homeschool favorites

3 Reasons Why You Should Be Reading Homeschool Magazines

March 9, 2016 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The homeschool community is tight-knit. Geographical boundaries or cultural differences are transcended when a family mentions they are homeschoolers. For many years, homeschool magazines have played a huge role in helping homeschooling families stick together.

Is Homeschooling Your Hobby?

Today, in sharing 3 reasons why you should be reading homeschool magazines, I want to share about not only why I love homeschool magazines, but why I specifically love Homeschooling Today.

Homeschooling journeys are time specific, but not so with homeschool magazines.

If you have homeschooled for a while and graduated a kid or two like I have, you know how precious short the time is to homeschool and to share personal experiences of your journey through blogs.

Homeschooling magazines don’t necessarily have a short life (that is unless we support them) span. This is a good thing because if you are new, you are encouraged from experiences of the past and are informed about trends of the future.

For example, one year at a booth Kelley and I had, we got to visit with Debbie Strayer, who was one of the original founders of Homeschooling Today and my heart was moved by her passion and love for homeschooling.

We shared some chit chat, but more than that she was willing to share so openly about what kept her going through her homeschool journey for many years.

Sadly, she is gone now, but her daughter keeps the homeschool passion alive through the pages of that magazine. So the homeschooling community moves forward strong as ever as our ideals are passed down to the next generation.

Do not miss precious nuggets of wisdom shared in that magazine from many seasoned homeschoolers from times past. A homeschool magazine, like Homeschooling Today, gives you roots.

Ready to Use Lessons. Love it!

Another perk of Homeschooling Today that I love is that they have ready made lessons.

In the above picture is one ready made lesson you’ll love that just came out in their current magazine.

The lesson is built around beautiful literature and the book in this lesson is about Abe Lincoln. Not only is a book mentioned, but hands-on activities and ideas are given so that you can use them instantly with your kids.

I love the teaching support I have received from them throughout the years. You’ll pine over this section.

Not time specific, but subject specific.

I know you would get hot under the collar if somebody told you that homeschooling is a hobby. It happened to me back when the kids were little and I was shocked and speechless.

Yes, I know hard to imagine me without a word to say, but I realized that a lot of people just don’t understand that homeschooling is a lifestyle.

And because homeschooling is a lifestyle choice, we need help on specific subjects and concerns that might come up in our journey.

Whether we are teaching multiple ages, special needs children or need help on organization, Homeschooling Today gets very specific on teaching tips.

Not all homeschool bloggers can host more experienced homeschoolers or even professionals on their blog, so we need homeschooling magazines, which continue to share very subject specific content.

Get a glimpse of Homeschooling Today by reading some of the up to date articles on their blog.

So not only purchase magazines for your children, but grab some help for yourself too.

I am unabashedly proud to say that homeschool magazines, like Homeschooling Today, not only make me feel like I am part of the global homeschooling community, but revive my homeschooling spirit when I feel it slumping.

Those are just three very short reasons why I love homeschool magazines.

Have you seen Homeschooling Today? You’ll love getting yours in the mail too. (uhmm yes I still love print magazines)

Hugs and love ya,

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Homeschool Geography Go To Resources

March 16, 2014 | 7 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Before we can dig into our brand new geography curriculum that we got from Bright Ideas Press, I needed to round up our homeschool geography resources that we already had on hand. Mr. Senior 2013 loves geography too so I know some of them were kept in his room for “light reading”.

I did manage to round up these atlases and books that I have had to show you some of what I use. Too, I have taken some screen shots to show you our brand new WonderMaps because I will be using WonderMaps with North Star Geography.

Today, I wanted to show you my growing geography resources that I know we will be using with North Star Geography. Only 2 books are missing from the above list because Mr. Senior 2013 has them in his room, but I can tell you about them too in just a minute.

I am sure you can study geography on probably a lot less than we have, but we can’t. Our geography habit needs to be fed each year, so we have added resources slowly. Too, as the boys got older they have wanted their own books and resources. As the budget allowed, I added them in regularly.

So below I have listed resources that I think are must-haves or basic. Again, it doesn’t mean you need all of them, but helping to know which ones are more useful or helpful makes it easier to decide. The other resources pictured above but not listed below, I add in as enrichment and I just wanted you to see them.

Homeschool Geogrpahy Go To Resources Linked Up

1. The inexpensive geography mats we actually picked up at Wal-mart a few years back. One side has a world map and the other mat has the U.S. and then the flip side on both mats is blank. We did and still do quick geography quizzes with them. We will study a region, then quickly flip on the back side and try to fill in with a dry erase markers as many rivers, boundaries and countries that we could get. Me too, I was included in the race to see how many I could label in a short time.
2. National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World You know anything by National Geographic is top notch. I always said I would never buy anything this big because of the problem of storing it. That didn’t last long because once you take a look at how breath taking the solar system looks in it and how they compare geography facts like comparing two continents, it looks so much better in a large book. Too, it is easier as the kids get bigger to gather around a bigger book. (Tip: Always check to see that you are buy the most current edition.)
3. DK is another favorite publisher. Complete Atlas of the World, 2nd Edition I actually got this one because it had some facts like population growth, global climate and border conflicts that I want my boys aware of. The physical world maps are more in depth though not as vivid as the National Geographic.
4. National Geographic Family Reference Atlas of the World, Third Edition is another beauty by National Geographic. I purchased this one because of key information like tables, charts, biodiversity, education. It truly is a family reference. I guess if you had to make a choice for your middle to high school kids, this would be in the top running.
5. Junior Classroom Atlas This is one of our first ones because it is suited for elementary aged children and we still refer to it when the other atlases are teeming with overwhelming information. Sometimes you can have too much information and it helps to break it down to the general sweeping facts.
6. CLASSROOM ATLAS-REVISED 2012 This is geared toward about middle school and can be used for elementary ages too. It has been updated and it is one I will probably be adding soon. Even though stats change, I feel some atlases are timeless. Not so much changes (physical earth wise) that you can’t use an older atlas. Sure, stats will change, but if your kids are young, they are not interested in that kind of stuff right now anyway.
7. Historical Atlas of the World 1st (first) edition Text Only An historical map is one that you will need when studying ancient history because it shows the boundaries or empires as they were then. It really helps your kids to get a foot hold on ancient history. You can see this one is out date, but then again it’s ancient history and how much updating can you possibly do. So I don’t always fall for having to have the most up to date.
8. Historical Atlas of the World Now what I do fall for is when another kid needs their own copy. So I have purchased the updated copy of the historical atlas simply because I had two older middle school kids and we needed more than one. I won’t go into the fights over having their own copies.
9. Free geography vocabulary words I made and put them on a O ring. These are good for your kids to study later too.
10. National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers, Third Edition
I got this one because it we could read about things like the animals for the website links they gave us and each continent had basic facts. Like it says more about the exploring aspect of geography and we love this one. It is especially good for a child that is geography phobic so they can see geography is about so much more than finding the prime meridian. It is about exploring and going to far away places.
11. A Child’s Introduction to the World: Geography, Cultures, and People – From the Grand Canyon to the Great Wall of China This is a really sweet book. It includes a pop-up paper globe and stickers. I like it because though its geared toward younger learners, it can still stand up for older kids too because of the information in it. It is another keeper for multiple ages of children.
12. The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World Geography With Complete World Atlas (Geography Encyclopedias) Again, another one of my very first purchases. I always made sure I didn’t just buy curriculum but had enough back in my budget for references that would stand the test of time. A great reference book that we just love.
13. What is geography without games? And, Professor Noggin’s History & Geography Card Games: Set of 6 is one of our favorite series. We have a lot of them.

The other two we have that didn’t make the picture because Mr. Senior had them someplace are Geography: A Visual Encyclopedia which is absolutely stunning which is why I can’t find it right now and has a lot of different things like gemstones, earthquakes and weather. And the other one is Atlas of World Geography which is a highschool level book that gets lost around here frequently too. It is the one I will be using on North Star Geography , well at least for Mr. Awesome.

Then of course my newest tool that makes studying geography absolutely a breeze is WonderMaps. You can print black or white maps or color maps.

Take off boundaries or leave them on ALL with a click of your mouse. It truly is going to make studying geography so much more than finding boundaries or locating countries.

Though we love all of our resources and we add to them as we plod along during the years, those above are keepers and I feel are basic to any library.

Do you have any geography go to resources that your family luvs?

I know you’ll love these other posts. Edible Rock Cycle Fudge and Hands-on Rock Activities, 35 Hands-on Geography Activities to do in 15 Minutes or Less and The Ultimate Guide to Brave Explorers (Great and Small).

Hugs and love ya,

6 Homeschool Hotties

June 1, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I want to share some homeschool hotties with you today because I can’t really call them my faves because I have been only eye balling some of them.

I call them hotties because right away I liked them. Some of these hotties are free, others are not, but they are random things. I want to try them out during the summer or pull the trigger on buying some of them.

1. Holt, Rinehart & Wilson has a neat free geography page that we have been clicking and playing with off/on. After you go to the site, pick a book. Then when you get it, choose a chapter. I like it because it has several interactive things per chapter. The boys can click through it and do on their own. We love geography and I like it better when they have something they can use without me. I think this is a great fit for summer learning or to add to our curriculum.

Click here to go there.

2. Collecting graphic novels is part of an ongoing process when you have boys. When I started teaching Mr. Senior 2013 to read, I thought graphic novels would hamper his ability to create pictures in his mind. I had read a book on classical learning and thought it would be “bad” for him. I know now, it is just the opposite. When a child, especially a boy is struggling to read, graphic novels beats anything I tried hands down. Mr. Senior 2013 didn’t struggle, he just enjoyed them. However, when I got to Mr. Awesome I thought he struggled. I know now, he wasn’t ready and it would take a bit more bait to hook him. By this time, I already had graphic novels and they were a life saver. I do worry about the messages in comic books. So I found out later about Golden Age DC and Silver Age. These are old comics and the message in these comics is more about doing what is right instead of the politically correct tone books can take nowadays. These books are hardbound and were born in 1938.

Look here at what I mean by Golden Age DC.

I think we are finally getting them this summer after we have tons I went through when I was teaching them all to read. Older comic books keeps reading interest level high for all my boys and not to mention they are just plain fun to read which is what reading should be about.

When a child is struggling to read sometimes it’s because he doesn’t create a movie picture in his mind like other readers naturally do. A comic book helps him to do that. The other nifty thing about comic books is that most all boys want to read them independently instead of having them read to them. This helps them on the road to independent reading.

Though I was careful and still am in looking over their reading material, I wish I would have known about older comic books earlier. Now you know.

Look here at the Silver Age.

3. This next hottie is so cool. It’s like going on a field trip without ever leaving your house. I could think of so many ways to use this. It is a secret door and something fun provided by Safe Style UK. I couldn’t stand the excitement when I found it and we have been clicking and going through the door a lot. Each time you go through the door you are transported to a different place. At the top left side it gives you the address or location of where you were transported. Oh, the things we have talked about. This could be geography or you could use this to start your creative journal writing for the day. We have been traveling all over the place.

Click on the door below to go through and have fun!

The Secret Door is presented by Safestyle UK

Be sure you monitor your kids since this is new and you never know if something fun could go borderline questionable.

4. Selecting the courses for Mr. Awesome for high school will be slightly different than the ones I chose for Mr. Senior 2013 because he learns differently. Mr. Awesome has a live and let live spirit that I like to foster. Mr. Senior 2013 was easier to teach because he liked to sit down at the little neat organized desk. Mr. Awesome can learn anywhere, but also loves to choose more out of the box methods. We need both types of learners and leaders in our homeschool community so I never want to crush any learning style.

This next item I think will fit the bill to learn creatively. It is Marie’s Words – Visual Vocabulary for All Ages. I have been drooling over it for a while. You know how much I loved the visual vocabulary that I reviewed for Tiny. This is something that can be used for my big guy and I think really for the whole family.

Here is what it says from Timberdoodle’s site:

550 Vocabulary Words Gleaned From the SAT
Just as a logo is a visual representation of a company, Marie’s Words utilizes colorful illustrations to create a “face” for each of the 550 vocabulary words gleaned from the SAT® test and literature. While some of the illustrations are not immediately apparent, once understood, each drawing will aid in mastering the definitions of these words and is a natural augmentation to your child’s study of word roots.

I think it would be fun to add this to his written vocabulary work and to have it as a great way for all of us to enrich our word usage.

5. This next app which is FREE, we are going to download to our dad’s iPad. My hubby uses the iPad a lot for work, but we get to use it in between which is a lot.

Pocket Penguins

By California Academy of Sciences

From the website:

Description

Warning: Cute alert! Pocket Penguins, streaming in real-time from the California Academy of Sciences, provides an intimate view into our live African penguin exhibit. Watch the birds swim, dive, flirt, nest and relax from any one of three live webcams. Listen in as Academy biologists answer questions from visitors during meal time, daily at 10:30am and 3:00pm PST.

It says it works for iPhone too. So cute, pocket penguins!

Click here to get it.

6. This last thing I been looking at is a free font for those with dyslexia. Though I don’t have any kids that have it, I have helped numerous moms with kids that are dyslexic and moms who are too. So I have been keeping this to share with you or for you to share with ones that you think may find it helpful. I think it’s time to recognize that dyslexic adults and children alike can learn well and we need accommodate their need to have fonts that help them read better. My experience is that they are just as smart if not more so in some areas. They just learn creatively.

Here is what it says:

OpenDyslexic is a new open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. The typeface includes regular, bold, italic, and bold-italic styles. It is being updated continually and improved based on input from dyslexic users. There are no restrictions on using OpenDyslexic outside of attribution.

Click here to go there.

Grab and share some Homeschool Hotties today.

Hugs and love ya,

homeschool favorites

3 Reasons Why You Should Be Reading Homeschool Magazines

Is Homeschooling Your Hobby?