Teaching Classically

Free Life Science Curriculum

2010-10-01T12:52:00.002-04:00

I haven't had a chance to look at what this all included, but this could be perfect for some of our Classical Conversations science weeks. Enjoy....

Download a free copy of the Classic Science Life Science curriculum. This curriculum is designed for ages six to nine and is a complete curriculum which takes 36 weeks to complete.

I found this through Crystal. :)

Helping Kids Understand the Food Chain

2010-09-24T11:35:00.002-04:00

In our third week of science, we are discussing the three main parts of the food chain - producers, consumers and decomposers.

I found a fantastic site with a Free Powerpoint Presentation on the Food Chains and much, much more for both the kids and teachers.

Free Homophones List

2010-05-31T20:22:00.002-04:00

My sweet friend, Joy, has invested so much time into creating an exhaustive homophones list. It is an invaluable tool for everyone, especially homeschooling moms like myself, who occasionally second guess themselves.
"This list contains more that 2000 homophones. Only homophones with different spellings are listed. Some proper nouns, contractions, and possessives are included in the list.

Here's just a sneak peek...see the homophone list in it's entirety at her site.

A

a, eh

acclamation, acclimation

acts, ax

ad, add

ade, aid, aide

ades, aids, aides

adherence, adherents

adieu, ado

admittance, admittants

adolescence, adolescents

ads, adds, adz

aerie, airy

aero, arrow

agar, auger, augur

agars, augers, augurs

ail, ale

ails, ales

air, ere, heir

airs, heirs

Charlotte Mason free ebook

2010-01-20T09:49:00.001-05:00

Even though I direct a Classical Conversations group, I love concepts from Charlotte Mason and often desire to slow down and implement her ideas.
Download this free ebook on how to develop good habits in your home in order to create "smooth and easy days".

Thanks, Crystal

Nature Walk 101

2009-10-29T09:13:00.003-04:00

This week we ventured into the woods with our Classical Conversation's group. Tracking in lots of wet grass, mud and creatures, we had a blast.
When I ran across this post from Lorrie, I had to share her additional insight. Check out her other resources, they are wonderful.

Fall is my favorite time of the year to go on walks with the children. We love to look for signs of fall in His glorious creation and enjoy the fresh, cooler air. How is a nature walk different than walking for exercise? This is not an aerobic workout; we walk and talk and run and laugh, babies fit in perfectly because we go slow, stop often, and learn about birds, bugs, plants, tracks, scat, rocks, features of the landscape, the sky, etc.

On our nature walks we bring:

· water bottles

· a stick of cheese or some crackers in a pocket

· binoculars

· little magnifiers

· field guides to plants, or birds, or whatever your special interest is

· notebooks to draw or write about what you see

· a sack to tote home treasures in

· and most importantly, your curiosity!

How can you bring more home without making a mess? Have a pretty basket outside under the eaves that is just for these treasures. We put our treasures in it and return them to nature the next time we go out. For instance, if Haley found a huge leaf she couldn’t leave (pun intended), she brings it home and puts in our treasure basket along with Kiley’s rock, Dessa’s feather, and Luke and Jay’s inevitable sticks. The next day, or the next time we take a walk, we each take our treasures out and deposit them somewhere. You can add a rock to the driveway, throw the leaf away, and the boys can add the sticks to their pile up in the trees – where they carefully keep their 50 or so favorite sticks. I tell them these walks are “No Deposit No Return.” If you don’t empty the basket you can’t bring anything home. Do these treasures ever make it indoors? Only if we are making a display and bringing a taste of the outside in.

A nature walk is so much more than science. It is a joyful time, anxieties seem to fall by the wayside and I can focus on my children and delight in the simple things. We find so many things to praise Him for, not only in His creation but for the many blessings in our lives. When I walk outdoors I am not surprised that Jesus went to a mountain to pray. Of course, He was alone and He wasn’t a mother, but I can pray and walk with my children beside me. The reality is if I was only able to pray when I was alone, I wouldn’t pray very often.

Thoreau talked about sauntering. This is a nature walk! Walking with the sole intent being to discover whatever is in front of your eyes that you are usually too busy to see. The sauntering we do brings to our attention “new” wildflowers, a lovely butterfly, or an eagle flying overhead (one time we saw four of them over the lake). Sauntering results in finding beauty in beetles. They are kind of fun to watch but I don’t usually make time to watch. Sauntering results in seeing the things that are around me every day in a new way: the way the rain splashes on the water; the sweet way my seven-year-old says “actually,” the bits of older boy peeking through what my nine-year old does, and the lovely young ladies my girls are becoming. Sauntering is good for the soul: mine and my children’s.

What you see on a natural history walk changes with the seasons. There is always something new. Get outdoors and search out the wonders to be found in plain view!

“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:26

Creation vs. Evolution

2009-10-21T09:25:00.002-04:00

In the unending quest of challenging our children to have an answer for those tough questions, I recently came across a "new-to-me" site.
I haven't had the pleasure of perusing all the archives, so I am not stating that I stand behind everything that they have written, but from what I have seen so far, it is fabulous.

Real Science--Are you reading and studying about real science in your homeschool this year? Become informed about the controversy and the arguments, not for the sake of argument but for the sake of giving your children an education whose foundation is truth, not conjecture. Learn some real science and be enlightened to the truth--the whole truth!

They also have a home school corner which a plethora of free resources and downloadable e-books.

Plant and animal cells

2009-09-21T22:14:00.000-04:00

There's nothing better than live plant and animal cell animation...go check it out for this week's science memory work. :)

Cells Alive - Plant and animal cell animation

The Biology Corner - plant and animal coloring sheets

A wonderful site for printable worksheets.
Plant and Animal Cell worksheets

Free Lapbooks - Ancient Egypt

2009-09-18T08:15:00.003-04:00

For many homeschoolers, we desire to do all the fun, creative hands on projects, but time gets in the way.
A wonderful resource for lapbooks is the Homeschool Share site.
Have fun browsing all the remarkable resources that have been put together through a wealth of creativity.

Free for your use is an Ancient Egypt Unit Study to go along with our studies.

The Euphrates Today

2009-09-07T20:47:00.002-04:00

Here is a New York Times article on the current state of the Euphrates River as it shrinks. As we study Africa and the Middle East, I love to show kids interesting real life pictures of the areas as well as just the maps. It takes teaching geography to a new level.

Iraq Suffers as the Euphrates River Dwindles

Making Books with Kids

2009-09-04T11:22:00.002-04:00

Susan Gaylord offers an amazing site for making books with children. I just love all the ideas she gives for making books with kids and she has detailed instructions, along with a blog, where she has additional tutorials.
Enjoy some of her free activities below.

Free Activities

Weather Unit Study for Kids

2009-08-28T07:34:00.002-04:00

All About Weather

from BrandenburgStudies

Debbie Brandenburg from BrandenburgStudies is giving away this excellent E-Book, including the Test Booklet and Answer Key!

No matter where you live or who you are, the weather affects your life. From the high humidity and heat indexes, to frozen weather, weather is all around you. In this unit you will learn about:

-What is Weather?

-Weather Basics

-Cloud Formations

-Seasons

-Storms of Every Type

Grab this amazing freebie offer while you can by clicking HERE to go to the download page.

Thank you, Old School House Mag. Friday Freebie

Ancient Egypt - sites for children

2009-08-20T17:11:00.005-04:00

As I am preparing for our Classical Conversations Cycle 1 year to begin. I have found some wonderful Ancient Egypt sites that will be a blast for the kids. I have an entire file that I will slowly be updating to this site, so check back as I have time to upload these resources.

1. Ancient Egypt - Guardian Egypt
An amazing site with everything imaginable about Ancient Egypt.
In the site owner's words, "Now, through the marvel of modern technology, you can visit Egypt, both past and present! You can actually "surf" the ancient world! Here are my Egypt pages which provide great pictures, facts and information about Egypt, and offer many links to Egyptology and Egypt resources throughout the Internet.

2. Tour Egypt - kids on tour in Egypt

3. A huge variety of Ancient Egypt printables including lesson plans, acrostic poems. word scrambles, venn diagrams and more.

All You magazine deal: 2 years for $16

2009-07-22T14:02:00.002-04:00

I receive many questions at my Balancing Beauty and Bedlam blog inquiring as to where I find all of my coupons. I realize that needs to be an upcoming post because I don't just find them in the Sunday paper. I print them off of my blog side bar, look through magazines, order them from Ebay (yes...a great secret - I'll give tips) and I LOVE clipping them from All you magazine.

Some of you may have seen All you, sold exclusively at Walmart. I recently had a friend ask what the abbreviation AY meant when she saw it on various couponing sites, like a Full Cup.
It stands for the All You magazine and it's full off great, frugal, family friendly ideas. I referred her to their website which was selling one year's subscription for $20. Well, when blogger Southern Fried Gal @ SouthernFriedDreams.blogspot.com emailed me and offered me a two year deal, I knew I wanted to share it with you. She's saving me an entire year's subscription.

The problem is that this deal is only good through the end of the month, and you need to take advantage of it through my blog, not their home site.

Now through the end of the month (July 30), you can get a 2 year subscription to All You magazine for $16! For those that need someone to due the math that is only $0.67 per issue. Use one coupon, and you've paid for it. Try and get the order in early, in case you have any problems.

Sneak a peek: Coupons in the August issue!

To order, please visit Carmella’s personal Southern Living at Home website

- you must use this link to get the discounted price.

Click on Our Products then How To Purchase
Type in Balancing in the hostess first name field then click Continue
Select Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

In the search box type 40776 then click GO
Click on All You Personal Subscription then Select this Item
Then just follow the screens through checkout!

It takes 8-12 weeks to receive your first issue once you see your payment post to your account. Typically those that order in July should receive their first issue in mid-to-late September.

DISCOUNT NOTE: The total will show $19.95 at checkout and on your invoice. Your discount adjustment will be made after you checkout but before your card is charged, and the final amount charged will be $16.00. This is because Carmella is offering the discount as an independent consultant. It is not at the corporate level, so the automatic response will not reflect the discount.

Answers to FAQ’s

1. This is for a 24-issue/2-year subscription to ALL YOU. To verify, you can BROWSE the full catalog from Our Products and turn to Page 79 for the full description.

2. The magazine will ship to the name/address you supply in the order. There are no additional shipping fees or taxes. Please DO NOT SELECT THE DIRECT SHIP OPTION during checkout.

3. If you want to order as a gift, please fill in the name address for the person to whom you are sending please email Carmella (j.fryar@comcast.net) to let her know your name and the name you are sending to so payment can be reconciled.

4. To renew a current subscription, follow order procedures and be sure to enter your name and address exactly as it appears on your current subscription.

5. Please pay with a credit card during checkout. Please do not click submit more than once as this can cause multiple charges.

6. If you get a server error, please send Carmella an email so she can remove the corrupt record and then you can submit your order.

7. After you see your payment post with your card issuer you should be able to track the status of your subscription shortly thereafter using ALL YOU online customer service at www.allyou.com/customerservice. Depending on where ALL YOU is in their label printing process it can take 3 months to receive your first issue.

8. Because this is such a great offer, no refunds can be issued once the order has been submitted.

For questions or assistance with placing your order, please contact Carmella at j.fryar@comcast.net.

Free Home Schooling downloads

2009-07-08T13:35:00.002-04:00

I know how much we home schoolers love to find free resources all in one place.
My friend, Joy from the Five J's, has a plethora of one stop wonders on her blog.

She has categorized them by subject to meet all your needs.

Make sure you thank her for all her hard work. :)

Foundations Revisions for Cycle One

2009-06-21T21:03:00.002-04:00

This post is specifically for those families taking place in Classical Conversation's Foundations Program.
This is the list of Memory Work revisions that took place when editing Foundations Manual Edition 2 to the newly released edition 3.

Free Unit Study - Book of Virtues

2009-06-15T15:35:00.002-04:00

I just got a head's up from HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com
about this amazing resource being offered for free.
The generosity of home school mom, Patty Thompson, is amazing.

This week's Subscriber Exclusive is an outstanding
Unit Study Companion to William Bennett's "The Book of Virtues",
created especially for home schoolers by Patty Thompson.

Each of the ten units in this 992 page study companion
(TOLD you it was HUGE!) covers 10 of the stories/poems/essays
that are included in the Book of Virtues. Each story has
worksheets, notebook pages, vocabulary, character study sheets,
copywork, 1-2 projects (plus a long-term project) and a Lapbook
with an optional unit wrap up activity. And to top it off there's
a full lesson plan for older kids, and a separate one for
primary aged children.

The Book of Virtues Project (at Shriver Academy blog)

Check it out... it is a wonderful character building resource
that can be tweaked and used for all ages. All you need to go
along with it is a copy of Bennett's original "Book of Virtues"... and
that can be found el cheapo - like 99 cents - on ebay, etc.
It is a WONDERFUL book, by the way, and all home school families
ought to have a copy.

Father's Day Coupon Book

2009-06-13T18:07:00.005-04:00

Harris Teeter Triple Coupons -

2009-05-26T20:52:00.003-04:00

Here are some great buys at Harris Teeter this week...
Prices will vary

Pringles Potato Crisps Super Stack 6.38 oz 1.50
Use 0.50/1 5/17 PG
Final FREE

Tabasco Sauce 24oz 1.00
Use .75/1 5/17 SS ; .50/1 4/26 and 5/17 SS
Final FREE

French's Spicy Brown or Yellow Mustard 12oz $1.69
Use .75/1 5/10 SS
Final FREE

Mahatma Rice 5 oz packet (buy 2) .89 each, 2 for 1.78
Use .75/2 RP 3/1 RP or 4/26 RP
Final FREE

Edge Advanced shave gel (trial size) $ 1.50
Use . 75/1 5/17 SS
Final: FREE

McCormick Spices Anything under $2.25
Use .75/1 4/5 RP
Final Free

Heluva Good Dips $2.19
Use .75/1 5/17 SS
Final FREE

Tabasco Pepper or Habanero Sauce 2oz $1.00
Use .75/1 5/17 SS
Final FREE

New York Texas Toast - Cheese $1.69 BOGO,
Use .75/1 5/17 SS
Final FREE

New York Rolls - Diabatta with Cheese $1.69 BOGO
Use .75/1 5/17 SS
Final FREE

Smucker's Toppings - marshmallow $2.19
Use .75/1 5/17 RP
Final FREE

Smucker's Breakfast Syrup - Low Calorie $1.99
Use .75/1 5/17 RP
Final FREE

Suave AntiPerspirant & Deodorant $1.77
Use .75/1 5/17 RP
Final FREE

Trident Gum single packs, all under $1.50
Use .75/1 5/10 SS
Final FREE

SuperPretzel Baked Soft Pretzels $1.44 BOGO
Use .75/1 5/10 RP
Final FREE

Luigi's Real Italian Ice $1.87 BOGO
Use .75/1 5/10 RP
Final FREE

Kraft Barbecue Sauce $0.74
Use .75/1 5/03 SS or $1/my coupon widget
Final FREE

Hot Pockets Brand Panini, $2.00
Use .75/1 4/26 SS
Final FREE

Skintimate Shave Gel $2.00
Use .75/1 4/26 SS
Final FREE

Ortega Refried Beans $1.00
Use 0.75/2 4/19 SS
Final FREE

Ortega Seasoning Mix Fajita or Taco $0.80
Use 0.75/2 4/19 SS
Final FREE

Lawry's 30 Minute Marinade $1.49 BOGO
Use.50/1 05/17 RP
Final FREE

Buy One Get One Deals
You do not need to buy two. They ring up at 1/2 price & these are based on one item)

Glass Plus (32-oz.), $2.79
$0.50/1 Glass Plus Product, SS 3/22
FREE after coupons!

Spray n’ Wash (22-oz.), $3.29
$0.50/1 Spray n’ Wash, SS 5/3
$0.75/1 Spray n’ Wash with Resolve Power printable
FREE after coupons!

Thomas English Muffins (6-ct.), $2.99
$0.50/1 Thomas English Muffins SS 5/3
FREE after coupons!

Easter Egg traditions

2009-04-01T23:52:00.005-04:00

Confetti-Cascarones – No one is sure if this tradition came from Renaissance Italy or Mexico’s Empress Carlota, but it sure is fun to crack confetti-filled eggshells on the heads of unsuspecting family members. Start saving egg shells a week before Easter so you are sure to have enough. Tap the narrow end gently and break an opening the size of a dime or a nickel. Empty the contents into a bowl to use later and clean the inside of the shells with lightly running water.

Let them dry and decorate them with paint, markers or some traditional egg dyes. When completely dry, use a funnel to fill them with confetti and seal the end with a bit of colored tissue paper, using a brush to paint on watered-down glue. Be sure and have your camera ready to capture the fun this delightful Easter tradition will create as every family member takes a crack at it.

Free Spanish lessons

2009-03-27T11:44:00.000-04:00

Since our younger children are enjoying some fun Spanish classes, I knew you would all be interested in this wonderful opportunity.

LearnSpanishToday.com offers 11 free online Spanish lessons called Visual Link Spanish™. These lessons teach beginning sentence structure and conversation in an easy way.

Enjoy this freebie.
(thnx Old Schoolhouse)

Monthly meal plan

2009-03-08T21:32:00.005-04:00

Check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for the link to all these recipes and more!

Tradition ideas for St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-06T12:36:00.007-05:00

Teachinging Children to pray

2009-02-27T05:32:00.002-05:00

Teaching our kids to pray is a very vital part of our parenting. Home schooling and prayer go hand in hand, don't they?
There are many free resources to use when teaching about prayer. It has been a blessing for our family to grow in this area, and hopefully these are a few resources that can help all of us in this process.

Teach Us To Pray has some really cute activities to help reinforce prayer. Here is a tutorial on how to make a Prayer Jar. Make your own Prayer Jigsaw Puzzle, or Scripture Flipper. Here is a huge collection of prayer coloring sheets.

Have you heard of Prepare and Pray? This is a curriculum geared toward teaching real life skills while acknowledging God as the true source of our well being. Here is a sample chapter of the Prepare and Pray Curriculum. They also have a sample chapter available for their Blessed Assurance Curriculum.

Thank you to the Old School House Magazine for providing this info. :)

Valentine's Day ideas

2009-02-11T13:38:00.005-05:00

(Click the sweet girl below to download the hearts of loving kindness tradition detailed below, the love muffin recipe, 10 things I love about you, and directions to make your very own love journal. These will print out ready to give as a sweet little gift, so using cardstock works well.)

Hearts of Loving Kindness – Use pretty hearts during the month of February to teach the value of loving kindness to the loved ones in your life. Find a small box or jar and decorate it (invite your children to help) any way you want: with stickers, artwork, photos or a big red ribbon. Place all of the hearts inside and tell your family members what it’s all about.

Every time you see someone doing something kind for someone else, write their name and what they did on a heart. String it up on a ribbon and hang it in the kitchen or family room for all to see. You can put four to six hearts on a ribbon by cutting a slit at the top and bottom of the heart and slipping each heart up the ribbon and then tie a knot at the top of the heart to hold it in place. The more hearts your family sees dangling, the more they will want to add to the festive display.

You will have plenty of opportunities during the month to talk about how and why we do things for others simply out of the "kindness of our hearts." Make it a family tradition to focus on the value of loving kindness every February and be sure to preserve those precious memories in a Valentine’s Day Book with a photo of family members holding their Hearts of Loving Kindness.

SEE Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for more tradition ideas

McDonald's/Panera shares frugal delights

2009-01-27T18:19:00.001-05:00

This is a duplicate post brought to you from Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Even though I shared my 14 year old Burger of a Lifetime post with you, I also stated that I was back to my old sinful ways.

Somehow, teen boys who down 4 double cheeseburgers at a sitting without thinking something is terribly wrong with that, has changed my perspective. (Hint, guys...does the word gluttony mean anything to you...?) Honestly, the dollar menu can be my best friend - perspective, I tell you.

So in honor of all things frugal, have you heard the news posted multiple places on the web?

Yes, I am off to make sure that every McDonald's within a 30 mile radius is offering these delights, and if not...I will be talking to the manager, ever so sweetly that is. :) I will be buying up MANY coupon booklets...won't you join me?

Here's the scoop:

Many McDonald's around the country now have Valentine's coupon booklets available. Priced at $1 at most locations, each coupon booklet contains 12 coupons for free items:

3 free hamburgers
3 free small cones
3 free apple dippers or small fry
3 free apple juice or milk jug

These are redeemable at any participating McDonald's from February 14 to May 15, 2009. Please note that they are redeemable only by children ages 12 and under with a limit of one coupon per customer per visit.
*************************************************
Another heads up from Money Saving Mom:

Tomorrow (Wednesday, January 28, 2009) Panera Bread stores across the nation are offering free coffee all day long and free samples of their new breakfast items.

You may want to give a quick call before you drive out of your way to make sure that your local store is participating.

Best ever Spelling Site

2009-01-20T07:47:00.004-05:00

This is one of the best spelling sites that I have come across, and it's FREE!!

SPELLING CITY offers you the capability of typing in all of your spelling lists.
It teaches, tests, and has games galore to trick your kids into thinking they are having fun. :)

I use it for my 5 year old with her sight words, and have even insisted that my teen refreshes his spelling with some advanced vocabulary words.

Enjoy - I have made it a regular part of our school day for those times when I just need a little distraction.

*make sure you set up a user account so that you can save all of our spelling lists. Great for weekly review.

Free Art ideas for the kids

2009-01-16T09:26:00.004-05:00

If you have a budding artist in your family, then you will love this week's freebies!

Kinder Art is the place to go when looking for ways to teach art to your kids.
You can choose from Art History and Appreciation, painting lessons, artistic snacks, and many others! All of these free lessons have step by step instructions for the youngest child in your home to the oldest.

Thank you Homeschool Magazine for pointing me to this resource.

Largest full moon of 2009 this weekend

2009-01-10T09:07:00.000-05:00

NASA Science News for January 8, 2009

The biggest full Moon of 2009 is coming this weekend. It's a 'perigee Moon' as much as 30% brighter than lesser Moons we'll see in the months ahead. Get ready for moonlight!
FULL STORY CLICK HERE

Check out our RSS feed at http://science. nasa.gov/ rss.xml!

The Atoms Family - activites/song

2009-01-08T14:09:00.005-05:00

Many of you asked for the words to the song that I sang on Atoms ("family").
This site has some great print offs and activities that go along with our Physical Science subject matter.

The Atoms Family activities

Atoms Family
I used this worksheet (created by Kathleen Crawford, 1994)
to introduce atoms to my students. It really makes it easier for the students to remember the charges of protons, neutrons & electrons and where they are located in the atom. The kids also have fun singing "The Atoms Family." :)

I can't wait to see which precious parent will delight us with this wonderful snack creation!

Atoms Family Atomic Math Challenge
Atoms Family Challenge
This worksheet (created by Kathleen Crawford, 1994) builds on the atoms family album. This has the students determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in various elements. It's fairly simple but the kids really get the hang of it!

EDIBLE ATOM snack idea:
Printable Version for your convenience!

Supplies:
Lots of candy...
Large sugar cookies, M&M's, skittles, marshmallows, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, sprinkles, frosting, popcorn, raisins, jelly beans, plates, napkins, milk (optional)etc.

Set the candy in bowls at different stations in your room or on each lab table. The object of this lab is for students to choose an element from the periodic table and design the atom complete with protons, neutrons, electrons and if you get really crazy you can have them add mesons, quarks and gluons. I found that if you limit them to any element with an atomic number of 8 or less it makes the lab work much smoother.

Before the student atom creation can be eaten, the student must make a labeled drawing of their atom and give all information of the element on a 3x5 index card. (Atomic Number, Atomic Mass, Symbol, Element Name, 1 use for the element, metal, non-metal, or metalloid) After you check that all info is correct... then it's eat 'em up time.

My kids loved this lesson. They never had so much fun learning about atoms and elements. You could also do this type of lesson with molecules.

Start the New Year Right!

2009-01-02T13:41:00.003-05:00

New Year's Eve Fun!!

2008-12-26T10:01:00.002-05:00

With New Year's Eve right around the corner, plan a celebration that your family will remember for years to come! Family Fun has lots of ideas about throwing the best New Year's Eve slumber party! Start with Sleeping Bag Invitations to let your family members know there's a party coming! Have fun and make some Homemade Noise Makers, Party Hats, and a Clock Face Pinata. Serve up some Caramel Apple Cider, Maple Hot Chocolate, Confetti Cake, Pigs In a Blanket, or some Edible Party Hats. Make sure that you include some fun games and how about a balloon drop?

Thanks to The Old School House Magazine for perusing Family Fun Magazine!

A mini-study of Christmas

2008-12-07T22:13:00.002-05:00

Are you desiring to do something a little different with your home schooling this December? Then enjoy this wonderful unit study on one of the most wonderful times of the year.
To view the entire unit study, click on the icon below.

From your friends at
Home School in the Woods!

What time of year brings more joy to a family than Christmas?
And while we are preparing our homes for the holiday, what an awesome opportunity is provided to turn it into a learning experience! Christmas is full of "teachable moments," bringing the history of the holiday and the possibilities it holds to life!

Black Friday at the Old School House Magazine

2008-11-25T22:19:00.002-05:00

To my friends that home school, are thinking of home schooling, or are just plain curious...
this is for you!
The first and only home schooling magazine that I have ever subscribed to is slashing their prices...BIG TIME during their Black Friday Sale, Nov. 26-30.
For those 5 days only, they are drastically reducing their one-year subscription price to
$7.95! That's the price you would usually pay for just one issue at a
bookstore! You know how thrifty I am, and I paid $30 some dollars a few years back for my annual subscription. It was WORTH EVERY PENNY!
SO PICK ME UP OFF THE FLOOR when they said $7.95!

And not only that, but one fortunate commenter on my blog will be winning their brand new e-book called,""What About Socialization? Dispelling the Myths."
You know the socialization issue is not true, your kids know it's not true, but those poor people who know nothing about home schooling don't realize that most of us have home schooled kids that are WAY OVER SOCIALIZED! :)
So dispel that myth!
Leave me a comment at my Balancing Beauty and Bedlam blog to enter, and/or mention this post on your blog and you'll be entered twice.
My Classical Conversations mom....to leave a comment for the free give away, just click on "post a comment" at the end of the post (over at Beauty and Bedlam), then just click anonymous. You can then leave a comment in the box...just sign your name so I know who to enter.
Below are the sale details.
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Don't follow in my "Queen of Procrastination" footsteps by forgetting about this offer. For less than the cost of two Venti Lattes, you will be blessed in your parenting all year long.
You will receive practical tips and Biblical encouragement to
keep going strong in your commitment to homeschooling and to the Lord.

Since it's a quarterly magazine, they even have a monthly subscriber's
only E-Newsletter called Teacher's Toolbox that will give you seasonal
teaching ideas and a free E-Book download! It's like joining a unit study
of the month club! The free E-Books alone are valued at almost $250/year.
It's really perfect for people who are homeschooling on a shoestring or
just wanting to add in some little extras to your teaching.

Mark your calendars for November 26 - 30th and do a little shopping from
your seat, not your feet at the Schoolhouse Store's Black Friday Sale!

www.TheOldSchoolhouseStore.com

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

2008-11-21T23:15:00.002-05:00

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott

In this delightful short story, the author of “Little Women” tells this classic tale that re-captures the celebration of Thanksgiving as it was
observed in the early 1820s in rural New England. It is a tale full of family, fun, humor, long-lost traditions, and the smells and tastes of a Thanksgiving day “way back when”.

Enjoy reading this sweet story....just click this link for the PDF file.

Thanksgiving Art project for the week

2008-11-20T12:59:00.003-05:00

	Thanksgiving Turkey Free Paper Model/ Paper Craft
Build a Turkey for Thanksgiving! Only one page to print! This is perfect for the days off if school next week, when you need something to keep the kiddos busy, or in my case, when I need to count "art or history" as a subject for the day. :) Use as home/table decor or write your name on the tail feathers for a place card! Easy to cut out and glue together. There is a full color version and a color me version. Have a fun and happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Turkey

Free Paper Model/

Paper Craft

Build a Turkey for Thanksgiving!
Only one page to print! This is perfect for the days off if school next week, when you need something to keep the kiddos busy, or in my case, when I need to count "art or history" as a subject for the day. :)

Use as home/table decor or write your name on the tail feathers for a place card! Easy to cut out and glue together. There is a full color version and a color me version.

Have a fun and happy Thanksgiving!!

	Free Thanksgiving Turkey Paper Model in Color
	Free Thanksgiving Turkey BW Color Me Paper Model Coloring Version
	Instructions for Paper Model Thanksgiving Turkey

Presidents notebook/lapbook

2008-11-08T21:24:00.001-05:00

As our holiday break is drawing near, I thought you all may like some fun "hands on," yet incredibly educational, ideas to implement during our break from Foundations. When we return in January, our time line memory work should be completed (right? ;), and we will be on to memorizing the Presidents. Enjoy a few presents about the Presidents...don't you all just appreciate my presence? hee hee xoxox

Notebook pages:
Here are some free samples of the Presidents notebooking pages (pre-made forms for your student to use in creating their notebook pages) located here: http://www.notebook ingpages. com/gallery/ american_ presidents. html
This is the George Washington page.
These are very easy to use because they choose the style page they want to use and fill in the information. It appears this set is designed so that you can make it as a complete book of Presidents. If you are going to study every president then that will be extremely helpful. If you are only going to choose a few presidents to study, then you could use only the pages you need.

Presidents ~ Lapbook and Notebook Resources

This is a wonderful site where you will find thousands of free downloadable PDF's, click here

Suggestion for President Notebook:
Buy a three ring binder and cardstock paper. Hole punch the cardstock (3 holes per page). Use one piece of cardstock for each president. Use the layer book for each president and then choose some of the general minit books to complete your page. You could also cut out pictures of historical events related to the president and paste on the page.

I am overwhelmed thinking of doing all the presidents, so I will only be choosing the presidents that line up with our CC curriculum/history sentences and/or time period.

Example:

For George Washington’s page – complete the layer book and first lady book. You could fill the rest of the page with pictures of Mount Vernon, a dollar bill, and Washington state.

On the back of each page, you could have your child complete copywork pertaining to the president (famous quotes, pieces of famous speeches, quotes about that president, etc.). Instead of copywork, a student could draw a presidential portrait. You can even mix the two ideas (or add your own) to add variety to your notebook.

Note: Some of the general mini books are similar in nature in order to provide you with more options as you notebook your way through the presidents.

Here is a sample of a President Lapbook
(photos contributed by Heather L.)

Mr. Skeleton

2008-10-25T16:33:00.003-04:00

This information was taken from a new blog that I just came across called Homemade Homeschoolers. How perfect that they are sharing a free 5 foot long skeleton "unit" study, to accompany our human body weeks.
They mentioned that I should go tell my friends, so I am...you!
Thank you so much, Homemade Homeschoolers, for sharing your hard work.
Go on over to their blog and give them some comment love. :)

(taken from their blog)

Mr. Skeleton and Osteology

We have a fun craft project that we are giving away FREE this week! Mr. Skeleton is about 5 feet tall and very easy (and cheap) to make! We have had one in my parent’s home that I can remember hanging every Halloween as a child. My mother informed me yesterday that that particular skeleton has hung around for 36 years! Even your youngest can easily participate in this craft and it can be a keepsake tradition for your family. For the older kids, I thought that it would be an opportune time for learning the real names of all those bones. So, I have gathered some links to learn the names and test them as well.

Vocabulary

Defining terms you will be using throughout a study is a great way to introduce vocabulary words and an important part in understanding new concepts. Besides the names of the bones, there are some other terms you may encounter. Have your kids take turns looking these up in a dictionary as a good way to develop dictionary skills as well as finding the answers. You can look in an online dictionary, but I prefer the paper version to teach the kids research skills. My kids write vocabulary words on index cards (word on one side, definition on the other), to use as flashcards throughout the study.

osteology, joint, tendon, ligament, axial, appendicular, irregular, sesamoid

Naming the Bones

Next, I would learn the names of the bones. My favorite is a cute, but very informative movie at Science With Me. You must register on their site, but it is completely free and well worth it. To see the skeleton movie, go to animations and click on Stanley the Skeleton. Turn up the volume and enjoy. I think this works well even for older kids, but, if yours want something more “grown-up”, there is a labelled diagram of the skeleton you can use. I would label index cards with the names of the bones, mix them up, and have the kids lay them out as though they were building a skeleton. Breaking them up into groups can also help. The two groups of bones, based upon where they are located, are Axial and Appendicular. The five types of bones, based upon their shape, are Long, Short, Flat, Irregular, and Sesamoid.

Once they have the names down pretty well, there are some good links to interactive skeletons to test themselves and solidify their learning.

BBC Interactive Body has a Skeleton Game.
Get Body Smart has an Interactive Skeletal System.
Label the bones on this animation.

There are also free printable worksheets available at Science With Me and Lesson Tutor.

Here is your FREE skeleton craft:

Mr. Skeleton Pdf Just right-click and save to your computer! Tell your friends!!

Seeing the Whole Symphony

2008-10-22T14:40:00.003-04:00

Studying the human body stimulates a whole new world in understanding our five senses.
This was fascinating, and shows the majesty of our Creator...in every minute detail.
Taken from
Seeing the Whole Symphony.
Ideal for our older children, but powerful enough to compel me to watch the first clip...twice...
to absorb it all.
When you click on the link, the first sentence clearly shows the bias of an evolutionary presupposition, but don't let that distract you from the gem.
This first snippet hooked me from the start.

The splendor of a star-filled sky pales in comparison to what human vision
is unable to record about the Universe.
This site provides a striking aural analogy to the impoverished view our eyes provide.

Change places for a day

2008-10-18T00:01:00.001-04:00

For an interesting and memorable evening change places (literally) at the dinner table one night. Pick one family member (such as Mom) to be the subject for the evening and have everyone else take turns saying what they think it would feel like to be Mom.

Comments will range from “Mom loves to cook our favorite foods” to “Mom is always happy” to “Mom can be mean and put me in time out.” This makes it easier for Mom to set the record straight and share how she really feels about her role and relationships in the family.

She should be honest and talk about how she works hard to make everything good for the family and that sometimes she feels sad, frustrated, angry and tired too. These discussions can be eye-openers for the little ones who aren’t yet able to see past their own world and for adults to realize that others don’t know how we feel unless we tell them

Character Building

2008-10-17T09:54:00.008-04:00

Weekly Inspirations:
A Lesson in Honesty
When I ever I speak on building character in one's children, my home evolves into one mad science lab where my children are the guinea pigs, and I am the wicked scientist whose head unfortunately detaches itself multiple times during the course of the week.
This was one of those weeks, and without fail, we had a few of those moments (hmm...I think I call them bedlam moments).
Less you think I didn't share them with the ladies that I spoke to.....I did.....our family virtue is honesty, so how horrible would that be if I didn't share from the heart. :)

As I have mentioned before, our family focuses on one specific character quality a month. I realized that I have been lax in bringing some hands on activities for you to implement with your own family. I love to refer to them as "tools of intentionality."
These are just a sampling of things that we do, but they can be a helpful jumping off point in furthering the character development of your family.

I have a PDF file for you to download with five wonderful activities. These are NOT just for children. I have dinner conversation starters, fabulous recipe to begin to encourage children to express their feelings, as well as some ideas for expressing those spontaneous gestures of love.
Please feel free to share this with your Moms' group, bible study etc, and send them back to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for more ideas.
I am going to prioritize adding simple, yet meaningful tradition ideas to help take the Chaos out of the Christmas count down, and focus on the things that are the most important.

Please don't get overwhelmed. It only take one simple tradition executed purposefully to create those memory moments that you desire for your home.

Click the link below to print the activity cards. I couldn't figure out how to create it's own separate page, so you will need to back space back to my site....sorry.

Healthy Home Habits - Honesty Activities

Teaching Honesty

"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." Thomas

Many of us are honest with others but not always honest with ourselves,
or how we represent ourselves to other people. We are afraid that if we reveal
how we really think or feel, others will not like us. Since authenticity (being true to who are)
is the foundation for all good relationships, this is one of those important life lessons
that will impact your child’s happiness throughout their lifetime.

We need to teach the little people in our lives that it is okay to express their true feelings,
as long as they do it in respectful and constructive ways. Young children naturally say
what they feel and think, but they learn early in life that many emotions are “bad,” so they begin to lie in order to hide those “bad” feelings.

We mustn’t forget that we cannot always control our feelings. They come and they go.
We can, however, control our behavior, and we can CHOOSE how we respond.
Make it clear to your children that no one
else “makes” them behave in a certain way. How they behave is their own choice and responsibility, no one else’s. As they express themselves, use this as a precious
opportunity to dig into their heart, and begin meaningful conversation about what the root of their "feelings" are. Many times with my younger ones, the "I want this" response comes to light. What a wonderful time to begin directing them back to all the things that they can be grateful for. The attitude of Gratitude, even in the midst of disappointing situations, is a key focus area with our kids. And yep...it's our November virtue, so I can't wait to share more. :)

Weekly Inspirations:
A Lesson in Feelings
Teaching children to identify feelings can be a challenge. Here is the story of one child's enthusiasm for the Happy/Sad pumpkin activity :

“Last October’s packet had the pumpkin face - remember those? Well, we used them to help Ryan (just turned 3) understand that we were happy or sad when he did something. We explained that if he did something that made us happy, he would get a happy pumpkin to put up on the door of our pantry for all to see. If he did something that made us sad, then he would get a sad pumpkin and he was supposed to stop doing that action.

He loved getting the pumpkins that were happy and would even ask for them if he knew he was making us happy and we forgot to hand one out. He also would run away if he saw us coming with a sad pumpkin. We also told him he could give out pumpkins if someone was making him happy and sad. He loved running after his older brother with a sad pumpkin just for fun. It was quite hilarious.

Here is the funny part: One morning when Claire was about 4 months old I got up to take a shower and she and Ryan were still sleeping. After a while Ryan comes in the bathroom and very sternly, hands on hips says, ’How many does it take to stop her?!’ I rush out of the shower, not understanding what he was talking about and fearing something not good, and find Claire with 7 sad pumpkins taped to her and she was crying her head off in her basinet and of course Ryan was entering the bedroom with yet another sad pumpkin.

He said he kept giving her sad pumpkins but she just wouldn’t stop crying. I almost died laughing and had to explain that we don’t tape things to the baby but couldn’t resist giving him a great big hug for trying to help his sister stop crying. Of course he asked for his happy face to hang up."
~ Jeanette Sampson

More Tradition ideas for October:
We don't celebrate Halloween as a holiday - we focus on the "fall aspect," but many of you do, and there are a variety of fun activities. I love the Walk your Worries Away idea at the very end.

	Host a Pumpkin-Carving Contest – With neighbors, friends or family, host an annual pumpkin-carving contest. Invite judges to select the winners and prepare some fun Halloween ribbons to hand out. Try black construction paper ribbons with an orange pumpkin on top where you can write the category. The scariest, the silliest, the most original or just the best all around, are all examples of great awards. Everyone in the family will want to help choose and carve the “family pumpkin.” After the awards ceremony, bring out your Halloween refreshments and watch a spooky movie together! Don’t forget to take photos to add to your Halloween Album.!
Musical Costumes – This tradition puts a new spin on a favorite childhood game—musical chairs. It’s perfect for an adult Halloween party. Invite each person to bring acostume in a brown bag. Everyone takes a seat and places their own bag under a chair.Turn on some spooky Halloween music and play a game of musical chairs (with a chair foreach person). When the music stops, each guest must take the brown bag from underneath their chair and wear the costume that’s inside for the rest of the evening. Your guests will bring outrageous costumes because they know they won’t have to wear them. Be preparedfor an evening full of laughter. Year after year, this tradition becomes more hilarious as your guests bring wilder costumes.!
H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N H is for haunted houses ::A is for apple picking :: L is for looking for treats ::L is for listening to spooky stories :: O is for October harvest ::W is for wicked witches ::E is for eerie ghosts :: E is for eating lots of candy ::N is for neighborhood haunting. Gather your family to create spooky, funny or cute Halloween poems. Have each personread their poem aloud during dinner or at your Halloween party. Once your poems are perfected, type them on the computer in a Halloween-looking script on ivory paper. Then collage the poems onto one sheet and feature this keepsake in a black frame sitting out among the Halloween décor for all to see each year.!
	Spooky Spiders & Creepy Crawlers – Start a new Halloween tradition and bake a scary cake using a mix or one of your favorite recipes. Once the cake is baked, frost it with dark chocolate frosting and sprinkle crumbled chocolate wafers over it. This layer will transform the cake into the “dirt” grounds of a cemetery. Insert shortbread cookie tombstones with various messages like “BOO” or “RIP”written with frosting. Add whatever little plastic (or edible) spooky spiders and creepy crawlers you can find at your local craft store, and you’ll be sure to raise the dead. Once the cake is sliced and served, each person not only receives a delicious treat, but a delightful scare!
Costume Memory Game – Go through your old Halloween photos and set aside any that show family members or friends dressed up in sweet, hilarious or spooky costumes. Make copies of every photo you want to use, cut them into identical rectangles (maybe 2” x 2”) and create a memory game your children will never get tired of. Older children can make this game for the smaller ones, or Mom can make it for all to enjoy. Roast some pumpkin seeds and work on the game together. You can add new photos each year. If you don’t remember how to play the game, it’s pretty simple. Place all cards on the table, face down in even rows, and take turns turning two over at a time as you try to find pairs. Whoever has the most pairs when the cards have all been picked up is the winner. This will soon become a family favorite and your children will ask to play it over and over again.
Walk Away Your Worries – The fall is a wonderful time to take a walk amongst the brilliant colors of the fallen leaves and breathe in the crisp air which has settled in behind the hot summer months. Plan an annual family walk where you leave your worries behind by picking up a pile of leaves, sharing what your worry is about and then throwing them in the air as you walk away. As you continue forward, talk about all the things that are fantastic in your life and only stop when you need to pick up a new pile of leaves, describe a worry, throw them in the air and walk away.

The Anti-Slavery Alphabet

2008-10-11T16:35:00.003-04:00

Here's a link from the Gutenberg Project that I found fascinating.
I have included just a bit to give you a glimpse into what it is shown on this site.
When our children arrive at the Civil War era in terms of our memory work/Veritas Press time line cards, I know this will open up enormous avenues for the dialectic model/approach to occur with our older students, as well as thought provoking copy work for the younger ones.
I would love to hear about the dinner time discussion that takes place.
Let me know and I will post some of your responses.

The Anti-Slavery Alphabet

THE ANTI-SLAVERY ALPHABET.

"In the morning sow thy seed."

PHILADELPHIA:

PRINTED FOR THE ANTI-SLAVERY FAIR.

1847.

Merrihew & Thompson, Printers, 7 Carter's alley.

A is an Abolitionist—
A man who wants to free
The wretched slave—and give to all
An equal liberty.

B is a Brother with a skin
Of somewhat darker hue,
But in our Heavenly Father's sight,
He is as dear as you.

C is the Cotton-field, to which
This injured brother's driven,
When, as the white-man's slave, he toils,
From early morn till even.

Conjunction junction, what's your function?

2008-10-10T17:33:00.003-04:00

Since my students were not very impressed with my attempt at recalling portions of this song on demand...I thought we should enjoy the REAL THING.
So, I am wondering, do you parents remember any part of this song besides....."Conjunction junction, what's your function?"

More sites to browse/time line figures

2008-10-10T17:14:00.008-04:00

I have not checked every single site thoroughly, but have browsed briefly to make sure that they are working links

This page has links for free printable time line figures. Most graphics
can be resized to whatever size you need.
http://www.squidoo. com/homeschooltimelines

Learninggamesforkids.com is true to its name! It is loaded with learning games. Guess what, our Foundations kids can quiz THEMSELVES on their geography location with a quiz on the 50 states. Some favorites on this site are the keyboarding games and the science songs. There are a lot of good tools located here.

Here is a great site of all kinds of educational games for kids from K-8. Just scroll to the bottom to change levels. there is a mix from a variety of sites, and they tell you what they help with and under what subject.
http://www.internet 4classrooms. com/month2month. htm

http://kids. nationalgeograph ic.com/ It has some games and activities.

http://www.nps. gov/webrangers/ Geared for 6 and up but you might be able to help the with younger children. It has a variety of different parks,history, science and other fun things. You earn stickers to put on a passport after you complete the park online.

http://www.zoobooks .com/

http://www. sprout.com

www.pbskids.org
www.lookybook.com
www.scholastic.com
www.funschool.kaboose. com
www.kidzone. ws
www.almanac4kids. com

Free activities, lesson plans, flash card maker

2008-10-03T11:02:00.004-04:00

This is a great site, loaded with lots of free downloadable activities, and lesson plans.
Remember the phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover, " well, this definitely applies here.

Once you start clicking around you will find many gems in the following subjects - artwork, early learning, science, physical education, and math.
Start your browsing here:

Is your hand sore from writing out all your memory work? Well, put the pencil down.
This is a wonderfully free printable flash card maker. You can think outside
the box with this one.....it's not just for history and math facts anymore. How about putting your bible verse references on one side with your verse on the other, or that one last Latin word that you can't seem to remember?
Get going here:

Human body lapbook/online site

2008-09-29T15:20:00.001-04:00

Here is a lapbook for the human body. It is ideal for the younger classes. Scroll
past the "ads" at the top and each topic is another great printable resource. 30 to choose from. Most are directed at the little ones, but some work wonderfully for the older kids.
Human Body lapbook

Here is a site that offers many free, fun activites!
Go to Life Sciences and scroll down to Human Body, and you'll find a Body
Bingo. It has 3 levels of game play.
Human body games

There are a plethora of other subjects at this site. Don't just stop at this one...have fun!

Circulatory System

2008-09-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

School House Rock....circulation

This is for the older kids.

Fingerprint Identification

2008-09-26T14:35:00.001-04:00

We had some lively discussion during our science experiment last week. We collected and observed the patterns of fingerprints, discussed the hypothesis, and debated the results.

As we know, there are no two people with the exact same fingerprints.
One student asked if that was true even with identical twins.
Great question! God, with His unique design of the human body, even gave identical twins completely different fingerprints.

The hypothesis suggests that the pattern on each of our fingerprints are the same - each person has a fingerprint unique to that individual.
Many of our students and tutors disagreed with this hypothesis. They felt that some of their prints differed.

This is a fascinating study, and one that boys will especially enjoy digging deeper. Mention Forensic Science, and they are all over that subject.
What did you find out? I would love to hear.

Hear are some more questions to assist in your probe of the material.

How did this practice begin? When was it discovered to be an effective means of identification? Are mistakes ever made in the identification process? How long do prints stay on an object? Can we pick up a print off of someone else's body? What is the latest trend in identification? (eyes) What steps are being taken in various forms of identification?

Meet me at Starbucks on Monday...for free

2008-09-24T09:17:00.000-04:00

ENJOY A FREE COFFEE THIS MONDAY

Starbucks Coffee, York

HSLDA
September 23, 2008

Starbucks Offers Free Coffee for Homeschool Parents
This coming Monday, September 29, Homeschool parents will be able to pick up a complimentary tall size (12 fl. oz.) cup of Pike Place Roast from Starbucks.
This promotion is part of Starbucks “Great Start for Great Teachers” promotion, and is now open to all teachers.
HSLDA intervened when we were alerted that Homeschool parents were not included in the promotion.
We are pleased that Starbucks is recognizing the contribution of Homeschool parents by extending their program to us.
In order to pick up your free cup of Pike Place Roast you will need to present evidence that you are a homeschooler.
Any one item on the following list should be accepted by Starbucks:
* Home School Legal Defense Association membership card.
* Membership card from a state homeschooling organization.
* Notification from a school district or state government recognizing compliance with compulsory attendance.
* Paperwork submitted showing intent to establish a Homeschool program.
* Paperwork showing the establishment of a private school.
If you don’t have one of the items on this list be creative and try to provide other proof of homeschooling.
Please note: the final decision about whether to accept proof of homeschooling resides with Starbucks.We hope you choose to take advantage of this offer.

Pump, pump, pump....your blood

2008-09-22T11:58:00.000-04:00

Pump, pump, pump....your blood words

2008-09-22T11:50:00.000-04:00

Hope you enjoyed the song. My kiddos have been singing the chorus ALL DAY. We need to work on the verses, but they go quickly....so here are the words for your printing pleasure.

The "PUMP YOUR BLOOD" SONG - VERSE ONE

Pump, pump, pumps your Blood.

The right atrium’s where the process begins, where the CO2 Blood enters the heart.

Through the tricuspid valve, to the right ventricle, the pulmonary artery, and lungs.

Once inside the lungs, it dumps its carbon dioxide and picks up its oxygen supply.

Then it’s back to the heart through the pulmonary vein, through the atrium and left ventricle.

Pump, pump, pumps your Blood.

"PUMP YOUR BLOOD" SONG - VERSE TWO

Pump, pump, pumps your Blood.

The aortic valve’s, where the Blood leaves the heart, then it's channeled to the rest of the bod.

The arteries, arterioles, and capillaries too bring the oxygenated Blood to the cells.

The tissues and the cells trade off waste and CO2, which is carried through the venules and the veins

Through the larger vena cava to the atrium and lungs, and we're back to where we started in the heart.
Pumps your blood.

Medical model of heart beating

2008-09-22T08:12:00.000-04:00

This will line up perfectly with week 8.
The first model you may want to preview first if you have a young child who is easily grossed out. :)

History plan - weeks 4 and 5

2008-09-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

One of the things that amazes me about Classical Conversations is the plethora of talented women that are involved in this program.
Carrie from A Ten O'ClockScholar has created a
History plan for weeks 1-12 that complement our memory work.
The sneak peak is below, but I know that you will go back and print the whole thing.
Thank you, Carrie, for sharing your hard work!

4 – Declaration of Independence

TOG: Year 2, Unit 4, Week 33-34

Reading:

Declaration of Independence

* Nathan Hale: Spy

If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution

Book of the American Revolution (Brown Paper School)

Sam the Minute Man and George the Drummer Boy

Main Teaching Points:

The Continental Congress tried to make peace with Britain, but was rejected. As the delegates saw that Britain would not compromise, they realized that war was ahead.
Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4^th, 1776.
The Americans had an advantage because they didn’t fight in formation like the British; they fought “guerilla”-style (behind trees and houses).

Activities:

Make a punched tin lantern.
Coloring book of Revolutionary War
Can you get dressed and be ready to fight on one minute like the Minute Men?

Discussion Starters:

Expansion and report ideas:

5 – Our First President, George Washington

TOG Yr 2, Unit 4, Week 33

Reading:

George Washington for Kids

Discover George Washington

Main Teaching Points:

Washington helped shape the US in three ways: commanded Continental Army, served as the president of the convention that wrote the Constitution, served as US President.
He was much loved by his soldiers and the US people. “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen…” – Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee
He was very tall and broad-shouldered (many were small at this time in history).
Wrote and lived by his “Rules of Civility”.

Activities:

Read some of Washington’s “Rules of Civility”

Discussion Starters:

Which of his rules surprised you? Which ones are rules your parents have taught you? Would you have liked him if you had known him in person?

Expansion and report ideas:

Make a small “Rules of Civility” for yourself.

6 – Louisiana Purchase

Jamestown replica project

2008-09-20T19:55:00.000-04:00

Here is a wonderful Jamestown replica project. Feel free to tweak to meet the need/ages of your children.
Click here for the directed link.

Science - weeks 4-6

2008-09-20T17:25:00.000-04:00

Carrie is amazing...she has graciously shared her science work as well.
Click here to see her document,

and then go visit her blog to say thanks.
I know you friends haven't gotten the comment thing down yet...hint, hint.
Really, we bloggers are an easy bunch. We don't even mind anonymous comments.

The books that she is using are:
The Usborne Complete Book of the Human Body: Internet Linked (Complete Books)
Science Encyclopedia (Usborne Internet-Linked Discovery Program)

Blood and Guts (Brown Paper School Book)

4 – Nervous System

UHB p. 38-41

B&G p. 116-117

- test reflexes, levitate arms, catch a dollar

USE p. 365 #2m p. 367 #1, #3

Brain is the body’s boss. Nerves send messages from body to brain.
Sensory neurons collect info; motor neurons carry instructions to muscles; connector neurons (in brain and spinal cord) process info.

5 – Senses

UHB p. 42-49, 52

USE p. 371 #3, p. 373 #5, p. 375 #3, #5

5 senses are the brain’s tool for detecting the world around you.
Sight one of the most important for humans. Eardrum transmits noises. Taste and smell are connected and are closely related to memory. Touch is THE most important.

6 – Digestive System

UHB p.65-71

USE p. 355 #1, #4

Week three....yes, time flies!

2008-09-15T17:18:00.000-04:00

Just to make sure that everyone is aware....I have gleefully stolen (with permission), Heather's hard work on this post. I would typically just tell you to go to her blog and get the information yourself, but since I know many of you are afraid of this new blogging venture of mine, I am spoon feeding it to you.
If you have NOT gone to her blog...Sanctified Woman...it is beautiful - eye candy, really, and I highly recommend it. Why should I bother to type any thing up when perfection is just a copy/paste away. :) Heather is the main lady (under Leigh, of course) that spent hundreds of hours perfecting your EEL manual.
Don't worry, Heather, I won't dare do this every week. Just long enough for them to get the hanging of linking over to you. xoxo

Week 3 - On Location with Nouns and Pronouns

This week we have yet another discovery to dig into... Pull out your trusty field guide (EEL Guide) and review week 3's lesson information. (Still trying to figure out your field guide? Help is here!) This week is loaded with all sorts of information concerning nouns and pronouns and the central roles they play in sentences.

Orderly Connections! In English, the location of a noun in relationship to other words in a sentence dictates that noun's role (subject, direct object, indirect object, possessive, and object of the preposition). In Latin, it is not the location of the noun but rather the noun ending that tells you the role the noun is playing in a sentence. Therefore in Latin sentences words can be in any order!

Week 3 also introduces EEL Analytical Task 3. If this is your first time to look at this information , allow yourself to digest small pieces of information at a time. We will be reviewing and discussing nouns and pronouns for several weeks, so be patient with yourself. Refer to page A3 and A36 to see an overview schedule for the year - keep this framework in mind, there is a lot of review built in.

Remember EEL Task 1 is simply loading the grammar. Putting in the data, vocabulary, lists, etc... into the brain for later retrieval and application. EEL Task 1 points you to Appendices B and C for our grammar. This week add the student mastery charts on nouns and pronouns from Appendix C to your student's studies and weekly memory work.

Have your own laser printer at home? Want to print grammar pages on demand? EEL Appendix B and C download link ($15).

EEL Task 2 is simple dictation and checking sentence mechanics of spelling, capitalization and punctuation. This is a simple task and results in students who edit their work more effectively and pay closer attention to writing syntax details. So work on establishing the discipline of dictation in your home. Just a few minutes a day. We pick sentences from the EEL Guide, the Dictation Resource, but also from our favorite readers and scripture passages. This year since we are spending so much time in John chapter 1 in the Foundations program, I will spend time applying the EEL Tasks to this passage. To practice some of the editing skills of EEL Task 2, I'll throw in some editing pages (from the EEL Guide Editing Exercises, like p47, or some variation of it). Interesting to note that all the EEL Editing Exercises are from the book of John, specifically from the first four chapters.

Now on to EEL Task 3 Question Confirmation! Refer to Appendix A (pp A10-A12) of your field guide to get the big picture of this task's purpose. This task is a truly dialectic task, meaning you and your student dialogue using a series of questions. This process of dialogue and thinking aids in the discovery of a word's role and/or part of speech in a particular sentence.

This leads me very nicely into our magical Teacher Sheets! (see below but see A21 in your field guide for a legible Teacher Sheet sample) Some have even called these sheets Cheater Sheets because they contain the work, script and answers in order to teach us, the parent and student, this powerful analytical process! These instructional sheets begin this week (see p50 for the first official Teacher Sheet). They walk you step-by-step through EEL Tasks 1-6 for one sentence, providing the appropriate answers, examples and yes, even verbal scripts!

Teacher Sheets make us look and feel smart until we actually are .

New students and parents should feel free to stick only with Task 1-3. Returning students and parents should do as much as they can! You'll be amazed by the end of the year at the ease in which students can parse, diagram, modify and perform basic Quid et Quo on every word in a sentence.

A man has joy in an apt answer,

and how delightful is a timely word!

Proverbs 15:23

Essentials Program EEl guide helps

2008-09-09T00:38:00.000-04:00

As we dive into our first few weeks of CC, getting the binder organized for Essentials will yield a much better understanding of how to make this work productively at home.
We handed this out during our mini parent practicum,
but for those of you who did not get one,
here is the direct link to the Essentials Program EEL guide "helps."

The Tools: Recovering the Classical Model

2008-09-04T17:48:00.001-04:00

If you haven't had the opportunity to read Leigh's book, Echo in Celebration, here is a sneak peek at Chapter 4.

As home school parents, we are consistently striving to give our children the tools of learning, but are you striving to be learners along with them?

Take a few minutes and enjoy The Tools: Recovering the Classical Model.

One Smart Mama

2008-09-01T19:32:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that we will be off and running tomorrow with our first day of Foundations and Essentials.
The opening with the Schmidt family will begin "promptly" at 9:15, and I can't wait to see your bright, shining faces. It will be wonderful to be back together again.
Make sure you check out Leigh's One Smart Mama blog (link located at the right) to hear all the new podcasts, as well as, overviews of the Classical Model.
There is a lot of wonderful information available right at our fingertips...literally.

Updated page for Essentials

2008-08-30T19:54:00.000-04:00

Click here to download the updated page for Essentials page A13 from the 2007 edition.

I will survive!!

2008-08-15T10:41:00.000-04:00

I will survive (Home school edition)

This funny rendition is flying around the home school forums, and it gave me a chuckle as I sang it full volume. If you're going to read it...you have to sing it to do it justice. Make your kids proud.

For all who are overwhelmed and tentative about this journey we call home schooling...this is for you.

I Will Survive (the first year of homeschooling)
Originally written and produced by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris
Originally performed by Gloria Gaynor
Mercilessly altered with apologies by Natalie Criss
============ ========= ========= ========

First I was afraid
I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never teach
'Cause I'm not certified.
But we spent so many nights
Reteaching homework that was wrong.
I grew strong,
so now I teach my kids at home!
We study math
and outer space.
I just kept on despite the fear
with a big smile across my face.
I bought a set of Base Ten blocks.
I bought books with answer keys.
My parents think we're nuts,but they don't even bother me

Come on, let's go walk out the door.
We're on the road now,
'cause we're not home much anymore
My friends would laugh and say we'd be unsocialized.
I heard one mumble
that I'd give up
by July.
Oh no, not I!
I will survive!
As long as I know how to read
I know we'll be alright.
I've got all my life to learn.
I've got energy to burn.
and I'll survive.
I will survive.

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart.
Decided to attend
a play date at the local park,
and I met oh so many moms
who offered eagerly to help.
They used to cry.
Now they hold their heads up high,
and so do we!
My kids are cool!
They're not those chained up little people
stuck inside at school. *
(***Jen's comment....we know this isn't true, but I am sure as the author was writing it....these words rhymed the best).
So if you feel like dropping by
and just expect us to be free
you'd better call ahead first
'cause we're probably busy

Our Wonderful Foundation'sTutors

2008-07-28T16:34:00.000-04:00

Here are all the glorious faces that your precious blessings
will get to look at every Tuesday morning.
Aren't they lovely?

Yep, beauty at its finest!!

Since my personal blog is Beauty and Bedlam,
I had to make it come to life during our meeting, right?
There is a story behind it...ask Melissa.:)

Beth's Meditations on Memory Work

2008-07-25T17:22:00.000-04:00

I found a wonderful new blogging friend, Beth from Pages of our Life. I want to make sure that you all know how much time Beth has spent giving us a beautiful look into her Classical approach to education. She was inspired by the CC practicum, and has outlined it beautifully in numerous posts from July 18-25. Here is just a bit to whet your appetite. Please note...I am stealing this info...yes, plagiarism at its finest. :) I figured, why reinvent the wheel when she has done it SO beautifully.
Thank you, Beth. We are officially adopting you into our NC group.
Meditations on Memory Work

I had a lightbulb moment on the importance

of memorization as a Tool in learning!

Do you see this poor lady? Do you think she can find the paper that she needs when she needs it? It came to me that this is how our brains look when we have stored lots of info into it. Let's say we have learned about an entire time period of history. All the info is swiriling around in our heads. We know we learned about it but we have trouble retrieving the info when we need it.

Well when a child memorizes a timeline it is like creating "organized file folders" in the brain. All of the info has somewhere to go. This makes it easier to find the info and pull it out when you need it. You will have to think on this one for a while. When I have combined the tool of memorization with a subject my retention is greater and I can actually retrieve things faster. It is easier to see the big picture. I also find that when I do not use the tool of memorization with my kids that the things we studied tend to get "lost" and fade away.

Let me clarify that I am not talking about memorizing every little fact and detail but a skeleton of the subject we are studying.

For example:

1. In History the skeleton is our timeline

2. In Math it is the definitions and drills

3. For Grammar it is Definitions of all the parts of speech, preposition lists etc.

Grammar and the Grocery Store Game

2008-07-18T10:56:00.000-04:00

In chapter four of her book, Echo in Celebration, Leigh Bortins uses a grocery store analogy to illustrate the foundational importance and usefulness of grammar as a tool for mastering any subject. This analogy will hopefully encourage you understand grammar as a basis of learning, but also to realize that subject mastery is entirely possible through the orderly repetition of the Classical model of education.

Grammar in 19th century dictionaries is defined as the science of vocabulary. Every new task, idea, or concept has a vocabulary that must be acquired like a foreign language before a student can progress to more difficult or abstract tasks within that body of knowledge. There is a science or system that the vocabulary defines, describes and organizes.

Every subject is like learning a foreign language until you have a basic grasp of vocabulary and the main ideas associated with the topic. This is called grammar — words and how they work together. Mathematicians have a special grammar; physicists have their own jargon; archeologists and cooks, dancers and musicians all have a "lingo" they use. To learn something new, we must first try to discover the grammar that an expert in that field uses. So the first tool of learning is "Learn the Grammar."

How can we teach our children to do that? Let me begin with a view of the possible rather than the impossible. Let me prove to you that people are all geniuses, designed to store and manipulate large amounts of grammar. Imagine the grocery store you shop in. If I asked you to tell me where the eggs are so I could run right in and grab them, would you be able to do so? Of course you could. The average grocery store carries over 30,000 items and you can quickly tell me where to find most of them. Why? Because it is organized by category, and you have shopped in similar stores repeatedly. In other words, you’ve seen those items over and over again in an organized way, making it easy for you to memorize the store. You can categorize 30,000 items in one location.

Well, I propose a good education teaches a child how to build a grocery store of the mind for every subject. So, to build the brain’s knowledge store, you have to begin memorizing systems. You do that by visiting the "store of words" for any particular subject many times in an organized manner. For a student it means repeating data (revisiting the store) in an orderly fashion (filling the shelves). So we instruct students to repeatedly draw the same continental maps as we build the geography aisle. Then eventually each continent has a shelf. We repeatedly chant the same multiplication and addition tables and laws of math as we build our math aisle. Eventually we can pull down the identity law off of its shelf to use in the "balance the equation" recipe. We repeatedly list the same history timeline as we build our history aisle. Eventually, we can pull down the items "Hitler," "Napoleon" and "Alexander" to mix into our analysis of despotic rulers. We work consistently for a long time until the hard is easy. Whenever we add a new ingredient to the shelf, there is a place for it to logically live.

When the organizational system is mastered, which means quickly accessible and confidently retrieved, the information becomes very useful and can be dialectically synthesized into any new idea. So the first step is rote memorization like children have always had to do. Remember that every child learns to speak from infancy through repetition and memorization and orderly associations.

When I say memorization, I mean it in the truest sense of the word. You have that information at your fingertips always, like the alphabet song, or the Pledge of Allegiance or the Lord’s Prayer. I am not talking about something recited for a season and then forgotten. That’s why we are building an organized storage system with key ideas forming the aisles and shelves. Some facts may fade and ebb, but we work on just enough information to provide a framework of shelves that never disappears.

We are kicking off soon...

2008-07-15T17:18:00.000-04:00

If by some chance you have wandered here through a home school avenue, please come back. We will be kicking off this blog in the next few weeks, and wonderful home schooling ideas - specifically directed at Classical home schooling (with a bit of Charlotte Mason thrown in as well) - will abound. Bookmark this page and visit again.

Presentation - Playground schedule

2008-07-01T20:22:00.001-04:00

PRESENTATION - Playground schedule

2008-2009

1. Sept. 2 – Schmidt Family -

2. Sept. 09 –Feather - Corona, Cory

3. Sept. 16 – Ardisson - K. Miller, Totel

4. Sept. 23 – Cone - Mattern, Cone

5. Sept. 30 – Mattern - Barret, Cornelius

6. Oct. 07 – Cory - Feldmann, Brown

7. Oct. 14 – Holder - Ardisson, S. Mills

8. Oct. 21 – Feldmann - Mead, Bowman

9. Oct. 28 –M. Van Eerden - Hancock, Biggs

10. Nov. 04 – K. Miller - Cowen , Holder

11. Nov. 11 – Biggs - M. Van Eerden, RAVE

12. Nov. 18 -Brown - Cone, Feather

13. Jan. 08 – Mead - All parents responsible for kids

14. Jan. 15- Cornelius - “

15. Jan. 22 – Totel -

16. Jan. 29 – Hancock - Barret, Cory

17. Feb. 05 – R. Van Eerden - Cornelius, Feldmann

18. Feb. 12 – Bowman - Brown, K. Miller

19. Feb. 17 – Bailey/Corona - Hall, Mattern

20. Feb. 24 – Barret - Ardisson, Biggs

21. Mar. 03 - S. Mills - Corona, S. Mills

22. Mar. 10 – Howell - Mead, Totel

23. March 17 – Cowen - M. V. E., Bowman

24. Mar. 24 – everyone

Sharing our ideas for a wonderful 2008-2009 academic year

2008-06-29T21:45:00.000-04:00

hi my dear families - I am so excited about this new addition to our group. Yes, we are entering the blogging world...no, don't go running for the hills, this is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!
For those of you who know me, I am notorious for sending out myriads of long emails with multiple links to wonderful resources. Yes, all in the name of advancing our academic year, but long....long...long never the less.
So...I am taking us into the new world of blogging. This will be a great way to share ideas on how we are implementing our Classical Curriculum, comments, pictures, and prayer requests throughout the school year, not to mention posting announcements if by some chance you missed our opening...wink, wink.
Our site will definitely allow us to stay connected in ways that we haven't been able to in the past, not to mention that there will be one central location that we can store our ideas, files and links...yea!! Isn't this exciting?
Anyhow, I will be doing a lot of work on this over the next few weeks, and I can't wait for us to get started. You will be able to post comments, and ideas as well. If you want to send any files or pictures my way, I can upload things as well (I just have to learn how...lol...which means lots of laughs for those of you new to the lingo.:) In order to make comments, I do think you have to sign in for a gmail account, but it just took me 5 minutes to do.
Missing you all madly, and can't wait to catch up!
blessings on the journey,
Jen