Link Love...

I know full well that people homeschooled before the invention of the computer, but honestly I don't know how. It is my go to resource for all things. In fact when my public school friends say to me, "I couldn't homeschool because I wouldn't know what I was teaching" I remind them that if they know how to search the internet and read then they can teach. True it might take a little more work, but part of teaching is being willing to learn. However if not for the internet I would be at the library constantly just trying to keep up.

Luckily for those of homeschooling we have others willing to do the work and share what they found. So in keeping with that let me share some great sites I have found this week.

• Thanks to Mr. Hostetter of Mountain View Elementary I now have a great resource for teaching science. Which includes links to other sites, powerpoints and even test. 

• And thanks to Mrs. Brown another great public school teacher I have a long list of art projects to do with Lotus. Which also includes art projects for grades K-5 and powerpoints as well.

• MIKIDS is a great site filled with games to help with whatever subject you might be teaching.

• Skymaps.com has printable sky maps for each month of the year to help you explore the night sky.

• The astronomy for kids online site helped Lo (and mom) learn about Copernicus today.

Oh and please feel free to share any sites you love and a link to your blog in the comments below. I would love to stop by and find out about your link loves. 

Update...

Since my last post we have been working really hard.

Killian has already started his American History/Literature co-op class and is enjoying it. Right now he is reading Scarlett Letter which I am hoping to start reading as well and he studied the poet Anne Bradstreet this past week also. Of course his favorite part of the class is getting to hang during lunch with the other kids who from what he says love video games as much as he does.Big suprise!!

Lotus is doing wonderfully and speeding through her math and language arts. Luckily for me she wakes up everyday ready to learn something new and this year she's like a sponge. She is really getting it which makes for one proud mama. She is also enjoying her cross country group. Well I should say she likes hanging out with her friends, but the running is killing her. However she is commited to it and I am as well. Her first meet is next Tuesday which she is excited and nervous about.

All in all everything is going fabulously and I owe a lot of that to the new planning tool Im using this year. Uh oh hear comes the product review... No seriously I have went through about 30 planners and everytime gave up on them because they were too complicated or didnt allow me flexibility, but the Homeschool Tracker is a true blessing to our homeschooling. And its free. I would say take it for a test drive if your looking for something new.

For now Im off to bed because tomorrow is a busy day.

The tv as teacher...

One of the most valuable tools (other than bible) I have found in our homeschooling is the one thing I try to minimize in our house. The television. It has helped me teach all of subjects and it has helped me inspire creativity and curiosity.

What once acted as babysitter has now become teacher of both myself and the kids. On days when learning is slow, the t.v. expands on what we have been learning. It also challenges us to go deeper because as anyone knows, just because its on t.v. doesn't make us true. It has also served as a spring board for further learning and gives me a glimpse into what interest my kids. Surprisingly my 13yr old is just as likely to watch the history or military channel instead of cartoons.

So in the months ahead I plan on sharing some of our favorite shows and the channels that have programming that teaches. As always you need to make sure that the shows fit your values, but I also ask that you don't cross a show off your list that seems not to. As a family we have had some great conversations about our values while watching shows that had an opposing view to our families believes. I will do my best to let you know some details that might help you determine if this show is for your family. Please feel free to share with me shows that have helped your family.

• National geographic channel
• The History Channel
• Stan Lee's Superhumans This show is a great show for families with older kids. However be aware that sometimes it talks about things from an evolutionist view point. (science)
• Modern Marvels Great for older kids and some younger kids. (science, history)
• America Pickers Great fun, family show for more mature kids. Very little language. (history, americana)
• The Military Channel Great channel for boys and men. (history, science, technology)
• Animal Planet
• Animal Cops Great show for families to watch although it can be very sad. However it makes for some great discussions about right and wrong. (animal care, some science)

Busyness and books...

Life in the Masters house has been hectic. In fact so much so that school has taken a backseat for a couple of weeks, but homeschooling is unique in that it never really stops. We might have stopped a lot of the book work for a bit, but we have increased our bible study and other activities. I guess its all part of the ebb and flow of the learning lifestyle.

Another part of that lifestyle is books. They form the foundation of all we do which is easy for me because I love reading. Especially books that teach me something which is why I adore "The New Reading Teacher's Book of Lists". To be honest its not that new. It was first published in 1985 and I found it in the used curriculum section of Cedar Springs. This book is filled with the basics of learning and offers the type A personality with one of their favorite things... list.

The authors are Donna Fountoukidis, Jacqueline Kress Polk and the very popular Edward Fry who is responsible for the high frequency words which are so common in public schools.

The only negative to this book is I did not find it sooner, because if I had it would have saved me tons of money. For instance all of the high frequency words are listed and the greek and latin roots as well. It truly is a complete collection of all things language arts.

Just take a look for yourself and see what I mean...