1. August 2010 by Shannon.

I think a schedule matters. I think if you have a “default” order of things, more of it will get done. I am not speaking from perfection, only from past experience.

I’m part of the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew again this year, so I know it’s important for me to be setting up a routine plan… not a minute to minute thing, but a “wake up time” “half hour devotions” “half hour breakfast and cleanup” “chores” “school” and then under each “title” I’ll slot in what I would like to accomplish in that area for today. I’m thinking of setting up a white board with the LOOSE plan in permanent marker (chunks of time), and dry erase marker in the “expectations” for that day… so the plan is there, even if the content changes. For example, under chores on Monday it might say clean bathroom, on Tuesday it might say wash sheets, on Wednesday it might say… you get the idea).

Another friend of mine did “blocks” of schooltime, she decided on what she could do in three hours (she works shift work and her days are very different to most people who homeschool I’d think). SO, she wrote that on index cards, and she has 8 “blocks” (cards) … many subjects overlap, but each card is slightly different. So, if she has time for 1 or 2 blocks a day (she ignores repeat subjects or does something different - like if math is on both cards and she’s doing two blocks - she’ll spend one on assignments, one on math games)… I’m thinking about doing this and creating my own “morning blocks” and “afternoon blocks” (afternoon being the less urgent things, but things that would be nice to get done in addition to our basics - like a craft project, nature walk, etc.)  Then each night (when setting up my following day) I’ll grab one morning block, write it in, and IF my day allows, I’ll grab an afternoon block and put that in too… but if we have some other thing going on (like we participate in drama once a week, and soccer once every two weeks, and we try for skating once a week) then I’ll only have the one “block”. Does any of that make sense?

Anyhow, maybe that helps someone. ;o) When I get it all set up, I’ll take a picture and add it to this post. 

Blessings!

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17. January 2010 by Shannon.

My dear friend Katrina had a pretty wordle on her blog… so monkey see, monkey do!  LOL!

Blessings!

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24. March 2009 by Shannon.

When it’s been a while since I’ve posted a real “how-to” notebook/lapbook post… but I was just so inspired by a “nothing” thing that my friend had lying around on her kitchen table.  I SNATCHED it up as fast as I could and BEGGED her to show me how she did it… and now I’m gonna show you!  (Yes, I asked her permission to share it, she laughed at me and said, “of course”.. the poor girl didn’t even know what she had sitting in front of her.. so simple, yet so brilliant! LOL!).  SO.. here, my dear Readers, is ONE MORE WAY to include those unit notebook pages into your lapbooks:

(in steps)

STEP ONE:  Take a LEGAL sized folder (it has to be LEGAL… I don’t do illegal around here.. *wink*)

 STEP 2:  Open the folder.

 STEP 3:  Fold up the bottom quarter till the side edges meet (see next picture before pressing that fold down!)

 MAKE SURE THE BOTTOM EDGE MATCHES THE ‘CURVE’ OF THE LABEL SECTION!  This is critical, and it also makes it much easier to have this little “guide” for your fold:

 STEP 4:  Resume normal lapbook folding - fold both flaps in to the middle seam.

 STEP 5:  Voilà!  A Notepack pocket to put those little notebook pages in.  NOW… before I get “comments” that the pages will just fall out, you can ALWAYS slip a little paper clip at the top of the folder to hold the tops of the pages in.  You can also stick all your minit books around it, behind it, on the flip up bottom, same as usual.  AND if you cut off a mere 3/4 inch off a letter-sized folder, it’ll stick side edge to side edge just right and you have yourself a double lapbook with notepack on one side.  PERFECT!

So there you have it… Enjoy!

OH… and if your fingers are just itchin’ to do a lapbook now, head on over to Currclick and check out this week’s FREEBIE!  Hands of a Child has been gracious enough to offer up their fantastic Amelia Earheart Project Pack as this week’s free download!  Don’t miss out, download it today (it’ll be changed to a new freebie on the 30th of March!).  Also, while you are there, be sure to sign up for the Currclick newsletter which keeps you up to date on the latest freebie being offered!

Blessings!

Posted in Notebooks, LapBooks, Great Ideas, General Homeschool | Print | 1 Comment »

3. December 2008 by Shannon.

Christmas is my favourite time of year - for many reasons, our Lord and Saviour’s birth not the least!  However, another thing that makes me happy is a good Sale!!!  I try to be as frugal as reasonably possible… so when one of my favourite stores ever is having a SALE I want to shout it from the rooftops!  So here I go!!!!!!!

Blessings!

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11. October 2008 by Shannon.

I posted this review on my www.momlovesbooks.com blog… but it’s worth sharing here as well. 

Having been at this ‘Homeschooling Thing’ for 10 years now… I know the fears, doubts and frustrations with starting out… or restarting homeschooling. I’ve had the “homeschooled since birth” experience as well as the “yank ‘em out of school fast” experience, as well as one “he’ll finish up the year and that’s the end of that” experience. And every single time it comes with that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling of

NOW WHAT?!

Well, a friend of mine, Terri Johnson, came up with a wonderful answer! She’s created an ABC’s of Homeschooling E-Course (oh, and btw, I’m not the ‘brightest bulb in the house’ as it took me to lesson F to realise that she was indeed going through the Alphabet - even the fact that there were 26 weeks to the course didn’t tip me off… *oh brother*).

Ahem! Back to what Terri did…

Imagine walking hand-in-hand with a Veteran Homeschooling Mom who is there helping you week-by-week to plan what you will be doing…

Imagine being introduced to all her Homeschool Veteran friends who want to bless you with gifts of curriculum and encouragement…

Imagine learning alongside your children, in a pleasant, RELAXED way…

Imagine knowing that what you will be learning and doing can be re-used and re-done a thousand times without wearing out either the learning or the fun…

Imagine developing your OWN Educational Philosophy (a lofty goal for some… but completely attainable!)…

Imagine having the time and know-how to create your own “Unit Study” geared to your children’s gifts and passions, or know that you can fully meet all Provincial or State requirements…

Or best of all - Imagine having the ANSWER when your neighbour asks “What about SOCIALIZATION?!”…

Would it be worth it to you to have this kind of help? Would you be willing to give up a cup of coffee at a Fancy Coffee Shop a week for it?

Well, Terri’s Homeschooling ABCs E-course costs as little as that… less than 2.50$ a week ( only $10 a month for 6 months)!!! And you’ll get lots of free goodies from Terri and her friends (your new friends!), not to mention the incredible opportunity to “sit at their feet” and soak up all their years of experience and wisdom!!

This course is worth every single penny, in my humble opinion… and I’ve seen lots of “ABC lists” for Homeschooling (or any other topic you might wish to research) and this is not just a list… each course comes in an email with a link to the Homeschooling ABCs Site with links for downloadable PDFs (which can be read/printed from the free Acrobat Reader ) and any links to your new Homeschool friends’ gifts to you (gifts totally hundreds of dollars, I might add.. nice friends, eh? *grin*). You’ll receive one course each week for (you guessed it… even if I didn’t! LOL!) 26 weeks… a whole Alphabet of weeks! :o)

One of the things I really REALLY liked about this course is that it was MUCH less intimidating than reading the ‘Guides to Homeschooling’ that are available in the market, and not full of all the “perfect homeschool - lookitus” mentality that can downright discourage a new homeschooler (heck, even a veteran like myself can be left wondering if I have what it takes in reaction to bragging like that!). This is not a collection of how all these wonderful things that happened when our kids got into “Ivy League schools on full scholarships the same year they won the Nobel Peace Prize just for being Homeschoolers” kind of encouragement - instead, it’s a PRACTICAL, HANDS-ON, WALK-YOU-THROUGH-IT-IN-BITE-SIZED-CHUNKS kind of encouragement. I like that kind! :o)

Terri (in case you don’t already know) is the talent behind Knowledge Quest Maps - she’s been homeschooling for at least 11 years - so she knows of what she speaks! I’ve had the priviledge of listening to web-seminars offered by her in the past, and her passion and vision is an inspiration.

So, If you are just starting out, or starting over - maybe what you are doing isn’t working and you’re ready to toss in the towel… WAIT! Don’t give up… think of Maria’s advice in The Sound of Music… “Let’s Start at the Very Begining, A Very Good Place to Start”… Well, Homeschooling ABCs E-Course will certainly get you off to a Very Good Place - and you might just hang that towel back on the hook (or better yet - why not wrap it around your head like a Pirate and chase the kids around the living room, fall laughing on the couch, pull our a copy of Peter Pan and snuggle down for a Good Read?).

Whatever you decide… don’t give up - just go back and learn your Homeschooling ABCs!

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9. October 2008 by Shannon.

 Once again, you are all standing around scratchin’ yer noggins saying, “Huh?”  heehee….

A friend was wondering what to use that was more “Charlotte Mason Friendly” than a big science textbook (like Apologia).  I just wanted to share my reply to her concern here in case it blesses someone (else… I know my friend, Lori Lynn was blessed by it *smile*):

What we do for Science (using Aologia) is read Dr. Wile’s chapters together… very CM.  I read it to them, cuddled up on the couch, then we do the experiments together and have fun (I record my own lab sheet too!) and then we talk about the results before we move on to reading what Dr. Wile has written about “what was supposed to happen”.  We use a lapbook system for the “study questions” so they can quiz themselves effectively, then we do the test… it’s been very interactive.  I cannot imagine asking my kids to do that HUGE text alone… You can find some interactive hands-on materials for Apologia at Currclick  and you can get the lab kits at Sonlight (which can make a difference between facing the experiments confidently or not)… you can find them in the core 7 science they are called NSK and I’m not sure the other one, the other one is the one gears specifically for “General Science”)

I believe that almost anything can be done in a somewhat CM-y way… reading the lessons together and getting excited about it and discussing it with Dad ‘round the dinner table (narrations anyone?) cements the learning.  Don’t give up quite yet…

BUT…another resource (with the exception of the first course, which I recommend ONLY if you omit the last lesson) are the connect the thoughts science courses… they are thorough, however NOT faith based (and in my humble opinion it is impossible to separate the two and get a “good” science education… since a good researcher would go to the source of the thing they are studying, right?  Well, since God made everything, it seems logical to go to Him about His creation.  Ya know?).  However, from a completely “separate from God” point of view.. these are excellent.  They can also be done as a “read together” then “discuss the questions or do the projects together” kind of way, although it’d be a bit more challenging.  You can find them at also at Currclick.

High school science is tough… not tough to understand with the right “teacher”, but a tough “responsibility”… you don’t want to leave your kids short changed, yet it’s hard to make a not-text book type choice and be sure you’ve covered all the basics. 

I was also thinking, maybe ask around and see if anyone else in your homeschool community is doing the Apologia and see if maybe you guys could organize “group experiments” or something, your son might be more interested if he knows he’s not alone and has something to look forward to (getting together with some science buddies)?  I have the benefit of both my Bigs doing this science together with me, so it makes it a “mini-group” and we’ve had some fun “arguments” over what we think should happen or should HAVE happened (um, the balloon apparently wasn’t *supposed* to explode all over the kitchen – who knew?) and to discuss the lesson together.  

I hope you can find something that works for you…

Blessings!

Posted in LapBooks, Great Ideas, Curriculum Choices, General Homeschool | Print | 2 Comments »

8. October 2008 by Shannon.

I was visiting my friend, Lia, the other day and of course, whenever homeschool moms get together there is the eventual, “So, how do YOU do it?”… of course I asked.  You see, my friend Lia has 9 children, all homeschooled from the start… she has graduated 2 or maybe 3 of them already into Post Secondary and right now one of them is actively pursueing a job as a fire-fighter!!!  (Personally, I don’t need any more white hairs, thank you very much!)

Okay, back to “how she does it”.  Well, the way she homeschools isn’t really what I want to write about… I want to just share one little nugget of gold that she practices that jumped out at me and I immediately had to go home and implement… and my kids are THRILLED!

Lia makes a binder full of pageprotectors (nothing special yet, eh?  hang on to your hats… there’s more!) and then she FILLS said page protectors with several copies of different layouts of templated notebooking pages.  There are so many amazing Homeschool Moms out there who have designed incredible notebooking pages; with spaces for pictures, maps, timelines even!  And of course… a written narration (summary) of that days/subjects lesson. 

So, her children do their school reading/research, then go over to the Master Binder, flip through and choose something that appeals to them that day, slips a page out of the page protector and go back and do their notebook page.  When finished they slip it into the last place in their own personal notebooks and have added to their “Personal History Book”.  It’s so simple an idea.  When they take out the last sheet, they inform Mom who then looks at the sheet they printed out, goes to the computer, prints out more copies of that particular sheet (and believe it or not, it’ll surprise you which ones your kids will “click” with!) and plops them back into the empty page protector … ready for the next lessons!

Now, as you all know, I’m all about the pictures, so here is a picture of a few pages from MY notebook page binder… and a picture of a page Kenzi did today on Madeleine de Verchères:

 So, my thought for today is….

THANK YOU LIA! :o)

 Blessings!

OH!  PS, here is my “creepy crawly of the month”… I found him crawling up my study window—>

 And here is my other little friend who is OBVIOUSLY not doing his job!

Sweet Dreams! *grin*

Posted in Notebooks, LapBooks, Great Ideas, General Homeschool | Print | 2 Comments »

20. September 2008 by Shannon.

How I Taught My Child to Read for Less Than $1

Check out the great article above - it uses a book I know can be found on MOST homeschooler’s shelves in a natural (unscripted) way… I have 100 Easy Lessons on my shelf, it’s nice to think of a new way to use it.  Greyson isn’t liking it at all…. Chaeli isn’t too picky, she just loves the one on one time, any way she gets it! LOL!

I have some index cards in front of me right now, and a marker beside it… I think I’ll try this with the Littles and see how it goes.

I’m sorry I’ve been so neglectful of my blog of late, but I have been blogging!!! HONEST!  I’m trying to think of a new way to use this blog… maybe more as a forum of my own ideas about homeschooling or things we’ve tried and had work (because lots doesn’t work.. LOL!).  But as for the weekly stuff, we’ve set up a whole new system… go check it out!!!

www.homeschoolblogger.com/ratcliffeauthor - is Everett’s blog which he’s “required” to post in once a week for school.

www.homeschoolblogger.com/horseridergirl - is McKenzie’s blog, same deal.

www.homeschoolblogger.com/ratcliffeblessings - is the blog that I am keeping for updates on what Greyson and Chaeli are doing for school each week.  I get in there once a week, towards the end of the week to keep it current… as they do projects and the likes, we’ll take pictures and post those too.  I also am using it for the funny little things they say, which are abundant!

I also have a blog (well, it could be a blog or a website, right now it’s set up as a blog, but I can undo that…) called www.momlovesbooks.com.  I liked the name of the domain, but I’m not sure what to do with it now… I’d love to hear people’s ideas!!! PLEASE comment and tell me what YOU would do with it… hmmm… maybe I’ll offer a prize for the person with the idea I choose to implement… hmmm… what could I offer?  Let me think… hey, I know!

Alright… here’s the deal.  I a very nice copy of the book “How to be a God Chaser and a Kid Chaser” by Tommy and Thetus Tenney.  SO… leave me a comment about what I should do with my momlovesbooks website, and whoever’s idea I choose, I will send this book to, at my discretion (within Canada or the States - unless you want to help me with the shipping… sorry!).  Okay?  I promise to send it to someone - so y’all better come up with some good ideas!!! *grin* 

So… contest closing… hmm… how about the 1st of October at noon EST?  (this is getting technical!  I’m a homeschool mom, no one is allowed to jump down my throat if I don’t check or decide till after school that day, okay?  It just means you have a longer time to think of an idea! *wink*)

Be sure to leave me some way to get in touch with you! :o)

Blessings!

Posted in Chaeli, Great Ideas, Greyson, Kenzi, Everett, Blogroll | Print | 6 Comments »

10. June 2008 by Shannon.

I posted recently about my adventure in Square Foot Gardening.  WELL, I am completely sold!  My gardens are growing like wildfire!!  I wanted to show you all some pictures of this very successful homeschool project we’ve got going on around here… and I will update often (as I have something up update!!).

We built the boxes and planted the gardens on May 17th: 

May 30th:

And again from June 5th:

And today, June 10th:

I can’t imagine a more successful garden story at this point!!!  We do NO work.  Once every few days I go out there and pinch off the plant “suckers” (those little sprouts between the boughs of the tomato/pepper plants which don’t produce fruit, just sap the plants growing energy) and take some pictures and I’m done.  Seriously… it’s been THAT easy!  I have flower buds on EVERY plant except the brocoli and the eggplants so far… yes, even my zuchini and cukes have flower buds…. my tomatoes are COVERED in them.  Even my strawberries might get a fruit or two this summer… who knows!

On another note… it’s definately SUMMER here (this past weekend we saw 30 degrees celsius with humidity ranging somewhere above 90 percent!!).  Seems like only yesterday the kids were climbing the snowbanks onto the ROOF, but this weekend we were off at the splash park… Canadian weather is so dramatic! LOL!

^^Chaeli running to save herself from the spray   ~   Greyson running *into* the spray, LOL! ^^

I love how different my kids are… keeps things interesting!

On a side note:  Kenzi’s end of year evaluation is on the 25th of June… so it’s crunch time on portfolios and finishing up projects.  Busy, busy around here!!!  I’m curious to know what others do for portfolios (or if you do them at all, what method of “evaluation” to you employ in YOUR homeschool?  I’d love to hear your comments!!! :o)

Blessings!

Posted in Great Ideas, Chaeli, Greyson | Print | 1 Comment »

23. May 2008 by Shannon.

Nah… I’d rather pass on those, BUT…. after suffering really bad and ending up in bed this afternon, I am wide awake this evening…

 And, apparently, feeling quite creative/resourceful!  I was putting stuff away that the Littles had taken out, when I noticed that Greyson was doing some “math flashcards” (they have the simple problem, shown in pictures, “such as three fish - two fish =” and a blank to fill in the answer).  Not all the answers were right obviously, BUT he was definately INTERESTED.  I also noticed (while cleaning up) that he had found some colouring pages and had coloured quite nicely on LOTS of them… so he must like colouring AND math, right?  

Now, I know what you are thinking I’m going to say… you’re thinking I’m gonna say that we could do up some colour by numbers using math equations… NOPE!  I had an even more “fun” idea… and less frustrating, imho.

 Math Hidden Colouring Pages!

Look…. FIRST I drew a picture and covered it with post it notes (which just touched to overlapping) and wrote math equations on them:

THEN, as he DOES the math equations (CORRECTLY)… he gets to peel off that part of the picture!

THEN when he’s done… he has a picture to colour as a REWARD for working hard at his math! 

How stinkin’ clever is that?  I’m POSITIVE there are lots of other creative Moms who have thought of this first… and NO, I will not be using my DH’s work post-it notes for my son’s math… this was a quick mock-up to show you what I mean.  I’m going to get some coloured ones and vary the colours for each problem… make it more fun.  But as  you know from past posts… I’m the Mock-Up Queen!  LOL!

Hope this blesses you!

Posted in Great Ideas, Greyson, General Homeschool | Print | 1 Comment »