We just got back from a family reunion in Virgina. Everyone had a great time, inspite of the 100+ degree temperatures. One of the activities that was planned for the reunion was a scavenger hunt that took us to various sites that were important to the town and battle of Manassas. My family, along with…
Category: Homeschooling
Recycle Plastic Cups and Bottles into Attractive Woven Containers
We are always looking for ways to reuse or recycle things that are no longer useful. A while back I got a great series of books called The Family Creative Workshop that was published in the 70s. I was so fortunate find a complete set at a reasonable price. I pour through the books all the time…
Getting Ready for our First “Official” Year of Homeschooling
We have always considered ourselves homeschoolers but this year we face our first real challenge, registering with the state. Since our oldest is now 8 she needs to be registered with our local school district as a homeschooler. Within the next month I will submit our affidavit and our educational goals for the next year….
Opting Out of Standardized Tests
photo by timlewisnm We’ve all been there, sitting quietly in a room filling out bubble after bubble with our #2 pencils, but is that a thing of the past? My oldest will have to take her first round of standardized tests next year so it’s been on my mind lately. As homeschoolers these tests are one…
Peter Pan and Paper Tubes
We’re last minute kind of people so when we were told last week that our daughter needed a costume for her performance the following week we figured we had plenty of time. Fast forward a week (and a cold on my part) and it’s Saturday morning 9am when we realize that we don’t have a…
Trouble in Danceland
Ballet Shoes via megyarsh My children take classes, lots and lots of classes; acting, fencing, ballet, circus school, art museum classes. These are all child determined and came out of them being interested in the topic and wanting to learn more. They do well and for the most part behave appropriately in these classes, my…
How to Make a Ball Jar Sewing Kit
My girls love sewing and have been taking classes that just recently ended. For a while I considered signing them up at a local handwork studio but in a more frugal move, and after talking with my girls, we’ve decided to dedicate one evening a week to sewing. When I get home from work my…
Who’s Judging Who? The Homeschooling/Schooling Divide.
Green for tea ~ Orange for coffee by ?lex As a home educator (homeschooler, unschooler, whatever we are) I often feel awkward around schooling families, not because I have any issues with parents who send their children to school, but because I sometimes get the feeling that they think I am judging them for sending their…
Dinosaur Smash! – A Child Created Game for Learning Math and Measurement
My youngest loves to make up games and also manipulate existing games or pieces to create something new. When we were snowed in last week her and her Papa (who’s a big geek) worked together to create an amazing game which she named “Dinosaur Smash!”. They assigned various attributes and points to each of her various plastic…