Words to Grow On

Freebie Friday

One of my favorite librarians shared a site with me the other day that has a number of listings for sites for children.  There are a few that I've been to already but a good number I haven't.  Take a look when you have a moment. Leave me a comment if you find anything you're able to use, too.

Great Websites for Kids

Happy Freebie Friday to each of you!  Enjoy the weekend.

Be well.

Thankful Thursday

This week has been so good thus far. I don't feel anxious or rushed. I think this has to do with things coming to an end (homeschool year). It's time to take a break--we're all in need of it.

Today I'm thankful for my children. Over the last few days we've been talking and planning and coming up with new ideas for how we'd like to do things together. I've had time with each of them one on one and it's been good to hear what's going on in their minds.  I am thankful again for being able to be with them during these years of their lives.

I'm also thankful for all the sunshine we've been seeing this week. Temperatures have been nice as well--not too hot.

I'm thankful for my mother--who has set such a great example of how to be a mother. It's an example I use daily as I interact with my children. The love she gave me and my siblings growing and continues to give us and our children is a strong presence in my life and the life of my children. As we approach Mother's Day, I'm grateful that it is she who is my mother.

What is on your list this week? Care to share one or two? Comment below.

Enjoy the rest of this lovely day wherever you are.

Be well.

Planning Your Year Anew

It's once again time to begin planning for the new homeschool year, if you haven't started already.  For anyone new to homeschooling and starting at the very beginning of things, I'd like to share with you a series I've done for newbies: How to Plan Series. You'll find seven simply steps to get you on your way. (Anyone looking for a refresher is encouraged to take a look too.)

For many of us who have been doing this for a minute, we may need a few reminders or some pointers on just what we need to focus on as we end a year and start anew.  For those of us in that boat, I'll be sharing some tips and reminders over the next few weeks to help keep us all on track. This will be 'How to Plan 2.0.'

I invite you to join me each Wednesday for a quick tip/reminder and a resource or two.  I'd love to have your feedback and input on how you're already planning; what things you're already doing to put things in place for your children for next term. We all learn from each other and I invite each of you to share as you're able.

Here's the first tip/reminder in this new series: Take time to assess and evaluate where you and your children are at this moment.

Depending upon how old your children are and what levels they are on will determine just how much you'll need to review and reflect upon. I typically pull out the plans and goals I've written at the top of any given year and look to see if we've met them.  I look at our calendar of events to see just what 'impromptu' activities may have helped get us to where we wanted to be and what may have taken us in different directions.  I also review their journals and logs.

As your children grow, I suggest adding conferencing to your assessment and evaluation time.  Yesterday I had meetings with each of my children that focused mainly on their thoughts about this year--what they enjoyed learning, what they didn't; how much they felt they'd learned and what other things they would have liked to cover this year.  After listening to them and asking additional questions based on their answers, I took notes and asked them to start thinking about what they'd like to add to our learning experiences for the coming months. In another day or so, I'll meet with each again for this follow-up conversation--one of many, I must add. Although I did this more formally this year, we speak often about how they believe they're doing and how they'd like to improve.  I have found that they are taking more ownership in their learning since starting this a few years ago.

Depending upon where you live (state) determines just how you're required to do record keeping for this homeschool year ending. In Georgia, we're only required to write a summary on what each child covered in each subject. By reviewing our goals for the year, talking to the children and making my own assessments as to the successes and challenges we've had I can quickly write these summaries in my planning book.  These summaries are the record keeping that is required and are kept with the previous years' summaries. We then will take time to select some of the work we've done to go into our every growing portfolios--many of them have been lap books.

By taking time to assess and evaluate where you are, you set yourself up for figuring out where you need to go from where you are to where you'd like to be.  Don't feel rushed during this step.  Let me say that again--Don't feel rushed during this step. Paying close attention to just what your children know, how well they can complete specific tasks and what their challenges and deficiencies may be will assist you greatly in planning appropriately for next year.

Part of this assessment should include feedback from your partner/spouse and other family/friends whom your children interact with regularly.  If you're part of a co-op, speaking with other parents who teach or have taught your child or interact with them, may be helpful as well. We spend a lot of time with our children and may not always see things objectively.  Allowing other trusted adults to give us feedback on how they see our children is beneficial.  We may be surprised to hear that our children are learning and exhibiting the habits and behaviors we've been working so hard to teach them. Should we hear things that aren't what we expect to hear or would like to hear about our children, we can use this information too in redirecting and reteaching them. Either way, we can use this feedback for the good.

At present, I am seeing that my children are feeling pretty good about where they are right now. Each of them wants to do more and sees the areas in which they are challenged. I'm looking forward to hearing more from them about what interests they have and what subjects they may want to explore further in their learning. Of course I have a list of things I'd like them to learn too (smile), but that will come after I hear from them first.

Where are you with regards to assessing and evaluating? Have you started this process yet? Remember, knowing where each of your children is and how they're doing is key to planning well for next year. Take your time, listen and we'll move forward to the next step next week.

See you next time.

Be well.

Lego Contest -- Votes Needed!

For those of you who read frequently, you know that there is a boy in my household who loves building and creating with Legos.

Just last week we entered a contest in which he will have the chance to win a spot on the Creative Crew at our local Legoland Discovery Center. This position will give him the opportunity to get hands-on experience and insight from the people who build things for Legoland.

He is anxious and hopeful that he will get enough votes--the most votes win.

I am posting because this would be such a great opportunity for him. As his mother I have not only invested in this but have watch him over the years grow in his abilities.  What a great Mother's Day gift it would be for him to win a space.

And so, this leads me to asking each of you, my faithful readers, to take a moment and vote for my boy.  Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/ldcatlanta/photos/a.906908006015069.1073741872.232484043457472/906908499348353/?type=1&pnref=story

He created a blue & white snake for this contest.  You'll need to be logged into your Facebook page to LIKE his picture.  And that's it.  Just a one-time LIKE.  Voting closes midnight on May 10th.

Thank you in advance for supporting our homeschooling journey in this way.

I'll share the results next week.

Be well.

A Word of Encouragement

Good Morning! It's Monday.

Not going to share a book today, but did want to share a word of encouragement that I just read a few moments ago. It's a great reminder for us moms who are often in places where we and/or others want to compare/compete. Although I don't often find myself in these places mentally, there are times when I do. These quick reminders are helpful. Perhaps you'll find them useful too.

A Helpful Guide to Overcoming Envy

Enjoy the beautiful day that today is!

Be well.

Weekly Intentions :: A Practice

Good Evening. I hope that each of you have been enjoying the weekend. It's been clear skies and nice temps here where we are. We've had time to relax and time to hang out with friends.

This past week was very full. With birthday celebrations--yes, we did a few things over a couple of days--a field trip, community meals and time with friends, the week went by quickly. We were still able to get some of the work done around the house that I had hoped to and I was able to get in more time planning and organizing.  It's amazing just how much time is needed for that.

How did your week pan out? Were you able to get through the things on your intention list? I hope so.

This week we only have ONE thing on the calendar--pretty amazing, actually. The children were lamenting it earlier today. I'm excited not to have any major obligations this week. In addition to that outing, I will add our weekly trip to the library.

I'm wanting to begin conferencing with each of my children to further discuss their progress and get their feedback. We'll review the goals we set for this homeschool year back in August and evaluate just how well we met those goals. I started these conversations last week but they were rather informal--while we were doing something else. This week I'll schedule time with each of them and we'll begin writing our goals for next homeschool year--make lists of books to read, interests they have, classes they'd like to take in addition to the classes I've planned for them.

Since the children are older and enjoy being out of the house I want to plan out our summer. There are a few trips I'd like to take, they'd like to go to summer camp for a week or two. Swimming lessons for at least one of them again this summer. We'll take a look at the months we have to do all these things and get it on the calendar.

Daily reading is still on the list. So are exercise, meditation and resting.

One thing we did last week that I'd like to do again is making time for creating artwork. We took a trip up North of the city for a 'drop-in' art class. Being in that space I remembered just how important creativity and creating with our hands are. So one day this week we'll paint and/or make some artwork for our walls.

Mother's Day is coming up next week and so I'm hoping for some quiet time. We'll see if that's the gift my family offers me this year! (smile)

What are you intentionally planning to do in this new week? There are so many options and ways you can use your time. I hope that no matter what you're doing that it's the important things and that you find fulfillment in doing them.

I wish you each a wonderful week ahead.

Be well.

Words to Grow On

Highlights of the Week

No, it's not quite over yet....but here are a few shots from our week thus far.

Community Meal to Start the Week

Photo Shoot of Last Day as 9

Milkshake Monday w/friends

Playing the Waiting Game

Don't they look good?

Happy Birthday!

Creating Artwork

Painting

Puppet Making

Another Puppet

Completed Canvases

Lego designing

Prom Dress Shopping with Friends

The week has been rather full if I do say so myself. How are things going in your world?

Thankful Thursday

I must say that today it's rather challenging to focus on the positive when surrounded by so much negativity--right here in my area, around the country and around the world. But I will pause a moment and meditate on what is going well.

-the creativity of my children: i'm watching them create their entries for a local lego competition.

-new online homeschool community: created today by another homeschool mom where we can pool our resources to do group buying of resources for our families--helping our little dollars stretch.

-the sun: yes, it's out today. i've spent several moments just standing/sitting in it, absorbing it's rays. powerful stuff.

-books filled with words of wisdom, courage, truth, healing and power written by women.  i'm presently reading a few poems by Assata Shakur, in her autobiography; Alice Walker from her book Hard Times Require Furious Dancing; bell hooks' Sisters of the Yam: black women and self-recovery; and A Healing Grove: African Tree Remedies and Rituals for Body and Spirit by Stephanie Rose Bird

-time: to rest, to think, to plan.

-family: those that are near and those that are far.


What are you thankful for today? Take a moment now to reflect on those things.


Be well.

Weekly Intentions :: A Practice

Glad you stopped by today. I hope you've been enjoying your weekend.

We're getting ready for a birthday celebration this week. It's a milestone year for my Sweetie-pie and we've made plans this week to gather with some of her favorite people.

How did things go for you this week? Was it how you'd intended it to be?

I was able to stick to most of the items on my list. I even got to a few more things I didn't list. Laughter has been a big part of the week and I got a bit more cleaning done than I had planned--wonderful bonus!! (big smile) I also finished one of the books I've been reading and have started on another.

For this new week beginning I'd like to give myself to the following:

Meditation, quiet time and reflection--doing this daily is truly keeping me centered and grounded. With so much negativity happening around the world and here, locally, things can be quite overwhelming. It's good to take time to just remember to be human and be present with those I love.

Yoga practice has been a part of this, too. We've been doing it as a family once a week with friends and then three more days here at the house. I'm finding that I'm physically feeling better.

Continued exercise--simply walking for 30 minutes and then some basic calisthenics at the house.

Food prep--it seems like today, Sunday, is the best day of the week for me to do this. In so doing I set myself up for greater success in having actual meals during the week.  It's been giving us time to read together as a family in the evenings instead of preparing dinner, from scratch.

Reading--yes, this will always be on my list.

Planning for our learning time for next school year and for our home school community's time together. I am already pulling resources but need to put them in better order. Then write out specific goals and plans for each of my children. This will involve some conferencing with them to find out if their interests have changed and/or what things they'd like to learn about. There are a few online connections and meetings to be had this week in that regard (home learning).

Gathering with our community. This week, because of the celebrations, and our regular rhythm, we will have four community shared meals. I'm looking forward to this time for myself and for my children. It will be good to be with friends and enjoy some good eats.

What plans to you have for yourself and your family this week? Are you writing them down somewhere? Do you go back and look at what you've done? I'm hoping that this practice is of encouragement to someone. I've found it useful in helping me keep what's important at the top of my list each week.

Wishing each of you the best as you begin another week.  I'll look for you next Sunday.

Be well.

Words to Grow On

Freebie Friday

We all love a freebie now and then.  In planning for next session for my children, I've come across a good number of them--some that I can use and others that I thought you might be interested in knowing about.

I'm sharing them by category/subject/topic. Leave me a comment below if you find something that works for you.

If you've happen upon a good resource--do share! (I like freebies, too.)

Happy Learning!


Math
Math Mammoth Light Blue Series
Hooda Math (Games for Levels 1-6)
Calculation Nation (Games for levels 3-8)
Math Practice (Level 5 and up)
Pre-Algebra & Algebra

Language Arts
Literature Network (middle school & up)

Reading
Worksheet Genius (will use to create word searches, crosswords, etc.)
K-5 Games

Science
Anatomy Arcade (middle school & up)
Human Body Resource
Virtual Lab
Biology (borrow-free dissection alternatives)
Periodic Table Lessons
Middle School Science Curriculum (several on this site, various topics)

History
Mapping History (levels 5-12)
Civil War Interactive (middle school and up)
Ages of Exploration (levels 5-12)
American Constitution (middle and up; lessons and activities)
American Constitution Interactive Timeline

The Arts
Free Sheet Music

Thankful Thursday

Today I decided to sleep in a bit longer. Not a weekend day, but I needed the extra sleep. I'm thankful that I was able to do that.

There is much to be thankful for today. The sun is out and the birds have been singing for a good while now. (A perk of having bird feeders around the house.) We've spent a good bit of the week cleaning and now I have three spaces that I can relax in.  I'm thankful for friends who keep me laughing!! I'm also thankful that at this very moment my children are helping each other without fussing.  Not sure how long that will last--lol.

Today we're headed out to a library and I'm thankful that we have them along with librarians who assist us regularly in all the ways we need.

Want to join in? Leave a few from you list below.

Be well.

Out in the Streets

April begins festival season in our area. This is the time when the city comes alive with people in the streets--for various reasons (smile).

Even with all the rain that has been part of our forecast recently, we've braved the weather and armed with umbrellas (which actually worked at keeping the rain away) have attended a couple these last two weekends.

Here's a peek at just a few things we saw.

What activities in your area are you taking your family to? There is much to be learned just by being out and exploring.

Be well.

All photographs have been used with permission from Heather James Photography. All rights reserved.

On Community -- Fun, Food & Fellowship

A few weeks back I mentioned that we would be gathering with friends and family to share two meals communally.  Well, they were both a success. We gathered for different reasons, yet the outcome was the same--fun, laughter, good food and fellowship.

It's the little steps we make in opening ourselves up to the good around us. Being willing to share what we have with others and allowing them to share what they have with us. It can be risky. Many of us aren't as trusting of others as we say or as we'd like to believe of ourselves. I don't mean on the surface level--it's actually quite easy to be in non-commital, casual relationships. Yet the ones that reap the most are those that ask us to be vulnerable--to show our true selves.

I am blessed to have people who do life with me and my family. We've been looking for this; have hoped for and lost in the process of allowing others to be who they are (believing them and allowing them to move on). It's been worth the wait and we're looking to continue in adding others who are looking for the same and willing to give as well as receive.

Here are a few pictures of both of those gatherings!

Our second gathering:

Looking at them again, I am reminded of all the laughter, lively conversations, good food and plain 'ole fun! We are truly blessed by all these wonderful people who have arrived right on time in our lives.

How are you creating your circle? What activities do you engage in regularly? A meal is always a good reason to gather. I encourage you to call up your special people and enjoy some time together!

Be well.


All photographs used with permission from Heather James Photography.