HomeSchooling
That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not alone and isolated from anyone. You belong. - F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Bloxels: A Timberdoodle Review
Perhaps this review should begin with a confession. I have hardly looked at Bloxels. I read the description of it on the website when Timberdoodle offered it for a review. (You can order it by itself of course, or it comes as part of the second grade curriculum kit.) I thought, “I bet my kids would like that.” Bloxels is a create-your-own-video-game. And my kids – like most human children – are attracted to screens and games. I figured an educational video game could be better than your average video game. When the box arrived the kids were very excited to try it. I wasn’t ready to look…
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Famous Figures of the American Revolution: A Timberdoodle Review
Instant curb appeal. If you can claim that an educational tool has curb appeal – this one does! Famous Figures of the American Revolution – sold by Timberdoodle individually or included in their third grade curriculum kit. I was excited to receive these cut outs in exchange for writing this review. “Mom, can we please open those little guys?” the kids would beg. Before I ever even gave permission to open the book and begin the cutting and pinning they had divided up who would get which historical character – Berg had his eye on Davy Crockett. (Or was it Daniel Boone?) I chose to…
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sunshine & apples
And some days are just so full of sunshine. Isn’t that the way it is – the rise and the fall and all the in between? Yesterday my dad breezed in the way my dad does. And – in a more planned but no less exciting manner – a sweet family friend joined us last night for a few days of good times and regular times. Today some really fun things happened: The weather was on point perfect. Some of the kids wore light and unnecessary long sleeved shirts. I wore both leggings AND a sleeveless shirt. (I heart the mild October ways here in the south. My…
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Kids in the Kitchen: You Can Do It!
My kids spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen, helping prepare our family’s meals or whipping up something they imagined or read about or watched. Partially because I need their help, partially because I want them to know how to cook for themselves, partially because I’d like to cook less often myself, partially because they actually enjoy it and partially because I think it’s really important for them to learn about food – how to create it, where it comes from, ways not to waste it, etc. etc. etc. I don’t remember a time when kids weren’t underfoot and around in the kitchen since their…
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What The Lizard Did
He changed colors right in their hands. Brown, dirty looking. He jumped from my right Chuck Taylor to my left. Caught immediately in his escape, he stopped being brown. Just stopped being the one color and started being another color. The mysteries of nature I cannot begin to comprehend. _______________________________
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Doodle Lit: A Timberdoodle Review
Oh you guys, this book hits on all the fun things for me. My favorite parts of homeschool. It’s called Doodle Lit and it comes in Timberdoodle’s 8th Grade Curriculum Kit or you can buy it solo on their website as well. It’s a pretty straightforward book that is a fun take on literature. Lots of classic authors are included – Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte, Herman Melville, Jane Austen and so many more. For each author there is a cleverly drawn portrait of that author and then a handful of pages for your student to doodle, draw or create in unique and interesting ways. …
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20 Ways To Draw A Bike: A Timberdoodle Review
I love books like these when I am just judging a book by its cover. I find myself naturally drawn to them on book store shelves. Lots of times I hold them, consider them – and then leave them on the shelf. I think I just don’t know where to fit them in. Which is why it is an extra bonus to me to have an opportunity to receive and review this art book for Timberdoodle. Recently I tucked this charming little book into my bag on an adventure day with my three middle schoolers. (I’m still getting used to saying that.) The younger two kids were at camp…
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How To Get Excited About Starting Back to Homeschool
Summer is a double edged sword for homeschoolers. (Maybe for all schoolers, I don’t know.) On the one hand — FREEDOM. No schedule. No routine. No lesson plans. No math homework. Sleeping late. Staying up late. Eat lunch at 3 pm. Eat breakfast at 11 am. Have watermelon and corn on the cob for dinner. Eat popsicles for dinner. On the other hand — FREEDOM. Grouchy kids from lack of sleep. Messed up schedules from sleeping late. Saying yes to too many fun things because (FREEDOM). Not sitting down to regular family at-the-table dinners. No routine. Staying up late. So sometimes you kind of want (and need) that structure of…
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junior high invasion
I’m plotting and charting the course for school this year – because it’s already that time again. I loved our first year’s attempt at year round school. (And we never did really land on a better name for this type of schooling – although “balanced” sounds so nice and optimistic and ideal.) I made my planner’s cover page and snapped a photo of it and shared it on all the social medias like we do and a friend pointed out a little fact that made me drop my pen and tear out clumps of my hair. Do you see what she saw? It’s right there — in the numbers.…
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Tenzi: A Dice Game That Rolls Well Here.
The cardboard box on our doorstep always draws a crowd when the kids see the return address of Timberdoodle. They’ve come to associate the company with really fun products that they get to evaluate with me. I mean, I think their opinion matters, since the Timberdoodle products are primarily educational, even when they are fun. And they are the students, so I love to hear what they really think. We are a family who already loves games so we decided the Tenzi dice would be the first out of the box for the review. I love games, but I love games even more when they have simple directions and multiple…
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Teaching From Rest: A Book Review
Sarah Mackenzie. Mother. Writer. Homeschooler. Blogger. Speaker. Etc. She’s like the homeschool mom I would want to be if I wasn’t already the homeschool mom I actually am. (What I really mean by that is — I really like so much about Sarah Mackenzie and what I read and hear from her. Our styles (and some of our weaknesses) align well and I find her inspiring and interesting. I also want to be free from comparing myself to other women so in my effort to NOT compare, I want to say – I’m fine with me – but I really like Sarah Mackenzie’s words and writings and thoughts.) My friend…
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South Carolina State Museum: Field Trip Review
Nearby South Carolina capital Columbia boasts several museums and family-friendly sites like the Riverbanks Zoo to draw the Greenville crowds south. The South Carolina State Museum is situated right in Columbia and the trip from Greenville over to Columbia is easy to navigate and the museum is a breeze to locate. Our family recently made the drive, along with a handful of other Upstate families, to spend a day exploring the museum and its many exhibits. As a homeschooling family in the middle of a year long study of Roman history, our primary draw to the museum on this trip was their featured exhibit – Julius Caesar: Roman Military Might and Machines.…
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ramble on.
I have a couple of posts lined up in the “drafts” section but I just don’t quite feel like pushing the old “publish” button on them yet. (And by a “couple” I mean 123 drafts actually. Not all of them worth sharing publicly. Some just needing a little rewording here and there.) But nothing seems to fit what I feel like writing about so that must mean it’s time for a rambling post instead of a tidy post. (I think it’s probably because tidy posts require more brain power and I am low on that this evening. I need to recruit some day time hours to write and then…
