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Showing posts from August, 2009

Back to Homeschool Contest: $100 Gift Card from the Container Store

TOS is hosting a fun "Back-to-Homeschool" organizing contest on their Facebook page. Here is the information: The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine wants to see how you spiff up for the school year! Does your schoolhouse need cleaning? Do you have any ideas for small spaces or decluttering to help you stay organized throughout the year? Inspire others or simply gain valuable insight by sharing your story and photos with us! To participate, visit their Facebook fan page, and if you aren’t already a fan, become one at: http://www.facebook.com/theoldschoolhouse . To enter, simply send in as many photos as you can of your personalized schoolhouse. Include captions for your photos in as few words as you wish, or create a photo essay. Be creative, have fun, and get excited! Staff will choose 5 photos on Sept 3rd, and fans will then have until Sept 8th to choose their favorite of the 5. The winners will receive a 1-year subscription to My Audio School and a $15 gift certificate fo

Grapevine Studies -- Serving Him With Stick Figures

Grapevine Studies is a wonderful and creative way to teach children (and adults!) about the Bible. I was raised in a strict religion that included reading through the Bible once a year with weekly assignments, I can say without a doubt that this is WAAAAY more fun! (Sorry Mom!) When I received the ebook I was shocked at the size of the Teacher's Manual. I expected a couple of pages, maybe thirty pages on the outside.  Nope. Not even close. The wonderful creators of this curriculum have left nothing to chance. Even if you have never read the Bible before, you'll be able to teach your children with the help of the 322 page instructional book. (And that's no typo!) Even if you are a biblical expert, the Teacher's Manual has enormous value. Not only does it explain the way to use the program and the subject structure they also give you every illustration and every explanation to share with your children. I am not very confident in my art skills and the manual makes it

Web Design for Kids

Web design is one of the skills that I want my children to learn. Not only is it a great creative outlet for writing and drawing (my daughters love the Paint feature on the computer), but it will probably be a standard skill requirement as they enter the job market. Although I’ve been working on my own website the last six months, I’m by no means ready to explain how it all works, especially since some of it is still a mystery for me! But never fear, because Click Drag Solutions has already provided me with the perfect solution. If you’re looking for a great introduction to land of HTML, look no further than “Web Design for Kids (and Curious Grown-Ups!)”. This instructional DVD is about 45 minutes in length and normally retails for $40.00, but is on sale until the end of the summer for $19.99. In my opinion this program is definitely worth the price! One of things I really like about this program is the pacing. The instructor has a relaxed teaching style that allows you to absorb t

Home Schooling Parents and Students of Financial Freedom

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When I came across Educating for Success, on the recommendation from another homeschooling friend, I felt as if I had found a long lost sister. Rhea's message has really resonated within me because she has confirmed all that I believed about the current economic situation. It didn't have to happen. As is pointed out in one of my favorite books The Puritan Gift , apprenticeship is a vital, yet horribly neglected component, to help our our children to gain skills to support themselves and their families as adults. Not only does it ensure their self-sufficiency, but from that ability to take care of themselves it frees up future generations to create new products, devise new ways of accomplishing tasks, as well as setting new standards of workmanship. If any of this resonates with you, please take a look at an article that I scooped up about how homeschooling families can ensure their children's financial freedom in the future: Dabbling with home businesses gives young

Quarter Mile Math Software

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I am no neophyte to math software. Long before I became a mother I have been using math software to help my myriads of nieces and nephews. One of my favorite math software providers was Davidson and their really cool "Math Blaster" program back in the 1990s. But that was then and this is now. Quarter Mile's Appeal to My Children My children have enjoyed my older Davidson games because it had lots of cute songs and animations. So, although my son is a big fan of horses, I wasn't sure how the girls would feel about The Quarter Mile Math racing game where their only choices are race cars and horses. And at first glance the interface is a lot less flashy than what I've become accustomed to with some of the internet-based math games that they kids have played over the years. So, after installing it on my own computer, I started sharing it with the gang. Now Jade is my up-and-coming diva, so I her reaction was very interesting. When she first saw the splash screen she

Bugsby's Great Adventures Contest

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VTech, proud parents of the newly launched Bugsby Reading System is hosting Bugsby’s Great Adventures, an interactive contest that allows you and your child to write your own Bugsby story together. Know what’s even cooler? Three stories will be chosen for future publication – your child’s could be one of them! VTech and TwitterMoms wants to make sure you and your child have a chance to get your story published – so we are giving you another chance to win a prize on TwitterMoms. How It Works: To participate, visit http://www.vtechkids.com/bugsby and create your own adventure with your child. Then, write a post about your experience you had with your child while creating you personal Bugsby’s Great Adventure story on your blog – including the link to your personalized story. How did your child use his or her imagination? What was the best or most memorable part of the experience? Why do you think your child’s story should be published? Feel free to upload images, photos or video of you

Conversations with the Masters – An Education in Entrepreneurship

My friend John is a homeschooling dad with a twist. He's also an entrepreneur with a passion for helping others to become successful in their lives. He has many projects to further this aim such "BeliefBusters" and "The Mastermind Sesssions" (for his other projects you can visit his website www.johnmiltonfogg.com ). The resource I'd like to tell you about today is "The Mastermind Sessions". John has brought together over 100 successful entrepreneurs to share their road to becoming a success in their chosen profession. During these interviews we learn how they overcame their struggles, maintained a level head amidst victories and other life lessons. John brings this to you (and more) each and every week in "The Mastermind Sessions". But general access to these insightful and educational interviews is coming to a close. According to an email I received from John today: "After midnight (great name for a song) Wednesday, August 12, there

Homeschooling ABCs Freebie -- Ends 8/2

So sorry about the late notice, but I was busy working and hadn't checked out my Freebie of the Day * until just now. Anyway, Terri Johnson of Homeschooling ABCS is having giving away the first 5 lessons of the Homeschooling ABCs class . The first lesson will be given away on Monday, August 3rd, so if you're still running ideas through your head about your families' up and coming school year, this would be an excellent opportunity to see what she has to offer. As Terri states on her sign up page for this offer: "Our mission is to encourage and equip you to have the best school year yet!" And that's the reason for this hasty post -- I really believe that we all need to bless each other with whatever resources we can, especially the free ones during this challenging economy. I seem to be moving into the reviewing mode, so if you miss the deadline, never fear! I will be sure to share my take on Terri's teaching methods, ideas and even which type o