If you are a parent looking to bring a little intellectual stimulation to your own life of learning, you should know that this week marks the beginning of a new online math study group. The free study group is an offshoot of the peerless Living Math YahooGroup, and they will be undertaking to work their way through Harold Jacob’s Mathematics: A Human Endeavor. The project is expected to take a year or more, as we parents are pretty busy most days!

Last time I checked, the group was up to 100 participants! Some parents are working through the course in order to kindle (or rekindle) a heightened appreciation for math. Others have anxiety about math, and are hoping that working through the chapters with a supportive and positive group will help them develop competence and confidence. Some are planning to work through the book with their older children, while others are doing it on their own. [Read more]

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Looking for more ways to spice up your homeschooling? There’s a great opportunity for almost everyone in North and South America this month – an event that provides a creative way to integrate science, history, and a fascinating true story (plus one made-up story, too, if you like). And, it won’t even cost you a dime!

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So, how’s your peace of mind, these days?

How safe are all the data and materials you’ve collected on your computer?

I’ll be the first to admit that my overall plan to backup my critical data has been . . . haphazard, at best.

Until last week that is! I can honestly say that I am now pretty well protected from a computer meltdown, and the best part is —-I won’t even have to really think about it again. The backing-up part of my brain can take a permanent Caribbean vacation. (Too bad the rest of me isn’t quite so lucky!)

I realize that many of you may be far more diligent than I have been in protecting all the ebooks and curriculum materials that you have downloaded, the documents and records you have created, and the photos of your children and their homeschool studies that you have taken. You may habitually back up all relevant files on CD’s or USB drives, and then store the copies in another location, in case of house fire.

I, on the other hand, have made some backups at various points, but usually don’t know where they are. I think I stuck one CD in our safe deposit box, but I don’t remember exactly which information I put on it.

If you are like I was, here are a few ideas: [Read more]

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With all the great science materials that are now available to today’s homeschoolers, why was I so impressed by Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding that I spent an entire month compiling the review you are reading now, just trying to do this new book justice?

Why do we even need another approach to science?

“The best of both worlds” sums up nicely my opinion of the new science lesson plans put out by Dr. Bernard Nebel. (Though I apologize in advance to those of you who will now have the Hannah Montana theme song stuck in their heads for the next hour.)

Let me explain what I mean by “both worlds”:

Like many homeschoolers these days, I am often drawn to use “living books” in our studies, instead of the generally lackluster textbooks that are available in the science curriculum marketplace. I was homeschooled with traditional science textbooks as a child, and I have to admit: they didn’t do much for me. I’m not sure I ever related much of what I dutifully read in those books to the real world.

In my experience, textbooks, while technically thorough, often have a disturbing tendency to result in very little learning, retention, or (perhaps most regrettably!) enthusiasm for the subject.

Now that I homeschool my own children, I tend to gravitate towards living books for our scientific pursuits. (Charlotte Mason defined living books as quality works written by a single author who is passionate about his or her subject.) There are many interesting children’s books that speak to various aspects of science, so finding such resources has not been a problem. In fact, there are a number of curricula for homeschoolers that are primarily based around the living book concept. (Sonlight, Noeo, Living Learning Books, among others)

But, but, but, I still felt that there was something missing from that approach. You see, each of these living books on weather or constellations or animals or habitats was a valuable and worthwhile resource, but they were like numerous individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that never quite seemed to fit together in a logical and coherent way. To mangle another metaphor, I felt that we were seeing lots and lots of trees, but missing the big picture of how they all fit together into a real forest.

So what was I to do?

[Read more]

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In honor of all the homeschoolers out there working to live within their (often reduced) means, I’m declaring today Finance Freebie Friday, with a link to a freebie finance tool!

Millionaire Mommy Next Door (my favorite finance blog) has created a free spreadsheet that helps you keep your needs and wants balanced within the realities of your actual income. [Read more]

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Here’s a very cool, but also quite easy project that I learned about in my twins’ homeschool science class at the local nature preserve last year. I was cleaning off a much neglected bookshelf this weekend when I came across the materials we used to make several of these journals. That reminded me that I’ve been meaning to blog about these and post the instructions:

You’ll need the materials I’ve pictured above: 1 stick, 1 rubber band, and a small stack of paper for each journal. You should plan to use a sheet of stiff paper or card stock for the cover, to add durability. Feel free to use colored paper for any or all of the pages. [Read more]

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Apparently, you are not alone! Earlier today, in fact, I was bemoaning to myself the fact that I had so many projects going right now I could hardly see straight. Lo and behold, what did I proceed to stumble across but a recent blog post of Susan Wise Bauer’s about the limits of multitasking!

Now Susan (or should I say “Dr. Bauer” now – she’s earned it!) is one of my favorite bloggers. I’ve read her blog for at least 18 months or more. She doesn’t post so often that it is a chore to keep up, and I love to vicariously follow her on her writing, revising, and publicity adventures, with a few farm-related highlights to keep things interesting. If you don’t already read her blog, I highly recommend it!

As I was reading the list of what she had going on this past week, though, I have to admit that I felt downright queasy on her behalf. She laments the frustration she is having: [Read more]

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I wanted to take the opportunity here to link to one of my favorite free online resources: The Canon 3D PaperCraft website, and explain a little bit about how this site works.

The PaperCraft site has dozens of full color printable models that you can print, cut out, and assemble. They run the gamut from simple to unbelievably complex. Some of them are truly masterpieces – perfect for those of you who are really up for a new challenge. Many of the projects are well suited to complement homeschooling lessons, whether you are studying Ancient Egypt or the solar system. [Read more]

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Some of you will remember that I told you about the Hands of a Child Black Friday sale back in November. If you remember that, you might also remember that their servers were promptly overrun and the whole site crashed for several days!

Well, as promised, the Hands of a Child crew is offering a second chance sale starting tomorrow, Friday, January 18, 2008. They’ve changed servers, retooled the website, and are ready to give it another try!

They’ve given permission to share the coupon code online, so here are the details you need to know if you want to participate:

The sale is valid for all lapbook project packs. (Ebook, CD, or printed) The discount schedule is as follows: [Read more]

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In recent years, cases of abuse, neglect, or even (as in Washington DC last week) murder by homeschoolers or persons claiming to be homeschoolers have prompted some journalists and government officials to call for increased regulation and supervision of homeschooling families. Each time abuse like this comes to the attention of the nation, the obvious first response is to reign in the autonomy of homeschool parents, so that they are unable to slip through the cracks of the social services system.

In this most recent case of apparently gruesome and heartbreaking murder, such a reaction is certainly understandable. The innocent children involved appear to have been at the mercy of a distraught and deranged parent, and everyone wants to know how this could have happened, and how it could be prevented in the future. [Read more]

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