HomeSchooling For Free: Introduction

Most homeschooling families understand and are fine with the fact that they are assuming the financial burden of responsibility when they chose not to utilize the public school system (for those curious homeschooling families, at least in Texas, do not get a tax break. We pay the same exact school taxes that our public schooling neighbors do). But can you get a great education without spending a fortune?

That's what this series will help you do! I will be posting great sites with activities, printables, and other resources that allow you to educate your child from kindergarten up through graduation for as little as it cost to print off the worksheets. Here are a few things you will definitely need:

A library card: This is a must! Your local library will be a main source if you are trying to save money while you homeschool. Most libraries do not charge for a card, but if you are out of county for your library you may have a small fee, right around $5. Your library will not only give you access to books but also educational programs, DVD's, the internet, and even reproduceable curriculum.

A printer : It doesn't have to be fancy. It doesnt even have to be a color printer, but investing in a printer is alot cheaper than paying by the sheet at the library or your local quick copy.

Some things I suggest but are not required include a filing cabinet and some basic supples such as a 3 hole punch, folders/binders.

Alright, there it is! My first instalment of my HomeSchooling for Free series. I can't wait to share more money saving tips for Home Schooling with you!

Be sure to sign up for Email Updates or Follow Me on Twitter to get post updates as they happen!

picture credit: odeo.com

New Giveaway! Subscription to ClickNRead and ClickNSpell

Always looking to see if something works better for us, we have been trying a new phonics and spelling program. Here is my review and at the bottom a chance to win a subscription to
ClickN SPELL & ClickN READ

ClickN Spell is a computer based phonics program designed for emergent readers all the way up through grade 3. When you go through the set up process for your child(ren) you will have the option to chose which lesson they start on. When your child enters the program s/he will be taken through a series of fun animated lessons. Each lesson is between 20-40 minutes long preventing boredom with younger children. Lesson 1 will start with the basics of letter sounds, beginning word sounds, basic blends, and location on the keyboard(a feature which I really love!). Upper levels will work on more complicated blends and more advanced reading. The program uses a combination of 800 words to create sentences and stories for each level.

ClickN Read is a computer based spelling program that is designed for emergent readers up through grade 5. As with the phonics program, ClickN Read allows you to set up your child's account according to what level s/he is ready for with lower levels being simple words and upper levels having more advanced spelling and offers fun annimations to liven up the lessons.

Both programs offer many neat options: Besides allowing you to set up your child's lesson level, in the adult administration area you can view progress reports, print a DOLCH sight word list, and print worksheets and practice sentences.

Our personal experience with the program has been great. My kids love anything they can do on the computer and I love being able to sit one of them at the computer while I do one on one time with the other and the fact that they are learning something just sweatens the deal! We find the lessons easy to navigate and engaging. The administration area is helpful and easy to navigate as well.

Although you need a separate account for each child and the phonics and spelling programs are sold separately, the accounts are lifetime accounts meaning that once one child has finished with them the name can be changed and a second child can go through them or you can even opt to transfer them to another user. The lessons are repeatable and if at any time you find you are unhappy with the program a full refund is offered within 60 days. You can even sample a few of the lessons before purchasing by clicking the banner at the top of this blog post.

Now on to the fun part! I have TWO accounts to give away. Both contain ClickN Spell and ClickN Read. What do you have to do to win? Well, that is easy! All you need to do is start following my blog by signing up for email updates HERE (you MUST verify your account) or following My Twitter Updates and then post a reply to this blog. If you already follow me then just post a reply. You can enter up to two times(one for each update you follow). I will draw the winner on Friday May 7th using a random line picker. Winners have three days to respond to my email or I chose another.

This review is genuine. Everything written is my own personal view and not that of ClickN Kids.

Awesome Deal: $50 Gift Cards with Purchase at Vision Forum

This is a great deal! For ever $95 you spend you will get a $50 gc.

This is what I am thinking of getting! I have been wanting it for ages but couldn't justify the cost. Now, I think I may just take advantage of such a great deal!

Vision Forum also has loads of other products from Audio Downloads, Books on Homeschooling, Modest Clothing for Girls, and Classic Toys.

Happy Birthday Hubble

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Ps 19:1

Hubble is celebrating its 20th year in space. Even though science will refuse to acknowlege it, they have only highlighted God's amazing creativity. I can only imagine what we might have been able to do with this had we not fallen. Take a look at some of the amazing pictures that Hubble has taken over the last 20 years, and take a moment to thank God for the amazing creation he has give us.

I Could Never Be with My Child(ren) All Day!

One of the most common comments I hear from parents when we tell them we homeschool is "I could never spend all day with my child. S/he would drive me crazy!". It's almost always said in a tone that is supposed to imply that I must be either weird or very special to be able to do so with my own children, but let me tell you why I can spend all day with my children.

First, they are mine. God gave them to ME(and my husband of course) to raise. If I send them off to someone else for six plus hours a day, to sit in a room full of children from backgrounds I know nothing about, and who themselves are in need of guidance, how can I expect anything but for them to pick up behaviors that I don't particularly like?

Second, at home, we can discipline our children. Schools no longer have that option. They are afraid of damaging the child's spirit, or having charges pressed against them, or maybe even having the child retaliate with violence. At home we stop the behavior then and there. We discipline and we teach them how to replace bad behaviors with good behaviors.

Third, when we are in public places(Yes, I know! We are homeschoolers that are hardly ever home, shocking!) and my children see behaviors that we do not approve of, we can stop and talk about it and I can guide them through the world instead of throwing them into it and expecting them to come out on the otherside unscathed.

To be able to be with your child all day, you need to know your child. I mean really know them. The kind of knowing that can only come from being with them all day.

Do I need a break every now and then. Oh yes! But I can tell you that after about an hour away, I am wondering what they are doing, if they are missing me, and when I get to go back and give them some big cuddles.

(While my son is still young and doesnt get the strange looks that we get with the girls, I expect that it won't be too much longer!)

Thoughts from The Excellent Wife

I started chapter 2 in The Excellent Wife: A Biblical Perspective. It deals primarily with the nature of God and his purpose for wives. The idea that a submissive wife always equals a subservient wife is common in feminist thinking so I thought this quote from my MacArthur Study Bible was so uplifting and encouraging!

"When God saw His creation as very good He viewed it as being to that point the perfect outcome to his creative plan. However, in observing mans state as not good He was commenting on his incompleteness before the end of the sixth day because the woman, Adams counterpart had not yet been created. The words of this verse emphasize man's need for a companion, a helper, an equal. He was incomplete without someone to complement him...This points to Adams inadequacy not Eve's insufficiency. Woman was made by God to meet man's deficiency."


How wonderful to know that I was created for a purpose! My purpose is to fill a void in my husband. I complete him. I compliment him and together we are One Flesh. Without each other we can not be whole.

Earth Day Crafts

We are not really Earth Day celebrators here, but I definitely don't see anything wrong with teaching my children to take care of what God has given us and recycling is a part of that, and using old things to make new things is just fun(and did I mention cheap?)! So here are a few way to recycle some of the things that may be laying around your house!

This Bottle Cap Locket is a neat way to create a fun keepsake!

Make some beautiful music with this Coffee Can Drum.

Add some color to your garden with this Fabric Scrap Garden.

These Seeded Bookmarks are multi-functional!

And this Milk Jug Bird Feeder will help open up a science discussion!

Great recycling crafts can be found all over the internet with a simple search! If you have a great recycling craft idea feel free to post it in a reply!

Wordless Wed

My three little snuggle bunnies.

Now there is just the problem of where mommy and daddy will sleep

For more WW posts visit here!

Thats what I get

For trying to get all fancy with my blog HTML. Its going to take a few to get it back to normal. Bare with me!

Stop Motion Time Lapse Video

I was watching the Discovery Channels new show Life last night, which by the way other than Oprah Winfrey's voice and the occasional reference to evolution is pretty amazing, I was mesmerized by the stop motion techniques they used to capture plant growth. I went out on a search for some more neat stop motion videos and some instructions on how to make your own!

Here is a fun one of sunflower seeds and beans growing.

And one of radish roots.

Fruit decomposing

And for fun you can watch any of these Lego Stop Motion Videos!

National Parks Week

This week is National Parks Week and to celebrate the National Park Service is giving free entrance into all 392 national parks for the week!

To find a park in your area visit HERE.

Menu Plan Monday

For more menu planning click the link above!

I wasnt very good at keeping my menu plan last week. I did fix something every night but since my brother was here it was a bit all over the place depending on what he wanted. This week I am going to start putting together a Home Management Binder so keeping to our menu plan falls into getting my home organized. Thursday is farmers market day so I am running low on fruit and veggies at the moment. Trying to hold out but might have to make a run to get some to tide us over.



Monday-Chicken nuggets with oven fries

Tuesday-Baked Tilapia with steamed veggies

Wednesday-Steak Bites with sauteed greenbeans and corn



Thursday-Teryoke Chicken Stirfry

Friday- Shepherds Pie





Once I get my planner up and going I may even try planning lunches!

Little Catch Up Blog

Wow I let a few days pass by! I am not sure what I was so busy doing but it definitely got in the way of blogging over the last few days.

So lets see, well, a few of the girls and I are starting a new study, The Excellent Wife: A Biblical Perspective. I have skimmed through and am now going through slowly. At first glance it looks like a great study. Will let you know how I feel about that in a few weeks when I have had more time to look at it.

Femininity and Feminism were my thoughts of the week. I have been listening to a few lectures on them. I am finding myself more and more convicted about making sure that my daughters and I are practicing Biblical Femininity. I am really digging Ladies Against Feminism. Lots of great information from ladies from all walks of life. I never was a feminist but the two topics seem to go hand in hand on most blogs. I had not really put the two together but I have even read a few interesting articles on Christian Feminism. A bit oxymoronic (not entirely sure that's a real word) to me...

I know I still haven't gotten around to posting about our homeschool space. I did actually try by my computer was refusing to save my images so I had to scrap them and start over. A bit discouraged, I threw in the towel and just haven't gotten back to it.

My blog is about 2 weeks away from its overhaul! To celebrate I will be doing a great giveaway. I will post more details about that later. This one will definitely appeal to more than just homeschoolers though!

Don't forget to enter my current giveaway, A $20 Gift Card to Currclick!

Other big news is that I have put in my notice at my job! I work two days a week at a MDO that offers a homeschool enrichment program(I think its a great program btw. I helped to design it!). I just felt like it was time to start focusing more on my ministry at home. I am going to finish out the summer, because I have committed to it already, but come this fall I will officially be a full time stay at home mom!

Dallas Museum of Nature and Science Family Pass for $45!

A friend of mine just emailed me this link and it is an awesome deal!

A family season pass to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science (the Science Place at Fair Park) for 1/2 off!!!

The Children’s Museum at the Museum of Nature & Science!

Why is the sky blue?

Our children are so curious. Everything the world has to offer is of interest to them whether natural or man-made. Why is the sky blue? Why does daddy’ face feel the way it does? Why does a cat make that purring sound? Why does this trash can smell so yucky? Why does this cupcake taste so good? It goes on and on - always exploring, always learning. Why? Why? Why?

Our children have great imaginations. One day they may be a cowboy. The next a ballerina. The following a dramatic actor. After that a star athlete. They can build cities, cook a four-course meal, have the queen over for tea, travel through time and save the world from the bad guys…all in one day. There is no limit to what they can do.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that…
With the goal of serving the unique needs of children from infancy to seven years old, MNS has created a space to stimulate a child’s curiosity through a variety of hands-on, sensory experiences that foster a thirst for discovery and knowledge.

In the Children’s Museum, MNS has created the perfect atmosphere where families may learn and explore together - safe, spontaneous, individualized, self-paced, non-linear and exploratory spaces to help children understand themselves and trust in their own choices as they are free to touch, explore and dream.

So…combine your child’s constant quest for answers with his/her vivid imagination…add in the amazing scientific resources at MNS, blend them together with themed play areas overflowing with stimulating adventures and you have “ Come and Explore Your World”

“Come and Explore Your World”

Made up of five galleries, it is a place where children will learn about the world in which we all live.

Little Urban Farm
Water Room
Explore Your Town
Explore My House
Explore Your Backyard

Little Urban Farm
In Little Urban Farm children can be a “farmer for the day” and explore the nature and science of farming. They can milk a cow, gather eggs, drive a tractor, and plant, harvest and sort crops.

Water Room
In the Water Room Children will be introduced to the properties of water and can experiment with movement, measurement and volume using a variety of water tools.

Explore Your Town
Explore Your Town introduces children to the man-made world. Made up of six play sets in which they can explore “helpers” in their community as they experience the work of grown-ups.


In the Fire Department, children can practice being an EMT, or take on the role of a firefighter while dressing up in child size bunker gear. Their gross motor skills are enhanced while climbing on the pretend Fire Truck.

In the Building Supply and the Utility Company, children can be an engineer or put on a hard hat, grab a tool belt, and explore balance while building a structure with a variety of building materials. These experiences enable young children to gain the fine motor control they need to accomplish tasks important to their growth and development. An understanding of math begins by manipulating real materials through patterning, sequencing, size and measurement.

In the Performing Arts Theatre and Dressing Room, children can be creative, spontaneous and use imagination to create characters, actions or events while practicing listening and oral language skills on stage. Trying on a variety of costumes enables them to act out familiar situations, solve problems and experiment with different solutions. The adjoining concave and convex fun mirrors will give children the opportunity to observe how the distorted reflected images change the appearance of body image.

In the Conservatory Center, children will practice auditory, visual, comprehension and math skills and experiment with creating and performing music using a variety of musical instruments including instruments from other cultures.

In the Fine Art Museum, children can explore the works of a featured artist, past or present. This opportunity provides knowledge about different art and artists through a variety of interchangeable materials. While manipulating these materials, children will make many self–discoveries that are important elements in art, such as texture, line, balance, value, color, space and form. These experiences also enforce spatial concepts along with early math and reading skills. On display will be featured original art work created by children modeling the work of the featured artist.

The Science Museum features an exploration into physics while trying the different hands on materials. They can explore minerals and other materials using their senses while at the science discovery table.

Explore My House
In Explore My House children can learn more about their neighbors and their cultural backgrounds. Programming in the House changes to reflect different cultures – on one visit you and your child may experience a house decorated for Easter, on another, for Chinese New Year and on yet another, a house decorated for Kwanzaa. Children can explore the house and prepare meals in the kitchen with pretend food and appliances, all the while learning about cultural holidays that are celebrated by people that live in our community.

Explore Your Backyard
Explore Your Backyard invites children to explore the environment and the creatures that may live in their own backyard. The Live Animal Display Wall allows children to observe live snakes, spiders, turtles, insects, lizards and more. In the four imaginary play experiences children can crawl through a large ant hill to see the world of an ant, balance on a beam like a squirrel running along a fence, cling to a wall to try life as a gecko, or weave their way through a spider web to experience the life of a spider. Children can also learn about renewable energy with the museum’s first solar-powered display, create by a partnership with Green Mountain Energy. Designed to educate about energy production, its use, and conservation, the interactive exhibit is comprised of a kiosk powered by a 36” x 60” photovoltaic solar paneled 640 watt “solar array” that harnesses the power of the sun.

Within Your Backyard is the Backyard Patio, a soft play area reserved for our youngest patrons ages birth to two years old. Toddlers and babies have the opportunity to engage in gross and fine motor skills while exploring their world through active sensory materials.

Produce Co-op

Every other Thursday is Dallas Farmers Market run day for us. You see, I organize and run a produce co-op. I thought it would be fun to show everyone exactly what we do on market days.It's alot of hard work, but lots of fun and we always end up with a ton of fresh fruits and veggies!


Of course the first thing we (me and my help for that day) do is to load all the kids up in the cars bright and early. We try to leave no later than 8:30am. After about a 20-30 min drive to the market the fun starts.



What keeps our prices low($20 every other week)and allows us to purchase so much is buying in bulk, so we start off by getting a price sheet from one of the bulk dealers and ordering everything we want from them we drive over and park under the pavilions. While we are walking up and down the pavilions we are offered lots of yummy samples and sometimes we even make a breakfast out of it!


After we finish shopping we load up. It always takes two cars (if the kids are with us) to go to the market. We bring back ALOT of stuff!

Next is unloading it. Now, I know she looks like she has some hulk-like muscles going on, but trust me, this stuff is heavy! It takes us about 20 minutes or so to unload all of this with two of us. That bag of cabbage is 50 pounds.

While we are unloading the kids sit and have lunch so that they are not under foot.


Here it all is in my breakfast room. I try to keep it off the carpet as much as possible, but it takes up alot of space. Now we will need to start sorting it.

It takes about two hours for everything to be sorted evenly. Total we will have been working with the veggies for four to five hours and will spend another hour or so cleaning up the bits that fall off during the sorting process. I will also spend the rest of the day at home waiting for everyone to come pick up.



So there it is! If you participate in a produce co-op take a moment to thank whoever runs it because it is alot of hard work! Thank you to all the ladies who help me out. I definitely couldn't do it without you!

Menu Plan Monday

It's that time again! Time to plan out the weekly menu. My brother is visting for the week so I am basing this week on what he wants to eat!

Monday- Shepherds Pie with greenbeans, carrots, mashed potato and mince

Tuesday-Pigs in a Blanket

Wednesday-Chili con Carne

Thursday-Chicken Fried Rice

Friday-Pizza

Easy week!

$20 Currclick Gift Card Give Away!

Lapbooking has by far become one of our favorite ways to learn. What better way to learn than to be hands on? When I am looking for a lapbook (or notebook for my older guys at co-op), one of the first places I go is Currclick.

Currclick offers a wide variety of downloadable lapbooks on every topic imaginable. They even have lapbooks to match certain curriculum such as this Apologia Astronomy lapbook or maybe you are taking a trip to the zoo and want to make the most out of it? Try using one of my personal favorites, A Trip to the Zoo or if you are studying a particular book such as, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe there are also tons of options! With Earth Day around the corner you can do Recycling Our Future. The possibilities are endless!

Currclick offers items appropriate for just about any age range and as an added bonus also has a large number of freebies!

Now on to the best part! Currclick has offered me the opportunity to give away a $20 gift certificate good for anything in their store! To enter all you have to do is follow start following my blog email updates by filling in your address in the top right hand corner or visiting HERE; you can also enter by following me on Twitter, and then leave a comment. You will be entered once for each subscription (up to two). If you already subscribe to my feeds all you need to do is leave a comment! I will draw the winner Tuesday April 20th. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond before I redraw.

I was in no way compensated for this review/giveaway.

Cardboard Armor

Since I post alot about what I am doing with my own children who are 5 and 6, I thought I would post about a neat project we are doing with group of older boys at co-op. I find myself really having to search for projects that keep their interests, and believe me they let me know when they think something is boring! But I think I got them with this one! We are building armor out of cardboard.

This is a great project to recycle old boxes, what a great Earth Day project!

Winston Science has loads of great projects and you can even register to compete in November!

Check out these other great projects:

Egg Drop

Water Rocket

Spaghetti Bridge

Adventures in Duct Tape

Catapult

Magic Marble Machine

Trash to Treasure

Congrats to our Winner

LynnJ!! She has won a subscription to Homeschool Enrichment Magazine!

LynnJ I have emailed you and am awaiting your response so that I can get this set up for you. Congrats again!!!

Look out for my next giveaway, a gc to Currclick!!! Summer time is a great time to do some lapbooking!

Scanography

What do you get when you cross scanning with photography? Scanography of course! I have used my flat bed scanner for, well scanning, but it never crossed my mind to take a photo with it. So how does it work? All you do is lay the item(s) that you are going to take a photo of and scan it with the scanner lid open. Photo Scanner Magic has lots of tips and tricks to help you with your scanography.

Turn this into a school project by testing out different placements, angles, distances, lighting in the room, textures and so on.

Projects with Things Around the House

Science equipment, art supplies, and so on, for two (and someday three!) gets expensive, so I am always looking for fun and educational opportunities to use what we have at home. You would be suprised at how much learning can take place with things such as a toothpick (try making a star pattern with toothpicks and water!) or apples (stamping with apples).



Do you know how to make a penny shiny again? All you need for this one is some vinegar and salt! This site has 6 other household science experiements you can do.



A celery heart also makes a good stamp. Just cut off the stalks evenly and dip the heart in paint!



Recycled Crayons are a great way to use up all those broken crayons we all seem to collect.



We have done both of these at co-op and both were a hit!
Make Plastic Milk

Homemade Slime -This one is really cool. When you hit it fast and hard your hand will bounce off but if you put your finger in slowly it will sink in.

Make some Hot Ice.

These are just a few of the thousands of experiments I found on the internet. I also suggest the book How to Fossilize Your Hamster: And Other Amazing Experiments for the Armchair Scientist for more household experiment fun!

National No Housework Day

Apparently today was National No Housework Day. I accidentally participated by just being lazy in between co-op and class but that's OK. I think I am going to start celebrating this one yearly!

When : Always April 7th

No Housework Day is your chance to do anything, except housework. Better still, have someone else do the chores for a day. Housework is a daily, seemingly endless and repetitive groups of tasks. It often goes unrecognized and worst of all..... taken for granted. But, watch out! If the dishes aren't done, or there's no clean towels, somebody takes note.


There's two ways to celebrate this day:

If you normally do the housework around the house, cease and desist for this day. Instead, kick back and enjoy the day. Relax and do anything, except housework.

If you are a spouse or significant other, do the housework for your mate. It gives her (or him) a break from the housework. And, you just might get an appreciation of how much work it takes to keep up the house.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Origin of No Housework Day:
Our research did not uncover a particular person who started this day, or when it was first celebrated.

We're pretty sure it originated by someone who was a wee bit tired of doing the daily chores, and just needed a day off. Most likely, they threw up their hands and said something like "That's it! I'm taking a day off from all of this work".

Whoever the genius was who first created this day, we salute you!

I agree. Absolute genius.

Books Should Be Free

I am so excited to tell you about Books Should Be Free! I was browsing around my favorite homeschool support forum and someone had posted this! I have only just recently discovered how much I enjoy Audio books. I turn them on and clean house and before I know it I am done!

Guppie Live Birth (clean video)

I saw this when Apologia Exploring Creation With Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day linked on my facebook. It is very cute and a neat educational tool!



Big Mama Guppie Giving Birth

1st Step Earth Day Sale

Currclick is having a great sale on earth and conservation themed unit studies as well as few fun ones like Baseball!

________
1st STEP (ages 5-8)
________
Starter (ages 5-6, pre-literate) Earth's Oceans & Waters
Normally $20, on sale for $10!
All about our oceans, lakes, rivers and streams, and their part if the scheme of life on Earth. For young students, and pre-literate.

____
Starter (ages 5-6, pre-lit) Earth's Land & Air
Normally $20, on sale for $10!
Geology and weather for students ages 5-6, and pre-literate students.

Elementary (ages 7-8, developing literacy) Geology
Normally $18, on sale for $10!
Geology for students developing their reading skills. A course designed to build up skills in vocabulary and geography while explaining the essentials of geology.
____
Elementary (ages 7-8, developing literacy) Water & Air
Normally $18, on sale for $10!
An essential understanding of our waters and atmosphere for students ready to develop early reading skills.

________
CONNECT THE THOUGHTS (ages 9-adult)
________
Lower School (ages 9-10) Science II - Earth Sciences
Normally $30, on sale for $12!
The basics of Geology, Oceanography and Meteorology (weather and atmosphere) for ages 9-10!
____
Upper School (ages 11-adult) Science II - Geology
Normally $50, on sale for $20!
A huge, comprehensive, college-level course on Geology. Fun, hands-on science for students really ready to learn about our planet.

____
Upper School (ages 11-adult)Science III - Oceanography
Normally $35, on sale for $15!
The follow-up to our Upper School Geography Course. A real science course about our oceans and waters, hands-on and thorough.

____
Upper School Science IV - Meteorology
Normally $42, on sale for $20!
The final Upper School Earth Science course, covering our atmosphere and weather. Extensive, hands-on science.

____
World Problems - Energy Concerns
Normally $12, on sale for $8!
An extensive unit course all about Energy. What are the problems and strengths with gas and oil, thermal power, nuclear power, solar power, and the other options available to us? A great course for the student for Earth Day.
____
World Problems - Environmental Concerns
Normally $12, on sale for $8!
Pollution, deforestation, the diminishing of the Ozone Layer and and their effects, in an extensive unite course.
____
World Problems Endangered Species
Normally $12, on sale for $8!
Which animals are in danger of vanishing from Earth forever, and what can be done a! bout it. A huge unit course.

Baseball
Normally $32, on sale for $15!
A huge course all about the National Pastime. The history of the game, the rules, the requisite skills are developed in the student, how to keep stats...a full course that will get your students outside and playing ball!

Basic Exercise Course
Normally $8, on sale for $5!
A 100-day exercise program that slowly grows into a real workout, for healthy students ages 9-adult, with on-line videos demonstrating various of the exercises.

New Blog Coming Soon!

Matthew 28:6
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

I am very excited to say I have finally chosen a blog designer and will be updating my blog with the new look in 3-4 weeks! I will also be registering a domain so that my address is easier to find! Don't worry if you are already subscribed you will not need to do anything. The blog will still be hosted here at blogspot.


Check out the designer I am using she has some great stuff and is incredibly reasonable!


Things to look for next week include a post on our homeschool space and how I organize our supplies (more detailed than my snapshots I took a few weeks back), a winner for the subscription to HSE magazine, and a new great giveaway from currclick! We have also recieved 3 more postcards for Project Postcard!


Have a blessed Easter!!

Menu Plan Monday

This week I splashed out a bit and ordered a few things from Schwans. I was careful to order things that I could justify the price for. They had to be cost efficient and time saving.

Monday-Steak Bites with mixed veggies

Tuesday-Pizza Calzones

Wednesday-Fried Catfish from the local Ma&Pa

Thursday-Chicken Kiev with roasted potatoes and steamed veggies

Friday-Tacos

Give Away!!! Free Subscription to Homeschool Enrichment Magazine!

Here at Home School Enrichment, we believe homeschooling is the best lifestyle a Christian family can have. And, we want you to experience that joy and fulfillment throughout your entire homeschool journey! Keep reading for just a few topics we've covered to help keep the joy in your homeschool!

Relevant and Useful
Most of our authors are homeschool parents themselves, so you know you're getting tried-and-true ideas that work in the real world of homeschooling. Here are just a few of the topics we've covered in past issues:

•10 Time-Tested Tips for Staying on Track
•How to Stay Inspired
•Real-Life Strategies to Get More Done
•Customizing Your Highschooler's Education
•Handling the High-Needs Child
•Why Homeschooling is the Best Answer for Good Socialization
•Developing a Philosophy of Education: How You Can and Why You Should
•Using Faith in Our Homeschools
•How NOT to Teach Writing
•34 Mommy Tips: Quick and easy ways to simplify your life


Encouraging and Inspiring
Homeschooling can be tough sometimes, so we all need regular doses of encouragement and inspiration to keep our focus clear. That's why each issue of Home School Enrichment is filled with uplifting articles and Biblical advice to keep our perspective what it ought to be, to help you keep going strong, all year long!

Practical and Long-Lasting
Home School Enrichment Magazine isn't a magazine you'll read once and then throw away. We hear from readers all the time who keep their issues handy for years, so they can refer back to the practical, real-life teaching ideas and encouragement. Each issue of HSE is a long-lasting resource that you'll keep coming back to again and again!

Not Just for Mom!
We want each issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine to have something for every member of your family! So while Mom may be the first one to go through each issue when it arrives, Dad and the kids will probably also wind up with it somewhere along the line! Your kids especially will love the special articles we include just for them, like History and Heritage and Inventions That Changed the World. And lots of Dads get a real kick out of helping with the hands-on projects included in each issue!

To win this great prize all you need to do is follow my blog through any of the feeds to the right or start following me on twitter, MMHomeschooling and then leave a comment! If you already follow my feed then all you need to do is leave a comment! You can enter this contest twice (once for following my blog and once for following on twitter). I will chose the winner on Tuesday, April 5th using a random line picker.

Don't forget, even if you don't win this prize you can still sign up for a free sample issue of HSE!

Due to the holidays I am extending this giveaway 2 days. I will draw the winner on Thursday April 8th!

Open to the US only.

I was given this price by HSE to give away as a promotion. I was in no way compensated to run this contest.

Freebie Friday

AKC Best Friends Video and Lesson Plans




Free Comic Books on topics such as the story of the bank, inflation, money, the federal reserve, and more! Books for every age level.



Best of Edison science kit (has a $1 fee to cover shipping)



Sign up for MOO (Mothers of Organics) to get a free welcome pack including a kids activity flier, bumpersticker and coupons for Organic Valley products.



Free Space Camp cd and Poster



Free subscription to Lego Club magazine



Free Toby the Train coloring book

Free Weather Unit Downloads

With this year being one of the strangest I have ever seen weather wise (think 12" of snow in Feb and another 7" in March in N. Texas!) and spring/tornado season here I started looking around for weather information and came across this; the National Weather Service offers several downloads and teacher information on teaching weather.

Lesson plan central also has several printable worksheets.

Currclick.com offers lapbooking and unit studies on weather in every price range.

If you have a younger child then this would be a great time to pull out or borrow the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

For snacks get creative and do a weather theme! Make marshmellow, popcorn or cotton candy clouds, dye some coconut green for grass, use jellybeans for rain, a yellow gum drop for the sun, use multiple colors of licorice or sour straws for a rainbow, or use your own ideas to create an edible masterpiece!

This site has great ideas on how to "cook up a storm" by doing different weather related experiments. Make your create your own cloud or make it rain with these neat ideas!

The ideas are endless! If you have done a weather study and would like to share please leave a comment with your link. I would love to see it!