It's Back! Scholastic's $1 E-Books

 

Scholastic's Teacher Express store is having their $1 e-book sale from now through November 8th!

These are the same content as the paper copy books, but you can use them to print off multiple copies for all your students, or you can simply use some of the book's pages for specific studies, after all, they're only a dollar, right?

Next week, I will be posting some tips on what resources we have finally settled on for this year's state studies for multiple grades. But since one is included in this sale: I'll give a little sneak peak on one of them. For my 5th and 7th grade girls, we added Scholastic's 50 Great States Read & Solve Crossword Puzzles. Each state has a summary page that covers the highlights: capital, major cities, exports, famous people, etc.  The girls read the summary and then answer questions on the following page to complete the crossword puzzle. It has really helped lock those facts in their memories. I don't know about you, but just reading the information TO them, results in glazed over looks on thier barely awake faces very little memory retention.

I hope you snatch up some great finds on this sale! Just be careful! That "It's only more dollar!" voice can get you in some trouble, I speak from experience here! This will not be the last time they'll do this, I promise! It'll be okay to pace yourself! Shop on, my friends!

 

 

Homeschool Tips & Tricks

I am so blessed to be part of a mom's group that is wonderfully supportive and encouraging. Each month, we have a Mom's Night where we share what we have learned on this homeschooling journey. Well, last night's theme was Tips and Tools for Homeschooling so it just wouldn't be right if I didn't share them here with all my readers for my Tuesday Tipster post, right?

Girls, there were so many ideas flying around that I could barely squeeze them in on my whiteboard! So go grab a cup of coffee or leave this page up and come back when you have some time to yourself cause you're going to have a blister on your clicking finger before you get through them all! So exciting! Are you ready?

First we'll start with our favorite homeschool tools:

1. A Laminator  I have the Purple Cows Laminator and it works great for me! Another popular model is the Scotch Laminator
2. Proclick Binding System I got mine 1/2 off on eBay, so shop around! This thing is amazing! It's a "spiral" type binding that can be opened and closed. WHAT????
3. Paper Cutter I highly recommend the rotary style cutter vs. the little blades. You can get these at Michaels or JoAnn's with your 40% off coupon.
4. Colored Pens  My kids came from the classroom environment and in that short time, developed the red-pen-aversion! So I got colored pens and grade their papers in their favorite color - crazy that this little psychology somehow eases the pressure of mistakes :)

Apps

1. IEW
2. Spelling City
3. Spelling Bee  I use this with my son to practice his All About Spelling words.
4. Spellosaur I have used this in the past and love it. We only switched to keep things fresh. We will use this again though.
5. Playful Minds Math  My 2nd grade son absolutely loves this one.
6. TeachMe   Individual apps from Toddler to 3rd Grade
7. Bible Memory Verses  NIV
8. ToonTastic   This is an unbelievably great FREE app for reluctant writers to create picture stories along the story arc in an unusual way and record them instead of handwriting. They can even add mood music and upload them to share. This is a must see!

Homeschool Shopping & Resources

1. Rainbow Resource  Request their catalog. It's like 4" thick and free!
2. Christian Book   Prices are often lower than the publishers.
3. Teachers Pay Teachers  check out your curriculum's table of contents to search for products (many, many for free) to boost your learning.
4. Teachers Notebook   Very similar to TPT above.
5. Currclick   Your one-stop shop for homeschool downloads, ebooks, lapbooks, live online classes for homeschoolers, unit studies, affordable curriculum, novel studies.
6. Pinterest   If you haven't found pinterest yet, be prepared to lose yourself in idea overload! This is the best thing ever!
7. DealOz  Book finder that lists multiple sellers.
8. Book Sale Finder  Includes library book sales
9. Educents.com  A flash sale website for great teaching and homeschooling materials.
10. Free Homeschool Deals
11. Homeschool Classifieds
12. Home Science Tools
13. Homeschool Buyers Co-Op
14. Lakeshore Learning
15. 2nd & Charles  We just got one of these stores in our area!
16. Scholastic's Teacher Express  Throughout the year, they have $1 sales where you can buy many of their 100's of e-books for only one dollar. Be sure to sign up with them!

Learning Websites

1. Click-N-Read & Click-N-Spell Award-Winning Phonics and Spelling program
2. BrainPop Jr
   Animated Science, Health, Technology, Math, Social Studies, Arts & Music and English movies, quizzes, activity pages and school homework help  Grades K-4
3. BrainPop  Animated Science, Health, Technology, Math, Social Studies, Arts & Music and English movies, quizzes, activity pages and school homework help Grades 5+
4. Khan Academy
   Learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more.
5. Shepperd Software 
   Hundreds of fun educational games and activities for kids to play online. Topics include math, geography, animals, and more.
6. Math Magician Games  Practice math facts online
7. Quizlet Vocabulary lists, science terms, history dates, etc. created by people like you. It also has games and activities to practice those terms. You can also print tests! Search for the book you're using (like Apologia Biology, Module 1) and get started right away!
8. Stossel in the Classroom  offers a new, free DVD per school year for educators to use in their classroom. Great for critical thinking!
9. Make your own handwriting sheets from Zaner-Bloser or Handwriting Without Tears or the ESL Writing Wizard. This is a great way to practice handwriting and spelling words at the same time.

Helpful Tips

1. Make daily lists or checklists so the kids know exactly what is expected of them. Here is one example.
2. Workboxes are a great way to keep kids moving along. Find out more about Workboxes HERE. There are many variations on this so dig around and find one that fits your family.
3. Develop a reward system! One brilliant mom listed the behaviors she expected of her children and uses these scripture coins and another uses "Big Bucks" from the dollar store to reward their children's good behaviors. Then your children can purchase treats, later bed times, screen time, etc. by cashing in their coins or bills! I'm so doing this!!! Get the Attitude Checklist free from my friend, Dee!
4. Check out Landry Academy. On of our moms went to their Mom's Retreat and was absolutely raving about it!
5. Our resident expert who has homeschooled from kindergarten and her oldest is now in 9th grade uses Homeschool Skedtrack for planning and record keeping. It even makes report cards and transcripts; and best of all, it's FREE!
6. Check out yahoo groups for your favorite curricula and you're local area homeschoolers. Here is an example of a search for apologia.
7. One mom works a little over the weekend and has dad help out with his favorite subject. It becomes a special family time and helps dad relate to mom's homeschool experiences.
8. One mom recommended these Edge CD's that focus on leadership.
9. Be sure to check out Book It Program from Pizza Hut.

Thanks to all my gals for their great ideas! I hope you found some great tips here and if you have one you'd like to share, please leave me a comment below!

How to Never Fall Behind in your Homeschool Schedule!

As we dive into a new school year, it doesn't take long before our perfect plans begin to get a little muddled and messed up. I've heard mom after mom stress about 'staying on schedule' and how 'behind' they get throughout the year. I can be crazy type A one who needs organization and structure so I have to admit, I am sometimes one of those moms! So what's the solution? How do we make everything run like a well-oiled machine so we can keep on schedule? Well... we don't! And here's why:

Whether you have ever had your children in a classroom or you've homeschooled from the beginning, I invite you to revisit why you chose to homeschool. I'd like be clear that I believe clasroom teachers have both a daunting task and my utmost respect. That being said, the fact remains that 25 students cannot be held up for the one student who is struggling to understand; teachers are not permitted to just toss a week's lesson plans to dive into a topic that a student is fascinated by; and that last day of school can't just wiggle down the calendar! But great news, fellow homeschoolers - we can!

Schedules are great, but they HAVE to be flexible or we risk sacrificing those amazing opportunities to build our children's confidence by giving them time to really master their academics or to draw our children into the enchantment of exploring their unknown world. 

In our first year of homeschooling, my second grade daughter became completely enamored by bats! So, we put our studies on hold and jumped in with both feet. We watched bat videos, read bat books, made bat crafts, and watched bats in our backyard at night! My daughter will never forget that study because she loved the subject matter!

I encourage you to keep making those great plans (I know I couldn't stop if I tried, ha!) but when your child needs an extra week to really understand that math chapter or you're presented with that rare occurrance where your child actually asks to learn more about something they love, I encourage you to embrace the delays and bump those lessons a little down the planbook knowing that your 'schedule' is right where it should be - right where your child is! After all, isn't that why we make the sacrifices that we do in order to homeschool our precious kids?

 

Hey there everyone! It's back: the Dollar Deals sale at Scholastic's Teacher Express is going on now FOR ONE DAY ONLY!!!

There are hundreds of their popular books to choose from and this is so much easier then paying $15 for a book and then making copies of page after page for each of my children! We are planning to use the Body Book with our Apologia Science next year and the Hands On History as well! See what "pumps up" your curriculum - you can't beat the price!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had each side of the family over separately - two days in a row. Let's just say, I'm really set on turkey for a while! 

I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. Whew! One more gift to buy and then I can break out the wrapping paper. I don't know about you, but Christmas always seems to come before I've even mentally accepted that it's the end of the year. Any one else a little shocked that 2012 is nearing an end ALREADY?!? Well, since I'm sure your funds, just like mine, are tapped out on holiday spending, maybe you've put filling some curriculum needs on hold for a while. Well, I've found a freebie I thought I'd share... ok, spoiler alert: 2 freebies!

FUNNIX MATH IS FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME!

The website says: this "is a 100-lesson computer program designed for children who have not learned beginning math operations."

Included are "100 animated, computer-based lessons, workbook material, a teaching guide, and a placement test for assessing the child. The program is unique in the sophistication of skills it teaches in only 100 lessons. Children learn different types of counting. They use counting by tens and counting by ones to solve addition problems that traditionally require carrying. For example: 45+35.


Signing up for the free download is simple. All you do is fill out a form and submit it. You will then receive an email with all instructions on how to receive the program."

And BONUS: Their fantastic Funnix Beginning Reading program will also be available FREE from December 16 - December 31

Make sure you check out these great programs - after all, you can't go wrong trying something for free! 

Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki Sandwiches

This is one of those yummy go-to recipes in our home that is so simple to throw together on a busy weeknight. My kids actually beg for this dinner too!  So... cheap, affordable, fast and big "mmmmm" sounds from the whole family ranks this meal a perfect 10 in our house!

Start by slaving away over a hot stove, cooking and shredding chicken breasts tossing one of those amazing pre-cooked rotisserie chickens in your cart at the grocery store.  Then just chop it up before preparing the sauce.

In a large skillet or sauce pan, add the following ingredients and heat:

• 2 Tsp Finely Chopped Green Onion
• 1/2 c teriyaki sauce
• 2/3 c Pineapple Juice (I just use the juice from the can of sliced pineapples you'll need later)
• 2/3 c Barbecue Sauce
• 4 Tbs Brown Sugar
• season with salt, pepper and garlic powder 

I add a little cornstarch (2 tsp?) and water mixture to thicken it as well.  Once it has thickened, add the chicken to warm. The chunks of chicken will fall apart as it heats to give it the "shredded chicken" texture. 

You will also need:

• hamburger buns
• can of pineapple slices in juice

Add a yummy pineapple slice and toss some chips and fruit on the side and they are ready to serve. These are amazing! But hey, don't take my word for it --> try them for yourself!

This week, I had to share my new absolute favorite toy! As a homeschooler, there is no shortage of paper around here. Seriously, I think we've taken out 2 or 3 Sequoias just this month! So how to keep all these papers organized? Well, I love the ease of spiral bound books, but the cost of binding made me feel like cumbersome 3-ring binders might not be so bad, right?

Enter the ProClick binding system. WOW! Ok, I know I'm a type-A who thinks with a labeler and color-coding the world is simply a happier place, but even the most laid-back personality would have to fall completely in love with this tool. This has all the benefits of a binder - you can add or remove pages anytime - with the easy-to-handle convenience of a spiral bound book. The machine itself is basically a 32 hole-puncher. You place your pages in, just like a typical hole puncher, but then slide the handle like a paper cutter, leaving 32 pretty little holes in the side. Then you take your spine (available in varied sizes) and slip the pages on.  Next, you steal the super fun tool back from your children so you can have a turn use the fun little zipper tool to close up the clips. This handy little doodad also opens all the clips in case you want to add or remove any pages. GENIUS!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this tool and think if you can think of any way at all you can justify the purchase have a need for a binding system, this is the tool to buy!

We bind printable workbook pages, we made an "Art this Year" book compiling all their beautiful creations in their own books, I created student planners for my older kids and the spiral binding makes it easy for them to take with them as they complete their studies in different areas of the house. We also plan to make a portfolio/yearbook... the possibilities are endless!

They are a bit pricey, but I got mine on eBay for 1/2 the price, so shop around!

We are studying elections this week. Yeah! I'm so proud of myself for having this pulled together BEFORE the election this year! We watched a great video together and since we have a whole week left before the big day, I thought I'd share it with all of you.

It includes an overview of the branches of government, an explanation on the Electoral College (which, let's be honest, is helpful to us moms too!), our major political parties, political campaigns, and even periodic multiple choice questions to make sure they remember what they've learned. I've included a link for purchase, but I just grabbed a copy from my local library. If you are looking for a great resource to help your even your younger kids understand the election process - this is great!

(Honest, I wrote this Monday and scheduled it to post but.... Grrrrr! Well, better late than never, right?)

Getting a first grader to practice his spelling words can be nothing short of a battle sometimes. This year though, I found a way to make it easier on both of us! My son uses the workbooks from Explode the Code which introduces new a phonics concept in each lesson and provides practice isolating, reading, and writing words with each digraph or blend. At the end of each lesson, I enter the words he's been practicing and our current sight words into a great app called Spellosaur that sells for only $3.99.  

Because of our co-op classes, we have a four day school week at home so he completes 1 level each day. Level 1: Listen and Choose is pretty self-explanatory. Level 2: Complete the Word shows the word with a couple of blanks where missing letters are chosen by the student. Level 3: Unscramble the Word shows the user the spelling word and then breaks the word apart into separate letter tiles that are then rearranged back in order. Level 4: Spell the Word simply states the word and the student spells each one completely independantly. If a word is missed, it is highlighted in red for him to see until he finishes the list and can try again. 

The voice used in the app can have some difficult-to-understand pronunciations, but the great perk... I can record the words in my own voice so I'm sure each word is communicated clearly.  This has been working so well for my little man and his spelling and reading have both drastically improved! Check this out if your kids are looking for the nearest exit any time you mention spelling. 

So many times, I run across great tips, yummy recipes, or clever ideas that I really need to share! So I've decided to post a weekly series called the Tuesday Tipster. Stay tuned each Tuesday to find out that latest nifty tidbit I've discovered!

This first one is a doozey!  Home Educating Family is offering their Well Planned Day lesson planners for 1/2 off with the coupon code 50sale! These are so much more than planners and allow you to schedule your shopping list, to-do's, meal plans and even your weekends! Check them out here. Hurry! This sale only lasts through 10/17/12!