TheHomeSchoolMom's Free Homeschool Resources - July, 2009
~~~~Contents ~~~~
- From the Editor
- Website Updates
- The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts (Our Sponsor)
- Educational Resources
- Homeschooling High School (Our Sponsor)
- Recently Seen Online
- Article - 5 Must-Have, No-Cost Resources for Homeschooling by Terri Johnson
I'm excited to let you know that we have a large list of website updates and additions this week! We have been working for the past month to provide you with a new School Room page that is easier to navigate and allows you to find relevant resources much more quickly from each topic page. In addition, we have added a Homeschooling Resource Calendar to help you to integrate historical events during the month. The calendar links important dates in history to relevant online resources. I'd also like to mention that I received an email from MTV's True Life producer and they are looking for homeschooler for an upcoming episode. Deta ils are here. Enjoy the new resources and as always, we welcome your feedback.
Warm regards,
Mary Ann Kelley
Editor
Back to the Table of Contents
2. TheHomeSchoolMom.com Website Updates
- July Homeschooling Resources Calendar
- MTV True Life Looking for Homeschoolers
- SOTW: Geography Software Download
- Free and Discounted Summer Movies
- Birds
- Bats
- Dolphins
- Endangered and Protected Species
- Icebergs
- Mammals
- Pinocchio
- Gifted Resources
- Turtles
- Whales
- US Women's History
- Rocketry
- Money
- Countries
- Drama
- Subdue Guilt about Art Instruction in Your Homeschool
- Easy Art History and Appreciation
- You CAN teach your children a Foreign Language: Part 1
- Local support and classes
3. The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts
(Our Sponsor)
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Ever since Lee Binz' boys graduated, parents have been asking her, "How did you create such beautiful transcripts?" Not only were they beautiful, they were effective. Lee's sons earned full tuition scholarships worth $184,000, and she has put together The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts to teach you how she did it!
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"The Easy Truth about Homeschool Transcripts is so easy, I'm actually excited to sit down and create my son's transcripts! If you're thinking about homeschooling through high school, this book will remove all your fears around credits, course descriptions, and grades, and will help you translate your student's homeschool work into the language of college admissions officers! An awesome tool for all homeschooling parents!" Lee offers a 100% No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee, so you can get your copy risk-free: |
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RenewBot
The idea for RenewBot came when a computer programmer was on his way to the library to pay a $10 library fine. "Hey, I could have a computer log in to the library for me once a day and renew my items for me if I forget!" From that moment of inspiration, RenewBot grew to include a flexible alerts system, a consolidated view of holds and items out for people managing multiple library cards, estimation of hold pickup dates, and more. The privacy policy is very reasonable (they require your library barcode and pin but only use it to renew books and never share individually identifiable information). The first two months are free, then the cost is $2.99/year per card which is a lot less that what I usually pay in library late fees!
https://www.renewbot.com/
Unschooling
This page with information about unschooling is a collection of thoughts and letters written by unschoolers and reprinted on home-educate.com. If you are curious about unschooling, this is a great place to gain some insight. The link to the FAQ page is broken but the article links are all very informative.
http://home-educate.com/unschooling/
Kids Bowl Free
Bowling centers from around the country are giving away 2 free games of bowling each day as an opportunity for kids and families to enjoy bowling during the summer months. The program is only available at participating centers but I found a large selection of centers for my state. Each child can bowl 2 free games every day throughout the duration of the program. Each center has their own age restrictions, as well as any times the coupons are not valid during the day. The program includes an optional Family Pass which was created to allow for adult family members to enjoy bowling throughout the summer as well. The Family Pass starts from $23.95 and includes 2 GAMES PER PERSON PER DAY. The Family Pass covers up to 4 adult family members. You may have 1, 2, 3, or 4 adults on the family pass. Great way to have fun on a budget this summer! [ED. NOTE: This program is sponsored by BBBI, the Bowling Business Builders International, which is an industry association
. The terms of use contain a reasonable privacy policy except for this statement: "BBBI does not currently sell, trade or rent your email addresses to others, although we may choose to do so in the future with trustworthy third parties who agree to abide by applicable terms similar to this privacy policy." I recommend having a separate email address to use for offers like this so that your main email does not get added to marketing lists. Remember to always read privacy policies when registering for anything online.]
https://www.kidsbowlfree.com
Field Guide to Homeschoolers
This humorous, insightful blog post from Principled Discovery is an original way of looking at homeschoolers. "This week, we will be consulting the Field Guide to Homeschoolers to attempt to describe this fascinating specimen of educational freedom and gain a greater understanding of its habits, habitat and daily life." A recommended read.
http://principleddiscovery.com/2009/06/09/field-guide-homeschoolers/
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Are the high school years approaching in your home? I encourage you to stop, take a deep breath, and consider the possibility that homeschooling your high schooler might be a tremendous boon for you, your student and your whole family. Homeschooling high school is an exciting and scary proposition. You want to turn out a successfully educated and prepared adult at the conclusion of four years of high school, but maybe you feel unprepared or lack confidence that you have the tools and resources necessary to get the job done. |
Testimonial: As I was creating a new folder, saving the documents and scrolling through for a quick look at the materials, my eyes welled up with tears. I have been so overwhelmed and burdened about [my son's] High School stuff and just needed someone to point the way. Someone who had already figured it out and all I need to do is follow. Thank you so much for investing your time and talents and making your Quest for Knowledge available to the rest of us. I'm actually excited about school again and I was toying with giving up and throwing them in public, which is the last thing I want to do. Bless YOU!! - Erin in AK The Upper Level Homeschool course teaches you how to prepare your teen for college and adult life. The first 5 weeks include:
Most weeks the lessons will also include hyperlinks, worksheets and even curriculum samples for you to use. Order now: |
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Is a college degree worthless?
Although the conclusion of this article (testing instead of diplomas) is questionable at best, the points raised about the value of a college degree are valid and deserve to be examined further. Perhaps 4 years spend exploring and developing entrepreneurship would better serve our young adults.
Public schools stifle kids’ free will
"If you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, the frog will jump out immediately. If you put a frog into a pot of cool water and slowly heat the water, the frog eventually dies because it is unaware of the temperature change. And so it goes with 'public education' and 'ADD' and the 'unteachable' students that AJC education columnist Maureen Downey has written about in recent columns on this page. The problem with children in public schools is not the children — it’s the public schools. It’s an artificial and coercive environment in which young children are put when they don’t know any better that they shouldn’t be there."
700 NYC teachers are paid to do nothing
"Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its "rubber rooms" — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings. The 700 or so teachers can practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their colleagues — pretty much anything but school work. They have summer vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and holidays through the school year... Because the teachers collect their full salaries of $70,000 or more, the city Department of Education estimates the practice costs the taxpayers $65 million a year. The department blames union rules."
Princeton: Tips for Home Schooled Students
We recognize that your experience as a home schooled student will be somewhat different from students in traditional schools. We'll look at your academic record and non-academic interests and commitments within the context of your particular home school curriculum and experience. We understand that for many home schooled students there is not as clear a distinction between academic and non-academic activities as there might be for students in a traditional high school....
Families join to enrich home school
From the St. Petersburg Gazette: "Home schooling is not about staying at home." Finally, someone is starting to get it!
Not so fast: Home schooling trumps full-day kindergarten
"Some time ago, our library held an information night for home-schooling parents. The room was jam-packed... None of them were hippies. None seemed overly religious or way out there. In fact, the only trait they shared was a conviction that they – as moms and dads – could better prepare their children for life. And you know what? They can... The Fraser Institute's study also raises two startling points: Children who are home schooled by a parent trained in teaching achieve about the same academic results as children whose parents are not; parents who didn't even finish high school can still do a better job of teaching their children than public schools, scoring 'a full 55 percentile points higher in math and 49 points higher in writing than public school students from families with comparable education levels.'"
See more on TheHomeSchoolMom.com
7. Article - 5 Must-Have, No-Cost Resources for Homeschooling
by Terri JohnsonThis past year has not been an easy one for many Americans, that’s for sure. With businesses downsizing and laying off staff, many loyal employees find themselves out of work. With the bursting of the real estate bubble, many hard-working homeowners find themselves in a house they can no longer afford to keep and yet can neither afford to sell. We live in hard times, but often it is these very hard times that generate the most creative thinking. As they say… Necessity is the mother of invention. I believe that was first spoken by Plato. Or you could say... “Invention is the mother of necessity.” Thorstein Veblen, the author of that quote, was a U.S. economist and social philosopher who lived during the latter portion of the 19th century until the Great Depression. He lived i n times not unlike our own. Swift change can cause turmoil.
So, if invention and creativity is spurred on by necessity or difficulty (and vice versa), then now is a great time to look for and use no-cost resources that will serve us well during this economic downturn.
There are many of you who cannot afford homeschooling curriculum this year. Does that mean that you should put your children into public school? No, what it means is that it is time to get creative, even inventive, when it comes to our children’s education.
And this is your place to start. I am going to share with you my top 5 “must-have” homeschooling resources that won’t cost you a dime. Bookmark each of these sites and refer to them often as you prepare and teach your children during this upcoming school year.
Top 5 Must-Have No-Cost Homeschooling Resources
(These are not listed in any particular order because they are all good! Bookmark or sign up for them all!)
- Jim Erskine’s Freebie of the Day - If you are not aware of this site, then I am excited to share it with you. Jim works with homeschool publishers to provide you with 1 freebie each day. The link to the freebie is only active for 24 hours, so you have to act fast, but these are quality offerings and not just filler junk. Trust me, I have participated in this program and we have given away a full U.S. geography curriculum on one occasion and another full ebook on another occasion. Other publishers are doing the same thing. So sign up using the “Join List” tab at the top of the page.
- The Old Schoolhouse’s Teacher Toolbox - Most of you are probably aware of their Freebie Friday newsletter (if you are not, then sign up for that one as well). But the Teacher Toolbox newsletter is a lesser known treasure. The Teacher's Toolbox is a great way to inject something extra into your teaching plans especially when you are homeschooling on a shoestring.
- The Homeschool Mom Unit Studies - Actually, the entire Homeschool Mom site is a gem and you should spend some time there getting familiarized with it and find out what it has to offer. But I specifically highlighted the unit study page because unit studies are a great way to homeschool your children especially if you are working with limited funds. You can teach them all the same topic but at varying levels. You can often utilize library books and online information resources – all for free.
- Donna Young Printables and Resources - Yes, this site is a treasure trove of lessons, planners and forms. There is a form for everything you could ever need. I especially like her diplomas! If you are looking for a specific form, a planner or a lesson for a certain subject, make sure that you check here! Donna Young has so many useful forms and resources that you will think you have hit the jackpot.
- Homeschooling ABCs Free 5 Day MiniClass – Sometimes when you are throwing it all together yourself and not using pre-made curriculum, you can start to wonder if you are on the right track. Worry no longer… sign up for the free 5 day mini-class at the site above and receive information on:
- What to Teach and When
- 4 Steps to Homeschooling Success
- Homeschooling on a Dime
- Getting the Help You Need
- Planning and Scheduling
There you go – 5 “Must-Have” No-Cost Resources for Homeschooling. Take advantage of them. Let them be the fuel that starts your creative engine and keeps it going strong. My hope and prayer for you is that you have NOT been hit hard by this financial mess our country has found itself in. But if you have been, then look for the silver lining amongst the gray clouds. As Patti Handy says, “Don’t let a good financial crisis go to waste.” (www.teenscashcoach.com)
Warmly,
Terri Johnson
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© 2009 TheHomeSchoolMom.Com
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