Mom Is Teaching

Woman of the Tiger Moon just nominated me for a Thinking Blogger Award. I’m touched, really. I didn’t know that my little corner of the blogoshere was so loved. Of course now comes the hard part, nominating five new bloggers for this honor who haven’t already been bestowed. So lets see if I can do this…

The Atheist Mama Though I’m not an atheist myself I love reading her blog. She writes in a very logical, to the point way that certainly makes me think every time I am there.

Earthly Garden I love to garden, to dig in the dirt, and to watch my plants grow. So this blog always has me thinking of new ideas, new tricks, new plants, and even recycled garden art. Sure, it may not be what some call a “thinking” blog, but reading it has me thinking.

Eco Chick Yes I am one of those tree hugging hippies, thank you very much. So I love eco chick because it keeps me thinking about new ways to protect the environment.

The Antidote Just an ordinary South African (who happens to be an anarchist) pondering some heavy thoughts about the system and the world around her. This is one that you really do need to sit back and think on as you read it.

Survival Acres Politics, the environment, oil, sustainable living. I can’t help but to think when I read this blog. Think and want to learn more.

blogs, blogging, Thinking Blogger Award, blog award

OK folks, help me out here. I’m sure that I’ missing something, but what could it be?

Enki Education
Waldorf (And a part 2 here)
Unschooling
Montessori
Classical
Charlotte Mason
Unit Studies
Eclectic
Literature Based
Principled Approach
Homeschooling Online

So what do you think? What special method am I missing? Once I’ve covered all the specific methods I’ll go over the various curriculums out there.

homeschool, homeschooling, curriculum, Method Madness Monday

Anne Marie at A Readable Feast has a great blog post up called Go bananas with yellow and Curious George that I just loved. And not just because of the yummy recipe for Banana Flip Cookies. Mmmmm, cookies…

Oh! Sorry, where was I?

Oh yes, back to the post. Not only is it full of great links and those oh so yummy cookies, but it got me thinking about books. OK, so I generally think about books everyday reguardless, this time i am thinking about what books to plan for this fall. Now that my early reader is growing in leaps and bounds with understanding the connections between letter, sounds, and words I want to add more scheduled reading time. As it is now we are just reading anytime and every time we get the chance. Which is great, don’t get me wrong! I in no way plan to stop that. I just want to schedule in some quiet time while the baby sleeps and work on reading fun books that he’ll enjoy together. Curious George, I am sure, will be on the list. A little boy monkey that seems to be always causing a stir and getting into some sort of trouble? Why, that could describe my son perfectly!

books, reading, early reader, preschooler, learning to read, learning, homeschool, homeschooling

Lets face it, the majority of families that are homeschooling are doing so from a single income family. Having just the one source of income can put a damper on many plans, and can make the ability to homeschool seem shakey. Can you do it? Can you afford it? Will your children still get a great education on a limited income? the answer to all three is YES! As I wrote here in How to Homeschool Your Children on a Budget it can be fairly simple to homeschool your children without spending a lot of money. Many things that parents normally do with their children every day for free can become educational. Going to the library, using the internet, even watching TV can become educational moments that do not cost a lot of money.

And don’t be too proud to buy used! Second hand books, materials, even whole curriculums can be purchased at a fraction of what they would cost new. Many still in great shape and ready to be used time and time again. Look online at sites such as Ebay, or in special sites dedicates to selling used materials such as http://www.usedhomeschoolcurriculum.com and www.homeschoolclassifieds.com.

My friend Brenda also has some great ideas onHomeschooling On A Budget if you are interested in reading more.

homeschool, homeschooling, budget, frugal, single income

What do you do if there isn’t a good resource center in your area for homeschoolers? If you are like Sharadee Wright in Northglenn, Colorado you make your own!

Now, I have never been to Colorado myself but a friend on MySpace let me know about this little gem. The Hangout Learning Center is a little place tucked away where homeschoolers can come together, share, learn, and grow side by side. There is always something going on on the activities calendar or just show up to hang out and play on the games or use their equipment.

From Sharadee Wright:

From the very beginning, I wished that we had a place where we could go, at a moments notice, and without any advance planning, that would provide great educational and social experiences for my girls. Some days we were happily hard at work, and other days we really needed a break, but it was hard to judge in advance which days those would be. So we’d call up friends, sometimes three or four before we found someone who could play, or we’d go to a matinee or to the park… It would have been nice to have instant access to friends and activities.

Not willing to just go on as she was she took the first step and worked up plans for what would become The Hangout. Her move is inspiring for other homeschoolers out there who may be facing the same isolation and lack of community.

homeschool, homeschoolers, homeschool community, community, activity center, Colorado, Northglenn, The Hangout, Sharadee Wright

Thirteen Things not homeschooling blogs I love to read. 1. Stay at Home Mayhem She’s funny, she’s witty, she’s a Maven for crying out loud! You’ll laugh til you cry. 2. I’ve Done Gone Green One family’s journey into being more ecological. Its inspiring to say the least. 3. Grasshopper New Media Parents Advice, info and more for parents. I love coming back to read them time and again. 4. Walk Slowly Live Wildly OK, so she’s a homeschooler, but that’s not what her blog is about. This powerful blog inspires us all to “Think. Dream. Dance. Love. Worship. Be.” 5. It’s only me, Josh Life of a stay at home dad. I love seeing the shoe on the other foot. 6. Scribble on the Wall All about the fun things found online. There’s some really helpfull info here. 7. Mom Gadget This is THE site for work at home moms. 8. Home Mom Mom of 3 and married to a Marine. Need I say more? LOL 9. Eat, Drink & Be Merry Mmmmm, food. This is where I go when I’m hving late night hunger pangs. 10. Domestic Divapalooza By the name alone you know its an awesome blog. 11. Temporarily Me She’s smart, funny,and makes gorgeous blog layouts! 12. Dad said Mom said Husband and wife blog together and battle it out. You can finally see both sides of the issue. 13. Milk Money or Not, Here I Come Another one of the witty, intelligent, creative blogs that keeps me coming back for more. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Thursday Thirteen, Thursday 13

May 3-5 is the Georgia Home Education Association’s 2007 State Conference. Full pre-registration cost for members is $30, non-members is $35 (Spouses attend free). The THURSDAY sessions are FREE and open to the public. Beginning at 2pm, May 3, the four sessions include: “What is Home Schooling”, “The Law”, “Getting Started”, and “Choosing Curriculum”. The evening concludes with a guided tour of the Exhibit Hall. You can download a pdf of this year’s schedule here.

May 4-5 is the Michigan Home Education Convention. Pre-registration closed April 14, however you may still register at the door on either day of the event. Non-members pay $65 for an individual, $85 for a couple; members pay $55 for an individual and $70 for a couple. You can see the schedule here and go here to see what is being taught by the keynote speaker Norm Wakefield.

The 2007 Oklahoma Christian Home Educators Consociation is meeting May 4-5. Registration at the Door for a two-day pass for workshops and exhibit hall is $45.00/person (spouse Free), a two-day pass for child aged 2-18 years is $7.00, and an one-day exhibit hall shopping-only pass is $20.00/person. You can see the schedule here.

May 4-5 is also the Wisconsin Parents Association Home Education Conference. You can print off a registration form here. You can see the schedule of events here. There will also be a Curriculum fair as well as used books and learning materials being sold.

Georgia, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia home educator association, ghea, ghea conference, ghea 2007 conference, Michigan Home Education Convention, OCHEC, OCHEC Convention, OCHEC Convention 2007, WPA Home Education Conference, WPA, homeschool, homeschooling, home education

The Rethinking Education Conference is coming up soon!

Labor Day Weekend, Thursday, August 30 - Monday, September 3, 2007 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Irving, Texas. Just 7 minutes from the DFW airport! Register now for special prices. The cost will go up April 28th, and go up again July 15th. Act now to get great prices.

The conference will include: John Taylor Gatto, Ren Allen, Michael Mendizza, Cindy Gaddis, Peter Kowalke, Tracy Liebman, Eli Gerzon, Sheila Murphy, Erin Whitworth, Quinn Eaker, Lisette Blanco Cerda de Abbott, David Niecikowski, and many many more.

At the heart of Rethinking Education is the awareness that children are supremely capable of absorbing and using knowledge from our complex world. There is no need for arbitrary structure in education; the use of coercion, rewards or other behavior modification techniques as motivation are counterproductive. With freedom, respect and nurturing support, children have a powerful drive to self-direct their own learning; the result being children who direct their own education… indeed, their own futures.

homeschool, homeschooling, unschool, unschooling, Rethinking Education, Rethinking Education conference, Texas, Irving

photo, wordless wednesday, toys

I read a great blog post this morning at Toast Floats called We’re Not All Cut Out for Homeschool You should definitely go read it and have a good laugh.

I’m sure with a little creativity we can add to the list with a few more. For instance, in my house if you can’t handle bugs and dirt you probably shouldn’t be homeschooling. Or at least you shouldn’t be homeschooling my kids. LOL Or if answering a billion “why” questions each day will drive you crazy maybe homeschooling won’t work out for you.

Can you think of anything else to add?

homeschool, homeschooling

If you’re looking for some great reading online here are 3 great blog carnivals where you can find just what you are looking for!

Carnival of Family Life #51
Carnival of Homeschooling - Bee Edition
3rd Edition of the Carnival of SAHMs

blogging, blog carnivals, carnival of homeschooling, carnival of family life, carnival of SAHMs, homeschooling, family life, sahm, stay at home mom, family, life

I was doing some blog surfing and found myself at The Lost Girls. Three 20-something women who saved up and decided to take a year off to travel the world. Needless to say I’m very envious. It is certainly something I would love to do, travel the world and see the sites. There are so many places I would love to visit, some that I would love to live in for a few months or more. Of course a world trip like this is easier for three single women that for a mom of two young children, but maybe when they’re older we could plan a great escape. Or maybe when they’re grown and having adventures of their own. Then, as I was reading through their fabulous blog I stumbled upon this gem:

How the trip has changed our lives:
HOLLY: It’s made me realize that the world is both a classroom and a playground. I can learn more about the political landscape of a foreign country by traveling through it rather than by reading about it in the Economist.

I could not help but sit back and smile at this statement. Sure they could have learned about the world from books, but true education comes from going out and exploring it, from getting your hands dirty, from being there as it is happening. How many have tried to learn a foreign language in school only to walk away with at best a basic understanding? But if you were to travel to the country and immerse yourself in the language as it lives all around you you would be fluent in no time. The same applies to politics, customs, geography, history, and more. Sure you can get a feel for it spending your time reading aobut it, but to truely know it you have to be there. In the real world.

Imagine if more children were able to learn about the world by experiencing it all day every day. Instead of spending 8 hours a day stuck behind a desk reading about life outside the walls of the classroom, they could be outside exploring it. What would the world be like if more children were “socialized” by the people in their communities rather than by a group of their peers, peers who know no more about the world as they do? What would society look like tomorrow if we taught children how to be a part of it today?

homeschool, homeschooling, unschooling, The Lost Girls, society, socialization

Dana at Principled Discovery has an update on Melissa Busekros. She has turned 16 and has left her foster home to return home. The Youth Welfare Office no longer has authority over her. There is an article about the news here, but it is in German. If you’re not fluent in German, like I am not, you can get a fairly good translation using BabelFish. Just enter in the url of the page and choose to translate from German to English. There is also an article about the situation that you can read here.

You can send birthday wishes for her to falumafischer@aol.com

homeschool, Germany, Melissa Busekros, homeschooling

Its that day of the week again, Method Madness Monday! This week I’m going to be talking about the Eclectic aproach to homeschooling.

Eclectic is considered ahving the best of all world. There is no set curriculum or guidelines or rules. It is more of a “take what works for you and leave the rest behind” style. Eclectic homeschoolers may use unit studies along side Classical education, through in some Waldorf rhythm, and mix with unschooling philosophy. Or anything else that works for their family. Often those who prefer an eclectic aproach have their own ideas and beliefs on what a child needs to learn and in what way. Rather than following a plan that might not fit all of their ideas they will mesh together many different things in order to find a style that is all their own.

A drawback to using an Eclectic approach is that many children thrive on routine, which is sometimes lacking in Eclectic homeschooling families. Though the diversity allows for parents to change things to fit their children’s needs and still be open in other areas of their teaching plan.

Here are some great links to read about taking an Eclectic approach to homeschooling.
Portrait of a Home School Parent: The Eclectic Homeschooler
Eclectic Homeschooling Online - For Begginers
Eclectic Homeschool Online - Main Site
The Best of All worlds: Eclectic Homeschooling
Putting Together an Eclectic Curriculum

And some great online grousp to join:
Basically Beechick
EclecticHS
Eclectic Homeschool Online Newsletter

homeschool, homeschooling, curriculum, eclectic homeschool, eclectic

April 23-29 is TV-Turnoff week. Unplug the boobtube, put it out in the garage, and forget about it for a week. Who knows, the week might turn into a month or a year.

The idea is simple: take your TV, your DVD player, your video iPod, your XBOX 360, your laptop, your PSP, and say goodbye to them all for seven days. Simple, but not at all easy. Like millions of others before you, you’ll be shocked at just how difficult – yet also how life-changing – a week spent unplugged can really be.

If you don’t know where to being here is Six Easy Steps to a Great TV-Turnoff. You should also read How to Entertain Your Children Without TV for helpful ideas.

I really would love to see everyone participate and make it through the week. So much so that I’m willing to offer buy a 5 Credit certificate for Paperbackswap.com to entice you to do it. If you make it through to the end leave me a note on April 30th. I’ll select a winner at random. If you aren’t a member of paperbackswap you really should check it out. You get 3 free credits when you join and list your books, then if you win you’ll get my 5 free credits. That’s 8 free credits, worth 8 free books.

TV, TV Turnoff Week