Well, it is official, I will begin planning a UU Homeschool Conference for 2012. I am beyond excited about this opportunity. I love planning conferences, and having the support of my local church energizes me and gives me the needed support to take on this venture.
First step- find a location
Second- Create a core group of volunteers to help with the planning
Third- Begin planning
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Standing on the Side of Love, a Valentine Discussion
The UUA,has a public campaign aimed at promoting
"Love’s Power to Stop Oppression." Standing on the Side of Love, reminds us that we can use love to power of voice, so that we can be changemakers.
As such, we will discuss how we can use love in our home, and love outside our home to make positive changes in the lives of children and families. This will be our focus tomorrow and into the coming year. Love begins in the home and extends outward.
On this Valentine's Day, may we love one another and extend our hearts, to include all people and families regardless of sex, religion, and race.
Here is a story you may want to read. We will be reading, Who Ever You Are, by Mem Fox. On her website you can find lots of great information and a whole section titled Peace Files. I will add that I just adore her children's books.
Go forth in peace and have A Happy Day of Love!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Time for Tots, Great Etsy Shop
I wanted to find some simple fun math and reading games for the girls when we were on vacation last summer. Browsing Etsy is always good for a long list of products and ideas. I came across Time for Tots, they create learning kits for toddlers and preschoolers.
I have purchased several sets now and have been very happy with the quality. If you have kids who are still in the "put everything in my mouth" stage, some of the items are really small, but with supervision, they are fine for young children.
I love their travel kits because they come in a small zippered pouch. We took one of these on our trip to Florida in November, it kept the girls busy on the plane.
They now have a kit of the month club, that I would love to join. The fun, hands on and creative manipulatives keep my 3 year old busy while I work with her sisters.
I have purchased several sets now and have been very happy with the quality. If you have kids who are still in the "put everything in my mouth" stage, some of the items are really small, but with supervision, they are fine for young children.
I love their travel kits because they come in a small zippered pouch. We took one of these on our trip to Florida in November, it kept the girls busy on the plane.
They now have a kit of the month club, that I would love to join. The fun, hands on and creative manipulatives keep my 3 year old busy while I work with her sisters.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Journaling
Some children benefit from journaling activities. There are many different subjects such as reading, writing, science, history and math and styles such as sentence prompts, graphs and data driven, reflection, a day in the life of, and number based.
There are several companies you can purchase premade journals from, but some of the best journals are of course, the ones the child creates themselves. There are benefits to premade or make yourself, depending on what you plan to use the journal for.
For us, we plan to purchase science journals.
If you want to create your own, there are so many resources that are available for free.
Some websites
A How To
Pages to print
Science/Math
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/5WH.pdf
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/bargraph.pdf
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/scottforesman/sci_K_KWL_C2.pdf
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/concepts/PS_TRL_Study_Tools_15.pdf
http://www.tlsbooks.com/scienceworksheets.htm
http://highland.hitcho.com.au/naturejournals.htm
Writing/Reading
http://www.tlsbooks.com/myvacationjournal.pdf
I will add more as I find them.
I just purchased this resource, The Big Book of Reproducible Graphic Organizers. This books says it is for all ages, but I tend to more pen and pencil work starting at the end of 1st grade.
** I wish blogger had more options, like underlining...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Oak Meadow
Several parents have mentioned using the Oak Meadow curriculum with their children. Here is a little blurb from their website:
"Oak Meadow was founded in 1975 by Bonnie and Lawrence Williams, and over the past 35 years, Oak Meadow has grown into a thriving organization serving families and schools around the world. The founding philosophy has remained strong throughout our years of growth and today our courses set the standard for a creative, meaningful home-based education.
We believe that homeschooling can play a significant role in creating a better world by helping children become strong, creative, independent human beings. We are honored to be a part of the thriving homeschooling movement and to have been involved in the education of so many students. A desire to support families in their choice to homeschool is behind everything we do!"
I took a look at their curriculum and decided it was worth the money to purchase several of their grade level resources. You can purchase the full curriculum, just the individual components or you can enroll in their school. At this point, I don't feel the need to enroll in a school but I may as the children move into middle school years. There is an online version as well.
From what I can tell, the school aligns with our beliefs as UU's. I actually lucked out and found two of the books used. I will update once I have the books in hand.
"Oak Meadow was founded in 1975 by Bonnie and Lawrence Williams, and over the past 35 years, Oak Meadow has grown into a thriving organization serving families and schools around the world. The founding philosophy has remained strong throughout our years of growth and today our courses set the standard for a creative, meaningful home-based education.
We believe that homeschooling can play a significant role in creating a better world by helping children become strong, creative, independent human beings. We are honored to be a part of the thriving homeschooling movement and to have been involved in the education of so many students. A desire to support families in their choice to homeschool is behind everything we do!"
I took a look at their curriculum and decided it was worth the money to purchase several of their grade level resources. You can purchase the full curriculum, just the individual components or you can enroll in their school. At this point, I don't feel the need to enroll in a school but I may as the children move into middle school years. There is an online version as well.
From what I can tell, the school aligns with our beliefs as UU's. I actually lucked out and found two of the books used. I will update once I have the books in hand.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Freebie
I can't verify the content of this site or dvd yet, but I am all for free stuff.
http://stosselintheclassroom.org/index.php?p=stossel_message.html&l=1
John Stossel
It seems like a good resource, so check them out and see if it might work for you and your family.
http://stosselintheclassroom.org/index.php?p=stossel_message.html&l=1
John Stossel
It seems like a good resource, so check them out and see if it might work for you and your family.
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