Our School Year 2011-2012, Kicks Off!

October 6, 2011 By 9 Comments






Well, forgive me for the delay with any updates about our new school year we’re in the midst of here!  Once we kicked it off at the beginning of September, we’ve been very occupied finding our groove, with our new schedules.  Things are quite different for us this year! With the kid’s respective ages and levels, life has opened up new and exciting opportunities, of experiences and learning, for all of them.  Not to mention new territories for us parents!  We have a high schooler now, for example, and with it comes all kinds of things.  But the younger ones are also following their passions and gifts, more so than ever.… Read More

Filed Under: Foreign Language, History / Social Studies, Home Schooling, Math, Reading / Writing, Science, The Big Picture Tagged With: , , , ,

{Homeschooling}: The Metamorphosis of Butterflies – Photos, Our Experiment & Study

July 27, 2011 By 2 Comments






Hatching butterflies is probably a pretty standard experiment and  study for students, in both formal and home school educations alike.  It’s one that can be used as a Science participation lesson more than once in the course of ones education, because the benefits of the lesson are different for various ages.

For very young students, such as toddlers-K, it’s a really fun & exciting process to watch every day. At this age, they are full of both intelligent, and sometimes humorous, questions.  They are able to grasp the basic understanding of the stages.  Some little ones may rather non-nonchalantly accept the transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly, simply as magic, in a way.… Read More

Filed Under: Home Schooling, Nature Study, Science Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Now Reporting

July 7, 2011 By 7 Comments






It’s always nice to have friends, who care about your kids in a sincere way, almost as much as you do.  Don’t you think? I have had a friend in particular like that, for 13 years now or so.   About half-way into our friendship, I began home schooling our oldest, and at the time, only child. Eventually, we added 3 more students to our school, ;-) and are now transitioning into our 7th year of homeschooling .

My friend had 3 kids of her own, all close to my daughter’s age, adding a 4th along the way. She has also happened to be a teacher.  But somehow, all along, those two facts or common interests, have never really come together between us.  Until this year.  Oh, I may have, at times, happened to say something to her about our schooling, as a friend would in sharing what is happening in their life in girlfriend chit-chat.… Read More

Filed Under: Home Schooling, Reading / Writing, The Big Picture Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

A Baby Raccoon Study

May 23, 2011 By 8 Comments






Some of our most exciting lessons, often times turn out to be ones that were not part of my day’s lesson plan at all!  Like the countless opportunities of teachable moments  that pop up throughout every single day for us as parents/teachers, to utilize in educating and guiding our children down the right paths, we’ve had many days, where a lesson to study has sauntered right into our yard!  And it can be a darn cute lesson!!






Such was the case the other day, when we spotted this baby raccoon, right up on the hill, outside of our school room windows!… Read More

Filed Under: Home Schooling, Nature Study, Science Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

JFK Library & Museum / Field Trip

March 16, 2011 By 10 Comments






I’m a planner.  I plan everything.  Call me not-very-fun, but there is not much I do spontaneously.  Especially when it involves, like…..a whole day. Or traveling a small distance.  Or worse……changing plans I already planned!

So when a friend of mine sent me a message one bright and early morning not long ago, asking if we’d all be up for a trip into Boston, to visit the John F. Kennedy Library & Museum that day….well, I started having heart palpitations, and immediately started brainstorming excuses to say no.  For examples:  I had a full day of lessons planned!  The kids had a test.  My camera battery wasn’t charged!… Read More

Filed Under: Field Trips, Home Schooling, Politics and Government Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Puzzles: Building Important Skills

January 10, 2011 By 2 Comments






I know I’ve blogged about puzzles before.  But, that was puzzles of a different kind.  I believe the studies, that all puzzles, are just good for our brain – young or old. (People, or puzzles, for that matter.)  They can help keep our brain active, quick, and sharp, and God knows I could use all of that. (Ask Him!)

So when a puzzle sort of exercise came up in my 8 year old’s Language book  (hmmm…..olds, or old’s…..apostrophe?….that’s a confusing puzzle right there!…..as I mean, the Language book that belongs to my 3-plural- 8 year olds…..hmmm…..).  See?  Puzzles come in many different forms.  Any exercise, of trying to figure something out, can be considered a puzzle, in my book.… Read More

Filed Under: Home Schooling Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Food For Thought; Literally! (Get Those Kids of Yours in the Kitchen!)

November 14, 2010 By 7 Comments






I’m sure I’ve been forthright about this before, as much as it makes me feel a little bad to say out loud.  (Figuratively speaking.)  But there always moments in time when these things come up, and there is some purpose in being truthful in the matter. Right?

Well, this is one of those times.

So the truth is, <whisper> my mother was just not very domestic in the kitchen. Nor was her mother. <end of whisper> Which says something not good.  Doesn’t it?

I’ll answer that.  Yes it does.

It says that the chances of me being one, was slim to none.… Read More

Filed Under: Home Schooling, Math, Science Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Boston Museum of Science / Field trip

October 12, 2010 By 3 Comments






One of our first field trips of this new school year, was to the Boston Museum of Science.  {JM, O & S} are at that age now, where I knew they would really benefit from going, on an educational level. {A}, of course, has been an appropriate age for some time, and she found many areas of interest that she enjoyed learning more about.

We left home early in the morning.  I have to add, that I had decided I was not going to lug my big camera equipment around…because that was one of the reasons why we got {A} the Canon point and shoot for her birthday, right?… Read More

Filed Under: Field Trips, Home Schooling, Science Tagged With: , , , , ,

"Let's Have a Ball".

September 25, 2010 By 3 Comments






I have this cyber-friend I met on a photography forum years ago.  I learned quickly, that she was just a hard-working, God-loving, sweetheart of a woman.  I had (and still have) lots, and lots of ‘friends’ there, because we all have that thing in common we are passionate about: photography.  But I became friendly with this one for other common and passionate grounds: Because her faith was so evident and inspiring, and because she’s a teacher.  At the time, she had decided she wanted to attempt to build a photography business on the side, of her teaching.  She worked hard, her skills improved rapidly, and her new business was doing well.… Read More

Filed Under: Home Schooling, Phys Ed. Tagged With: , ,

1st Day of School, & Some Old Time Schoolhouse Additions

September 21, 2010 By 8 Comments






Every year on our first day of school, I take the kid’s school photos.   It’s amazing to see how much they change from year to year.  Or even from the beginning of the year, to the end!  But I don’t take school photos like this at the end of the year.  I only take the school one’s at the beginning, and always in the same spot, right here in our school room.

In past year’s, I’ve shown the previous year’s with the present in this First Day of School post.  But not this year.  Just because I don’t feel like digging them up.  : D

Here’s this year’s anyway.… Read More

Filed Under: Home Schooling Tagged With: , , ,

Learning at the Fair; (Come Stroll the Fair Series)

September 13, 2010 By 7 Comments






As a home schooling mom, I often find myself speaking to others with inquiring minds regarding the home schooling choice, that daily opportunities to teach and to learn, are everywhere you turn throughout every day.  Home schooling is truly a lifestyle.  It’s not an activity or a part of any given day, but for most home schoolers, it is literally woven intricately throughout every aspect of their life.  It certainly is for us.  Being and living in that frame of mind, the opportunities to teach, and for our children (and often us as well) to learn are all the more evident in the course of our days at home, or out and about.… Read More

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Allow Me, To Help YOU, Be Organized This School Year! (A Give Away)/*WINNER Announcement Update

August 26, 2010 By 16 Comments






I have always loved the back to school season.  Growing up, I didn’t like going to school all that much. But I loved everything about the new school year.  Brand school supplies, new clothes, new schedules (well, not getting up early), new classes, and sometimes new schools!  When I was done going to school, I thought that that thrill of a new school year in the air, would go away.  But it didn’t.

Then I had kids of my own.  My first child’s first day of Kindergarten was exactly 5 days after our triplets were born.  I’m going to be honest with you here, Folks.  I was oblivious to any back-to-school spirit in the air that year.  I was swimming in babies, and trying not to walk like it hurt, as much as it still did.  Then there was the other mom, who was also dropping her kid off for the first day of school, who asked me “When are you due, and is it twins?,..… Read More

Filed Under: Give Aways, Home Schooling Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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