May 18, 2013- A Story From My Childhood

It was a beautiful day, perfect for playing outside. I was about 9, and I had a friend over for the day. Both of us had a tendency for the dramatic.

I lived in a perfect place for kid exploration. We had a log cabin that sat back away from the road in the woods. No other house was in view because of the trees. Through the woods, down a path, ran a small creek.

My friend and I headed down the path toward the creek followed by my faithful dog- a loving mutt named Henry. We were prepared for woods exploration carrying water bottles and a first aid kit.

When we reached the creek, we played for a while and then turned to start home. Suddenly I was "lost." As many times as I had walked to the creek and back, I seemed to have a memory lapse and forget how to get home!

My friend and I discussed our options. How would we ever find our way home? We formulated a plan. We would put bandaids on the dog and send him back home- because he obviously knew the way. When my mom saw the dog returning alone and with the bandaids, she would deduce that we were in trouble and would come to help.

Unfortunately the dog had other plans. He kept looking at us wondering why we were sticking all these bandaids on him and why we weren't coming when he started home.

Eventually we had to abandon our efforts to send for help and resort to following the dog home. So much for Lassie.

Review of Luke's Life List and Luke's School List

I don't think it is any secret to anyone who knows me, but I love lists. The more lists for school, the better.  When I saw two books with the word "list" in the title available for review, I jumped at the chance.
  Joyce Herzog has these two books available- Luke's Life List and Luke's School List. Both books come as a printed soft cover book for $30 each.
 
Both books use the concept of an IEP, an Individualized Education Plan. When I was a teacher of special education, we were required to write an IEP for each special ed student each year. The plan looked at what each student's goal for the year were, and it gave tips to individualize each child's educational experience.

Luke's Life List is based off of Luke 2:52 and covers the categories of Early Childhood, Wisdom, Stature, Favor With God, Favor With Man and Adult Life Skills. Each category contains lists of life skills and important life lessons that kids should know. Parents can check off skills that their children have obtained.

Luke's School List takes the same idea and covers the major academic subjects. Each subject contains lists of skills and columns to mark whether the student is working on the subject or has mastered the subject. You as the teacher can mark the lists for the student or older students can mark the skills they've mastered.

I am a lover of lists, and there were many things I liked about Luke's Lists. These lists can be used as tool for lesson planning as well as for a portfolio to indicate student achievement.

1. I love the way the skills are based off of Scripture and include skills that indicate spiritual growth.

2. I love the idea of an IEP. I always thought an IEP was a really good idea. They are only used in special education in public schools, but all kids can benefit from a personalized plan for their education.

3. I like the way that there are various "levels" of achievement to indicate the level at which the skill is being learned or mastered.

I really wish that I had found these lists when I was first beginning to homeschool. If I had I would have purchased a book for each child, and I would have kept the lists as a record of our schooling.

I am too far in schooling to really do this now. I think that it would be difficult to go back far enough to check off all of the skills, and my obsessive, compulsive nature prevents me from starting halfway through.

For myself, I will use these as a reference for what I should be teaching and what I should ensure that each child knows or can do.




You can read what other reviewers thought about the lists and about other materials from Joyce Herzog.

Weekly Wrap Up: No More School ?

We are mostly done with school. I say mostly because there are a few things we are going to continue with through the summer. And as a Schoolhouse Review Crew member, I'll still have some curriculum to use over the summer as we review it.

This week, Kathryne and Ashlyne were the only ones who had schoolwork left. They were still finishing up independent work, but I think by this afternoon they are both finished. We did a few together things throughout the week, but we also chilled quite a bit and had some fun days.

Monday: We had our last science co-op meeting for the school year. We talked about Newton's Laws of Motion and did experiments with all three. Charles and Rachel also went to swim. They are participating in summer swim team.

Tuesday: I went to a used homeschool curriculum sale. This was the first time this group had attempted to host a sale. There were quite a few sellers but, unfortunately, not so many buyers. I sold a few things, but I still had quite a few left.

Wednesday: We went to Discovery Place- our local science museum. We renewed out membership so that we can go this summer. We met friends there and had a really good time.

Thursday: Our morning was pretty calm. We worked on finishing up the book we've been going through for music- The Story of the Orchestra. I also plugged on with science with Ashlyne and Rachel. We've used Apologia's astronomy this year, and even though we aren't through, we are going to keep going into the summer. I love this book!  The little girls and I also worked on a web page design program that I'm reviewing soon. Thursday evening was the End of the Season Bash for the spring sports of our church's sports program. Kathryne received a medal for volleyball.

Friday: Today we didn't have anywhere to be until a volleyball game tonight. Ashlyne and Rachel and I read more of science and we continued on with the web page design course. We all worked together on another art lesson from the See the Light art program that I will be reviewing soon.

Next week will be a busy and fun week. It is Kidshine drama camp again, and this year all four children will be old enough to attend.

For more weekly wrap ups visit Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

May 17, 2013- Favorite Photo of Myself

This photo was taken on Easter Sunday two years ago. I like it because Jason had just cut my hair the day before- after buying a "how to cut hair" DVD at the homeschool convention. I had colored it for the first time and was very pleased with the results.

May 15, 2013- A Day in My Life

(Psst. I know it's May 16th. But, yesterday was awfully busy, and I just happen to have some great pictures for a day in my life.)

Today- Wednesday - is a great day for this topi: A Day in My Life. One of the most fun things about my life as a homeschool mom is field trips. We went on a great one today. We met up with some friends at Discovery Place, a local science museum.

May 16, 2013- Something Difficult About Life and How I'm Dealing

Something difficult about my life and how I'm dealing with it: This is actually a pretty perfect topic for me right now.

I have fibromyalgia. I also suffer from migraines. The migraines I've had since I was young, but the fibro I've really developed over the last three years.

The fibro has gotten progressively worse. I take quite a bit of medication. I see a pain specialist. Nothing has helped much.

I've been looking at the link between gluten and pain for quite a while. My sister has Celiac's disease. I know I don't because I've been tested. But I do know from much reading that there is a link between fibro and migraines and gluten intolerance. So I've toyed with the idea of going gluten free.

I've put it off because honestly I'm a picky person. I don't like a variety of foods. And almost everything I eat has gluten.

But two weekends ago, I ended up in the ER with the worst body pain I've ever felt in my entire life. I need a change. I need something different.

So last Thursday, a week from today, I went gluten free.

I spent several days starving. Even though my sister has been eating this way for years and I knew what to expect, I just couldn't find foods I liked that I could eat. It has gotten easier as the days went on. I now have a number of foods that I actually like and that I can eat. And one of the greatest benefits is that I am eating almost nothing processed. I need a minimum of ingredients to ensure food safety.

The good news is- I can tell a difference. I almost didn't want it to work because I am still often hungry. But I can tell a difference. Yesterday I spent from 11-4 at a local museum; got home by 5; made supper, did laundry, and cleaned the kitchen; then was back out the door for swim. A day like this a few weeks ago would have killed me. I was still in pain yesterday, but it was markedly better that usual.

I'm finding more and more foods and I'm hopeful that I will continue to see even greater results!

Review of One Minute Mysteries from Science Naturally

Who doesn't like solving mysteries? My kids love brain teasers/riddles/mysteries. So I was excited to see One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science from Science Naturally.

This book is a book of simple mysteries/riddles that can be solved using science. It is geared toward ages 8-12 and sells for $9.95.



The book is divided into different sections based on the type of science used- earth science, physical science, etc. The mystery is a short scenario presented on one page- often with a picture. The answer can be found by turning the page.

We used this together as a family. I read the scenarios out loud, and had all four kids- ages 13, 12, 9 and 7 think about the mystery and then give me an answer.

I was impressed that there seemed to be a good mix of difficulty levels in the mysteries. There were some that my younger girls could think of and some that were a challenge even for my older kids.

I also really liked that there were a variety of types of science represented. The younger girls and I have just been finishing an astronomy unit, so there were some mysteries with an earth/space focus that were especially fun for them.

The reading level would have been a little difficult for my younger girls if I had not read them aloud. My older son- 12- didn't have any trouble, but he is on the upper end of the recommended age. My oldest-13- enjoyed the mysteries also, and there were some that she had to think about.

Most of the mysteries made sense once we read the solution. There were a few that seemed to be a stretch when we read the explanation. I would read the answer and think- "Well, yes, technically, but that doesn't really seem practical."

There are other books from Science Naturally that use math and science to solve mysteries. We were impressed enough with this one that I think I'll be looking for the others.





You can read what other reviewers thought by clicking below.