April 09, 2009
Happy Easter...and Welcome Spring!
Welcome...to Sparks for the Flame! No matter how you slice it - April is a "green" month, in my book. Besides sending in our taxes (deep sigh..), it's the first full month of spring, and many of us are out planting our gardens - or if you live in a warmer climate, watching the new shoots grow :-)!
Whether or not you celebrate a Christian Easter, spring comes for us all. And if you need a break, read on for some ideas to take a week "off" from the books, try your hand at some easy activities to use as a Spring Unit Study or just enjoy "spring break"!
This month's contents-at-a-glance...
1. Easter f reebie!
2. Maple Syrup...and more
3. Curriculum Fair "helps"
4. Will You Finish the School Year "On Time"?
5. Want to "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half"?
6. Book Review: Rich Kid, Smart Kid
7. Missed Anything? Getting Back-issues
Easter f*reebie!
With Spring comes Easter of course, and our friends at the Old Schoolhouse are quite generously offering some f*reebies! This link takes you to a page where you can download a 42-page unit study, 70 pages worth of copy work verses (to provide worthwhile handwriting practice) and 8 pages of Easter place cards!! Yup, all fer nothin'! It includes a recipe for Resurrection Cookies (which are amazing for everyone!), and if you've never done the Resurrection eggs...well, just take a look!
Maple Syrup...and more
Don't know about you, but spring fever hits me at least as hard as it hits my kids...but there's still some time left before school is "officially" over...Need something different? Crosswalk has an interesting unit for all ages on Maple Syrup that anticipates the coming of spring, and here are a few sites with oodles of printables, activities and even more links to fun stuff for spring. So celebrate spring, and keep on learnin'Resources from The Teacher's Guide
Resources from KidZone, geared to grades K-4
Also for the little ones from The Virtual Vine
Curriculum Fair "helps"
Something about spring always gets me to want to start planning ahead for next year...So if you're planning on attending a curriculum fair this spring or summer (you are planning to, right?) Cindy Short and Sue Welch have made some great suggestions - complete with check-lists! - to make the most out of your attendance.
Will We Finish the School Year On Time?
Many homeschoolers live a lifestyle of learning all through the year and never consider what month it is. They are free to work at their own pace and not be bound by the calendar year. But other homeschool moms may have very good reasons to be concerned about finishing their school work by June. Some families have children at home and children in school. They may want all their children to begin and end their summer vacations at the same time.
The constant knocking at the door from the neighborhood child can be frustrating to both you and your son who is supposed to be doing his math. It may be easier to just take a break when Johnny next door is taking his break.
Too much driving around in the car. This is huge time waster in Atlanta. The days are broken up by going out, and then there is the extra time spent preparing and dressing children and then settling them down when you come home. Do most of your errands at night and on weekends. Schedule children’s lessons only during convenient days and times. If you can’t get piano lessons at a time you want, then find another teacher. A mom has to stay home a lot to have enough time to homeschool.
Television, telephones. Turn these off or tape the shows you like so that you can watch them at times that are convenient to you.
Interruptions from others. Be firm and consistent with your friends and relatives. Establish time for them, but your students are the first priority, not your friends.
Eliminate unnecessary school work. Textbooks can have a lot of extra work that is boring and unnecessary. Remember: you own the book - so make it work for you. You don’t have to work for the book. Look at each of your children’s books. Cut out or cross out unnecessary pages. Get over your desire to finish the book. Teach the chapters and do questions orally to eliminate a lot of student paperwork.
Children are not progressing. You may have to change their curriculum or get extra help. If your books aren’t working, switch them. If you have a child with serious learning difficulties, you may need some help from a tutor.
You won’t ever have enough time to teach everything. When you plan the year, be realistic. There is so much to teach and so little time. You will not be able to cover all the information in the world. That’s O.K. The Holy Spirit is a much better teacher and He teaches full time and doesn’t takes a summer break. You are His assistant. Be content with God’s plan of time limits and constraints. Man makes his plans but God directs his paths. If you are frustrated with how the year has gone, you can rest in the knowledge and hope that if you are obedient to the Lord, all things will work together for you in the long run.
Randi St. Denis is an educator, popular homeschool speaker, and a seasoned homeschooling mom. Randi works as a consultant to public, private, and homeschool families; providing teaching expertise and assistance for all types of children. You can visit her website at ChicagoHomeschoolExpo.com.
Source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/will-we-finish-the-school-year-on-time/
Want to "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half"?
This isn't exactly homeschooling - unless you're also teaching your kids about saving money while running the home, or home economics, but The HillBilly Housewife has another F*REEBIE! report that you can download here called "How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half". It's pretty basic but helpful; what I found to be a neat little perk is that she also has a link to menus she has created using the food packages you get through AngelFood Ministries
Pat's Book-of-the-Month...
Book Review: Rich Kid, Smart Kid
by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon LechterIt being "tax time" again, I guess I have money on my mind! I thought I'd offer a review on a helpful book to use towards your - and your children's - financial education. Mr. Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, wrote this book for "parents who value education, want to give their child a financial and academic head start in life, and are willing to take an active role to make it happen." Does that sound like you? What I appreciated most in this book is how he focuses on understanding how your child thinks and learns best, so you can help them achieve their full potential in life.
I have to admit that I didn't get much of an education in finances while growing up, even though my dad was an accountant; but he did give me some sound basics. As our kids have grown up (we have 2 in college) we're beginning to see the importance of tackling this area straight on! You might not agree with some of the ideas he presents, but they are guaranteed to make you start thinking, and if you read this with your spouse, you might start some very interesting discussions! It's a pretty easy read, and I actually started out by just skimming around, before it really grabbed my attention. I'd recommend highlighting and jotting notes liberally... Read more from Amazon about Rich Dad's Rich Kid, Smart Kid: Giving Your Children a Financial Headstart
here.
Missed Anything?
If you're interested in looking through our back issues, you can check them out here. Take a look - there's lots of goodies in there!
Well, that's all I have for this edition! Hope you enjoyed our time together, and that you'll find these resources inspiring and helpful to your educational efforts. Have a great month...TTFN!
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