A Blessed Large Family

TISSUE PAPER CRAFTS !

2012-01-17T19:31:00.001-05:00

TISSUE PAPER CRAFTS

In the last few weeks, I’ve been using some spare time tore-organize my first floor closets. Foras much work as it has been, it has also been fun because I’ve uncovered somereally fun craft items. Namely, a hugebag of tissue paper scraps. I’m gladthat I kept them because I wanted to use them for a winter’s day when I knew we’dbe indoors and the time would be ideal for having fun making tissue paper crafts. That day will soon arrive so I’ve beenlooking around online for how to turn that colorful bag of tissue papers intocreative art work. Here’s some linksthat I’ve found online that certainly inspire just that ! I’ll post pictures of our projects later whenI edit this page with an update.

http://www.freekidscrafts.com/tissue_paper_crafts-t105.html

http://www.abchomepreschool.com/Crafts/TissuePaperCrafts.htm

A few favorites for my younger children that piqued myinterest with the holidays coming up for Valentine’s and St. Patrick Day, arethese holiday themed projects.

Stained Glass Heart Craft
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mstainedglass2.htm

Shamrock in 3-D
http://www.theideabox.com/Shamrock_Tissue_Paper_Art.html

Suncatchers with Tissue Paper
These are just adorable and good for multiple ages.
http://www.favecrafts.com/Crafting-with-Kids/colorful-tissue-paper-suncatchers#

RAINBOW MAGIC !

2012-01-12T17:10:00.002-05:00

This morning when we woke up and were dragging ourselves through breakfast and complaining that it was still like night outdoors, we lamented the ongoing gray, wet weather. The brook in the backyard is roaring as the waterfall spurts forth white water with force. It's beautiful. The mud forming in the yard wasn't so beautiful. So onward with the day. We studied the state of New York, including its geography, famous people and famous places. The kids played games related to facts about the state.

We played the board game, Game of the States for a while. Interesting note was the 10 year old's observation that the game cards cited population numbers from 1980 from each state. I thought to myself, "I bought this game THAT long ago ? It was new." Time flies. We read some stories, including a book about Martin Luther King, Jr. That prompted some good discussions between the children and I that we all enjoyed. One of those "homeschool moments" when you smile to yourself and are extra glad you are homeschooling.

During the afternoon, we ran some errands around town. At the bank, they had a question posted for patrons. They do it for fun; a history question that was about Martin Luther King, Jr. If you get the correct answer, you get a Smarties candy. My 10 year old knew the answer (Rosa Parks on the bus) and we giggled because we'd just read about that a few hours earlier. Another homeschool moment to savor !

When we got home, and the little kids wanted to put a big floor puzzle of the U.S.A. together. As they were working on that we noticed that the sun was coming out in the back yard. Yet, in the front yard it was still pouring buckets of rain! Aha ! The perfect recipe for a rainbow. And that, we did see. A DOUBLE rainbow. Very timely to match the wonderful day we had, despite its gray and dreary beginning !

Here's a website with some fun facts about rainbows, just for kids. http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-optical-illusions.htm

MARTIN LUTHER KING - HOMESCHOOLING

2012-01-09T11:48:00.001-05:00

I was just sitting down with my 10 year old, Sophia, reading the Haiku poem she just wrote. She finished reading a story in her reading book about Basho - worth checking in to - which you can easily do right at Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bash%C5%8D

Then, my other daughter, Suzannah (just turned 14) dovetailed the haiku with origami Window Stars and decorated our kitchen sliding door with them. She thought it was fitting for winter. Okay, so here's a picture of that for you to enjoy ! Actually, I have a blog post solely dedicated to Window Stars if you'd like to look it up. Another homeschool mom showed us how to make them many, many years ago. I bought a book that was available at that time; it's quite small but it's full of color plate photos and was a bit costly at that time. Last I looked, it's out of print.

What does that have to do with Martin Luther King Day ? Well, as homeschooling will sometimes flow like the water over rocks in a stream, and go off in a different direction, that's what happened. When she read her poem aloud, we were looking at Japan on the globe. Then, we looked at Malaysia, where I have people who use my soap (who knew?), and that then led to us taking out her notebook filled with lapbooks on Geography of the U.S.A. In one of the lapbooks, we found the upcoming national holiday, Martin Luther King Day.

And so it is in the life of a homeschooler; we're now studying, once again, to learn more about MLK's life. If you care to join in, here is one (of many, I'm sure) good websites, particularly for children.
http://holidays.kaboose.com/martin-luther-king-jr-day.html

Last, but not least, here are a few more photos that I took so you could better see the window stars. Enjoy!

Until the next time ... .

HOT COCOA - HOMEMADE

2012-01-02T11:16:00.002-05:00

I wasn't expecting to come across this recipe this beautiful, sunny morning. Since I did, I thought I would share it with you all. It's certainly that time of year when coming in from outdoors, or packing a thermos full, to take along when you are outdoors, when we all enjoy hot cocoa. What's better than making it from scratch ? Mmm.

Gather your chillun's and share this delightful treat ! Real CHOCOLATE ! A gift from the Gods !

HOT COCOA – homemade

1/3 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup of steaming-hot water

3-1/4 cups of low-fat milk

¾ tsp vanilla extract

marshmallows or whipped cream (optional)

grated dash of cinnamon (optional)

peppermint stick piece (optional)

1. In mediumpan, combine sugar, cocoa, salt, water.

2. Stir untilready to boil, med. Heat.

3. Add milk,stir. Don’t boil. When done, remove from heat and add vanilla.

4. Pour hotcocoa into cups and add optional topping.

2011-11-30T11:30:00.001-05:00

Announcing ...
the birth of our grandchild. Meet Julian Miles Connors-Carter, born 11/28/11 and weighed in at 7 pounds, 10.8 ounces. Mom (my oldest daughter) and dad are doing fine. Big Sister, 2 year old Adriana Nichole, is very please with baby brother's arrival. She now knows he's really not a rubber ducky.

All the grandmas and grandpas are very excited. This is our third grandchild; Adriana age 2, Caleb age 2, and now newborn Julian ! Counting our blessings, indeed !

U.S. HISTORY TIMELINE

2011-10-24T23:33:00.003-04:00

This is a short post, but still has good information for you. One of the things we're studying this year is the American Revolution. Here is a link with excellent timeline information and printables to create your own custom designed timeline ! http://ushistorysite.com/timelines.php

We also bought a membership at the Lebanon Historical Society, since they are experts in knowledge about the revolution's history. Foot soldiers were right on the Lebanon Green fighting for our freedom so that today we can enjoy a leisurely walk around the green on the 2 mile path. It's rich with history, with the Jonathan Trumbull Houses, the War Office, etc. Definitely worth the trip !

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

2011-10-23T23:34:00.002-04:00

HOW TO DEVELOP A HOMESCHOOL UNIT STUDY
Link HERE.

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE A HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM
Link HERE.

Link HERE.

K-12 SCOPE & SEQUENCE
Link HERE.

UNSCHOOLING: WHAT IS IT ?
Link HERE.

GIFTED CHILDREN & EDUCATION
Link HERE.

CT ASSOCIATION FOR THE GIFTED
Link HERE.

ALL THINGS PRE-HOMESCHOOL

2011-10-23T23:32:00.000-04:00

EVERYTHING PRESCHOOL

If it's fun for a preschooler, it's probably listed at this site !

Link HERE.

HOMESCHOOL PRESCHOOL CURRICULUMS

This site does sell curriculum, but also offers free preschool resources likes worksheets, too.

Link HERE.

KIDS SOUP

Preschool activities and craft ideas with a theme.

Link HERE.

LEARNING TREASURES
A one-stop preschool resource site, complete with lots of free, printable materials.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Easy preschool activities for busy moms and teachers.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL CRAFTS Here is a list of fun crafts that you and your children can do together.

Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATION
Loads of free themed topics to use.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Providing links to lesson plans, worksheets, tips, activities and more for your preschool child!
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL EXPRESS
Monthly themed activities with great ideas.

Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL LEARNING ONLINE
Lots of different topics for use in your preschool homeschool; songs, toys, stories, many ideas.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL PAPER CRAFTS Paper dolls, yarn bugs, bead patterns, scout crafts, much, much more.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL RAINBOW
Preschool education activities and early childhood education lesson plans that give preschool children choices.
Link HERE.

SESAME STREET ONLINE
It speaks for itself; Sesame Street online !
Link HERE.

FREE PRINTABLES FOR WORKBOXES
Link HERE.

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE *click here*.

TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ IN 100 EASY LESSONS
This book has been a favorite for some homeschoolers. "Early readers hold an educational advantage---and the respected DISTAR reading program gives your children that head start. By investing 20 minutes a day, you'll have your preschoolers and non-reading elementary school children reading at a second grade level in 100 days. Covers sound identification, decoding of words and sentences, irregulars, and more. Clear instructions included. 395 pages, softcover."
Link HERE.

TEACH A CHILD TO READ: It's the ears
Learning How to Read Begins in Children's Ears
Most people think children learn how to read through their eyes. But reading is actually learned through the ears. Parents lay a foundation for success in reading by talking to a child, reading books to her, and playing auditory games such as rhyming. The more books you read, the bigger her vocabulary becomes. A bigger vocabulary allows her to recognize lots of words while she reads. If you've read books to her about cheetahs and warthogs, it's more likely she can read those words when her teacher gives a homework assignment about the Serengeti Plains.

Learning to Read, Reading to Learn
What is the normal sequence for children learning how to read?

* From birth to age three, children listen to lots of words spoken and learn how to talk.
* Children, aged three to four years old have growing vocabularies, and they learn how to rhyme.
* In first grade children are taught how to blend letter sounds together to "sound out" words and memorize sight words. They begin reading simple sentences.
* Second and third graders learn how to read "chapter" books and read fluently with comprehension.

Every once in awhile a parent says to me, "My son can't read because he's lazy." I don't agree with that. A child who can't read is missing important auditory tools:

* He can't rhyme
* She doesn't know the short vowel sounds-caused by her inability to hear differences in short vowel sounds. (Short vowels: a-apple, e-elephant, i-igloo, o-octopus, u-umbrella)
* He can't put word parts together to make words-a skill used in sounding out new words.
* She has slow recall of letter sounds. She sees letter w and can't remember what it says.

These traits are common to most children who struggle in reading. These are not traits of "laziness" but of auditory and memory deficits. Do the following games and activities to fill in your child's auditory gaps which in turn will improve his reading skills.
Link HERE.

PHONICS VERSUS WHOLE LANGUAGE
Link HERE.

TEACHING YOUR CHILD THE ALPHABET (lots of free printables here; crafts, games, etc)
Alphabuddies Alphabet Section
The alphabuddies are a group of crafts designed to help teach children their ABC's. Some of the crafts in these sections are only in the Alphabet Buddies (like Angie A and the Awesome Apple) and some are repeats of crafts in other sections (for example, the Cat from the animals section is also listed in the Letter C section as I thought it was a useful Letter C teaching craft)
Link HERE.

ALL THINGS AUTUMN

2011-10-23T22:44:00.002-04:00

SCIENCE FUN: AUTUMN

Have a child asking why leaves change color? Why the days seem shorter? Etc.? These links should help make answering fun and simple.

Why do leaves change color in the autumn?

The Scientific Basis for Autumn

The Autumn Equinox

Autumn is when the South Pole comes to life

The Chemistry of Fall Colors

Autumn Leaf Scrapbook

On Fall's Trail

In every autumn, some leaves must fall

Photosynthesis

To connect to the links for these projects, click HERE.

SEASONAL: AUTUMN ACTIVITIES
Link HERE.

BINGO DAUBER AUTUMN ART (printable pages)
Link HERE.

2011-10-23T22:43:00.001-04:00

HOW TO CREATE AN AUTUMN UNIT STUDY FOR HOMESCHOOLERS

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

* Notebooks

* Art supplies

* Calendar

* Three-ring binder

Step 1

Explore possibilities in science, math, literature, history, and any other topics that you feel are educationally important and related to your theme of autumn. You can easily find connections in the aforementioned subjects, as well as art, music and other learning areas.

Step 2

Get your autumn unit started with topical history. Autumn has always been an important time in our nation's history. Research and gather information on the early settlers and their efforts toward a fall harvest. A literature connection that can help further the student's understanding would be to read Robert Frost's wonderful poem, "After Apple Picking." From this reading, students can write their own poems or create a painting or sketch that symbolizes the poem. Keep the theme at the center and allow the subjects to flow around it!

Step 3

Create theme-appropriate math problems. As an example to get you started: "If you save $4 per week beginning the first day of Autumn, how much will you have by the first day of Winter?" These are just examples, and you can find many online worksheet makers to assist you. Be sure you have your answer sheets to go along with your worksheets so that grading will go faster. Another way to improve on math skills and stay with the topic is in cooking. Baking a pumpkin pie is a great way to learn the skills of following directions as well as using math in a practical way. Let your student do the measurements and talk about how those measurements would change if you made two or three pies.

Step 4

Read about and research the changing of leaves to connect science with your autumn theme. Why do they gradually change into the warm reds, oranges and yellows before dying? Do a leaf collection and assist your student with ironing them between sheets of waxed paper. Use a three-hole punch to preserve them in a binder. Another interesting science connection is animal hibernation. Perhaps a field trip to the zoo would be in order.

Step 5

Select classic works of literature that easily connect with autumn. Poets and authors have historically loved putting their visions of fall onto paper. Keats' "Ode to Autumn" is a lovely, classic poem that will work beautifully into your unit. For younger children, consider picture books, such as "Autumn is for Apples" or "Clifford's First Autumn." The literature section of your unit is always a wonderful opportunity to introduce art. Words and painting are both done on a canvas of different kinds.

Step 6

Learn how to can fruits and you will cover science, math, and vocational studies through one project. Consider including music with Vivaldi's Four Seasons "Autumn." Include field trips to a pumpkin farm or an apple orchard. The beauty of unit studies is that you are only limited by your imagination!

http://www.ehow.com/how_4488905_create-autumn-unit-study-homeschoolers.html

CURSIVE & PRINT WRITING

2011-10-23T22:42:00.001-04:00

HANDWRITING (printing)

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/manuscript.htm

http://www.writingwizard.longcountdown.com/handwriting_practice_worksheet_ma ker.html

http://www.first-school.ws/theme/printables/writing-paper/handwriting.htm

http://www.softschools.com/handwriting/alphabets/

CURSIVE WRITING

http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/cursive/animation/lowercase.htm

http://abcteach.com/directory/basics/handwriting/dn_style_font/cursive/

http://donnayoung.org/penmanship/cursive-handwriting.htm

http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/learning/writing/writing-cursive-coloring-pages/

GEOGRAPHY RESOURCES

2011-10-23T22:39:00.002-04:00

GEOGRAPHY

WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Link HERE.

ALL THINGS WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Link HERE.

THE CONTINENTS AND TRAVEL CONNECTIONS
Link HERE.

COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD – YEARLY ARCHIVED FACTS
Link HERE.

GEOGRAPHY GAMES TO PLAY ONLINE (plus much more)
Link HERE.

GEOGRAPHY AT ENCHANTED LEARNING
Link HERE.

WORLD ANIMALS
Link HERE.

TRAVEL INSIDE THE OCEAN
Link HERE.

WORLD GEOGRAPHY LESSONS WITH MR. DONN
Link HERE.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ONLINE
Link HERE.

GEOGRAPHY TEACHER RESOURCES – PRINTABLES (k-12)
Link HERE.

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE *click here*.

LEARNING STYLES

2011-10-23T22:38:00.002-04:00

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING STYLE
The key to effectively teaching your child is understanding the way he or she receives and processes
information. Here are the steps to identifying and teaching to your child's learning style.
Link HERE.

QUIZ: WHAT IS MY CHILD'S LEARNING STYLE 'TYPE'?
This site has a free, quick, online quiz to take which assesses learning style; interesting insight.
Link HERE.

HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE THROUGH THE SEASONS: AUTUMN

2011-10-23T22:32:00.003-04:00

Teaching homeschool science is as easy as looking right outside your back door. Using the world around you as your inspiration, you are sure to find plenty of great lessons to explore with your child. Tune yourself in to the natural world around you; each season offers new and exciting things to learn. Here are some ideas for studying science in autumn.

* The Autumnal Equinox in September offers the perfect chance to learn about the Earth's changing position in relation to the sun. Find a globe and use a flashlight to show how the sun's position changes through the year. Better yet, let your child make a model of the Earth and the sun.

* The Harvest Moon (the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox) and the Hunter's Moon (the full moon after the Autumnal Equinox) present a wonderful opportunity to study the phases of the moon. Read books together about the moon, and make a Moon Journal. Each night, let your child sketch the moon, following its changes throughout the month.

* As the leaves begin to change colors and fall to the ground, it's a great time to discover the wonders of deciduous trees with your child. Go to your library and find some books about deciduous trees. Teach your child why and how that brilliant foliage happens. Find a field guide for identifying types of trees and take it with you as you go on nature walks with your child. Gather different kinds of fallen leaves and press them for a leaf scrapbook.

* While you're out walking and looking at trees, you're bound to see some squirrels scurrying about, hiding acorns for winter. Look up into the sky, and see birds flying south. This opens the door to learning about how different animals spend autumn preparing for winter. You can learn about migration, hibernation, and about how some animals grow thicker fur or layers of fat to prepare for the long winter.

* When the frost is on the pumpkin, it's a great opportunity to learn about states of matter. Explain to your child how summer's dew becomes autumn's frost. Scrape some frost off and bring it inside to watch it turn to water. Further explore this concept with books from your local library, and by doing other experiments such as boiling water to make water vapor and setting containers of water outside to freeze.

Using the changing of the seasons and your child's natural curiosity as your guide, you will find that teaching science to your homeschooler can be a fun adventure for both of you.
http://www.life123.com/parenting/education/homeschooling/homeschool-science-through-the-seasons-autumn.shtml

ASSORTED EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES

2011-08-24T21:58:00.000-04:00

We have used Timez Attack - good practice for learning multiplication tables.
http://www.bigbrainz.com/

Here are some links I found that look good:

A Message for Parents
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/times-tables/times-tables-parents.html

Simple Chart
http://www.mathsisfun.com/tables.html

Multiplication Tricks
http://math.about.com/od/multiplication/a/Multiplication-Tricks.htm

A Plan to Teach the Times Tables
http://multiplication.com/teach.htm
http://www.kidsnumbers.com/

Video Teaching
http://www.mathplayground.com/howto_learnmultfacts.html
Magic Math Videos for each number 1 - 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6oJ5rw9mys

Games
http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/times-tables-games.html
http://multiplication.com/interactive_games.htm

Factsheets and Quizzes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/multiplication/timestables/
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/multiplication-fc.htm

I think I will put these links on index cards and have the girls use one daily for Sept.
I really think the key is practice, practice, practice.

I also think card games (Crib and more) are great practice AND I have a set of dice
with a bunch of real coins that the girls like to play. Roll 2 dice in turns. Times them together
and whoever is quickest (mom and kid) gets coins for that number. Every turn, trade in small
coins for bigger coins. (Once in a while, they get to keep the coins IF they beat me.)

Card Games
http://multiplication.com/classroom_games.htm

The Game that is worth a 1000 Worksheets
http://letsplaymath.net/2006/12/29/the-game-that-is-worth-1000-worksheets/

I FOUND A FEW GREAT CATALOGS

2011-07-02T21:22:00.000-04:00

...when I was cleaning out my magazine basket the other day. I thought these would be great to share with you all. So, here they are, without much fanfare, some excellent resources !

Tobin’s Lab
hands-on science materials for all ages at great prices in one place.
http://www.tobinslab.com/

Biology Products
Bio Corporation has all the highest quality preserved specimens, live specimens, dissection equipment, safety equipment, educational movies, educational software CDs, anatomical charts and 3D models that you need at the lowest prices!
http://biologyproducts.com/

Timberdoodle
Meeting the needs of home educators since 1985 across the curriculum
http://www.timberdoodle.com/

Family Pastimes
A delightful family catalog ! Why? Because all of the games in this Canadian based company’s catalog encourage cooperative play. Their motto is, “Play Together Not Against Each Other”. I’ve purchased games from here for years and they are still going strong as they’re passed down the chain.
http://familypastimes.com/

Rainbow Resource Center
Last but not least is Rainbow Resource Center, Inc.’s catalog. It’s great. It’s bigger than most huge dictionaries and thoroughly intimidating. Be that as it may, it’s a must have ! Of course, there’s always the website, which I would say breaks the products down for you by category with just a mouse click. It’s not as overwhelming as the humongous catalog. It’s still my favorite. If it’s not in here, it just might not exist ! This is the sort of resource that you share with cynical friends and relatives who as you how it is that you think you can homeschool. Give them the catalog and tell them you’re not so sure, yourself, anymore; because you can’t figure out where to start with this catalog. Oh, the choices ! Let them browse. Suggest that perhaps they can help you ! --wink--
http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php

SUMMER FUN IS HERE !

2011-06-28T23:21:00.000-04:00

Tonight, two of my girls and I were playing a game I'm sure you've heard of - or you have at your home, too; Boggle. Now that our homeschooling is done for the year, and we switch gears for summertime fun with all of our friends and family, it reminds me of a favorite past time. We so enjoy playing card and board games.

The kids have even planned some old fashioned Game Nights with a group of their friends. No hi-tech nuttin'. Just pizza, all sorts of indoor/outdoor games, a bonfire and good fun.

Our home is one of those places where Other Kids end up hanging out, so it's helpful for us to keep a stash of game ideas for outdoor play, too. Here are some fun ideas that you may already have as favorites: http://health.kaboose.com/active-kids/games.html
http://familyfun.go.com/summer/summer-games/

Don't forget some other old stand-bys such as Red Light, Green Light, Hopscotch, as well as making outdoor fairy houses or building a fort with clothespins, old sheets and lightweight blankets. It's a great place to have some cold drinks and snacks, if not a picnic lunch.

We also take advantage of the wide variety of summer library programs in area towns. A number of indoor movie theaters offer FREE summertime movies. http://www.ravemotionpictures.com/freefamilyfilmfestival.aspx

We also take advantage of free bowling games, too ! http://www.kidsbowlfree.com

It may seem too good to be true to have free movies and bowling, but it is true. We've been attending these events with friends for years now. We spend time with them at area parks and have a picnic, too, which is also free.

And on that note, I'm off. The girls and I going to play a favorite game, Boggle ! If you look on the walls, you'll see that they're waiting for me to get off the computer ~ in our homeschool room ! Enjoy your summer, folks !

ARTIST ONLINE

2011-06-11T08:41:00.000-04:00

Here's another awesome website blog find ! This woman is an artist and she has brief posts with what I will call lessons. Will certainly be using her blog as a reference for my kids. Check it out and you'll see what I mean...excellent work ! http://www.thatartistwoman.org/

UNIQUE FREE SPELLING CURRICULUM

2011-06-11T08:12:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while, I come across an exceptional resource such as this one. Many websites offer excellent resources, but this is a notch above - and - for free !

Teachers and Homeschool Parents Can Take Advantage of Unique Free Spelling
Curriculum at K12Reader.com

FRANKLIN, Tenn., June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- K12Reader.com
<http://www.k12reader.com/> , an online resource for reading instruction,
has launched a free K-5 spelling curriculum that incorporates sight words,
academic vocabulary and grade-level appropriate word patterns.

The K12Reader.com <http://www.k12reader.com/> free spelling words
curriculum incorporates all 1,000 Fry sight words and grade-school academic
vocabulary based on science, social studies, mathematics and language arts
standards. The new curriculum also incorporates grade-level appropriate
patterns for words, focusing on word families, prefixes and suffixes, and
word origins.

The spelling curriculum was created by Glenda Rhea, a veteran elementary
school teacher who also holds a master's degree in education with an
emphasis on curriculum and instruction.

"The program is especially useful because it includes dictation sentences to
remind students that spelling words do not occur in isolation," said Rhea.
"The curriculum allows the teacher/parent a weekly opportunity to assess the
student's skills in applying language rules, such as capitalization and
punctuation. The sentences also reinforce the correct meaning and usage of
the words."

The K12Reader.com <http://www.k12reader.com/> brand was created to support
K-12 teachers and parents in their efforts to teach reading, said Jerry
Charles, publisher of K12Reader.com <http://www.k12reader.com/> .

"With the new, free spelling word curriculum, we are providing a way to
reinforce an important component of literacy development," Charles said.

Each grade includes 36 weeks of spelling word lists including printable
practice worksheets, a master word list, and weekly dictation sentences.
First-grade spelling words
<http://www.k12reader.com/first-grade-spelling-words/> through fifth-grade
spelling words <http://www.k12reader.com/fifth-grade-spelling-words/> are
all available on K12Reader.com <http://www.k12reader.com/> and free to use
in classrooms or at home.

K12Reader.com also provides sight words teaching tips and worksheets on
Dolch sight words <http://www.k12reader.com/dolch-word-list/> along with
other resources.

About K12Reader.com

K12Reader was launched in 2008 as a free reading resource site for teachers
and parents. The site has grown to serve more than 30,000 monthly visitors
with reading instruction articles and hundreds of free, printable worksheets
on a variety of areas including nouns, verbs, punctuation, spelling, sight
words and more. The K12Reader.com <http://www.k12reader.com/> editors
regularly add free resources with plans to add a free reading comprehension
curriculum in August.

Contact:

Jennifer Wezensky
JW Public Relations
269.274.4071

WHAT ARE FACT TRIANGLES ?

2011-05-23T01:04:00.000-04:00

My boys have been using these fact triangles, although the other kids will also use them from time to time. If you haven't seen the before, check this out. They are printable math facts, and they are printed on a triangular shaped paper. It's supposed to be a fast and fun way to recite and learn math facts. If you print out duplicate copies, you can play a memory game with them, too. Whoever gets the match and cites a math fact, gets to keep the cards. If not, someone else gets a turn at it. You an also use "markers" like beans or macaroni for younger children who are learning to do the problems on the fact triangles. Just get creative with them, but do check them out ! You'll be glad you did. Also, I'm going to include a few math website links below the ones for the triangles, because they have related topics ~ interactive online math games for skip counting and the multiplication tables.

As always, have fun and enjoy !

Fact Triangles

http://www.freeholdtwp.k12.nj.us/gassner/factpower/facttriangles.htm

Facts Practice Using Addition/Subtraction Fact Triangles
http://www.laschools.net/1465206415303597/lib/1465206415303597/Addition_Subtraction_Fact_Triangles.pdf

Facts Practice Using Multiplication/Division Fact Triangles
http://www.barnegatschools.com/1430101124145458267/lib/1430101124145458267/Mult_DivFactTriangles.pdf

More Fact Triangles
http://www.helpingwithmath.com/resources/oth_fact_triangles.htm

Interactive Multiplication Chart
http://www.brainormous.com/online/table/table.html

Skip Counting
http://www.freeholdtwp.k12.nj.us/gassner/factpower/skipcounting.htm

SCIENCE - THE HUMAN BODY UNIT STUDY

2011-05-13T13:28:00.000-04:00

I've been exploring the study of the human body with some of the kids for science. We've been borrowing library videos, using textbooks, library books, our own library of books, art projects, foam puzzles and lapbooking. I use one of my favorite resources - free printables from superteacherworksheets.com and printed out what they had to offer on the human body systems, too. Love that site !

We even have a five-foot-plus felt person with all its body parts that are easily movable since the innards are all felt, too. Easy maintenance ! I didn't take a photo of the felt person, but I do have some photos of the other things we're working on such a a book the kids are creating.

You might find them helpful ideas in pulling together unit study ideas on this topic - or any topic. I have a "workbox" that I use, to gather resources on any given topic. I may do so months in advance, knowing that we're looking forward to exploring a topic. It's amazing what we find. Tonight is our local town's library book sale and we've found many a treasure in there at bargain prices - always a good thing !

These are some library resources we took out. What I liked about these books is that they deal with one body system at a time, so I can select more easily what to focus on when using the book as a resource. I also found two movies to watch; one for the older kids and one for the younger ones.

Here's some resources from our own library; a flip book that has those clear plastic pages that show an overlay of one body system upon another. Very cool - the kids like it. The bottom left shows the pages of a book that one of the kids has been working on already on various parts of the body. The green alien person is a foam puzzle that has labeled pieces.

These are the printables from superteacherworksheets.com. They have just about everything !! FREE !

These books are good for assorted grade levels which is what I'm teaching. The green books are workbooks that we're using to build projects, create our own book pages, make a card game, etc. Fun.

As it should be.

TISSUE PAPER WINDOW STARS

2011-04-18T20:30:00.001-04:00

Okay, this post is a week overdue, but it's better late than never ! I'll get right to the point here (no pun intended). Below are a few pictures from last week's funshop on "how to" make tissue paper stars. You can print out the directions here: http://grandmassoapdish.com/tissuepaperstar0001.pdf

All you need is your choice of tissue paper, and some scissors, a ruler and glue sticks. Cut the tissue paper to size, fold, tack with a tiny dab of glue, and Voila ! You'll have gorgeous stars that look like stained glass when you have them up against the day light on a window or door. If the sunshine is with you, so much the better !

So there you have it ! As you can see from the photos, we hung these on the windows during a rainstorm but you can still see how pretty the colors are. When the sun is out, the shades of color are more pronounced. Make them to match your rooms and you can enjoy window stars all over the house ! Enjoy !

A WIZARD FROM THE START (book)

2011-03-01T21:59:00.000-05:00

I love our little local library. The children's librarian is amazing; she's so good with the kids and she's always looking out for educational topics to have, supporting the kids in town. More than a few times, she's ordered resources for the homeschool community. Well, the other day a book caught my eye, A Wizard from the Start. It's about Thomas Edison and his entire childhood. It's a short story for young kids, so I enjoyed sitting on the sofa with the kids and reading it all together.

On page five, the story tells of Thomas' teacher telling his mother that Tom's daydreaming was so bad because he was stupid. Well, mom wasn't having any of that, so she pulled him out of school and homeschooled him ! We know the rest of that story; the extremely intelligent Edison went on to invent over 1,000 inventions in his life. The last sentence states, "Afterward, she [mom] schooled Tom herself at home."

It's an educational story, and was just published in 2010. Check it out - your homeschooled children will get a big chuckle out of this inspiring story !

MATH & MORE

2011-02-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

Just quickie post here - but I do want to share these two math websites AND....drum roll .... the best 100 educator sites on the web. It's updated hourly !

Graphing Ordered Pairs in the coordinate Plane Video in Pre Algebrahttp://www.mathvids.com/lesson/mathhelp/750-graphing-ordered-pairs-in-the-coordinate-plane

MATH VIDEOS
These excellent videos are visual examples of how to carry out specific math concepts. Free!
http://www.mathvids.com

THE TOP 100 SITES FOR TEACHERS
This site is updated hourly !
http://www.sitesforteachers.com/index.html

WINTER SCIENCE FUN !

2011-02-20T19:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a snapshot of our resident squirrel, who was busy trying to snitch the birdseed we put out for the - birds. They've gotten their share, though. So sharing works. Squirrels have to eat, too !

WINTER HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE FUN !
Here are some fun experiments to do, that are a natural for winter weather science ! When you're at home with the kids on a casually spent day, hanging out drinking hot chocolate and looking for something to do, here are some easy yet educational ways to spend some time:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/homeschooling_science_fun/56647/1
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/homeschooling_science_fun/57245

WINTER PRINTABLE FUNSHEETS 1-9
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/holidays/ss/winterprint.htm

MUSIC LINKS & BOOKS

2011-02-20T18:49:00.002-05:00

Finding interesting resources for music has been one area of homeschooling that has required more effort than usual. But, it certainly can be done!

My just-turned-10 year old, Sophia, just loves playing the harmonica. She has a few songs down pat and we enjoy being her audience.

Here are some links that I've found; music sheets, online piano and guitar & harmonica lessons, etc. I'll post the info on some of my favorite books, too.

MUSIC - FREE MUSIC SHEETS TO PRINT OUT
Link HERE.

LEARN TO PLAY THE PIANO
free online lessons
Link HERE.

GUITAR LESSONS JUST FOR KIDS - online
Link HERE.

HOW TO PLAY THE HARMONICA
Link HERE.

The books above all have CD's that go along with them. My kids aren't too crazy about the Carnival of the Animals set, but they do listen to it. The other two, on the top, are fantastic resources ! I found both of them in libraries and once we listened to them, I was certainly willing to buy them. The Children's Book of Music is particularly good for kids that are 10 and up. My 15 year old son, who couldn't care less about music in any academic sense, listened to the CD twice and read the entire book. It's my favorite one, too. The Story of the Orchestra, is just that. Each section of the orchestra is introduced, the instruments are, too - and all with famous music compositions that highlight the different orchestra sections. Good for all ages.

I just took pix of a few of or story books with CD's or "how-to" books here, along with the Gross Songs (and they are funny gross to most kids). We have lots of storybooks with CD/tapes. Yes, I have the OLD tapes with matching books from many moons ago ! =-) Whatever works !

Here are some plain ol' books about music. The white one on the bottom left is a coloring book and the top middle one is similar. But, the coloring pages all introduce music on some level, whether it's reading notes, G-clefs, stanzas, etc. The bottom right book, Lives of the Musicians is a must have ! It's just hysterical. Many musicians are featured and it's easy to remember with this book, because rather than the "textbook-y" feel to it, which for some of us can be perceived as borrrring...this book actually talks a little about the artist's music, but a LOT about their personal lives, their likes, their dislikes, funny things that happened to them, etc. It really makes them "real". So there you have it - enjoy the resource suggestions !

Last but not least, here are some good websites for music printable worksheets ! In no particular order, here they are so you can see if they are of interest in your kiddos.

http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/printit_notename.htm
http://www.kididdles.com/
http://musiced.about.com/od/freestuff/Free_Resources.htm
http://www.preschoollearningonline.com/preschoolprintablecoloringpages_musical.html
Sing-A-Longs http://www.nickjr.com/printables/all-shows/song-lyrics/all-ages/index.jhtml

That's all, folks !

EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES

2011-01-26T18:41:00.000-05:00

As cycles happen, I've received a number of excellent websites lately from friends or lists that I'm on. They are from ages from pre-school through high school, so you should check them out to see what might be fun for your family to explore !

GeographyInteractive online listing of countries around the world.http://www.geography-map-games.com/
Intro to Chemistry
This site is awesome ! It has everything you can think of for chemistry resources.http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistry101/Chemistry_101_Introduction_to_Chemistry.htm
National Puzzle Day that looks like fun !http://www.hsclassroom.net/2011/01/great-homeschooling-links-january-21-2011/
The Young Scientists Club
Science Kits via snail mail (suggested from a friend who said the following)I just wanted to share: when my son was younger we used these kits. They were fun, and exciting about getting science in the mail. It is a kit, the majority of materials needed is included. I think you could of chosen 1 or 2 kits per month. Yes, the cost does add up - but I feel this gave him a strong foundation and the intrigue of science. http://www.theyoungscientistsclub.com/
Printable Worksheets Galore !!I'm busy printing pages from this site - which has a lot of varied topics, especially in math but certainly not limited to it. No membership required for logging in and all of that, either.http://www.superteacherworksheets.com
A 100's number chartI was especially glad to find this 100’s chart to print out so my daughter had her own copy. It's helpful to use when learning to skip count by 2's, 5's, etc.http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/hundreds-chart.html

So there you have it - six websites to explore and add to your list of homeschool resources. If you want to take a peek in at some of my children as we were sitting around the dining room table a few days ago, doing assorted subjects during our seatwork, enjoy this picture ! Two more of them were reading in another room.

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT & SNOWSTORMS !

2011-01-12T18:15:00.001-05:00

What else does one do with a pile of weather-related science books for elementary grades (K, 2 and 4) and a major Nor' Easter snowstorm underway ? Well, of course it's a great time to use one of the stories, select a science experiment that goes along with it, and learn something new.

We snuggled on the sofa, and the book we read that was connected to the experiment is titled, Hurricane Watch by Frank Branley. The book discusses how hurricanes develop, expand, are tracked as well as covering safety tips for people who live near the water, or even inland. I think that it taught about a frightening subject to children in a very tasteful manner. There were even references to three major hurricanes and there were colored paths showing the tracks that they took, along with citing the m.p.h. for the highest winds recorded. Interesting.

So, back to our experiment...
We opened the door to our back decks and Sophia, Louis and Madison each made a snowball from the freshly fallen snow. The snowballs were placed into a ziplock bag and the time was noted. We took pictures and notes every 15 minutes to watch the snowballs in the melting process. They were placed on the kitchen counter. It took just about one hour and 15 minutes for the snow to melt completely.

Tomorrow, we'll transfer that information into a paper on scientific experiments and have them write it up like a lab; make some charts...good experience ! It fits in nicely with our study of weather - a unit study, that is.

We learned from watching The Weather Channel and recording our findings on a large Weather Tracker wipe-off board that I splurged on for the children. Additionally, we're using the Weather Channel's "kids' section" of their website to learn a lot, too ! Check it out http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/ .

Here are some pictures from our 29+ inch snowstorm today, as well as our time tracked snowball melting experiment. Gotta love New England !

The biggest shift in the melting process happened between 30 and 45 minutes for sure, as you can see from the difference between the pic above and the one below.

Thank you for visiting the blog ! Now that the holidays are gone by and we're recovering from lots of friends and family fun, there will be more time for posting. I have a l-o-t of great homeschool information to share for all ages. Stay tuned =-)

WEATHER WIZARD FOR KIDS

2010-11-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

My kids and I are currently doing a unit on weather. Here are some resources that we’re using in the process that we want to share with you.

There are many educational things to do related to weather (for kids) at this site!

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/ We’re going to use the information at this site as a basis for our Weather Lapbook !

Here are some fun interactive games the kids can play that are weather related, too.

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-games.htm I have to show them the Snowflake game since this morning we had our first snowfall of the season ! November 8, 2010. Hmm, that makes me wonder what the first snowfalls have been since each of my kids were born. That would be a fun project to graph ! I got 464 and now the kids want to try to beat my score.

Weather experiments…we’ll find some to do today. http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-experiments.htm

Today I bought a membership at ABCTeach.com and printed out a ton of printables on the weather topic. I see a lapbook in the future !

We made a tornado in a jar; easy enough to do and a lot of fun to watch ! Hmm, we tried the Bend Water experiment and it didn’t work. Failed ! We had a lot of fun, though.

THE HIDDEN CITY OF HELIKE !

2010-11-08T07:24:00.000-05:00

Microscopic Life in close-up

3:33 minute video

My 15 year old son and I were delving into a science topic that he had, which was microscopic life. We found this video, which led to something unexpected and quite exciting. By that time, the other kids came into the room, wanting to know what was so exciting online. We were about to learn of a buried city from history that the archaeologist's uncovered. Please follow this short and informative trail; you’ll be glad you did. This was truly a "homeschool moment" !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cLWKDhBYxo

Microscopic life sheds light on Helike mystery – BBC

a few minutes - video

At the end of this video, the interviewee states, “This is classical dated material buried in the [layers of the] sea. It must be Helike.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FydqVbCm7A

Amazing ancient discovery at Helike - The Real Atlantis - Explore – BBC

a few minutes - video

So, we asked ourselves, “What is Helike?” and dug deeper, only to find this next video, which is very short, and also shows a major find ! An actual, dated coin, prior to the event at Helike happening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9l-e5YMC8M

What, where and when was Helike?

article

Helike was an ancient Greek city that sank at night in the winter of 373 BC. The city was located in Achaea, Northern Peloponnesos, two kilometres (12 stadia) from the Corinthian Gulf. The related city of Boura was located nearby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helike

MUSIC RESOURCES FOR YOUR CURRICULUM

2010-10-16T21:58:00.000-04:00

Stylistic Timeline of Music History

The timeline below may be of assistance in focusing on the study of music history.

Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers is provided free of cost for your reference. The main focus of the dictionary is on composers of historical interest. To efficiently direct you to information on more contemporary composers, the timeline contains links to lists of the major composition award winners of recent decades.

The dictionary contains:

basic and accurate biographical information on more than 500 composers
a growing number of biographical essays
links to additional information at other web sites
links to books and CDs about composers
links to sheet music

http://www.stevenestrella.com/composers/index.html?styletimeline.html

GENERAL MUSIC TIMELINE THROUGH HISTORY

http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0151192.html

VIDEO: A MUSIC TIMELINE ILLUSTRATED USING ANIME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKF4cu8mjGE (PART 1 OF 2)

Stylistic Timeline of Music History

The timeline below may be of assistance in focusing on the study of music history.

http://www.stevenestrella.com/composers/index.html?styletimeline.html

basic and accurate biographical information on more than 500 composers
a growing number of biographical essays
links to additional information at other web sites
links to books and CDs about composers
links to sheet music

http://www.stevenestrella.com/composers/index.html?styletimeline.html

GENERAL MUSIC TIMELINE THROUGH HISTORY

http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0151192.html

VIDEO: A MUSIC TIMELINE ILLUSTRATED USING ANIME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKF4cu8mjGE (PART 1 OF 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKF4cu8mjGE&feature=player_embedded

MAKE YOUR OWN TIMELINE

http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/materials/timelines/

TIMELINES

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/timelines.htm

BRIDGES

2010-10-14T22:07:00.000-04:00

The kids did a short unit with a group of other homeschooled kids today. They were studying bridges, and the three main types; arch, beam and suspension. We made some bridges from straws and tape, then hung a cup and added the weight of various objects to see how long it would take until the bridge caved in. It worked out pretty well, actually. Who knew that straws could support about 2.5 pounds of added weight ! Amazing what the right structure will do.
So now, the kids are competing with one another by building their own spaghetti bridges ! At our next class, we'll do a weight test on all of them and see whose design is the strongest. Here's one of the spaghetti bridges that my girls were working on today.

WINDOW STARS

2010-10-14T21:55:00.000-04:00

I hosted a library program tonight. It was a fun group of moms and kids, who were all busy making tissue paper window stars. They are so pretty; they look like stained glass when they're done and hanging up in a window or doorway and the sun is shining through. I bought the book, Window Stars many years ago when my older kids were homeschooling. I can't even find a copy of it online anymore.

Anyway, we had a good time folding these fun paper creations and a lot of creative color combinations were made. Here's the pictures for you to enjoy viewing as much as we enjoyed making them !

CELLS ALIVE, TEST PREP REVIEW

2010-10-06T21:48:00.000-04:00

This website shows assorted types of cell action; some of it is with real video, some animation. Either are quite educational. Excellent site.
http://www.cellsalive .com

This site is a must have for older homeschoolers. No, not you old goats that are first generation homeschoolers; it's for the tweens and teens ! There are all sorts of practice tests at this website including the SAT's. Another excellent resource. If you can think of the exam, it's probably listed here.
http://www.testprepreview.com/sat_practice.htm

HALLOWEEN & HOMESCHOOLING

2010-10-06T21:41:00.000-04:00

It's baaaack. Hubby took out the tubs and tubs of Halloween costumes that I've been saving for all these kids, for all these years ! You wouldn't have wanted to see our living room floor several hours ago. Frightening. The kids opted to pack up the Legos in order to break out the costumes. They did find a quilt that I made for the family room last year. It's put together from a lot of old fabrics from past costumes I made the kids.

For additional fun for them, I found a few Halloween websites that have interesting things to do and read about. Sit down with your little goblins and check it out !

http://www.animatedhalloween.com/?s=67d085664c90d20bcfb9a

http://kids.yahoo.com/directory/Around-the-World/Holidays/Halloween

EDIBLE ROCKS !

2010-10-06T21:37:00.000-04:00

I'm working on a unit study of Rocks & Minerals with some of my kids. Though we have a rock collection of SIM's (sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic) rocks, I was just searching for something a bit fun and different for them to do as part of this project. Well, I just found it.

If this isn't the coolest thing. I can't wait to show them ! EDIBLE ROCKS!!! Me thinks I love homeschooling so much because I have at least as much fun as the kids do. Maybe more. Maybe I'm regressing, LOL ;-)

Had to share this ! Edible rocks ? Yup, you read it right.

Edible "Rocks"

Igneous Rocks
1 can evaporated milk (6 oz.)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2-cup chopped nuts
1 1/4 cups tiny marshmallows
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1-teaspoon vanilla

Grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan. Combine evaporated milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring for 5 - 9 minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently. Pour into prepared pan. Let cool. (Refrigerate) 1 pan (8 x 8) makes 30 1-inch squares.

Metamorphic Rocks
1/2 cup shortening or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup well-drained crushed pineapple
1 egg, beaten
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cream the shortening and the sugar. Add the beaten egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix. Stir in the fruit and the nuts. Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes at 375 degrees. Note: Chocolate chips; coconut, wheat germ, etc. can also be added.

Sedimentary Rocks
1 1/4 cups crushed flake cereal
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2-cup margarine
Melt the margarine. Mix with the cereal and the sugar. Press into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan.
1-cup chocolate or butterscotch chips
1 1/4 cups coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

Sprinkle the chips over cereal layer. Sprinkle the coconut over chips. Sprinkle the nuts over coconut. Pour condensed milk over the layers. Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees.

Fully attributed to: http://www.chariho.k12.ri.us/curriculum/MISmart/rocks/edible.html

MAPS, SPELLING, WRITING, STARFALL

2010-10-06T21:35:00.000-04:00

While surfing the net for homeschool gems for our curriculum, I came across these finds. I'm also including an excerpt from a personal email that I sent to a group I'm on.

MAPS TO PRINT
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/reference.html#list

I'm sure other moms will also have ideas...but here are a few things to consider to get you started...

http://www.spellingcity.com/ This is just plain fun. It might encourage a child to even want to write his/her words. A child can copy them down and then plug them into the computer. That's keyboard experience, too.

This site has fun stuff to do (while learning) like making a comic strip, crosswords, etc. http://www.readwritethink.org/

For K-6 there is http://www.udel.edu/ETL/RWN/Activities.html

I also found an ONLINE game for identifying rocks, into the SIM categories, too !! http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-games/rocks-game.php

I remember a mom saying a few years ago that she felt she could just homeschool right off the internet, and I can see her point. There's just so much out there that other people think of - and we all get to benefit. An amazing tool.

This site is awesome for teaching little ones phonics in a very fun, interactive (and free) way ! It's titled Learn To Read and it covers very basic phonics through early reading. There are four levels to the site. I know some of the public schools use this site, too, in their computer labs.

We're using it, having fun with it, and the littles like it a lot.

http://www.starfall.com/

CHILDREN OF THE WORLD PAPER DOLLS

2010-09-11T09:58:00.001-04:00

Okay, I wasn't going to post again right now, but I have to ! Check this site out ! I was just going to sign off and this page caught my eye. How cool for the kids. Oh, nevermind the kids. I want to cut these out and color them, myself !!

There are 21 different paper dolls from around the world; boys and girls. Gosh, how this could tie in to world studies. A fun addition.

http://www.activity-sheets.com/cutout/world-children/index.htm

MAZES TO PRINT OUT

2010-09-11T09:54:00.001-04:00

I'm just sitting here this sunny Saturday morning, preparing some individual and group lessons for the upcoming week. Thursday morning I'll be teaching a group of 4th graders (and up) on the topic of Climate Change. Controversial. I figure my job is to present BOTH sides of the "argument" and it's up to folks to research and draw their own conclusions. Not to say I don't have a Very Strong Opinion about the topic; I sure do ! But, it's not "teaching" if I just shove my viewpoint down anyone's throat. So that ought to be interesting, LOL.

Anyway, beyond that, I just came across another math site, that had free printables from single digit addition to triple digit addition and subtraction, even with money, and with regrouping. So, I printed so many sheets out my printer is yelling at me, "low ink". I wonder how much homeschoolers contribute to the Ink Cartridge-Making Industry. Hmmm, a stock market option !

Seriously, I'm posting about the MAZES website that I stumbled across in my morning websurfing journey to find other things, unrelated. This page is so cool. It has mazes that range from easy to difficult and they're clearly organized and labeled.

I printed out a bunch of those, too. I can make more copies and at one of our co-ops next week, and now my printer isn't just yelling "low ink" at me, the papers are getting fainnnnter and faiiiinnntttteeerrr. Oh, Staples - here we come. Again.

I love homeschooling. I love it, I love it !!! I love being with my kids ! Even when they make me nuts, I still smile, because I know the monsters will grow up and we'll all have a hearty laugh. I'll have the last laugh - cuz as some of my adult "kids" have already learned, you grow up, have your own kids, and your mom smiles as it all comes around full circle. Ha!!!

Here's the link to the mazes ! http://www.puzzle-sheets.com/maze_puzzle/index.htm

MATH GAMES ONLINE

2010-09-06T00:14:00.000-04:00

I just came across this math website and it's a gem. It has games and activities, some of which are interactive. Chinese tangrams, geometry games, dots and squares, interactive 100 number charts, money games, measurement games, etc. Definitely a must see. I'm sure my young 'uns are going to have fun spending time playing with these math games.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/math.html

THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

2010-09-02T22:49:00.000-04:00

This post is short and sweet. I just want to share this website link. Just type in the year you were born, read and hear what was historically relevent when you were born ! It's very cool.
http://whathappenedinmybirthyear.com/

ARTIST TRADING CARDS

2010-08-28T22:34:00.001-04:00

Have you seen them ? Those adorable, creative little baseball-sized cards that start off blank and end up looking like any artistically themed topic you can imagine to design ? They are being traded all over the world, practically.

You start off with a sheet of white cardstock (to begin), and cut the paper in 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inch rectangles. Where you go with it after that is only limited by your imagination.

HISTORY OF ARTIST TRADING CARDS

(wiki)

Artist Trading Cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art about the same size as modern baseball cards, or 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches (from plain white cardstock paper) small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets. The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland.[ Cards are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc.), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc.), paper media (in the form of collage, papercuts, found objects, etc.) or even metals. The cards are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold.

M. Vänçi Stirnemann is credited in many circles with popularizing the modern artist trading card in 1996, holding trading sessions in Zurich, Switzerland. This resurgence of interest of Artists trading cards has spawned the popular ACEO (art cards editions and originals) movement. Many people consider art trading cards and ACEO cards to be one and the same. Others feel they are decidedly different pieces of art. Clubs, trading sessions, and online mailart communities have largely replaced the original concept of trading the cards during individual encounters, and many ATC workshops end with a trading session. (end wiki)

Inspiration from the web…
Template for an artist trading card envelope ! A fun option.

Have you considered making a matching envelope for your ATC ? Well, one woman
has ! She shares a free online template for doing just that ! Click on this humongous link to go to her webpage where you can print out a full sized template to cut. I just printed one for my family and I’m going to make a few copies and laminate them so they are easily reusable.

You can google “artist trading cards images” and you’ll see thousands of stunning card designs to give you, and/or your child(ren) a lot of creative ideas to get you going.

If you have an idea to share about how to use various techniques for making the cards, please share and let others know, too. In our family, we have a special place for using rubber stamps and tissue paper. Rubber stamps are easy enough, but the tissue paper goes on in layers . I’ve made a thin glue with regular Elmer’s glue that I mix with hot water to thin it down a lot. I wet the paper as I’m placing it upon the card and it sticks the paper in place where it’s needed, but it dries clear. Layers, it all works.

ARTIST TRADING CARD MONTHLY SWAP

This is a CT based group that makes and swaps artist trading cards once a month with other homeschoolers, following assorted themes for each month. All ages, including parents, are welcome. To subscribe to participate, send an email to: ArtistTradingCardSwap-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

PRESCHOOL HOMESCHOOL INFO

2010-08-26T09:20:00.001-04:00

I have a huge collection of homeschooling information from past newsletters that I published. I think that in today's world, the more effective way to share that info, is to categorize it on my blog for everyone to access. So, that's my current project ! Enjoy...

EVERYTHING PRESCHOOL
If it's fun for a preschooler, it's probably listed at this site !
Link HERE.

HOMESCHOOL PRESCHOOL CURRICULUMS
This site does sell curriculum, but also offers free preschool resources likes worksheets, too.
Link HERE.

KIDS SOUP
Preschool activities and craft ideas with a theme.
Link HERE.

LEARNING TREASURES
A one-stop preschool resource site, complete with lots of free, printable materials.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Easy preschool activities for busy moms and teachers.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL CRAFTS Here is a list of fun crafts that you and your children can do together.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATION
Loads of free themed topics to use.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Providing links to lesson plans, worksheets, tips, activities and more for your preschool child!
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL EXPRESS
Monthly themed activities with great ideas.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL LEARNING ONLINE
Lots of different topics for use in your preschool homeschool; songs, toys, stories, many ideas.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL PAPER CRAFTS Paper dolls, yarn bugs, bead patterns, scout crafts, much, much more.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL RAINBOW
Preschool education activities and early childhood education lesson plans that give preschool children choices.
Link HERE.

SESAME STREET ONLINE
It speaks for itself; Sesame Street online !
Link HERE.

FREE PRINTABLES FOR WORKBOXES
Link HERE.

HOMESCHOOLING 2010

2010-08-10T21:26:00.001-04:00

First things first. The picture is my 9 year old daughter, busy working with her 12 year old sister making Artist Trading Cards. A fun summer activity. But, thinking ahead to autumn...as many of us moms have been, or are at least thinking about, I've been busy planning out my children's curriculum and schedules. Every year, we always manage to tweak things in an effort to make our homeschool experience more fun and more efficient.
The children have given me input on their curriculum choices and schedules, as well. But, I have to admit, since I am juggling a very full plate with a large family, I do reserve the right to have the final word since I need to blend their choices with my need to stay sane for a full
school year .

I'm about 3/4 done with my planning, and since I've been reading posts along this general topic, I thought I would take the time to chime in here with what's working for our family in case it's inspiring to others.
In our state, children attend school for 180 days. So, that's 36 weeks in the year, M-F, obviously. What we did last year, that we all agreed upon, that we will probably make a habit now, is "taking Friday's off". As homeschoolers know, it's not really "off", because we're always learning, but those won't be our "academic" days. We've dubbed Fridays as Fun Fieldtrip Fridays, and that will be as formal as a large group trip or as intimate as a cozy afternoon snuggled together in a warm house playing card and board games all day in our jammies during the frigid January snowstorms, making cookies or breads.

The children have helped me to plan our their year, by taking all of their workbooks, putting them together by subject, and we go through with calculators and figure out how many pages per week (or month as the case may be) that we need to accomplish to finish the book by May. We write that right inside the front cover of the book, as well as on an individual sheet of paper for each child. What we end up with is a list for each child. Then, we decide on what we want to do, on which day, and make sure it doesn't conflict with other plans we have outside the home. Since the children have assorted commitments outside the home, on different schedules, we do the following; we print off a monthly calendar (blank) for each child. Link here:http://abcteach.com/directory/teaching_extras/calendars/
When it is completed, I put it into a clear plastic sleeve. Any edits as we go along, are easily done ON TOP OF the sheet, with a dry erase marker. The children keep their sheets in a folder, and the folders are stored together so they are readily available every day in one spot.

Where do I put the folders ? I recently went to Staples and found an unplanned purchase. I don't recall the exact name of it, but it's made to hold manila folder and it has 15 spaces for them. It was $15 full price. A sort of huge pocket folder, I guess. It hangs up from ceiling to floor in direction. That gives me enough spaces for all of the children, plus "field trips", and similar other events, to readily access.

Our workboxes are arranged per child. Their subjects/materials are in their own workbox. We refer to the written calendar for each month (and we'll revise monthly as needed for changes in science, etc), that the children will get from their Calendar Folder. They'll have a Daily Work Completion Sheet to sign off on, as they finish what is on their schedule, and that will just go into the folder. It also gives them some direct responsibility to have input as they finish their work, once I check it and let them know that it's done. They also like to put stickers on their papers, too (the younger ones). So, I have rolls of stickers and they can choose some.   For us, it's fun.

Some of the subjects I will be teaching them in a small group setting since they are so close in age, which will save me time, and I'm sure they'll enjoy the conversations that will come of it. Other subjects, like Math, they'll have out at the same time, but of course I will have to work individually with them. The older two are excited about the freedom of having their schedules be ... their own. My biggest creative challenge, and I've dealt with it before, is that I babysit for my 17 month old granddaughter four days a week, so I'm going to have a workbox for her, too, filled with things to entertain her (and teach her!) while I'm also working with the other children. It keeps me very busy, but I know we'll do it. And we have Fridays to look forward to ! LOL !! =-))

I LOVE homeschooling !!!

VIRTUAL SURGERY

2010-08-10T21:19:00.000-04:00

Age Range: 7-17 (Activities are designed for various grade levels from 2-12. Parental supervision is required.)

This website offers free, colorful and engaging educational animations designed for teachers and students that explain how things work.

The Ed Head website is a gem. It's an interactive site for pretty much all ages to explore. It does have some very graphic content, so having a parent preview the content before your child does is probably a wise idea. See what you are comfortable with.

*Design a Cell Phone - Help an engineer design and manufacture a cell phone.

*Deep Brain Stimulation - Assist a brain surgeon to correct a patient's movement disorder.

*Crash Scene - Recreate a crash scene by examining evidence and calculating forces with the highway patrol.

*Virtual Hip Replacement - Become a surgeon and replace a patient's hip.

*Weather - Discover how to predict and report the weather.

*Simple Machines - Learn how simple and compound machines work.

Each animation is narrated (so turn on your speakers) and comes with a "Teachers Guide" that provides the recommended grade level, tips for using the animation in the classroom (that can be tweaked for home education), printable activities, state and national standards, as well as tests and answers.

http://www.edheads.org/

VOCABULARY CARTOONS

2010-08-10T20:46:00.001-04:00

If you are looking for a truly fun way for your children to learn vocabulary words, you've just got to check this resource out ! A series of books titled Vocabulary Cartoons, http://www.vocabularycartoons.com/home/ use the mneumonic method of teaching. What's that ? Simply recognizing and recalling one thing, as it is associated with another. Associative memory. The cartoons are absolutely hysterical and the chances are, you, as an adult, will appreciate the books, yourself. If your child is the artsy type, the books even offer themselves as a natural coloring books because of the black and white drawings they include.

These books are truly a must have at best and a must see at the very least !

DOLCH SIGHT WORDS

2010-08-07T23:23:00.000-04:00

This coming September is fast approaching and so it goes that homeschool moms who are of like minded and make schedules for their kids, are busy planning ! I'm one of them. My 14 and 12 years olds helped me develop their schedule and curriculum, which is now about 80% ready-to-go. We've picked the days that they're going to study various subjects, go on field trips, go for family walks - yes this year that will be part of our 'curriculum' since mom needs to shed a few pounds and walking is good for everyone. Our out-of-the-house commitments are all penciled in, as well. It's shaping up quite nicely, but I must say, much busier than last year was. Last school year I had my hands full homeschooling a houseful, plus doing grannycare for my six week old granddaugther, four days a week. In September, she will then be 18 months old, so part of the homeschooling gang.

The 14, 12, and 9 year old's curriculums/schedules are mostly done and next I will skip over the two boys who are entering 2nd grade, and work on the kindergartner's curriculum. Along that line, I want to share a resource that I found that is good for multiple grades, but for right now, I'm printing out the Dolch Sight Words for Kindergarten from this website page http://www.kidzone.ws/dolch/kindergarten.htm You have the kids make sentences with the sight words. This is the link to kindergarten, but you'll notice the links from primer through third grade. Check it out ! A good resource to have on hand for those little ones in your homeschool family !

THE LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY - BOOK SERIES

2010-07-26T22:25:00.001-04:00

What goes better with reading stories to your children than the incentive of a library Summer Reading program, and a mom with a good book ? Fun times, indeed. The kids and I were out and about today, and we stopped at a library among other places. I found two books there, that I checked out. I remember that we read one of these books in the past, and it was a good reminder to look into how many are in the series. There are five books in the Lighthouse Family series of books. They're basically all adventure stories near the light house, among a group of animals that are personified as people. Adorable stories.

The author is Cynthia Rylant, who has written other book series, also. Henry and Mudge for example. Getting back to the Lighthouse Series, the five books include; The Storm, The Whale, The Turtle, The Eagle, and The Octopus. The recommended reading age range is 7 - 10. They're very small paperbacks, with just under 50 pages per book. You can see the book covers, though they don't have a review, right here at this website. Link here http://lookingglassreview.com/html/the_lighthouse_family_books.html

HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE

2010-07-24T00:44:00.001-04:00

HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE THROUGH THE SEASONS: AUTUMN

Teaching homeschool science is as easy as looking right outside your back door. Using the world around you as your inspiration, you are sure to find plenty of great lessons to explore with your child. Tune yourself in to the natural world around you; each season offers new and exciting things to learn. Here are some ideas for studying science in autumn.

   * The Autumnal Equinox in September offers the perfect chance to learn about the Earth's changing position in relation to the sun. Find a globe and use a flashlight to show how the sun's position changes through the year. Better yet, let your child make a model of the Earth and the sun.


* The Harvest Moon (the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox) and the Hunter's Moon (the full moon after the Autumnal Equinox) present a wonderful opportunity to study the phases of the moon. Read books together about the moon, and make a Moon Journal. Each night, let your child sketch the moon, following its changes throughout the month.


* As the leaves begin to change colors and fall to the ground, it's a great time to discover the wonders of deciduous trees with your child. Go to your library and find some books about deciduous trees. Teach your child why and how that brilliant foliage happens. Find a field guide for identifying types of trees and take it with you as you go on nature walks with your child. Gather different kinds of fallen leaves and press them for a leaf scrapbook.


* While you're out walking and looking at trees, you're bound to see some squirrels scurrying about, hiding acorns for winter. Look up into the sky, and see birds flying south. This opens the door to learning about how different animals spend autumn preparing for winter. You can learn about migration, hibernation, and about how some animals grow thicker fur or layers of fat to prepare for the long winter.


* When the frost is on the pumpkin, it's a great opportunity to learn about states of matter. Explain to your child how summer's dew becomes autumn's frost. Scrape some frost off and bring it inside to watch it turn to water. Further explore this concept with books from your local library, and by doing other experiments such as boiling water to make water vapor and setting containers of water outside to freeze.

Using the changing of the seasons and your child's natural curiosity as your guide, you will find that teaching science to your homeschooler can be a fun adventure for both of you.

http://www.life123.com/parenting/education/homeschooling/homeschool-science-through-the-seasons-autumn.shtml

HANDWRITING & CURSIVE WRITING

2010-07-24T00:41:00.001-04:00

HANDWRITING (printing)

CURSIVE WRITING

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

2010-07-24T00:39:00.000-04:00

HOW TO DEVELOP A HOMESCHOOL UNIT STUDY
Link HERE.

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE A HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM
Link HERE.

Link HERE.

K-12 SCOPE & SEQUENCE

Scope and Sequence" listed on Worldbook that is a good reference for all grades, for someone who is looking for that sort of list.

Link HERE.

UNSCHOOLING: WHAT IS IT ?
Link HERE.

GIFTED CHILDREN & EDUCATION
Link HERE.

CT ASSOCIATION FOR THE GIFTED
Link HERE.

LEARNING TO READ, PHONICS, WHOLE LANGUAGE

2010-07-24T00:37:00.000-04:00

TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ IN 100 EASY LESSONS
This book has been a favorite for some homeschoolers. "Early readers hold an educational advantage---and the respected DISTAR reading program gives your children that head start. By investing 20 minutes a day, you'll have your preschoolers and non-reading elementary school children reading at a second grade level in 100 days. Covers sound identification, decoding of words and sentences, irregulars, and more. Clear instructions included. 395 pages, softcover."
Link HERE.

TEACH A CHILD TO READ: It's the ears
Learning How to Read Begins in Children's Ears
Most people think children learn how to read through their eyes. But reading is actually learned through the ears. Parents lay a foundation for success in reading by talking to a child, reading books to her, and playing auditory games such as rhyming. The more books you read, the bigger her vocabulary becomes. A bigger vocabulary allows her to recognize lots of words while she reads. If you've read books to her about cheetahs and warthogs, it's more likely she can read those words when her teacher gives a homework assignment about the Serengeti Plains.

Learning to Read, Reading to Learn
What is the normal sequence for children learning how to read?

   * From birth to age three, children listen to lots of words spoken and learn how to talk.
   * Children, aged three to four years old have growing vocabularies, and they learn how to rhyme.
   * In first grade children are taught how to blend letter sounds together to "sound out" words and memorize sight words. They begin reading simple sentences.
   * Second and third graders learn how to read "chapter" books and read fluently with comprehension.

Every once in awhile a parent says to me, "My son can't read because he's lazy." I don't agree with that. A child who can't read is missing important auditory tools:

   * He can't rhyme
   * She doesn't know the short vowel sounds-caused by her inability to hear differences in short vowel sounds. (Short vowels: a-apple, e-elephant, i-igloo, o-octopus, u-umbrella)
   * He can't put word parts together to make words-a skill used in sounding out new words.
   * She has slow recall of letter sounds. She sees letter w and can't remember what it says.

These traits are common to most children who struggle in reading. These are not traits of "laziness" but of auditory and memory deficits. Do the following games and activities to fill in your child's auditory gaps which in turn will improve his reading skills.
Link HERE.

PHONICS VERSUS WHOLE LANGUAGE
Link HERE.

TEACHING YOUR CHILD THE ALPHABET (lots of free printables here; crafts, games, etc)
Alphabuddies Alphabet Section
The alphabuddies are a group of crafts designed to help teach children their ABC's. Some of the crafts in these sections are only in the Alphabet Buddies (like Angie A and the Awesome Apple) and some are repeats of crafts in other sections (for example, the Cat from the animals section is also listed in the Letter C section as I thought it was a useful Letter C teaching craft)
Link HERE.

HOMESCHOOL PRESCHOOL SITES

2010-07-24T00:31:00.001-04:00

There are so many fun things to do with preschoolers. Get a cup of coffee to drink, sit down and relax when the little ones are asleep, and enjoy all the creativity you'll find when you check these sites out...have fun !

This site does sell curriculum, but also offers free preschool resources likes worksheets, too.
Link HERE.

KIDS SOUP
Preschool activities and craft ideas with a theme.
Link HERE.

  LEARNING TREASURES
A one-stop preschool resource site, complete with lots of free, printable materials.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Easy preschool activities for busy moms and teachers.
Link HERE.

  PRESCHOOL CRAFTS Here is a list of fun crafts that you and your children can do together.

Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATION
Loads of free themed topics to use.
Link HERE.

  PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Providing links to lesson plans, worksheets, tips, activities and more for your preschool child!
Link HERE.

  PRESCHOOL EXPRESS
Monthly themed activities with great ideas.

Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL LEARNING ONLINE
Lots of different topics for use in your preschool homeschool; songs, toys, stories, many ideas.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL PAPER CRAFTS Paper dolls, yarn bugs, bead patterns, scout crafts, much, much more.
Link HERE.

PRESCHOOL RAINBOW
Preschool education activities and early childhood education lesson plans that give preschool children choices.
Link HERE.

SESAME STREET ONLINE
It speaks for itself; Sesame Street online !
Link HERE.

FREE PRINTABLES FOR WORKBOXES
Link HERE.

ORGANIZING YOUR HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM

2010-07-11T19:55:00.001-04:00

Over the summer, I've had a number of newer homeschoolers ask me how I organize our curriculum. Having homeschooled for a few moons, I guess they figure I might have learned a trick or two that I keep up my sleeve. That's fair. It's true. However, there are many roads to education, and I can just share what works for us. Let me just say right up front that I'm not wed to any one curriculum; I create my own. Let me explain why that works for my family. As all of us moms know, especially those who have two or more children, the kids don't achieve their milestones at the same time. Not all babies are sitting at six months old, or walking at 12 months old. That's really not so different as compared to first grade, or third grade, and where a child is at any given point in their academic learning. Some children who are technically "3rd grade" are going to be doing, perhaps, 2nd grade work in some areas, 3rd in others and 4th or more in yet other subjects. Isn't that normal ? Doesn't that explain what a report card looks like ? Think about this. If a "3rd grader" is slower to catch on to spelling, then their report card may reflect a lower grade in that area. Yet, if they are really quick to catch on to math, then they'll have an "A" in math. What difference does that make in terms of year-to-year progress? How accurate is it ? I don't think it does much except cause undue stress.

Then what does matter ? Progress. That's as simple as it gets. For some unknown reason, most of my children are quite adept at math, having achieved levels such as Calculus II at age 14. Well, those of them who have reached that age, that is. Yet, none of them has cared much for the Language Arts. They were (or are) at grade level and are happy to be there, and no further. While they are learning, and *progressing*, they are not passionate about it. It's okay. So they won't be writing books when they're adults, but they will be able to write. That's about how I feel about history. But ask me a science question, and likely I will be able to answer and then talk your ear off beyond that.

Know your children. Help them to get clear on what they have passion for and how they can channel that into creative pathways. That's step one.

As for the logistics of Creating Your Own curriculum, it's really easy. Trust me on this. Many homeschool moms (or dads) have managed it. I'll give an example of what I'm talking about, though first I'm going to digress a bit. I've had chats with plenty of parents who express concern that at the end of their homeschool year, they have not completed this book or that book and that bothers them. It nags at them, knowing the work wasn't "done". For one thing, many if not most schools or colleges, actually finish a book. It's not about finishing the book so much as it is, helping your child master the concepts within the book. Be careful about this. When I was a newer homeschooler, my son complained one year about his English book. He wanted to know why he had to diagram more sentences when he already understood it. That rattled me at first, but I thought about it for a few days and I decided he really was right. He wasn't attempting to dodge "doing his work". He really did get the *concept*, so why did he need to do 10 or 20 more pages of it ?

We moved on. Be watchful for those moments. When the child has mastered a concept, they just have. It's like riding a bike.

So, let's say you have a 3rd grader to plan for this September. You can obtain the books that you want. I'm not going to detail that here, because we'd each have different books that we'd choose to use. What I do, is I plan to do school between September and the end of May. I count how many weeks we're going to be doing school work. Then, I divide that number of weeks by the number of pages in any given textbook. That tells me how many pages per week, we need to work on, so we stay on schedule.

I have two lists. I keep one master list for each child, with their subjects written down, the day we're going to work on that subject, and the number of pages per week that needs to be done. Now having said that, we're flexible with the actual day that is written on the schedule. The main objective is that at SOME point during the week, the work gets done. It could be an evening, a weekend - it doesn't matter. If it's a rainy day and the kids want to "work ahead", they're welcome to do so. If the weather is particularly nice and friends want to get together and enjoy the outdoors, we'll put our work off to another day.

I also do a monthly "check in" with the kid's school work to be sure we're on target. This is at the end of each month and it takes but minutes. We just review the schedule, I have them look inside their books to see if they've done all of their pages for that month, and we're good to go. In the unlikely event that they've gotten behind schedule, we clamp right down and kick into high gear to get caught up. It's never proven to be a problem as it is easily taken care of.

Another thing we do, is save (usually Fridays) as an "off" day, without "academic work" to do. We may visit friends, meet somewhere for a field trip of sorts, work on projects, go out to lunch, bake, play games, have company, go shopping - whatever we want. I would say that is one of the kid's favorite benefits of homeschooling. They put in the work during the week and there is the perk of a Day Off at the end of the week. It's a built-in incentive toward not slacking off.

Here are some resources that you might want to check out when developing your own custom made curriculum. Many of the links below offer more than just the subject area that I cited. Take some time and check them out. They're all good quality and really, they are the tip of the iceberg as to what's available. But ya gotta start somewhere and these are worth your time to review.

Saxon Math http://saxonhomeschool.hmhco.com/en/saxonhomeschool.htm
Mc-Graw Hill http://www.mhschool.com/
Editor-In-Chief http://www.criticalthinking.com/series/097/index_c.jsp
History http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/
Prentice Hall Publishers http://www.pearsonschool.com/
My favorite one-stop-shopping resource: http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php

If you have any questions, just send me an email to: DrMomOfTen@hotmail.com !

THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

2010-06-13T11:16:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year. Especially for homeschoolers. For those of us who are organizational freaks - something I'm Guilty Of and proud of it, we have a burning desire to cull through all of the materials our children have worked on this year, and get it all organized for September. It feels so good. It's almost as much fun as making a batch of soap, and I have a batch of floral mint underway for today. The best of both worlds. Soapmaking and cleaning, while dad tends to the garden and the kids are playing. We even have the 15 month old grandbaby over today while her mom (my daughter) packs in preparation for moving to their first house in a few weeks. Lots of excitement. My oldest son is soon going to be moving, too. He's the only one who will be living at a distance, much to my dismay. I'm happy for him and for his wife. He's worked very hard to earn his Ph.D. in Math, but the job he secured is in Northern California !! What's a mom to do ? Waaah.

So, back to school; I'm using the workbox system. I don't use the main plan that is detailed in the book about it, though. It's a wonderful system, but for my large family, a modified version works the best. Wondering what I'm talking about ? Check it out - Sue's workbox system for homeschoolers is right here at her website. She can best walk you through the organization of the program on how to keep your curriculum organized and effective...and fun !

www.workboxsystem.com

With a family my size, I need to modify the system. I put select subjects in one box, for all of the ages I'm teaching. That worked well this past year, but in September, I'm going to modify it further and try something new that I think will work even better for us. The kids have asked to have their own box. So, I'm going to make up one box for each of them with as many materials as I can fit into the box. Then, I'm going to put remaining resources into boxes, by subject. I'll have a Monday - Friday schedule posted for all of them to follow. I'll list, in order, the subjects they should be working on. If they get behind or work ahead, that will allow for it, easily enough. They can log their subjects in their own journals, which frees me up in that regard. As with this year, we'll also reserve Fridays for "other". Looks like we'll be in a newly formed Friday co-op, anyway. I'll be teaching certain group classes at my house (or nearby) on selected weekdays, too. A written schedule will flex around those times, as well.

So there is my theory ! It should work well, as it's a minor modification from what we did this year. Now, back to the bookshelves and workboxes ! Soon, I'll post our homeschool field trip to the great state of Colorado ! My 9 year old dd and I spent a full week there, enjoying the sights. Until then...

SCIENCE, NATURAL & ALTERNATIVE HEALTH

2010-05-14T10:20:00.001-04:00

I recently started a new yahoogroup for like minded folks. It was spawned from a conversation about vaccines. While the group explores leading edge science information, alternative and natural health options and information, we are also a group of people comprised of all walks of life and diverse views. If you're interested in this group of friendly folk, send me an email to subscribe at: Science-Health-Wellness-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2010-05-09T10:35:00.001-04:00

What is love ? One thing that I know is that a mother's love is one among the strongest glue there is. Poets have tried to capture it, contain it, write of it soaring to the heights of the stars. Yet, I think that the closest anyone has come to defining it - in human terms - is my idol, Albert Einstein.

1. The laws of gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.

2. How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?

3. When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, you think it’s only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think its two hours. That’s relativity.

From the moment that I looked into your eyes the day you were born, watched you grow, birthed some of you from my heart instead of my genes, the frequency was born; love - a bond between you and me. To my grandchildren, I see generations unfolding and life ongoing. I see my adult children falling in love with you the way I did with them. Now, they understand. To my children, adult and youth - I love you.

To my family yet unborn, I hold you in my heart. I count my blessings and have so much gratitude that God has blessed me with the care of ten beautiful children...and two grandbabies...so far...

KIDS & SKIPPING HOMESCHOOL

2010-04-15T16:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we skipped school a few times this past week. I just couldn't resist going to the park and hanging out with friends. The weather is so awesome; not too hot or cold. Perfect park weather. Meeting with friends, flying kites, blowing bubbles. Sometimes that's just what a mom - and a grandmom - has to do ! It's fun to watch the baby, now 13 months old, playing at the playscape for the first time, too. Sweet memories in the making.

VITAMIN D AND ASTHMA

2010-04-07T21:21:00.000-04:00

Many people in this country (U.S.A.) are low in vitamin D. I'm not going to belabor this point because the article that I'm including in this post sums up the importance for vitamin D in the diet. I would like to point out, however, that not all vitamin D's are the same. The natural form of it is vitamin D3. It is THE best form of it for building up healthy levels in the body.
Link HERE.

LAPBOOKING SPELLING

2010-04-02T23:49:00.000-04:00

Sophia is working on cutting up her McGraw-Hill Spectrum Spelling book and making it into a lapbook. She already finished her book for the school year. We're spending the remainder of the school year working on the lapbook and reviewing the word lists. It's finals time, LOL. Once the pages are complete, with the Spelling Tip, letter sound and the Word List, she glues it onto either the left or right side of the page. Then, we slide the finished pages into plastic protector sheets. She'll finish all of the chapters before next week is over, and then we're going to put the pages into a 3-ring binder.

In the background of the dining room, you can see a quilt project with supplies all over the place. Nevermind about that. No peeking until it's further along !

GRANDMA & THE BABIES

2010-04-01T22:30:00.001-04:00

Having one's own children is certainly a blessing; but being a grandmother has to be experienced to fully understand the joy the circle of life brings. I consider myself fortunate to have full time day-grannycare of my granddaughter, 13-month old baby Adriana. Watching her do things that her mom - MY first baby - do, brings back flashbacks of yesteryear that seems like they just happened yesterday. Watching my daughter do things with the baby that I did with her just makes me smile. I wonder about Adriana as a young adult. I'll probably still be young enough to witness that; generations ongoing.

Last week, my other daughter, Stephanie came over with her 8 month old son, Caleb, and we had a visit. I was taking pictures of the two babies together. They see one another and are intrigued. Oh, another baby ! We laugh as we think forward to when they get a few years older and can look at the pictures of themselves, cousins, as babies.

Last Christmas, I finally finished a project that took me years to do. It was the scrapbooks of my four oldest children, from birth to adulthood. What can I say ? I told them that they will understand my feelings when they have children who are grown, they become grandparents, and they look back on the many years of photographs. Those pictures hold book's worth of loving memories that moms understand, and grandmoms truly gain an even deeper understanding of - the circle of life. Beautiful, indeed.

PRINCESS SUZANNAH & THE CAKE

2010-04-01T22:18:00.000-04:00

Betcha thought I was going to write The Princess and the Pea, eh ? No. This is one of homeschooling's fine moments; when mom can smile at a child's creative endeavor and know that it came totally from the child's inner inspiration. For three years, some moms and I have facilitated an American Girl Club for a group of girls who are into the historical fiction books, and related facts about the different time periods. Recently, at our monthly gathering, my 12 year old daughter was inspired to make a cake and decorate it for the time period of Molly. As it's written, Molly enjoyed painting, so Suzannah made a cake that looks just like an artist's palette. One of the things that the girls in the Club do, is bring a food from the time period we're exploring, and present it in our monthly buffet.

Earlier in this school year, another friend and I coordinated some baking and cake decorating classes, which Suzannah used the experience from when making the artist's palette cake. Here are the pictures for you to enjoy ! Too bad they don't include a taste of the cake; the pictures will just have to do.

NATURAL WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

2010-02-15T21:49:00.003-05:00

There are so many ways that we can boost our own immune system to maintain a higher level of radiant health and vitality. Fresh air, sunshine, good water, whole foods, exercise such as "plain old walking", all go a long way toward optimizing your health, and your family's health. There are also supplements that you can take to enhance your body's ability to sustain a strong immune system. Check out the following information, which is at least a good beginning.

The Medicinal Uses Of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

http://www.neuro-vision.us/ad/Article/The-Medicinal-Uses-Of--Raw-Apple-Cider-Vinegar/5716

Medicinal Uses of Oregano Oil

http://www.herbal-treatment-remedies.com/medicinal-uses-of-oregano.html

Medicinal Uses of Honey
http://www.beautyandgroomingtips.com/2007/04/medicinal-value-of-honey.html

http://www.ayurhelp.com/articles/honey.htm

Medicinal Uses of Ginger

http://www.ehow.com/about_4579455_medicinal-uses-ginger.html

http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/ginger-and-its-medicinal-uses-111231.html

Medicinal Uses of Garlic

http://www.garlic-central.com/garlic-health.html

http://www.amazingherbs.com/meduseofgari.html

DOCUMENTARY ABOUT NEW WORLD ORDER

2009-11-05T21:48:00.004-05:00

This is a historical documentary that I think is worth watching. It's 2-1/2 hours long and seemingly well researched. This isn't information that you will see on mainstream tv. It's disturbing to think that there are people such as a financial elite that have nothing better to do than to set goals like controlling others. Sounds conspiratorial, but maybe it's just too true to comfortably want to accept. Watch it and decide for yourself.
Link here.

FLU and VITAMIN D - a must read !

2009-11-05T21:36:00.001-05:00

VITAMIN D3 EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION - The Benefits

IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT MIXING VITAMIN D3 WITH SOMETHING ELSE THAT MIGHT NOT BE SAFE (CONTRAINDICATIONS), THEN READ THIS ARTICLE AS YOU MIGHT FIND IT HELPFUL. http://www.druglib.com/activeingredient/vitamin_d3_(cholecalciferol)/

SWINE FLU (OR OTHER FLU STRAINS)
Vitamin D3 and Optimal Health
http://www.vrp.com/articles.aspx?ProdID=art2130&zTYPE=2

Avoid the Flu With the One Vitamin That Will Stop the Flu in it's Tracks
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/21/avoid-flu-shots-vitamin-d-is-a-better-way.aspx

The Real Reason We Get The Flu: Not Enough Vitamin D
http://www.abacohealth.com/index.php/spec/Vitamin%20D%20for%20Flu

Swine Flu and Vitamin D
http://article.wn.com/view/2009/09/19/Vitamin_D_to_help_stop_H1N1_swine_flu/

More on Swine Flu and Vitamin D
http://article.wn.com/view/2009/09/03/Chlorella_and_vitamin_D3_fights_influenza_types_A_B_C_and_sw/
http://www.mgrfoundation.org/SwineFlu_And_VitaminD3.html
http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/article.cfm?id=447

18 Reasons Not to Vaccinate Against Swine Flu
http://www.lewrockwell.com/sardi/sardi119.html

Swine Flu (and other conditions) and Vitamin D
--- a very short video by and MD who has studied this. In particular, Vitamin D3. a must see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR_D6n2ZgRE&NR=1

STRENGTHENS IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTION

Vitamin D Health Benefits (A MUST READ!!!)
By Lita Lee, Ph.D.

Natural Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) vs Synthetic Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol)
Vitamin D3 is the healthy kind your body makes when exposed to sunshine. The toxic kind, D2, is made from ergosterol, a fungal steroid. It is the form of vitamin D used in prescriptions in North America. Optimizing your sun exposure and levels of Vitamin D3 may be one of the most important physical steps you can take in support of your long-term health.

http://www.litalee.com/shopexd.asp?id=392

VITAMIN D AND OVERDOSAGES (RARE)
http://www.ehow.com/about_5053012_side-effects-much-vitamin-d.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

DOSAGES FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN

Office of Dietary Supplements
Vitamin D dosages in children and adults
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

Vitamin D and Children.

In November 2008 the American Academy of Pediatricians recommended doubling to 400IU their previous recommendation of 200IU for all infants, children and adolescents.

Rickets in infants has long been attributable to inadequate vitamin D intake and decreased exposure to sunlight and the condition continues to be reported in the United States. There are also concerns for Vitamin D deficiency in older children and adolescents.

There are limited natural dietary sources of Vitamin D and exposure to sufficient quantities of sunshine is rarely achieved in modern life styles. To ensure that all babies, children and adolescents receive adequate vitamin D the recommenations have been revised to 400IU per day. (this includes breast-fed babies as breast milk usually contains little Vitamin D)

It is now recommended that all infants and children, including adolescents, have a minimum daily intake of 400 IU of vitamin D beginning soon after birth.

These revised guidelines for Vitamin D intake for healthy infants, children and adolescents are based on evidence from new clinical trials and the historical precedence of safely giving 400 IU of Vitamin D per day in the pediatric and adolescent population.

New evidence supports a potential role for vitamin D in maintaining innate immunity and preventing diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

The Canadian Pediatric Society also recently increased its recommendations. They also advise that babies who are exclusively breast fed receive a supplement of 400IU per day and for babies living above 55 degrees North should get twice that amount during winter months. (Press Release)

Here is a link to the full report by the American Academy of Pediatricians:

Summary of findings in children

Infants given vitamin D supplements for the first year of life demonstrated an 80% reduction in the occurrence of diabetes later in life (103)

Also children who were found to have rickets and were vitamin D deficient had a four -fold increased risk of developing diabetes later in life. (103)

Children receiving Vitamin D supplements have a lower number of dental cavities. (119-130)

Babies born to mothers with inadequate levels of vitamin D have higher rates of enamel hypoplasia and early signs of dental cavities than those born to women with higher levels of vitamin D. (142)

The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends that women who are pregnant or breast feeding should increase their Vitamin D intake to 2000IU per day.This advice is based on the growing body of evidence that increased exposure to Vitamin D during key points of fetal and infant development may offer protection against many diseases, including asthma, osteoporosis, dental cavities and inflammatory bowel disease. (Press Release)

at least two studies have suggested that the incidence of prostate cancer is reduced as much as 50% in men who were born in areas of high sun exposure which implies that high levels of Vitamin D in early life confers a long lasting anti-cancer effect. (138, 139)

Individuals with low levels of Vitamin D are 40% more likely to suffer upper respiratory tract infections. (coughs and colds)(140)

Children aged 12 to 19 with the lowest levels of vitamin D (less than 15 nanograms per milliliter) were more than twice as likely to have high blood pressure and blood sugar, and nearly four times as likely to have metabolic syndrome as those with the highest amounts (more than 26 nanograms per milliliter), according to research presented yesterday at the American Heart Association Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in Palm Harbor, Fla. Levels of 30 nanograms per milliliter are considered sufficient. The results are based on 3,577 teens who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2001 and 2004.(March 12, 2009)

Autism and Vitamin D Deficiency

There is substantial evidence that autism may be caused by Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and early development.

Falling levels of Vitamin D over the last 20 years match the increase in incidence of autism (159, 160) which coincides with when the AMA in 1989, first started to advise keeping infants out of the sun. (161)

Estrogen stimulates the activation of Vitamin D where as testosterone does not. This may explain why autism is four times as common in males compared to females. (162)

Autism is much more common in back races living in Northern areas. The incidence of autism in Ugandans living in Sweden is 15% of births. (163) Deeply pigmented people living in Northern regions are inevitability Vitamin D deficient.

Vitamin D has been shown to be essential for normal brain development (164)

In a rare condition known as Williams Syndrome children have greatly elevated levels of Vitamin D. This conditions presents later in life with overfriendliness, heightened sociability and an unusual willingness to initiate social interaction. These are exactly opposite to the signs of Autism. (165)

The products and the claims made about specific products on this site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.

http://www.vitamind3world.com/Children_and_Vit_D.html

Researchers Call for Higher Doses

In an editorial in the March 2007 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a prominent group of researchers from leading institutions such as the University of Toronto, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Tufts University and University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, lashed out at the conventional media for its inaccurate reporting of Vitamin D supplementation.3

The researchers wrote, “Almost every time the public media report that Vitamin D nutrition status is too low, or that higher Vitamin D intakes may improve measures of health, the advice that accompanies the report is outdated and thus misleading. Media reports to the public are typically accompanied by a paragraph that approximates the following: ‘Current recommendations from the Institute of Medicine call for 200 IU/day from birth through age 50 years, 400 IU for those aged 51–70 years, and 600 IU for those aged >70 years. Some experts say that optimal amounts are closer to 1,000 IU daily. Until more is known, it is wise not to overdo it.’ The only conclusion that the public can draw from this is to do nothing different from what they have done in the past.”

The researchers point out that supplemental intake of 400 IU per day barely raises blood concentrations of 25(OH)D, which is the circulating Vitamin D metabolite that serves as the most frequently measured indicator of Vitamin D status. To raise 25(OH)D from 50 to 80 nmol/L requires an additional intake of 1,700 IU Vitamin D per day.

The researchers went on to write that, “The balance of the evidence leads to the conclusion that the public health is best served by a recommendation of higher daily intakes of Vitamin D. Relatively simple and low-cost changes, such as increased food fortification or increasing the amount of Vitamin D in Vitamin supplement products, may very well bring about rapid and important reductions in the morbidity associated with low Vitamin D status.”

One of the challenges is the outdated acceptable upper limit for Vitamin D3 consumption, which was set at 2,000 IU. However, researchers point out that more recent studies have shown that 10,000 IU is the safe upper limit.

http://www.vrp.com/articles.aspx?ProdID=art2130&zTYPE=2

VACCINE CONCERNS
Merck Vaccine Chief admits the drug company vaccines have traditionally been injecting cancer viruses (SV40 and others) in people worldwide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edikv0zbAlU

VACCINE EXEMPTIONS – States
a TON of information
http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/

THE MAD WORLD OF TEXTBOOK ADOPTION

2009-09-05T18:46:00.000-04:00

The Mad, Mad World of Textbook Adoption (BOOK)
by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Diane Ravitch

Statewide textbook adoption, the process by which 21 states dictate the textbooks that schools and districts can use, is fundamentally flawed. Textbook adoption distorts the market, entices extremist groups to hijack the curriculum, enriches the textbook cartel, and papers the land with mediocre instructional materials that cannot fulfill their important education mission. The adoption process cannot be set right by tinkering with it, concludes The Mad, Mad World of Textbook Adoption, the latest release from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Rather, legislators and governors in adoption states should eliminate the process and devolve funding for and decisions about textbook purchases to individual schools, individual districts, even individual teachers.

The Mad, Mad World of Textbook Adoption is the first of a new Fordham Institute series, "Compact Guides to Education Solutions," that provides practical solutions to K-12 education problems for policy makers, legislators, school leaders, and activists. These concise guides are meant to help drive reforms at the local, state, and national levels by offering actionable policy recommendations.
For full article, link HERE:

Here’s the link to the story about the fox news textbook report that was televised on FOX News, September 4th, 2009
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,545900,00.html

VIDEO: THE UPRISING - a must see !!!

2009-09-03T12:35:00.002-04:00

This video speaks for itself and everyone should watch it.
Link HERE. It's only six minutes of your time.

HOMESCHOOL WEBSITE LINKS GALORE !!!

2009-09-02T21:52:00.001-04:00

Check this out CLICK HERE because there are a ton of educational website links that would be helpful for homeschoolers ! Have fun !

SWINE FLU & VACCINES

2009-09-02T19:49:00.002-04:00

Consider the following boatload of information before developing a final viewpoint about this important topic. No matter what we decide to do about vaccinations, at least we can be informed about both sides of the argument.

Information about Swine Flu
http://www.russellblaylockmd.com
http://www.noinjury.com
http://www.globalresearch.ca
http://www.DrCarley.com
Dr. Stan Monteith at http://www.radioliberty.com
Dr. Willam Campbell Douglas II, M.D.’s the Douglas Report http://www.douglassreport.com

Federal Reserve loses suit demanding transparency
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE57O03P20090825

The Vaccination Debate
http://vaccinationdebate.com/

Colombian President has swine flu - Americas, World - The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/colombian-president-has-swine-flu-1779894.html

The Jig is Up ! Plan to Expose them All, Live on 9-11-2009
The idea behind the plan is to expose every public
official who has the power within their jurisdiction to stop the mass
vaccination genocidal plan. This week we will be sending certified letters
to top decision making officials all over the world inviting them to a
message from the people of the earth which will be broadcast LIVE on
9-11 at a soon to be disclosed website. We will upload their proof of
receipt signatures for the world to see so they cannot claim they did not
know. We can even fax them the day before as a polite reminder that the
people are eager to share their opinion of the swine flu vaccination
program.
www.operationfaxtostopthevax.com

Warning: Swine Flu Shot Linked to Killer Nerve Disease

Swine flu jab link to killer nerve disease: Leaked letter reveals concern of neurologists over 25 deaths in America

By Jo Macfarlane

Prevention: Is the swine flu jab safe?

A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter.

The letter from the Health Protection Agency, the official body that oversees public health, has been leaked to The Mail on Sunday, leading to demands to know why the information has not been given to the public before the vaccination of millions of people, including children, begins.

It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine.

GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

The letter, sent to about 600 neurologists on July 29, is the first sign that there is concern at the highest levels that the vaccine itself could cause serious complications.

It refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976 when:

* More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu.
* 500 cases of GBS were detected.
* The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times.
* The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear.
* The US Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected.

Concerns have already been raised that the new vaccine has not been sufficiently tested and that the effects, especially on children, are unknown.

It is being developed by pharmaceutical companies and will be given to about 13million people during the first wave of immunisation, expected to start in October.

Top priority will be given to everyone aged six months to 65 with an underlying health problem, pregnant women and health professionals.

The British Neurological Surveillance Unit (BNSU), part of the British Association of Neurologists, has been asked to monitor closely any cases of GBS as the vaccine is rolled out.

One senior neurologist said last night: ‘I would not have the swine
flu jab because of the GBS risk.’

There are concerns that there could be a repeat of what became known as the ‘1976 debacle’ in the US, where a swine flu vaccine killed 25 people – more than the virus itself.

A mass vaccination was given the go-ahead by President Gerald Ford because scientists believed that the swine flu strain was similar to the one responsible for the 1918-19 pandemic, which killed half a million Americans and 20million people worldwide.

The swine flu vaccine being offered to children has not been tested on infants

Within days, symptoms of GBS were reported among those who had been immunised and 25 people died from respiratory failure after severe paralysis. One in 80,000 people came down with the condition. In contrast, just one person died of swine flu.

More than 40million Americans had received the vaccine by the time the programme was stopped after ten weeks. The US Government paid out millions of dollars in compensation to those affected.

The swine flu virus in the new vaccine is a slightly different strain from the 1976 virus, but the possibility of an increased incidence of GBS remains a concern.

Shadow health spokesman Mike Penning said last night: ‘The last thing we want is secret letters handed around experts within the NHS. We need a vaccine but we also need to know about potential risks.

‘Our job is to make sure that the public knows what’s going on. Why
is the Government not being open about this? It’s also very worrying if GPs, who will be administering the vaccine, aren’t being warned.’

Two letters were posted together to neurologists advising them of the concerns. The first, dated July 29, was written by Professor Elizabeth Miller, head of the HPA’s Immunisation Department.

It says: ‘The vaccines used to combat an expected swine influenza pandemic in 1976 were shown to be associated with GBS and were withdrawn from use.

‘GBS has been identified as a condition needing enhanced surveillance when the swine flu vaccines are rolled out.

‘Reporting every case of GBS irrespective of vaccination or disease history is essential for conducting robust epidemiological analyses capable of identifying whether there is an increased risk of GBS in defined time periods after vaccination, or after influenza itself, compared with the background risk.’

The second letter, dated July 27, is from the Association of British Neurologists and is written by Dr Rustam Al-Shahi Salman, chair of its surveillance unit, and Professor Patrick Chinnery, chair of its clinical research committee.

Halted: The 1976 US swine flu campaign

It says: ‘Traditionally, the BNSU has monitored rare diseases for long periods of time. However, the swine influenza (H1N1) pandemic has overtaken us and we need every member’s involvement with a new BNSU survey of Guillain-Barre Syndrome that will start on August 1 and run for approximately nine months.

‘Following the 1976 programme of vaccination against swine influenza in the US, a retrospective study found a possible eight-fold increase in the incidence of GBS.

‘Active prospective ascertainment of every case of GBS in the UK is required. Please tell BNSU about every case.

‘You will have seen Press coverage describing the Government’s concern about releasing a vaccine of unknown safety.’

If there are signs of a rise in GBS after the vaccination programme begins, the Government could decide to halt it.

GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, leaving them unable to transmit signals to muscles effectively.

It can cause partial paralysis and mostly affects the hands and feet. In serious cases, patients need to be kept on a ventilator, but it can be fatal.

Death is caused by paralysis of the respiratory system, causing the victim to suffocate.
It is not known exactly what causes GBS and research on the subject has been inconclusive.

However, it is thought that one in a million people who have a seasonal flu vaccination could be at risk and it has also been linked to people recovering from a bout of flu of any sort.

The HPA said it was part of the Government’s pandemic plan to monitor GBS cases in the event of a mass vaccination campaign, regardless of the strain of flu involved.
But vaccine experts warned that the letters proved the programme was a ‘guinea-pig trial’.

Dr Tom Jefferson, co-ordinator of the vaccines section of the influential Cochrane Collaboration, an independent group that reviews research, said: ‘New vaccines never behave in the way you expect them to. It may be that there is a link to GBS, which is certainly not something I would wish on anybody.

‘But it could end up being anything because one of the additives in one of the vaccines is a substance called squalene, and none of the studies we’ve extracted have any research on it at all.’

He said squalene, a naturally occurring enzyme, could potentially cause so-far-undiscovered side effects.

Jackie Fletcher, founder of vaccine support group Jabs, said: ‘The Government would not be anticipating this if they didn’t think there was a connection. What we’ve got is a massive guinea-pig trial.’

Professor Chinnery said: ‘During the last swine flu pandemic, it was observed that there was an increased frequency of cases of GBS. No one knows whether it was the virus or the vaccine that caused this.

‘The purpose of the survey is for us to assess rapidly whether there is an increase in the frequency of GBS when the vaccine is released in the UK. It also increases consultants’ awareness of the condition.

Panic over? The number of swine flu cases has fallen sharply in the past few weeks

‘This is a belt-and-braces approach to safety and is not something people should be substantially worried about as it’s a rare condition.’

If neurologists do identify a case of GBS, it will be logged on a central database.

Details about patients, including blood samples, will be collected and monitored by the HPA.

It is hoped this will help scientists establish why some people develop the condition and whether it is directly related to the vaccine.

But some question why there needs to be a vaccine, given the risks. Dr Richard Halvorsen, author of The Truth About Vaccines, said: ‘For people with serious underlying health problems, the risk of dying from swine flu is probably greater than the risk of side effects from the vaccine.

‘But it would be tragic if we repeated the US example and ended up with more casualties from the jabs.

‘I applaud the Government for recognising the risk but in most cases this is a mild virus which needs a few days in bed. I’d question why we need a vaccine at all.’

Professor Miller at the HPA said: ‘This monitoring system activates pandemic plans that have been in place for a number of years. We’ll be able to get information on whether a patient has had a prior influenza illness and will look at whether influenza itself is linked to GBS.

‘We are not expecting a link to the vaccine but a link to disease, which would make having the vaccine even more important.’

The UK’s medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, is already monitoring reported side effects from Tamiflu and Relenza and it is set to extend that surveillance to the vaccine.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘The European Medicines Agency has strict processes in place for licensing pandemic vaccines.

‘In preparing for a pandemic, appropriate trials to assess safety and the immune responses have been carried out on vaccines very similar to the swine flu vaccine. The vaccines have been shown to have a good safety profile.

‘It is extremely irresponsible to suggest that the UK would use a vaccine without careful consideration of safety issues. The UK has one of the most successful immunisation programmes in the world.’

I COULDN''T EAT OR SPEAK... IT WAS HORRENDOUS

Victim: Hilary Wilkinson spent three months in hospital after she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome
When Hilary Wilkinson woke up with muscle weakness in her left arm and difficulty breathing, doctors initially put it down to a stroke.

But within hours, she was on a ventilator in intensive care after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

She spent three months in hospital and had to learn how to talk and walk again. But at times, when she was being fed through a drip and needed a tracheotomy just to breathe, she doubted whether she would survive.

The mother of two, 57, from Maryport, Cumbria, had been in good health until she developed a chest infection in March 2006. She gradually became so weak she could not walk downstairs.

Doctors did not diagnose Guillain-Barre until her condition worsened in hospital and tests showed her reflexes slowing down. It is impossible for doctors to know how she contracted the disorder, although it is thought to be linked to some infections.

Mrs Wilkinson said: ‘It was very scary. I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t speak. My arms and feet had no strength and breathing was hard.

I was treated with immunoglobulin, which are proteins found in blood, to stop damage to my nerves. After ten days, I still couldn’t speak and had to mime to nurses or my family.

‘It was absolutely horrendous and I had no idea whether I would get through it. You reach very dark moments at such times and wonder how long it can last.

But I’m a very determined person and I had lots of support.’

After three weeks, she was transferred to a neurological ward, where she had an MRI scan and nerve tests to assess the extent of the damage.

Still unable to speak and in a wheelchair, Mrs Wilkinson eventually began gruelling physiotherapy to improve her muscle strength and movement but it was exhausting and painful.

Three years later, she is almost fully recovered. She can now walk for several miles at a time, has been abroad and carries out voluntary work for a GBS Support Group helpline.

She said: ‘It makes me feel wary that the Government is rolling out this vaccine without any clear idea of the GBS risk, if any. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone and it certainly changed my life.

‘I’m frightened to have the swine flu vaccine if this might happen again – it’s a frightening illness and I think more research needs to be done on the effect of the vaccine.’

Hotline staff given access to confidential records

Confidential NHS staff records and disciplinary complaints could be accessed by hundreds of workers manning the Government’s special swine flu hotline.

They were able to browse through a database of emails containing doctors’ and nurses’ National Insurance numbers, home addresses, dates of birth, mobile phone numbers and scanned passport pages – all details that could be used fraudulently.

And private and confidential complaints sent by hospitals about temporary medical staff – some of whom were named – were also made available to the call-centre workers, who were given a special password to log in to an internal NHS website.

It could be a breach of the Data Protection Act.

The hotline staff work for NHS Professionals, which was set up using taxpayers’ money to employ temporary medical and administrative staff for the health service.

The not-for-profit company runs two of the Government’s swine flu call centres – with 300 staff in Farnborough, Hampshire, and 900 in Watford, Hertfordshire.

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley described the revelations as ‘disturbing’.

Anne Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Unison, said: ‘There’s no excuse for such a fundamental breach of personal security. Action needs to be taken as soon as possible to make sure this does not happen again.’

A spokeswoman for NHS Professionals would not confirm whether access to the confidential files had been granted.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206807/Swine-flu-jab-link-killer-nerve-disease-Leaked-letter-reveals-concern-neurologists-25-deaths-America.html#ixzz0Pv4FVjSH

SWINE FLU, HELP FOR CANCER, TOWN HALL

2009-08-13T23:09:00.000-04:00

NEW MODEL FOR CANCER !
Don’t miss this information!!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/13/New-Model-for-Cancer--Dynamite.aspx

IS THE SWINE FLU VACCINE SAFE ?
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/13/Swine-Flu-Vaccine-Makers-to-Profit-50-Billion-a-Year.aspx

DOCTOR ATTACKED FOR PEACEFUL ATTENDANCE AT TOWN HALL MTG
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/aug/13/man-arrested-outside-healthcare-forum-in-county/

HEALTHCARE REFORM

2009-08-11T22:05:00.002-04:00

Some of the readers of this blog already know that I have my Doctorate in Natural Health. That said, it explains my passion in blog-posting about what President Obama is proposing in his Healthcare Reform Package. Overall, as it stands now, I disagree with the proposal.

Here are two website links that you might want to consider, with regard to what's wrong with the proposal as it stands. Rationing health care is not going to benefit our citizens.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/leboeuf-schouten1.html

and

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/obamacare_and_me.html

ART CONTEST WINNER !!!!

2009-08-11T18:40:00.003-04:00

Okay, it's a proud momma moment ! We just found out that my 11 year old daughter's entry in the art contest at a local fair, came in first place ! She is so tickled. It gained her a little bit of money and a big smile. While you can't tell from looking at the picture, she did add a lot of details in the drawing from what the basic outline was.

FLEA BITES & ENZYMES

2009-08-10T23:46:00.001-04:00

Systemic Oral Enzyme Formula Capsules: Wobenzym-N with Bromelain
Effective, non toxic pain relief for osteoarthritis and acute athletic injuries, especially muscle sprains and strains. (Also claimed to be helpful for reflux)
Systemic enzymes such as pancreatin, bromelain and papain play an important role in relief from the pain of inflammation, as well as quick recovery from sports and other injuries. As we age, our bodies lose the ability to produce systemic enzymes.
Wobenzyme N can replenish these enzymes, allowing your body to heal itself and provide effective long term joint support. Over 40 years of scientific research and evidence indicates that Wobenzyme N is an effective arthritis treatment, and it is widely prescribed throughout Europe for inflammation relief.
http://arthritis-alternative.com/detail/Wobenzym-N.cfm

Flea Bites ?
Here’s a natural remedy: http://www.remedies-for-natural-health.com/flea-bite-remedy.html

QUILTING PATTERN

2009-08-10T23:42:00.003-04:00

Free Pattern for Quilt/Wall Quilt
I want to make this one, too ! When will I have time ? That is another story!! But, I'm going to make this quilt !
http://quilting.craftgossip.com/free-pattern-autumn-bounty-borders-quilt/2009/08/08/

NATURAL HEALTH & CANCER

2009-08-08T23:28:00.002-04:00

I'm not going to belabor the topics here, though I could write about them for quite some time. I'll just list them for those who want to dig deeper into what they may not (yet) know. Important reads...

Cancer Is Not A Disease
http://www.naturalnews.com/022578_cancer_cancer_cells_disease.html

Related Articles:
• The mineral selenium proves itself as powerful anti-cancer medicine
http://www.naturalnews.com/016446_selenium_cancer_food.html

• New research shows vitamin D slashes risk of cancers by 77 percent; cancer industry refuses to support cancer prevention
http://www.naturalnews.com/021892_cancer_Vitamin_D_cancer_industry.html

• Mammograms cause breast cancer (and other cancer facts you probably never knew)
http://www.naturalnews.com/010886_cancer_breast_cancer_mammography.html

BABY'S FIRST DAY AT THE BEACH

2009-08-08T00:27:00.005-04:00

The weather was just so delightful, that I packed up the food and spent the day at our local lake with my six youngest kids, plus my five month old granddaughter. She's sitting up on her own now, so I sat her at the edge of the lake. The lake and her made fast friends. She sat there figuring out the new experience, and decided after a while, that she could grab a fistful of muddy sand to put in her mouth. Never fear, though...Grandma is on the job ! No mud eating for the babes, despite a number of valiant efforts to do so. Too cute.

SWINE FLU SHOCKING DETAILS

2009-08-05T20:08:00.004-04:00

A friend sent this to me today. She's a nurse administrator and is so disgusted with what she sees going on around us in the mainstream. Sad. But, knowing the truth is more important than being sad; it's safe. I know, I know. This is a highly sensitive, controversial topic. But, for those of you who will consider it, I'm posting it. I'm pleased to help out and pass this website along.

"Today's breaking news is shocking, disturbing and absolutely true: One of the ingredients used in manufacturing swine flu vaccines is derived from infected African monkeys whose kidneys are harvested for the vaccine!

What makes this even more bizarre is that key patents for this monkey harvesting process are held by a private military contractor that's been paid billions of dollars by the U.S. government to run military-like operations in Afghanistan, Colombia, Bosnia and Mexico (near where the swine flu was first discovered).

Starting to sound bizarre? You haven't seen anything yet... read my full story to get the shocking details on this breaking story:
http://www.naturalnews.com/026779_swine_flu_patents_vaccines.html

NaturalNews Tip of the day (from Mike):

How do you protect yourself from mandatory swine flu vaccines? If you have to get the shots, load up on these before and after the shot: Vitamin C, cilantro, chlorella and blue-green algae. Having adequate vitamin D in your system is also important, of course."

XYLITOL & PASCALITE CLAY FOR TEETH

2009-08-05T00:51:00.003-04:00

Sweet Treat Recipes Using Xylitol
http://www.epicdental.com/t-xylitol-recipes.aspx

Xylitol Toothpase with Pascalite Clay
Is cited to help in remineralizing teeth.
http://www.myxylitol.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=136

Heal your own teeth: Remineralization of tooth enamel
http://free.naplesplus.us/articles/view.php/34291/heal-your-teeth-through-natural-remineralization

Order Xylitol online
2.5 pounds for $11.49 (~ $5.30/lb)
http://wholesalesupplementstore.com/nowxylitol.html

This place has 5 pounds for $23.95 (~ $4.80/lb)
http://shop.emeraldforestxylitol.com/google-xylitol?gclid=CO7bo-_ai5wCFRBM5Qod5EBdZg

AN OPEN LETTER TO AMERICA'S PHYSICIANS

2009-08-04T23:32:00.002-04:00

The following is posted in full at the following URL: http://www.takebackmedicine.com/from-david-mckalip-md/

An Open Letter to America’s Physicians

June 25, 2009

Doctors of America,

Your profession is facing a certain death and only you can stop it – with your patients at your side. Congress and Obama are proposing to turn doctors into servants of the state, insurance companies, hospitals, and everyone except who matters most: the patient. We will be turned into bean counters, computer entry clerks, dutiful “providers” and will not resemble anything like a “professional”[1].

This letter is long, because there is much to report and much to say. But know this, as a physician, you will not want the kind of medical care that your junior colleagues will provide you when you need it. You must lead the way so our valued Medical profession can be rescued from this abyss and we can usher in a new golden age of medicine using genomics, cancer vaccines, implantable devices, nanotechnology, new pharmaceuticals and good old-fashion time with the patient!

I speak to you as a private practice neurosurgeon who is active in organized medicine and who has worked on the board of my state medical association and at the AMA for years*. I can tell you with certainty that there is one and only one goal of those who would “change” our health system: pay doctors less and force them to provide less medical care. That is why the President has put this item at the top of his goals for health system reform: “reduce costs”. How will Congress do this? They will create rationing boards that are unelected and unaccountable to anyone. Already the Federal Coordinating Council on Comparative Effectiveness has been created and given over $1 billion to spend. They have not one actively practicing doctor on the council and each one is a senior management Federal Employee. They will create so called “quality and efficiency goals” and force doctors to follow them through a “pay for performance” model. Those doctors who serve as dutiful servants to all third parties will be treated somewhat less badly than everyone else. Those who have the audacity to prescribe medical care to their patients based on their professional training and experience and in the best interests of their patient will be chased out of practice.

The bottom line is that doctors will be forced to do what they are told. Doctors will be forced to comply. One need look no further than your current practice environment and to ideas circulating in Congressional committees. Already we have seen “quality” (cookbook medicine) and efficiency (rationing) ratings for doctors that assign a star if you comply. If you are deemed a “good doctor” by the insurance company or the government, you will be paid a little more than another doctor. But at what cost? You must hire staff to make sure the quality measures are reported. You will be told to practice in a defacto capitated model where any dollar spent on patients above the arbitrary threshold of a government or corporate bureaucrat will lead you to be labeled “inefficient” – and penalized. You must buy an electronic medical record system to report your data to the government. Congress says they will give you up to $44,000 over 5 years to do so (if you are a “meaningful user”) but the actual cost is $120,000 over 5 years. If you don’t buy the system that will feed your practice data to bureaucrats – you will be penalized $42,500. I know I will take the penalty since it costs me less and keeps big brother out of my office (mission accomplished for the government – they just “reduced costs”).

Already, hospitals are hungrily pushing a “bundled payment” system so hospital based docs will be paid only if the hospital agrees! Hospital based doctors will be slaves to the hospitals. Global payment for management of chronic diseases are proposed so that a doctor will be paid once for a patient with diabetes and similar diseases. This is all occurring in Massachusetts where their health care reforms of 2006 (individual mandates, subsidized health insurance, state boards and health insurance exchanges) are failing more so every day. This is the model for national health system reform.

Congressman Tom Price is a doctor from Georgia who is fighting for patients and doctors in Congress now. He is right when he says we must not allow a “public option”, “mandates” or allow the “government to define quality”. America must empower our patients financially with good tax relief, health savings accounts, high deductible insurance. We should not grant further power to insurance companies and the government. The problems that the government and insurance companies propose to solve were created by them over the last many decades and we are being asked to grant them more power[2]? Enough is Enough!

Now doctors are told they may “volunteer” to report quality data to earn up to an extra $1,000 from the government. Few have. Soon doctors will be told they must report data to avoid a cut in payment –as was done to hospitals a few years ago and 98% compliance was achieved. Then, as is currently done in hospitals, doctors will be told you must meet a “performance threshold” to avoid a payment cut. This is the same kind of “volunteerism” that was envisioned in “Animal Farm” when the dictator happily announced that people could volunteer to work the crops on Sunday and they were under no obligation to do so, but those who did volunteer could avoid a cut in their rations!

The problem is that this “Pay for Performance” model has been convincingly shown to produce no improvement in outcome for patient. What it does do is to force doctors to spend unpaid time in front of a computer to enter orders, respond to pop-up windows, follow protocols and help the hospital code better (so they get paid better on your work). It causes doctors to avoid non-compliant and high risk patients to ensure that they get a good “report card”. It has a disproportionately negative impact on low income patients and minorities who frequently have more complicated medical problems and will be avoided by doctors –just to make the grade. It turns out that compliance with these measures had been shown to do nothing to improve patient outcomes and has had many adverse effects when doctors over-comply and push bad medical practice on inappropriate patients – for a report card score.

Compliance with these so called quality measures is nothing more than an excuse to find a way to pay doctors less and to create a schism between patients and their doctors. This is not quality, this is cost control through bureaucratic overload. I was in the room at the AMA meeting June 13, 2009 when President Obama pointed out that we would not be allowed to have effective tort reform, but if we simply followed “best practices” then we would somehow find a way to lessen our exposure. He didn’t explain how this will work, but I will here. I was here when he said doctors should not be bean counters but should be healers, yet he proposes to turn us into the biggest bean counters around! This is how you will be treated less badly than your colleagues:

Comply. If you comply with reporting – you won’t be hurt as badly.

Comply. If you comply with government defined “quality” – you might escape a sanction..

Comply. If you comply with rationing protocols – you will be paid slightly more than another doc, but still far less than you should.

Comply. If you follow a so called “best practice” and are labeled a “meaningful user” and a good doctor – you might get a little tort relief.

Comply. If you do what you are told, and keep your mouth shut we may let you keep your licensee, your practice, and your participation on the provider panel - but not your dignity and not your profession.

Comply. Comply. Comply.

I am a professional. I will not comply with cookbook medicine and rationing to satisfy politicians who have made promises that can not be kept. Medicare has an $86 trillion unfunded liability. Instead of reform of that insolvent program, we are asked to ration care. We will be FORCED to ration care and deny valuable treatments to our seniors and to withhold life saving care in the hospital when the government determines they don’t meet the threshold for cost of treatment under a “quality adjusted life year” as is used in Britain now[3].

I am a professional and I will not be told how to practice medicine by a hospital administrator, a corporate CEO or government committee.

I am a professional and I will not be used as a rationing tool to save money for others.

I am a professional and I will set my prices and give my patients the time they deserve to make medical decisions that benefit them.

I am a professional and I can’t be replaced by a nurse practitioner or other provider that claims to be able to practice medicine at a cut rate.

I am a professional and I will work to make sure I hold my colleagues to the high standards we expect of each other and not accept sham peer review and “disruptive physician” star chambers.

But like you, I am also compassionate and will work to make sure that government and charity assistance is there for the needy – and not merely an economically unsustainable entitlement that benefits no one even though they are “covered”. I will provide charity when I can afford to stay in practice for those who are truly in need – not forced to provide free care to anyone the government chooses.

Because I am an American, I am rising up to stop this so called health system reform train. I ask you to join me, because as it turns out DOCTORS ARE THE MOTOR THAT DRIVES THE TRAIN – if we stop providing care, the train stops. If we call to our patients and tell them they are in danger, they will come to our aid. Now is the time for bold action and we must use the tools our forefathers gave us to do so: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom to petition our government. That is why hundreds of thousands of Americans are marching in the streets in July against government-run medicine. They need your help and your leadership.

So I am calling on you to join your patients, me and other doctors around our nation who want to save your profession from the bureaucrats, bean counters and politicians. Here is how you can help.

1. Join the fight. Sign up to volunteer at TakeBackMedicine.com. Go to Teapartypatriots.org.
2. Spread the word. Write a letter to your patients. Host a town hall meeting in your community together with local groups. They love when doctors come to speak and they will welcome you. Tools will be available for you to use at TakeBackMedicine.com.
3. March on Congress in Your Community. There are “Healthcare Freedom Tea Parties” organized in Florida on July 2nd (nogovernmenthealthcare.com) and nationally on July 17 at Congressional offices (Teapartypatriots.org). Join up. Speak there. Bring friends.
4. Keep the Pressure on Congress and in the Public all summer. You will need to call your Congressman and write them. You will need to write letters to the editor, op. ed. pieces and volunteer for radio shows. Our speakers bureau at takebackmedicine.com can help.
5. Join the AAPS. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons has fought since 1943 to protect the private practice of medicine (aapsonline.org). You should work to make sure the AMA stands up for private contracting and your rights as a physician, but the AAPS is doing it now by filing lawsuits and warning the public. You can make sure your local or state medical society or specialty society sends representatives to the AMA who will fight for your practice as well.
6. Take Control of Your Medical Staff Officers. Tell them to stand up for your rights and true quality care. Tell them to stop allowing administration to place endless protocols, computerized work and nonsensical forms on your practice. Have your medical staff hire its own attorney – don’t use the hospital attorney. Incorporate separately from the hospital.
7. Consider donating. I am writing for myself, so won’t be specific. But it is hard to win against a well funded political machine on blood sweat and tears. Find a group that supports this cause and help them financially.
8. Consider dropping third party payer contracts and Medicare. At what point will you leave the medical police state? When you are fully chained and in control. You won’t be able to leave then. I have dropped United, Medicaid and am working to drop others – not for the money, but to avoid the control they would place on my practice.

This is your last chance. I hope you will join your patients, your fellow doctors and me and rise up to rescue medicine and usher in a new golden age of medicine that comes from a truly free market.

Then you will be able to trust your doctor when you need them, and your patients will too.

Sincerely,

David McKalip, M.D.

*Dr. McKalip is a private practice brain and spine surgeon in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the President-elect of the Pinellas County Medical Association, President of the Florida Neurosurgical Society, serves on the Board of the Florida Medical Association (FMA) and is on the Florida Delegation to the AMA’s key policy making body, the House of Delegates. He serves as the Chairman of the Council on Medical Economics for the FMA and lead the effort to write a health system reform plan for the FMA that focuses on individual financial empowerment of patients. Dr. McKalip founded Doctors for Patient Freedom and is working to ensure that individual savings, choice and competition create better and more affordable medical care for Americans. Dr. McKalip has written and spoken on the unintended consequences of expanded government and corporate control of health care financing and medical decision making including rationing, cookbook medicine, unsustainable economic models for government and unaffordable or unavailable private insurance products and financing options for patients.”

[1] Dr. William Plested, a liberty-loving past president of the AMA stood apart from many and pointed out the characteristics of our Profession in 2006.

* Long years of intensive education and training established by the members of the profession;
* Standards of behavior and ethics established by the members of the profession;
* Disciplinary procedures and actions that are established and enforced by the members of the profession and, The valuation of professional services established by the members of the profession.

[2] While an insurance mandate may sound good at first, it is soon to be followed by a mandate for doctors to take the insurance – no matter what it pays or what onerous regulations it imposes on medical practice. The state of Massachusetts now must spend $869 million to subsidize people to buy insurance, there are long waits for primary care doctors, the public hospitals are being paid less and there is intense pressure to impose cost control policies on doctors like bundling, global payments and efficiency measures!

[3] Dr. Ed Annis warned us of this when, the night after President Kennnedy gave the worse speech of his career in support of Medicare, in an empty Madison Square Garden he warned Americans about Medicare. “This Bill would put the government smack into your hospitals! Defining services, setting standards, establishing committees, calling for reports, deciding who gets in and who gets out-what they get and what they don't-even getting into the teaching of medicine-and all the time imposing a federally administered financial budget on our houses of mercy and healing. It will create an unpredictable burden on every working taxpayer. It will undercut and destroy the wholesome growth of private voluntary insurance and prepayment health plans for the aged which offer flexible benefits in the full range of individual needs. It will lower the quality and availability of hospital services throughout our country. It will stand between patients and their doctors. And it will serve as the forerunner of a different system of medicine for all Americans." Medicare was killed that year and was only passed on a slim margin in 1965 with President Johnson trading on the image of the “martyred President” and using his classic strong arm tactics.

SUNLIGHT IS GOOD FOR YOU

2009-08-04T20:59:00.006-04:00

Fifteen Facts You Probably Never Knew About Sunlight Exposure
http://www.naturalnews.com/003069.html

Sunlight, Vitamin D and Health
http://www.healingtherapies.info/Sunlight&VitaminD.htm

Sunlight Does Not Cause Skin Cancer
http://www.vimeo.com/3179368

SUNSCREEN ISN'T ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE

2009-08-04T20:46:00.004-04:00

A friend just sent this newly released article to me, and I have nothing more to say except that I agree with it, having researched the topic for years, myself. Loving mothers and fathers are dutifully slathering sunscreen on their children (and themselves) and it doesn't do a body good. I disagree that she says put screen on after 10 minutes in the sun. I've read that up to one hour of sun is good, and has direct relation to activating not only Vitamin D production, but also the immune system. Read on...

Millions of U.S. Children Low In Vitamin D

August 3, 2009 — (BRONX, NY) — Seven out of ten U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone and heart disease, according to a study of over 6,000 children by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The striking findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency could place millions of children at risk for high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. The study is published today in the online version of Pediatrics.

Vitamin D deficiency was thought to be relatively rare in the U.S. However, recent studies have documented this growing problem in adults. With cases of rickets (a bone disease in infants caused by low vitamin D levels) on the rise, it became clear that many children were also not getting enough of this essential vitamin, which is needed for healthy bone growth, among other biological processes.

"Several small studies had found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in specific populations of children, but no one had examined this issue nationwide," says study leader Michal L. Melamed, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and of epidemiology & population health at Einstein. Dr. Melamed has published extensively on the importance of vitamin D.

To learn more about the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (defined as less than 15 ng/mL of blood) and vitamin D insufficiency (15 to 29 ng/mL), the researchers analyzed data on more than 6,000 children, ages one to 21, collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2004.

The researchers found that 9 percent of the study sample, equivalent to 7.6 million children across the U.S., was vitamin D deficient, while another 61 percent, or 50.8 million, was vitamin D insufficient. Low vitamin D levels were especially common in children who were older, female, African-American, Mexican-American, obese, drank milk less than once a week, or spent more than four hours a day watching TV, playing videogames, or using computers.

The researchers also found that low levels of vitamin D deficiency were associated with higher parathyroid hormone levels, a marker of bone health, higher systolic blood pressure, and lower serum calcium and HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which are key risk factors for heart disease.

"We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking," says lead author Juhi Kumar, M.D., M.P.H., a fellow in pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Kumar will become an assistant professor of pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College in August, 2009.

"We know from earlier NHANES data that vitamin D levels have declined over the last 20 years," says Dr. Melamed. "Kids have more sedentary lifestyles today and are not spending as much time outdoors. The widespread use of sunscreens, which block UV-B rays, has only compounded the problem." The body uses UV-B sunlight to convert a form of cholesterol in the skin into vitamin D.

Dr. Melamed recommends that children should consume more foods rich in vitamin D, such as milk and fish. "But it's very hard to get enough vitamin D from dietary sources alone," she says.

Vitamin D supplementation can help. In the study, children who took vitamin D supplements (400 IU/day) were less likely to be deficient in the vitamin. However, only four percent of the study population actually used supplements. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which recently updated its vitamin D guidelines, now recommends that infants, children, and teens should take 400 IU per day in supplement form.

Supplements are especially important for those living in the country's northern regions where the sun may be too weak to maintain healthy vitamin D levels. Supplements are also critical for infants who are breast-fed, say the researchers. Breast milk contains relatively little vitamin D, while formula is fortified with the vitamin.

The authors recommend that pediatricians should routinely screen high-risk children for vitamin D deficiency, and that parents should ensure that their kids get adequate amounts of the vitamin through a combination of diet, supplements, and exposure to sunlight.

"The message for pediatricians is that vitamin D deficiency is a real problem with consequences not only for bone health but also potentially for long-term cardiovascular health. Pediatricians should be screening children for vitamin D levels, especially in the high-risk populations," says Dr. Kumar. A study co-led by Dr. Melamed and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in August 2008 reported that individuals with low levels of vitamin D may have an increased risk of death from all causes.

As for parents, says Dr. Melamed, "It would good for them to turn off the TV and send their kids outside. Just 15 to 20 minutes a day should be enough. And unless they burn easily, don't put sunscreen on them until they've been out in the sun for 10 minutes, so they get the good stuff but not sun damage."

The study, "Prevalence and Associations of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Deficiency in Children and Adolescents in the United States: Results from NHANES 2001-2004," is published today in the online version of Pediatrics. Dr. Melamed and Dr. Kumar's co-authors include Paul Muntner, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham; Frederick J. Kaskel, M.D., Ph.D., Montefiore Children's Hospital; and Susan M. Hailpern, Dr.P.H., M.S., Northrop Grumman and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

XYLITOL - NATURAL SUGAR

2009-08-04T17:36:00.001-04:00

XYLITOL

http://www.xylitol.org/

ALSO, from Wikipedia…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol…see this below…

Production of xylitol
Xylitol (Finnish ksylitoli) was first derived from birch trees in Finland in the 20th century and was first popularised in Europe as a safe sweetener for people with diabetes that would not impact insulin levels.
Properties
One teaspoon (5 mL) of xylitol contains 9.6 calories, as compared to one teaspoon of sugar, which has 15 calories. Xylitol has virtually no aftertaste, and is advertised as "safe for diabetics and individuals with hyperglycemia." This tolerance is attributed to the lower impact of xylitol on a person's blood sugar, compared to that of regular sugars.[6]
Osteoporosis
Xylitol also has potential as a treatment for osteoporosis. A group of Finnish researchers has found that dietary xylitol prevents weakening of bones in laboratory rats, and actually improves bone density.[16][17]
Ear and upper respiratory infections
Studies have shown that xylitol chewing gum can help prevent ear infections[18] (acute otitis media); the act of chewing and swallowing assists with the disposal of earwax and clearing the middle ear, whilst the presence of xylitol prevents the growth of bacteria in the eustachian tubes (auditory tubes or pharyngotympanic tubes) which connect the nose and ear.[19] When bacteria enter the body they hold on to the tissues by hanging on to a variety of sugar complexes. The open nature of xylitol and its ability to form many different sugar-like structures appears to interfere with the ability of many bacteria to adhere.[20] In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, saline solutions of xylitol significantly reduced the number of nasal coagulase-negative Staphylococcus bacteria. The researchers attributed the benefits to the increased effectiveness of endogenous (naturally present in the body) antimicrobial factors.[21]
Infection
In rats, xylitol has been found to increase the activity of neutrophils, the white blood cells involved in fighting many bacteria. This effect seems to be quite broad, acting even in cases such as general sepsis. [22]
Candida yeast
A recent report suggests that consumption of xylitol may help control oral infections of Candida yeast; in contrast, galactose, glucose, and sucrose may increase proliferation.[23]
Benefits for pregnant or nursing women
Xylitol is not only safe for pregnant and nursing women, but studies show that regular use significantly reduces the probability of transmitting the Streptococcus mutans bacteria, which is responsible for tooth decay, from mother to child during the first two years of life by as much as 80%.[24]
Safety
Xylitol has no known toxicity in humans, and people have consumed as much as 400 grams daily for long periods with no apparent ill effects.[25] Like most sugar alcohols, it has a laxative effect because sugar alcohols are not fully broken down during digestion; albeit ten times weaker than sorbitol. The effect depends upon the individual. In one study of 13 children, 4 experienced diarrhea when consuming over 65 grams per day.[26] Studies have reported that adaptation occurs after several weeks of consumption.[26]
Dogs that have ingested foods containing high levels of xylitol (greater than 100 milligram of xylitol consumed per kilogram of bodyweight) have presented with low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) which can be life-threatening.[27] Low blood sugar can result in a loss of coordination, depression, collapse and seizures in as soon as 30 minutes.[28][29] Intake of very high doses of xylitol (greater than 500 - 1000 mg/kg bwt) has also been implicated in liver failure in dogs, which can be fatal.[30] These are points of controversy, however, as earlier World Health Organization studies using much higher doses on dogs for long periods showed no ill effect. [31]

MEDICAL NEWS TODAY - NO OBAMA BILL

2009-08-04T17:32:00.003-04:00

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.php?newsid=158087

This is extremely important and thank God these physicians are banding together to speak out against it. Read on !

US Physicians Do Not Endorse House Healthcare Bill
20 Jul 2009

Yesterday the AMA issued formal endorsement of the House Healthcare Bill. According to Sermo (http://www.sermo.com), the largest online community of physicians in the US, AMA's endorsement does not reflect the position of practicing physicians.

The healthcare concerns of US physicians have been well documented in thousands of online discussions on Sermo. Most notably, these concerns were outlined in "An Open Letter from America's Physicians" which details the physician community's concerns with the US healthcare system and how these concerns impact physicians' ability to provide quality care for their patients. The letter, originally published on Sermo, has been signed by over 13,000 US physicians and is now available to the public at http://www.doctorsunite.org.

"Physicians are the only true advocates for their patients and this bill fails to meet what physicians need to improve the quality of care they deliver," said Dr. Daniel Palestrant, Sermo CEO. "By endorsing a bill that does not adequately address concerns of physicians in this country, the AMA shows again that it is out of touch with physicians and is conflicted by its own business model. We welcome both Democratic and Republican lawmakers to engage with real physicians who actually practice medicine to get real-time feedback on how to reform healthcare."

In a recent post on Sermo, Palestrant called for the AMA to resolve its conflicts of interest by shedding its relationships with insurers and abandoning tactics that take advantage of physicians and their patients to generate millions of dollars in revenue. Palestrant continued, "Physicians have voted with their feet with AMA membership now estimated at only 15-20% of US physicians."

Just last week, Sermo released results of a new survey indicating US physicians-at least a representative sample of the more than 100,000 who use Sermo-no longer want the AMA to represent them and question the conflict of interest the AMA's current business model creates in this debate (http://www.sermo.com/blog). More specifically:

- 75% of physicians surveyed are not members of the AMA.*
- 89% of physicians claim, "The AMA does not speak for me."*
- 91% of physicians surveyed do not believe the AMA accurately reflects their opinion as physicians.*
- 87% of physicians surveyed think it is wrong that the AMA makes more money from insurance companies than it does from membership dues.**
- 93% of physicians surveyed stated that they did not believe that the government should continue to support the AMA's monopoly on billing codes**

* 4,156 physicians responded to a survey, conducted between July 1 and July 7, 2009; ** 1,957 physicians responded to a survey, conducted between July 8 and July 16, 2009. Respondents to Sermo online surveys span 68 specialties and all 50 states. The average age of physicians is 49 years old, with a median of 13 years experience in practice. The demographics of physician respondents is representative of the US physician population with respect to geographic distribution, most specialties and age. All respondents are verified and credentialed, ensuring they have valid, active licenses to practice medicine in the United States. Physician respondents work in practices of all sizes in all major urban and remote rural locations across the Unites States.

Source
Sermo

Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158087.php

Main News Category: Public Health

Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

Save time! Get the latest medical news headlines for your specialist area, in a weekly newsletter e-mail. See http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newsletters.php for details.
Send your press releases to pressrelease@medicalnewstoday.com

PRESCHOOL WEBSITE LINKS

2009-08-03T22:59:00.002-04:00

PRESCHOOL

(The picture is of two of my youngest children riding the caboose at Six Flags)

EVERYTHING PRESCHOOL
If it's fun for a preschooler, it's probably listed at this site !

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/art/crafts.htm

HOMESCHOOL PRESCHOOL CURRICULUMS

This site does sell curriculum, but also offers free preschool resources likes worksheets, too.
http://www.abchomepreschool.com

KIDS SOUP

Preschool activities and craft ideas with a theme.

http://www.kidssoup.com

LEARNING TREASURES

A one-stop preschool resource site, complete with lots of free, printable materials.
http://www.learningtreasures.com

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Easy preschool activities for busy moms and teachers.
http://www.shirleys-preschool-activities.com

PRESCHOOL CRAFTS Here is a list of fun crafts that you and your children can do together.

http://www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/crafts.html

PRESCHOOL EDUCATION

Loads of free themed topics to use.

http://www.preschooleducation.com

PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Providing links to lesson plans, worksheets, tips, activities and more for your preschool child!

http://www.homeschoolingadventures.com/preschool.html

PRESCHOOL EXPRESS

Monthly themed activities with great ideas.
http://www.preschoolexpress.com

PRESCHOOL LEARNING ONLINE

Lots of different topics for use in your preschool homeschool; songs, toys, stories, many ideas.
http://www.preschoollearningonline.com

PRESCHOOL PAPER CRAFTS Paper dolls, yarn bugs, bead patterns, scout crafts, much, much more.
http://www.makingfriends.com/precrafts.htm

PRESCHOOL RAINBOW

Preschool education activities and early childhood education lesson plans that give preschool children choices.
http://www.preschoolrainbow.com

SESAME STREET ONLINE

It speaks for itself; Sesame Street online !
http://www.sesameworkshop.org

HOMESCHOOL GEOGRAPHY LINKS !

2009-08-01T23:38:00.006-04:00

I've been busy in the last few weeks, gathering the resources that we'll be using in our homeschool, come September 1st. I'm using a modified version of the 'workbox' system. If I followed the system as the author proposed it, I'd have boxes all over my house and onto the roof, preparing boxes for six kids, times many subjects. I gave it a lot of thought, and I decided that I'm grouping my boxes by topic for three of the kids, and the three youngest will share two boxes. For us, it will work and I'm very excited about it.

In my work gathering resources, I have found quite a few links that are good quality finds for Geography in general, and World Geography more specifically. Some of the sites listed have both; some don't. In either case, these are well worth sharing so by all means, pass this info along to friends who could benefit...one homeschooler to another.

So in case you happen to be wondering why I have a picture here of my daughter's (8) feet sticking out of the lake water, when I'm blogging about geography and homeschooling, let me just say this; IT IS STILL SUMMER TIME !!! Okay, that feels better. As much as I love preparing for a new homeschool year, we all enjoy summer play time ! Gotta keep it all in perspective, LOL.

WORLD GEOGRAPHY
http://www.kbears.com/geography.html

ALL THINGS WORLD GEOGRAPHY
http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/

THE CONTINENTS AND TRAVEL CONNECTIONS
http://northvalley.net/kids/cities.shtml

COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD – YEARLY ARCHIVED FACTS
http://www.theodora.com/wfb/

GEOGRAPHY GAMES TO PLAY ONLINE (plus much more)
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/

GEOGRAPHY AT ENCHANTED LEARNING
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/

WORLD ANIMALS
http://www.kbears.com/k12animals.html

TRAVEL INSIDE THE OCEAN
http://www.kbears.com/ocean/index.html

WORLD GEOGRAPHY LESSONS WITH MR. DONN
http://www.mrdonn.org/geography.html

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ONLINE
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids

GEOGRAPHY TEACHER RESOURCES – PRINTABLES (k-12)
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/geography/teacher-resources/6642.html

MAKE YOUR OWN MATCH-UP WORKSHEETS
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/printable-worksheets/make-your-own/match-up/match-up.php?list=4525

ANOTHER BABY IS HERE !

2009-08-01T23:26:00.003-04:00

Caleb Matthew was born on July 29th, 2009 weighing in at 9 pounds, 7 ounces and 22 inches long. My second grandchild, born five months after the first one came along !
Counting my blessings...

COVERED BRIDGES IN VERMONT

2009-07-18T23:32:00.004-04:00

We recently returned from a camping trip in Vermont, which was a total delight with good weather to complement the trip. After the month of June, which blessed us with a whopping three days of sunshine, we were a bit nervous about making the trek for a camping week as building an ark isn't what we had planned to do !

On the way to the campground, my cell phone rang. My daughter, who is expecting a baby boy on August 4th, had just gotten home from her visit to the OB. He told her that she's ready to go !! Yikes. My response was purely selfish; don't be having that baby when I'm away ! Well, as good fortune would have it, she is still pregnant and we are now home, waiting...waiting...for the phone call to go to the hospital because she's in labor.

So, contented with S'mores up to my eyeballs, I will get on with sharing the pix of the historic (and still fully functional), covered bridges, and the river passing by under one of them, that sported a lost soccer ball. We watched it occasionally bounce up from the pressure of a waterfall, and I was able to catch a snapshot of it. Look carefully !

GRANNYCARE IS THE BEST

2009-06-14T21:05:00.003-04:00

Baby love is three months old and I've adjusted to doing grannycare for about a month or so now. I've homeschooled with babies in the house before, but it's been a creative endeavor each and every time ! Feeding baby mommymilk while helping the 8 year old with math, or setting up a science experiment, can get interesting, when balancing a little one on my lap. Baby A does enjoy sitting on my lap while I am reading to the two youngest girls. She soaks in the pictures quite contentedly.
It's a great motivator for me to finish up the school work in the morning, get the housework taken care of, something selected for dinner (probably tossed into the crock pot), and then take the afternoon off. Going to the park, or favorite places to go for a stroller walk, is a delight. I've planned "nothing" all summer long so that I can enjoy every moment of this one and only summer of her being a little baby. Next summer, she'll be just walking (heaven help me) !! As we grammy's know, time waits for noone. I will be stopping to smell the roses.

HOMESCHOOLING, LAP-NOTEBOOKING, PAPER PLATES AND INDEX CARDS

2009-06-12T17:37:00.003-04:00

As I am working toward closure on our school year, I'm also gearing up for September for our next school year. Please tell me I'm not the only one doing this ? I didn't think so !

One thing we all know about homeschooling is how diverse we are in our methods. For me, it's a wonderful opportunity when I find new ways to introduce a creative element into our homeschool learning. In the last few months, I've been learning about workboxes, notebooking and more recently, index cards and paper plates, to spice things up. I'll include some links below.

As those of us with large families especially realize, we can take advantage of the difference in ages among our children and have them help one another. Not to be overdone, of course, lest the complaint departments (known as disgruntled children) start up. But seriously, my 11 and 13 year old children are happy to help out if I ask them to help some of the younger children. From time to time, I will ask them to step in and help out with lapbooking projects, spelling tests, art work, or other areas. Why do I do this ? For one thing, it's Bonding Time With the Siblings, when the older ones feel good about being able to help their siblings out and the little ones adore their undivided attention. Sometimes it can be just as simple as sitting together and the tween/teen reading the little ones story books. Or playing ball outdoors. Whatever it is, it's special and it's between them; mom and dad are only onlookers.

With that in mind, I am working on a method for our family that will work, I'm confident. (enough to try it, anyway) I'm sorting through our bookshelves, tossing out things that we need to move beyond, and organizing the rest. This time, I am not organizing by grade level per child, though. I'm organizing by subject only. Then, I plan to pull out the subject material for each child, and place it in a workbox dedicated to that subject. We'll all do different things, at the same time. I think it can work. I'm willing to try.

Together, we'll go over the Start Up of their new school year and we'll choose where to best apply the creative element that the notebooking, paper plates, index cards, and lapbooking all have to offer. As energized as I am for this school year to be winding down so I can enjoy spontaneous time with my six littles and my 3 month old granddaughter that I'm doing grannycare for; I'm also energized about the fun start to our next homeschooling year in September !

Some links to spark your curiosity or add to your resources:

PAPER PLATE HOMESCHOOLING http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/

INDEX CARD HOMESCHOOLING http://homeschoolwithindexcards.com/Notebooking-Forms.html

PAPER PLATE CRAFTS for the elementary schoolaged child
http://www.crayola.com/search/results.cfm?keywords=paper+plate&x=8&y=6

NOTEBOOKING 101
http://www.notebookingpages.com/index.php?page=Notebooking-Information

LAPBOOKING 101
http://www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/lapbooks.html

There you have it; some basic connections to whet your whistle. Now, I'm off. Dad is home with the pizza ! Dinner calls.

RAINBOWS & WITCH TRIALS

2009-06-12T16:39:00.009-04:00

The kids and I (well some of them) had studied the 1690's during the time of the witch trials. The horrors of innocent human beings being murdered due to false allegations is beyond belief. Yet, do not similar accusations about innocent people occur today? A rhetorical question. Thus is the substance of sociopathic foes and ignorant, fear filled people. A lesson for all humanity.

Here are some resources that we found interesting.

Book: The Witch of Blackbird Pond (also a book on tape)
Book: The Salem Witch Trials

Websites: The Salem Witch Museum http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/

We visited this museum's Gift Shop and spent some time in the free area in the entrance hallway. It was lined with large photos and plaquards describing the history behind the pictures. The kids and I smiled as we read information that we'd studied at home before our trip. We decided not to take the paid tour into the witch museum, because we learned that the details given of the history might be disturbing to little children. We skipped the dark side of the history and kept our overall trip a positive experience.

Visiting Salem is really quite easy. We parked alongside the street, near a quaint little park. Then, touring the city was as easy as following the bright red painted line all throughout the sidewalks. We only spent one day there, and we probably walked a million miles (okay, so not quite a million, but you take six young ones along and see if it doesn't start to FEEL like a million, LOL). Thankfully, the weather was perfect; not too hot, mostly sunny.

One place we did spend quite a few hours, was The House of Seven Gables. That was interesting to learn about. That poor house had gone through additions to the property and then certain owners decided that they didn't like the additions and they had them removed ! Why bother buying the house ? Anyhow ... at this time, the original size of the house, that included all 7 gables, pointing to the different compass points, has been restored. The secret passageway that is built into the chimney is quite a trip; a part of the tour I'd have been happy to skip. A few folks did. It's a tight squeeze and not for those prone to any claustrophobia !

Website: The House of Seven Gables http://www.7gables.org/

We were on our way home from our trip to Salem, Massachusetts. All in all, a good time. But, despite the awesome campground we stayed at, and enjoying our tourist experiences, the best was yet to come. We drove home, and partway we faced up with some strong thunderstorms. Highway traffic had slowed, the skies were as dark as early night, and I dreaded the long drive all the way home in such drab weather. As we were within an hour of home, the skies changed. The sun was out ahead. I pulled off the road because I noticed in my rear view mirror, a double rainbow. The pictures just don't do it justice, but I'll share what I was able to capture. Enjoy!

Easter, Flowers & Poetry

2009-04-13T21:05:00.003-04:00

The purple flower is one of the first blooming this spring; the pic taken at a friend's house a few days ago. The kids and I went over to visit and celebrate with friends for an Easter celebration last Friday. The kids had fun playing, hunting for eggs, decorating crafts, coloring eggs. This past month I haven't even posted as we've been extremely busy. Trying to juggle schedules, figure out where the kids are at, so we finish up "school" on time, going out for long walks when we are able to, on a sunny day. It has caused the days to blur into weeks.

Now, we are through Easter. The ol' bunny came 'round, as usual. It was a delightful day, though when we all went out to visit a park along the oceanfront, the sun was deceptively warm from indoors. Once we were outside walking, the wind and the cold taunted us ! We planned for a late day turkey dinner, and had brought our packed lunch along for a picnic. But, alas, the cold, brisk wind had its way with us and the children begged to eat in the car ! I guess a successful picnic is in the eyes of the warm and comfortable beholder. We walked out on the long dock, chatted with a lone fisherman, and listened to his tale of woe. The fish weren't biting because the water was too choppy. He packed it up and called it a day. So did we. As we drove away, we watched an older couple who had just arrived. Clearly by the appearance of the sweater the husband was wearing, and the dress pants and jacket the wife donned, they were like us, unaware as they started their walk from the parking lot toward the walkway along the shore, how brisk that cold ocean wind was going to be. All the while, as we drove away, giggling that they, too, would soon be heading right back toward their car !

Didya know ? April is poetry month ? Here is a link to one of the best Kids' Poetry websites on the net ! I've been slooowly working on a unit study for my kids, on poetry. It's going to be geared toward reading poetry, interpreting the styles (and meaning), along with starting our own collection of creative writing. I'm really excited about this and it's actually going toward what I'm developing for this coming autumn's school year. The kids are starting to wind down their activities at various classes, clubs, etc. I'm starting to see more free time ahead so we can make choices about where to go and what to do more spontaneously. YIPPEE ! I know that next year, we're going to be leaving more uncommitted time open for "out of the house" activities of a spontaneous sort.

It seems that the national interest in poetry is waning. In some public schools, it's not even being taught anymore. I'm not pleased to hear that, but at least I know that in our house, we'll be lapbooking poetry, reading poetry, and probably having plenty of it hanging on the fridge !

GEOGRAPHY RESOURCES !

2009-02-22T21:03:00.004-05:00

Today a friend of mine sent along this other mom's site, with geography resources. In our homeschool this year, I'm spending a lot of time doing U.S.A. Geography, complete with lapbooking, with my 2nd grader. Don't even know who this mom is, but I thank her for this information she posted. Check it out ! http://www.homegrownhearts.com/fun.htm

I'M OFFICIALLY A GRANDMOTHER !

2009-02-18T23:19:00.005-05:00

Adriana Nichole
9 pounds, 14 ounces
21 - 1/2 inches long

arrived at 4:58 a.m. on February 17th, healthy and complaining ! !

Go, Sheri ... your momma intuition sure called that one ! She was in labor starting the night of the 16th, and ...
So, I was there for everything, which was too cool. When the baby is 6-8 weeks old, momma will be going back to work full time at her practice, and I get to babysit ! Yeah !!!
What a total miracle life is.

BABIES, BIRTHDAYS AND CAKES

2009-02-14T01:17:00.003-05:00

I haven't had time to post lately. Now that I have a few minutes, I'd like to share these photos from a class my 13 and 11 year olds are taking. It's called Bon Appetite ! and there is a chef and a baker who both take turns teaching the kids. They made all of the decorations on this cake, which they made as a surprise for a young lady there who was turning 25 years young. In their cooking class, they've made Spanakopita, stuffed portabella mushrooms, and a killer marinara sauce. Not sure what's on next week's menu, but I know that on the last day of the class, all of the families are invited to attend a buffet that the kids will have made themselves. It's a fun and educational time for all !

Now, speaking of birthday cakes, two of my children both have birthdays tomorrow, though they are one year apart in age. February 15th. The big question is, will my first grandchild, who is STILL unborn, come on that date, too ? My grammy hunch from the get-go, was a very vocal vote of February 16th for a Birth Day. We shall see...

All is well.

U.S.A. POSTCARDS

2009-01-26T01:17:00.003-05:00

We have almost completed our collection of postcards from every state in the U.S.A. They are listed above in alphabetical order. Very soon, the collection will be complete. The kids are going to enter it into the 4-H Fair for 2009. We have more postcards than shown here, quite a few more. But, the pockets hold 50 cards, so we put the state map cards whenever we have them. The rest are being put into books. Fun !

DOOM & GLOOM ?

2009-01-26T01:00:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I don't like to say that I ascribe to the latest conspiracy theory. However, a while ago, a friend of mine sent me some www information and it led me to spend hours searching online. I found myself tangled in a web of frightening potentials. While I don't want to dismiss information that really is valid, I also don't want to get drawn into fear scenarios that aren't true. What do you think ?

This is the almost-two-hour video that started my plethora of google searches.

From Freedom to Fascism
By Aaron Russo
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173&hl=en

Video: Mad As Hell
by Aaron Russo
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1584595362217609102

Dismantle Civilisation
http://www.endgame.org.uk/

The Amero Currency
http://www.amerocurrency.com/index.html

The Daily Paul (Ron Paul’s Insight)
http://www.dailypaul.com/user/13050

Rockefeller Reveals 9/11 FRAUD to Aaron Russo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nD7dbkkBIA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51PBLvZwN28&NR=1

The Shocking Video Hillary Does NOT Want You To See
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMfUajhL24I&feature=related

Listen To John F. Kennedy Warn the People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y08pJiNS8mk&NR=1

Evidence of G.W. Bush Lying About 9-11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm73wOuPL60&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlWSv0NZBRw&feature=related

http://www.ny911truth.org

http://www.Infowars.com

http://www.prisonplanet.com

http://www.nontaxpayer.org

VEST & CAPRI OUTFIT SEWN

2009-01-26T00:49:00.003-05:00

This pic didn't come out so well, but here it is. I cut this pink floral pinwale corduroy fabric out three years ago. Yep, talk about not having time for a project... So, since my 11 yr old would no longer fit into the outfit, I made it for my 7 yr old. It's a very simple pattern. Actually, I modified the pattern. Now, I'm working on three dresses for springtime, for the girls. We like to go visit Old Sturbridge Village http://www.osv.org as often as we are able to. Love that place ! When we go back this spring, the girls are all going to be wearing the same style of dresses, in the same pattern print, though in different colors. The 11 yr old's is green; the 7 yr old's is purple and the 3 yr old's is blue. They're almost done !

2009-01-26T00:28:00.004-05:00

I was in the mood to go shopping a few days ago. Took a few of the goils with me and we headed over to A.C. Moore, where we found the after Christmas bargains. Instead of paying about $15 each for the gingerbread trees (ready to make, decorate and eat), along with the gingerbread cookies, we got them for a DOLLAR each ! Considering that in the past when we've gotten these, and paid far more so we had them pre-holiday, and considering how hard and unfresh the gingerbread cookie part of it is, we waited. If I'm going to pay for a stale cookie, dagnabbit, I want it cheap ! Well, today the kids made/ate the cookies and here's the tree from a few days ago. At least the kids liked it. Then again, they'll eat anything not nailed down. Can we talk about teenaged boys, anyone ? Egads !! It's like infancy all over again; my 13 yr old son needs to eat every 2 hours ! LOL

BABY UPDATE

2009-01-23T20:49:00.003-05:00

Okay, so as of today, the lil' critter is at 37 weeks. Considered full term. Mom-to-be is fully effaced, a little bit dilated, and the baby's head is almost at zero station. She's also losing the plug. Hmmm, me thinks she won't be making her due date !!! We'll see.

BABY SHOWER

2009-01-11T23:35:00.006-05:00

The picture isn't the best. It really doesn't show this in the best light, but it's the better of the two that we took ! My little girls came up with this idea. Just had to share the pic.