Home Schooling Read Across America Day March 2nd, 2012

It is almost that time! 

My children and I gear up for this day for a long time!

We are just tickled to celebrate the man that brought us so many wonderful stories! 

That's right...

March 2, 2012 is Dr. Seuss Birthday!

It is also Read Across America Day!!

Here is the link to learn more about it!

http://www.causes.com/causes/200815-read-across-america/actions 

http://www.seussville.com/Educators/educatorPlanningCalendar.php 

I also included Seussville.com site so you can check out all they have to offer as well! 

Will you be wearing your red hat that day??

We are going to have our red hats on and some yummy cupcake to boot!

Check back in with us to see how our celebration went!

Cheers! 

Home Schooling Creativity!

Today as I climbed our long staircase during quite time, to put away laundry, I almost stepped on this very important party of people at the stop of the staircase.

This is just one of the many examples of how my children are free to express themselves through out their day.

Home Schooling Advanced Readers

My children ages 3 and 6 this morning walked into my room while I was preparing our new math book for our home school lessons today. 

Each of them was holding a chapter book in their hands diligently looking through it.

 

My 3 year old daughter was reading, The Confident Child,by Terri Apter, PHD.

My son holding in his hand Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain. 

I asked them both how their books were, my daughter replied," I am working on my confidence."

My son response was,"What...I like Kitchens?"

I think home school is going pretty well, considering their reading choices!

Home Schooling If you have questions this answers them!

This you tube video was sent to me by a home school girl friend. I hope all of our home schooling children say this some day! 

 

If you have questions about what life is like for a home schooled child,  this should answer them!

Take a look

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJHt-m3VX6o&noredirect=1

Home School Winter is in full bloom!

Winter is in full bloom at my house, literally. The grass is the greenest it has ever been in my back yard and full too! Southern Man is headed out that way to cut the grass this weekend, CRAZY! Last year we had several inches of snow back there and could only imagine grass. 

Well my children and I are making the best of it! My 3 year old cracks up every day when she has to switch back and forth between turtle necks and t-shirts. Lucky for her she is a silly girl and loves to change her clothes and style at least twice a day! 

Well, our class room is covered in snow flakes(paper ones), Valentine Hearts, History of Dr. Martin Luther King and a preview of Dr. Seuss. 

Here is our art wall, with the only snowmen we have seen this season! However they are a fun craft to make!

Our theme tree is covered in winter hopes!

Our reading center is full of winter stories! 

And we are starting our morning off with warm winter breakfast, to keep our faith snow will come!

I hope our winter season decor and themes help you get your winter season in full bloom!

share with us what's going on in your class room. I love new ideas!

 

Home Schooling Book Review Sunday:Storytime Yoga, by Sydeny Solis

 

 

I am always trying to find physical activities in our home that will promote a healthy body image for my children. Yes, my children are young athletes we play soccer,swim and hit the park circuit around our small county. 

 

However when it is not soccer season and the winter weather sets in we need a release. Even on a rainy summer day we need to have a way to release energy. 

I studied Yoga in college and loved it. I felt so centered and calm. I used it during my pregnancies to relax as well. 

I even have Southern Man doing Yoga these days  too! 

I have wanted to find a way to entice my children more with the practice of Yoga. Well, I have finally found a great tool to help me.

Storytime Yoga, by Sydeny Solis

I grabbed this book on one of my many voyages to Barns and Nobel. 

I have made a real connection with Sydeny Solis writing. She writes as a women,mother and teacher. All three of the roles I fill as well. 

 

She has so much creative energy coming from this book. I had to stop several times to write down my thoughts. 

This is a great teaching tool!

We are in the process of making our families alter for our focal point during our Yoga sessions.

 

I have also included her website and Facebook page so you can check her out. I have been able to hunt down her book on Amazon, if you are a addicted amazon shopper like I am.

http://www.storytimeyoga.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Storytime-Yoga-with-Sydney-Solis/108858267209

I hope you will invite this book into your home. Even if you are not a home schooling family this would be a great asset to any family!

I would love to hear your feed back write to me.

cynthiaandthefarmhouse@gmail.com

Home Schooling a time out for snow!

A time out for some snow! 

Yes, my family loves all the baked good and holiday cheer I spread through out our home. 

My time I spend making the cheer with my children is what really drives it home for them!!

Here is a fun and easy craft to whip up!

All you need:

1.paper plates

2. black construction paper

3.buttons

4.yarn

5.tacky glue

You can use any fun items around your home to decorate your snowmen.

Happy Holidays!

Thursday's Book Review

Well Fellow Blogger's

It's officially Thursday! I still have not gone to bed yet from Wednesday! He,he,he. Can you tell my creative juice is pumping! 

This week I have a great book for review!

Here is the link to amazon where you can purchase it.

http://www.amazon.com/Unplugged-Play-Batteries-Plugs-Pure/dp/0761143904/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320907887&sr=1-1

This book is a great start to changing things up a bit in your routine at home. 

It is not the type of book you sit down and bang out in a weekend. This book offers it self as a great reference. 

The author, Bobbi Conner, a form radio show hosts, describes in her introduction how she found her self needing a change with her children in their way of their routine at home and gave a very personal description on how these simple steps helped change the tone in her home instantly. 

Fred Rogers, who we all have known and loved as Mr. Rogers is also mentioned in the book and his views of how play is so important for children. I found a great quote in there from him that I think I am going to make as a sign for our home school room! 

My children and I are going to be enjoying this book for several months to come! I am so excited to get started on all the great suggestions. 

Southern Man picked this one out and I love him for it! He is so into our family and connecting with our children. This is not only a great edition for creative home school moments, but great family play moments!

Home Schooling Craft projects Fall Window

Fall Window Project

My kido's loved this one! And it was very easy to adjust to skill level. Sense I am working with first year pre-school and a Kindergarten(who really is on a first grade level) 

List of Materials

1. Tacky Glue(LOVE THIS STUFF)
2. construction paper brown
3. pen or pencil
4. silk leaves
5. felt peal back stick leaves
6. scissors
7. oak tag that is average construction paper size or cut to fit
8. last however not least, patients!

First draw 4 rectangles like windows
Then cut them out only on the construction paper part, not the oak tag!

Next glue the construction paper to the oak tag

Now glue on your silk leaves and place on your pre sticky felt leaves

 

This one is on our Art Wall on display. My kido's love to display their art work! You might want to consider adding an Art Wall in your home school room!

Blessings,

Home Schooling

Home Schooling

This was a very personal choice for my family. Our road to making this decision started when my first born son was 1 years old and I went to hear a speaker who was a home schooling parent. 

I had always pictured myself teaching inside the school my children would attend some day. I just never put the pieces together that I could be the one teaching them. 

That speaker helped God's plan for my family reveal it's self that day.

When I went home that evening and shared with my husband what I had experienced and what God had placed on my heart, I expected to see Southern Man look at me funny. However he didn't.

He thought it was an amazing idea. And wondered why I had not come to him sooner. From there over the next few years we exposed ourselves more to the home schooling community. Attended a few conferences and let God lead us down this amazing path.

All roads led us here and we are so thankful!

Home Schooling Book Reviews Places I Love to Buy Books

Did some say shopping? 

Well if I heard you correctly, I am your girl! Come with me friend on a journey where we will dig for buried treasure at the right price!

This treasure is the best kind because it never stops giving! 

These are my favorite places to buy books!

1. Your local libraries seconds area. (you can usually find this in the front, if not ask you library counter friend.) We find books at our local library for less then a $1!

2. Amazon! Love to buy used books!! I have had great luck here!

www.amazon.com 

3. Yard/Garage sales! Each one of my children has asked me when I took them to their first yard/garage sale experience if they are actually selling their garage? And how would we get it home if we bought it? That question never gets old!

4.Scholastic.com. They are now recognizing home schooling parents as teachers and giving discount privileges.

www.scholastic.com

5. Barns and Noble

They have great sale deals. I am a member and find it is well worth the cost to be one. Every year and make back what I spend to belong and then times 4 at least!

www.barnsandnoble.com

6.Christian Books.Com Another great place. For home school materials as well!

www.christianbooks.com

Happy Treasure Hunting! 

Please share with us if you know of some hidden places to find treasure as well!

Home Schooling Book Reviews

Here you will find the books that we love ! 

There is nothing better to a good home school day then taking an adventure inside an amazing story!

Books take you places you never dreamed of on a budget that anyone can afford!

Cheers!

Home Schooling Field Trips

Home Schooling Craft Projects

This is the place we get messy! 

I love to craft! Especially with my children! 

I grew up surrounded by women who were very talented in many ways! Sewing, crafting,painting,sculpting and so much more!

As home scholars this is one of the ways we love to release our creative energy!

Here is a quick list of great items to have in your home on hand to craft! 

1. tacky glue
2. scissors,(fabric,child size, adult size)
3. Elmers glue
4. Elmers glue sticks
5. Scotch tape
6. masking tape
7. duck tape
8. frog painters tape
9. multi color construction paper
10. oak tag
11. pipe cleaners
12. goggle eyes
13. brown lunch sacks
14. white paper plates
15. water color paint
16. white coffee filters
17. brushes and sponge brushes
18. pipe cleaners
19. egg cartons
20. tissue boxes
21. tissue paper
22. crayons, markers,colored pencils
23. streamers
24. washable paints
25. wax paper

Most of these items I have collected at my local Dollar Tree, Michaels, Walmart and Target. I love to hit the back to school time each year and stock up. Also all of these stores have a $1 section and nine times out of ten I find them there.

Happy Crafting! 

Home Schooling Generla Information

Here is where we will put all the great stuff that comes through our life that I have not created a page for yet. We have so much we want to share there is just not enough room, yet!

 

Home Schooling-National Reading Day, Part 2

National Reading Day was a Success!!

This children had such a wonderful time and so did I. We started out at our small local book store where we read "Miss Brooks Loves Books! by Barbara Bottner. And the kids choose that one. We then headed over to our favorite of 3 local libraries, where we made our book donation. I of course wrote a mushy inscription to the children inside.

I can not wait to go check it out one day when they are older and show them.

Then we worked on our reading chart and closed the day with a wonderful bedtime story read by their Daddy.

I love it when we make a plan, execute a plan and have success!!

Home School-National Reading Day

(the orignal post to this blog was deleted here is another to mark the disscussion)

Monday January 24th is National Reading Day!!

My children and I will be celebrating this.

We will be donating a book to our local library and starting a reading goal chart.

http://national-reading-day.org/

Home School Pot Luck Dinners

Dinner Is Served!

I have always enjoyed hosting events in my home. It gives me a chance to try out new entertaining ideas. 

I love the "pot luck" style. That is where everyone brings a dish. A dessert, side dish, main course, a treat. Some times you can end up with a ton of left overs and everyone can end up with a meal and not have to cook the next day. Then there are those sweet nights when you have lots of desserts makes an appearance and my sweet tooth loves those evenings!

For this season in my life I thought starting a home school pot luck dinner to share resources and good books would be a wonderful idea.

This week I kicked off my groups Home School Pot Luck Dinners. 

These special ladies and I shared good food.Good conversation and great resources for home schooling. 

Tonight I learned about making lap-books. I loved them. I can not wait to get started on one with my children!

If you know of a good lap-books website please share it with me!

Cheers!

Cynthia

Home Schooling Recycling

Hello World wide class mates. Our home school civics project this fall is recycling. We have been working hard on collecting our recyclables diligently for the last 15 weeks.

What are your scholars working on?

Cynthia

Home Schooling:

Well Happy belated 4th of July! Aren't these Uncle Sam's adorable. I can not take the credit for these my baby sitter made these with the kid-o's! She did a great job too! There is much to be said for a Saturday afternoon craft project.

We have been busy beavers here in our learning room! 

To start we ended our spring soccer season! It was a great season and  sign ups are already here for the fall. Wow, the summer goes fast!

Muffin Tin Monday has become a huge hit in our home! Yeah, check out the button on my blog. It kicks off the school week in a very positive fashion! 

We just got a great new center! Pattern Block boards. We love them! They are a big hit! More on those soon!

We had a little bath time accident. Darn carpet screws. 2 stitches and we are as good as new! We are back in the pool swimming already!

Again another big Muffin Tin Monday hit. I bought the dried fruit at Giant. They are a new craz! The Hot rolls with marinara are a big success too! And who doesn't like organic rice chips?

We are about to celebrate our 30th day of Kindergarten and boy will that be a celebration! We are going to have a pirate day!

What's going on in your learning space?

I have a home school give away coming up next week check back in!!
Cynthia