When was the last time you had to pry your kids away from their homeschool lessons? Time4Learning combines the technology they love with the lessons they need to make learning fun.

Voted to the Homeschool.com “Top 100 Websites” list for the second year in a row, the preschool - 8th grade curriculum includes 1000+ animated lessons, printable worksheets and graded activities for Language Arts and Math (including Algebra). Science and Social Studies are also available in most grade levels.

Learn more, view our screenshots or try our lesson demos. There are no contracts and we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

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4. Educational Resources

WordPlay Cafe Book Download
This free download for teachers is a PDF version of the published book (available at amazon.com). According to the author, Michael Kline, "It’s a fun, educational romp through the more common aspects of linguistics for kids, and was driven by my desire to not only present the humor in wordplay, but also explain how it works, so that kids may begin to build their own unique brand of phonetic fun." Downloadable for free in 5 parts.
http://dogfoose.com/wordplay-cafe/

Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count begins this month! Those of you who are FB fans will have seen this already, but I wanted to let everyone know that February 12-15, 2010, is the week for this year's bird count. It's a great way to integrate nature studies into your homeschool. The Peterson Field Guide is a great iPhone app ($2.99) to help you identify birds.
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/gbbc-video10

Things To Do Science Cards
Teresa Bondora at How To Teach Science has put together this PDF download with science "To Do" cards. Print them on cardstock and cut them out for a ready stack of hands on science ideas.
http://www.howtoteachscience.com/products/freethingstodo.php

Heroes of Character
The National Liberty Museum’s new four-part exhibition, called “Heroes of Character,” is designed to inspire action and initiate a global dialogue about heroism and character in today’s society, speaking to young people using interactive technology. The exhibition asks students “What do you stand for?” through its four exhibits: What Should You Do, Thrift & Generosity Challenge, Laws of Life, and Follow In My Footsteps. The new, permanent exhibition also features a companion website with materials specifically for teachers to use in the classroom, including a character education curriculum as well as other classroom activities and discussion guides relevant to the exhibition’s themes.
http://www.heroesofcharacter.org/teachers_lounge/educational_resources.aspx

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6. Recently Seen Online

Bad economy may be fueling homeschooling trend
"Earlier this month, Lake had 1,508 registered homeschool students - up from 1,245 last January, said Jay Marshall, who oversees the school district's department of student services, which monitors homeschool numbers for the state... No one has studied the recent trend, which has hit school districts nationwide. Education leaders have said the trend is likely fueled by economics. In these tight financial times, a lot of parents can't afford private schools anymore. But they don't want their kids in public schools, so they're homeschooling them."

Eli Gerzon's World Travel Tours
Eli Gerzon is a grown homeschooler who leads Worldschool Travel Tours especially for homeschooling/unschooling young adults. Worldschool Travel Tours are always in small groups and are designed so participants can experience cultures more intimately than most travel tours.

Utah boy is chess National Master
"The next Bobby Fischer is living on a quiet street in West Jordan, says Damian Nash, a U.S. Chess Federation senior tournament director. Utah's own chess phenom is Kayden Troff, and in many ways, he's a normal 11-year-old boy. He loves to swim, go sledding and play video games. He's also the No. 1 chess player in the world in his age group (11 and younger), according to the World Chess Federation, a gold medal winner at the 2009 North American Youth Championship and a member of the 2010 All-America Team."

The Politics of Homeschooling by Mary McCarthy
"Homeschooling was not always as political as it is today... In the process of changing attitudes, homeschoolers became identified with politics. This altered perspective was bolstered in 1983 by Home School Legal Defense Association, a self-appointed homeschool lobby that has been representing an unknown number of paying members since then... Advertising their services and homeschooling to the general public via surveys and public relations, homeschooling families are portrayed in a specific way..."

See more on TheHomeSchoolMom.com

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7. Article - Dealing with Daily Interruptions
by Charmaine Wistad

Interruptions in our school day – are they simply a fact of life that we have to put up with or are there things we can do to control them? I believe the answer for both questions is: “yes”. In many ways, interruptions are just a fact of life: the baby gets sick, the insurance man stops by or a glass of juice gets spilled. These kinds of interruptions are usually unavoidable. However, there are many interruptions in our day that can be avoided. Let’s look at some of them – along with some possible solutions.

Perhaps one of the biggest interruptions is the telephone. For this interruption, answering machines and Caller I.D. can be very helpful, making it possible to only answer the most critical calls. If friends or relatives are calling, explain to them that you will not be available during certain times of the day and ask them not to call during those times. The goal is to set appropriate limits, not to become totally isolated.

Lack of a schedule in the homeschool can also bring many unwanted interruptions. Don’t be afraid to set goals for the day and stick to them. In order to stay on task and accomplish our goals for each day, I had to think of that time in the same way I would an outside job. If I were working an outside job, I wouldn’t be using my time at work to talk on the phone with friends, go to non-related meetings and appointments or do household chores or crafts. In the same way, during the hours that I had scheduled for school time, I did not allow for time with friends and relatives, appointments, meetings or housework – unless it was directly related to our school goals.

Some interruptions can be used in a positive way to build character in your children. For instance, dealing with toddlers and preschoolers, while teaching the older ones, will bring many character building opportunities. The toddlers and preschoolers can learn that certain behavior is expected at certain times and that they need to wait their turn, not interrupt and sit or play quietly for a period of time. Likewise, the older children can learn to cultivate patience and the ability to stay on task – even with some interruptions. Neither of these will happen overnight and will take training from you – but they are worth the effort

Here are some tips for dealing with infants, toddlers and preschoolers while you teach the older ones:

Baby’s nap time is a good time to focus on older students. Adjust the school schedule to take advantage of nap times.
Set aside special “school” toys that the toddler or preschooler is allowed to play with only during school time.
Find something similar to what the older children are doing for the little ones to do at the same time. For instance, if the older children are writing, give the little ones paper, crayons and an “assignment”. If it’s math time, give the little ones their own manipulatives to sort, count and stack.
Have older children take turns reading or playing with the younger ones so that you can direct your attention elsewhere for a time.
Invest in some good audio story CDs (or get them from your library) and use them to occupy the toddlers and preschoolers for 15 to 30 minutes at a time.

Let’s face it; there will be interruptions during school days. Some you can control (the phone) and others you can’t (a sick child). Try to look at interruptions as opportunities to teach and model “real life” for your children. Handling interruptions with flexibility, as well as the ability to stay on task in spite of them, will teach your children important lessons for their lives well beyond their school years.

Charmaine Wistad has successfully homeschooled her own two children from pre-school through high school. Now she is turning her attention toward helping other homeschool moms. Through personal coaching, Charmaine helps homeschooling moms thrive… not just survive! Visit her website to try a complimentary no-obligation telephone coaching session.

Source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/

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