Homeschooling In the High School Years

I am entering the realm of high school grades, report cards, transcripts, entrance exams, and grade point averages. Daunting.

Typically, I would look to other homeschoolers to guide me or head to the convention and sit in on a quickie class about all this nonsense, but that's not really where I'm at right now. Money is tight and most of the homeschool friends I currently associate with aren't there yet.

So, I would like to pass on some valuable information and helpful links/downloads I have found to perhaps aid in your endeavors...whoever you are...just in case you're in the same boat I am.

First, is a helpful link to the HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association), which gives some good guidelines on how to work through choosing appropriate credits for your course work. You will also find some helpful navigation tabs that will show some other helpful topics to research, including transcripts, diplomas, etc.

EVALUATION OF HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS

Second, I wanted to pass on an AMAZING gradebook that is FREE! (Yes...free...for real...) It is so well put together, I kind of want to cry, because it's saving me so much time and effort that I get to type this long overdue update to my blog. Seriously, go download it, and grab your glass of wine and join me in my relaxing as I revel in my victory. They come so seldom, you know.

FREE GRADEBOOK by FiveJ's Homeschooling Resources YOU ROCK!

If you're just getting into the High School years, like I am, all of this can seem overwhelming. Especially if your curriculum doesn't provide grading scales or doesn't fit into the square box that public school curriculum does. Here is one more link to HSLDA's page "Homeschooling Thru High School." Cruise the selections and find some good stuff to keep you going. My favorite: Encouragement!

Also, from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine: Creating an Academic Transcript

Alright, if you have any other nuggets or treasures that would be helpful for current and future readers to snatch up, please share. I do love comments. They make me feel like I'm doing this for something more than just myself. Although, if it is just for me, that's fine. It's fun.

Hoping your home is blessed...

~Erin

Stay-at-Home Moms

If you're a stay-at-home mom, you've no doubt received "the look." Today, as you are doubting your abilities and your mission as a mom, even if you don't stay at home with your little ones, be reminded that what we have an incredibly important job that is far more important than how much we make every year, whether we get a promotion or recognition, or how many people like us or ask us out for coffee.

You may find this blog post I'm about to share too harsh or too strongly worded or not politically correct enough for your tastes. If that's the case, simply disregard and find something else that encourages you.

Hopefully, though, it will be a good reminder that we are doing something big. Something worthwhile. Something that matters. And some days, when it's raining outside, and the house is a mess, and the kids are all cranky, and you haven't had time to shower or brush your teeth because the baby got up an hour earlier than usual, or you're three weeks behind on schoolwork, you need that nudge in the right direction.

Here's your pat on the back, ladies. And for the gents reading, please give your wife/girlfriend/mother/sister/single-mom-next-door a few words of encouragement (and if appropriate, a hug too) for doing what is truly an impossible task met with great opposition.

And now, here it is....

The Matt Walsh Blog with "You're a stay-at-home mom? What do you DO all day?"

And just for your information, while I posted this blog, my very busy 1-year-old found the cassette tapes (yes, I know...) and mangled one or more. Great part is, she was sitting right next to me. It's just the way it is sometimes. If I could hashtag on here, I would say #tunnelvision.

Keep it real today. Life is messy. That's ok.

Wellness Wednesday: Kombucha

I know, I know, I'm behind the times on this one. Kombucha has been around for a very long time. Here is the Wikipedia info on what it is, for what it's worth. In a nutshell, it is a fermented tea that has huge benefits, particularly for the digestive system.

It's been popularized by our culture, much the same way that pomegranates, acai berries, chia seeds, and Greek yogurt have been. It's definitely interesting to see what sorts of foreign foods suddenly make their way into pop culture and become selling points for products. But, let's move on from my critical nature...

After talking with my local health food store worker, I decided to give kombucha a try. I have my first batch of brew in the works, and today is the day when I get to sample to see if I like where it's at or want to let it brew longer. Let me share with you, it looks disgusting.

Basically, kombucha "brews" for a week or so. In the tea, you put what is called a SCOBY, which stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. This SCOBY looks like a giant disc of animal fat. Not pleasant. But, somehow, this growing disc has some benefit to our system. Just like eating yogurt or taking a probiotic, this fermented tea helps the flora of the gut.

Based on some reading I have done, there is a large population of folks in our country that have leaky gut problems and issues with the digestive system. This plays a key role in our health. Everything from skin and hair to the emotional health of a person can be affected by digestive problems.

Lots of things affect our digestive health. Use of medications, food allergies, stress, overeating, and too much sugar or other foods can greatly contribute to digestive problems. Kombucha is just one way of getting your digestive system working for you instead of against you. For those who struggle with candida problems, here is an article (and there are many more) to help you decide if it's for you.

Before we get too carried away with the health benefits of this particular fad, let's take a look at what it is and is not. It is not a cure-all. It is not the most healthy thing on the planet to drink. It is not completely sugar or caffeine free. It is, however, healthy for you and contains a number of helpful properties. Here is a great article, which challenges the truths and myths of kombucha and explains things much better than I can, given my limited research into the matter. It is a blog, not a medical journal, so be sure to check the links at the end to verify her information and do your own research as well.

And just because I love him, here's an article from Dr. Mercola about gut health and ways to combat and heal digestive problems.

I'll keep you informed on how my own batch turns out. Right now, it looks questionable. Hopefully it turns out tasting fantastic. (I plan to try a Dr. Pepper flavor recipe.)

If you brew or drink kombucha or just have something to say about it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you! Here's to your health!

It's been a while

Almost two years ago now, I posted my last blog entry. Unfortunately, family circumstances and situations have changed greatly since then. Now a single mom of four children and living in a new community, I am picking up the pieces of what was once viewed to be the quintessential homeschool life and existence.

Life never behaves as you expect.

Mistakes were made, lines were crossed, and life got messy for some time. That was a season I do not wish to repeat. Now is a season where my children and I and many others involved get to learn of grace and new beginnings. We all want to look back and see what went wrong, where we could have made different choices and changed the outcome. Looking back is good when it fosters future change. But where it binds us to a life of regrets and sorrow and guilt and shame, it is not helpful or healthy.

So, as life teaches us big lessons of forgiveness, grace, mercy, kindness, self-control, and many other things, we seek to press on toward the goal...

What is the goal now? With such huge changes, I have to figure that out. Is the goal to homeschool? Is the goal to survive? (Some days it seems that way.) No, I think the goal is still the same. To raise my children in the fear and admonition of the LORD and live a life I would want them to imitate. Which can be particularly difficult in certain seasons of life. And certainly shame plays a role in making me feel the failure.

But, the beauty of messy lives is that they pave the way for great heaping amounts of grace, and in that, the opportunity to share and teach and humble ourselves as parents and people of THE WAY. I find myself saying '"I'm sorry" a lot. And if I can teach my children one thing while they are with me, it will be to know that our GOD is THE great big huge GOD who cannot fit in any box or poem or slice of scripture we seek to fit HIM into. And as a hopeful citizen of HIS heavenly world, I want to model a life that is gracious and loving and more than just a cute little picture of a churchy family.

Messy. We are messy, broken, and ugly people. But our God is huge, beautiful, and beyond our imagining. Today, I will pick up one piece of my former life, one I have tried to avoid because it hurts to go back to, and try to let God use it to bless someone.

I'm welcoming myself back to my own blog. :)

May your day be full of finding God in the mess.

I'm back

After months of no posts, I have returned to make some small contribution to my self-propelled blog. It's not much today, but I'm hoping it will get me back in the zone.

Toward the end of last school year, I was using this book to do daily breakfast devotions with the kids. They enjoyed it so much I wanted to continue it through the summer. We all know how that goes.

So, I'm finally finding my groove again and making efforts to get back on track with multiple previous projects and endeavors. Thought I would share with you all one of the things I'm picking back up and maybe it will inspire you to do the same.

Here is what came of this morning's devotions....



Blessings....

Life and its unexpected turns...

We got news last week that our two sweet foster boys are headed home after 9 months in our home. We got a measly 10 day notice, so I'm scrambling to get things together...including my emotions. And as we process them out the door and on to new adventures, we also have been processing a new young boy into our lives.

I've barely had time to think these last months, and after feeling like I've largely ignored my friends, it'll be good to socialize just a bit more. But, I will miss these two little ones terribly.

So, moving forward into more uncharted territory...

The house deal is still in the works. My heart is so tied up in living in the country that I'm not sure I'll be able to bear a "no" from God on this, but we've been waiting for 9 months and it seems like we've stalled out. Where are we headed? Not a clue...

Summer has been eventful, with a trip to memories from my past. Old friends have come back into my life, we took the kids to enjoy one of my favorite childhood creeks, and I've spent some time digging through old photos that have sent my belly laughing.

More later...this momma needs a few moments to catch up.

Fun to Share

We love to eat world foods at our house. If you do too, and you love to have your children be the ones to learn how to slice and dice, then here are two GREAT world cookbooks for kids.

Usborne Internet-Linked Children's World Cookbook
~with fantastic photos, information about food ingredients, and great peeks into the people of that region!

and

Eat Your Way Around the World
~with a section for notes and ideas on how to make it a real authentic experience!

Both of these are fantastic books for teaching children how to master the arts of the kitchen.

NEW POLL

Be sure to chime in on my new poll to the left! Click your answer and leave your mark!

Questions about what each style means? Check out this short article.

Welcome Spring!

I say that very tongue-in-cheek because we are under a severe winter storm warning right now. While most others are complaining that more snow is coming on top of what has been desperately trying to melt, I'm sitting in the cozy living room of my friend's house, enjoying delectable conversation, coffee cake, and books such as The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery. Life can't get much sweeter.

It's so easy to let our expectations get in the way of our moods. If anyone has reason to complain about yet another snow storm, it would definitely be the two of us. We both just received our orders of seeds for our spring garden planting. But, while we sit and watch the snow pelt the window outside, we dream of the beautiful weather to come. And come it will. No doubt about it. We just have to wait.

I'm looking out the window through the trees to where my house will someday be located and dreaming of chickens, tall corn stalks, and dirty boots. Yes, spring will most assuredly come. With the budding trees will come the birds and the salamanders. The mice will start to scurry again, and the cats will have fat bellies from the game they so carefully stalk.

I'm watching my dirty, old, yellow lab lick his muddy paws and cry out in pain from his aching joints. He has spent the last 12 hours enjoying these acres of land with his girlfriend, Summer. I'm thinking the old dog will have to learn to pace himself next to his young friend. But, it'll be a sweet thing to watch them splash in the water hole behind the house.

I'm listening to our children stomp up and down the stairs, and I keep wondering what it will be like to have them all working to build their treehouse between our houses. We've been carefully planning our projects and watching our budget to make room for them all. Step by step, I know things will take shape.

As the snow accumulates outside the window, I think about the pergola I want built above my deck. Those hot summer days that are sure to appear will be even more satisfying as we sweat our way to an amazing harvest of vegetables and fruits.

Yes, spring is on its way, friends. And it will be beautiful.

St. Patrick

Just popping in to share a book I love about Saint Patrick.

Ancient Egypt for Children

I've unearthed some great resources for teaching Ancient Egyptian history to children. Below are some fantastic links that you're going to want to spend some time playing with. I hope you enjoy these as much as we have been!

King Tut's Virtual Tomb

                 but first read...

Howard Carter Finds King Tut's Tomb

Egyptian Tomb Adventure

Practice your hand at making your own mummy here and here!

Pyramid Builder

Ancient Egypt for Kids - TONS of links!

Tapestry of Grace Arts and Activities

Music and the Home School: More Unit Study Lists

Music is one of the things in home school that seems to be the hardest to incorporate. I have, in past posts, made lists of music that could be used along with science and history lessons to help bring things together in an artful and well-rounded way. After scouring iTunes and the internet thoroughly, I've found some real treasures I want to share with you. I am so thankful for iTunes "preview" feature that allows me to listen before buying.


We use Christian Cottage Unit Studies (which is a Charlotte Mason approach to history and science). Everything I do, except maybe math, revolves around this─music, foreign language, art, reading...


This "list" of music appreciation listening is going to follow the run of unit studies that are in this curriculum. But, they can be used for just about any curriculum since these are topics that are covered in pretty much all classrooms.

..................................................................

Music Appreciation for Roots and Relations: The Foundation of Civilizations Unit Study 

Listen to Haydn’s The Creation  (this is a whole 2 disc listening experience, so there are no other ‘assignments’ for this unit)

                        or for younger students

"Creation of the World" by Darius Milhaud

Music Appreciation for Light and Matter Unit Study

Listen to “Light” by Hans Zimmer from The Thin Red Line soundtrack

Music Appreciation for Early Civilizations Unit Study

Listen to Ancient Lyre music by Michael Levy

·       An Ancient Lyre

·       Echoes of Ancient Ur

·       Hurrian Hymn  No. 6 (c.1400BCE) Ancient Mesopotamian Musical Fragment

Listen to EL-HAWZI by Hossam Ramzy (Egyptian Rai)

Listen to Dulab Huzam by George Dimitri Sawa (The Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun)

Listen to Ancient Memories by Derek Bell (The Mystic Harp)

•  Learn what a harp looks and sounds like
•  Learn what a lyre looks and sounds like
•  Learn what a Qanun (kanun) looks and sounds like and where it originates from

Music Appreciation for Oceanography Unit Study

Listen to “Tsunami” from the album Bending the Light: Chamber Works…

Listen to “La Mer” by Debussy

Listen to “A Sea Symphony” by Vaughan Williams

Listen to “Sea Preludes” by Douglas Lilburn

Listen to “Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium” by Camille Saint-Saëns

Music Appreciation for Greece and Rome Unit Study

Listen to “Roman Banquet” by Michael Levy

Listen to “The First Delphic Hymn to Apollo” (c. 138 BCE) Ancient Greek Musical Fragment by Michael Levy

Listen to “Song Seikilos” (1^st Century Greek Song) by San Antonio Vocal Arts Ens.

Listen to ”Ancient Dance” by Petros Tabouris Ensemble

Listen to “Pompei” by Synaulia (music from Ancient Rome Vol.1)

Listen to “Lamentation of Tekmessa” by Christodoulos Halaris

• Research some of the Roman Musical Instruments such as the Roman Tuba, askaules, aulos, and the syrinx

 

Music Appreciation for Weather Unit Study 

Listen to Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”

Listen to “Stormy Weather” by Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra

Listen to “Thunder and Lightning Polka” by Johann Strauss Jr.  

Listen to “Wind” by Peter Davison

Music Appreciation for Middle Ages Unit Study

Listen to Music for a Medieval Banquet by Drew Minter, Judish Malafronte, Mary Springfels, and Newberry Consort

Listen to “Medieval Music: Laudario di Contona” by Vocal Ensemble of Montpellier

Listen to “Salterello” by The Dufay Collective

Listen to “Medieval Dance Music” from the album Indroducing Continuum

• Learn what “chant” sounds like and where it began
• Learn about the beginnings of written music

Music Appreciation for Bread of Life: Birds, Biomes, Bugs, and Bodies Unit Study

Listen to:

BUGS
Franz Schubert's Der Einsame D 800 (The Hermit)
Bela Bartok's Mikrokosmos, Book VI, BB 105, No. 142, From the Diary of a Fly
Ralph Vaughan Williams' Overture to the Wasp
Modest Mussorgsky's Mephistopheles’s Song Of The Flea
Chet Atkins' Centipede Boogie
Thomas Arne's Where The Bee Sucks There Lurk I
Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee
Kalevi Aho's Insect Symphony (7th Symph.)
Bela Bartok's Night Music
Roussel's The Spider's Feast
Ralph Vaughn Williams' The Wasps Suite
Tchaikovsky's Chorus of Insects
Grieg's La Papillon (The Butterfly)

ANIMALS
Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals
J. S. Bach's Where My Sheep Safely Graze
Rossini's La Boutique fantasque: Galop (horses)
Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
Respighi's Prelude from The Birds
Anderson's The Waltzing Cat 
 
PLANTS
Jonas Forssell: I begynnelsen (The Kingdom of Plants),
Lakmé: The Flower Duet (BBC Concert Orchestra),
Don Quixote: Flower Walt


Music Appreciation for Astronomy Unit Study

Listen to The Planets by Gustav Holst (this is, again, a whole album of listening, so it’s the only ‘assignment’ for this unit)

 ....................................................................................................


That brings us to the end of the the first volume of Christian Cottage Unit Studies. If you are interested in seeing some of what is included in these unit studies, please see my posts on Year One, Year Two, and Year Three or check out their website linked at the beginning of this post. 

Vacation + Home School Convention =

ONE TIRED MOMMA!

After a lovely week in warm(er) San Diego, I spent a day and a half at home, then ran off to our State Home School Convention for 3 days. I'm totally exhausted. Glad I did all of that and then some, but I'm really, most definitely tired. Resting...

We didn't make it to church today for several reasons. One of our foster boys is now sick with the stomach bug and took a much needed 5 hour nap today. I'm thankful he hasn't thrown up again since last night, but I'm holding my breath to see if anyone else is going to get it. My husband had to run off to work this morning for some eventful drama. I know God's hand is in it. Praying...

Took some great time today to look at my photos from the last two weeks. While in San Diego, I took over 900 photos─mostly of a fantastic concert my sister was a part of. I've been adjusting lighting, cropping, and playing with photo effects. So much fun to come out with what I was hoping for. Musing...

I'm now contemplating a way to get all three of my children into the same Unit Study for history. How will this happen? I don't have the slightest clue. One of them will have to stall out while the other two do a quick catch up. Planning...

I Must Be Crazy

I must not have enough to do. I decided I'm going to learn how to knit. My first project is a scarf─keeping it simple so as not to throw in the towel too early.

I'm not really a super creative person, but I'd like to try to make my own design on the scarf instead of just doing one plain color. I've got the basic technique down, but I'm a little scared to get into the changing of colors in the middle of a row. We'll see how it turns out.

Pray for me. It could get interesting...

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

When What You Have Isn't Enough: UPDATE

So, we made the potato flour according to this blog. Tomorrow we will proceed with the Citron Kake recipe. I will post another update on the taste of our product! 

Here is our step-by-step on 

HOW TO MAKE POTATO FLOUR:

STEP 1: Scrub and steam potatoes until cooked through.

STEP 2: Lay potatoes out on a cookie sheet and mash with a fork.

STEP 3:  Bake potatoes at lowest temp available or use a dehydrator to dry potatoes thoroughly.

STEP 4: Grind dried potato in a four mill, food processor, or coffee grinder.

STEP 5: Sift ground potato through cheese cloth or flour sifter to get rid of meal.

 

NOTES: Remember that a lot of potato only makes a little bit of flour. The amount of potato shown above made about 1/2 cup of flour. It took about 2-3 hours to dry the potatoes all the way through. A dehydrator would work best and would need about a night to dry completely. We double ground ours to make it as fine as possible. We used white potatoes instead of sweet. Reds would also work.

When What You Have Isn't Enough

We're trying to make a Norwegian recipe today that calls for potato flour. I would think that, living in ND, it would be more readily available, as this is the land of the Norskies. It's also a gluten-free option for those who are celiacs. However, we can't seem to find it anywhere. So, in an effort to be frugal and home-schooly, we are going to attempt to make our own! What got me going was this post leading us to study George Washington Carver and his accomplishments in agricultural products. Since it is African American History Month, I suppose it's an appropriate study subject.

I'll post an update on how we did it and how it tasted.

It's a cold one!

I ventured out
In the cold
With five children
And a missing mitten

I ventured out
In the wind
With half my brain
And a whole lotta mission

I ventured out
To get things done
With wind in my hair
And snow in my ears

I ventured out
Then got stuck in the store
The base exercise stranding me
With five children and nothing to do

I ventured out
Finally got back home
Now everyone is napping
Maybe I ought to, too

Photography: Vivian Maier

My sister sent me a link to the "posthumous blog" of an amazing street photographer. Her name is Vivian Maier and her story is truly mysterious and intriguing. I invite you to enjoy, as I have, a very small snippet of her work. It's like stepping into another world...

Vivian Maier ─ Her Discovered Work (The John Maloof Collection)

The Jeff Goldstein Collection

 Guess who made lunch today! It's a good thing too, because I had no idea what we were going to eat! My sweet, middle child has a huge imagination and loves to experiment. I wasn't entirely sure what would come out of his desire to make his own soup, but I hoped it was edible. And it was. It was truly wonderful. He did an incredible job, and everyone loved it!

I love my children! They are truly a treasure.