It's here! Yep, it is officially Spring!

 Of course with Spring comes Spring Break, at least for the College & Public school families. Still, many Homeschooling families like to follow a traditional school calendar year and/or just like joining in the "Fun" of  a week off too. One difference, which is actually a perk IMO, of being a home-educated family is that you can choose what day to start and what day to finish your Spring Break Vacation. This can really help those family's who have to be more careful with the purse strings, as you can choose to go on your Spring Break right after the main stream vacationers take theirs; which can help you get a better deal on your destination of choice.

 For those of you who are not looking to take time off or still want to have your child do something fun, educational, and Spring inspired during Spring Break, a Spring themed Unit Study is always a good idea.

 If Unit Studies are not your thing,  there always games, field trips to places like Butterfly Gardens, or you could even take a minute here and there and do some simple flashcards for kids.

Regardless, what your plans may be, I hope your days are filled with the warmer weather of Spring :)

Until Next time...   

Thursday's Play by Play

                                                                       
Today my daughter started her 1st of many Softball practices. This is her 3rd year playing and she not only enjoys it, but she is getting pretty good at it too! Can you tell I am a Proud SoftBall Momma?!
As a homeschooler, I think it is so very important that we allow our children to be active in activity's like Sports, Music, Scouts, co-ops, etc. It is good for them to be around other children, to learn a talent, to be part of a group, etc. I know cost can be an issue. Like myself, many of us are surviving on one income. Still, there are many options you can do even on a tight budget. For instants, most church and/or county programs offer discounts and payment plans for low income families as do Scouts Boy & Girl. Co-ops are usually free to join, some only requiring helping out and bringing your own child's supplies like crayons, paper, etc. Plus, most homeschoolers like to meet up just to have play dates at the park or meet at library's for fun activity's too!


Now, if you are a traveler like myself, you may be wondering how can I do any of this, if we are moving from place to place? Well, I can understand this issue. However, just because you may not be in an area that long, does not mean you shouldn't allow your child to enjoy the friendship of others, even if it is briefly.
What I do is try to research the areas I know we will be staying in for more than a day or two (to see if there are in homeschool groups in the area). As far as sports, this one requires a little more time commitment, in said area, I will admit. Still, Sport do not last very long. So, if you can manage to stay in one spot for a lil bit, to allow your child the experience of being part of a team and playing a game they enjoy, then it is worth the pause in your travel plans I would think ;)

In other Homeschool News, my son has developed a love, I mean a addiction lol,  for learning games. He can not get enough! His favorite ones are the music games and the math games :) I just love the computer age, it makes being able to teach my children so much easier!

Until next time...

 

Thought of the Day:

As a Homeschooling parent, there are times when you may wonder if the curriculum you are providing is enough? Even a parent who does not homeschool, may wonder if the school their child/children are attending is meeting the educational needs of their child/children. My response to that is it never hurts to add some extra supplementary enrichment!
 Educational games and websites are always a good options. Other examples: join a homeschool Co-Op, reading more books (doesn't have to be considered educational), watch TV(there are many interesting and educational channels and shows on TV nowadays), or you could  just  adding a fun Unit Study. Also, if your kids own any type of gaming system's like a DS, Leapfrog, Wii, etc. there are many educational games available for these systems as well.





In addition: puzzles, flash cards, worksheets, crafts, cooking, music lessons, sports, field trips, etc. are great ways to add a bit of enrichment to your child's education journey.

Until Next time...

Freebie Saturday!

Today, I thought I would share with you my Top 5 Freebie Resources , we are going to be adding to our regular Homeschooling studies for the month of March.



1. St. Patty's Day Resources

2. US State Learning Games

3. Kite Craft

4. Free Online Puzzles



5. Weather Games

Until Next time....
 

Smart Phone a Smart Buy?

I love my Smart Phone! If you have one yourself, then you know exactly why I love it so much!

I still remember when I did not own one (Feels like forever ago). I used to think what was the big deal? I even remember thinking, "Wow! $30 more a month just to use a phone" and " How much for a Phone!!!". In fact, when my mom got one before me ((blush)), I gave her some grief about the extra money she spent on it, as it isn't exactly a cheap devise to own.

So, how did someone like myself, with that frugal mindset, become a Smart Phone owner. Well, my mom loves to get the newest gadgets out. So, when a newer version of the Smart Phone she owned came out, she upgraded and then generously gave me her original (It was  less than a year old). It was the best gift she ever gave me!  I of course ate my words and apologized to my mom for thinking she was being frivolous. Looking back, I can not believe I went so long with out one. It really is so nice not to have to carry a camcorder, camera, TV, radio, GPS or I pad/computer where ever I go,  because it is all built in to my Phone. Needless to say, I will never go back to a reg. phone ;)

 My top 5 reasons I love my phone!

1. I never miss a photo because I forgot my camera.

 

2. I never miss videoing my family's special moments anymore.

 

3. Before I would have to write out my directions before going off, or call business or friends to get to where I needed to go, but now with built in GPS I can just speak my destination and it helps me to never get lost.

 

4. When I am on the go in the car all day and the kids are board they can just play games on my phone (Music games, Sports games, Solitaire, etc.). They can even access their Online curriculum (Time4Learning). This makes keeping up with their Homeschooling school work so much easier when we are busy or traveling.

 

5. Other entertainment perks that I use regularly are listening to music, surfing the web, playing games myself and watching HBO and Netflix.

 

So, if you were wondering if a Smart phone is a Smart buy? Well, IMO It is!


But Please Always be Sure to always   <~~~~<~~~<~~~~~<~~~~~<~~~~~

Until Next Time...

I Heart Writing

    Have I told you all lately how much I enjoy Blogging?! I  really do love to write!
To me it is a way I get to express my thoughts, feeling, etc. A way I get to share a part of who I am to the world. A friend asked me once how I come up with what I write. Truth be told, the writing process, has always be an easy one for me. I just have always been able to put words to paper, so to speak. Now Math, well that is a totally different animal for me, lol!  I guess that is how it is for most people. Very few can say they are good at all subjects, right? (I always try and keep that thought in mind, as I am homeschooling my children. I know that like me they will have their strengths and their weaknesses.) Plus, I think when you enjoy what you are doing, it is never hard to actually do it. That is how I feel when it comes to writing this blog. I just start typing and like now, the words just spill out with ease :)

However, if you are new to blogging or want to be a blogger, but do not like writing or just do not know how to exactly. Well, it can be frustrating. Just coming up with ideas to write about on your blog can be hard for some.
Writer's block is the worst!






So, this what I suggest to do. First try and think about what has happened that day, week, or month, etc. See if there is anything that comes to mind you would like to share. Once you do, then just write as if your talking to your best friend. If you are still drawing a blank, then try writing about something you feel strongly about like maybe Homeschooling, your family, etc. Other options could be hobbies, politics, a book you like or even a favorite show. Eventually, writing will come more naturally and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Until Next time...

Circus

Going to the Circus is one of those childhood events that most of us have experienced growing up. Unfortunately, I nor my husband had. I have always wanted to, but just never had been taken, or took it upon myself, to take myself. So, when my son's Birthday was almost here, I just knew that this would be a perfect way to celebrate.






Thankfully, I was lucky enough to indeed find a Circus traveling though my area. The Circus we attended was called the UniverSoul Circus and it was Amazing!
We chose to splurge and get front row seats ( they were not box seats, but was the 1st row in the isle area as I was informed were the best).

This Circus was defiantly created to entertain all ages and had a lot of great music and acts through out the show. One of my most favorite part of the Circus was that right before it began. The circus offered, for a fee of course, Elephants rides!!!!! I will admit I was hesitant at first. My children, however, were ready to climb that Elephant like it was a pony lol!  However, since I had never rode one before ((Shocking I know, lol)) and my son was still what I consider young, I decided to ride this BIG beast with them ;)
 Now let me tell you, the ridge of that animals spine, the sensation of the soft muscle tissue moving as the Elephant breath and moved underneath you was a bit unsettling. To be honest, after  the first lap of the arena I almost got off, but since my kids were having such a great time I chose to take a deep breath and just let all my fears go. I decided that I would not allow myself to let my fears ruin this experience. So, I stayed on and enjoyed the final lap of our ride. It was defiantly one of those " Once in a lifetime opportunities". If I ever have a chance to ride an Elephant again, I will defiantly do it ;~ )



Once the show began, it was very entertaining to say the least! They had tight-rope walkers, contortionist , clowns, Magic acts, and of course animal shows. The Elephants were my favorite part. they had one sit on its bottom and beg almost like a dog. They had another stand on these piers while another Elephant crawled underneath it, ect, ect, ect!
I tell you what, even though this was not supposed to be a homeschooling field trip, the kids still learned so much by just being so up close with the Elephants. They were defiantly eager to learn more. So, I have taken the topic of "Elephants" and have been running with it. Not very hard to create your own Unit Study. Just "Google" Elephants and you will find so much info on them. Like that they can live up to age 70 yrs. I also of course printed some crafts and coloring sheets and made up some handwriting worksheets, etc. for them to do. So, if you have never been to a Circus you should defiantly Go!


Until Next time...