Sunday, January 29, 2017

Space Center Houston



Discover the excitement and wonders of space exploration at Space Center Houston!


NASA Tram Tour
This is your chance to go on site at NASA Johnson Space Center and get a behind-the-scenes look at space exploration.


Starship Gallery
Live the history of the space program. See flown Mercury, Gemini and Aplollo capsules and meet Robonaut I.


Independence Plaza
Go inside both a high-fidelity shuttle replica and the historic and original shuttle carrier aircraft NASA 905.


Astronaut Gallery
Explore one of the world's most comprehensive collections of spacesuits.


Blast-Off! Theater
Hear the latest about Curiosity, the Mars rover, and the future of human space flight.


International Space Station
See artifacts, space hardware and an amazing model of the orbiting laboratory.


There is so much to see and do at Space Center Houston; but this full-day adventure will leave you with many meaningful memories! Visit Space Center Houston for more details.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Tips for Staying on Track



As we begin a new year, many of us our half way through the homeschool year; and after the holidays your homeschool may seem a bit derailed. So I would like to encourage you with some tips for staying on track.


Establish a Routine. Children thrive best when they know what is expected. This applies to every age. My  high school girl's routine of Bible first, then Spanish, math, grammar, science, history, and reading establishes predictability. And when I am working with their younger sister, it enables them to take an active role in getting each new book ready as the previous subject is completed.


Consistency. As much as possible, stick with your routine. This demonstrates to your children the value of their education, and the importance it holds on their lives. Consistency also gives stability and teaches the character qualities of self-discipline, steadfastness, responsibility, and trust.


Flexibility. Remember that we are mothers first, and home educators second. As much as routine and consistency are important for the success of homeschooling, flexibility is essential for the health of our family. When needs arise, or circumstances change, seek the Lord as to reassessing priorities. Be open to the lessons that life teaches through births, deaths, and family crisis. 


If you believe that homeschooling is God's will for you and your family, then continually cry out to Him for wisdom, guidance, and direction. God hears the prayers of a mother's heart and He honors her desires, when her prayers are in alignment with His will.


Happy Homeschooling!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

SchoolhouseTeachers.com

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is the curriculum site of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, the trade magazine for homeschool families. I am not usually drawn to online curriculum, so I was a bit surprised to see all a Yearly Membership made available in one place, with more than 300 classes for preschool through high school, as well as a few courses for parents, this resource review will highlight a few family favorites.




Drive Thru History is for students in middle school through high school. SchoolhouseTeachers.com currently offers Ancient History and American History. Both great for your visual learner! My girls say "History is fun!" because Dave Scotts adds a little humor to each episode.


Drive Thru History: Ancient History offers twelve 45 minute episodes and each epidose includes a worksheet, essay questions, answer key, and certificate of completion. In this course, students will explore more than 2500 years of history with host Dave Scotts as he takes you on a tour through Rome, Greece, Turkey, and Byzantium.




Drive Thru History: American History offers twelve 45 minute episodes and each episode includes a worksheet, essay questions, answer key, and certificate of completion. In this course, students will discover the New World to the end of the American Revolution. Dave Scotts takes you to places where the nation was born, shares facts about history you never heard, and has a great deal of fun along the way.




Daily Math is for students in middle school. This is NOT a complete math curriculum. Daily Math offers worksheets to help reinforce math concepts. Worksheets cover place value, standard measurements, geometric shapes, ordinal numbers, number patterns, rounding numbers, writing numbers as words or digits, associative property, distributive property, cumulative property, working with zeros, orders of operation, factors, multiples, divisibility, prime numbers, fractions, percentages, decimals, subtracting negative numbers, roman numerals, exponents, area, perimeter, circumference, angles, and basic math facts. Great for the student who needs just a little extra practice!




ASL Adventures is for students in middle school through high school. This course introduces students to American Sign Language. Teacher, Sandra Heflin, offers fifteen video-based lessons and each lesson includes printable resources and a lot of supplementary materials to help students progress through the course.




Lighting the Way is for students in elementary school; but my daughter in 5th grade still enjoys this curriculum. This course offers video-based history that studies the lives of heroes of the Christian faith through animated stories, and each series includes a downloadable student pack and leader's guide. SchoolhouseTeachers.com currently offers The John Bunyan Story, The Corrie Ten Boom Story, The John Wesley Story, The Samuel Morris Story, The Amy Carmichael Story, and The Eric Lidell Story.




Applecore is for the homeschool teacher who needs a little help with recordkeeping. SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers members a silver membership which includes attendance, course tracker, grade reporting, portfolio, and report cards.



SchoolhouseTeachers.com also offers Computer Courses! Most jobs require a high degree of proficiency when it comes to technology. Students in middle school through high school can get a head start and learn skills that will give them the advantage in today's world. SchoolhouseTeachers.com currently offers Experience Videomaking, How to Use Microsoft Word, Internet Entrepreneurship for Teens, Keyboarding, SQL Server Beginner Course, and Web Game Design.


These are just a few family favorites; but SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers so much more. A one-year membership cost $139. One fee serves your entire family. Anyone living in your home can use the site 24/7. Classes are not live, so you always have the option of starting any course at any point in time. Visit SchoolhouseTeachers.com today to purchase a Yearly Membership and gain access to more than 300 online classes!


Visit the Crew Blog to read more reviews.













Sunday, January 1, 2017

Art Museum of Southeast Texas



Since 1950, AMSET has provided the finest in exhibitions and arts education to all the people of Southeast Texas, free of charge, seven days a week. AMSET presents rotating exhibitions, on loan and from the permanent collection, of 19th-21st century American fine and folk art with an emphasis on regionalism.


Guided tours of the museum are available by appointment for guests of all ages. Visit www.amset.org to see a calendar of events, details on current and upcoming exhibitions, learn about educational programs, purchase AMSET publications, print out hands-on activities for children and more.


Admission: free


Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00, Saturday 10:00-5:00, Sunday 12:00-5:00, Closed Major Holidays


Address: 500 Main Street, Beaumont, Texas 77701


Online: www.amset.org