Gifted Development Center - Homeschooling

Homeschooling -- for reference

Wikipedia

Main Page - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -- I've heard about this but never checked into it before. Very interesting.

A Day in Our Lives

A Day in Our Lives -- I just discovered this unschooling blog. It's from Joanne who commented on my last post. Posting every day is something I'd like to do, too, but don't usually think of when I'm able to be in front of a computer. If I would just remember that email feature of blogspot, then I could blog an email on my pda and it would post when I hotsync. Gotta remember that. :-)

Landscape

Landscape -- after reading a great post on unschoolingbasics about cool backyard ideas, I followed a link and found this great article about unschooling as a landscape (both figuratively and literally). That's how I want to live!

Leave No Gifted Child Behind

Leave No Gifted Child Behind -- an article reminding me of one more reason that I should homeschool my boys.

A few days ago, when DS2 was excitedly telling the tv "sea turtle", I asked DH if he could tell which of our boys was smarter. I don't know, but I suspect they both would be "off the charts" if they took IQ or similar tests.

Unschooling

Unschooling -- Best of Campus Press Education that unleashes the creative spirit. -- an article about an unschooler in Canada who entered university at 13.

Early Learning Activities For Pre-K and Kindergarten

childcareland.com - Early Learning Activities For Pre-K and Kindergarten -- I think I've linked this page before, but just in case not, here it is (again).

Joyful Living and Unschooling

Joyful Living and Unschooling -- Joyce's Unschooling page that I want to make sure I have a linked.

Fine Motor Activities

Sometimes I wonder if my boys weren't in daycare, would be be doing all the kinds of things that they do at daycare that help develop their fine and gross motor skills?

First-School Preschool Activities and Crafts

This site has been recommended by a WIHS friend. I don't have time to look it over now, but I'm blogging it for reference.

Unschooling "Course of Study"

I know I've read this before, and I may have even blogged it before. It came up on one of my email lists today, so I'm blogging it as a reminder of how unschooling can still be "organized" and well thought out.

Some good quotations

The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn. ~John Lubbock

My kids are happy. It's soo obvious. I just smile and wave my hand dismissively and say, "The proof is in the pudding, and I'm a patient cook." ~Kelly Lovejoy

"The only person you have any control over is yourself, and sometimes even that is in doubt." - Mother Mary.

Lifestyle of Learning

This link came from a discussion on Sonlight's discussion forum where someone asked for people to share "a day in the life of an unschooler". Many of the replies were more about what I would call relaxed homeschoolers because they weren't completely child-led, but there were some good responses, nonetheless. The gal who wrote about using The Filestyle of Learning also mentioned The Elijah Company.

Freedom In Education Newsletter

The November Newsletter of Freedom In Education has an interesting article about logic and education standards. It if the the UK, but still very relevant to those of us in the US. The more I read things like this, the more I want to unschool instead of "doing school at home".

In all of the searches I have found about homeschooling and education, I can't remember finding articles about why the structured school day is better. I do find historical reasons for why we have it, but nothing to support why it is a better way. I find things about learning styles and creativity and freedom that support less structure, but I don't find articles that support more structure. I can find structured curriculum, and I can even find people who like the curricula, but that's where it ends. Is it because I'm looking for support for my desired direction, or is it because support for structure is lacking?

Comments

I've been cleaning up the comments on my blog today. Several months ago I enabled them but didn't put any restrictions on them. There have been several "spam" comments recently, so I changed my settings and scanned all my entries for comments. I actually have had 2 real comments. One was a simple, "I like your blog, I'll be back." from another homeschooler. The other was from AHA Weblogs Blog. Kim reviews homeschool blogs. She found mine on May 4th and did a very nice review, and I just now noticed. Thanks Kim!

Bubbles

Since my boys both like blowing and popping bubbles, I followed a link in an email and found this site. The Bubblesphere

Roots and Shoots

DS1 and I went to a Roots and Shoots meeting last Saturday. WIHS has started an all boys group, an all girls group, and a co-ed group. It grew from someone's quest for a group similar to scouting for younger kids. The target age is 10 and under. We had 5 boys, ages 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. It was at the 2 yr old's house; he didn't really participate. The leader described it as an organized playgroup. Isaac was very shy at first, but he did warm up and play with the boys outside after the craft (which he did not do) was over. The theme was 'trees and leaves'. I think he will be interested in going again in the future.

Skylarksings

Skylarksings - a website from a TAGMAX person. He has a new book.

Alpine Valley School : Visit : A Colorado Private Sudbury School

Alpine Valley School : Visit : A Colorado Private Sudbury School -- a Sudbury school seems like unschooling a bunch of kids at the same time, to me. This one is in a Denver suburb. They have "play days" on Wednesday mornings for kids age 3-6, and weekly tours on Thursday mornings. I'd like to visit there. Maybe the next time we go to Estes Park, our Denver visit day can be on Wednesday. (Our next visit is after their last day of school, but since DS2 will still be 2, we can try for the time after that.)

Barefoot on Holy Ground - Jeanne Dennis

Barefoot on Holy Ground - Jeanne Dennis -- Where You're Free to Be a Child. There is a small homeschool section which includes an article on homeschooling high school.

Living Math Home

Living Math Home -- a reference for Math in the future.

Key Words: Dora the Explorer is an Unschooler.

Key Words: Dora the Explorer is an Unschooler. -- someone's blog that uses Dora to illustrate unschooling.

Comprehensive Schools Mathematics Program

Comprehensive Schools Mathematics Program -- I think I found our math curriculum! CSMP is completely free, teaches things visually and with manipulatives, and is a different approach than many math curriculums.

Inversions

Inversions

Hoagies' Gifted Education: Gifted 101: A Guide for First Time Visitors

Hoagies' Gifted Education: Gifted 101: A Guide for First Time Visitors -- a link given to me by a Haysville mom that I have "met" 3 times, from 3 different sources, in the past week. I think I'm supposed to get to know her. I hope I don't obsess, but I'm really starting to thing about DS1's education a lot. Maybe it's because I overheard one of the daycare teachers saying "Those R------ boys sure are smart." last week (with my 2 yr old in the room). I wonder what he did. I feel compelled to read a lot and start planning. Not planning specific instruction or curriculum, but planning my resource pool.

My Father's World - Homeschool and Christian School Curriculum

My Father's World - Homeschool and Christian School Curriculum for preschool through grade 8. The toddler stuff is called "Playtime is learning time."

Characteristics Checklist for Gifted Children

Characteristics Checklist for Gifted Children

The Hollingworth Center for Highly Gifted Children

The Hollingworth Center for Highly Gifted Children

Northern Virginia Gifted Club

Northern Virginia Gifted Club - This has links to some great articles and probably plenty of other wonderful stuff, too. The Incredibles movie review from the NY Times, "Pink Monkeys", and "Cheetahs".

The TAG Project

The TAG Project -- Families of Talented and Gifted. A website for the support community of the same name. It includes several mailing lists.

Unschooling - Jon's Homeschool Resources

Unschooling - Jon's Homeschool Resources -- recommended by Natural Child Project.

Joyful Living and Unschooling

Joyful Living and Unschooling -- lots of well organized, well worded, information about unschooling, learning, and even parenting.

Organic Learning

Organic Learning - an unschooler's blog to read later.

The Elements

The Elements - flash animation to Tom Lehrer singing the chemical elements.

Heart of Wisdom

Heart of Wisdom - someone told me that this homeschool site teaches science based on the days of creation. --- saving for future reference.

Homeschool Buyers Co-op

Homeschool Buyers Co-op is a new group for getting discount pricing. --- Saving for reference also.

Visionary Christian Home Educators

Visionary Christian Home Educators - a new Wichita homeschool group. Saving for reference.

Another Puberty educational option

You might want to check out Passport to Purity. It can be used with
boys or girls. I have 2 friends who used it for their daughters and
one who just got it for their son. They encourage a weekend away
(moms with daughters, and fathers with sons). My boys aren't old
enough yet, but will be using it when I get there. Here's the link:
< a href="http://www.familylife.com/passporttopurity/">Passport 2 Purity

Puberty - future reference

From HomeschoolingForBoys email list (in response to a query about a "coming of age" study for boys and the book mentioned:

Just a caution here about the "Every Young Man's Battle" book. It is very graphic and is especially addressed to older teens & young adults who may find themselves struggling already in the area of lust and promiscuity. I won't let my 15 and 16 year old read it because it is just too descriptive and might put thoughts into their head that I know haven't occurred yet (With no TV, limited videos, and modestly dressed female friends, they have not been introduced to much in the way of visual stimulation and have no
serious interest in girls (yet)).

That said, the same authors of the above book have published a book called "Preparing Your Sons For Every Man's Battle." This addresses some of the concerns that have been raised by parents and is written for a father (or mother if single parenting) to read and discuss with their pre-adolescent or adolescent son, beginning around age 12 or after. My husband and older sons will be using it this fall. As with many of these books, it should be pre-read by the parent first to see if there are chapters you would rather leave out. The author is very honest about his struggles with sexual sin as
a young man but he does an excellent job of presenting issues and I especially like the questions he suggests to encourage discussions on these topics with your son.

Kid Things

LIVING : Playground : Building a Sandbox : DIY Network -- instructions (and pictures) for building a sandbox. Links for an easel (but we already have one of those), kids coat rack, and "play set" (which looks like a car track in/on a box.

Make Your Own Paper Bag Mini-Scrapbooks

Make Your Own Paper Bag Mini-Scrapbooks

MSNucleus

MSNucleus -- recommend by a WIHS member as a good science curriculum website.

Checklist for Effective State Homeschool Associations

Checklist for Effective State Homeschool Associations -- the only STATE homeschool organization I know of is CHECK, which is definitely religious based. Marybeth Y. told me about an organization at the barbershop picnic, but she couldn't remember the name. I'd sure like to find another group.

Attorney Tracy L. Edingfield

Attorney Tracy L. Edingfield -- I know her. Tracy's sister, Donna, and I were classmates in Jr. High and High School. I discovered her profession and website while looking at a site that criticizes HSLDA and points to local lawyers instead. I don't expect to ever need this, but knowing a "Family Law" attorney might be handy if any problems come up with homeschooling.

When Your Grandchild is Home Schooled

When Your Grandchild is Home Schooled

25 Reasons to homeschool

Living - The Leaf Chronicle - www.theleafchronicle.com -- this is a light-hearted (yet sometimes very serious) list of reasons that the author chooses to homeschool.

Taking Charge

HEM July-August 2005 - Taking Charge -- an article distinguishing "compulsory attendance" (which is law in most states) and "cumpulsory education" (which is not, and is practically impossible to define).

Socialization?

How to Answer - Homeschooling Information from the National Home Education Network -- a good article describing the difference between socialization and socializing. First, it suggests asking the one who asked, "What about socialization?" what they mean by "socialization". They will probably describe doing things with other kids their age and learning to get along, which is socializing. Socialization is learning the norms and standards of society. They may be referring to that instead, which my husband sometimes does, but I want my children to learn those things from me, not 20 other 6 year olds (or 12 year olds, etc.).

Freedom In Education - Pre-School

Pre-School section includes: Caring for Young Children, Childcard, Nursery School, Reading, and links. I want to read all of this!

Freedon-In-Education Newsletter

April Newsletter from a UK website. Most of the articles in this issue deal with teenagers, their behavior, and how it ties back to respect and how they were treated when younger.

Classical School of Wichita

Classical School of Wichita - A local Christian school that allows homeschoolers to take individual classes, in 7th-12 grades.

Homeschool Free Stuff

Home

Homeschool Curriculum and Help

Homeschool Curriculum and Help

The Beautiful Park, by Robyn Coburn

The Beautiful Park, by Robyn Coburn -- This is a nice parable. There are also a dozen or so links to articles on unschooling.

Math U See

Math U See -- math manipulatives and lessons. I think this would be a good place to by blocks.

Donna Young's Homeschool Printables and Resources

Donna Young's Homeschool Printables and Resources

What Type of Homeschooler... do I dream of being?

Mr. Potato Head You have your ideal of how things
should look, but youre flexible enough to allow
for change. You are not bothered by changing
methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an
eclectic combination of curriculum sources.
Visit my blog:
http://www.GuiltFreeHomeschooling.blogspot.com


What Type of Homeschooler Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Eclectic Bibliophile - Homeschoolblogger.com

Eclectic Bibliophile - Homeschoolblogger.com

Music / Art Materials

Montessori Materials -- printables for music

Homeschooling Boys!

Homeschooling Boys! -- I think I want to keep this one for reference.

This is the pages "title". Too bad someone doesn't know html well enough to use keywords instead of title. Character training for homeschool families, educational resources, boy-friendly curriculum recommendations, free activities, projects, articles - home school, homeschool curriculum, homeschooling, raising sons, christian parenting, charlotte mason, unschooling, attachment parenting, home education, legos, training boys, training a son, godly sons, terri camp, hslda, chris davis, elijah company, mantle ministries, little bear wheeler, vision forum, character building, sonlight, unit studies.

BookCloseouts.com Bargain Books - Bookstore - Book Sale

BookCloseouts.com Bargain Books - Bookstore - Book Sale This seems like a good place to look for books online.

Blackmask Online : You can't renew as author if you're dead

Blackmask Online : You can't renew as author if you're dead -- I found this while searching for free ebooks for my pda. Could be a really good thing in the future.

Live and Learn Conference

Live and Learn Conference -- ahhh, someday!

Ed Helper

-- a site with lots of worksheets, test prep, and things to compare to public school equivalences.

Christian Unschooling links

The Radical Christian Unschool
Learn In Freedom
The Porch Swing (CCU-List website, CCU is Christ Centered Unschooling)

Teaching preschooler's about money

Pre-K

OrganizedHome.Com

OrganizedHome.Com - clean house, cut clutter, get organized! Includes free printable pages that would go good in my "Control Journal" (Flylady's version of a Home Organizer Notebook).

Fun Ideas for using old sheets with preschoolers

From Bright Kids Newsletter
PRESCHOOL CORNER --- Old Sheet, New Idea!
Copyright Evelyn Saunders
Used with permission. All rights reserved.

For your bouncy active preschooler, here are a few active learning activities. All you need is an old bedsheet or two and a permanent marker. On one sheet write the numbers 1 - 10 (or higher if needed) in large print, randomly all over the sheet. Use the sheet in one of several ways:

MUSICAL NUMBERS
Played like musical chairs, play music and when you stop the tune the child(ren) must jump onto a number. Then draw a number out of a hat. Show the number ... the child standing on that number is "out." This is good for working on number recognition.

MYSTERY NUMBER
Give the child a clue like "I am thinking of a number between 5 and 10" and have them stand on the answer. Continue to give them clues ... "No, larger ... now smaller."

MATH QUIZ
Ask any number of math questions and have the child hop and jump to the answer. They also like to answer a question with each foot and hand. Here are a few sample questions:

--How old are you?
--How old will you be on your next birthday?
--How many pet's do you have?
--How many day's until Sunday?
--What is 5 + 5?

Now make another sheet with the lower case alphabet randomly written in bold marker. Maybe do the vowels in another color for a lesson on vowels. Have your child(ren) hop and jump onto some letter sounds as they answer questions:

--Can you stand on the letter that makes the sssss sound as in snake?
--Can you put one foot on a vowel and one foot on a consonant?
--Can you hop onto "ffffffff" for fox? (Note: Always say the letter's sound, not the name of the letter.)

Have fun!

Miquon Math Materials

Description

Miquon Math Materials

Miquon Math Materials - scope and sequence of books

Portfolio

Homeschool Learning Network's lessons on creating a portfolio.

What is Unschooling?

What is Unschooling? -- from Growing Without Schooling website, just in case I haven't linked it before.

Cat's out of the bag

Earlier this week Galen was out of town for a funeral. He spent quite a bit of time with his parents. Grandma & Grandpa were asking about the boys, Daddy was telling about what they have learned recently, what they can do, etc., and one of the grandparents commented about feeling sorry for their future teachers who will have to try to keep them challenged. Galen couldn't hold in our plans to homeschool. He told them that we've been talking about it since about the time Aaron was born (Isaac was 1 1/2 then). He answered their questions, particularly the one about "socialization" very similarly to how I have been answering it for him for the past year. He's coming around, and I'm pleased with that. He also told them about the freedom & flexibility it will give us for vacations, and how we can "do school" (his phrase) even while on vacation.

The Dumbest Thing YOU Ever Heard

A two-part article with dumb things that homeschooling parents have heard, published in an article on ChristianHomeschooling.US Part 1 and Part 2.

Convention

We went to the TPA homeschool convention on Saturday and went through the vendor/exhibit area. We picked up several catalogs and talked about things. We are intrigued by Sonlight. We both like the literature basis, Galen likes the schedule, and I like that the schedule is flexible. The "core" doesn't include everything, but they also have math, science, language arts, and others that they call electives that you can get. I'm interested in finding out more about Five In A Row also. It seems similar, in that it doesn't use textbooks for everything.

Before FIAR: Book List

Before FIAR: Book List

Book List
* Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by N.W. Carlstrom
* Yellow Ball by Molly Bang
* My Blue Boat by Chris L. Demarest
* The Little Rabbit by Judy Dunn
* Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack
* Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey
O12 * Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
* The Big Green Pocketbook by Candice Ransom
O1 * The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
* The ABC Bunny by Wanda Gag
* If Jesus Came to My House by Joan Gale Thomas
* Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
* The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
* The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
* The Quiet Way Home by Bonny Becker
* Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets
* Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field
* I Am an Artist by Pat L. Collins
* Angus Lost by Marjorie Flack
* Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne
* We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
* The Red Carpet by Rex Parkin
* Corduroy by Don Freeman
* Jenny's Surprise Summer by Eugenie

Key: O=own B=borrowed 1=read to DS1 2=DS2

Academic Superstore: Eligibility

Academic Superstore: Eligibility -- for discounts buying lots of stuff.

Fiction: Bobo

Fiction: Bobo

Lisa Whelchel's Official Website

Lisa Whelchel's Official Website -- She is one of the keynote speakers for the upcoming local homeschooling convention. I'd like to be sure to explore her website more, thus the entry.

Unschooling.com

Unschooling - a new site about unschooling. It's still under construction, but expect it to be good. It is run by the editor of Home Education Magazine and the creator of Live Free Learn Free magazine.

My Two Cents

My Two Cents -- a blog by a homeschooling family in Wisconsin.

FUNDUCATION

FUNDUCATION - Combining fun and education. This is a pretty light-weight site. It does have one pretty good article on homeschooling, and another in the parenting category that covers natural childbirth, attachment parenting, and homeschooling as it relates to the author and her son.

The Opportunity Cost of Homeschooling

Home Educator's Family Times article. The cost... one parent's salary. The benefits... priceless!

• Personalized, one-on-one instruction and attention
• A teacher who loves those kids more than any other teacher would
• Hand-picked books and resources
• Student-led learning and exploration
• No peer pressure or negative socialization
• The opportunity to live and learn in the real world
• Plenty of personal free time in which to grow and learn
• Those are just some of the benefits for my children. There are also benefits for me, including:
• Quantity time with my children, as well as quality time
• The opportunity to really get to know each of my children before they grow up and leave home
• No teacher conferences, PTA meetings or room-parent duties
• Living by our own schedule instead of the local school’s schedule

HEM's News & Commentary

HEM's News & Commentary -- A good blog by Home Education Magazine... comentary & links to articles related to home schooling.

Stop Cluttering With Clutterless Recovery Groups

Stop Cluttering With Clutterless Recovery Groups -- Another not really LILLILY link, but I think this one is as important as the book on tape that I'm listening to for the third time, "Organization from the Inside Out"

Green Home Building and Sustainable Architecture

Green Home Building and Sustainable Architecture - This isn't really LILLILY related, but part of me dreams of building my own "green" home. When I look at web pages like this I realize that the seed was planted back during my first visit to Wichita's "Energy House" in the 1970's. Earth Day is this Friday (or Saturday)... that's related to LILLILY!

Homeschool Free Stuff

Homeschool Free Stuff -- a website / email list for free homeschooling resources. I might want to subscribe to see if they have good stuff.

GP4K - Home School Zone

I found this section of the Guideposts website in a donation solicitation. Guideposts for Kids is a Christian website for kids from the creators of Guideposts magazine. I was pleased to see a section on Home School. There is a column written by a 10 year old, and a FAQ section from a child's perspective. I think it's a good site to read.

Universal Preschool ... NOT

I got this link Universal Preschool.com, via an April 1st email about toddlers staging protests and refusing to go to preschool. Things like this reinforce my desire to be at home with my boys. I know it wouldn't always be easy, but most of our hard times come when DH and I are trying to get the boys to do something they don't want to do. I know that would still happen some, but without having to be out the door to go to daycare and work, I think it would be less frequent.

The goal

Unschooling? What's that?: "Second only to a deep personal relationship to our Lord, I want them to enjoy learning." Oh, this is it! This is it!!!

Dear New Homeschooler essay

Dear New Homeschooler by Mary McCarthy: "Relatives! Unfortunately most of us have them. And most of them thought we were strange long before we announced we'd decided to homeschool the kids." (my emphasis) :-)

Lots of great articles here

Best Homeschooling -- Homeschoolers' Best Advice, with Links to Educational Sites and Free Learning Materials.

A discussion thread on unschooling

MotheringDotCommune Forums - I'm seriously considering unschooling but...

Teach your children to learn to love and to love to learn.

I found a new website today, Home School Enrichment, which is a Christian home school site. So far I like the articles in it very much.

A homeschool day?

Tuesday, DS1 and I stayed home because we thought he might have chicken pox. He didn't, and we had a great day. Sometime in the afternoon, I thought, "If we were homeschooling and documenting, I could write a lot about today."

Science - animal sounds (computer) and animal names (Noah's Ark puzzle)
Science / Health - watched "Potty video" several times
Computer - mouse & keyboard skills
Math - counting 1-26 (giraffe puzzle), counting 1-25 forward & backward (hopscotch)
Language Arts - alphabet (giraffe puzzle and the Noah's Ark puzzle), reading (mommy reading books & DS1 looking at animal names on the back of Noah's Ark puzzle), recognized his name in an email & then typed it himself
P.E. - playing catch, running, marching, hopping (hopscotch)
Art - drawing on the sidewalk

I am looking forward to being home with both boys so much!

Kansas Christian Homeschool list

Receiving the etiquette file posting this morning from the email list (in the title) has prompted me to ask for prayers.

>We would be privileged if you would share your prayer requests with us.

My husband and I need wisdom regarding finances and our house. We both currently work outside the home, and our 2 boys (ages 17 months & 34 months) are in day care. My dream is to quit my job when our house is paid for and homeschool the boys. That should happen the summer after my older one turns 5 -- only slightly more than 2 years from now. It seems backwards, daycare then homeschool, but that's the way it is going for us. Anyway, we live in a small 2 bedroom house. It is SO tempting thinking about a new bigger house, each boy having their own room, or even adding on to our house. But if we do that, it would be a much bigger financial challenge for me to stop working for pay.

Unschoolers Unlimited

Unschoolers Unlimited

The Teaching Parents Association Web Site -- for future reference

Academic Subjects

K.S.A. 72-1101 requires accredited schools in Kansas to provide instruction in “reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, spelling, English grammar and composition, history of the United States and the state of Kansas, civil government and the duties of citizenship, health and hygiene.” Although not required of nonaccredited private schools, this listing nonetheless provides a useful benchmark.

The alphabet

DS1's day care teacher wrote a note recently that she didn't realize he recognized all of his letters. Then she wrote "good job [our (parents) names]." A couple of days later I told her that it wasn't our "good job". We haven't drilled DS1 on his letters. We just talk about them a lot, and we read to him a lot.

He impressed Grandpa and Aunt D Sunday by telling them how is name is spelled, and how his little brother's name is spelled, too. He remembers things very well, and learns quickly!