by Erica Johns | Jun 15, 2015 | Great Stuff for Homeschool Moms
*denotes affiliate links
We have just finished up the 18th year since we started homeschooling, and boy-howdy, there have been some ups and downs. The early years were filled with simplicity, joy, babies, and a low budget! The middle years were filled with adjusted expectations, flexibility, fun, and learning that everything changes. These most recent years have had different challenges, advantages, needs, and solutions than we ever had before! And I still have six more years to go. 🙂
Through it all, one thing I know is that homeschooling is a BIG job with a whole lot riding on your back, and sometimes that can make things really hard. Whether it’s uncertainty, perfectionism, anger, trying to measure up to others (or their expectations), or overwhelm, we ALL deal with it from time to time.
The bloom* class has been beautifully created to help you through these common pitfalls for homeschool moms in a nicely-done video course that you can experience from your own home anytime that works for you! Alicia from Vibrant Homeschooling* is a clear and kind communicator with a heart for homeschool moms. Each video class addresses various aspects of the challenges and opportunities for homeschool moms to thrive and ~~bloom~~* in your life! You’ll also benefit from the discovery packet worksheets and exercises, and the private Facebook group for bloom members only*. Class registration opens June 16, and is only open for this week.
If you feel like you could use some encouragement as you prepare for the coming school year, I encourage you to check out bloom*. Alicia has a class sample for you, and there are some great bonus gifts for you as well. I think you will love it!
*Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
by Erica Johns | Jun 14, 2015 | Great Stuff for Homeschool Moms, Mom to Mom
* denotes affiliate links
Homeschool moms seem to always be toggling between capitalizing on the educational value of their child’s interests, and Making Sure We’re Getting Things Done. I know I do!
I’ve always loved to encourage my children in the things they love and are interested in, and it’s a win-win for all of us when we can get educational value out of it. But sometimes taking the delight-directed approach or the DIY unity study approach can feel intimidating. How will it work? What will we do? What can I do to encourage AND enhance their interests? Will we ever feel like we have accomplished anything? And if you are living in a state that requires more documentation for your homeschooling, how can you structure delight-directed educational pursuits to be easily translated into what you need?
Well, I got a copy of Marcy Crabtree’s beautiful new ebook, Delightful Planning*, and I was immediately inspired and excited and knew that a lot of you ladies are going to love this too! This beautifully-done resource walks you through the concepts and steps for creating your own delight-directed unit studies, and then she gives you the tools to actually make it happen! It includes printable forms for calendars, planning sheets, reading logs, book reports, journaling pages, field trip planning forms and journals, fun ideas, recommended resources, and more! Marcy has really thought things through both for the content included and the layout and design of the forms. It’s SO nice!
You will love the colors, graphics, and layout of Delightful Planning*. You will be so happy to get it all printed out and into a notebook so you can get right to work planning an extremely joyful school year! The price of this lovely resource is a true bargain, as it will give you so much clarity and help you see past the confusion and uncertainty that you may have been feeling about learning according to the interests of your children. Your kids will love getting so much input about what they’re doing for school, and you will love seeing it all come together in a way that feels more complete and productive. You can click here for more information and to purchase*.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
by Erica Johns | May 28, 2015 | Great Stuff for Homeschool Moms, Scientists, Wondrous Wednesday
*denotes affiliate link
Attention: Registration for Experience Astronomy closes on Saturday, August 27, 2016!
A hundred years ago when I was in college, I took an astronomy course. It was in the spring, which was perfect timing for it, and I remember the enjoyment of spending evening classes stargazing out in the crisp air of upstate New York. (when spring finally comes to that region after those long, brutal winters, it. is. heavenly!) However, other than the North Star, and the big and little dippers, I really haven’t retained much of whatever I was learning.
Around our home, our skies are often crystal clear at night and we can see a ton of stars, and I always wish I knew more to teach my kids about it and enjoy it more myself.
True Confessions: A few years ago we got a telescope for Christmas, and can I just admit to you that we, like, totally stink at using it? On the occasions when we have taken it out to the back yard, we have rarely ever been able to see –anything– other than complete and utter darkness. Yes, We Are *That* Family.
I’ve looked at (and even purchased) some astronomy books, but never felt like they were user-friendly enough for me. So, maybe you can imagine my excitement when I found out about Experience Astronomy*!
My 4 homeschooled kids and I have been taking Experience Astronomy* during this school year. My favorite part is that it doesn’t solely run on Mom Power, which is a major WooHoo moment for me! Instructor Luke Gilkerson does all the teaching via video classes online, and as you can see in the video below, he has a very engaging style of communication. My guys enjoy his teaching style and I’ve enjoyed getting to be a learning participant instead of having to totally run the show myself.
Thankfully, we don’t need to get our telescope out and struggle to find Venus. All of the star gazing is done with our own eyes and nothing else. And hey–pretty much all the time we can find our eyeballs, so that’s a win for us! The observation assignments happen from our own back yard, too, so that’s great too.
Additionally, the class integrates astronomy with history, literature, and even the Bible, all of which makes perfect sense. I love to have my kids experience learning as it relates to other things!
What Does Experience Astronomy Cover?
The e-course integrates astronomy with others subjects, such as history, classical literature, and the Bible. Throughout the year students learn:
- how to use the sky for navigation,
- how to find dozens of major constellations,
- the phases of the moon,
- the motions of the stars throughout the night and throughout the year,
- how eclipses work,
- how astronomy has shaped both the Biblical calendar and our modern calendar,
- information about the planets, asteroids, comets, and meteor showers,
- mythologies associated with the constellations,
- and more!
What’s Included?
Experience Astronomy is a full-school year video e-course geared towards 6th to 9th graders. (I actually beefed this course up to make it a full science credit for my two high schoolers.)
- Starting in September your students will look forward to the engaging, weekly teaching videos.
- Students will receive a field guide and are expected to complete weekly outdoor observation activities, giving them a firsthand knowledge about the motions of the sun, moon, stars, and planets.
- A course guide with supplemental reading, writing activities, and more will be provided.
- Weekly online quizzes to test your students understanding of the materials will be provided. Don’t worry, the grading will be done for you!
I know I’m not the only mom that is looking for quality classes that can also take some of the pressure off, so I figured you all would want to know about this too.
What do you think? Have you studied astronomy in your past or with your kids? Are you going to take the class and join us in Experiencing Astronomy? 🙂
Preview the first couple lessons, or go here to get answers to some of frequently asked questions.
Why Experience Astronomy? from Intoxicated on Life on Vimeo.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
by Erica Johns | May 27, 2015 | Art, Fine Arts Friday, Great Stuff for Homeschool Moms
Click to read more about this collection. You can also get a free sample of Fine Art Pages.
Click to read more about this collection. You can also get a free sample of Fine Art Pages.
So many moms have told me that they love, love, LOVE our Fine Art Pages, because it adds beauty to their home, and allows their children to become familiar with many works of art without demanding any time or energy from the school day or from mom!
If you have been looking for one lovely thing to include in your homeschool that doesn’t run on Mom Power, this is it. The concept is simple and effective: Print ’em out, put ’em up. Stick these works of art on the walls in bedrooms, bathrooms, by the kitchen sink, or on the backs of doors. Anywhere the eye naturally falls is a spot that you can infuse with something lovely, interesting, or inspiring, and feed good art right into the brains of those you love. 🙂 Why not get a few sets of Fine Art Pages and start trying them out in your home today?
by Erica Johns | May 21, 2015 | Art, Gather 'Round, Mom to Mom, The Winds of Inspiration
We have a tradition that we try to keep going at our house. During the school week we generally don’t play video games. Saturdays are “Game Day” when the kids can play video games all day long if they want to. Sunday is “Screen-Free Day” which the boys often act like they hate, except once the screen time is removed, they find other things to do that they really enjoy.
I try to help remove the boredom/lack of direction/hopelessness that kids can sometimes feel when you just took away their favorite thing and they don’t know what to do next. My favorite thing to do is to clean off the kitchen table and set up something that I think they will enjoy. It might be a puzzle, a game, sculpey clay, a baking project, or art supplies. This is what I set up today:
Nothing fancy. Just clear space and simple materials.
Within a short time they all gravitated toward the invitation and were doing this:
I had some nice music on in the background. My daughter was at another table working on a 1000-piece puzzle. I was making pancakes and reading.
I find that clearing spaces and creating invitations is a really nice thing to do for the family. It provides an opportunity to bring out those card games/art supplies/stickers/projects that sometimes get forgotten during the regular weekday life. I’ve never set up an invitation at the table that the kids didn’t want to do.
Try it! Let me know how it goes.
