A Stellar School Day!

A pretty good day in our Homeschooling adventure! This is what we did today.

RELIGION -

• Faith and Life Chapter 19 - The Acceptance of the Father's Love  
• Preparing for Sunday's Mass - At lunch we read Sunday's Gospel as a family and discussed it. We used Scott Hahn's post @ Catholic Notebook as a guide and, of course, we watched the Godspell clip!  
• We also discussed today's reading (Matthew 15:29-37) and the significance of the Loaves and Fishes as a foreshadowing of the Eucharist.
  

MATH - Investigation 4 (Statistics 101 - Data Collection and Surveys) Cool stuff!
There are 5 data gathering assignments - including surveys, quizzes and population samples. This gives Pablo the chance to work with "hands-on" statistics basics -- qualitative and quantitative, closed and open-option surveys, and representative samples. Two of the surveys require collecting and analyzing survey data over time (10 days and 12 days). 
SCIENCE -
pgs. 68, 69 in our science book: Insects by Jean Henri Fabre
Internet research: Fabre's Narbonne Lycosa or Black Bellied Tarantula 
READING -   
PETRONIUS AND THE TWO-FACED JANUS via The Baldwin Project
I found a wonderful resource that organizes a collection of eTexts, links and tools for educators and students 
SearchLit.org 
HISTORY - PETRONIUS AND THE TWO-FACED JANUS via The Baldwin Project

	Augustus Caesar aka Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus  BC 63 - AD 14

LANGUAGE ARTS -  The Witch of Blackbird Pond - study guide pgs 15 and 16    
  VOCABULARY - Wordly Wise; Lesson 9 
  2 BICs 
  POST @ Red Door 
GEOGRAPHY - Review - finding Barbados (The Witch of Blackbird Pond)  
SPANISH  - on-line - para mi (for me) and tiene (it has)  
KEYBOARDING - 32wpm j,f  & 33wpm d,k  
TECHNOLOGY -
Surveys conducive to online communication were distributed via a FB Note
Red Door post with graphics   
P.E. - w/ neighborhood kiddos 
LINK SOURCES:  

• Heritage History  (used for Augustus Caesar) An on-line library that contains hundreds of entertaining and easily-read history books which were written for students and non-specialists many years ago.
• Roman-Empire.net (used for Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ) The Children's Section is fun!
• The Baldwin Project - Bringing Yesterday's Classics to Today's Children    (used for PETRONIUS AND THE TWO-FACED JANUS) 
• Fabre's work @ eFabre.net - Welcome to the Amazing World of the Insects / Life of Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (used for Narbonne Lycosa)
• Fabre's work @ The Baldwin Project  (used for Black Bellied Tarantula) 
• Catholic Notebook for reflection on Sunday's readings (used for Scott Hahn's post)
• USCCB NAB online - Book of Matthew; chapter 15   (used for today's Gospel reading)
• Wordly Wise
• Spanish on-line
• Keyboarding

Curriculum Lingo, HS Discounts, HS Stores

A little curriculum lingo.

LLATL-Learning Language Arts through Literature
AO-Alpha Omega
BJ-Bob Jones
FIAR-Five in a Row
SOTW-Story of the World
WTM-The Well-Trained Mind
CLP-Christian Liberty Press
MOH-Mystery of History
R&S-Rod and Staff
CW-Classical Writing
CM-Charlotte Mason
PL-Prima Latina
LC-Latina Christiana

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Q. Where can homeschoolers get a discount?

*Office Max*  http://www.officemax.com/
You get a 15% print and document services in addition to MAXPERKS. Max Perks is money paid back to you in the form of a coupon to be used in the store based on your purchases over a period of time.

  
*Barnes & Noble*  http://barnesandnoble.com/
20% educators discount by using your teacher id provided by them. Each year they will host an educator's appreciation week where the savings will be 25%. Watch on the loop when we post that week. Also as of 2/06/07 B&N has had to implement stricter guidelines than in past. So use your Teacher ID from THSC or SETHSA or HSLDA, if you do not have a teacher id, take in a lesson plan to show you homeschool and receive your educator's discount card from them. Update: 08/17/10. Update: Now their educational discount card is good for 2 years but still provide a teacher id and HOLD firm to the fact you are an educator.

   
*Half Price Books*  http://halfpricebooks.com/
10% off using your Educator ID received from them.

   
*Hastings*  http://www.gohastings.com/catalog/
25% off with your educator's discount from Hastings.

   
*Joann's Fabrics*   http://www.joann.com/index.jhtml
Check with each store for exact amount, plus they have an online teacher request form to fill out.
   

*Office Depot Star Teacher*   http://www.officedepot.com 
offers 10% discount . You can sign up in the store too.


*BORDERS, WALDENS*  http://www.bordersstores.com/locator/locator.jsp?tt=hp
offers 20% discount


*Michaels Arts & Crafts*  http://www.michaels.com/art/online/static?page=kids
They will email coupons some are 25% off entire purchase.

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Local Home School stores:

Homeschool Heaven
23854 Highway 59 North
Kingwood, Texas 77339
http://homeschoolheaven4u.com/
281-358-0750

The Homeschool Store
1355 Judiway
Houston, Tx 77018
713.683.8894
http://thehomeschoolstore.com/

 The Curious Mind
Katy, TX---Homeschool supplies for grades K-8.
http://www.TheCuriousMindStore.com
       
The Homeschoolers Hangout Curriculum Bookstore and Activity Center
Lockhart, TX, Mon-Fri 1:00 - 7:00, Saturday 10:00 - 6:00
http://www.thehomeschoolershangout.com/

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Education.com

http://www.education.com/

Check out Education.com
It’s a great site for parents looking for information about their child's education.
You can find everything from preschool to high school.

• Reference articles
• Informational sources
• Advice
• Articles on shyness
• Articles on fitness
• A community section to network with other parents
• A Homeschooling section which has articles on
  

1. socialization
2. curriculum
3. tutors
4. unschooling
5. much more.
   
6. articles for parents of gifted kids
   
7. articles for parents with special needs kids
   

H/T: Summer Minor @ http://www.momisteaching.com/

Here is an example of the 2nd Grade Academic section:

• What to Expect in 2nd Grade
• 2nd Grade Reading: What Happens
• 2nd Grade Writing: What Happens
• 2nd Grade Math: What Happens
• 2nd Grade Science: What to Expect
• Create a Homework Space
• Math at Home
• How Parents Can Help Their Second & Third Graders Learn to Read
• What - Kids - Who - Don't - Like - To - Read - Like - To - Read
• Helping Your Child Learn Science: The Basics

Accidental Homeschooler

While some families know from the start that they want to homeschool, others arrive somewhat "accidentally". These are families who had initially put their children in traditional schools. Over time, for many different reasons, schools just didn't work out for them.

One particular conversation prompted my thoughts on accidental homeschoolers. A mother who called inquiring about our curriculum explained to me: "I don't really believe in homeschooling but I have to try it for my children. The schools have not worked out for us and I only want to do the best thing for my kids...."

I was speechless as she explained to me how her family had never intended to homeschool and how they had turned to homeschooling through a process of elimination. I tried to understand what made this mom different from other homeschooling parents, or any parents, for that matter, and soon realized she was no different. Like any parent, she was trying to provide the best for her child. This effort had led her along a bumpy, conflicted path to homeschooling.

The number of people starting as "accidental homeschoolers" is increasing now that the public has a broader awareness and acceptance of homeschooling. Here are some general characteristics of accidental homeschoolers as observed at Time4Learning:

• Accidental homeschoolers make a decision to homeschool often to resolve a crisis, or series of crises, with the children, the school, and sometimes within the family.
  
• Accidental homeschoolers start with real trepidation and often with little to no enthusiasm for their endeavor. They generally do not feel equipped for the task and wonder if they've made the right decision.
  
• Many accidental homeschoolers have been preoccupied, trying to make traditional education work for their children so when they finally "give-up" on schools and decide to homeschool, they find themselves unprepared for homeschooling. For these newbies, we have prepared a Guide...

Ten Big Ideas: A Downloadable Homeschooling Guide

How do you go from "accidental" to "happy" homeschooler? Time4Learning's downloadable Getting Started Guide has helped many parents make the transition. Based on our survey of seasoned homeschoolers, you'll learn what mistakes to avoid and how to get started without getting overwhelmed. Download the Welcome to Homeschooling Guide now.

The Homeschool Melting Pot

We've noticed that the accidental homeschooler label only applies for a limited period for most families. After a de-schooling (see our homeschool glossary) transition period, parents become immersed in their new approach to education and lifestyle. Their initial anger with the education system, of which they feel failed them, melts away as they adapt to their new lifestyle. They seem to forget that their decision to homeschool was based on necessity, and did not begin as a deliberate choice.

"I had started homeschooling when I found that the schools just did not work for my kids. Initially, I was bitter with the schools that had forced me to take on educating my children by myself. Over the years, I began to notice that there was nothing regrettable about the fork in the road that I had taken. I shifted from being a critic of the schools to being a homeschool advocate."

John Edelson

Time4Learning - It's Time4Learning. And Fun!

Copyright 2008 Time4Learning. All rights reserved .

PS - To read more "accidental homeschooling" stories, join our parenting forum. Better yet, share your own!

Time4learning, 6300 NE 1st Ave., Ste. 203, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334, USA