Hello again! I hope you all had a wonderful summer. Ours was quite busy as usual. As you many of you know from my last issue of the newsletter, we had a trial run with keeping a family dairy cow at the beginning of the summer. Much to my disappointment, it was not something that worked out. We enjoyed the milk (lots of milk!) and especially the butter, cheese, and ice cream that we made with it, but without any effective way of handling the flies and gnats that were plaguing Becky and me during milking time, it became just one more stressful additional duty in my already full day. We finally had to make the difficult decision to sell Becky. We haven't sold her yet, but she is happily spending her days at a friend's farm until I find a buyer. If you would like to read more about our experience keeping a family cow (or would like to see a few pictures of Becky), you can read our farmstead journal at www.beaverdamfarmstead.com. (And if you live in Virginia and are interested in buying a family cow, email me!) We still have our two goats and many chickens and are looking into possibly adding some lower maintenance sheep or beef cattle to the mix.
We are trying to get back into the swing of things by getting our household organized before launching into school again. When we moved to the country we downsized significantly and it has left me with lots of piles of school resources that don't have a home. Another trip to Ikea will hopefully remedy that problem! This year we are studying ancient history starting with Ancient Greece and Rome. We plan to take a couple of detours during the year to focus on the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Wright Brothers' first flight since this year is the 200th and 100th anniversary of those events, respectively. (Those of you who read my From the Editor notes faithfully will notice that I erred in the email version of the newsletter and stated that it was the 150th anniversay of the Wright Brothers' first flight - blame it on the cold medicine I am taking!) I look forward to the cool weather to get us motivated for our fall school schedule.
In this issue of the newsletter, I have several new resources and a few reviews of homeschool resources. Be sure to check out the great promotion that we are offering this month on TheHomeSchoolMom DVD Rentals - a free 30 day trial or a free DVD player! You can find out more about this great educational resource at http://mentura.com/DVDRentals/thehomeschoolmom.html. I hope you enjoy this issue of the newsletter. If someone forwarded this issue of TheHomeSchoolMom's Free Homeschool Resources to you, you can get your own subscription here:
If you need unsubscribe and address change information you will find here. Have a great week. Enjoy this week's resources!
Warm regards,
Mary Ann
You can find out more about your editor, Mary Ann Kelley, in an interview that originally ran in the Natural Family Home newsletter. Check it out!
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. Notepad, eraser and crayons
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Sites for Teachers is regularly featured in TheHomeSchoolMom Newsletter because it is one stop shopping for lesson plans, activity sheets, unit studies, and more. Over 500 of the best teacher sites! School Express (number 21) is an excellent site with many free resources for teachers.
Top Teacher Sites
Teach-nology.com has put together a list with the top 200 teacher sites that they have found on the web. Great resources! I love the fact that these resources always have new sites on them. The Teacher's Guide (number 31) has many free resources in a variety of subjects.
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In addition to the great prices above, you can increase your savings by buying $30.00 worth of 'any' of the books on their Web site (including the sale books!) and receive a $5 discount with the use of this coupon:
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This summer I had the opportunity to test a new math resource called the FlashMaster. At first glance I was unsure of how my girls would react to this little electronic device. The FlashMaster measures about 5"x7" and has the ability to give timed tests, timed practice, and timed flashcards. It also has the ability to drill addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division tables either in order and out of order. Because it offers both timed and untimed functions, it is easy for children to use in a way that makes them most comfortable. It looks quite busy, with several rows of buttons and lots of notations. Undaunted, my 5 year old grabbed it from me and within a couple of minutes (and with a little help from her mom with the reading part), she had deduced how to set up the FlashMaster to quiz her on math facts at her ability level. Without any instructions from me (which is how the teacher's guide recommends introducing the FlashMaster), my 8 year old figured it out completely.The FlashMaster quickly became a favorite take along for long car rides and waiting at ballet lessons, among other times. If I just tuck it in my bag without a word, the children quickly spy its familiar shape and ask to play with it. The FlashMaster is $49.95 and includes a 60-day money back guarantee (which includes a refund of shipping and handling). There is a reduced price available for parents of children that are eligible for free school lunches at public schools. For more information on the FlashMaster, please visit www.flashmaster.com or call 1-800-884-3531.
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Another resource that is produced by Knowledge Quest is a collection of full size 10' x 1' timelines. "Help your students understand and 'see' the progression of history with interactive and engaging timelines. Wall timelines and timeline software [are] available." Because the timeline is a full foot in height, there is plenty of room for timeline figures, notes, biography cards, or any other resources you would like to put on the timeline. The timelines are printed on heavyweight stock and cover varying periods in history (anywhere from several thousand to to 200 years, depending on how many resources would need to fit in each period). "Date increments remain consistent throughout each timeline, giving a truer perspective of history." They also include category stickers which allow the student to use a small sticker to consistently highlight entries by category. These timelines work well with the History Through the Ages timeline figures from Homeschool in the Woods (which are also sold at the Knowledge Quest Maps site), and because they are heavyweight but not too thick, they could also be scored and folded to fit into an accordion type notebook timeline. The timelines are $17.95 and include over 120 timeline category stickers. For more information on Knowledge Quest Timelines, visit www.knowledgequestmaps.com. For more information on Knowledge Quest Maps, visit www.knowledgequestmaps.com.
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When Splashes from the River contacted me review The Basic Cozy Grammar Course and The Basic Cozy Punctuation Course, my first thought was to wonder how grammar and punctuation could fall under the category of being cozy. After watching the first lesson (taught by Marie Rackham on location on the shores of the Campbell River in British Columbia), I understood exactly how grammar can be cozy. Marie's warm style and the wonderful scenery at her cabin on the river combine to make the grammar and punctuation courses truly cozy. The course combines a daily video lesson with a worksheet to reinforce the lesson. It is a painless way for any parent to teach grammar, and the lessons are bite-sized to keep student frustration or boredom to a minimum. According to Marie, "Grammar does not make you creative; it is a technique that enhances your creativity. If you can't speak well and write well your windows of opportunity are closed." One challenging aspect to the program for me was the multi-cultural aspect to the location and Marie's object lessons. The Pacific Northwest has much Asian influence and eastern religious objects such as tories and Buddhas periodically pop up in the lessons. For our family it has given an opportunity to discuss eastern religions compared to our own, but some families may wish to avoid such references.
In addition to being a teacher Marie has many years of disciplined training and practice in music, and her classroom experience taught her the value of music as a calming influence on students. "The Cozy Classroom Collection CD is a selection of classical piano compositions that have been performed, arranged, edited, and recorded to facilitate learning." Although we have not use the Cozy Classroom Collection in a learning setting yet, we have enjoyed listening to the classical music selections (performed by Marie) in the car on our trips to and from town.
Splashes from the River also offers a free online spelling course at http://www.splashesfromtheriver.com/spelling/courseoutline.htm. The Basic Cozy Grammar Course is $109.95 USD plus shipping ($124.95 CD), The Basic Cozy Punctuation Course is $99.95 USD plus shipping ($114.95 CD), and both courses offer a 30 day money back guarantee. The Cozy Classroom Collection CD is $18.95 in USD & CD. For more information on The Basic Cozy Grammar Course and The Basic Cozy Punctuation Course, visit http://www.splashesfromtheriver.com.
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