The Super Mom Myth!

After homeschooling for a few years now I notice that I am no longer being hit with the socialization questions anymore. The focus is now on how much of a "Supermom" I am for taking on all that responsibility. So many moms like to say how they could never do what I do cause they are not "Supermom" like me. They tell me how they struggle with what they think are the smallest of task like potty training or cooking meals and they somehow think I have never been where they have been and I have it all together. My response to this is are you kidding me. I am a real life mom I don't play one on T.V. Every mom has her struggles. What I really think folks neglect to realize is that every mom has there strengths as well. We really need to to as women and mothers stop comparing ourselves to others cause the area that I am blessed in might not be the area you are blessed in. But you know what we are all blessed and we can all be a blessing to our husbands and children.

I am a big believer in playing to ones strengths. I am a very analytical thinker and I am good at planning and creating structure. So I have been able to bless our homeschool with this gift to help us reach our goals. But at the same time I struggle with clutter and completing household task in a timely fashion. I may be able to create a homeschool curriculum from scratch for free or make homemade bread but my laundry sits for days before I get around to putting it away. I also struggle with staying consistent with my prayer time as well. But you know that may not be my strong suite but that doesn't mean I can't learn or acquire new skills to help improve on what is already naturally there. I have some sister friends who are good in these areas where I am not and we are able to pick each others brains and lift each other up in encouragement.

I think we all have something to offer and at the same time we need to realize its never too late to learn either. "Supermom" is a myth. Just like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny we have to let go.

More Used Curriculum Finds!

So I was able to get another used curriculum sale this past week at a local church. I love when I get around to a sale ran by a church that supports its homeschool ministry cause you can find so much great and popular curriculum and low prices. So I just wanted to share with you what I found. I was getting things on my curriculum list that I talked about in other post this year.I was staying withing the boundaries of what I actually needed which felt good. I did find some things that were not exactly what I planned on using but turned out to be a blessing in the end. So a tip is if budget is your decision maker with curriculum shopping always be prepared to substitute an item for something else to save on price. I also go for things that are non consumable verses consumable so I won't have to buy new pieces to it when I get ready to use it for the next child. I paid a total of $58 for items that would have been over $200 if I would have bought new and I would have had to pay the shipping.

Here is the list of what I was able to get:

Five in a Row Christian Character and Bible Supplement by Jane Claire Lambert
Stories About God's People Rod and Staff Reader Series level 2 Teachers Guide
Rod and Staff English Grade 2 teachers guide and student text( got this off the free table)
Rod and Staff English Grade 3 teachers guide and student text
Pathway Readers Grade 4 w/ teachers text
Pathway Readers Grade 1 w/ 1 workbook
Abeka Aesop's for Young Readers
Rod and Staff Music workbooks grades 1,2, and 3
Green Leaf Press Guide to Old Testament History
Life on the Indus River Valley
Rocks and Minerals easy reader
Rocks and Fossils teachers suppliment worksheets
God's Design for Heaven and Earth Our Planet
God's Design for Heaven and Earth Our Weather and Water
Singapore Math 3A textbook
Singapore Math 3 Challenging Word Problems

In all for next years curriculum I have spent $154. It is my goal to keep things under $300 for all three children. This includes school supplies(which I wait for back to school sales) printer ink, and whatever else misc I have to get. I am also considering frugal clothing options for this coming year as well. I was thinking of going to the thrift stores and other outlets to get different color polo shirts for everyone and khaki pants and skirts. Its seems a little uniformish but I think in the long run if will save money and I can have the kids coordinated pretty well on field trips. You can always finds polo shirts and khakis at the thrift stores all the time and I think they go from casual to dressy pretty well.

Steps to Creating Your Own Curriculum!

After many a request and conversation with new and even seasoned homeschooler friends and subscribers I decided to put together some easy to follow comprehensive steps to making your own homeschool curriculum. I also took the liberty of including some instructional videos to go along with the worksheet.
Here are the:

Steps to Creating Your Own Curriculum Worksheet

Methods of Homeschooling

Top Curriculum Choices Elementary Level

Top Curriculum Suppliers and Stores ( the stores are localized to GA but other suppliers are on the web)

Frugal Kitchen: Easy Maple Granola!

Easy Maple Granola

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

2 TSP flax seed

1/3 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

1/3 cup Coconut oil

1/3 cup Maple Syrup

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

Directions: preheat oven to 350 degrees. I mix all dry ingredients together then mix all wet ingredients and add them into the dry mix and stir thouroughly. I spread the wet granola mix onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 18- 20 minutes till mixture is dry and golden brown. Stir it a few times during baking to make sure edges dont burn.

For this recipe I double to feed my family of 5.

Variations: After mix comes out the oven I add cinnamon and raisins. You add your favorite spices and dried fruits after it comes out the oven.

Homemade Dairy Free Milk Alternative!

Homemade Rice Milk

With me growing up lactose intollerant and my kids being raised on dairyfree milks I was happy to start finding ways to make them myself. I mean 1 quart of the least expensive Rice or Almond Milk cost me about 1.79 each so when I found this recipe on youtube I knew I hit the jack pot. It came out right too.So I think we areo going to keep this recipe in the family book.

Here is the video I got it from:

Curriculum 2011- 2012

3rd Grade(7yr)- Girl

Hebrew Studies- Various Resources

Math- Singapore Math 2A and 2B

Reading-  Pathway Readers 3rd Grade and Required Reading List

Spelling- Sequential Spelling level 1(finishing up last few lessons) and level 2

Grammar-  Rod and Staff English Grade 3

Latin- Song School Latin(we didn't start Latin this last school year like we thought so we are going to start with this program that got such great reviews)

History/ Geography- Asian History Cycle 2, Kingfisher History Encyclopedia(spine text)

Course of Study Asian History Cycle 2

Middle East

• Hittites
• Babylon
• Assyrians
• The Hebrews
• Babylon Revived
• Persian Empire
• Judea
• Parthians and Sassanids
• Islam 622- 750 A.D.
• The Seljuk Turks
• Israel 1948- 1949

India

• Indus Valley
• Aryan India
• Maryan Empire
• The Gupta Dynasty
• The Moguls
• India in Transition
• The British in India
• Indian Independence/ Gandhi

China

• Shang Dynasty
• Zhou Dynasty
• The Qin Dynasty
• Han Dynasty
• Sui and Tang China
• Song Dynasty
• The Mongol Empire
• Ming Dynasty
• Qing Dynasty
• Trade in China
• The Opium Wars
• The Boxer Rebellion
• China 1911- 1935
• China and Japan at War
• Communist China

Japan

• Japan 300 B.C.- 800 A.D.
• Fujwara Japan
• Shoguns and Samurai
• Japan and China 1467- 1644
• Japan in Isolation
• Japan and Southeast Asia
• Japan 1853- 1913

Russia

• The Ottoman Empire
• Russia 1462- 1613
• The Ottoman Empire 1602- 1783
• Russia 1917- 1924
• Russian Expansion 1613- 1725

South East Asia

• The Khmer Empire
• Southeast Asia 1800- 1913

So we are going to do history 3 days a week. 1st day is reading from the history encyclopedia and doing mapwork, 2nd day will be extension readings we get from the library or education videos or trips, then the 3rd day will be notebooking and lapbooking.



Science- Earth Science and Astronomy Cycle, Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Usborne Science Encyclopedia, DK Rocks and Minerals, Galileo for Kids God's Design for Heaven and Earth

Handwriting- Handwriting Without Tears Grade 4 cursive
(this was a success from last year that we are sticking with)

Writing- Writing Strands Level 3

Art- Discovering Great Artist

Music- Usborne 1st Book of Recorder and Rod and Staff Music Grades 1 and 2


First Grade(4yr)- boy

Hebrew Studies- Various Resources

Math- Singapore Math 1A and 1B

Reading- Pathway Readers Grade 1,  Easy Reader Reading List(building fluency since buddy boy finished is phonic already) also some Literature Lapbooks

Grammar- First Language Lessons level 1 and Explode the Code level 2

Handwriting- Handwriting Without Tears 1st Grade

He will be sharing Latin, History Geography, Science, Art and Music with his older sibling so that is the same as above.



Preschooler(2yr)- girl

Her curriculum is going to be more Montessori based and focused mainly on life skills and basic letter and number recognition. I joined some great Montessori make your own Yahoo Groups as well finding some step by step instruction sights that are going to be helpful with this endeavour.
Here they are:
Montessori Makers
Montessori by Hand
Wikisori
Montessori Primary Guide

Practical Life-

Button, zip and buckle
lacing and beading
setting the table
fixing snack
cleaning up

Language Arts-

letter sounds
short vowel words
letter recognition
classical children's read aloud's w/ lapbook activities

Handwriting

Writing in rice, sand or beans
forming letters with play dough
cookie letters
cutting and pasting paper
drawing lines, circles, swiggles and zig zags
tracing letters on paper

Math

number recognition( sand paper letters)
patterns(blocks, cubes, and toys)
sequence
counting with manipulatives
abacus math
shapes
colors

Science

creation
seasons
days of the week
months of the year
animal life cycles(butterfly and frog)
sprouting seeds
animal habitats

Geography

Our World
Continents
Oceans
Countries
States
Cities
Communities
Maps

So this is the "PLAN" hopefully we follow something close to this. I have most of this stuff bought already with the exception of a few that I am waiting on Grandma to pitch in and get the rest for us. Those used curriculum sales really helped a lot.And I have a friend that helped me discovery Ebay and Half as well that might have to be the works. If I cant get the final items though there is always supplementing with my all time favorites Lesson Pathways and the Public Library.