Marine Corps Nomads » Homeschool

Free 3-Part Writing Series – Conclusion

Heather — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:56:32 +0000

Jim Baumgardner’s final installment in his 3-part writing series at Creative Learners is now up. I think it’s absolutely wonderful that he was willing to take time out of his schedule to help out budding writers with this free series.

If you missed the rest of the series, you can check out my posts about Part 1 and Part 2.

Mr. Jim’s newest book in the Sarah series, Sarah’s Quest, is scheduled to be released early in 2011. We can’t wait!

Monday Meanderings and Giveaway Winner

Heather — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:46:09 +0000

We have declared weekends, especially Sunday, family time.

On Saturdays, we get various things done that are unable to be done during the week. This could mean doing tasks around the house and/or getting errands done. We try to get these necessary things out of the way as quickly as possible. Saturday evenings, we sit down and enjoy a movie together as a family. This past Saturday, we watched Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. It’s a great, inspirational family movie. (We rented it from Netflix.)

On Sundays, we head to church in the morning and come home to a nice meal together. The day may be filled with relaxing, exploring, watching a movie, playing games, or whatever we decide to do as a family. This has worked out very well for us, and Munchkin looks forward to this time.

Last night, Munchkin and Daddy started up with some dissections for her Marine Biology class. This week, she’s working on completing the labs for her class to wrap things up. She has already completed the book portion. She chose to do most her labs at one time instead of throughout the unit.

Today, I started back up with the Body Gospel exercise program. Due to a few health issues, I had to take some time off. I’m basically starting back at the beginning and working my way up again. I look forward to getting back to exercising. I was able to pick up a nice pair of good quality tennis shoes for exercising for a really great deal which will help. I was using Munchkin’s shoes, but I really needed a pair of my own.

Munchkin is working on taking one of her essays and creating a book out of it. She’s been working on painting illustrations to go with the story. She’s having fun with it.

What do you like to do on the weekend? Is it family time or a time to get things done or both?

**** Zhu Zhu Pets Rockstar Giveaway Winner ****

Here are your random numbers: 12 Timestamp: 2010-08-30 22:32:41 UTC

Congrats to: Mami2jcn who likes Ryder says: I like you on Facebook (Mary Happymommy)

~~Updated~~

Our winner has asked that I pick a new winner since she actually won one on another blog. I love that she wanted to spread the Zhu Zhu love!!

The new winner is:

Heather S says: My favorite is Ryder. That is my son’s name!

Thank you to all who entered!!!

This post contains and Amazon affiliate link for the family friendly movie that we enjoyed. If you purchase the movie through this link, I will receive a small portion of the sale. Thanks!

Homeschooling Labor of Love Sale

Heather — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:00:59 +0000

Homeschooling is truly a labor of love. It can be an enormously rewarding experience, but it’s not without its trials and horrible, no good, very rotten days. There are days that you, the mom and teacher, are running completely on empty, and your creativity is no where to be found. You don’t want to get out of bed much less try to patiently teach your kiddos. It’s days like those that you need encouragement and creative ideas. You need some inspiration to get you through that day.

The Schoolhouse Magazine can be that inspiration for you.

As soon as my Schoolhouse magazine arrives, I dig into it. I love reading all of the articles filled with homeschooling helps, unit studies, words of advice, been there and done that type articles…. Once I’ve read through it once, I don’t get rid of it like I do many magazines that come into our house. Nope, these magazines are keepers. They are read more than once or even twice. I set them aside for when my tank is running on empty and my creative juices have stopped flowing.

I like the magazine so much that I tend to renew it every time they have a really great sale (like the one mentioned below). Of course that means that I’m not really sure when my current subscription actually ends. lol! That’s okay because they just keep adding on the renewals to the end of my subscription.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Labor of Love Sale

Right now, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is extending an extraordinary subscription offer to homeschool families. Receive a one-year print subscription for just $7.95 or a one-year plus current issue subscription for $12.95. One-year subscriptions start with the winter issue. The one-year plus current issue starts with the fall issue.

Please note: only 5000 of these special subscriptions are available from August 31 through midnight on September 15.

Once the 5000 are gone, they’re gone! Hurry and grab this crazy price today!

As a member of the TOS Crew, I am posting this ad in exchange for Expo to Go tickets. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Our Current Penmanship Curriculum

Heather — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:24:38 +0000

Since Munchkin completed all 4 books in the Awana T&T curriculum, she will be working on the silver and gold sections in the Awana books this year. To make things a bit easier for her, I created a workbook for the gold sections in all 4 books.

Whenever possible, I like to incorporate Munchkin’s studies in one subject with her penmanship and reading. For now, her penmanship will be based upon some requirements in her T&T books. Each book has 4 questions that have 4 answers. Each answer has at least 1 supporting verse. For her penmanship, she will be writing down each question with the answers and supporting verses (written out).

By doing this, she’ll get practical penmanship practice while solidifying the T&T information in her mind. She’ll be hiding God’s Word in her heart while working on her penmanship. A definite win-win situation.

By having everything in a nice workbook, Munchkin won’t have to worry about trying to keep track of lots of individual assignments. Plus, it will give her something to keep to help her remember all that she learned and worked on while in Awana. She’s excited about the workbook and getting started on her Awana for the year.

A Day in Our Homeschooling Life

Heather — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:03:56 +0000

We’re not very big into strict schedules at our house, but we definitely have some regular routines in place that keep things moving along smoothly. I try not to have activities during our regular school hours when possible. I had planned on actually blogging our day today, but Munchkin woke up sick. We’re having a sick day which means cuddling, watching some tv, and reading.

Our normal routine looks a little something like this…

D gets up between 5 and 6 to head to work. After he gets up and goes to work, I go back to sleep until Munchkin wonders into my room. We cuddle, watch an animal planet or food network show that I’ve taped for her, and eat breakfast. Yep, we eat breakfast in bed almost every morning.

I check my emails while Munchkin gets started on her school work. On a good day, I’ll get some exercise in and take a shower while Munchkin does her independent work. We then work on the school work that requires my assistance. While I make lunch, she usually completes her school work. Sometimes D is home for lunch, so we spend some time with him while he’s home.

After lunch, it’s time for chores. Once chores are done, Munchkin is allowed to play or work on projects. I usually work on housework and other projects that I need/want to get done until it’s time to start supper. My computer is on all during the day, so I periodically check emails and work computer tasks here and there.

When D is home in time for supper, we eat together. If he’s running late (sadly more often than not these days), then we eat without him and sit with him once he’s home to eat. He likes to sit in his recliner while he eats supper as it’s more relaxing.

Evenings are cooler, so the kids usually play in the evenings. Sometimes, we’ll head outside and talk with our neighbors. Other times, we stay inside and talk while Munchkin plays with her friends. D needs to be able to relax after work, so I follow his lead.

By 8:00 we’re usually inside and enjoying an evening snack. After the snack, we head to our bedrooms. Munchkin does her devotions and reads until lights out at 9:30. I give her hugs and kisses goodnight, and Daddy has a tickle fest/giggle fest prior tucking her in for the night. Daddy falls asleep shortly after Munchkin.

Once D and Munchkin are asleep, I get to work on school stuff, blogging, emails, devotions, and housework. It’s not unheard of for me to be baking or doing laundry at midnight. lol! I get my best work done late at night.

We don’t keep a “typical” homeschooler schedule as we’re not up early, but our routine works for us. Obviously, this is just a skeleton, basic schedule. It doesn’t include outside activities as those haven’t started up for the year as of yet.

When do you get your best work done? Are you a night owl or early bird or maybe somewhere in the middle?

Another sign she’s growing up…

Heather — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:56:53 +0000

Today, I had to run out and pick up our Azure Standard order from the semi-truck delivery location. Munchkin requested that she be allowed to stay at home, so she could complete her school work instead of riding along with me. Since I knew that I wouldn’t be gone long, I agreed to her request.

When I arrived home, Munchkin immediately helped me unload all of the food and verify that we had received everything that we had ordered. She helped me get everything organized and put away.

After everything was put away, I made her lunch, and she informed me that she had completed all of her school work while I was gone. I checked it over and found that she had not only done it all, but she also did a little extra. Wow! There are certain things that she really doesn’t like to do, but she tackled them to prove that she could be trusted to get things done. Needless to say, I was/am so proud of her.

Afternoon Activities: Volcano part 2

Heather — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 20:47:04 +0000

Munchkin and D were both able to find the parts that they needed to complete their respective projects. While Munchkin was able to complete her project, D was not so fortunate. He’s still fighting with his truck, but that’s a different story….

After Munchkin finished assembling the volcano, we located the necessary baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, and dish soap. We tried 3 different experiments:

baking soda, vinegar, dish soap
baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, food coloring
baking soda, vinegar, food coloring

We determined that the dish soap, while creating a slower flow, was making way too many suds. Thus, the need to try things out without the dish soap.

I don’t think it matters how many times you’ve made a volcano. It’s always lots of fun for both the kids and the adults. D is usually gone when we do these types of experiments/activities, so it was fun to have him there and participating with us.

The fun thing about this particular volcano is that is can be used over and over which Munchkin thinks is great. I’m sure we’ll have more volcanic eruptions once we have more baking soda and vinegar.

Afternoon Activity: Volcano part 1

Heather — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 23:37:47 +0000

D was away on a short trip the last couple of days, and I have been dealing with headaches this week. Munchkin has been very patient and gracious while I’ve needed to rest more than usual. We’ve cuddled in bed and watched movies. (Well, she’s watched the movie quietly while I rested.) While she was okay with this, she eventually needed something to do. Thankfully, I have various items set aside for times like these.

Munchkin decided that she wanted to work on the volcano activity set. I had picked up this Smithsonian Great Volcano set at a thrift store for a few dollars prior to this past move. When I got it home, I checked and all it was missing was the instructions. (I found instructions for a similar Smithsonian set online, so it wasn’t an issue.) Unfortunately, when we opened up the kit, several pieces were missing. I told her that it wasn’t a big deal as we could get those missing parts once Daddy got home from his trip. (He had my vehicle since he truck is currently out of commission.)

We covered the table with a giant garbage bag. (Munchkin and I accidently picked up these enormous trash bags instead of the regular large trash bags. It turns out they are excellent for messing projects as they cover the whole table.) I gave her the instructions, and she set off creating her volcano.

We allowed the plaster/sand mixture to set overnight. Today, she painted the volcano. We only had red, white, and black acrylic paint, so she mixed the colors and created a very nice look.

Once Daddy arrived home from his trip, Daddy and daughter headed out to Lowes to pick up some parts that he needed for his truck and parts she needed for her volcano. I’m waiting to see if they are both able to find the parts that they need. Until then, this volcano story is to be continued…

Learning Outside of the Classroom

Heather — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:00:37 +0000

Some of the best learning takes place outside of the classroom. It’s the hands on learning that seems to really sink in with Munchkin. Sometimes, even just a small change of scenery can make learning a subject a little bit easier to digest. Grabbing the books and heading outdoors can mix things up, so they may not seem quite as repetitious.

Most days, you’ll find Munchkin sitting at a desk or sprawled out on the floor doing her school work. Our school room has a built-in desk, and D added a nice set of cubbies above that for extra storage. We have more cubbies on the side of the room. On top of those cubbies, we have our magazine holders where I put all of Munchkin’s assignments/books. On either side of the window, D made built-in bookcases for me. I love that D is always willing to build custom storage for our houses. (You can see a picture of some of the things in our classroom from last year here.)

Crafts are done downstairs where we have linoleum that is easy to clean. Munchkin also does most of her science experiments downstairs. Basically, if it’s messy, the work is done downstairs for easy clean-up.

While we do have a specific classroom at this house, learning takes place all over the house and outdoors. Our learning can easily be picked up and taken with us. We can set aside the formal learning and make life our classroom. Our classroom is constantly changing according to our needs.

To see what others are doing in their classrooms, head on over to the 2010 Heart of the Matter Not Back to School Blog Hop.

Curriculum: Choices, Choices, Choices

Heather — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:08:51 +0000

At the end of June, I wrote about our planned curriculum choices for the new year. While most things are staying the same, it looks like we may be changing our math curriculum. We’re going to be trying out Life of Fred for math. While we both like Teaching Textbooks, some changes needed to be made. We may end up going to back to Teaching Textbooks. Right now, I’m just in a wait and see mode.

Our art program using the Picturing America program is working great for us. Munchkin looks forward to that part of the day. We work on art Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Generally, on Monday, we look at the new art piece for the week, and I read the information from the teacher’s guide. We talk about the piece a little. Wednesday, Munchkin works on a handout that I created based upon the end of unit questions. On Friday, we try to do a hands on activity that goes along with what we learned for the week.

On Tuesday and Thursday, we are working on finishing up our composer study. I’m not sure what we will be doing once we complete the curriculum. I believe that Munchkin will be starting back up with her guitar as that is what D wants. We took a bit of a break from the guitar due to life, so we need to get back into that program. She needs to really work on notes and reading music, so I’ll probably come up with something to do on T and Th to help her with that task.

Munchkin is enjoying her Grapevine Studies New Testament Overview. She is now doing this pretty much on her own. She’ll ask me questions now and then, but she has chosen to take on the learning by herself.

We have about 2 months left in Apologia Marine Biology. As a reward for completing the course, we’ll be heading to Sea World in September/October. (We have to see when that works out with D’s work schedule.) I think it will be a fun close to the course. We’ll probably stop by the ocean while we’re over there.

I still need to put something together for Munchkin for her computer skills. I want her to learn to use all of the programs in the Windows Office suite. I’m still deciding how to handle that. I haven’t started her back up on typing yet, but that will be starting back up soon. For typing, I’ll just be having her type out passages from things she is studying.

At least one day per week, we spend time working on homemaking skills (home economics) such as sewing, baking, cooking, cake decorating… We both enjoy these times. Last week, we had her friend join us which made for quite the exciting day. We may start having little “classes” together more in the future. I guess it all depends on if I can get things together more in advance.

Our choices for schooling are constantly changing as the school year goes on. While we have the base curriculum in place, I’ve learned to be flexible. Sometimes, things need to be tweaked. Other times, they need to be set aside for now. I’m doing my best to listen to the Lord’s leading in our homeschool.