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2 Pages Per Month At A Glance Academic Calendar {2015 – 2016} Sea Crystals Color

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The first of the 2 page per month at a glance academic calendar for the 2015-2016 school year is ready!  And I am loving it. I already printed my copy and have it in my planner.

2 Pages Per Month At A Glance Academic Calendar

Just a heads up, remember I luv color so the calendar is a color calendar. It is a two page spread calendar that gives you plenty of room to write in.

At the top right side, I have a place on the first month, which is July for you to jot down projected dates for school to begin and end.  After that month, the box at the top right on the other pages are for you to track what is priority whether it’s dates to remember, projects or record keeping.

Remember too though I say it’s an academic calendar, it is 12 months so that you can either use it for year around homeschooling or just to note dates for the full year.

Bottom line, you get a full year to help track like we live life, year around and not just for a nine month school year.  Too, when you download the digital 2 pages per month at a glance calendar, you can print off as many copies as you like for your personal use.

If you use my Forever Blog Planner, you may want to add it to that planner, or your Curriculum Planner or Home Management Binder.

 

2015 - 2016 2 page per month Academic Sea Crystals c

 

2015 - 2016 2 page per month Academic Sea Crystals 2cGuess what? You can get it for only $.99 cents. Instant Download.

Important: READ THIS FIRST.

Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.

  • All my products are digital.  You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store.  A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar.
  • Downloads are INSTANT.  When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY.  Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer.  The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.
  • The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.
  • Links are TIME SENSITIVE, meaning you need to download right then AND save to your computer.  Please do not email me a week, two weeks or a month later telling me the “link  is not working” because it has expired or because you did not save it to your device.  I will not respond to those emails.
  • If a link is not “clickable” when you get your product download email, then copy/paste the link in your browser and your digital product will open.
  • Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

MY GUARANTEE:  To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant.  I value your business and value you as a follower.   I stand behind my products because they are actual products I use and benefit from too.  Though I cannot refund purchases after you have been given access to them, I will do what I can to be sure you are a pleased customer.

Hugs and love ya,

Also,check out the Top 10 Favorites of the 7 Step Homeschool Planner.

Also. grab Free Year At a Glance Form – For those Buried in the Organizing Details

And if you want to get started building your planner, then click the 7 Steps below:

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover

Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!

Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You!

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!

Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

Linking up @ these awesome places:

Fridays Unfolded |Link Party Palooza |Mom 2 Mom Monday |Hip Homeschool Hop |Titus 2 Tuesday | Turn it Up Tuesday | Laugh & Learn | Good Tips Tuesday |Tuesday Talk|

3 Wrong Ways to Homeschool a Hotheaded Child

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When I started homeschooling my first son, Mr. Senior 2013, he was the perfect child to school or least I thought so.  Along came Mr. Awesome and I was humbled because all of the sudden I had a hotheaded and stubborn child on my hands or least I thought so.

I just knew he was going to be defiant because of the way he wouldn’t sit like I thought he should, quietly as I taught him to read like I did with my oldest son.

Fast forward a few years into homeschooling my middle son and after many days that ended with tears (mine), it was hard to swallow the pill that I was the one creating the havoc.

Growing a Renegade Homeschooler

Today in 3 wrong ways to homeschool a hotheaded child, I want to share what I did wrong.

1. Assume that all children learn the same.

Because Mr. Awesome was very young, there were some questions I had to ponder as to my parenting and homeschooling. I had to figure out if I was the cause or not.  Sure, it’s easy to blame it on the kid because self-examination is not easy.

He wasn’t old enough to articulate and even at that some teens who struggle with how you teach a subject can’t articulate it either.  They might feel like you are the teacher and are doing things “right” and so the problem must be the kids.

Sad to say, some homeschool moms feel that way too.  They don’t analyze their approach, they just assume they have a defiant child.  They may, but then again, do they create the child that way because a parent won’t move out of the way they think.

Do you think there is something wrong with your child because he learns differently than you?  Do you feel your way is the best way of teaching because it is the way you process information?

See, I figured out that my middle son’s personality was opposite of mine.

Instead of feeding his desire to learn, I was suffocating it.  I was given him no choice but to act out because he had no other way of telling me.

2. Expecting my middle son who had a passion to create, learn outside the box and seize the moment to stay in the box because it felt right for me. Ouch.

Inexperienced homeschooling teacher that I was, I was more concerned about proving progress to others instead of learning how my son progressed and learned.

Rebellion was my son’s only way of letting me know that the way I so defiantly moved ahead in what worked for my first son didn’t work for him.  Where did my middle son get his stubborn streak from?

I was afraid he was going to be one of those little boys who was always disruptive because he never sat still and didn’t want to learn at a desk because that is where I thought learning took place.

3.  Schedule his every learning moment. 

Though my oldest son thrived when he could check off things on his list, my middle son felt trapped and confined.  From my middle son’s need to have flexibility and my need to not give up a routine, I created what I call zones in our day.

The morning zone is school, the afternoon zone is reading and the evening zone is family or play time.  As he grew, I gave him boundaries, but within those hours of the school zone he was free to choose which subjects he wanted to start with first and where to do them at.  He just had to get them done.

Now that Mr. Awesome is close to finishing his high school years, I again have tears but for a very different reason.

I am grateful for his gifts and how he taught me to be the kind of homeschooling educator I wanted to be.  Not one that insisted on her way or the highway, but one that could embrace many different learning styles.

He is the child that shook me out of my comfort zone and into creating lapbooks.  He is my inspiration for every lapbook created as I think about those learners who live life with so much gusto and need to move to make things happen.

As he fell behind in spelling one year with many sleepless nights on my part that year and then moved two grade levels up the next year, I realized to relax and embrace the ebb and flow of his learning.

Continuing to put in front of him what I wanted him to learn, he would come grab it from the learning table and run.  My kid who ate on the run learned on the run and all I had to do was to be sure it was on the table when he came back.

Understanding too that I didn’t have to give up everything that I loved about the classical approach or what my goals were for him, I knew that I could alter any of the homeschool approaches and embrace the unit study approach too.
I could expand any approach to include activities that suited the way my son learned best, which is through moving and hands-on.

I bucked the norm or system thinking that if a child was having fun or moving that he wasn’t learning and the way he now attacks his high school curriculum with such care to his grades and what he is learning is way more thanks than I could ever ask for.

As I mentioned he is close to finishing high school years, but I am not sure I will ever be done telling you about the things I learned from my “hotheaded” child.

But what if a child is actually willfully disobedient? Check out Homeschool Rebel or Resister and But the Little Dear Doesn’t Want to Homeschool.

Are you struggling with teaching a hotheaded child?

What are some things that worked for you?
Hugs and love ya

Signature T

 

Look at these books that helped me to decide rebel or resistant learner!

Persian Mosaic Craft Marco Polo Unit Study

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today we did a Persian mosaic craft for our Marco Polo Unit Study.

This unit study really lends itself to a lot of hands-on and we are not going to skimp on any of it or until Tiny has had his fill. It is going to be a big unit study so we are slowing down for this one.

Persian Mosaic Craft Marco Polo Unit Study

Covering the culture and geography of Asia takes time and it is best studied through the eyes of somebody that traveled during that time like Marco Polo.

One of the many things he would have seen along the Silk Road were the beautiful mosaics made by ancient Persian artists.

Persian Mosaic Craft for Kids

Though they would have used beads, glass, shells and just about anything they had to create their masterpiece, for this hands-on activity you too can use just about anything you have around your house.

A few ideas are:

  • pieces of aluminum foil
  • beads
  • sequins
  • seashells
  • rocks
  • macaroni, beans,etc.
  • grab some glue too

The Mr. had bought a few craft things for us when he was at the store and I picked up a few pieces of leather (pretty inexpensive here in Ecuador) and we used the leather pieces to make our mosaic.

Books About Marco Polo

First, look at these books about Marco Polo.

10 Marco Polo Books & Resources for Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To

Add some of these fun books about Marco Polo to your home library or use them in your unit studies.

So Tiny began to lay out his design.

After cutting out his pieces, he had to study his design for a while.

This was actually a good art lesson for him because like his mother (poor thing) he is not particularly comfortable with crafting and creating.

But because he just laps up a hands-on activity anytime we do one, I always make time for quite a few for him.

Unlike Mr. Awesome, who seizes the moment to craft and create, Tiny expects perfection every time, which is exactly why I like for him to do them. 

I want him to not be so hard on himself when it comes to creating and crafting and to lighten up some.

Have to love the many personalities you teach while homeschooling. 

One kid I have to rein in from hands-on to do some seat work and the other kid I have to unglue from the seat for some hands-on work.

Anyway, after Tiny studied his design for a while, he was satisfied and glued on all the pieces.

It makes it easy reading about Persian art and modern day Iran when your kid can do an engaging and simple activity.

We have a few more activities that we have done that I will be sharing soon, but we loved this easy peazy one.

Marco Polo Unit Study Hands-on Activities

Persian Mosaic Craft Marco Polo Unit Study

How to Get the Free Marco Polo Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free printable. It’s a subscriber freebie.

When you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

1) Sign up on my email list.
2) Grab the printable.
3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you.

Marco Polo Unit Study, Lapbook, and Hands-on Ideas

7 Step Homeschool Planner – Top 10 Favorites

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When I started creating the 7 Step Homeschool Planner quite a few years ago and before I started sharing with you, I had no idea that other homeschoolers had the same needs that I did.

Before I share the 7 Step Homeschool Planner – Top 10 Favorites of my readers, I wanted to take a minute to explain how to use it so that you are getting the most benefit from it.

Homeschool Planner Favorites

What makes the 7 Step Homeschool Planner so UNIQUE?

The top feature of the planner is that YOU pick exactly what you need each. 
Your needs change each year and so should your planner.

No downloading one huge .pdf of forms that may not be what you need for this year and laid out in way that works for somebody else. You are in control. (I love that word.)

7 Step Homeschool Planner – Top 10 Favorites

The nightmare of paying and downloading a planner that is set up to suit the needs of somebody else never works exactly the same for you.

The other top feature is that I guide you STEP by STEP through the 7 Steps or sections needed in a planner. I got you covered so that way you don’t miss something significant for the year.

I take the guesswork out of it for you.

Too, though I suggest that you put them in the order that I explain, a huge advantage to you hand picking each form is that you get to arrange the order of the sections.

Everybody has a method to their madness and your planner should speak volumes about the way you prefer to organize.

Although I could go on about how I add forms each year, give you tidbits on organizing along the way and tell you there are free forms at every step, which is another perk, the last advantage is that each planner is unique because my pages are not matchy-match.

The mix and match style keeps your planner just plain awesome. Your planner will always be unique because of the pages you choose each year

You can read some more key features of my planner on the 7 Step Homeschool Planner main page.

Without making you wait any longer, here are my readers’ Top 10 Favorites of my 7 Step Free Homeschool Planner.

Going from dazzling to totally awesome order, I started with number 10 on the list.

My teacher’s schedule gives you a glimpse of at least 3 kids at one time.

Tina Robertson Homeschool Schedule

10.  Teacher’s Schedule.  Look here on STEP 5b, Form 13.Class & Teacher Schedules to find  this form.

9. Then, you loved the planning sheet when planning for multiple children.Look here on STEP 5c, Form 2. Planning Sheet for Homeschooling Multiple Children to find this form.

And you can read about how I use the planning sheet on 5 Days Of The Benefits & Challenges of Teaching Mixed Ages Together – Day 4: Embrace Homeschooling Multiple Grades.

Look here on STEP 5c, Form 1. Community Service Record to find this form.

I love forms created out of a need because they are always the best instead of a fluff form for the sake of busy record keeping.

8. Then the community service tracker was created out of my need to track my highschoolers community service projects and apparently some of you were in need of it too.

7. Then like me, you also liked the 5 page holiday reference page in your planner.It is perfect in any planner and print off as many as you like.  You were really fond of the turquoise luv (me too.)

Look here on STEP 2 Option 5 Holiday Reference Page to find this form. 

Be sure you check out my Ultimate Unit Study Planner and Glam it Up Planner because each one serves a different purpose just like each of my unique forms do.

Look here on STEP 2, Option 5 Long Range Planning to find this form.

6. Then you know I am big on long range planning and goals because otherwise we just meander through homeschool with no plan. So you took it to heart too because the Long Range Planing form was number six.

Homeschool Lesson Planning Forms

5. Then you chose a back cover for one of the forms you used this year.  I think this means I need to create some more choices too since you are using it like I am.

Look here on STEP 1 Choose a Homeschool Planner Pretty Back Cover to find this form.

Look here on STEP 4 Daily Homeschool Lesson Planning form to find this form.

4. Then the daily lesson pages which are undated, thank you, so we don’t feel like we are behind from the beginning came in at number four.  A lot of you are using this lesson planning set up.

3.  Then there was a real need to clearly identify which curriculum resource was needed for which term and which child.  So the Curriculum Resources page was in your top 3 choices as a way to track curriculum resources.

Look here on STEP 5a, Form 4. Curriculum Resource Checklist – Editable Too! Up to 4 students on one page to find this form.

Look at these other fun planner pages

2. Then number 2. This is the beautiful 2 pages per month calendar with bigger boxes to write in for appointments.

Look here on STEP 2 Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers to find this form.

and then drum roll please . . .

Curriculum Pages for Planner

1. Weekly General Planning page came in at first place with 8,384 of you downloading it.

Look here on STEP 5b, Form 17. General Weekly Planning Page.  You can choose the free version or I have made the paid version editable with a WHOPPING 74 boxes.  Of course since it’s undated, it’s a one time purchase.

A lot of my other forms were neck in neck with these, but these showed the top number downloaded. Did your favorites make the list?

Remember too, I always, always take your suggestions for new forms because this is planner is for me AND for you.

7 Step Homeschool Planner – Top 10 Favorites

I am so glad that I have a place here where I can share all my homeschool planning forms.

Are you seeing what I have already created free for this coming school year?

Click here to go to my Free Organizing Printables category to grab them.

Hugs and love ya,

7 Step Homeschool Planner - Top 10 Reader Favorites

Ready to start building your own UNIQUE planner?

{The only thing quick here are the steps because this free planner has grown to over 500+ free downloads spread throughout the 7 easy steps and still going strong! Grab your cup of caffeine, coffee!}

7 Easy Steps – “Tons of Options & Pretty Color”

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover

Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!

Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You! Not a kazillion other people

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!

Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

I am PROUD to be part of iHN.  This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

Cooking in Ecuador

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

One thing about moving to any foreign country and that is the most well equipped cook can be brought to her knees because ingredients and spices can be very different.

You almost feel like a beginner cook because you do have to learn to cook differently.  On top of being in a different country, I have to adjust to the altitude here too while cooking in Ecuador.

I have started with the very basics.  You know my crew likes meat and potatoes and there is no shortage of that here.  But I did not realize, though I consider myself a cook from scratch type of person, that I was using still way too many ready things in the states.

While cooking a favorite of roast and potatoes for my crew, I often used premade cream of mushroom soup.  Guess what? They don’t have that here.  Before I tell you what I did, look at this list of some things they don’t have here or at least I am still on the hunt for them.

  • Cream of mushroom soup pre-made. 

Maggi brand has cream of mushroom and others in a bag that you mix with water, but that didn’t sound very appealing appetizing to me.

  • Chicken or Beef stock or broth.

Yep, you guessed it, I have been making my own.

  • Beef Bouillon Cubes.

I consider this a staple in my home.  Though they do have chicken bouillon cubes, it’s hard to make beef stew without my much loved beef bouillon cubes.

  • Chili Powder. I can just pass out over this one.

You know I am from Texas and well we love us some chili, tacos and fajitas with original chili powder.

These were very basic items I kept stocked up on for any easy meal preparation. 

So the other day, I started with my list and have tackled at least two things to make and keep in my freezer. 

Too, we wanted to cook a bit healthier here. I hadn’t read the label to those pre-made soups in a while, so I set out to stock my freezer a bit.

It’s pretty easy to make chicken stock, so I did.  But I was especially excited at finding a great link over at Money Saving Mom for cream of anything soup and oh I found a new recipe, Poor Man’s Steak that Tiny loves to. 

Adding in a new recipe was a side perk of my hunt.  ingredients for mushroom soup

ingredients for mushroom soup 2 ingredients for mushroom soup 3

Focusing on what we do have here, which is an abundance of a variety of fresh ingredients, I whipped me up some home made and delicious cream of mushroom soups. 

After seeing how easy it was, it makes me wonder why I didn’t do it before, but then again in the states it’s all about the convenience.

Too, this is my “market” and when you can find fresh fruits and vegetables on every corner, you are inspired to cook every bit of it home made.  Organic is delicious too.this is my market

 (cherries are in season and they are so sweet, we just can’t stay away from them and the grapes)

Then next on my list is learning how to cook all their tasty soups.  I could just live on soup and bread if my crew didn’t always want meat and potatoes.

(cream of onion)

(bean, hominy and corn soup)

(cream of broccoli is my favorite, so far, but I just had quinoa yesterday and now it’s a toss up)

(but then I forgot about the cauliflower soup where the cauliflower was slightly fried. I never leave any of the soup at lunch.)

Then of course there is no shortage of the best testing hamburgers you have ever had when you have had your fill of being a “trial” cook.

Somehow when we go out to eat, the ingredients and spices that aren’t found here in Cuenca just don’t seem that big of a deal.

Hugs and love ya,

Want to read some more about living in Ecuador?

Appreciating the Culture of South America Through Dance

5 Things I Love About Cuenca Ecuador

Everyday Life in Cuenca, Ecuador