TOS Blog Hop - Not Back to School

Welcome to the TOS Crew Blog Hop! This is a chance for the Crew to discuss their approach to homeschooling and learn from one another and you!

Our first Hop discusses how we approach the "Not Back to School" time. This is when we start homeschooling our kids for the year instead of heading back to school.

How you celebrate not going back to school

I wouldn’t say we celebrate not going back to school, but I would say our attitude about kicking off the new year is totally different than when we were in public school.
In the public school years, my focus was more on who their teacher was going to be, where their classroom was, and who was in their class.  I had no control over what they would be learning, what curriculum was used, or how good their teacher was.

Now that we homeschool, our focus is on what we will be learning.  I spend hours combing through curriculum options, bouncing them off the boys, assessing them for learning styles and determining how they fit into flow of our co-op and regular days.  The boys have a say in what they learn and the mode in which they learn it. 

First day not back to school

The first day at public school was all nerves.  They worried about what they were going to wear, if they could find their classes and lockers, who was going to be there (both good and bad) and what bus number to jump on to get home.

Our first day of homeschool is much different.  Dad makes a big breakfast that we all enjoy.  Then they grab their “buckets” from the cabinets and begin setting out their new books for the year.  Prior to this day, I’ve sat down with each of them and discussed what order they want to tackle their subjects and put those in their planners.  After the first week, we reassess the flow and switch things up accordingly.  No nerves, no worrying about clothing, or cliques or bullies or busses.  I won’t say they are jumping for joy for school to start, but it’s definitely a more academically focused start to the year.

What you love about homeschooling

I could write an entire series here.  My top ten reasons I love homeschool:

1.      Choosing their academic curriculum so it fits them personally and best enables them to learn

2.      Working at their pace – faster or slower for real learning

3.      No cliques, bullies, drugs, alcohol, uninterested teachers, etc. etc.
4.      Being with them throughout the day

5.      Experiential field trips

6.      Our co-op where they learn from a teacher in a classroom with like minded peers

7.      Homeschool resources like PE, Honor Society, Gavel Club, Jets

8.      Keeping Christ in our curriculum

9.      Learning right along with them

10.  Discovering their special talents and interests and being able to foster those

What your kids love about homeschooling  ( I asked them)

1. On our own schedule
2. Limited homework – get it done during the day
3. Breaks can be as short or as long as we want
4. Enjoying classes
5. Ability to learn at home
6. Can read with the dog
7. Use devices like computers and IPads
8. Do work on the computer like math
9. No teacher workdays – longer real breaks
10. Activities that let us socialize and have friends
11. More time with family
12. Can snack during class
13. Make your own lunches
14. Can go on exciting trips as fieldtrips
15. Learning languages (German, Latin, Spanish)

My Homeschool Transcript - A Wonderful Transcript Generator!

My Homeschool Transcript

http://www.myhomeschooltranscripts.com/

Cost:  $29 for lifetime subscription

           Free basic one time transcript

While this is a review, it is unsolicited.  I was blessed to be part of the beta program for My Homeschool Transcripts and give input on what I thought would be needed for my children’s transcripts.  It was great to work with the developer as he took all suggestions seriously and really strove to implement those that appealed to the wider audience.

Having a strong transcript, as a homeschooler, is important for those students wanting to go on to college.  Unlike in a public or private school, the developer of the transcript, typically mom and dad, has to really elaborate on what was accomplished in order to catch the college’s admissions counselor’s eye.

When I first knew I was homeschooling high school, I invested in another popular program that I now believe is very limited in what it can accomplish on a transcript.  Now that I’ve had time with My Homeschool Transcript, I wish I could get my money back!  This program is so much more thorough and dynamic.

I love the flexibility of what I can add or change in the program.  Some examples of what you can do include the following:

·         Create classes/subjects and as many student files as you need

·         Provide details about the class/subject including a description and comments (this is where I keep a running account of what texts we use)

·         Determine what is expected for graduation and visually see what your student needs to accomplish

·         Designate courses as Honors or Dual Enrollment and have them calculated properly

·         Determine how to calculate your grades

·         Develop a by grade or by subject transcript printable as a PDF

·         Record extra-curricular activites and test scores

All of this is for a one-time fee of $29!  A lot cheaper than what I spent before.  To see a more extensive feature set list, click here.

I feel that the process for creating transcripts is very straight forward.  I’ve started my son’s including the classes he will be taking this year, a bibliography for each course, and his extra-curricular activities.  This way I’m ahead of the game and can supplement or remove anything that changes as we go along.  He has already needed one transcript to join the National Honor Society.  I guess you just never know when you’ll need one.

Another aspect I have been very impressed with is customer service, I have sent the occasional email with a question and always get a fast and friendly response.  I don’t know about you, but I really value strong customer service.

I really felt compelled to post this as I just finished using it and wanted to be able to share a great program with my fellow homeschoolers.

There is an option to generate a free transcript if you want to check it out or are in need of a transcript, stat.  Obviously, I highly recommend this program for generating professional transcripts colleges will take notice of.

Blog Cruise - Life Skills in the Homeschool

This week, the Homeschool Blog Cruise asks us about how we incorporate life skills into the homeschool routine.

Life skills are a very important part of growing up. I know, as a child, I always enjoyed cooking and was already a clean freak. So, those types of skills I developed on my own. However, not all kids like those types of things. Boys especially.


For my two, I think it’s important that they know how to cook, clean, maintain a house, change a tire and oil, and balance a budget. I’m still working on how that all gets done before they graduate.

There are some good curriculums out there for the food and nutrition aspects of life skills. Each of my boys will take a semester course focused on nutrition and cooking. My oldest son took a foods class in public high school and loved it. He even created the winning taco pizza in his class. In addition to this type of class, I have them making their own foods for breakfast and lunch. If they want eggs or soup or a sandwich, it is important they can do that by themselves. We have days where they get to help cook, and I always pull them in to help with the holiday cooking.

Cleaning typically gets covered through the chores they are expected to do around the house. Whether it’s dusting, cleaning bathrooms, taking out the trash, doing the dishes - they are expected to pitch in. Laundry comes once they hit the mid-teen years. At that point, they are plenty capable of doing it themselves. With a family of six, there’s always a load in the washing machine.

Car and house maintenance are a different animal altogether. I’m hoping to read how others have handled this aspect. Being a DIY type of person, plumbing, minor electric, painting, and such are all things I’ve learned and hope to pass on to them. I’m just not sure how. My oldest son is working as a mechanic – I plan to have him do workshops with the boys so they know the basic maintenance on their car.

Finally, finances. We’re blessed to be part of a co-op that includes Financial Peace as one of the courses. Each of my boys will go through this course before they graduate. Nowadays, money management is a key to survival, not just success.

How do you do it in your homeschool? What tried and true methods have you come up with to make sure your children are prepared for life on their own?

To see additional interesting posts - hop on over to the Homeschool Blog Cruise...

VocabAhead Review

VocabAhead
http://www.vocabahead.com/

Age:  Upper Middle or High School
Cost:  $12.95

Vocabulary is a very important part of any middle and high school curriculum. While some would say you can leave vocabulary out because they get it through literature, I would disagree. They do learn through literature, but understanding the fundamental definitions of a word are not always gleaned through context clues. Plus, some words have different meanings depending on the context they are in.

That being said, if your child is going to go to college now or in the future, he/she will need a strong vocabulary: first, for the SAT, and second, for college level writing. If he/she is not going to college, to be articulate in any work situation or mission situation, a strong vocabulary is necessary.

VocabAhead is one program that can be used to help your child learn a broad vocabulary. Sure, there are a lot of books and programs out there, but one thing that stood out for me with VocabAhead was their added functionality on their web site.

First, however, let’s look at the book. Ten words are taught at a time with a cartoon representation for visual recollection, a part of speech and definition, sentences, synonyms and antonyms. Each grouping of ten words is followed by a review test.

When you receive the book, (mine was SAT Vocabulary), you also receive a link to get free videos for each word and downloadable MP3S. We did not use the MP3S as we don’t have a player, but did use the videos.

I was amazed at the site! All the words are accessible for free along with videos that coincide with the cartoons used for each word to help the student learn. Parents can create their own lists, or use the ones provided. Additionally, there are online flashcards and quizzes for the student to use to help him/her learn the words.

My son begins his high school journey next year. Our plan is to incorporate study for the SAT through his first three years of high school so that he will be fully prepared to take the test with confidence and get high scores. I will be holding onto this book and have bookmarked the web site to ensure this will be part of his regimen.

***  I received this book free of charge as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew for my honest opinion.

To see more reviews by the Crew - click here.

Virtual Nerd Review

Virtual Nerd

http://www.virtualnerd.com/

Ages:  Middle/High School

Price: $49 per month (3, 6, 12 month packages available at a discount)

Virtual Nerd is an online tutorial system for math and science. From the website, “Virtual Nerd gives students a new option to turn to when they need help. For a fraction of the cost of private tutoring, students gain access to hundreds of interactive step-by-step video tutorials that match up with the practice problems in their textbook.”

Currently, Virtual Nerd offers tutorials in Math (Pre-algebra, Algebra 1 & 2) and Science (Intro to Physics). They anticipate adding extended Physics, Chemistry, Pre-calculus and Calculus.

My son and I were both very impressed with the quality of the tutorial videos. The instructors and the visual layout make the learning experience excellent. Each instructor does a great job of connecting with the audience and clearly describing the principle being illustrated.

The videos are short allowing one concept to be clearly discussed. I chose to go through the Physics videos because it has been a long time since I have taken physics. I wish I had Virtual Nerd back when I was in high school. The way the concepts are delivered and the mapping to learn the next step or next concept is clear and easy to understand.

My son watched the Algebra videos. He liked how simple it was to select the topic he wanted to learn about. He also commented on how clearly the topic was discussed so that he could understand and then practice the concepts in his math text.

The one drawback to the program at this point is price - $49.00 per month. I thought this was high given there are no worksheets, assessments, or ways to seek additional assistance if the concept is still unclear.

*** However – the site notes that “Early in the 2010-2011 school year, we will be launching an innovative tool to allow students to work on practice problems, take quizzes and get feedback. Two-way connections between our tutorials and our practice problems will allow students to progressively test, reinforce and troubleshoot their learning process in ways never before possible.”

I would gladly reevaluate when this is implemented and feel that these additional tools would make the price worthwhile.

To see additional reviews by the Homeschool Crew click here.

****  I was given access to Virtual Nerd free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

Timberdoodle Review - The Critical Thinking Company

Building Thinking Skills Level 3 & Editor in Chief
The Critical Thinking Company

Age: 12+ & 14+

Price: $29.99 & 18.99
    

I was thrilled when Timberdoodle asked me to review critical thinking books for them. Critical thinking is one of the areas I have always felt is lacking in today’s college aged students. My experience in the college classroom is that students are not used to being asked to think for themselves. Perhaps this is due to the prevalence of multiple-choice tests?

In any case, I want my kids to think critically. I hope you do too.

The first product I am reviewing is Building Thinking Skills Level 3 Figural by the Critical Thinking Company.

As noted on the Timberdoodle web site, the “activities are sequenced developmentally. Each skill (for example, classifying) is presented first in the semi-concrete figural-spatial form and then in the abstract verbal form. Children learn to analyze relationships between objects, between words, and between objects and words as they:

Observe, recognize, and describe characteristics.
Distinguish similarities and differences.
Identify and complete sequences, classifications, and analogies.

My boys really enjoy this book. They actually look forward to the time of day where we pull out our critical thinking to do exercises. Typically, we do between five and ten pages per day depending on how extensive the exercises are. You can view sample exercise pages here.

What I like is that they are being asked to be aware of what they are viewing and then look deeper to complete the exercise. At first, my younger son will tell me, “Mom, this is hard.” Then, shortly thereafter, a light bulb will come on and he’ll get busy working through the problem. The more he sees that he can take on the challenge and use his brain to discern the answer, the more excited he gets.

I would encourage all homeschool families to incorporate critical thinking skills into their schedule.
 

The second book I was asked to evaluate is Editor in Chief also by the Critical Thinking Company. I loved the concept of this book when I saw it. I teach English online and grade numerous papers every semester. There are common errors that students typically make. One way instructors try to help students develop editing skills it through peer feedback: students providing feedback on one another’s papers. This concept helps students see errors they make by finding them in other’s work. Sometimes it’s easier to find the errors when the content isn’t yours.

Editor in Chief is the same concept. Students are asked to edit papers with numerous errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and formatting details. The student is told how many errors there are and then must go through the piece to find them. I find this to be excellent. The boys enjoy the hunt and end up helping one another if there are errors they just can’t seem to spot. In addition, the book provides great detail on where the errors are, what they are and how they should be corrected.

I believe this will help them not only improve their own editing skills, but to help them become better writers. They will be asked to peer edit when they get to college. Providing strong feedback is an asset to their peer, for their own benefit, and demonstrates to their instructors their ability to recognize strong writing.

I plan to continue to incorporate these exercises into our home school and to have the boys use those skills to peer edit each other’s work.

As you can see, I was very impressed with both texts. I’m grateful for being able to review the books and look forward to using other products by the Critical Thinking Company.

*** As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of these books in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

High School on the Horizon at MamaBuzz

I’m honored to be a contributing writer for MamaBuzz. If you haven’t checked out their web site yet, I strongly encourage you to. It’s a wealth of information and reviews on many aspects of life – not just homeschooling.

Of course, if I’m writing, it’s probably about kids, homeschooling, teens, etc. This time it was about the panic of homeschooling high school.

Check it out here: High School on the Horizon

I’m sure many of you have been, are, or will be there soon. Read and comment – I'm looking forward to finding those nuggets of gold that will make all the difference in our homeschooled high school success.

Extracurriculars and Balance

This week's blog cruise asks: What extracurricular activities do your children participate in? 

Our extra-curricular activities go in waves – sometimes we have tons of them going on, and, other times, we have just one or two things we are participating in.

Right now, our favorite extracurricular is Tae Kwon Do. The boys and I both go to TKD twice a week. The times we can go are very flexible, which allows us to move TKD around to fit our often hectic schedule. Right now, we are about half way to our high yellow belt. It’s great physical fitness; the principles that are taught are excellent, and the instructor’s are amazing role models for my kids. We feel very blessed to have found  Sangrock.

We are also part of the  Christian Communicators of the South East. This is a speech and debate club that meets weekly. Each week the boys get opportunities to deliver speeches they have written in addition to at least one impromptu opportunity. It’s been great for the self-confidence. We are excited as the competition season starts after the holidays. B will be doing apologetics and public forum while N will be doing apologetics and prose. I’m especially excited they like speech and debate as that was something I loved in high school.

We’ve just joined a support group called Grace. We’ve been in support groups before, but they all seem to focus on younger kids and not pre/teens. We discovered that Grace has many members that are also part of our Thursday co-op. So, we joined up. They have weekly park days that many of the kids like to go to. It’s a good opportunity for kids from the co-op to meet outside of academics.

That’s it for now. We’re considering drama for N again this year. B decided he was done with baseball. High school will start next year, so we’ll have opportunities related to that. B wants to be in Student Council and on the Yearbook staff.

What do your kids participate in? How do you decide the right balance? I see overload as a big issue with homeschooling families.