September 09, 2009
Mondays may be a little different...
now that school might be under way again!
So how's it going at your house? Finally getting things going in the school-realm? I love getting ready for the coming year...'till we really get going and those glitches start popping up! Does that happen to you? I always seem to find them in the area of time management and organization. And could ya' use some free gifts?? Read on!
This month's contents at a glance...
2. News from the Old Schoolhouse
5. Learning and Earning at Home: "short and tweet"!
Getting it together
HSLDA is probably the most well-known and certainly well-trusted homeschool advocacy group around. Besides supplying free legal advice to their members, they have a rich treasury of homeschool-related materials that they make available to all. This month, I checked with them for some advice on how to get organized...and stay that way. Don't be fooled by the title of their section "The Early Years". It contains a slew of recommended resources in the form of articles, books and websites to give you a hand in the areas of time management - whether it's school or home-related, and for whatever age you're teaching...
If you're into podcasts, listen to these short segments from their radio program "Homeschool Heartbeat". Click here to listen
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Here's a collection of articles from Heart of the Matter online, regarding planning for the new school year. Just scroll down the list to see the titles...
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And if you've ever heard of Molly Green (www.econobusters.com), her August e-book is subtitled "Organization for Busy Families". If that sounds like you, take a look at the sample of the ebook to see if there's anything inside that could help you out.
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On this same subject...HomeWork: Juggling Home, Work, and School Without Losing Your Balance contains organizational strategies shared by other busy homeschooling families. The beginning of the new school year is a great time to put some new practices into place. Do them enough and they become habits...pretty soon you'll be reaching that goal of "getting organized" that you've been aiming for all this time! Bring the book home and be ready to get your act together! It can happen !
News from The Old Schoolhouse
Want some free gifts?
The Old Schoolhouse magazine is continuing to offer 19 free gifts to the first 5,000 subscribers (during this promotion) and $5 off the price of a 2-year subscription. Check out all the gifts here.
To get the discount, use this code at checkout: PFSGL5OFF.
Some of the 19 gifts include:
# $20 gift card for DVDs offered by Franklin Springs Family Media
# A Cooking with Children CD from SueGreggCookbooks
# An online filmmaking course given by Advent Film Group
(approximately $49 value)
# Gourmet Crepe Mix and Raspberry Cheesecake Blend from Wildtree-YUMMY!!
# A 10 x 13 portrait photo free from Sears to YOU (with no sitting fee!)
# and more...
I get their online newsletter and am impressed with the information and products they have provided over the years. If you're not familiar with them, at least take a look at their site and see what they have to offer.
(But if you sign up for your subscription there, don't forget to use the code PFSGL5OFF to get your discount price!!)
Here's a recent newsletter, where they talk about homeschooling preschoolers...
Hurry to get your gifts, tho, cause "once they're gone...they're gone!"
Homeschool Humor
If you ever need a dose of plain ol' encouragement - or just need a laugh - we're glad to be able to offer you some "relevant" humor! Here each month we'll be highlighting cartoons from Todd Wilson of FamilyMan Ministries. We heard him at a recent convention and both my husband and I left much more light-hearted! "A merry heart is like medicine to the bones" you know!
Keep "Sparks" free!
I've been busy ordering books and materials for the upcoming year, and I thought you might be, too. If so, please take a look at what our friends at Amazon are offering. Purchases you make through this link help keep this newsletter coming to your in-box each month!
So...just click on any of the books pictured to get started. That's all it takes! Then search (and buy!) to your heart's content: books, games, science kits...whatever it takes to lighten your load, grow creativity and make learning natural and on-going in your home! My sincerest thanks for your purchases ~ and best wishes in the coming school year!
Learning and Earning at Home
As if the start of the school year isn't busy enough...I finally put the finishing touches on a project that was on my desk all summer! Seems like everywhere you look they're talking tweets! Did you know that twitter is the fastest-growing social-media site right now? People are using it for contests, to save money and to build home businesses. So why not use it for school? My new report: "tweet your homeschool" is now available as a free down load for newsletter subscribers only. Grab your copy here! Whether you're "just curious", a twitter-newbie or a seasoned veteran of this social networking phenomenon, read it and learn not only "how" but "who" to follow (and why!) in the homeschool world! I think you'll find this report useful to understand what all the "fuss" is about.
*Breaking News - I just found out that on Tuesdays, Kelly McCausey - of WAHM Moms Talk Radio - sponsors "Totally Free Tuesday". This is a full day series (you don't have to stay tied down to it, however, you can come back and forth to listen...) devoted to providing new or aspiring WAHMs with quality information. She is an excellent resource, a knowledgable and sweet lady, to boot, and has been in business for quite a long time. If you feel like you're struggling or just need some guidance, it's worth taking a look! Learn more about Totally Free Tuesday here.
Find me here!
Stay connected, read updates and "breaking news" and find out what's happening in "homeschool land":
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/patfenner
and find me on Facebook
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.
In the meantime, enjoy learning...and check back next month for more tips, tools - and humor - to keep you going!
Pat
Comments? Ideas? Feedback? Something you'd like to see? I'd love to hear from you. Just contact me and tell me what you think!
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