSI was watching the Rat Basketball show. We've seen this show many times but watching the rats put the little ball in the basket never ceases to entertain us!

We spent the next day at Education Day at the Renaissance Festival in Harveysburg. The boys purchased fantastic jester hats and wore them all day.

Not to be undone, the girls got feathers in their hair.

We attended a joust...

visited interesting shops...

played games (yes, Duncan made it all the way to the top!)...

visited some more interesting shops...

and enjoyed funnel cake! All in all, we had a fun-filled and festive day at the Renaissance Faire!

To bring this week in review to a close, I will end with five random statements that relate to our school year thus far:

Amber finished Watership Down and since she was crying just as hard as I was when I reached the end of the novel, I know she treasured the book. We've been talking about the book at odd moments and, as always, I'm amazed by her literary insights.
Our break from swim meets is fast coming to an end. Next week-end we have swim meets both Saturday and Sunday. All three of our children will be getting up on the blocks and racing next week-end!
Mason finished making his volcano for science. It turned out to be a much bigger volcano than I anticipated. I'll be posting more about his project after he makes his volcano explode next week.

Duncan designed his own insect for his science class this week. Duncan's meat-eating, cave-dwelling insect has multicolored legs and features eyes that are not equal in size. Very creative!
Amber and I are very behind on my scheduled educational video watching for her history course. We'll be watching several episodes of 500 Nations this week-end, hopefully.

That was our Week in Review! Tomorrow, we'll be spending the day at Dave & Buster's with Mason, Duncan, and two of Mason's friends to start celebrating Mason's birthday! Pretty soon I'll have TWO teenagers in my house!

To read about what other bloggers have been doing this week, visit the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Fabric Paintings

2011-09-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

Even though we adore art projects here, my boys have only completed one art project so far this school year...but it's a great one! My boys worked on their "fabric paintings" over two Friday afternoons and a long Friday evening. They both enjoyed their projects so much they continued to work on them long past the time I had set aside for art class!

As with the vast bulk of our art projects, we followed the instructions for one of the projects in our Atelier Art curriculum. We are currently working through Level 5. For a thorough review of the Atelier Art curriculum, you can read my post at Curriculum Choice.

To prepare for the Fabric Painting project, I first gathered up all of the following materials that I already had on hand:

felt in lots of different colors
yarn in different colors
various kinds of fabric trim, pom-poms, and glitter jewels
fabric scraps in different colors and patterns
tacky glue
3-D fabric paint.

I also made a trip to our local fabric and craft store to purchase burlap for the base of the paintings and some more interesting fabrics. I purchased 1/8 of a yard of a small pile of fun fabrics with various prints and colors. Needless to say, my boys were excited about the project just by looking at the large selection of materials they had from which to choose!

After watching the video lesson, my boys first sketched out a design for their project on a large sheet of paper (18" by 24"). As they were sharing their ideas and working on their sketches, I kept reminding them that they would need to recreate their drawing using fabric so they should avoid including a lot of small details.

Duncan's idea was to make a peaceful scene with houses, cars, a body of water, and a bridge. Mason's idea was to make a fantastical, rather surrealistic scene featuring a Denny's restaurant.

After much work, both of my boys finished their Fabric Paintings. I was SO happy with how their projects turned out. Both of their fabric paintings looked fabulous! While this was definitely a time-consuming project, I think the results and the positive experience are definitely worth it.

I just love the cupcake sky above Denny's! Mason's preference for bright colors and surrealistic images are evident in his project.

Duncan took such a long, careful time with his project. I really like all of his different colored houses!

I think our new school year is off to a slow, but successful art start!

Help! I’m Homeschooling My High Schooler…and I’m Freaking Out!

2011-09-27T07:12:00.000-04:00

Over the years, I have often thought that homeschooling seems quite a bit like running a really long race. For me, once I’m all done homeschooling, it will be a 16 year long race. The sad part about the race, though, is that when I started on the homeschooling track, I had a LOT of company. Truly, when my children were all little, it sometimes seemed like everybody I knew was homeschooling.

Then, over the years, there were fewer people running with me. People stopped homeschooling for various reasons, a few at a time, here and there. But nothing prepared me for the dramatic drop-off in homeschooling once 9th grade hit. Around here, it is fairly common to homeschool up to 8th grade and then to send high school age children to a brick and mortar school.

Please join me at The Homeschool Classroom today to read the rest of my article.

Week in Review - Lots of Phone Calls, First Latin Test, and a Full-Grown-Frog

2011-09-23T17:28:00.001-04:00

Mason and Hershey snuggle up together on the "ugly couch" in the school room to take a little break .

Yes, it's been a rather long and tiring week. We're definitely all ready for the week-end as evidenced by Mason and Hershey enjoying a little down time during a quick break in Mason's morning schoolwork! I'm not quite sure why our dog was so tired - she sleeps a TON - but I can understand Mason being tired after a long week of schoolwork and swim team practice.

For me, the week seemed quite long because my mind was often with my mother in the hospital. She was hospitalized unexpectedly all week due to some issues with her heart. She was finally released today and her condition should be able to be managed with medication and diet modification but she will continue to be monitored by her heart doctor. So, my homeschool days were interrupted quite a bit more than usual this week with phone calls that I needed to take the time to answer.

The children are all proceeding well in their academic subjects this year. The most exciting news this week for Amber was when her Latin teacher e-mailed me to let us know that she earned a 100% on her first Latin test! Way to go, Amber! While Amber wasn't quite sure about Latin at first, it is now definitely one of her favorite subjects. She loves making the connections between Latin words and English words that are derived from Latin.

All of the fun, hands-on work here this week was related to my children's science courses. Mason and I did a fun experiment to demonstrate the scientific method. He suspended a cup between stacks of books on an uncooked fettuccine noodle. After making his prediction about how many pennies the cup would hold before the noodle broke, he added pennies one at a time to the cup. Each time he added a penny, he lifted the cup up and then lowered in back gently on the noodle.

How many pennies would you predict it would take to break the noodle? Mason predicted 30 but it took 100 pennies to finally break the noodle!

Amber's Marine Biology labs this week were both microscope work. She made some lovely drawings of diatoms and other tiny marine creatures for her lab notebook.

Duncan's long-awaited tadpole finally arrived. Even if you're not teaching an elementary science class this year, you can probably tell that the little guy in the bag is definitely NOT a tadpole anymore! To read more about our froggy adventure, visit my post, "Grew A Frog?"

Mason and Duncan are both working on some pretty cool hands-on projects for science as well that aren't finished yet. Mason is building a massive volcano and has finished the paper-mache part of the project. He plans to paint it this week-end...and then he'll be making it explode!

Duncan is working on designing his own insect to go along with his current chapter about insects in science. His special bug lives in caves and eats meat. Interestingly, one eye is also bigger than the other. I'm looking forward to seeing his finished creation. He, too, plans to finish his project this week-end.

To bring this week in review to a close, I will end with five random statements that relate to our school year thus far.

As I watched my teenage daughter make herself a cup of hot tea to drink while she watched her Fundamentals of Literature DVD class, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that we are DEFINITELY making the best choice for our family by homeschooling our daughter all the way through high school. It's good to have her home.
Amber is almost done listening to "Watership Down." I'm not sure that she is loving the book quite as much as I did but she definitely likes the book quite a bit. She also really likes the Audible app she downloaded onto her iPod so she could listen to the book after I purchased it through Audible.
I finished reading "The Indian in the Cupboard" last week-end and it was such a good book! Duncan is now listening to the book on my Kindle.
I'm so glad I decided to outsource Latin this year. Amber adores her Latin teacher and the class is going so well and I don't have to learn Latin.
Amber hasn't hit a wall yet in Algebra 2 and I sincerely hope she doesn't. Math 6 and Math 7 are both going quite well for Duncan and Mason. With all of the grading I have to do, I certainly love the self-grading feature of Teaching Textbooks for the lower grades.

That was our Week in Review! To read about what other homeschool bloggers have been doing this week, please visit the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Grew A Frog???

2011-09-21T19:26:00.000-04:00

As an enrichment activity to Duncan's (10) science course this year, I purchased a Grow A Frog kit. Duncan has been ANXIOUSLY awaiting the arrival of his little tadpole. After waiting a few weeks, a little styrofoam container arrived today in the mail that was clearly his long-awaited tadpole!

Excitement abounded in our house and my teenage daughter even took a break from her schoolwork to help her little brother set up the habitat.

Having never received a LIVE TADPOLE in the mail before, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous that the little guy would be belly-up when we opened the box. Finally, the habitat was completely ready, and we opened the package containing the tadpole...

but the tadpole wasn't a tadpole! It was a very live, tiny frog! Duncan was quite disappointed that his little tadpole had already grown up.

Perplexed, I called the Grow a Frog folks. After looking up my account, the representative quickly informed me that I received a frog instead of a tadpole because I ordered a frog. I meant to order a tadpole, I thought I ordered a tadpole, but I was mistaken. Tomorrow I'll be sending in the correct form to order Duncan's tadpole.

Since our tadpole habitat is too small for a full-grown frog, we retrieved a small aquarium that we had in the basement and quickly prepared a place for the frog to live so we could get him out of his travel bag.

So, for now, here is our frog's new home. We put gravel in the bottom but have since learned that sand is a better choice for little frogs so we will be purchasing some from the pet store. We'll also purchase some small plants to make the frog's habitat more homey.

Now, we wait again for our tadpole...

10 Ways to Celebrate Autumn

2011-09-20T06:45:00.000-04:00

Regardless of what the calendar may say, for me, autumn has begun! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE everything about autumn. Each year I try to enjoy autumn as much as possible because the season seems so short and fleeting. To fully enjoy this wonderful season, try as many of the following suggestions as possible!

1. Keep the fridge stocked with fresh apples. Our favorite variety is Honeycrisp - they are so yummy and are available for a relatively short time where I live. I look forward to eating them all year. Also, be sure to always keep some good apple cider on hand. We buy both from a local apple orchard. Just going there to purchase the apples and apple cider is a treat as well!

2. Make a conscious effort to really look at the changing colors of the leaves every time you drive anywhere. The season of changing colors is dreadfully short and in just a few weeks the trees are completely bare...and they remain that way for a long time.

3. Attend a fall festival. Last year we attended the Circleville Pumpkin Show and it was absolutely wonderful! I couldn't stop smiling all day - there were pumpkins everywhere, everything was so cute, and the food was so fabulous.

4. Eat lots of pumpkin goodies. We adore the pumpkin chocolate-chip bread from Great Harvest, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin pie. Our very favorite pumpkin treat, though, is Pumpkin Crisp. I make it every year for Thanksgiving and it's "stand in the kitchen and eat it right out of the pan" good!

5. Decorate for all of the fall holidays celebrated at your house. If you have young children, have them help you make lots of fun, holiday decorations for Thanksgiving and Halloween. Even just a pile of interesting gourds in a basket can make a lovely autumnal decoration in your living room.

6. Visit a pumpkin patch and take tons of pictures. My very favorite pictures are the pictures that I've taken over the years at pumpkin patches. Pumpkins and cute children are always a winning combination. Make the day even more special by taking a hayride and picking a pumpkin right from the pumpkin patch!

7. Make time to carve the pumpkins. Roast the seeds. Eat them. If Halloween is not celebrated at your house, you can still cut the top out of a pumpkin and clean out all of the gunk inside and harvest the seeds for roasting. When my children were younger, we loved to read The Pumpkin Patch Parable to go along with our pumpkin-carving activities.

8. Wear a cute fall-themed sweater or sweatshirt. I enjoy wearing my fall-themed sweaters and sweatshirts right up to the day after Thanksgiving. Then, I start wearing my Christmas-themed tops!

9. Enjoy the upcoming Christmas season even more by starting preparations really early this year. I always start Christmas shopping months in advance and completely avoid last-minute shopping panic. I just purchased 100 Days to Christmas 2011 and am hoping it will help me plan and organize my preparations.

10. Make your entertainment fall-themed. Read cozy-mysteries with a fall theme. Watch movies with great autumn scenes - my favorite is Baby Boom. If you have any suggestions for great fall-themed movies or books, I would love to hear your suggestions!

Please visit Top Ten Tuesday to read more delightful Top Ten lists from many different bloggers.

Thank you to Paul at Free Digital Photos for the apple picture. Thank you to Susie B. at Free Digital Photos for the autumn leaves picture. Thank you to Bill Longshaw at Free Digital Photos for the picture of the pumpkins and gourds. Thank you to Arvind Balaraman at Free Digital Photos for the picture of the pumpkin patch.

Weekly Menu Plan - A Week of Comfort Foods

2011-09-19T05:00:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have a plan for the week! Not only do I have a meal plan for the week, I'm actually trying THREE new recipes! I am relying quite heavily on my crock-pot this week (as usual) with lots of hearty comfort-food meals. I'm even excited for the food this week now!

Monday - Ham and Bean Soup, Biscuits

Tuesday - Pot Roast with Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions
***I will also cook a whole chicken in another crock-pot this day to have shredded chicken for Wednesday's main meal.

Wednesday - Three Cheese Chicken Bake

Thursday - Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

Friday - Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Saturday - Sloppy Joes, French Fries

Sunday - Broccoli Cheese Casserole from The Taste of Home Recipe Book (1994)

Visit Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie for TONS of ideas about what to make to feed your crew!

Weeks in Review - Back to School, Lots of History Reading, and a Glittery Fairy Dress

2011-09-16T16:07:00.000-04:00

We are definitely back to school here and find ourselves VERY busy at home! This past week marked our 5th week of school so this Weeks in Review will cover the highlights of the past 5 weeks.

We started back to school mid-week on Wednesday, August 17th. I've never started our school year mid-week before but I wanted to start getting us back on the school routine track yet found we needed just a few more days to recover from THREE solid weeks of championship swim meets marking the end of long-course season. So, we had two regular days of school and then spent Friday touring our local Federal Reserve Bank and science center. If you have an opportunity to tour a Federal Reserve Bank, I highly recommend it - I think my husband and I learned more than our children!

Our second week back to school was a short week as well. We left on Thursday and took a fun, overnight trip to Pittsburgh to visit the Carnegie Science Center and the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. We greatly enjoyed two delightful dinners out at the Hard Rock Cafe and Primanti Brothers. Yummy! We were a bit disappointed in that we were expecting the science center to be fairly empty since I thought most children would be back to school...and they weren't yet so it was quite crowded.

We spent most of our time at the zoo visiting the aquarium. Amber and I, in particular, took a very leisurely stroll through the aquarium, stopping for long periods of time to view the fish and other marine animals. We are both more aware of marine animals now since Amber is taking Marine Biology this year.

Our third week of school was a "completely normal" 5 day school week which gave us all an opportunity to really get back to the books and a regular school routine. I spent the ENTIRE day on Saturday of our third week of school shopping for a dress for Amber to wear to Homecoming! Yes, my home educated daughter was invited to a local school's Homecoming dance. Hopefully, now, well-meaning folks will stop expressing concern over the fact that my daughter will never attend a formal dance in high school.

Our fourth week of school was another back to the books week filled with high anticipation on the part of my daughter for the big dance. We made it through our school week, and Amber had a WONDERFUL time at the Homecoming dance. She was so lovely, I got a little teary-eyed when I first saw her all dressed up. Amber even wore a little bit of make-up for the very first time. Sigh.

She attended the dance with friends from swim team. I fretted and worried all night but she had a great time. She loved wearing her dress and having a fun night out with friends.

So, that brings me all the way up to this week! While all of my children are taking a full range of subjects this year, this week I'll focus primarily on history.

In history, we are reading A LOT. We are using Sonlight for history for the first time this school year. Amber is taking a heavily tweaked Early American History course (1/2 of Core 100 with lots of books added), and Mason and Duncan are taking Early American History (Core D). Between history readers and read-alouds, Mason and Duncan have already read or are currently reading:

The Corn Grows Ripe
A Lion to Guard Us
Walk the World's Rim
Pedro's Journal
Secret of the Andes
Peace Child
A History of US Volume 1: The First Americans: Prehistory - 1600
Vostaas: White Buffalo's Story of Plains Indian Life
Pocahontas and the Strangers.

We haven't done any fun, hands-on history activities - we've just been reading a lot. We do have a great field trip planned for the end of the month to tour a reproduction of the Santa Maria. So, hands-on history is coming up again in the near future!

To bring this weeks in review to a close, I will end with five random statements that relate to our school year thus far.

Duncan was quite proud to achieve the level of Expert Touch Typist in his typing program. I feel quite confident that my 10 year old son will soon be a better typist than me.
Speaking of my sweet Duncan, he recently beat both my husband and me in Scrabble (my very favorite game). Since I fancy myself a bit of a Scrabble player, I was pretty impressed by his skill.
With the short -course swimming season in full swing, it seems that one or more of the kids are ALWAYS at the pool. Amber practices 8 times a week, Mason practices 6 times a week, and Duncan practices 3 times a week. Thankfully, both pools in which they practice are close to our home.
We are using more textbooks this year than we've used in a LONG time...and I really like it.
One of my favorite parts of my day is singing classic hymns with my boys during their individual Bible classes. I wish we sang some of the classic hymns at our church but we sign contemporary Christian music.

That was our WEEKS in review! To read about what other bloggers did this week in their homeschools, please visit the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Grading High School Science Labs

2011-09-08T06:51:00.000-04:00

My daughter is taking Marine Biology this year. We are using the textbook, Exploring Creation with Marine Biology, the Marine Biology Dissection Kit, and the Marine Biology Slide Kit. To supplement the core course materials, I have added a video each week and a field trip to an out-of-state aquarium complete with a behind the scenes tour.

Exploring Creation with Marine Biology includes 30 labs, the majority of which my daughter and I will be completing this school year. We've already completed two of them! While Amber does some of her labwork independently, we have found that labs tend to be more interesting, educational, and fun with a little company. Last year, for Biology, Amber was blessed by completing all of her dissection labs with a homeschooling friend who was taking the same Biology course. This year, I'm her lab partner!

One of my goals for Marine Biology is to help Amber write really great lab reports. Scientific writing is definitely a different type of writing than she normally does and it requires a great attention to detail. As well, carefully conducting labs and writing conscientious lab reports helps to solidify understanding of the scientific method.

Last year, I graded most of Amber's Biology labs simply as pass/fail. Basically, if she completed the lab in a careful and complete manner, she received full credit for the lab and I didn't make her write up a lab report for every single lab. This year, though, I want to focus on improving detail and precision in labs and lab reports.

Inge Cannon stated in her wonderful DVD seminar, "you get what you inspect, not what you expect." Reflecting on those words of great wisdom, I realized that if I want my daughter to write excellent lab reports, I need to be very clear about what I expect and I need to carefully read and evaluate her efforts. In order to be able to carefully evaluate her work, I went in search of more information regarding writing lab reports for high school science classes.

After much internet searching, I found a wonderful resource, a Lab Notebook Guide. Using this wonderful resource, I created a High School Science Lab Grading Sheet. This grading sheet can be used in any high school science course for any lab report so I will be able to use it in all of my children's future high school science courses.

Using the Lab Grading Sheet based on the Lab Notebook Guide as a guide, my daughter knows that her lab reports should be organized in a specific manner and she also knows how many points are assigned to each part of her lab reports. Grading lab reports is much easier with the Lab Grading Sheet as well.

Amber's Marine Biology Lab Notebook is nothing fancy. Right now, she is simply writing her lab reports in a spiral-bound notebook. Eventually, she will transfer the pages to a 3-ring binder when she has drawings and pictures as part of lab reports as well.

To be more specific, my Lab Grading Sheet (based on the Lab Notebook Guide) includes the following areas which correspond to the way in which I require lab reports to be organized:

Appearance (5 points possible)
Purpose (3 points possible)
Hypothesis or Research Question (2 points possible)
Materials (1 point possible)
Procedure (3 points possible)
Results (6 points possible)
Conclusion (5 points possible).

Therefore, each lab report is worth 25 points. For those labs requiring detailed drawings, I assigned an additional 3 points for each drawing. Overall, the hands-on lab work and lab reports account for 40% of my daughter's final Marine Biology grade.

Appearance

To achieve full points in Appearance:

the name of the lab and the date need to be written at the top of the lab report
the name of the lab needs to be written in the table of contents at the beginning of the lab notebook along with the page numbers for where the lab can be found in the lab notebook
overall, the lab should be neatly written and reflect time and consideration on the part of the student

Purpose

In our high school science courses, I want my children to clearly understand WHY we are taking the time to do a particular lab. While lab work can be very fun and exciting, it is vitally important that students know the reason for doing the lab. What concepts from the reading are being demonstrated through the careful step-by-step procedure of the lab?

In the Marine Biology text, clues to the purpose of the labs are found in the Introduction section of the lab directions. The purpose statement which clearly explains WHY the lab was conducted is worth a possible 3 points.

Example taken from a recent Marine Biology lab:
The purpose of this lab is to see the effects of the salinity and temperature of water, and how it will sink or disperse depending on those factors.

Hypothesis or Research Question

The next section of the lab report is the hypothesis or research question. Based on the description of the lab found in the textbook and the prior reading and knowledge of the student, a prediction should be able to be made about the results of the lab, which would be the hypothesis. If not, a research question could be used instead. To receive full points in this area, the hypothesis or research question should be clearly stated and make sense given the guidelines of the lab.

Example:
When added to tap water, water with salt and water that was chilled will sink to the bottom of the glass because of its greater density.

Materials

This section of the lab report is easy. One point is earned by simply accurately copying the materials list from the textbook to the student's lab report. That's simple!

Procedure

In this section, the student is to explain, in detail, how the experiment was conducted with as much detail as possible. This section should be in the student's own words and should not be a copy of the step by step procedure statements from the textbook. The student should tell what he or she did in his or her own words.

Results

The focus of the results section is to report about all of the outcomes of the lab, in LOTS of detail. More information is better in the results section. If at all possible, quantitative (numerical) data should be included. This section should include sufficient information to demonstrate careful collection of data during the lab. Required or optional drawings should also be included in this section.

Example:

In part one of this experiment, blue water was added to yellow water. Both were room temperature and from the tap. The blue water dispersed, turning the entire contents of the glass green.

In part two, blue, cold water was added to hot, yellow water. The cold, blue water stayed at the bottom of the glass though some of it mixed with the hot, yellow water.

The third part of the experiment had the clearest results. Blue salt water was added to yellow tap water, both at room temperature. All of the blue water stayed at the bottom of the glass, not mixing with the yellow or dispersing.

Conclusion

Lastly, the conclusion section of the lab report should start with one sentence that states whether the hypothesis was confirmed or refuted. If a research question is used instead, a sentence should be included which very briefly answers the research question. After the opening sentence, the student should discuss what he or she learned from the lab and make one suggestion for further study that could be done in an area related to the lab.

Example:

This experiment confirms the hypothesis that colder water and water of greater salinity is more dense than warmer water or water without salt.

I learned that especially the salt in the water, but also the water temperature, have a big effect on how dense the water is.

A suggestion for further study would be to see if we used another solute (such as sugar), would it still be as dense, or is it only with salt that the water would become more dense.

My lab grading sheet helps me to evaluate my daughter's high school lab work in a systematic and reliable manner. Hopefully, over the course of the year, the quality and insight of her lab reports will continue to improve.

If you are homeschooling a high school student as well, how do you encourage excellence in your student's lab work?

Getting Food on the Table for the Busy Homeschool Mom

2011-09-07T08:37:00.000-04:00

I love breakfast buffets, salad bars, and hot food buffets. Seeing all of the food before me, fully prepared, and ready to eat at my convenience greatly appeals to me. When gazing lovingly upon such bounties of food, I have often thought how nice it would be to have a full food staff at home preparing food for my family that we could eat at our convenience throughout our busy days.

Sadly, I have no full food staff at home, not even a single person. The bulk of the food preparation falls to me, as it does to most mothers, homeschooling or not. Balancing the preparation of meals into an already busy homeschooling day is a huge challenge for me.

To read more about how I manage to feed my family and run our homeschool at the same time, please join me at The Homeschool Classroom today to read my full article. I'd also love to hear your great ideas for balancing food preparation and homeschooling.

What's Going On in My Reading Life?

2011-08-30T21:47:00.004-04:00

Now that the busiest summer I can EVER remember having has drawn to a close, I am finally getting back to blogging on a regular basis. While I definitely didn't do a lot of writing this summer, I did do a lot of reading - most of it during swim meets. I have met my local library's 50 Book Challenge and am currently at 59 books for the year!

So, what did I read? I did a lot of reading for my children's history courses this year. We are using Sonlight for history this year and Sonlight means a lot of reading. Thankfully, I have truly enjoyed all of the books that I've read so far, although I've liked some books even more than others.

Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson (*****) I REALLY liked this book.
A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla (***)
Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (*****) I adored this book about a slave who buys his freedom over time but finds true freedom in Jesus Christ while he is still a slave. While parts of the book are very sad, the story of Amos' life was incredibly inspiring.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (*****) I LOVED this book. For me, the book had it all - romance, suspense, strong characters, and an interesting historical setting. My teenage daughter read it over the summer to get a jump start on her history reading and adored it as well.
Pocahontas and the Strangers by Clyde Robert Bulla (***)
Vostaas White Buffalo's Story of Plains Indian Life by William White Buffalo (***)
The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty (***)
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla (***)
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (*****) I highly recommend listening to this EXCELLENT book on audio - the narrator is wonderful!
Indian Captive: The Storyof Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski (***)
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh (***)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh (***)
Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia by Margaret Cousins (****)
The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds (***)
A History of Us, The First Americans, Prehistory - 1600 by Joy Hakim (***)

I have been working my way through re-reading the Left Behind series this summer. If you've never read this end-times series, I highly recommend all of the books in the main series. I haven't read any of the prequels yet so I can't comment on them.

Tribulation Force by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)
Nicolae by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)
Soul Harvest by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)
Apollyon by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)
Assassins by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)
The Indwelling by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)
The Mark by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)
Desecration by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)

I also read several books that my daughter read or will read for her Literature course. I'm so proud of myself to be reading so many classic books. I wish I could say that I'm reading them again, but, sadly, I'm reading most of them for the first time.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (*****)
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (*****)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (*****) Wow - this book was good, but far more profoundly sad than I had expected it to be!
Watership Down by Richard Adams (*****) FABULOUS!!!!! This was one of the best books that I have ever read. This one will definitely be in my thoughts for a very long time.

Since I haven't posted about my reading list since April, I have several books that were part of our Ancient History curriculum from last school year that I read. As well, I finished a few textbooks alongside my children and a book about homeschooling through high school.

Reading 3A, Once Upon An Open Book - Bob Jones University Press (*****)
Exploring Creation with Biology, 2nd Edition by Jay Wile and Marilyn Durnell (*****) - OK, this should really count for 5 or 6 books!
Explore Ancient Rome! Carmella Van Vleet (**)
Gladiator by Richard Watkins (****)
Homeschooling High School: Planning Ahead for College Admission by Jeanne Gowen Dennis (***)

I also read a few cozy-mysteries, one of my very favorite fiction genres.

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris - #11 in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery Series (****)
English Tea Murder by Leslie Meier - #17 in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series

Lastly, of course I found time to read a few Scottish romances featuring my favorite alpha heroes in kilts!

Highlander Untamed by Monica McCarty (***)
Captured by the Highlander by Julianne MacLean (****)
Mystical Warrior by Janet Chapman (***) - #3 in the Midnight Bay Series

So, have you read any great books lately? I'd love to hear about them!

Photo courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn at www.freedigitalphotos.net.

Weekly Menu Plan

2011-08-29T07:39:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have a menu plan this week! I'm so happy to actually have a menu plan for the week! This week also marks our first full five-day school week of the year. I am thrilled to be turning away from the unpredictable, crazy schedule of summer to the regular routine of fall.

Monday - Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread Sticks

Tuesday - Pot Roast in the Crock-Pot with Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions; Biscuits

Wednesday - Roasted Chicken Breasts and Drumsticks, Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob

Thursday - Taco Bar! (taco meat, baked refried beans with cheese, cheesy rice, sweet corn cakes, lettuce, olives, sour cream, hard tacos, soft tacos)

Friday - Homestyle Chicken and Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Saturday - Sloppy Joes and Fries.

To find out what other bloggers are doing in the kitchen this week, check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

2011-2012 School Year 9th Grade Curriculum

2011-08-10T18:16:00.003-04:00

My oldest child is starting high school this year! Yes, we are homeschooling through high school! While I am sometimes nervous about our decision to continue homeschooling all the way through high school, most of the time I'm really excited about this new adventure in homeschooling.

One of the hardest parts of getting ready for this school year was starting to think in terms of individual courses and credit hours for my high school student. I've been working on Amber's high school courses throughout the summer and I feel really good about the courses that she will be taking this school year. I LOVE all of the curriculum that she will be using and have been enjoying reading her textbooks and other assigned reading.

So, without further ado, here is Amber's 9th grade curriculum for the 2011-2012 school year!

Writing and Grammar 9 (1/2 credit)

Bob Jones Writing and Grammar 9
Bob Jones Writing and Grammar 9 Instructional DVDs
The Phonetic Zoo: A Self-Teaching Spelling Program, Finishing Level B, Level C

Fundamentals of Literature (1 credit)

Bob Jones Elements of Literature

Bob Jones Fundamentals of Literature Instructional DVDs

Cyrano de Bergerac

Roxanne - 1987

My Antonia by Willa Cather

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The Jungle Book - 1967

The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare

Attendance at a local production of "The Taming of the Shrew"

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Attendance at a local production of "The Crucible"

A Treasury of Poetry for Young People (1/2 the book will be covered during the 2011-2012 school year)

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles - 1988

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Bride - 1985
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - 1994

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Watership Down - 1978

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma - 1996

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House on the Prairie - The Pilot - 1974

· Early American History (1 credit)

Sonlight Core 100 Instructor's Guide - Amber will be spending an entire year on Early American History so we will only be using about half of the Instructor's Guide this year.

· The First Americans: Prehistory-1600, A History of US Book 1 by Joy Hakim

· Making Thirteen Colonies: 1600-1740, A History of US Book 2 by Joy Hakim

· From Colonies to Country: 1735-1791, A History of US Book 3 by Joy Hakim

· The New Nation: 1789-1850, A History of US Book 4 by Joy Hakim

· Liberty for All?: 1820-1860, A History of US Book 5 by Joy Hakim

· A History of US Assessment Book: Books 1-10 by Joy Hakim

· The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Henry Daughtery

· Peace Child by Don Richardson

· Sequoyah by Robert Cwiklik

· Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold by Jean Fritz

· The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Ben Franklin

· The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

· Amos Fortune Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

· Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen and James Watling

· A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos

· Indian Captive by Lois Lenski

· Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson

· Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

· Sacajawea by Joseph Bruchac

· Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz

· Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

· Guests by Michael Dorris

· They Loved to Laugh by Kathryn Worth

Videos:

500 Nations

The West

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

Liberty! The American Revolution

Biography: Christopher Columbus, Explorer of the New World

America The Story of Us - Episodes 1-4
Drive Thru History American History

We are also planning multiple Early American History related field trips such as touring a reproduction of the Santa Maria.

Algebra II (1 credit)

Teaching Textbooks – Algebra II

Marine Biology with Lab (1 credit)

Marine Biology Dissection and Slide Kit

Apologia Marine Biology

Physical Education (1 credit)

Amber is a member of a USA swim team. Amber participated on the swim team year-round, both long and short course seasons. She practices 8 or more times per week, which adds up to at least 20 hours per week at swim team practice. Three or more of the practices include dry-land aerobic and strength-training exercises in addition to swimming.

Amber participates in one or more USA swim meets per month. Amber participates in USA swim meets at the local, regional, and national level.

Fine Arts (1/2 or 1 credit hour depending on the number of hours accumulated towards the completion of the course)

Atelier Video-Based Art Lessons – Finishing Level 5 and Level 6

In addition to the hands-on portion of the Fine Arts course, we will be attending a large number of plays and musical productions presented at various playhouses in our area. My goal is to enhance Amber's appreciation for live performances of plays, musicals, ballets, and orchestra concerts.

We will be attending all of the Broadway plays included in the 2011-2012 subscription series for a local playhouse which include:

Million Dollar Quartet
La Cage Aux Folles
Hair
Memphis
The Addams Family
Come Fly Away
Sondheim on Sondheim.

We will be attending two ballets performed by a local ballet company:

The Nutcracker
Coppelia.

We will be attending all of the plays included in the 2011-2012 subscription series performed by a local community theater:

Early One Evening At The Rainbow Bar and Grille
Bingo The Musical
The Secret Garden.

We will be attending several orchestra concerts performed by local orchestras:

Bugs Bunny At The Symphony
An Old Fashioned Christmas
A Tribute to John Williams.

We will also be attending a few other plays performed at several different playhouses in the area including but not limited to:

The Wizard of Oz
The Taming of the Shrew
The Crucible.

Latin (1 credit)

Latin for Americans Level 1, Glencoe

Latin for Americans Level 1 Workbook

For this class, Amber will be meeting with a private tutor who will be teaching the class.

2011-2012 School Year 5th Grade Curriculum

2011-08-01T10:12:00.000-04:00

We are now only about 2 weeks away from the start of our new school year! I am actually starting to get really excited to have structure and routine back in our lives. While we've been mega-busy and will continue to be throughout the summer, I am beginning to desperately miss having a similar routine to each day! Other than the consistent structure of swim team practice, there is something different going on every day this summer. I am struggling to keep up with all of the variations in our daily lives!

Soon, though, we will be back to our regular school schedule and for that regular school schedule - we will be using our carefully chosen curriculum! I will be updating the Curriculum page over the next few weeks and I am posting separately about each of my children's curriculum for next year as well.

In looking at Duncan's 5th grade curriculum, you might notice a variety of grade levels in the curriculum materials that I'm using for him. With 8 full years of homeschooling tucked under my belt, grade levels mean very little to me at this point. I am using the materials that will work best for him in his various subjects.

After years of unit studies, much of Duncan's curriculum is quite traditional and textbook-based this year. I am also utilizing instructional DVDs for the first time in years to help with my teaching load. I have learned that using textbooks does not mean an end to hands-on activities. I have also learned that I can use textbooks in some classes and not in others. Overall, I'm incredibly happy with the materials that I've chosen for him and I'm excited to start our new school year!

Language Arts

Bob Jones English Level 5: Writing and Grammar with DVDs

Reading:

Bob Jones Reading Level 4
***I am only using some of the DVD material with this course. Duncan and I will watch the beginning of the video together for the introduction to the story and the creative ways in which the vocabulary is presented. Then, I will teach the rest of the lesson myself so that we can talk about what he is reading. On skill station days in which a story is not read and discussed, Duncan will watch those lessons independently.

Reading Comprehension:

Focus Strategies – Understanding Main Idea and Details Level E

Focus Strategies – Understanding Sequence Level E

Focus Strategies – Recognizing Cause and Effect Level E

Focus Strategies – Comparing and Contrasting Level E

Focus Strategies – Making Predictions Level E

Focus Strategies – Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences Level E

Spelling & Vocabulary

The Phonetic Zoo: A Self-Teaching Spelling Program, Level B

Megawords 2, Educator’s Publishing Service

Megawords 3, Educator’s Publishing Service

Word Roots Level A1 Software – Critical Thinking Press

Handwriting

A Reason for Handwriting Level D

History

Sonlight History Core D with Regular Readers – Introduction to American History

· The Story of the USA, Book 1

· North American Indians

· Pedro’s Journal

· Incans, Aztecs, & Mayans

· The Landmark History of the American People Volume 1

· What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?

· Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?

· And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?

· The Winter at Valley Forge

· The Story of the USA, Book 2

· If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution

· American Adventures I

· The Story of Eli Whitney

· The Lewis and Clark Expedition

· Imprisoned in the Golden City

· The Erie Canal

· A Lion to Guard Us

· Pocahontas and the Strangers

· Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims

· The Thanksgiving Story

· The Courage of Sarah Noble

· The Matchlock Gun

· The Skippack School

· Meet George Washington

· Phoebe the Spy

· The Cabin Faced West

· The Bears on Hemlock Mountain

· Om-kas-toe

· Meet Thomas Jefferson

· Sarah Whitcher’s Story

· Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman

· Sarah, Plain and Tall
R

Read Alouds
Walk the World's Rim
A Child's Introduction to Poetry
Secret of the Andes
Toliver's Secret
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Paddle-to-the-Sea
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Calico Bush
The Journeyman
Swift Rivers
Farmer Boy
***We will be watching Johnny Tremain and The Sign of the Beaver rather than reading the books. I also removed The Witch of Blackbird Pond from the read-aloud list for my boys and added it to my daughter's high school reading list for history.

I am still working on choosing all of the videos I want my boys to watch as part of their History program. I know for sure that we'll be watching the following videos:

Drive Thru American History Series
Drive Thru History Discovering America's Founders
National Geographic: Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West (IMAX film, 41 minutes)
Indians of North America (Schlessinger Media); We will be watching selected DVDs from this series of 20 DVDs to acquaint my boys with the wide variety of cultures among Native Americans in different parts of North America.
America The Story of US - We will be watching the first 4 episodes of this series.

Mathematics

Teaching Textbooks Math 6

Science

Bob Jones Science Level 4 with DVDs

My plan is to watch the DVD lessons with Duncan so I am available to talk with him about the science lesson and complete the many, many hands-on activities included in this curriculum. Using the DVDs will allow me to cut down on my preparation time for this course immensely and enjoy it right alongside Duncan. The DVDs are wonderful and I'm really looking forward to watching them with him.

In addition, Duncan will participate in selected homeschool science/nature classes at local nature centers. As well, we will take field trips to science centers and zoos throughout the school year.

Physical Education

Swim team practice - After a wonderful experience with a recreational team over the summer, Duncan will be getting back to USA Swimming and joining the same team as Amber and Mason. We are not sure which group he will be placed in but we anticipate swim team practice for Duncan at least three times a week.

Fine Arts

Atelier Video-Based Art Lessons – Art Projects from Level 5 and Level 6 - My goal is to complete one art project per week but we will need to skip art some weeks for field trips.

***If you would like to read my detailed review of this curriculum, please visit my review at The Curriculum Choice.

Bible

Bob Jones Bible Level 4

Typing

Typing – Typing Instructor Platinum - Duncan will be working through this wonderful program three times per week.

Books on Tape
In addition to the aforementioned curriculum, Duncan will be required to listen to a chapter each day of a book on tape. Duncan does not regularly choose to read in his spare time, therefore, by including a book listening time in his school day, I am increasing the amount of books to which he is exposed.

Ideally, I would like Duncan to read along with the book while it is being read to him but, so far, Duncan has not enjoyed doing that and has found it frustrating. Therefore, his only requirement will be to listen to the books on tape. I am still working on his reading list but I know he will be listening to the following books as part of his school work for the 2011-2012 school year.

I am linking this curriculum post up with the Not Back-to-School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter. If you love to read about the curriculum choices of other homeschoolers (and what homeschool mom doesn't!), I encourage you to check out the other bloggers that linked up as well!

2011-2012 7th Grade School Year Curriculum

2011-08-01T10:11:00.000-04:00

I can hardly believe that my wiggly, sweet middle child is now taller than me and is getting ready to start 7th grade! He's definitely grown up, though, and is now even taller than me! Without further ado, here are the curriculum materials that I will be using with him for the 2011-2012 School Year.

Language Arts

Reading:

Bob Jones Reading Level 6

Grammar & Writing
Growing With Grammar Levels 5 and 6
Institute for Excellence in U.S. History Based Writing Lessons Volume 1

Reading Comprehension:

Focus Strategies – Understanding Main Idea and Details Level F

Focus Strategies – Understanding Sequence Level F

Focus Strategies – Recognizing Cause and Effect Level F

Focus Strategies – Comparing and Contrasting Level F

Focus Strategies – Making Predictions Level F

Focus Strategies – Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences Level F

Spelling & Vocabulary

The Phonetic Zoo: A Self-Teaching Spelling Program, Level B

Megawords 2, Educator’s Publishing Service

Megawords 3, Educator’s Publishing Service

Word Roots Level A1 Software – Critical Thinking Press

Handwriting

A Reason for Handwriting Level D

History

Sonlight History Core D with Advanced Readers – Introduction to American History

The Story of the USA, Book 1
North American Indians
Pedro's Journal
Incans, Aztecs, & Mayans
The Landmark History of the American People Volume 1
What's the Big Idea, Ben Frankline?
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
The Winter at Valley Forge
Te Story of the USA, Book 2
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution
American Adventures 1
The Story of Eli Whitney
The Lewis & Clark Expedition
Imprisoned in the Golden City
The Erie Canal
The Corn Grows Ripe
Vostaas: White Buffalo's Story
A Lion to Guard Us
Pocahontas and the Strangers
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims
The Thanksgiving Story
The Courage of Sarah Noble
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
The Skippack School
The Matchlock Gun
Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
Mr. Revere and I
Meet George Washington
Phoebe the Spy
George Washington: Our First Leader
Martha Washington
The Cabin Faced West
Om-kas-toe
Meet Thomas Jefferson
Sarach Whitcher's Story
Naya Nuki
Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Takta'liktak
Stone Fox

Read Alouds

Walk the World's Rim

A Child's Introduction to Poetry

Secret of the Andes

Toliver's Secret

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Paddle-to-the-Sea

Justin Morgan Had a Horse

Calico Bush

The Journeyman

Swift Rivers

Farmer Boy

***We will be watching Johnny Tremain and The Sign of the Beaver rather than reading the books. I also removed The Witch of Blackbird Pond from the read-aloud list for my boys and added it to my daughter's high school reading list for history.

I am still working on choosing all of the videos I want my boys to watch as part of their History program. I know for sure that we'll be watching the following videos:

Drive Thru American History Series
Drive Thru History Discovering America's Founders
National Geographic: Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West (IMAX film, 41 minutes)
Indians of North America (Schlessinger Media); We will be watching selected DVDs from this series of 20 DVDs to acquaint my boys with the wide variety of cultures among Native Americans in different parts of North America.
America The Story of US - We will be watching the first 4 episodes of this series.

God's World News Top Story

Mathematics

Teaching Textbooks Math 7

Science

Apologia General Science

Physical Education

Swim team practice - Mason practices 5 times a week with his USA swimming team. The practices include dry -land exercises which encompass weight-training and a wide variety of aerobic exercises. Mason is in the Gold group and his practice schedule is included below:

Monday: 4:45pm - 7:30pm
Tuesday: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Wednesday: Mason attends Youth Group at church on Wednesday evenings.
Thursday: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Friday: 4:45pm - 7:30pm
Saturday: No Practice
Sunday: 11:30am - 1:00pm

Mason regularly attends USA swim meets.

Fine Arts

Atelier Video-Based Art Lessons – Art Projects from Level 5 and Level 6 - My goal is to complete one art project per week but we will need to skip art some weeks for field trips.

***If you would like to read my detailed review of this curriculum, please visit my review at The Curriculum Choice.

Bible

Bob Jones Bible Level 6 with DVDs

Typing

Typing – Typing Instructor Platinum - Duncan will be working through this wonderful program three times per week.

Books on Tape

In addition to the aforementioned curriculum, Mason will be required to listen to a chapter each day of a book on tape. By including a book listening time in his school day, I am increasing the amount of books to which he is exposed. Mason reads along with the book while listening to the book on tape.

Music

Mason is learning to play the electric guitar. He takes a weekly lesson at a local music shop and practices daily.