Mom Is Teaching

Welcome to the 83rd edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. August will be here tomorrow, and that means many families are getting ready to start the new year off. But before we can jump back into the school year I need to make sure everyone has had their physicals. A good physical is required to make sure that you are healthy and up-to-date before we can get back to the learning. So without further ado, open up and say “ahhh”.

Let’s listen to your heartbeat.

Hernandez helps us with some teachable moments with your little girl’s stethoscope.Stethoscope for Your Little Girl Part 1 posted at APMFormulators

When your heart is in homeschooling you can find a lesson in anything. Barbara Frank shares An Impromptu Lesson posted in Barbara Frank saying “You can use just about anything to teach your children; even junk mail.”

A happy heart is a healthy heart. Find something that will calm and relax you, and make you smile, to keep your heart beating on track. Kim shares a heartwarming link to a great collection of classical artwork that has a homeschooling feel in Gallery of Homeschooling in Art posted at Kim’s Play Place.

Home is where the heart is, and where our families are. Marjorie shares why she stays where her heart is and delves into the meaning of thw word “cleave” and explores how the idea of cleaving, and its dual definition, is valued in her homeschooling experience in I Cleave, byMarjorie posted at Life Without School.

Sometimes your heart can get a little hurt. When what your heart wants doesn’t mesh with everyone else’s what can you do to spare everyone some heartache? Annette Berlin presents What To Do When Your Child Doesn’t Want To Learn posted at Homeschooling Journey. Some days your child just doesn’t want to learn. Either he’s too hot, too tired or too bored. When that happens, you either have to accept some time off, or find another way of teaching.

Finding something to love can do wonders to ease a sorrowful heart. Mommy Babble shares some Books to love posted at Mommy Babble.

Don’t forget to find a place in your heart for the things other’s have gone through. Jocelyn shares a review on some historical movies they used in their 4th of July American History Unit Study Heroes of War, Past and Present posted at Lothlorien.

There are many emotions that we associate with the heart. Compassion, tolerance, and respect are some. Elisheva Levin says “Actions of moral courage, then, are not for the faint of heart. In fact, the very word “courage” comes from the French word “cour” which means “heart” and implies strength of heart.” in her post Moral Courage and the Flawed Human Being posted at Ragamuffin Studies. She tells us that “While listening to a keynote presentation on Moral Courage, it occured to me that we have to help our children combat moral relativism and cynicism by discussing moral action in the face of our very human flaws.”

Testing your reflexes.

A reflex is an automatic action elicited by a stimulus. Reflexes can be instinctual or learned. How well do you respond to stimuli?

Sometimes we might need a little more stimuli to get us moving. Rebecca gets to the root of her daughter’s bordem in Bored posted at Little-Homeschool-on-the-Prairie.

How well you do respond to certain comments? Are your reflexes quick enough when you hear something that is not right? Jennifer in OR presents “Homeschooling is Illegal in France,” She Said. posted at Diary of 1. She reminds us to “Don’t always believe your teachers, my dears! This young French girl was thoroughly convinced that homeschooling was illegal in her country, and it took much persuasion to get her to believe otherwise. ”

What is your knee-jerk responce to the thought that you might not be smart enough to homeschool your kids? Does that get a big reflex out of you? Henry builds on Carolyn’s point that most parents can homeschool their children. Henry writes that homeschooling is a more effective environment for children to learn in Carolyn makes a great point about the requirements for homeschooling posted in Why Homeschool.

When the kid’s stuff begins taking over the house what is your reflexive action? Summer shares her toy woes in Toys, and life without them posted at Wired For Noise.

Are you getting enough exercise?

Be sure you are getting enough time outside every day. Not only do you need plenty of exercise, but the sunshine and fresh air will do you good as well.

Having animals is a great way to get outside. Silvia tells us about the great educational opportunities they have had as a family by raising chickens in What the Hens Taught Us posted at PoMoyemu—In My Opinion

Get outside and take a walk every day to not only get some exercise in, but also to take in the world around you. Tiffany Washko presents My Backyard Wildlife Habitat - A Slideshow posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Exercising outside lets you experience more of the living world around you than you will certainly find in the artificial environment of gyms and workout rooms. The same can also be said of the books we use. ChristineMM talks about what a living book is and why many homeschoolers prefer living books as a main staple of their homeschooling curriculum in What Is A Living Book? posted at The Thinking Mother.

Swimming is another great way to get your exercise in. Just be sure that you are taking precautions and being safe. Lesley presents winterwood farm - Water Safety posted at livin4Him6.

If you can’t get outside everyday you can at least bring the outside world to you. Annette Berlin tells us that you can enjoy National Geographic, even if you don’t subscribe to the cable program or the magazine National Geographic For Kids posted at Homeschooling Journey.

Jumping through hoops is another great exercise idea, especially when those hoops get you closer to a goal. Ted Reimers presents College Scholarship Tips posted at College News.

How’s your diet?

So, what are you eating? The foods we eat are fuel for our body, eating the best foods gives our bodies the top fuel possible. It’s important to make sure we are eating and drinking healthy foods and drinks.

Christian Bachmann presents Ten reasons to drink water and not soft drinks posted at Med Journal Watch.

Remember that a healthy diet should be well rounded. Don’t be afraid to try something new and get a different view of things. Dawn shares a small review of their first taste of Susan Wise Bauer’s ‘The Story of the World,’Story of the World posted at Day by Day Homeschooling. She says the book is “One you really need to approach with a little scepticism and the tools to question and research what it claims”. Sounds like a good recipe for learning to me.

A healthy diet includes fruits and vegetables from all of the color groups. Orange carrots, red radishes, and green grapes jsut to name a few. Amanda Dixon shares a colorful bite in At The Foot of the Rainbow Book Report posted at The Daily Planet. This is ” A book report on the Gene Stratton-Porter book: At The Foot of The Rainbow. This book is about 2 friends and the importance of honesty and thinking about other before yourself.”

Are you getting enough rest?

Getting a good night’s sleep is also important to being healthy. Make sure you are taking time each day to rest and relax along with a night of sleep.

Jacque Dixon shares some thoughts on resting in Can I Homeschool Just A Little Bit? posted in Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths. In it she “answered a question from a Mom expecting a new baby anytime on whther it is ok to take time off or tone-down homeschooling Littles.”

Sometimes when life is difficult rest can be hard to find. Lizzie has a few questions for you about homeschooling when life is tough in Homeschooling in the hard times posted in A Dusty Frame.

Sometimes having money problems can keep us from resting. Sebastian lists some of the large stores that extend teacher discounts to homeschoolers in Saving on Schooling posted in Percival Blakeny Academy.

Elena LaVictoire offers more money saving advice to help you rest at night in Paying for college and family life. posted at My Domestic Church. Ideas and resources for paying for college. Also how paying for college influences being open to new children in the family.

As your homeschooling kids get older you may be wondering if you will be getting a rest soon. Luckily there are tools to help you relax a little. Lynn shares some of that in 5 Successful Tools to Homeschool Junior or Senior High Students « Homeschool 2.0 Blog posted at Homeschool 2.0 Blog

Using tools to help us is an easy way to get your rest. Copy books can help you get a little break while your children practise their handwriting. Mama Squirrel presents Copybooks offer is almost up posted at Dewey’s Treehouse. She tells us that “you have a very short time left (till the end of July) to get in on a really good offer: you can get all their copybooks for $USD30.”

Mental health is important too.

Keeping your mind strong and healthy is just as important as keeping your body healthy. Constant flexing your mental muscles will keep them going and let you build upon them.

Alvaro Fernandez tells us about an unexpected benefit of education: longer brain health in Yaakov Stern: Build Your Cognitive Reserve posted at Brain Health blog.

Just as you will do better with a workout plan, you can suceed with academic plan. Get yourself a workout planned before you jump on the mental treadmill. Alasandra shares her plans for the coming year in Exciting Plans posted at Alasandra

Amy Cortez presents Bright Kids at Home - Our Course of Study posted at Bright Kids at Home: Homeschooling and Traveling with a Gifted Student.

Learning math is a great way to get mentally fit. Denise presents Egyptian math in hieroglyphs posted at Let’s play math!.

Though, learning math helps if you’re learning to do it right. Kevin presents Homeschooling and the 7 Common Mistakes When Teaching Math posted at More4kids Homeschooling.

Learning something new gets new parts of your brain firing and can give you a great mental workout. Patti shares something new with us in The Future is Open Source posted at All Info About Homeschooling saying “Linux is a bit like homeschooling. It provides a free, non-commercial alternative to the usual corporate systems…and it has great educational benefits, too! “.

Memorization is another great way to warm up your mental muscles. Heather shares her memorization plans in Year Two Poetry Memorization posted at Stepping Heavenward.

Do you have any questions?

At the end of every check-up you’re given the chance to ask questions and voice your concerns. What are some of your’s?

HowToMe presents HowToMe posted at HowToMe saying “Occasionally, parents ask how they can help their child study effectively. Here are some ideas I gathered from a Learning Styles workshop, experience and browsing. This will be one of four posts designed to help you and me get ready for the coming school year.”

Millionaire Mommy Next Door asks Where Does Your Money Go? Tips and Tricks for Tracking the Flow posted at Millionaire Mommy Next Door. She tells us “Money flows like water. It can gush like a raging river or drip like an annoying leaky faucet at midnight. If we use this precious resource mindlessly, we face drought. However, if we first observe the ebbs and flows, effective management becomes a simple matter of design. Tracking expenses is an educational task you may want to delegate to your kids. Here’s how. “.

Dana asks an interesting question in Is our goal really to “bankrupt the American educational establishment?” posted at Principled Discovery.

ADo you have questions about your history? DeputyHeadmistress presents architectural figures for a timeline or century book in For Our Timeline posted at The Common Room.

Are you questioning where to go to get ideas, tips, and more? Judy Aron shares some information about the American Homeschool Association AHA posted at Consent Of The Governed.

That concludes your medical check up at the Carnival of Homeschooling. I hope you all walked away with a clean bill of health, or at least some ideas on how to get healthier in homeschooling. Take your time reading all of the great posts submitted this week. And don’t forget that you can submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Homeschooling using our carnival submission form. You can read the submission guidlines here. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page. The next edition will be hosted by Nerd Family.

Don’t forget to get a treat on your way out!

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