Homeschool Connections: wonderful summer-school option!

Whether you've got middle-schoolers or high schoolers trying to earn more credits, Homeschool Connections has some great summer-school/online classes scheduled.  AND if you register on or before April 1st, you'll save up to $40!  Cool, huh?

• Preparing for Pre-Algebra
• Preparing for Algebra
• Latin I
• Latin II
• History: Vatican II
• History: The Great Depression
• Life Skills: Personal Finances 

All you need is high speed internet (not dial up) and a headset (easily available and inexpensive). The classes are live and interactive. It's all user friendly and fun too. The greatest advantage of these courses is that you and your child have access to some of the best teachers in the country.

HC also offers recorded courses which include past summer boot camps. This way you have many options if you like to keep learning year round, even if on a much lighter schedule.

Recorded summer courses include:

• Literature: MacBeth (Catholic Shakespeare series)
• Literature: Beowulf and Christ 
• Catholic Apologetics with Gary Michuta
• SAT / ACT Preparation and Practice
• Foundations of Christian Historiography 
• Latin I
• Latin II
• Life Skills: Job Search Skills

 Go check it out at Homeschool Connections; I think you'll be impressed by the offerings they have!  

AMAZING resource for Catholic homeschoolers ...

... is just a subscription away.

The Spring 2010 issue is arriving in mailboxes as I write.  This issue includes a great unit study on learning about world geography with little kids (altho the unit would work with older siblings, too!) while the articles carry-through the theme of picture books and the wonder within childhood. 

Of special note, is a wonderful review of my book, In His Image.  Check it out and let me know what you think ... and if you haven't subscribed yet, what are you thinking?  mater-et-magistra is the ONLY Catholic homeschool magazine published and is well-worth the subscription price.   I write the quarterly column on handcrafts ... but there are always great articles with teaching tips, resource suggestions, and supportive stories to "educate the heart and the mind of the Catholic home".  There is always a pull-out unit study as well as reviews of wonderful books for young and old.

 

Feast Day: St. Athanasius of Alexandria

Today is the feast of St. Athanasius of Alexandria -- he is the patron saint of our home-learning adventures:  Nine years ago, when dh was applying to study over in Austria, he had to write a commentary on one of St. Athanasius' major writings.  At the same time I was discerning whether or not to pull my older two from parochial school and home-educate (as a dear neighbor had done with her two boys).  Prayers to St. Athanasius for both the application and discernment about home-educating proved very efficacious!

When we needed a name for our "school", we unhesitatingly asked St. Athanasius for his patronage.

Here's our school logo:

St Athanasius of Alexandria ... continue to watch over SAAcademy ... continue to bless us as we strive to live, love and learn in the heart of our home!

[Note:  since today is Sunday, we'll party for St. A. tomorrow!]

Review: Come and See: Wisdom -- Catholic Bible Study

How many books within the Bible are considered "wisdom books"?  Can you name the "wisdom books" of the Bible?  What is one distinguishing characteristic of all these books?

I couldn't name the seven wisdom books nor did I know that they are all written in poetic (as opposed to, prose) form. 

I so don't know my Bible!  That was one of the reasons I chose the book, Come and See: Wisdom -- Catholic Bible Study for review; I figured I'd be able to answer at least these three questions when I was done with the book.

Well, I can now do that and more!  The "wisdom books" are: 

1. Job
2. Psalms
3. Proverbs
4. Ecclesiastes
5. Song of Solomon
6. Wisdom 
7. Sirach. 

They are all written in a poetic form with lots of cool literary tools embedded (including the use of acrostic-poetry in their construction, similes and metaphors, and proverbs scattered throughout).  These are such deep scriptural books that phrases or whole verses are used throughout Western literature (Shakespeare uses scriptural references extensively and what we now consider trite cliches are actually direct quotes from the "wisdom books"!).

Fr. Liesen and Dr. Manhardt do a great job of explaining the many facets of these books:  the historical setting, the literary devices used throughout, the catechism embedded in the poetry, the Church writings and Magisterial teachings that these seven books have engendered.  Each of the 22 chapters are a different part of the scriptures -- a natural/literary coupling of the various chapters or verses of the individual books. 

It's amazing how much bang these wisdom books pack!

I liked how Liesen and Manhardt include directed-study questions at the conclusion of each chapter; questions that are objective and great review, that direct the reader to the important or key points of each section of the Biblical passages. 

As a homeschooling mom, I see this as a great high school Religion curriculum for 9th grade Scripture or as a 12th grade Theology elective.  The coverage in this guide includes

• history by setting each book in it's contemporary setting and explaining the Jewish vs the Christian understanding of the words;
• literature by defining the myriad of literary devices used throughout each of the Biblical books
• catechism by explaining Church teachings on what these scripture passages mean for a Catholic with Papal and Church Father quotations throughout the text
• apologetics by separating the Jewish from the Catholic from the Christian understandings and defending the Catholic interpretation of these sage writings

As a homeschool mom, I could easily use this guide to build an entire semester's worth of multi-disciplinary studies for a high school student.  Pretty cool, eh?  I like that this guide is fairly self-contained -- you could use it as a study-guide for a student, an adult or a small-group from a parish. 

I do have a couple of quibbles, though:

1. The introduction is very abrupt and reads clumsily; the intro gives an overview of how the books came to be in the Bible but it is a very technical, academic discussion.  Then all of a sudden the intro explains how to use the book ... the format was ... well, wierd.
2. The objective questions at the end of each section are great but the subjective questions (marked with an asterisk) are a bit hokey ... lots about "feelings" and "imagining" that seems forced and more politically correct than it needs to be.
3. At times the text is a bit pedantic and technical.  There is an assumption of prior knowledge that this particular cradle Catholic (who went to Catholic schools from K-undergrad) didn't quite "get"; I ended up having to do further research  a couple of times to understand what they were saying.

Overall, I think this is a great study guide for high school age and older; for individuals or for groups; for parish study or for home-study.  These books of the Old Testament need to be read and understood by all Catholics. 

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Come and See - Wisdom - Catholic Bible Study.

*-*-*-*

Liesen, Father Jan SSD and Manhardt, Maurie Watson (PhD)  Come and See: Wisdom -- Catholic Bible Study. Emmaus Road Publishing (Seubenville, OH) 2009; ISBN: 978-1-931018-55-5; paperback, 220 pages.

Homeschool: co-op classes par excellence!

It's no secret we move often ... and have been involved in many different homeschool groups, co-ops, and activities.  Some have been great ... and we still are in contact with the parents that ran those groups.  Then, there were other programs that make my kids cringe/cry/generally shudder at the horror of attending those again.  There were also one or two that were just plain mediocre -- which is almost the worst kind!

Today, we have hit the big time -- a long-running co-op that not only has great classes but is amazingly welcoming to all the new families as well as the old.  This is an all-Catholic homeschool co-op that uses a Baptist Church free of charge for our all-day co-op.  The wonderful folks at the Baptist Church allow us "free run" of their education building ... with enough space to have:  infants, 1-2 yos, 3 yos, 4 yos, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th-12th (4 or 5 classes to choose from) -- all in separate rooms.  We have a total of 30 families with 101 kids!  Yep, it's very, very Catholic.

Mine had a blast today:

• Lego Maniac's classes -- chess/logic; art/drawing (I help in this one) and liturgical calendar
• String Bean's classes ---- dance; drama; American History (I help in this one)
• BamBam's classes ------ pe/sign language (to get them ready to sit); phonics (I help in this one); math games; liturgical calendar (on a lower level than LM's class).  As you can see, the courses are a good mix of "real learning" and real learning ....

There are many other choices but the point of this post is the prayers of thanksgiving I offered up that this is such a wonderful spot for us to have landed ... and we're not planning on moving any time soon (please, GOD!).  Some of the families we "knew" thru my bro/sil who lived here 20+ years ago; some of the families we "knew" thru older siblings that go to dh's high school; some of these folks we actually KNOW from our VBS this summer ... but those with whom we have no connection, were just as welcoming as all those we "knew"!

My kids can't wait to go back next week.  String Bean's comment summed it up for all -- "I can't wait till next Tuesday ... that means co-op is the next day!"  We finished off the day with a Art Appreciation ... LegoManiac is enrolled in Seton Home Study this year (getting him ready for dh's high school in 4 years) and they have a GREAT art appreciation program ... we thought the whole family could benefit from the study, so we've made Wednesday evenings "art history night" with the Seton Art History program ... and it is GOOD!  The kiddoes than watched Pickwick Papers with dh while I computered ...

What kind of co-op or homeschool group are you involved with?  How does it work?  Are you active?

Family: 4Real IRL!

We have the distinct pleasure of knowing MaryM very well ... so well in fact that when they headed east we got them to commit to a 3-night stay at the "farm".

We love this family ... my boys love Mary's son, my daughter loves Mary's daughter, and dh and I love Mary and her dh ... couldn't ask for better than that. They were dear friends to us in Denver (altho I knew her much longer on 4real, just not-IRL) and are still dear to us.

We all play together so nicely!

Yesterday, we had an added treat of hosting Ruth's family for their first visit out here (they live almost an hour away but had to come in for a doc appointment and took advantage of their proximity to us) and a chance to meet MaryM IRL.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Just a wonderful visit with lovely ladies (and other kids that wouldn't let us photograph them!).

Homeschool: motto for 2009-10 year

Many of my IRL and online home-educating friends choose an annual motto that will shape their school year, something pithy that helps frame what they will accomplish beyond the texts, field trips and projects.

I was going to use a the motto John XXIII used throughout his life, using it as his episcopal motto: "obedience and peace".

But then I came across this quote from St. Josemaria Escriva (founder of Opus Dei):

Don't say: 'That person gets on my nerves.' Think: 'That person sanctifies me.'

-- St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, #174

The motto that I'm having tattooed on my arm (so I NEVER forget this one) is:

Encourage and teach with patience. (2Tim 4:2)

This quote is one that Bishop Loverde (Diocese of Arlington, VA) has used for many years ... and he lives by it everytime I see him.

Aren't those quotes both just perfect for mulling over throughout this next school year?

I will be creating ways to make the first quote really resonate with the kiddoes over the next few weeks, particularly as we get into outside activities that bring them into contact with others who may not think or act the way we want them to act. But, I think this quote is applicable within our home too ... if not more so ... and the second one is something that I always need to remember.

I'll keep you posted as to what we do with these!

Homeschool: getting ready ...

How do you make two boys thrilled about school starting up in three weeks?

Head to a never-entered thrift store (aka, junk shop) down at the county seat and buy two beautiful desks.

BamBam loves his old style school-desk ... all wood and metal and virtually untip-able (a good thing for BamBam) and unbreakable.

Lego Maniac got a "big kid" desk that will carry him through high school! It's sturdy and tough and looks nice. Give him dad's old laptop and he's "sitting pretty".

As you can see, we're still working on their rooms ... but they're getting there! And while we're working on finishing them, at least they have their own study spaces that are as different as they are.

And the best part? I found a great thrift shop for house stuff ... lots of old, sturdy furniture, housewares and other fun things where the store is owned by a lovely family and not too far from home. I can't wait to take dh with me next time (Kotch went this time and we had a blast!) so we can spend ... I mean "save" ... lots of money.

And for those of you who might have THOUGHT we'd ever forget our sweet String Bean ... here's the desk dh and I built for her this past week ... right into a cool alcove in her room with a window looking out on trees ... she loves it (but hates the fact that we had to spackle and paint ... let the paint dry ... paint again ... etc). The sign on the back of the chair says "wet paint" and she was none too happy having to write that one.

Dh will allow her to "load it up" on Monday so I'm sure she'll be room-bound for a week or so while she makes it her own space! And yes, her room is pale pink ... which is perfect for our String Bean. Kotch doesn't like it much, but since she leaves for college at the end of August, it'll be just fine!

Homeschool: Free or cheap homeschool ideas ...

I saw this (via Elizabeth's sharing) on Two Thirds Unschooling and it looks like a great list/resource. Before looking at this list and spending hours (and tons of money) printing out everything you see: PLEASE, PLEASE use discretion ... sometimes it's cheaper to find a hard-copy of these resources, or some of the information on these pages is erroneous or doesn't agree with your world-view. Please use discretion. If there are any sites that you know of that are free or inexpensive, please let me know and I'll add them. In this economy (especially if you dh work for the Catholic Church) free or cheap is a real bonus!

Early Learning:
1. Starfall - Teaches alphabet and early reading skills. www.starfall.com
2. Brightly Beaming Resources - Letter of the week, sound of the week, science of the week, etc. This is a good all-around site for early learning.http://www.letteroftheweek.com/
3. Rhyme a weekhttp://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/g....htm#This_Week
4. Enchanted Learning - Not really free, but a lot can be accessed without paying (membership is $20 donation/year per family)http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
Whole Curriculum:
1. Ambleside Online - Charlotte Mason. Wonderful resource that includes lots of info and is really a full curriculum option. Great booklist!http://amblesideonline.org/index.shtml
2. An Old-Fashioned Education - Another really complete option. LOTS of stuff to look at and use here!http://oldfashionededucation.com/
3. Puritans' Home School - I have heard good things, but have never used this. VERY religious site, but it does appear pretty complete.http://www.puritans.net/curriculum/
4. Core Knowledge lesson plans - Tons of lesson plans on lots of subjects from PK-8. I have not used this, but it looks really good.http://www.coreknowledge.org/CK/resr...sons/index.htm
5. About.com Homeschooling section (not really a whole curriculum, but TONS of stuff)http://homeschooling.about.com/
6. Tanglewood Educationhttp://www.tanglewoodeducation.com/
7. The Baltimore Projecthttp://www.cstone.net/~bcp/BCPIntro2.htm
8. PASS Materials (FL)http://www.pass.leon.k12.fl.us/default.aspx
9. Paula's Archiveshttp://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/
10. EdSITEmenthttp://www.edsitement.neh.gov/
11. Mater Amabilis (Catholic Charlotte Mason Curriculum)http://materamabilis.org/
Unit Studies:
1. Homeschool Share - Lots and lots and LOTS of projects and unit studies. http://www.homeschoolshare.com/
2. A Journey Through Learning Inventor unit study and lapbook. Click on Free products http://ajourneythroughlearning.com/
3. H.I.P. Pocket Change. Several Lesson Plans revolving around money
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/lessonPlans/
4. Homeschool Helperhttp://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/units.htm
5. Oceanographyhttp://www.currclick.com/product_inf...roducts_id=243
6. SCORE Cyberguideshttp://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyberguide.html
7. Eyeshttp://www.aaofoundation.org/what/heritage/
8. Birds Notebooking pageshttp://www.currclick.com/product_inf...ers=0_0&free=1
9. Nature Studyhttp://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/
10. Canadahttp://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/canadaunit.htm
Math:
1. Ray's Arithmetic - 1885 math book on google books. Thorough and "back to basics". (click on the icon on the page and scroll down to read/print)http://books.google.com/books?id=eop...age&q=&f=false
2. CSMP materials - K-6http://ceure.buffalostate.edu/~csmp/...ram/index.html
3. First Lessons in Arithmetic - 1878 math texthttp://www.donpotter.net/math.htm
4. NC public school math program K-2http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/mat...s_k2_resou.php
5. Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching (UK) - AKA MEPhttp://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm
6. Living Math History (lessons on right)http://livingmath.net/LessonPlans/C1...S/Default.aspx
7. Pearson Scott Foresman K-5http://pgcounty.scottforesman.com/
8. Geogebra (Algebra and Geometry)http://www.geogebra.org/cms/
9. Oakes Mathhttp://dorioakes.bravehost.com/Math.html
10. Eduplace printable workbooks
http://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_1.htmlhttp://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_2.htmlhttp://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_3.htmlhttp://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_4.htmlhttp://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_2.htmlhttp://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_3.htmlhttp://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_4.html http://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_5.htmlhttp://www.eduplace.com/math/hmm/practice/lp_6.htmland activities that coordinate with this programhttp://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmm/
11. Middle/High school mathhttp://go.hrw.com/gopages/ma-msm.html
12. McDougal Littell Math Coursehttp://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms...e.htm?state=MNhttp://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms...e.htm?state=MNhttp://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms...e.htm?state=MNhttp://www.classzone.com/cz/books/pr...e.htm?state=MNhttp://www.classzone.com/cz/books/al...e.htm?state=MNhttp://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ge...e.htm?state=MNhttp://www.classzone.com/cz/books/al...e.htm?state=MN
13. Missouri Schools program (including TM/answers)http://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/msma...e/index.php/mohttp://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/msma...e/index.php/mohttp://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/msma...e/index.php/mohttp://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/prea.../index.php4/mohttp://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/alge.../index.php4/mo
14. Glencoe Workbookshttp://www.glencoe.com/sites/georgia...workbooks.html
15. Public Schools of NC math program http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/mat...s_k2_resou.php
Math Drill:
1. Math Magician Gameshttp://resources.oswego.org/games/ma...cathymath.html
2. Printable math worksheetshttp://www.mathfactcafe.com/
3. Math U See (online)http://mathusee.com/drill.html
4. Math worksheets to create and print (some portions pay)http://themathworksheetsite.com/
5. Timez Attack (multiplication video game - way cool) - basic is freehttp://www.bigbrainz.com/indexd.php
6. Harcourt activities http://harcourtschool.com/menus/math2002/na/gr1.htmlhttp://harcourtschool.com/menus/math2002/na/gr2.htmlhttp://harcourtschool.com/menus/math2002/na/gr3.htmlhttp://harcourtschool.com/menus/math2002/na/gr4.htmlhttp://harcourtschool.com/menus/math2002/na/gr5.htmlhttp://harcourtschool.com/menus/math2002/na/gr6.html
7. Learn to play chess (I guess this is math...haha)http://chesskids.com/
Phonics:
1. Word Masteryhttp://donpotter.net/PDF/Word%20Mastery%20-%20Typed.pdf
2. Starfall (learn to read online)http://www.starfall.com/
3. Blend Phonicshttp://www.donpotter.net/Blend%20Phonics.htm
4. Sadler-Oxfordhttp://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/student.cfm
5. Progressive Phonicshttp://www.progressivephonics.com/
6. Society for Quality Education http://www.societyforqualityeducatio...stairway2.html/
Literature/Reading Guides and Units:
1. Novel Study Guides for the Classroom Teacherhttp://www.nt.net/~torino/novels3.html
2. Reading Units by Gay Millerhttp://www.mce.k12tn.net/units/units_with_books.htm
3. Garden of Praisehttp://www.gardenofpraise.com/lesson.htm
4. Glencoe Literature Guideshttp://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/
5. Literature Activity Guides by Nancy Polette - These are samples, but are in depth enough to test if your child understood the story.http://www.nancypolette.com/litguides.asp
6. SCORE Cyberguides (California schools)http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/SCORE/cyberguide.html
7. Dangerous Journey (Pilgrim's Progress for kids version) study guidehttps://www.visionvideo.com/pdf/DangJourney.pdf
8. Course in nature study: for grades one and two - Detroit Public Schoolshttp://books.google.com/books?id=i8EOAAAAMAAJ
9. Nature-study: a manual for teachers and students http://books.google.com/books?id=C4EWAAAAIAAJ
10. Readquarium (mostly games)http://www.gamequarium.com/readquarium/index.html
11. Harcourt GuidesGrade 1http://harcourtschool.com/menus/trophies/grade_1.html
Grade 2http://harcourtschool.com/menus/trophies/grade_2.html
Grade 3http://harcourtschool.com/menus/trophies/grade_3.html
Grade 4http://harcourtschool.com/menus/trophies/grade_4.html
Grade 5http://harcourtschool.com/menus/trophies/grade_5.html
Grade 6http://harcourtschool.com/menus/trophies/grade_6.html
12. National Park Servicehttp://www.nps.gov/history/
Free Books:
1. Classical Education Libraryhttp://www.classical-education.net/
2. Kids4Classicshttp://www.kids4classics.com/
3. Project Gutenberghttp://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/
4. Online Library of Libertyhttp://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php...icxt&Itemid=29
5. Google Bookshttp://books.google.com/books
6. The Baldwin Projecthttp://www.mainlesson.com/main/displ...icle=christmas
7. Planet eBookhttp://www.planetebook.com/
8. 19th Century Schoolbookshttp://digital.library.pitt.edu/nietz/
9. Librivox - Free online audiobookshttp://librivox.org/
10. Storynory - Free online audiobookshttp://storynory.com/
11. Free Books onlinehttp://www.wowio.com/
12. Magic Keyshttp://www.magickeys.com/books/
13. Fun Brainhttp://www.funbrain.com/brain/Readin...dingBrain.html
14. Interactive Story Bookshttp://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch...nlinestory.htm/
15. Stories about American Heroeshttp://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi
Art:
1. Dick Blick Lessonshttp://www.dickblick.com/lessonplans/
2. Meet the Mastershttp://www.getinvolvedineducation.co...ram-manual.pdf/
3. A Lifetime of Colorhttp://www.alifetimeofcolor.com/main.taf?p=1
4. Teach Art at Homehttp://www.teachartathome.com/FreeProjectCurrent.html
Teacher helps (planning/support):
1. Donna Young - Tons of planning stuff, including some things like handwriting masters.donnayoung.org
2. Homeschool Inc. - Online planning software (very versatile)http://home-school-inc.com/
3. Homeschool Tracker (planning software - basic free, full pay)http://homeschooltracker.com/
4. Online Lesson Planner, Scheduler, and Trackerhttp://www.homeschoolskedtrack.com/H...isplayLogin.do
5. Super Teacher Worksheets. Lots of well done worksheets for all subject areas. Grade level 1st-4thhttp://www.superteacherworksheets.com/index.html
6. Free Formshttp://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/forms.html
7. Freebie of the dayhttp://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/
8. Currclick. They feature a free product once a week to download. It usually changes Monday afternoonshttp://www.currclick.com/index.php
9. Freely educate. Lots of great links herehttp://www.freelyeducate.com/
10. Hoagies Gifted. Tons of Free high school curriculum linkshttp://www.hoagiesgifted.org/online_hs.htm
11. Education Worldhttp://educationworld.com/
12. Internet Activities to coordinate with each grade and subjecthttp://www.gsc.amdsb.ca/
13. Scholastichttp://www2.scholastic.com/browse/learn.jsp
14. Softschoolshttp://www.softschools.com/
15. Videos (creationist site -- have not used)http://www.answersingenesis.org/kids/videos
16. Worksheetshttp://www.worksheetworks.com/miscel...rganizers.html
17. Charlotte Mason stuff (not all free)http://simplycharlottemason.com/
18. FossWeb by Delta Education. Click on the subject, then teacher resources. You will then have to click on Teacher Prep videos for the lessons. Everything else on the page supports the lessons. There are games, worksheets, and many additional resources listedhttp://www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/index.html
19. Higher Up and Further In bloghttp://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/
20. Pioneer Woman bloghttp://thepioneerwoman.com/
21. Well-Trained Mindwelltrainedmind.com/forums/
22. Teacher Tubehttp://www.teachertube.com/
Science:
1. Engineering for kids ages 8 and up. Single subject lesson plans. Nicely done and easy to understandhttp://www.welltrainedmind.com/forum...ree+curriculum
2. Earth Awareness Curriculum for Middle Schoolershttp://cygnus-group.com/use-less-stuff/NSTA.html
3. Life Science Curriculumhttp://www.eequalsmcq.com/Thank%20yo...%20Science.htm
4. Otter’s Sciencehttp://www.guesthollow.com/homeschoo...ence_main.html
5. K-12 Sciencehttp://www.msnucleus.org/curriculum/curriculum.html
6. Take a Cloud Walk (Cloud unit)http://www.takeawalk.com/cloud-walk/
7. Science plans for 6th grade based on the "Prentice-Hall Life Science" bookhttp://www.smithlifescience.com/
8. Hands-On Technology Programhttp://www.galaxy.net/~k12/
9. NASA for educatorshttp://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html
10. Science Songshttp://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/
11. Invitations to Science Inquiryhttp://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/eri...0/1e/27/27.pdf
12. Science Videoshttp://www.teachersdomain.org/
13. Animal Unitshttp://www.scribd.com/people/documen...06/folder/1072
14. Animal Activity Packshttp://www.kidszoo.org/education/zaps.htm
15. Videos that demonstrate experiments for every element on the periodic tablehttp://www.periodicvideos.com/
16. Click on the element and then on the microphone to hear about the elementhttp://www.webelements.com/
17. Inventor's Timelinehttp://inventors.about.com/od/timeli...Nineteenth.htm
18. BODIES, the exhibition ~ includes educator guides for various grade levels from Carnegie Science Center. Even if you aren't interested in the exhibit or pictures of the preserved bodies, there is good info in the guides that can be used for lessons:http://wheresciencehappens.org/bodiesguide.htm
Computer Science:
1. Blender 3D animation creationhttp://www.blender.org/
2. Computer Programming Coursehttp://www.alice.org/index.php
3. Computer Training Courseshttp://www.gcflearnfree.org/computer/
4. Computer Animating and Designhttp://scratch.mit.edu/
Typing:
1. Online typing Coursehttp://www.goodtyping.com/
2. Dance Mat Typinghttp://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
3. Touch Typing (Online)http://www.sense-lang.org/typing/
4. Kiran's Typing Tutorhttp://www.kiranreddys.com/products/typing.html
5. Learn2Typehttp://www.learn2type.com/
Foreign Language:
1. BBC Languageshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/
2. Elementary/Middle School beginning Spanish. The first book listed is a free download.http://nflrc.iastate.edu/pubs/units/unitsList.html
3. Greek and Latinhttp://www.textkit.com/
4. FSI Language Courseshttp://fsi-language-courses.com/default.aspx
5. Live Mocha - This is a social site, so you may want to monitor your kids closely on this one.http://www.livemocha.com/
6. OFS (Online free spanish)http://www.onlinefreespanish.com/
7. Spanish Unlimitedhttp://www.spanishunlimited.com/
8. Latin Resourceshttp://www.cdacademy.com/class/2007/...-games-online/http://www.gettingstartedwithlatin.com/http://hungryfrog.com/classics.htmlhttp://homeschool.online.program.lat...lyfishfun.com/http://www.memoriapress.com/help/Latin.htm
9. French Resourceshttp://www.poissonrouge.com/http://lexiquefle.free.fr/learn-french.htm
10. Boca Beth (Spanish)http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...rch_type=&aq=f
11. Salsa (Spanish)http://www.gpb.org/salsa/term/episodes
12. Mommy Teach Me Spanishhttp://www.youtube.com/results?searc...rch_type=&aq=f
13. In the Beginning Greekhttp://www.inthebeginning.org/
Home Economics/Life Skills:
1. Future Christian Homemakers (Have not used or looked into this)http://www.futurechristianhomemakers...sonsindex.html/3
2. Notebooking Pageshttp://www.notebookingpages.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=223&zenid=8aa27600566a8377555bc3631269ff94
3. Health and Nutrition:1. http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/educators/lessons-main.asp
Virtual Field Trips:
1. Take a field Triphttp://www.uen.org/tours/fieldtrips2.shtml
2. Meet Me at the Cornerhttp://www.meetmeatthecorner.org/
High School/College (have not used these or looked closely at them):
1. HippoCampus Free Courseshttp://www.hippocampus.org/
2. Mixed Courses in many subjectshttp://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/
3. Printable Courses in all subject areas. Not sure who funds this one, but I like how the curriculum is laid outhttp://www.pass.leon.k12.fl.us/Speci...t%20Areas.aspx
4. University of Berkley Courses. Tons of Free Courses available herehttp://webcast.berkeley.edu/
5. Yale University Open Courses. Nicely done and easy to access IMOhttp://oyc.yale.edu/
6. University of Washington free courseshttp://www.outreach.washington.edu/openuw/
7. M.I.T. open Courseware. Tons of completely free courses in many subjectshttp://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm

August ... already?

It seems like we just moved in and we're already in August ... a month where we lose our favorite cook (dh) to school assignments, Kotch goes off to college and the really hot days don't help with trying to plan school.

We've done so much since we moved in on June 25th ... we've cleaned, and scrubbed, and built, and painted, and cleaned some more, and generally beaten this house into shape. The real blessing occured yesterday when we got our gas grill hooked up to the HUGE propane tank for our fireplace so we can enjoy the "dog days" with a barbeque and not worry about the tank! WHEW! We still have the appliance guys coming Monday to move our washer/dryer into place ... no we haven't been using a rock to do laundry around here, just really poor efficiency appliances left by the previous owner and I miss our washer and dryer. Those will be hooked up Monday.

Then we have a couple of weeks of doctor/dentist/eye doc appointments and shifting things to get Kotch ready for college (leaving August 27th) and dh ready for school (starts planning meetings on the 24th).

So August is fraught with planning, and more planning, moving and shifting and changing and general mayhem till September 1st rolls around and we're in a grove again for a while ...

I'll be posting my curriculum plans over the next few weeks ... for Lego Maniac (5th grade!), String Bean (4th grade, but needs help with reading and confidence building) and Bam Bam (1st grade who really doesn't understnad WHY he needs to be kept back when he really should be in high school -- or so he thinks!).

Prayers for all my dear readers and their planning for next year, and their finishing their summers with a bang, and just generally for their well-being.

God bless you all!