Weekend Giveaway: Great Homeschool Conventions

by on September 17, 2011
in giveaways ·

This giveaway has ended, and the winner has been contacted via email. Thanks for entering!

Welcome to this weekend’s giveaway, hosted today by Great Homeschool Conventions!

About Great Homeschool Conventions:

“Slated for the first half of 2012, Great Homeschool Conventions will hold regional conventions in South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, California and Connecticut. Each convention features a huge Homeschool Curriculum exhibit hall.

The featured speakers include Chuck Colson, Andrew Pudewa, Diana Waring, Dr. Jay Wile, Amanda Bennett, David Hazel, Dr. Carol Reynolds, Todd Wilson, Sonya Shafer, John Stonestreet,  Dr. Susan Wise Bauer, Pastor Tedd Tripp, John Rosemond, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, Carl Kerby, Dr. Jobe Martin and dozens more!

There will be a wide variety of workshop topics covering subjects such as math, science, language arts, music and more—from elementary levels through high school. Special attention is given to learning styles, gifted children, special needs, unit studies, Classical homeschooling and Charlotte Mason methods of home education.

Additionally, there are unique, optional “workshop tracks” that cover Christian Worldview, Creation Apologetics, Parenting, as well as a special track for Teens. Check out our website to see how you can be notified about early bird registration discounts.”
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“Good Enough” School Year Prep

by on September 16, 2011
in organization · 27 Comments

Written by contributor Heather Bruggeman of Beauty That Moves

Right now I need to believe that having it all together for the new school year is overrated.

Last year I didn’t feel this way. Last year we had freshly sharpened pencils and color coded notebooks. There were fresh dry erase markers and new ink for the printer. By mid-August I had lessons planned for the full month of September. I was a homeschool-prep champion last year.

This September, I am reporting a very different start to the school year.

This year, it’s perfectly fine to do your first lesson of the year in bed… in pajamas. And you know what? Nobody was harmed. Actually, spirits were quite high!

After scoring a 96 on her math assignment, my pupil asked to go outside for a few minutes of fresh air. Even on a very organized, “scheduled” homeschool day, this is something I never say no to  (I take this homeschool freedom very seriously), so off she went.

Yes, on this self-declared not very planned out first day of school, I ushered my daughter outside to play and breathe and run around after only one hour of schoolwork. And you better believe the jammies were still on.

I suppose I should give you the back story.
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Confessions of a Reformed Preschool Drop-Out

by on September 14, 2011
in methods & philosophies · 29 Comments

Written by Lora Lynn Fanning of Vitafamiliae

I always believed that preschool was for over-achieving mamas. I tend to agree with my fellow Simple Homeschool writer that “preschoolers can learn everything they need to know from the school of life.”

I did “preschool” with my eldest children because we needed a routine of some sort to break up our days. But it was very laid-back. I chose a curriculum I could manipulate, pick and choose from, or not do at all.

And I usually went for option 3.

My third child learned by osmosis and jumped into first grade without any formal preschool. I have simply assumed that this tactic would work for the several other Littles I have coming up in the ranks.

And then came my fourth child… My highly opinionated daughter, who is driven by forces I do not understand. She pushed, cajoled, wheedled, and nagged until I gave in and agreed to “do school” with her. Because while she certainly doesn’t NEED it, who am I to argue with a child when she WANTS education?
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It’s as much about your education as it is about theirs.

by on September 12, 2011
in a mom's education · 27 Comments

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and founder of Steady Mom

Today’s post is the third in a series called Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom. If you’d like to catch up, take a few moments to read the first and second posts.

Most of us start out all wrong when we begin homeschooling. We rush around looking at curriculum; we panic because the kids would rather be playing outside, or building with Legos, than doing that boring worksheet.

But here’s what we’re missing when we allow all those other things to sidetrack our minds:
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Weekend Giveaway: Peace Hill Press

by on September 10, 2011
in giveaways ·

This giveaway has ended and the winner has been contacted via email. Thanks for entering!

Welcome back to another weekend giveaway, hosted this week by Peace Hill Press.

About Peace Hill Press:

“We are a small, family-run company, working together to produce the best materials for classical education the world has ever seen. Our materials provide parents with a rare combination of academic rigor and ease of use.

Many parents rely on The Well-Trained Mind as their homeschooling authority. The book’s authors, Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise, direct Peace Hill Press. They travel the country, speaking to homeschooling parents about the methodology, philosophy, and the daily nuts and bolts of homeschooling in the 21st century.”

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Getting Organized for the Upcoming Year

by on September 7, 2011
in organization · 27 Comments

Written by contributor Renee Tougas of FIMBY.

Many of us are starting a new school year this September even though we aren’t catching the bus to do so.

Our family homeschools year round. For an excellent article on different ways to structure your school year I recommend Toni’s post Creating a Homeschool Schedule.

For record keeping purposes I start our school year the beginning of September and wrap it up at the end of the following August. So for these past couple weeks I have been putting together our family learning portfolio for the 2010-2011 year and getting ready for the 2011-2012 school year.

Today I want to share with you how I organized the planning and record keeping for this upcoming school year. Instead of trying to write it all out and take photos to illustrate I decided to do a video, my first here at Simple Homeschool.
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