Homeschool Collection {Second Edition}

Welcome to the second edition of the Homeschool Collection.  Last month was a smorgasboard of encouragement, information and resources and this month is no less.  This month we have 22 Review Crew Mom’s sharing with us!

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses shares

·         Magnetic i-Clips

·         Compost in a Bottle Science Experiment 

·         Homeschool 4 FREE Resource List 

·         Beowulf – 3 Recommendations For Your Homeschool 

Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break shares

·         What About Kids That Don’t Like to Read? 

·         How Much Time Do You Spend on Schoolwork?

·         From the High School Lesson Book – Let’s Get To Work! 

·         Other Homeschool Moms – We Need Each Other! 

Monique @ Early Learning Mom shares

·         Our Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum 

·         Raising Bookworms: What We Read 

·         90+ Ideas for the Glenn Doman Inspired Reading Program 

·         Chapter Books For Boys With Autism 

Shannan @ Captivating Compass shares

·         February Digital Homeschool Deals & Freebies 

·         A Digital Homeschool Online Planner 

·         Study Switzerland 

·         Help! My Kids Hate Writing! 

Meredith @ Powerline Productions: Being World Changers/Raising World Changers shares

·         Why We Homeschool 

·         Writing Directions Clearly Enough to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich 

·         Teach History the Fun Way 

·         You Can Teach All Ages Together 

Yvie @ Homeschool On the Range shares

·         Using the Good & the Beautiful in the Upper Grades 

·         Teaching History with We Were There Books 

·         Kane Chronicles & Egyptian Mythology 

Linda @ Apron Strings & Other Things shares

·         Our “School Room” 

·         Organizing Homeschool Supplies in A Small Space 

·         Organizing Our School Room Using Everyday Items 

Dusty @ Beat Of Our Drum shares

·         Five Things I Want To Change In Our Homeschool This Year 

·         Top 5 Homeschooling Mistakes 

·         Homeschool Art Supplies 

·         Math Games 

Amy @ the WRITE Balance shares

·         Tips for the Frustrated Parent and Teacher 

·         Homeschool Hesitations 

Indasa @ Single Parents Homeschooling shares

·         Wait Til You See These Single Parent Family Vacation Options 

Ingrid @ Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles shares

·         5 Ways to Maximize the Local Library for Your Homeschool 

·         How to Rock Your Homeschool with Unit Studies 

·         The Benefits of Teaching a Second Language 

·         3 Important and Practical Reasons to Teach Cursive 

Ta’Neisha @ http://www.taneishakemp.com shares

·         Gratitude is the Best Attitude 

·         YOU. ARE. BEAUTIFUL. 

Susan  @ My Happy Homeschool shares

·         Benefits of Homeschooling 

·         Challenges of Homeschooling 

Cassandra @ My Blessed Mess shares

·         Why I Don’t Keep Homeschool Grades 

·         Top 5 Quick and Easy Meals for Busy Moms 

·         Must Have Tools for Homeschooling Families 

Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag shares

·         What God is Teaching Me About Hospitality and a Book Review 

·         Dr. Seuss’s Birthday 

·         Kids in the Kitchen: Knife Skills 

Lori @ At Home: where life happens shares

·         String Art – Initials 

·         The Weaving poem shared by Corrie Ten Boom 

·         Hot Air Balloons 

·         Hot Air/Cold Air – a science experiment 

Rebekah @ There Will Be A $5 Charge For Whining shares

·         My Favorite Homeschool Podcasts and More 

Amy @ Orison Orchards shares

·         10 Things Homeschool Moms Want You to Know 

·         10 Things Homeschool Moms Don’t Want You to Know 

·         5 Homeschooling Expectations You Should Kiss Goodbye 

·         Read This When You Want to Quit Homeschooling 

Kristen @ A Mom’s Quest to Teach shares

·         Preschool: Fine Motor Skills 

·         Book Club: Alberto the Dancing Alligator 

·         Book Club: Fun and Learning with Joseph Had a Little Overcoat 

Erin @ Mommy Octopus shares

·         How to get a Driver’s License for a Homeschooler in Georgia 

·         Why we Stopped Homeschooling Year Round 

·         Printable Scripture Writing Plan for Teens: Grace

Erin @ For Him and My Family shares

·         Home Management While Homeschooling 

·         History Through Living Books 

·         Homeschooling Charlotte Mason Style 

·         Homeschool Encouragement 

Wendy @ Life on Chickadee Lane shares

·         As a Wall of Fire Against Temptation {a devotional} 

      

Happy Homeschooling!

Texas HOME Educators - March Newsletter

Calendar of Events

March 01 Co-op Classes & Homeschool Track

March 08 Ballet Classes & Homeschool Track

March 15 Family Field Trip

March 22 Ballet Classes & Homeschool Track

March 29 Homeschool Track & Graduation Meeting

Co-op Classes

09:00 Musical Theater

11:00 Service Scouts @ Jiu-Jitsu, 3965 Phelan Blvd. Suite 108, Beaumont, Texas 77706

Homeschool Track

The track season is a six-week season; but please note, there is no track meet on March 15 due to the field trip. All track meets are held at Journey Community Church at 2:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Reed at 409-504-8135.

Ballet Classes

09:00 Ballet I (ages 3-6)

10:00 Ballet II (ages 7-10)

11:00 Ballet III (ages 11+)

12:00 Beginner Pointe (ages 11+)

Family Field Trip

Join us on March 15 at 10:00 a.m. for our family field trip at Sheldon Lake State Park, 14140 Garrett Road, Houston, TX 77044. We have the following activities scheduled: Discovery Hike, Geocaching 101, and Arts in the Park. Everyone will need to wear closed-toe shoes, dress for the weather, and bring a sack lunch. There is no cost for this field trip; but we must give the park ranger a headcount by March 8, so please text Susan Reed at 409-504-8135 to reserve your spot.

Graduation Meeting

If you have a Senior, join us on March 29 for our next planning meeting at 4:30 p.m. at Crossroads Bowling Center in Beaumont, Texas. This is also another opportunity for our Seniors to hang out and have fun!

Teeth for Keeps

February is Dental Health Month! Use this opportunity to instruct and encourage your homeschool students on the importance of taking care of their teeth. Here are a few suggested dental health activities to promote teeth for keeps.

Types of Teeth

There are four different types of teeth that help perform different jobs. They are incisors, cuspids, bicuspids, and molars. Incisors are located in the front of the mouth, these eight teeth have sharp, chisel-shaped crowns that cut food. There is one cuspid next to each lateral incisor. Cuspids are pointed to help tear food. There are four pairs of bicuspids located next to the cuspids. They tear and crush our food. There are four sets of three molars located at the back of our mouths. They help us by grinding our food.

Ask your students to try to locate the various teeth in their own mouths. By age thirteen or so, children should have a full set of permanent teeth.

Tooth Science

Demonstrate to your students how acids eat away the enamel on our teeth with this simple experiment. Place a raw egg in a clear glass of vinegar overnight. As your students to speculate what will happen. In the morning, you will see that the vinegar has slowly softened the shell in the same way acid softens tooth enamel. Explain to your students, when the enamel on our teeth is weakened, we get a toothache and a cavity.

Learn to Brush

Brush your teeth at a 45-degree angle with the bristles of the toothbrush toward the gums. Gently message the gums and roll the brush toward the edge of each tooth. Don’t forget to brush the back of your teeth. Use the same stroke, making sure the bristles go between each tooth.

Learn to Floss

Tear off a piece of dental floss about 16 inches long. Hold the floss between your thumbs and forefingers. Work the floss between the teeth and gently move it up and down. Be careful not to miss any teeth!

Happy Homeschooling!

For The Temple - Crew Review

I love adding Christian audio drama to my daughter’s listening time and so I was thrilled to receive the 2-CD set For The Temple from Heirloom Audio Productions for our listening pleasure. Heirloom Audio Productions is passionate about bringing Christian history to life with top-shelf talent such as Brian Blessed (Star Wars), Jolyon Coy (Beauty and the Beast), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Oliver Twist), and George Blagden (Les Miserables). Each production features an original musical score and sound effects. It’s like an audio movie for the mind!

The story begins on the eastern shore of Galilee during the years of Roman occupation. Mary gets into a boat, only to get John to join her for a secluded moment to discuss their arranged marriage. While John and Mary row out to sea, dark clouds gather over the farm. As the wind grows stronger, they are taken father from the shore, until they are pulled to safety by Josephus. Josephus could use a man like John to stand in alms. John wants nothing more than to live in peace and grow the finest grapes in Israel; but he decides to join Josephus. Josephus send John and Joab to Tiberius to search out the people’s allegiance only to discover Tiberius’s allegiance has been overtaken by the Romans. The Romans attack and Joab is fatally wounded. A young man named Jonas helps John escape. They lay in hiding for days, listening to the Roman soldiers destroy the city. On the fifth day, they are awakened by a trumpet, and the Romans marched away. The next morning, they walked through the ruins of the city and gathered what was useful and then marched back to John’s home. As the story unfolds, a leader is born. John gathers and trains an army to fight the Romans. Then, John receives word that the temple is in grave danger. On one of the darkest days in the history of Israel he will make a decision that could save the temple or destroy it. You will need to listen to the audio drama for its conclusion!

I also received a study guide for this audio theater presentation. The sets of questions begin and end as the narrative takes new turns, and each may cover from four to eight minutes of the audio drama. Each set of questions has three parts, Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words.

The Listening Well questions ask your child about what he heard and what he remembers. The Thinking Further questions ask your child to think a bit – to look up something mentioned in the story, to draw conclusions from the character’s actions, or to speculate about the intentions, mindset, and character of John and his friends. The Defining Words section gives your child an opportunity to enhance his vocabulary. You will need to use a dictionary for some of the words. But my favorite part of this study guide is at the end. There are three brief Bible studies that help you and your child get a better understanding of some of the biblical themes that are woven into the narrative.

Put God back into history with these award-winning CD's and ignite a passion for history and Christian character in the next generation. Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about the audio theater presentation For The Temple from Heirloom Audio Productions.

St. Valentine's Day - February 14th

Many legends surround the history of St. Valentine's Day. One of the most fascinating is that of Saint Valentine himself. In 269 A.D., a young priest named Valentinus was arrested by the Romans for his Christian beliefs. The Roman Emperor, Claudius II, was a harsh leader and imprisoned Valentinus in a dark dungeon. A jailer named Asterius took pity on the prisoner and provided him with the company of his blind daughter. The daughter and Valentinus soon became close friends.

After Valentinus had spent a year in the dungeon, Claudius II summoned him to appear before his court. Claudius II was so impressed by the priest's character that he promised to grant him his freedom if he would only denounce Christianity. However, Valentinus refused to give up his belief in God. The Emperor was furious and ordered Valentinus to be beaten with stones and executed.

According to the legend, St. Valentinus wrote a farewell message to Asterius' daughter the evening of his execution. He signed the note, "From Your Valentine." He was put to death on February 14th, 270 A.D. As years went by, the phrase "From Your Valentine" became known as a symbol of love, friendship and affection. St. Valentine is remembered for his devotion each year on February 14th.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Faithfulness

How do people invest 14 years of their lives to homeschool their children? Ask any Christian homeschool parent and they’ll tell you – faithfulness.

Faithfulness can be described as being strict or thorough in the performance of duty. Faithfulness, then, applied to homeschooling is preserving in teaching your children even when you are criticized about your child’s socialization. Faithfulness also means spending countless hours preparing for daily lesson plans, grading those daily lessons, teaching a concept until your child “gets it”, learning to live on less sleep and money, giving more of your time to your family than to yourself, and following Christ who gives you the strength to do it all (Philippians 4:13).

Faithfulness is a character trait not easily found today. Homeschoolers approach too many commitments with, “Well, if this doesn’t work, I can get out.” When life gets tough, we are tempted to escape our responsibilities, but faithfulness means not forgetting the Lord in the good times and not blaming Him in the bad times. No matter where we go, we will have difficulties of some kind.

Today, I want to encourage you to homeschool in faithfulness. Even when we fail to be faithful, God remains faithful, and He will give you the strength and wisdom to remain faithful and true to the commitment of teaching your children.