A Fresh Start

Some of you may have noticed that I took a bit of a blogging hiatus.  It wasn't really intentional, but I suppose I needed it.  I also won't make excuses for taking such a long break because as a homeschooling mother of four with baby number five on the way I don't think I need to explain that I'm busy.  But I have missed being here, in this space and so I'm back!  I've decided to create a merger of my two websites - my personal blog and my homeschooling website.  I'll keep the name Cleveland Homeschooler, since most people know my blog by that title.  I'll be continuing to work on merging my sites into one over the next few weeks, so bear with me while I make changes.

In the meantime, I thought I'd start with a post about our first week back to school! While talking with some mom friends the other day, we all came to the consensus that summer went by in the blink of an eye.  Our family spent the summer moving (still in Cleveland) which wasn't exactly in the plans.  But now we're in a house that fits our needs a little better than the last one, so it all worked out.

Anyway.  After spending June traveling then finding a new place to live, July moving, and August unpacking, recovering, and traveling a bit more, we got started with a new school year this week.  It was both a challenge and a relief to get back into things - maybe you can relate?

Yes, he's always that excited to do his math work. Not.

I decided to change things up with our curriculum this year.  Some of this has to do with baby number five joining our family in the middle of the school year (early February) and some of it just has to do with the ongoing desire to create the learning environment for the boys that best meets their needs (the beauty of homeschooling).  So far we are loving some of the new materials we've been using.  We'll be focusing on American History this year, since we've previously studied World History, and most of what we do will be within that context.

We started with reading many good books - Courage of Sarah Noble, Ambush in the Wilderness, Abigail Adams and Sign of the Beaver, to name a few.  The boys LOVE reading, so keeping a constant stream of quality literature in front of them is key.  They also don't grumble (as much) about things like copy work and spelling when it comes from good books that they are reading.

Yes, we did most of our school work on the living room floor. Those desks can be purchased at Michael's for $5 on sale and I started using them last year when the baby became a toddler.  Bringing things down to his level keeps him from feeling left out and thus keeps the screaming and tantrum throwing (not MY sweet angel) to a minimum. We also do some of the more involved projects like art and science after lunch when he's napping (or pretending to).

I really like how this curriculum includes a variety of the "fun" things - art, science experiments, games and other hands-on projects are integrated really well into the daily and weekly plan so they have less chance of going by the wayside like in previous years.

This week we looked at some of John Audubon's paintings and talked about landscapes in general.  Then I turned the boys lose with their watercolor sets so they could experiment for a bit.  On a recent trip to the Cleveland Art Museum (awesome and free, by the way) the boys were each especially drawn to the American landscape paintings.  So I'm hoping that means they'll enjoy learning more.  Of course they also really liked the room full of armor and weapons.

In science they built a rain gauge while reading about weather and charting daily observations.  Another good thing about our curriculum is that it has a built in "catch-up" day, which can be used to either complete unfinished assignments and projects or for review and enrichment activities.  This week we spent our "free day" taking care of sick dogs. After spending more time and money than I cared to, they are now medicated (random infection) and on the road to recovery.

Thank God for the flexibility of homeschooling.

One of the highlights of the week was cooking! Part of our focus on the United States this year will be touring each of them.  Since we are learning about the founding of our country we are starting in New England.  This week we started with Massachusetts and used atlases to gather information and make fact cards. We'll also be choosing recipes to cook from each state - the boys made clam chowder and corn bread one night this week and it was delicious.

I honestly don't know who's enjoying this new aspect of our school year more - my husband or the boys. Or me, since I get a night off cooking.

I put my husband in charge of the cooking project while I tried to sit and relax and not think about my babies in the kitchen using large knives.

Monkey see, monkey do.  He's pretending to cut things like big brother only with a plastic spoon and pieces of peanut butter toast.

I think everyone is looking forward to the next cooking session!

I can also vouch for the fact that kids are definitely more likely to try things that they had a hand in making. Or maybe they were just starving.

After a pretty full week, we had an opportunity to meet our friends and blow off some steam.

It was a beautiful day to be out and about and since it was a weekday afternoon we (group of homeschoolers) had the place to ourselves.

That pretty much sums up the week.  I think all in all it went well.  My oldest even spontaneously mentioned to me that he had some fun this week with the new school work - always a good sign.

Since I've already written this post once, only to have it vanish into thin air (you didn't think this blogging thing was easy did you?) I think I'll end it here before something happens again.  I already consumed many cookies after the first frustration, I probably don't need a reason to eat more.

I hope you are all having a great start to your school year!

~ Dori

Free Spelling Program

I was recently telling another mom about the spelling program we are using, and I thought I'd share a little about it here, in case anyone else is interested in hearing about it. It's called Spelling Connections and it's FREE!

I don't remember exactly how I heard about it - I believe it was in the Well-Trained Mind forum, but I could be wrong about that. I'm just an occasional lurker there.  Towards the end of the summer, I was looking into curriculum options for my boys, specifically things that would save money and be a good fit for our mostly classical, eclectic style of home schooling.  Spelling Connections is one of those things I figured I'd try for the time being, but wasn't sure if we'd stick with it or not. Well, it's been several weeks, and we have stuck with it! Most importantly, there's no more grumbling about spelling anymore. None. Zip. Nada.

So - how exactly do we use Spelling Connections?

I'm so glad you asked.

I like this program because it includes a combination of worksheets you can print out as well as online activities.  My boys do best with this kind of variety - they enjoy using the computer whenever possible, but will also tolerate a certain number of worksheets in any given week.

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We generally do spelling four days a week.  When I'm doing my lesson planning, I go to this Spelling Connections site and print out two things for each of my boys for their grade level; one is the list of spelling words and the other is called the Homework Master sheet.  On Monday, they simply copy their words on the first worksheet. I also count this as handwriting practice, since the sheets for the lower levels are lined. The lists are written in cursive beginning at grade 3, so my third grader actually does the second grade lists. He hasn't done any cursive writing yet, and is still working on basic handwriting right now, so this works best for him. The second day we do spelling, usually Tuesday, the boys take turns doing the activities online.  On the main page of the site, there are two options for the games - choose the one on the left. It will look like you need to log in to use it, but you don't. From there, you'll see four games listed on the left-hand side. At the top of the page you can change the Unit and Grade Level as you do each game. We do two games one day, and two another day. On the third day of spelling work, usually Thursday for us, they do the Homework Master sheet. This is usually some kind of puzzle, so they actually don't mind it.  Recently, my fifth grader's sheet had to do with translating the words into Morse Code. He thought that was pretty fun and I appreciated the creative way of doing spelling practice.

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On day number four, usually Friday, the boys each do the last two games online, including a Spelling Bee that quizzes them on the words. I like that the other game is proofreading - this has been a good challenge for my boys, but much more fun to do on the computer.  They will have a paragraph to read (shorter for the first grader, longer for the fifth grader) that includes some of their spelling words. They then use the various proofreading marks to correct punctuation and spelling mistakes in the paragraph. I think this is a great way to reinforce not only correct spelling, but grammar lessons as well.

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Assuming they do well on all of that, they are done with that unit for the week and will move on to the next one the following week. Every five or six units there is a review unit that will have a word list but no games to go with it. I have them copy the words and do other activities throughout that week like writing sentences using the words, practice spelling them with magnets on the whiteboard, etc... You could even use this in combination with something like Spelling City where you can plug in the words and get more games and activities.

So far this spelling program is working well for us. My boys practically fight over who gets to do their spelling first on the computer! And because of the variety they don't even grumble about the worksheets. I appreciate how easy it is for me on the planning side of things. Win, win.

If there's anything else you'd like to know - ask away in the comments! If you have a spelling program that you love, please mention that, too.

~ Dori

Calendar Connections

As we end one month and begin another, I wanted to share an idea with you.

Carisa over at 1+1+1=1, has created these wonderful Calendar Connections that we’ve been using for a few months now and love!  I don’t remember how I first stumbled onto her post about these, but I do remember thinking that not only was it a great idea, it seemed so DO-able.  You see, most of the time when I read about everyone else’s great ideas I just end up feeling inadequate and insecure about my own projects – or lack thereof (tell me I’m not alone?).  But this one seemed like something I could actually do!

It’s possible that much of the allure was in the need to laminate things. I’ve written about my love of laminating before.

Carisa has a variety of Calendar Connection themes on her website and so far we’ve done three of them; Botany, Astronomy and the Arctic and Antarctic.  I purchased this pocket calendar, after much searching for the best price, and it’s been perfect. As a bonus, the cards that come with it (for the months, seasons, etc…) are in English and Spanish! My kids aren’t doing any formal language instruction right now, but have learned a little Spanish, so it’s been fun to use the calendar cards to learn new words.

I had wanted a large, visual way to help my younger boys learn the months, days of the week, etc… and this has been just what we needed.  It also comes with cards for the different holidays or birthdays, which helps us all to see what special things are happening during the month.

So far, I’ve let my boys choose which theme they wanted to do for the month, but this month I chose for them, since Carisa has a Thanksgiving theme.  At the end of the month I just go to her site, print out the cards for the theme we want to do the next month, laminate them, cut them out and enlist a little helper in putting them in the right pockets – easy!

Each day, usually at dinnertime, we pull out that day’s card and read it. This usually leads to some discussion or commentary by the boys. I also gather whatever books we have lying around the house or check out new ones from the library that fit our theme and keep them in our book basket for the boys to peruse. Of course whenever we can tie in our other school work with the theme (i.e. doing our science chapter on botany and our Magic School Bus kit about the solar system) we do that, too.

We’ve really enjoyed adding this to our day – my boys look forward to it and remind me to read the new card each day! It’s been a very simple way to learn new facts about topics the boys are interested in and I’m looking forward to making our way through all of the themes. You can find all of the Calendar Connections here.

Happy Halloween!

~ Dori

Patterson Fruit Farm

Last week my littlest guy turned two (I’m sorry, didn’t we JUST bring him home from the hospital?!).  We racked our brains to come up with a suitable way to celebrate his birthday and ended up spending the afternoon at nearby Patterson Fruit Farm.  You see, our little guy absolutely LOVES to be outside. Mention that you want to go for a walk and he’ll be off in a flash, returning holding his shoes. So the fruit farm, and their Family Fun Fest, was the perfect plan to make him happy for a day.

Along with plenty of cake, of course.

If you’ve never been to Patterson Fruit Farm, then you should abandon all plans for a day and take the kids on a field trip. There is some beautiful weather in our Cleveland forecast this week and it’s also the last week of the Family Fun Fest(through the 28th).  I can’t think of a better way to savor a beautiful fall day.

During the week it’s $4 a person (2 and under free) and that includes a wagon ride out to the enormous play ground. There’s a wide variety of things for kids to enjoy – they can play in the hay stacks, climb the tree house in the woods and slide down the 50 foot double slide, wander through the corn maze and take a wonderful nature hike through the ravines and hills of Geauga County.

If you’ve lived in the Cleveland area for any length of time, you probably already know about this gem, but I wanted to mention it for anyone who may not be familiar with it.  They also have a Farm Market, of course – full of goodies like maple syrup, apple cider and freshly prepared pies and donuts.

And now I’m hungry. Great.

Needless to say, we really enjoyed our visit  – we hadn’t been in quite awhile and it was the first time my husband had a chance to go with us.

So take a day off this week and enjoy these beautiful days of fall!

~ Dori

Laminating Leaves

I love fall. It's definitely my favorite season. We've been celebrating this season as much as possible around here lately and I wanted to share a very simple craft that I did with my Cub Scout Den last week.  The boys thought it was really cool! Or maybe they were just humoring me...but still.

If you have a laminator, then this may be the easiest craft ever. But even if you don't, you can still accomplish basically the same thing (more on that later). Here's what we used:

I've written about my new found love of laminating before, where I also talk about my particular laminating machine.   But if you want to get a laminating machine on a tight budget, I understand that the Scotch Thermal Laminator is really great and a bargain at less than $30.  Also - I use the generic laminating sheets that you can buy on the cheap at wholesale clubs like Sam's, Costco or BJ's and they work great.

Yes, I realize that taking pictures of leaves on a tree-patterned tablecloth wasn't too great. I was too lazy to do anything else.

Step One: Force the kids outdoors take the kids on a walk and collect a variety of leaves.

Step Two: Remove stems from leaves and arrange on one side of laminating sheet.

Step Three:  Close up the laminating sheet and make sure leaves are as flat as possible between sheets (you may need to enlist the help of a good, heavy book placed on top for a few minutes to accomplish this).

Step Four: The really fun part! Carefully run the whole thing through your laminating machine! (You did turn it on, right?)

Watch the magic happen...

If you don't have a laminating machine, you can get similar results using wax paper - place leaves between two pieces and then iron. Clear contact paper would probably work, too.

Voila! Instant fall decor! You could three-hole punch these and add them to a science notebook, use as place mats, or hang in the window, like we did. If you really want to make more of a science project out of it, you could have the kids look up and label the individual leaves.

We were much too lazy to do anything like that, though.

~ Dori

What are some ways that you enjoy fall and bring it into your homeschooling?

How to Complete Your Homeschooling Notification

I’m going to start this post out with a big ol’ disclaimer – I am NOT a lawyer/HSLDA representative or other expert-type person. I AM a homeschooling mom in the state of Ohio and simply want to share my experience with the annual notification paperwork, in case it helps others. I hear from a lot of new homeschoolers who are often confused and overwhelmed by the legal aspect of homeschooling. Ohio is a pretty middle-of-the-road state in regards to their requirements for homeschoolers – there are many states with fewer requirements and a few states with more requirements. So, chances are, even if you’re homeschooling in a different state, many of the steps I’m going to lay out here will be similar to your notification process. This is a handy map that shows where each state falls in regards to their requirements.

Whether you are new to homeschooling or just new to the state you’re now living in, the first step is to become familiar with the specifics of the laws regarding homeschooling in your state. One good place to do that is this site – you can also check out my page  “Ohio Law,” which has links to helpful sites as well.  Talk to other homeschoolers in your area for their advice and most importantly – Don’t Panic! Even if you live in a state with a somewhat high level of requirements, if you simply file your paperwork each year, you’ll be fine.  Think about it – the public schools are getting your tax money but not your child and the costs that go with them – why would they put up a fight about your deciding to keep them home?

When it comes to your homeschool notification, there are a couple of important things to mention:

• You are notifying the school district you live in of your intention to homeschool – you are NOT asking permission. You have the right, under every state’s laws to educate your children at home. It is legal in this country. Say a prayer of thanks for that and move on.

• You do not need to notify until your child is six years old.  For instance, I have a son who turned six in June and this will be my first year adding him to my notification paperwork. Yes, I’ve already been homeschooling him, but the school district doesn’t care until he’s six.

• Grade level is irrelevant. Maybe your six year old is technically doing second grade work, or you have a 10 year old who is doing third grade work. It doesn’t matter. You fill in the child’s birthdate on your form and supply a list of curriculum materials. Each subsequent year of notification you will include a copy of standardized test scores OR portfolio assessment (more on those later).  Again, don’t panic, as your child only needs to show reasonable progress.  For instance, a child only has to score better than the 25th percentile on the standardized test. Sad? Yes. But the low standards of the public school system may be why you’re homeschooling in the first place.

• The curriculum outline/book list you include just has to show that you’ll cover all the recommended subjects and does NOT have to be what you actually end up using all year. We homeschoolers are notorious for tweaking our curriculum as the year goes on. The school district just wants you to show some kind of plan. I basically take their outline of required subjects and fit my curriculum list to that. For example:

C. Mathematics

1. Teaching Textbooks 3 and 5

2. Life of Fred

3. Modern Curricula Press Math A

Now – for a good walk through of the steps, including links to the basic forms you can print and use, you can check out this Steps for Notification from the PEACH homeschool group website. Again, this is for my state of Ohio, and I am NOT an expert! If you have any questions or comments – ask away! And I’ll do my best to get them answered.

If this is your first year of homeschooling, or even just your first year of homeschooling in your state, then you’ll fill out the notification form, include a curriculum list and that’s it. Every following year you will do the same thing and also include a copy of standardized test score OR a portfolio review assessment. In my school district, I usually get a letter from the superintendent a few weeks before the start of school that is a reminder to notify if I’m homeschooling for another year. Ideally, you’ll want to send your notification in within three weeks of the school year starting, the exception being if you’ve recently moved, of course.

Should you encounter any problems with your notification, such as not receiving your letter of excused absence, or being asked for additional information, etc… then find an experienced homeschooler and get their advice. There are any number of support groups, both online (Yahoo Groups) and in person, and people are more than happy to answer any questions and give advice based on their experience. If you’re really in a bind, then many homeschoolers get a membership to the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) and turn to them for help. The important thing to remember, though, is that if you’ve read through your state’s requirements and complied with them – you’re fine. You are NOT asking permission – you are NOTIFYING that you ARE homeschooling. You are basically calling off for your child for the whole year – one long, excused absence. If you’ve sent your notification, and are actively homeschooling your child while keeping some kind of record of it, then you’ll be fine.

And once you have received your letter back from the school district, don’t forget to use it to get discounts! Read this post to learn more about that.

I hope everyone’s year is off to a good start!

~ Dori

September 11th for Kids

If you’re interested in help explaining what the anniversary of September 11th means in a kid-friendly way, then you may want to check out BrainPop today.

 

I’ll be writing more about this wonderful resource for homeschoolers later, but for now you can watch the featured video about September 11th without a subscription and check out the additional activities and free videos while you’re there.

Click here to check it out.

~ Dori

Do you use BrainPop in your homeschooling?