From A Negative To A Positive...

Myths About Learning...

Earth Schooling is where it's at...

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvGzCnA2yA&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Sent from my iPhone

Free labels...

I wanted to share a free download from a blog that I love. It's called "iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/"

If u can, go check it out! Here's the free download of labels for a pantry.

http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/03/reader-space-swoon-worthy-dollar-store.html?m=1

The Day I wish I could Enjoy Again!!!

Yesterday was the kind of day that reminded me why I am so blessed to Homeschool my children. I can't wait to tell you everything about it but, first let me share some free stuff given away from a wonderful blogger called "Confessions of A Homeschooler". If you get a chance, go check out her blog. She is AMAZING! Here's the link:

http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/08/free-story-writing-printables.html

Now, onto my day...
I woke up super early and got in a great walk. This helped my mood and energy level substantially. My children woke up excited because Tuesday is Co-op day and we are blessed to be members of a wonderfully supportive group of homeschool families. Seriously, I couldn't of hand-picked a better group of people to corroborate with. They have so many qualities, I don't have enough room on this page to explain them! We finished our academics before we left at 9:30am. I felt so accomplished and so did the children. After coop, we were all in such good moods that the rest of our day just flowed! I did some things out of character for me and the kids were so thrilled. I went to Krispy Kreme in the middle of the DAY!!!!! After that, my kids played "store/ donut shop". Then, it began to rain and I let the kids play in it. What a treat! Seriously, if there isn't lightening or thunder, you should encourage this at least once. The children had a ball! Then, we all went swimming, once the rain stopped. The kids were happily exhausted. They snuggled up for their reading time before bed and fell into a deep slumber, content and filled with joy. That's what family life is about... Days like this. I can only hope today goes just as well. It won't be exactly the same. In fact, I never know what adventures we will end up in. That's ok. I wouldn't have it any other way.

This is so accurate!!!!

Great Video Describing Unschooling...

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xuXomtZr4&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Sent from my iPhone

Teaching How To Write A Letter...

I taught how to write a letter today! 

The way I chose to do it served 2 purposes.

I wrote love letters to each of my children.

What a great way to model writing? It also

is a nice way to share special thoughts to

each of the kids individually, in a private way.

They each got a sealed letter on their desk

when they woke up this morning stating all the special qualities I could possibly think about them. I showered them with complements, in written form. I also asked them to write me back. I explained that they could share anything with me. I have a "mail box" for them to put their letters in. They like that it's private. In a large family, they must feel like they don't get much of a chance to tell me things without their siblings knowing. I only ask that they write their letters in correct form, which they can copy off of mine. So, that's one of our "lessons" for the week. 

I hope you give something similar a try. So far, it's a hit at our house. Happy Homeschooling!!!

Andy reading his letter...

Edible History!!!

Right now, in our homeschool, we are exploring the fall of Rome. We have learned so much together, this past week! We learned what a plague was, what Anno Domini means, what a "Hun" is and that's just a snippet of the new information floating around in our brains! We are using "The Story of the World" Book # 2 in the series, The Middle Ages. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0971412936

Last week, I read straight from the book and followed up with some fun activities from the accompanying workbook. However, this week, we are going to branch off and read some of the suggested reads and enjoy some of the fun activities from it, as well. Tonight, we are going to build a "Roman Pillar" out of sugar cookie dough and bake it. We are going to use toothpicks to etch and make it really detailed. Last night, we "ate like a Roman Soldier." We ate with our hands and cooked the food over a fire in tin foil. We thought about what it must have been like for a Roman soldier. He must have been "starving" after a battle so he wouldn't be picky. This encouraged my oldest son, Nikolas to eat veggies!!! He HATES veggies so this was a wonderful surprise. He really delved deep for this activity, even looking up more information on the Internet. I wanted to share some pictures and show you that learning, really retaining information, happens through experience and enjoyable activities. It didn't matter that we didn't dig a hole in the ground and cook like a real soldier. The kids really role-played and tried to empathize with what it was like for a Roman soldier. This opened up discussions and topics that we had covered in our read-alouds so I know that the kids are learning the material. This week we are going to dress up like a Celt and read Aesop's Fables. Sounds fun, doesn't it!!!

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Sept 1-7 is "Self University Week!!!!

I found this excellent and inspiring website that is dedicated to "self-education". They want to promote a life-long love of learning. Since 1989, September 1-7 is the week they celebrate our ability and responsibility to educate ourselves. Here's the link: http://www.autodidactic.com/index.html

I took this from their page because I think the best way to celebrate our life-long love of learning is to share this information and to promote discussions about it. Enjoy!

52 Ways to Celebrate Self-University Week September 1-7

• Look up a new word every morning and figure out three ways to use it during the day.
• Read that book you picked up months ago and haven't opened yet.
• Listen to audio books or language tapes while you drive.
• Watch only informative TV shows (no sitcoms, soaps, sports, giveaways, movies, MTV or QVC). Exception: if you never watch the kind of entertainment shows listed, sample a few.
• Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper or magazine of your choice expressing your opinion on an issue.
• Find out how to send e-mail to the President or another lawmaker of your choice. See if you can get a dialog going.
• Investigate one or more newsgroups on the Internet, and check in at least once a day.
• Attend an open meeting or public forum each noon hour or evening for a week.
• Sign up for a night course, workshop, or seminar.
• If you work in a large company or organization, pay a visit each day to someone you barely know--in another department, for instance. Get better acquainted with these people; find out more about their work and how it relates to your own.
• Take photos of ten things (places, objects, people) that best symbolize who you are. Then take ten more of things that represent your dreams. (Use a digital camera) Put the photos together in an album, montage or a web page.
• Pick two prominent figures--one from history and one now living. Find out as much as you can about their roles in society, their family lives, and their accomplishments. Then make a side-by-side list comparing the two.
• Visit a library or bookstore every day and spend some time looking through sections you've never explored before. Make a list of the titles or subjects you find to be most interesting.
• Attend a lecture.
• Go to a foreign movie--or to a foreign country, if you can afford it.
• Compile a reading list of books you intend to read during the next year, and pick one to start off with.
• Plan or start your own personal library of the books that mean the most to you.
• Share with others a list of the most inspiring books you have ever read.
• Reread a book you thought was difficult or "over your head" the first time you tried it.
• Form a roundtable discussion group to discuss books and ideas.
• Join or start a friends of the public library group.
• Join a book club.
• Choose a prominent figure in history, science, politics, or the arts. Resolve to see how much you can find out about that person in books, movies, newspapers, and conversation with friends and associates over the next year. Study the person's original work and compare your opinions with the commentary of others.
• Write an article for your company, institution, hobby, club, or community organization newsletter or magazine.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. See how clearly and succinctly you can make your point.
• Visit a museum or gallery.
• Sign up for a class on a subject that's new to you but highly interesting.
• Offer to teach a class for a community education enterprise. (A sure way to learn a subject is to teach it.)
• Listen to literary classics or foreign language instruction tapes in your car every day for a week, instead of music.
• Watch an hour of public television each night instead of cable.
• Practice the tutorials for a new piece of computer software.
• Write a brief summary of your life so far, or depict your life graphically on a large sheet of paper.
• Spend a week reading material with which you strongly disagree.
• Create (or update) your resume.
• Search a large computer database using your favorite subjects as key words.
• Write your own obituary. What goals do you hope to meet in your lifetime? What do you want most people to remember about you?
• Spend some time asking the oldest (and hopefully the wisest) people you know what were the major lessons that they have learned from life.
• Read the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
• Volunteer eight hours of your time to a nonprofit organization.
• Spend a day or a week "media free" no radio, TV, books or magazines--entertain nothing but your own thoughts.
• Peruse introductory books to philosophy with the goal of discovering your favorite philosopher.
• Sign up for music lessons.
• Learn enough of a computer programming language to write a simple program.
• Set aside a half-hour each day to examine some of your fundamental beliefs about the world. Contrast them with opposing views. For example, why do you belong to one political party instead of another? And are your reasons for believing as you do your own or did you borrow them from friends and family in the process of growing up?
• Outline the major events in your life as if it were a play. How many acts would there be and how would they be named? What would be the name of the play?
• Study the nature of your career, occupation or the means with which you earn a living and make some predictions about the future of that enterprise. If you are retired examine the career field of a friend or relative.
• Write an essay (or make a list) describing what you think were the greatest errors and accomplishments of the twentieth century. How can these lessons make life better in the twenty-first century.
• If you are a worker read a book about management; if you are a manager read a book written from the perspective of workers.
• Take the time to master that piece of hi-tech equipment that you dread the most. Read the instruction manual, call the engineers who designed it.
• Memorize a poem.
• Take an art class.
• Subscribe to SELF-UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER.