Homeschooling A Houseful

Yesterday I attended an awesome mentor training retreat, put on by some of the most inspiring minds I want to know!!!! Seriously!!! One thing we did was learn about word studies. Which I've know about, the how to's, the why's..... but never really have implemented them, other than my oldest did them for a while, years ago! However she had a do a word study on the word EDUCATION. So for those of you that don't know about a word study, I will give you the very simplified definition. I am sure you can get great outlines and how to's else where. Basically you take a word, like EDUCATION. Look it up in the Webster's 1828 dictionary.  fun idea is to also look it up in a current dictionary, to compare and contrast! Then Look up interesting quotes and words of wisdom from religious leaders or other wise people. Look up scriptures that relate to the word. Then reason and evaluate and come up with a personal definition. I added to mine to also look up the word in the ...

Carissa from 1+1+1=1 mentioned Multiplication.com , awhile ago. I looked at it, and well was overwhelmed by the site! I put it on the "to do later list" You know the one, the one you always forget about!!! Well she wrote a post about this site, and explained what her family loves about the site.... with that help, I now and very impressed too!!! We will definitely be adding this to our daily studies, for VIRTUE, CHARITY, VALIANT, and PEACEFUL. They are all still working on their math facts and this site, will aid in that a lot! I will be adding these timed self correction drills to their daily work. Not only is there multiplication, but also addition, subtraction, and division. You can print these, or do them online. To do them online, you push the start to begin. This begins your time and then finish when completed. It will then correct it for you. Tell you the time, amount wrong and right, and the date!!! Love it when technology, helps the teacher out a bit!!! Carissa als...

From our home library, the new list on my sidebar... let me give some details. Morning reading with the little A's. Is just that, anyone who chooses can listen along. These are typically picture books. I am also going to start reading aloud from the tales of Winnie the Pooh, little bits at a time. As we read and find a "gem" I will share. Afternoon read aloud, is done at lunch time. Depending on how hungry I am depicts when during lunch. Sometimes I read then eat, sometimes I eat then read. We take turns picking a book for this time. We started with the our oldest Noble, and go right down to Precious. Boy doesn't get a turn yet, but he will! I use to take a turn, but now we have added the evening time. Evenings, this is Papa or Mama Bears choice. Along with this we have our family scripture, hymn and evening prayers.

I thought I'd share our "calendar wall", some of you might have seen our homemade, by me calendar {as seen below} Yep it's still around, can you believe it, somethings do make it in a houseful!!! Though we have definitely taken it a bit further..... so I thought I'd share with all of you.... At the beginning of the school year, I made some simple calendars for most of the A's {I do wish I would have made one for A6, I should have known better, she must do everything everyone else does} I used the printables from this site . There are a few different ideas there. I printed my older 4 A's blank calendars. They fill in the date. The older A's usually fill in weeks at a time, and don't always fill in the day, every day. We also, usually on Monday, discuss our week. Maybe if we have a field trip, or an upcoming birthday or holiday. A science fair, or upcoming drawing contest we are participating in coming up. I try to mention these things, along with ...

You lounge on the couch, in jammies and blankies and read The Real George Washington aloud. With yummy hot cocoa !! {photo is from tropical traditions site!} We also watched the George Washington Hero's DVD , and part of the a More Perfect Union . So it might have just been one chapter in the book! However very inspiring! Not only that but we did stop between sections to discuss and talk about it! That is what I love about homeschooling... if it's one of those days, where you have been stuck inside for two days, it's cold and you don't want to start moving.... well there are other ways to enjoy learning, and ditching the schedule for the day! April Showers can be gloomy and dim... but only if you make them. We thanked God for all the moisture, we have truly needed it. I was actually debating turning on a sprinkler the other day, as I noticed the grass was looking a bit yellow. I just couldn't bring myself to do it! Thank God I didn't have to, he did it for me.

{Photo from Amazon, link below} I am sure you have all heard of workboxes, they are everywhere... in the homeschool world. I started implementing the workbox idea with A5 and A6. I am still working out all the details. We currently have their regular work in the drawers, and they work through them. I am finally {sad to say, FINALLY} ready to start getting myself into gear here!!! I found a few wonderful workbox finds, and thought I'd share! ~I came across these drawers , {pictured above} and love the look of them, the simplicity in design.. and size. I purchased two of them. {no I didn't pay that price!!} ~I also found this wonderful planning sheet at Robin's Blog, Heart of Wisdom. I love these, I printed off two. I copied them to my computer and made one for A5 in "boy" colors and one for A6 in "girl" colors. This way I can glance quickly at them to "see" who's who and what they are suppose to be doing. These are pretty simple forms, and ...

Just recently I was thinking to myself... man these kids have got to be better about washing their hands, and keeping things CLEAN!!!! not just "clean" {anyone with kids, understands what I am saying} Then I received one of the science email newsletters from Home Science Tools {LOVE THEM!!!} all about germs, soap and hands!! Perfect. If you don't already get these.... you so need to. Nothing like discovering a love of science! We have always done science, but now we love science. Follow the link above, and click on the tab email newsletters. Now for Germs....Germs...Germs.... oh and some bacteria too from the Homeschooling a Houseful... homeschool!!!!! here are 4 out of 6 of our containers. Two of the A's wrote their names, so I can't post them. If I had been thinking {or if this inspires you to do this experiment} I would have written on them, what we used to collect the germs!! First up EGGS!!!! We raise chickens and collect their eggs. This is the responsibilit...

At our last visit to the library, A6 got a book titled Ladybug Girl . She loved this book... it was her choice for nap book everyday. I am sure I memorized it... after reading it that many times. It was a sad day, when Ladybug girl was returned to the library. It was a very cute book, and easy to make "educational" A perfect unit book. One thing Ladybug Girl did was water her avocado plant. Every time I said this, A6 asked what's an avocado plant? We went out and bought some avocado's and today started our plants . {this way to grow avocado plants didn't work, I believe that it might be better to try the dark cupboard way? Will let everyone know when we try again!} Even though we don't have the book anymore, they still remembered, and said... Like in Ladybug Girl!!!! As a side note we didn't space our toothpicks right, so we used four to make it balance on top of the water. Guess what A6 will be getting shortly... her own copy of Ladybug Girl {sshhhhh, do...

I need to post this here, see I just read it on another local homeschooler blog, and we all said... hey we learned that before! My good friend Andrea taught it to us, a few years ago! Since it's such a hit, and so loved... I thought the littler A's need a turn to learn it too... so this weeks geography song, will be the 50 states that rhyme!!! Thanks Lara ! I had no idea it was on You Tube... it seems everything is on you tube!!!

that is one thing I walked away from our local winter homeschool convention thinking.... need more science fun. We do science, and it's fun, but we need to add those WOW...AWESOME...AHHHHH type of activities too. I found two fun sites, and you know what's awesome they both will send me fun science activities each week! Some are even from simple things around the house. I am so excited!!! Steve Spangler Science ~ this guy is awesome!!! there's videos and all sorts of fun ideas on this site. This is the site the homeschool mom/teacher told us about, and she said there's easily a years worth of science on this site.... she was so not kidding. Home Science Tools ~ this is another great one. I have received a few of their emails, and they use a lot of around the house items for many of their emailed experiments, or at least the ones I've seen so far. Anyone else, have any great sites to add or share???? Remember, I LOVE COMMENTS!!!!

I read this idea a few months ago, and well one thing lead to another, and I am finally getting around to doing it! You know the ever growing to do list, just never seems to get to do-ed!! For years now, actually the entire time we have been homeschooling, we have memorized. We started simple with scriptures and then slowly added quotes, then hymns and songs, and more and more. Currently we are memorizing; Weekly: one Poem {usually one week is all we use on a poem, though it depends on the length and how well we really practiced it} one Scripture, one quote, one educational item {again, usually one week, sometimes more when needed} Songs {one Hymn, one Childrens Hymn, one Educational Song, one Patriotic/American history type song, and usually one Seasonal or just for fun song} Monthly:one Historical Document. along with a new history facts memorization we will be throwing in. I never really needed this with A1, he tends to be a fact magnet, or maybe that should say a fact sponge! He lo...

Oh yeah, she has posted another new video!!!! If you loved the milestone video I mentioned here ... don't miss the newest one, here .

I just wanted to put this out, real quickly.... It's a video from a homeschool veteran, with ideas, and tips about how to homeschool with little ones tagging along. I love this idea of actually seeing, what she's talking about, and getting a great view of the ideas! Not only that but I love her home library in the background!!! WOW!!! Click on this link , then on the videos link at the top of her website. She only has one up currently, but is in the process of editing and filming more. I believe she will be doing 10-12 Also if you love what she says, you should look into her website, it's GREAT!!!!

I am working out all the details on our Thanksgiving Lessons for next week, yes I know procrastination!!!! I came across this, and actually I used this once, a few years back and forgot about it. If you ever need a free map, go here ! You can even print a wall size map, I just wonder how fun it would be to put it together??!!?? I printed a world map, in the 4 page size. We will be cutting out the continents, and gluing them to a poster board, to make a map of the world, to chart the Pilgrims Route. I found the inspiration for this fun activity here . We will also be making the mini boats.

I received a comment/question about our devotional time, Tracy would like me to give more details about our devotional time. {WARNING~ this post has become extremely LONG!!!} First off before I start into all that I'd just like to say I am so glad Tracy decided to comment, and especially with a question!! The main and only reason I blog is to inspire others, help others, and well sometimes it's as close as I get to adult conversation! I noticed that as of right now {as I right this} I have had 787 visitors to my blog... and only 2 people who have commented! The other one is my O' So kind SIL!! Please feel free to comment...because as it says on the Right Sidebar...I LOVE Comments!!! I also want to clarify and answer any questions that I might have stirred in your heads with my thoughts!!! So on with the Question.... We have ALWAYS had devotional time... it's changed and grown with our family. It's what we, Papa Bear and I see as the things our children need. Just be...

When you are homeschooling a Houseful, you definitely need to extend the life of everything you possibly can! We do not write in any textbooks or workbooks. We use simple notebooks for some of our text...like our math textbooks. I do this to have a record of their math, for reference. For things I don't really want to use the paper for we simply use the see through page protectors. I use to give each of the children a page protector to use. However it easily gets bent when put away, not cleaned off good, lost...whatever. So I came up with a new plan... I am ripping apart all of our workbooks... YES you heard me right..the teacher is ripping the workbooks!!!! Then I am putting them in smaller binders, inside the page protectors. This also helps extend their life..making them hard covered, not so easy to bend. The kids can pull down the workbook they need in the binder {with a label on the side stating what's in it...Explode the Code 3 for example} They open the binder to t...

Here is something we have implemented in our prek /k/1st grade time. One of my newest creations!! I took a poster board and made a simple grid. 7 across and 5 down. I then took velcro and placed a small piece in each square. I put the softer side on the board. Then I place the scratchy side on the back of the numbers. Each morning, weekends included, the kids find the next number. This is a fun activity. I am also going to print off calenders that the kids can trace the day each morning too. These are available free online. I have found them in a few different locations. We talk about upcoming holidays, which I place fun pictures on the calendar. We talk about today, yesterday, tomorrow , weeks, months, years. We can do some addition or subtraction. A good one right now, today is the (blank) day, and Christmas is the 25 th so that leaves how many days until Christmas?!! We can either count it out orally, or they point and count themselves. There have even been a few times they surpr...

I just love how this lady is doing her art appreciation . It seems so simple, and easy, yet so effective. Just what I have been looking for!

Something we like to do is lunchtime read aloud. This is something that both myself and the kids enjoy. Usually I read while they eat, and then eat after them. Sometimes I eat and then read, they are usually slow eaters, and I can usually accomplish both in the time it takes them to eat!! Anyways, something I just started is to let the kids each pick a book for me to read aloud. These are usually longer books, and we try to stick to classics. So far we have read; Button Boy, Black Beauty, Felicity, Curious George (yes stretching the classics there!!) Lastly we read Eight Cousins. I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell everyone about this book, it is definitely worth reading. I could read this book over a few more times. The storyline and plot are great. Even though the main character is a girl, her eight cousins are boys, so it is lively enough to keep the boys entertained. It's about a girl, named Rose. Her Mother died, early in her life, and her Father just passed away. She...

My friend Andrea, over at Dean's Academy , just posted a few fun ideas she does around her house for school and chores. Well I have been thinking I would like to post about our bean jar, but haven't gotten around to it yet, so here goes..... Our BEAN JAR (not sure why we call it a bean jar, it's actually leftover craft "stones and rocks" Originally we were going to use beans, but I didn't want spilt beans in my brown carpet!!) A fun thing we do, it's a reward system of sorts. Works alot like her token system, with my "tweaks" How the bean jar works, when Mom or Dad notices something nice being done, we can chose to tell that person to put a bean in the jar. They take a bean out of the holding jar, and put it into the bean jar. Simple really, oh and I can not take credit, read it somewhere! One thing I noticed, and one reason I decided to do this is I always feel I am so negative to the kids. I ALWAYS notice the wrong, and often forget to say than...