NaNoWriMo – GO!

Yesterday was the official start of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). We are participating again this year. Well, three of us are, anyway; Zoey opted out this year. However, since my kids were scattered all over town yesterday and things were hectic, we got our formal start this morning.  We went over the five elements of a good short story or novel, and they began developing their stories.  I am so proud!  :-)

It’s not too late to sign up and join the fun. The Young Writer’s Program is perfect for younger students and this is a wonderful homeschool project. Heck, it’s a wonderful project for anyone. I am determined to finish my novel this year. I will post weekly updates on Saturdays with our word count progress. Cole set a goal of 10,000 words, Sydni chose 5,000, and I have to complete 50,000. EEK! Wish us luck.

Starting Home Ed? A Recommended Reading List

I read a LOT of books when I was beginning the journey of home education.  I found myself with a child who would not be going back to school after his first grade year, and two little girls who were preschool (and younger).  EEK!  I had some freakout moments.  And then I read, and read, and read some more.  Some of the books were really helpful and some were not.  Here is a list of the books that (IMO) offer the best advice and ways to devise a plan.  In no particular order…

1. How Children Learn by John Holt.  I could read just about anything by John Holt and find it helpful and informative.  I just happen to think this is the best of his books.

2. Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp.  This is an essential guide.  It can literally help you devise a plan for your child’s education and it offers some sage advice along the way.  However, home learning needs to be tailored to what works for *your* family, so as you read any book, realize that adaptations and changes are part of the process.

3. What Your _________ Grader Needs to Know (Core Knowledge Series).  These books are excellent resources!  If you are concerned about benchmarks and what a typical course of study may be at any grade level, they’re awesome!  They tell you what your child *should* know (according to whatever standard, take it with a grain of salt).  If you feel like you want to “stay on track” then these are the books for you!

4. How to Get Your Child Off the Refrigerator and On to Learning by Carol Barnier.  Hands down, this is one of the most helpful books I have read….ever!  It is loaded with useful tips and actual methods to help you teach a child who may have a hard time sitting still or dealing with a traditional class setting.  It’s bloody brilliant.  Not only that, but she allows you to copy and print some of her best ideas from the back (for personal use only).  Love, love, love!

5. Games for ___________ by Peggy Kaye.  She has several of these books and I actually recommend reading the individual books (Reading, Writing, & Math) over this general learning book which takes snippets from each of those.  You can read about homeschooling all day long, but what you really need are fun and creative ways to approach the idea of learning.  These books offer that.

6. A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola.  Whether you plan to use the CM method or not, this was the book that lit my heart on fire.  There are some stodgy chapters – some religious, some just, well, stodgy.  Those are mostly in the beginning and you can skip them.  The rest of the book is just a beautiful, peaceful treat.  It was this book that made me realize how relaxed and lovely our days could be. It helped me realize that quality in education is not the same as quantity.  It inspired me and it set me off on the right path.  If you take nothing else from this book, take the peace with you into your homeschooling days.  As an added bonus, there are some excellent games (old fashioned fun!) for rainy/icky weather days when kidlets are getting restless.  My family especially enjoys “Cat Tiggy.”

Weight Loss Wednesday

I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t work out last week AT ALL.  I got extremely busy and I was a little tired.  One day led into another and before I knew it, a whole week was GONE.  I did watch my calories, but I am up a pound anyway.  However, I am retaining water (if you know what I mean), so I might actually be down a pound of two that I am unaware of yet.  I’ll keep you posted.

I did hike for over two hours today to kick off a new week and get back into my groove.

The dirty details:

Week 1 Weight: 215.6

Week 2 Weight: 214.2

Week 3 Weight: 212.2

Week 4 Weight: 209.6

Week 5 Weight: 211

Gain of 1.4 since last week, but down 4.6 overall.

I do feel stronger and leaner, so I am interested in seeing if there is a difference in measurements when I reach a month since I took the first ones.  I did have two sodas this week as well.  I caved.  I think it’s PMS just getting to me, coupled with some stressful life stuff. Bleh.

 

That’s all for now folks….more next week.

The Homeschool Mother’s Journal

In my life this week…things were pretty busy!  Lots of activities and time with friends, which is a good thing in moderation.  :-)

In our homeschool this week…We had a field trip to a bird sanctuary for a volunteer team on Monday.  Tuesday was chess club.  Wednesday was tween games at the park. Thursday we had company over.  Today we are going to a friend’s house.  Plus two football practices and a game tomorrow.  WHEW!  Not a lot of formal school was happening, but we still accomplished some maths and learned lots of interesting things!

I am inspired by…my friends and the things they are learning and doing with their own kids.  They are always pushing me to come up with new and interesting ways of doing education.  I am also inspired by some of my friends actively involved in social justice causes right now.  It’s time for me to dip my feet into that pool!

My favorite thing this week was…the trip to the bird sanctuary.  It was fun and the weather was gorgeous!

What’s working/not working for us…I am still really stressed about finances and other personal issues.  I reached a low place this week, but then realized I have been trying to hard to figure it out.  It needs to be in God’s hands.  I am always amazed at how patient he is with my stubbornness.

I’m reading…Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (for a JA book club) and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (for pleasure).

I’m grateful for…my family’s health, our many blessings in spite of certain difficulties, love, and friends.

I’m praying for…lots of loved ones.  So many people are going through things. 

Nature Study – Gray Fox

Last week we met for your first nature study of the new school year!  I know that most people spend the summer months doing nature walks and studies, but I live in the desert.  This means we spend the months of October through May studying nature and we hibernate indoors during the summer months.  LOL!

We met at Springs Preserve (the coolest place in Las Vegas) for a study of the gray fox.  He’s a very interesting little fellow, I tell you.  Did you know he is the only member of the dog family who can climb trees?  What  cutie!

The kids did an amazing job on their sketches, as always.  We got rained on during the last few minutes, but I was able to share the most pertinent facts with them before we had to seek shelter indoors.

Everyone had a chance to take a peek at the gray fox, who was huddled in his den, avoiding the elements.  Cole especially loved him and thinks he looks like our dog, Ben.  He was also happy to have a chance to hang with his best friend, J.  :-)

The awesome thing about Springs Preserve is that they have amazing indoor exhibits.  They change out one room and the newest exhibit was called “The Scoop on Poop” and had many fascinating displays and videos on everything poop!  It was a bonus nature study.  Hee, hee.  The photo ops were pretty funny.

Many thanks to my bestie, Amanda, for the pictures!  I am always too busy to take any.  The date is wrong for anyone wondering….it was 10/5/11!