Getting Ready for the New Homeschool Year

My eldest will be entering 10th grade, our eleventh year homeschooling. By now it has become old hat and an established way of life. I barely think about living any other way - it just is. My daughter begins second grade which is hard to believe. Her childhood seems to have rushed by much more quickly than my son's did. It is like a blur, but then she is like a blur - in constant motion. To quote Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin, she "danced up and down like a sunbeam". This is my daughter's walk through life. It's wonderful and exhausting all at once.

Jeremy will continue with Christian Light Education which he does on his own. Periodically, I'll add to the curriculum as an extension to his interests or comprehension. We talk a lot about his studies and use the Internet daily for free study resources. YouTube has a great many interesting documentaries and math tutorials which we use a lot.

Olivia, my little sunbeam is learning with Kindle educational apps and YouTube educational videos.Her attention is limited, so a full structured curriculum does not fit her. She is very curious and a natural learner. She pursues knowledge with gusto which makes it very easy for me! I read to her a lot, and we spend time learning by doing. We do use some structured curriculum. We are using Climbing to Good English(about 170 pages), Pathway Readers, and MCP math. Last year we finished about 80% of Christian Light Education's learning to read program. It was a good program; she just got a little burnt out on it.

Some of Our Resources:

Christian Light Education(Son - full curriculum)
Climbing to Good English(Schoolaid)
Pathway Readers
MCP Math(check Amazon as well)
YouTube (my channel)
Pinterest Homeschool Pins
Kindle/Android Learning Apps
Library
Nature Centers and Museums
Field Trips and Travel
Learning By Doing
Recreation Center for P.E.

Tutorial Children's Play Fort/Treeless Tree House

See here.

Naturalish DIY Home Acne Treatment

My son has mild acne with sensitive skin. I've had him use a zinc based wash and honey masks, and they seem to be working at keeping the acne at bay. He still has red areas that don't seem to heal. I'm still working on this, but the weekly honey masks bring down the redness quite a bit. Honey has gentle antibacterial properties which seems to work well with sensitive skin.

Our Gentle Acne Treatments:

-Zincplex Shampoo 8 oz - shampoo that he uses as a facial wash.

-Salux Nylon Japanese Beauty Skin Bath Wash Cloth(exfoliating cloth/towel)

-Honey from the grocery store
- BC Powder(aspirin) mask...takes away redness and promotes healing.
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Just ordered: Enessa Clove Acne Control 0.5 fl oz. Review to follow...update: Not effective, but nice scent. I use it as a perfume.

I try to order natural based products for us, and we are avoiding prescription medication because of the side effects.

I've been using this for scalp blemishes: Dr. Kaufmann Medicated Sulfur Soap . I've not gotten any new blemishes, but the old ones are healing very slowly. I have not had my son try this yet, but will soon. 

I bought this to keep my head cool through the night: Organic Buckwheat Pillow - Japanese Size (14" x 20") It's breathable and has helped a lot! I get some night sweats due to menopausal symptoms. The sweat inevitably results in blemishes, and I'm not hot with this new pillow. This and two fans at night!

We wash pillow cases every week which keeps an oily face cleaner. I flip my son's pillow over half way through the week.

I'm also using at-home acidic facial peels which have worked well at abating age spots and blemishes on my face with extreme exfoliation: Skin Obsession 40% Glycolic Acid Peel for Acne, Scars, Age Spots & Lines . This would probably be great for my son's skin, but he can't take the stinging feeling. When I use it, it feels more like an itchy sensation, but it is not painful at all.

Tobacco Farming Stories

My blogger friend Debbie has a facinating post about her childhood experiences helping with tabacco farms in North Carolina. She shares details of the entire process. See here.

Frugal Tent Homes

Thrift Store Shopping for Fall Children's Clothing in June

We got a new thrift here which now sells clothing by the pound. I thought I'd try it for some early back-to-school shopping, and was pleasantly surprised to find some decent items in the bins! I got two pairs of like-new Levi jeans and a good quality striped long sleeved top, all for my teenage son.

Check the thrifts NOW for good deals, before the stock is picked over in late July and August. I plan to return throughout the summer to build his wardrobe for the fall. I don't mind digging through bins for good deals, especially when they are .50 cents a pound!

Yardsales are good too, although I don't do them because of high gas prices. If a yardsale is on my way, I'll stop, but otherwise I like to go to a one-stop source.

Frugal Summer Plans

Gas prices have reached almost to $3.50 a gallon in our area! This year we are staying closer to home. A few frugal staycation plans  for us this summer:

- An overnight stay or two at a local hotel which has a free buffet breakfast and a fabulous pool.
- Visit state and federal parks for the day within an hour or two from our home.
- Go fishing locally.
- Visit the library.
- Take a swim class with the city recreation center.
- Learn handyman skills together as a family from free resources online and at the library.
- Go bowling.
- Garden
- Craft and learn to draw.
- Walking tours of the area's more pleasant places.
- Read and relax in the backyard.
- Hang out together with no plans .

DIY Portable Greenhouse From Recyclables

See here for tutorial.

Awesome Thrift Store Curriculum Finds

See here.

How to Fold To Towels Tutorial

June Homeschool History: Flag Protection Act

"The flag-protection movement regained national momentum during World War I, and on June 14, 1923, the first National Flag Conference was held in Washington, D.C., to establish a set of rules for civilian flag use. The U.S. Flag Code, first published in 1923 and adopted by Congress in 1942, is based on the belief that the American flag “represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” It proscribes any use of the flag that could be construed as disrespectful, including using it for advertising and to decorate clothing and other goods. While the U.S. Supreme Court struck down flag-protection laws as violations of free speech in 1989, the Flag Code is still maintained as a code of etiquette, enforced not by law but by tradition....In the 1920s, when the U.S. Flag Code was created, teaching respect for the flag was considered an essential part of 'Americanization', the process of assimilating immigrants into loyal, English-speaking citizens."

Read more here at the Smithsonian National Museum of History. Link to classroom resource.

Build Your Own Small House Frugally

I think this is so innovative and resourceful. Much of the items were purchased secondhand or were free, costing them only $5,900. See here.

Nature Study: Gentle Giants, Mountain Gorillas of Uganda

I showed this to my children this morning. So amazing! I hope these beautiful creatures, a marvel of God's creation, are protected.

Also see National Geographic for Kids - games, and other online educational freebies.

Kindle Fire for Homeschool/Early Learning

I finally decided to try the Kindle Fire android after our laptop broke. I liked it so much for reading, browsing the web, and keeping up with social media that I bought two. My husband uses one for audiobooks and movies. The other was for me, but I quickly discovered many educational apps that were free or very low cost for homeschool. I saw many Amazon apps for older children, but I am primarily using the first grade apps for my daughter.

I found apps for read-along books, math, science, spelling, phonics, and reading. A few of my daughter's favorites:

How to Count Coins (For Kids Ages 3-10)
Starfall Learn To Read
Monkey Word School Adventure
Monkey Math School Sunshine
Abby Sight Words Games
Flash Cards vol 1: Kids Learn to Read - Learning Reading      Adventure
Reading Rainbow (Kindle Tablet Edition)
Peter Pig's Money Counter
MathOpen Cool Math Kids Game.
Preschool to 5th Grade Kids Learning Games : Preschool,      Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Math Bugaboo
Montessori Phonics Long vowels, Blends and Digraphs for      Kindergarten Kids
Butterfly Math
Bubble Words
Phonics and Reading With McGuffey
First Grade Learning Games (Full Version)
First Grade Kids Word Play - Word Find, Sight Word Memory,      Phonics & Spelling Games
Fox In Socks - Dr. Seuss
Sight Words Sentence Builder
iStoryBooks
Let's Do the Math
Body Organs 4 Kids
My First Money Tablet
Math BINGO
Pink Pig (Miss Rhonda's Readers Set ONE)

I also got a subscription to the FreeTime Unlimited app on Kindle Fire which is wonderful! It's a children's program with video, read-along books, and learning apps protected with a password so that the child does not wander off the FreeTime page. A time limit can also be programmed. My daughter's reading has greatly improved with the read-along books. We worked on a phonics and a learning-to-read program that worked for my son many year ago, but she is learning much more easily with computer based programs. We've ordered so many wonderful read along books, easy readers, and mom- read books since having this Kindle. I never have to ask her to do school work; she does it willingly, and throughout the day and evening.

Now my teenage son wants one. I'll wait until Christmas and pick out the larger Kindle with 4G for him. Academic school books and Classic books are free or low priced via the Kindle. If it breaks, the replacement is free with the one year warranty, and an optional two year extension for $49.99.

We got this Kindle Fire(below) for $159.00 with a subscription to FreeTime via Amazon Prime for $2.99 monthly. I just noticed this sale for Father's Day: $20 off Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD 8.9", or Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G. Enter DADSFIRE at checkout.  Expires 6/8/13.

DIY Repair a Damaged Garden Hose

I had no idea you could do this! And there is even a way to fix a leaky hose at the attachment point to the faucet. See here:

Frugal Summer Creative Writing Course

I'm thinking about using this course($12.00 download), CTT Creative Writing I – Start Writing from CurrClick for my son(rising 10th grader). He has an interest in creative writing and wants to polish his skills over the summer. He'll probably be able to zip through the first course, but I want him to begin with the first course to make sure he doesn't miss anything - to make sure a good foundation of understanding is laid before he moves into the more advanced sections.There are five courses in this series:

"What is Creative Writing? How does one write?  How does one write creatively? How do you teach writing to a nine year old, or even an adult?

 Our Creative Writing I course has been successfully completed by many hundreds of students, and has been proven for well over a decade to jump-start students in the direction of being able to fully express their creativity in words.

Learn the basics directly from a lifelong educator with 40 years experience, as well as an Emmy and Dramalogue award-winning, often produced and published author.

Complete with test and answer guide, and a very useful teacher's guide with thorough advice and exercises to help the teacher assist the student through any difficulties…no matter where in the course they are encountered!

Our Creative Writing I course is called "START WRITING", and that's what it accomplishes! There are no additional purchases needed to do this course as the course materials are self-contained: the Study Guide, Teacher's Guide, test and answer guide. This course has proven to be remarkably effective with students of all ages nine and above who are reticent to write, and is a tremendous success with students already interested in writing!

Once the student has written a work he or she is proud of, we provide a free service here on our site where they can “publish” the work for the world to see, surrounded in appropriate art work and ready to share with family, friends, and admirers around the world!

Generally, students take between 25-40 hours to complete this course.  One of our most popular and best-selling courses!

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Creative Writing is the "crown jewel" of our curriculum. Starting with the most basic basics which explain what "writing" is, the student rapidly develops a complete understanding of the elements of great story telling, including plotting, characterization, dialogue and action. These are thoroughly detailed, and the student is always given many exercises in order to truly improve their understanding and skills, and to demonstrate expertise."

DIY Modern Minimalist Handbag

I love this minimalist ultra modern bag. I could make this very easily. See here for tutorial.