Welcome to The Homeschool Classroom and to our Bloggy Giveaway!
If this is your first visit to the Classroom, let me share something about us and what we do. If you already know us, feel free to skip over this part.
The Homeschool Classroom is made up of a group of homeschooling Moms who are sharing some of their experiences, tips, and ideas with the homeschooling community. Of course, many of our posts would be perfect even for those who have children, but are not homeschooling. And, of course, if you are discerning whether homeschooling is for your family, then you might even want to subscribe while you are deciding.
We write on topics from preschool to high school, from how to's to "a ha's!", from lots of structure to unschooling -- and just about everything else too!
We also love publishing things from guest writers -- so drop Angie an email with an article idea (or just send along an article) if you are interested in being a guest writer. (We would love to eventually add a couple of regular writers from some people who start off as guest writers, so be sure to mention if that interests you.)
We hope that you will continue to visit or subscribe to The Homeschool Classroom. We are only three months old, but we have seen great growth in a short amount of time! We just love what our blog has flourished into, and we look forward to what is to come in the future.
So...on to this giveaway! Because we always love finding new materials for our homeschools, we all love Amazon.com. We want to share with one lucky (randomly chosen) commenter the gift of some free shopping. That commenter will receive a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate.
What you need to do to enter:
Post a comment to this post by Saturday, November 1st at 11:59 pm EST.
Your comment must include something school/learning related. You pick what it is. You could share your favorite school memory, a fun activity you have done with your kids, a topic that you would like one of our writers to write about (consider it worth two entries if you post one of these, because we love ideas of what people would like to read about!), whatever! (If your comment only says something like, "I'd love to win" or "Pick me," then you did not read the directions, and you can't win. Sorry!)
One entry per person (other than having two entries if you post a topic suggestion for our writers, and while we don't expect you to go back and read through all the entries, if you copy what someone else has already suggested for a topic/subject to write on, then it will only count as one entry).
Leave us a way to reach you, if you should be the winner. Either email or make sure your comment is linked to your profile/blog. If we can't reach you, you can't win.
Good luck and we hope to see you around!










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«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 320 Newer› Newest»please enter me! ah school, i miss actually having fun in school. i miss the reading contests we had where whoever read the most won prizses. now that i'm in grad school it's nothing but reading boring books all the time!
Would love to read about ways to engage a bubbly energetic 2.5 year old on a plane...something educative...an NO nothing DVD related pl
I am currently doing a homeschool for my preschooler. I love how excited she is to learn. Even my 1 yr old enjoys doing the activities. I am glad to have found this site.
leslierose at gmail dot com
I remember when i was third grade, we would have these math contests where the first one done with all the answer right would get a prize. It was always me and the kids always got mad at me for it! pposwaps(AT)gmail.com
We follow an unschooling path. Always interested in new perspectives, so I'm bookmarking your blog.
One of the more interesting kid-generated ideas we did lately was had our 5-year-old daughter design and paint her own chess set:
http://purplekappa.typepad.com/purple_kappa/2008/10/make-your-own-chess-set.html
I remember the very first day of first grade. My nanny (who was really my aunt) got confused about where I was supposed to be. I finally made it to the right classroom. Late, of course.
Hello, and thank you for your mention of our Alpha Omega Curriculum on your blog.
We would appreciate it very much if you would please post a link from your blog to our website. http://www.aop.com
Thanks and have a fantastic day!
AOP
Thank you for the wonderful contest!
I would love to read about healthy and fun snacks that are easy to make at home and involve learning in some way. Whether it's recipes for healthy apple fries, or alphabet shaped cookies to promote learning the ABCs, I'd love some ideas.
shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com
My favorite part of school was always reading :) Which is why I favored history and literature over math and science.
As for post ideas, I'd be curious to see which books you'd recommend for other homeschoolers to use in their studies.
I was formerly a K/1 teacher before I had my kids. What I loved working on was creative ways to encorporate art into the curriculum. Whether it's using different medium (tactile stuff like rice/shaving cream/sand) or learning about art from different cultures. Just something different than easel painting! ;) Thanks for the chance!
I would love to be entered. I really enjoy posts about books and lists of reccomended books. I have a two year old who loves books. I would love a post sharing any creat sites or reccomended books for his age group. I am a high school tecaher too so a list for that age group would be great too.
I still have fond memories of my 7th-grade spelling book (Rod & Staff!) and gained a life-long love for words. YEAH for home-schooling!
My favorite topic in school was history :)
Thank you - please enter me!
I was homeschooled from 4th-9th grade, after that I was cyber/charter schooled, maybe you could do an article on that?
2nd comment since the first was an article idea :)
I love school. Which sounds weird, I know, but I really do. How can you not love learning new things? My favorite thing to learn about in school was different cultures (shown through reading different books from other countries). So amazing to immerse yourself in another's culture. :)
My favorite school memory is when I won a contest against my cousin in second grade and I won a book about the Little's
I just decided to homeschool, so I just bookmarked this blog! I'm giving away an Amazon GC as well--enter at my blog!
I'm going to put this into my favorites and check it out. I'm on the tail end of my homeschooling journey. I've graduated 2 and have one left.
redbarncritters@gmail.com
I suppose my favorite school related memory would be winning the school spelling bee in sixth grade. Did lousy at the regional competition, though.
kmg365 (at) gmail (dot) com
Thank you for participating. :-)
Well, we recently did the "Make Your Own Chewing Gum" Kit, and it was awesome. The kids had a lot of fun, and we studied Central America, the Mayan and Sapodillo trees in the process. :-)
I really loved school as a child, but am finding it difficult to be a positive encouragement to my daughter, whose learning style is completely different than mine. It's very frustrating and discouraging.
parcelhome at comcast dot net
Our daughter has discovered a new audience for singing her ABC's - when she sings them to her baby sister when she is upset, she calms right down - win win situation!
I'll be visiting this blog more often. I want to homeschool my children but my entire family/friends are all against it even my husband. I'd love to see articles about maybe the benefits of homeschool or how to talk to family members about it.
Thanks!
I loved school. I still love reading and am looking forward to when I have kids and can go and relearn things with them. It is always nice to read about different curriculum, resources, and books.
dmfitzpatrick16 at rangers dot nwosu dot edu
I'd like to read about ways to teach kids about nature/gardening esp. for preschoolers. Thanks.
naturedeva at naturedeva dot net
My second grade teacher always called me "eagle eyes"...I've always had an eye for detail!
I love to make little books with my kids, words, coloring and then I staple them
This is the fifth year we have homeschooled our 11 year old son and we have never looked back. It has been the best journey and it has helped him thrive. Our son loves it and loves to learn.
Thank you for this great giveaway and the chance to win.
For my second chance:
I am always interested to read about science for the homeschooler. Our son (6th grade) loves it and continues to have a strong desire to become a research scientist.
Thank you!
My favorite part of my school (I was homeschooled) was our creative writing time. I did this between the ages of like 9-11. We'd an hour or so writing stories. Looking back, they were pretty awful...but man, I loved them!
Thanks.
zipster81(at)juno(dot)com
Please enter me. Thanks!
I love your site! :) I enjoy your articles. I have homeschooled for a long time, but I still love reading about everyone else's experiences!
Something school related: We are keeping up this year so far. My hope is that we don't get behind like last year and have to catch up in crunch time! LOL
My school related post would have to be bragging :) my daughter who just entered 2nd grade this year was recently tested and she tested at the level of students entering 4th grade! I am so proud of her!
I would love to see an article about great reading/phonics/spelling curricula. We've tried two so far and aren't 100% pleased with either, but I haven't seen many more I desire to try.
Hmmm..I've been curious about incorporating music into the schoolday. How does it work for you?
I loved school, but I spent SO much time being bored because I could whip through the work in no time at all. That's one of the reasons I plan to homeschool when we have kids.
Enter me please. I'm thinking of hoemschooling...I need support form other moms to feel comfortable doing so.
efuson_2000 at yahoo dot com
please enter me.
as for school related comments....I am currently a freshmen in college. it's a bit of a shock to get used too, but i do like it. much more freedom, which is good AND bad.
-lauren
lauren51990 at aol dot com
My favorite memory from school was always music related, so I think it is important to incorporate music into school. Thanks for the great chance to win! chattyhousewife(at)gmail.com
i'd love to read about ways kids ican become more active in their communities.
Thanks for a generous giveaway. I hope I'm the lucky winner.
I am creating my favorite school memories right now with my 3 kids ... at home. I have never visited your site, but I'm going to have fun looking around. If you haven't already covered it, I'd be interested in activities that all of my kids, wide age range 3 to 15, can do together.
Thanks for the giveaway
http://linduhe.blogspot.com/
LinduhE@aol.com
With everyone going green these days, I'd love to see something for my Kindergartener- things we can do together to help the environment. Thanks for the giveaway! stonefox@pobox.com
My favorite learning idea is to use lapbooks! We love them at my house for a great review tool that also shows portfolio reviewers what you accomplished in a year. I would love to see articles on lapbooking, writing your own unit studies, and the best part of homeschooling - being a part of your children's day!
Tristan
tdrowlee@yahoo.com
ps. to see lapbooks check out our blog www.ourbusyhomeschool.blogspot.com either wander through posts at your leisure, or click the lapbooks label for all the right posts!
I have been homeschooling for the past 3 years. I really love it and I love the time I get to spend with my children. Even if sometimes I want to sleep in and wish they did too! I don't have any favorite memories of school as a child. Maybe that is why I homeschool? I try to make our homeschool VERY hands on since I'm dealing with elementary and preschool age children. I would love to see more articles on scheduling and implementing a daily schedule for young children. I seem to change up our routine frequently in my quest to find the "perfect fit" for our family. There is so much to do and so many great things out there---that seems to be my biggest problem. CHOOSING just ONE thing. I'd love to hear how other eclectic style homeschoolers deal with this.
I loved going to school. My favorite memories are from HS. I'm trying to encourage The Girl to get out there and enjoy being who she is with her friends. I really hope that she'll look back one day and see that she loved living life during the time that most others see as horrible. I love having no regrets during that time of my life... well except that horrible date with Chris. That was a night I would do over again. (Nothing major happened. He just took me to the dance and ignored me all night. Fine by me. Who knew he sweated profusely!)
My worst subject in school was math, but it seems like my son is going to be good at math. He learned to count and read numbers before he learned his ABCs.
Hard to remember school I must say :-) My favorite was anything involving a story, whether we learned history or science that way, a story always made it more interesting!
Thanks for a chance to win. I hated school, it's been 20 years since I've been, but I still have nightmares about being late or forgetting my schedule.
As an 8-yr teacher before having kids, education is very important to me. We've had a great time learning about the election this year, and got to attend a Palin rally Sat.
sjbraun at hotmail dot com
I used to homeschool my oldest. It wasn't as easy as I had thought! I always have respect for those who can do it without losing their minds! Right now, I currently work at the public school my children are going to once a week and am on top of their learning.
i am science-minded, soi do alot of hands on stuff with my kids, like nature walks, expirements, coking, anything they cantouch and feel and see and do.
margelina@comcast.net
I wish school for me had been as great as it is today for my daughter. This year her eighth-grade class is going to Washington, DC for four days! (We're in Florida). I never got to do anything like that. I'm very excited for her, though! I'd love an entry into your giveaway - thanks for the chance to win!
I am new to the home schooling. I'm working only with my preschooler now to get my feet wet.
We try to incorporate learning from every angle, whether it's something as simple as making blueberry muffins from a mix or helping me fold laundry, to the more complex of learning basic site words for early reading.
I hope to get lots of ideas from your site.
I have lots of great school memories! I'm in college now, and I hate school and homework alike. I miss my elementary days when I would be really upset when I was scik and had to miss school!
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Jill @ MoneySavinDiva
I loved geography, and to this day, a teacher I had in 7th grade was a huge influence on me, and my love of travel. I'd love to win ! Thanks for this nice giveaway. cdziuba@aol.com
I have no idea if this has been talked about much or not..I don't get much time to read this blog but I sure do try when I get the chance. I have children ages 12, 4 and 2. I try to involved them all in activities and learning but sometimes it turnes into all the children screaming for no reason and mommy feeling sick from a nasty headache. HELP! I would love more info on how to help control this!
Please enter me! I homeschool and share a few valuable links on Mustard Seeds! Stop by sometime!
I really enjoy teaching my son to read. He's just learning but gets so excited when he figures someting out for himself. Thanks for the great giveaway!
Stephanie
dsmoore1 @ centurytel.net
Please enter me!
I remember my first day of school, when everybody was running around and making noise and I just stood there with my best friends, holding hands, waiting for somebody to tell us where we were supposed to go.
chiara @ italianechelon [dot] it
Would love to win... I have been a homeschool mom for 15 years...two of my sons are in college I still have a 16 year old at home. He has learning disabilities...the most fun we had was when we did a unit study on Thanksgiving, we made crafts, cooked like they did, and even found the list of passengers on the Mayflower. What fun!!! Miss those days.
I really enjoyed the post a while back about making a portfolio of kids school work using binders with a clear cover and page protectors...I'm getting ready to sort through my daughter's first quarter work.
Great giveaway!
This is our first official homeschooling year. So far we love it! It's challenging at times, especially with an energetic toddler around. But I love the freedom, the flexibility and the other homeschool families I get the privilege to meet.
I love to see blogs that were on my reader to begin with participating in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival! It's so much fun.
Some of the topics that I need to think about right now include:
-teaching "writing" (grammar, creating sentences, paragraphs, stories) to a boy WITHOUT requiring him to handwrite anything - for many boys, handwriting comes late
-working with just two kids of diverse ages/abilities - my son is 6 but working at a 2nd/3rd grade level (except in handwriting!!) and my daughter will be 2 years old next week
-more ideas for preserving/using artwork... that don't involve piling it all in a cardboard box!
Thanks for a great site & a nice giveaway.
chappyandalexa [at] earthlink [dot] net
Go to a waste processing site to learn about science and civics.
Thanks for the giveaway!
hetz-junk(at)hotmail(dot)com
Good timing! I was just working at a book fair this morning for my son's school (hoping to homeschool next year) and saw a neat book about science fair projects. It looked great, but cost a bit more than I hoped. Do you have any resources for science fair projects online that you use? And do you conduct anything like science fairs in a homeschool atmosphere?
Thanks!
my teacher in 4th grade used to read to us every afternoon. I still remember some of the stories. I think one of them was Piggly wiggly. I also miss doing book reports! i love to read and liked sharing the book and my opinions.
lukenlarry at yahoo dot com
my favorite school memory is winning the grand prize in an art contest in 2nd grade.
I just finished taking midterms and I'm so glad they're over!!
Thanks for the contest.. I would LOVE to see some information about lapbooking for all subjects. Maybe some easy ways to make your own lapbooks so the frugal family doesn't have to spend so much money on pre made ones :) that would be awesome.. Thanks for entering me into the contest! I love your blog!
WOuld love this:) I own a home child care and I am always thinking of fabulous crafts and activities to do with the toddlers I watch.
I remember all the spelling bees we used to have in grade school. I had a ton of ribbons from my teacher. My kids schools don't have spelling bees, but I wish they did! They're fun and a great way to encourage kids to practice spelling.
mr_mrs_steen[at]netzero[dot]com
I am currently "homeschooling" my preschooler who is 3. It's not really school. I basically wrote my own curriculum and I'm doing a letter of the week. This week was "I" we are learning about Ice Cream - today we went to an ice cream parlor and saw how they make their ice cream and ice cream cakes! We BOTH learned alot and had tons of fun and yummy ice cream in the process!
I was such a nerd in school. Is it possible to be a jockette and a nerd? I miss hanging with my friends after a game! That was always so much fun.
School is a lot of fun. I would like to read about how to display art work without it taking over your house!
Shay B.
Tigger2sch@aol.com
http://shayplus3.blogspot.com/
I'm in school (college) right now and loving it! I'm reading the Faerie Queen right now, and I'm loving the class discussions (there are only 12 people in my class)!
my mom homeschooled us and every once in a while she would let us stay in our pj's all day!
Just learned last night that Egyptian mythology is 'boring' even though Greek mythology is 'cool' - so says my wise, 9yr old ninja!
I homescool my boys and we are studying the ancients right now and really enjoying it!
I am a homeschool mom and we are studying the ancients and really enjoying it.
I would love to see more information on the transformation from homeschool to college
My son had a teacher in first grade name Mrs. Stolz. He's now in 4th grade but we love that woman as much today as we did when she was his teacher. She is the sweetest, most endearing person you'd ever want to meet! She makes you want to go back to school!!!
My son is having a very hard time at school this year (a lot of problems) and he relies on his former first grade teacher, Mrs. Stolz, to help him with school. She's great to help encourage him and make him feel better about things when we are unable to because we can't be at school with him.
THank you for a wonderful giveaway.
HunnyV "at" optonline "dot" net
I've thought about homeschooling, especially when I'm not too happy with my son's teacher. I only have one in school and teach preschool out of my home. I remember how much some teachers touched my life and want the same for my kids. sharlacarbine at gmail dot com
One of my favorite activities with my boys is finding black swallowtail caterpillars in our garden on the parsley and dill. We bring a few in to keep, watch them form their chrysalis (that is simply awesome to see happen), and then we wait rather impatiently for a beautiful black swallowtail butterfly to emerge about 8 days later. We always keep the butterfly for the day and then release it. Then we wait to find eggs and caterpillars in the garden again...........
I loved school, 2nd grade was my favorite year. I loved it so much that I taught second grade until I had my first child.
Hi
I was very shy in school. I think I would have liked to been home schooled. Thanks for the giveaway
I would love to read posts by homeschooled kids talking about what they do and don't like about being hs'd.
Let's see...a fave memory from school...I remember several field trips that I went on. Just the excitement of going somewhere new & being with friends was so fun for me!!
My son is only 2, but I'm already very eager to homeschool....We do gentle alphabet learning right now! Thanks for the contest!
give_me_a_latte at yahoo
i was always in advanced/gifted classes since elementary school. in turn, i had awesome teachers who pushed us (the students) by having math competitions, puzzle solving, book reports, etc.
We use the Montessori method and love it.
I always loved school! One of my favorite memories is when I was in the fifth grade and my mom called the school office to tell me that she had just given birth to my baby brother! Not exactly school related, but I can still picture it like it was yesterday!
i recently found out that kids do not learn to defragment sentences like we had to. that was torture. I knew what every word was. but the whole breaking it down was torture!
I was also a catholic girl and we played a lot of kickball....
karissag at gmail.com
I have a 3 year old daughter, and we have just started painting together. She loves it!
millkara [at] gmail.com
I loved school. My best subject was English.
Thanks for the giveaway.
We sang Slippery Fish today in preschool. My son went over to the art table afterwards and told me he was going to draw an octopus eating a fish (like in the song) and he drew a pretty good one! I was so impressed! Usually his drawings are so random.
My kids and I have been working on clouds in Science. My first grader can't say Cumulonimbus cl0uds. He says Columbus clouds, lol!
ginnyswe at gmail.com
Thanks for contest!
Ginny
I remember being in my grade school play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It was so fun and my design won the poster contest!
katiekarr at gmail dot com
We send our preschooler to a 3 day half-day preschool for socialization but have been having great success with Kumon books at home for the academics! :)
My son loves going to preschool! His favorite is to sing with his teachers. They have taught him at least 10 new songs in the past 4 weeks and he comes home to sing them to his brothers. They are the best audience and always clap for him even when he forgets a word or two :)
jillk77@aol.com
Would LOVE to learn about organizational skills. My child just entered 6th grade . He has been a perfect student with straight A'a and this year so far has been horrid. The main reason is his organizational skills. No matter how I try to help him, he just keeps needing something more.
In the younger years, you train and then when it comes to about this age, they have to sort of pick up the ball on their own. He's having great difficulty because he does the work, misplaces the work, forgets the book, forgets the page, forgets the book he's supposed to write the page in so he won't forget to the page.
HELP.
My son is only 8 months old but already I am thinking about school. I want to start teaching him math early without it being a "lesson" per se. We read all the time and read counting books too. But I really want math to be as ingrained as reading. Any suggestions? I'll be checking back in hopes of someone finding this topic of interest.
I'd love to read about ways to make sure that my kids love reading! Thanks!
oreo89 [at] gmail [dot] com
Oops..An email would help too...writerprintcess at yahoo dot com.
I'd love to hear something about different kinds of learning: kinetic, auditory, visual, etc. and examples of ways to help them learn. Thanks for the chance to win!
I'd like to read about how to make your child a reader. I was really into books but my husband never was.
shannona@hotmail.com
I love learning as a lifestyle... which is what homeschooling is all about. We are particularly enjoying a home ec course this semester.
I would love to read more articles about homeschooling through high school.
During our Language Arts K lessons we read books and then make our own characters, paper puppets or fabric creations. Turning each lesson into a craft has made my 5 year old love home schooling.
Favorite school memory... learning about fixed action patterns in college and realizing that things made so much sense.
Jess
jessica.tupper{at}gmail.com
My favorite school memory was learning how to tell time (and being so proud when my parents bought me a Timex watch to celebrate!)
Thanks for the giveaway!
foxsquirrelrabbit(at)gmail(dot)com
I am new to this blog (referred from the Mac & Cheese Chronicles!). I'd love to read an article about special holiday homeschooling units--not just a few random activities, but something like the all-Christmas carol radio station: all Christmas, all the time! :)
www.adamsfamilyadventures.com
One of my favorite memories of elementary school was in 3rd grade being given a cartoon picture and having to make up a story about it.
The other thing I loved was weekly coloring contests in 4th grade. The students who colored the best would win special crayons. We were always on our best behavior then.
I haven't read your whole blog so I don't know what things you've already blogged about...but...I would love to hear about how you balance homeschooling with all of the other demands of motherhood.
raising tadpoles into frogs is always a winner and so educational
katelynthames AT yahoo DOT com
I have been homeschooling my kids for over 10 years and love it. I enjoy learning along with my kids. I would like to see articles on the topic of homeschooling through college.
school memories.. :D we have our annual school trip out of the city with our grade! those were always fun =D
enter me please
nina.rockz at gmail dot com
miss absolutely nothing about school no thanks to going back
would love to win...looks great, please enter me...mrs.mommyyatgmail.com
We use Winter Promise curriculum and LOVE it!! We recently study the Gold Rush and actually panned for gold! It was great fun.
thesmithclan at stny.rr dot come
My kids are grown, but when they were younger we always read together, from the time they were babies, all the way thru middle school. Those times were the best, and they are all great student and avid readers as a result.
aleach6179 AT gmail DOT com
Growing up, I was homeschooled, private schooled and public schooled and I can tell you they all have their good and bad points.
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com
I have homeschooled both of my kids and one of the things we have enjoyed is virtual fieldtrips (visiting sites online that show how things are made, etc.) Perhaps your writers could post about virtual fieldtrips and give some examples for homeschool families or others to check out. Some of the best ones are done by art museums or corporations (I know Hershey's used to have one, I think).
michelle at northofthe49 dot com
I was "homeschooled" by a teacher from the school district in the first & second grades because I was too ill to attend school. One of the things I particularly liked about this was that my teacher connected all her students by allowing us to have a litle newsletter and we could also write notes to each other that she passed along. I know a lot of homeschoolers connect with each other and a student written newsletter might be a good thing.
older girls are starting a project, they are each picking a European country and looking at their christmas traditions.
I love school and my daughter might start preschool next year at 2
I would like to see you address kids who can't seem to learn their math facts. My 11 year old just goes blank. I'v tried learning wrap ups, calcu ladders, math drills on the ocmputer - there must be SOMETIHNG I haven't thought of!!
Lalycairn (at) gmail.com
In school I loved spelling, now that I'm older I'm not so good anymore. Thanks for a chance to win.
actsm(AT)hotmail(DOT)com
My sister is a 1st grade teacher and she asked me to help her decorate her classroom with a big paper tree for the fall. It was so much fun making the tree out of paper bags. The leaves were going to be made by each student as they completed certain tasks. The tree was beautiful and full of leaves.
The thing i remember learning in school will stick with me the rest of my life. We were learning about Martin Luther King Jr. in Second grade and the teacher segregated us by blue eyed and other colored eyes. The people with the blue eyes were allowed to do what they liked that day, but the others were made to sit without talking the entire day. I have always remembered how bad I felt that day and always try to treat people equally.
elkmeese at yahoo dot com
I am 28 and I was homeschooled! I plan to homeschool my kiddos...
twinzmama23(@)yahoo(.)com
I would love to read about what kind of reading incentive programs are out there. I just signed my kid up for Pizza Hut and she gets a free pizza every month if she reaches her reading goal. I'm sure there are a ton of other homeschooling programs out there, I just don't know how to find them.
Lani
thewoodenporch@gmail.com
Thanks for sponsoring this giveaway.
I wish homeschooling had been as accesible when my boys were in school. I love to explote homeschooling blogs for ideas for my grandson, who is an inquisitive 5 year old obsessed with birds - so anything bird related is a plus.
I loved being homeschooled and look forward to homeschooling my children. My parents philosophy while we were growing up that even though we might not have a structured day of "school" we were always learning something. At dinner every night Dad would ask, "What did you learn today?" which then morphed into "Who goes first?" Sometimes this sent us diving into the encyclopedia before sitting down for dinner so that we would have SOMETHING to share, but often, it was a good sharing time for the whole family. Since my dad (the smartest man in the world) shared things that HE learned everyday, I knew that I would be learning interesting and new things for the rest of my life. Great lesson.
Dinner was a big teaching time for Dad. I remember him usuing salt and pepper shakers to diagram the branches of government, how baseball is played, and elements of physics.
I retired after teaching for 30 years. I miss the kids and the hugs.
castings[at]mindspring[dot]com
I won a spelling bee in 5th grade and I'll never forget how proud I was!
Thanks for such a fun giveaway!
sblilly14(@)yahoo(.)com
school...those were the days. (Of course I didn't think that at the time). I remember taking music class in 2nd grade and EVERYDAY I would come home and show my mom what I had learned on the piano. I would show her on the countertop and hum the song, because we did not have a piano. Well at the end of 3rd grade. I came home to show her what I had learned and she surprised me with a new piano. I can't express how excited I was and how much that meant to me (we did not have alot of money, so for her to save up for that piano...it warms my heart) I did continue to play for the next 10 years, but I did slowly fall out of lessons and practicing. She still has that piano in her home. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
My daughter would rather do school workbooks with me than anything else sometimes I think. Hubby just got done saying that she's 4 going on 10!
This is a reach, but is school/learning related:
I used to be totally against homeschooling. Now since my daughter is in school and struggling, I'm in awe of those parents who have the strength and patience to homeschool.
In 4th grade we read the book, A Cricket in Time Square. To go with it, we had a huge picnic lunch in the classroom and ate some of the foods that the cricket tried in the book. So fun!
few4th@grandecom.net
My little guy is 14 months old and I have been giving a lot of though about how to give him a head start on his education- topics along that line would be wonderful to me!
Thanks so much for the AWE-some Give-oh-Way!
audrajjensen(at)msn.com
My daughter's going through something right now. It's been almost a year since her great-grandma passed away and she is having some trouble at school. She's still well behaved, she still listens and participates, but she is convinced that in every story they read, someone is going to die. She asks her teacher about it, she asks me about it. I don't know how to approach this. She's 3. She's super sensitive. We don't watch things with death in it. We explain it as best as we can. How would you handle this?
lkziegler[at]gmail.com
I am a homeschooling mama of 3 -- I LOVE the way we are learning together! My son constantly surprises me with his understanding of engineering
I know I'm thinking of it because it's fall, but I used to love Thanksgiving at school. We used to make such fun projects and our mom would let us hang them all over our front room windows as decorations.
clay_walker_fan at yahoo dot com
i'm so glad i found your blog. i am just reading about homeschooling my preschooler
I love cooking as a learning tool. It incorporates science, math, literacy, and culture.
Jennifer, jennem22 at yahoo dot com
Funny, I enjoyed school, but I don't have any outstanding memories. But I would love some suggestions on how to expand my child's reading horizons - he may not get sick of construction vehicles and firetrucks, but I do!
So many good memories of school - I loved it! Competing in the county spelling bee, taking all the standardized tests (I know, I'm weird). In college Zoology class, going out to find "Thumping Grouse" at 4am, "Spring Peepers" (frogs) at 9pm,and doing a campus-wide insect hunt for my collection.
One of the best things was always hearing "You were homeschooled, but you're so normal" - like we're all a bunch of weirdies!
I am taking a children's literature college course and just LOVE learning and reading to my baby!
I'm a hser and I am learning lots about patience! One thing that will be forever cherished is our cuddle/reading time. The best part of our school day!
Kat
leekat6 (at) verizon (dot) net
I would love to read about homeschooled kids and their perspective on homeschooling. Particularly, once they finish school and get into the real world. I would love to see how they really feel about it!
I really want to homeschool my boys!
theturners4@embarqmail.com
I'd like to read tips on how to get kids 'reenergized' for learning after they hit a slump or after having a little holiday from school stuff. That's the number 1 problem in our house concerning homeschooling.
We have been studying on the Rennisance. We had to lay under the table with paper taped to the underneath side and do art work to see how it must have been to lay on scaffolding for hours painting the cathedral ceilings.
We are a homeschool families. I was homeschooled, too.
I would love more ideas on how to juggle caring for an older baby while also keeping 3 kids in 3 grades, focused on their studies.
Our favorite thing we have done is visiting the Wright Brothers Museum. It was so interesting. We had the girls read more about it and each write a paper about what they learned. We also visited Ronoake Island and studied about the Lost Colony.
hafner611 {AT} gmail {DOT} com
I'd love to see an article about how to expand a child's interest. I have an animal obsessed son, and it's hard to get him interested in other topics. Thanks for the giveaway!
princess3sah(at)cs(dot)com
When I taught, I did a reading activity to help with vocab. I'd pick words from the book and without reading the kids would classify (noun, verb, adjective). Then we'd read the book and see if we were right...I "shared" that idea from another teacher. Thanks for the giveaway. Heather
poncey76 at hotmail dot com.
I love teaching my two year old through every day things. She's already learned all her letters (can say the ABC's and recognize them) and can count to 25 in English as well as to 10 in Spanish! thanks for the giveaway!
Jes AT beautyfromchaos DOT com
I'd love to hear about how to keep younger children involved when the olders ones are the actual ones being schooled!
mamarussell at gmail dot com
We are homeschoolers and last year when we were studying about Egypt, we "mummified" GI Joe and Barbie.
I'm homeschooling my 5 and am trying to find the "right method" for my kids, An article I would really love to read would be a really in depth, specific piece about anyone that may be walking that fine line between unschooling and structure that I'm trying to find (i.e. letting the kids interest lead what you learn about, but also requiring some basics, or even molding the basics to fit that interest)
I'm planning on homeschooling my twin toddlers and would love to read other parent's experiences with hs-ing young children.
my favorite school memories were field trips. it's great to be hands on and learn about the arts, culture, etc. museums are so fun and a great learning trip!
thanks for the giveaway.
specialk.roxygirl@gmail.com
I'd love to read about the best time and ways to start loosely homeschooling, and also the best time to begin using curricula. My daughter is 17 months old and I'm excited to start something (even though I'm still working part-time). Of course we read, go over colors, etc already.
the_other_alice_(at)yahoo.com
I homeschooled K-12!
My son is nearing school age and I am struggling with finding the best ways of teaching him. He is not the sit down and work at a table type...but is definately an auditory learner. It is difficult for me as I was raised as a sit at your desk student...it is hard adapting/ moving away from that style now to better meet his needs. I am in the process of trying to educate myself on the best techniques for him.
owatz (AT)telus (DOT) net
school related? hmm...I was valedictorian of my high school...
Little man is still too young for "school" (22-months), but we count every set of steps we climb and he's already recognizing when there are letters someplace (not the letters themselves, but that there is writing). We probably won't homeschool simply because my husband and I were both big into the marching band scene in high school and college (and we want that for our kids), but I also don't expect to waste money/time on preschool, so there will definitely be some "home learning" going on!
I always loved school and picked things up easily, but I was terribly shy and never did well when it was time to do presentations for class. I remember always panicking when it was my turn.
I'm so happy that my kids are more outgoing than I am! They have no problems talking to people and expressing themselves. :)
Thanks for the giveaway!
mommyof3inva(at)yahoo(dot)com
I liked school, I don't really have a favorite memory
But I enjoyed recess in elementary esp the swings!
KawaiiNeko2008 althemiers(at) aol (dot) com
my fav high school activity was a game we played in history called Czech-mate, where each student was a different countries and we reinacted the world events leading up to WW2 to see if war could have been avoided (you figured out it was pretty much inevitable).
ebienic(at)hotmail(dot)com
I grew up in a very small town in NJ - the k-6 school had about 75 students. The 6th grade classroom was closest to the principal's office and we would often hear very fast typing, like machine-gun fire, coming from the office that Mr. Schaufele shared with his secretary. The fast typing was always Mr. Schaufele who could type about 800 wpm with only two fingers! I wish I could!
A fun activity I recently did with my 2 year old was to make pink drink just like the Yink in the Dr. Seuss book "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish" We also make a "hat" and "tail" like the Yink. She loved it!
junglewife (at) gmail (dot) com
I have a 2 year old and we have recently started doing a letter each week. We have various activities we do about our letter of the week- mostly crafty stuff because she loves crafts. It's going great and she knows almost all of her letters.
ourhappyhappenings@gmail.com
I've only been homeschooling for a few months, but I find it hard to keep on keeping on sometimes. Maybe some tips on how to keep my son interested when he's not interested? Thanks for the contest!
I was a teacher and librarian before becoming a full time mommy. Maybe you could do some book reviews for kids on your blog.
Thanks!
ericbrooks75(at)yahoo(dot)com
I gave a suggestion for the blog, so this is my second entry.
Thanks!
ericbrooks75(at)yahoo(dot)com
I think my favorite school thing was when we had to choose a scientist to dress up as and act as. I picked George Washington Carver. I still think he's one of the greatest Americans and greatest scientists to ever live.
My girls are still young but we work on letters and numbers. I take workbooks apart and put the pages in three ring binders and page protectors so we can use them over and over with dry erase markers.
My daughter has "projects" this year and I am trying to get her to understand... do it quickly the first time (your rough draft) and then go back and add/modify. I am getting gray hairs over this!
Thanks!
Sarah
believedreamcourage (at) gmail.com
I'm in college right now studying to get my Paralegal degree. I was indecisive about which field of law I wanted to work in once I graduate. My Family Law Professor inspired me to get into that area of law & I am currently working for the Attorney General as a child support officer intern. I love what I do.
I'd like to hear about how to teach children of different ages the same subjects. We're just starting homeschooling--my dd just turned 5. And I have 3.5 yr old twins and a 20 mo old. So it seems silly to eventually be teaching on 3 levels--but with 3.5 years between them, can they all really do stuff together? (stuff like history, obviously, not math : ))
parknj at basicisp dot net
I don't know if anyone asked this question or not, but I am new to homeschooling and lots of people I talk to use multiple curriculums for one child (one for math, one for reading, one for science, etc) and I am just wondering HOW do you DECIDE? There are SO many and it is overwhelming! It was hard for me to pick just ONE this year (we're using Rod and Staff for everything), let alone decide on several! How do you do it?
Okay, I asked a question/made a suggestion, so here is my 2nd entry. Thanks, and come by my blog too:
momforhim.blogspot.com
I blog about life with 4 age 5 and under, homeschooling, couponing, freebies, etc!
Fun to find you guys!
I was an English teacher in middle school/high school and an all-around tutor for quite a while until I had to go on disability.
Lots of things I could say, but I'll try to limit. One thing I learned in my tutoring as well as regular teaching was that you can teach kids painlessly with games--they learn without knowing it. You may have to make some of your own, but a lot of ready-made games are also educational and fun.
2) I experienced it as a student and a teacher: reading to kids is good. Even in junior high and senior high, although the books you pick are going to be different. Or they pick. We'd take turn reading when they were older. And stop for discussions or when they had questions or comments. Interactive.
Now I's like to recommend two books that are middle school level, but I think even good for early high school. They go well with any studies about slavery and the civil war, Underground Railroad. These are written by Stephanie Reed--The Light Across the River and Across the Wide River. Historical fiction that is based closely (lots of research) on the lives of the Rankin family, real life engineers on the Underground Railroad who lived on the banks of the Ohio River in Ohio. I highly recommend it for parents and their mid-grade students as well.
Cathi Hassan
chassan2 at hotmail . com
I loved spelling bees and reading time when I was in school.
ksieker(at)hotmail(dot)com
school memory that I love--
This was in middle school and it is my favorite memory because it was the first time I actually started to like reading. My parents weren't the kind that read to me as a kid and so I was never really into books but then my 6th grade teacher gave me the book Matilda by Roald Dahl to read and I loved it! It was the first time I had actually really read a book just for pleasure and I was just so happy about it and since then I've been reading like crazy! :D
lc_intocable [at]yahoo [dot]com
My daughter has delays in fine motor skills and we recently purchased the handwriting without tears program ... hoping this will help her start to write!
I don't have time to read all of the other comments, so I hope I'm not repeating an idea, but I would love to read about how other people deal with family members/friends that are very unsupportive of homeschooling. My husband and I really want to homeschool (our daughter is 3, and our son is 6 months), but my mother as well as a close friend keep hounding me about it, saying it's a horrible idea. I'm not going to let their opinions dictate my decisions, but it's just hard to deal with. Any advice?
I enjoy doing all kinds of educational things with my 3 year old daughter. When we are out she loves to identify the letters and numbers on signs. She always needs to know how everything works, and I am excited to watch her learn new things.
My 7 year old is in public school, and my 4 year old is in pre-school at a Christian school, and we've had great experiences so far with both schools.
I miss the social activities of being in school, and some of the school work, but I don't miss the peer pressure, popularity contests, and project presentations.
akreese (at) hotmail (dot) com
i'd love suggestions about how to get started homeschooling - what you need, how to plan and schedule, etc. i've thought about it, but it really intimidates me!
andrewandkristan(at)hotmail(dot)com
I'm so excited to have found this blog. For about 2 years, dh & I have been tossing around the idea of homeschooling our daughter. When I got pregnant with our second child, I threw up my hands & figured we'd send her to school because how could I do it with 2 kids that were 4 years apart in age? (silly me, right?)
Now I'm back to considering it again but I'm actually afraid to do it. I'm afraid I won't have enough patience, enough knowledge to give, be able to manage our time, etc... I look forward to reading this blog & all the contributor's blogs to possibly sway me towards homeschooling. Full day Kindy is looming and I am dreading it so much.
Thanks for offering so much informtion & your personal stories!
My son is getting older and we just had to create a Indian village. It was an adventure.
My favorite school memory is all the fun field trips we went on! Thanks! FlipFlopsChels@msn.com
I homeschool my son and one of the fun projects we are doing this week is baking and then decorating cookies for Halloween.
cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
My daughter doesn't start school for another year, but she really enjoys learning about different animals and objects. Whenever we read a book she asks what everything is and it takes us forever to finish reading, but I love her curiosity!
Here is a fun numbers game that I played with my preschooler:
http://blueberriesandpeanutbutter.blogspot.com/2008/10/grab-bag-numbers.html
Thank you for the giveaway!
I always have enjoyed the excitement of the new school year. We homeschool, too, and I still get all excited with the hope of the new year.
When the Jeopardy game show has the childrens tournaments, I record them for my grandkids to watch when they visit me. They love it! Thanks for the giveaway!
A great school memory for me is my senior year of high school making a float for homecoming. We laughed, stayed up all night a couple nights and just had fun. Thanks for the giveaway. semtaylor(at)yahoo.com
maybe this sounds a little nerdy but i always like looking at the census website. you could use it as a tool to show what kind of percentages of different things there are in your city.
denice p
doozercries at yahoo . com
My first/favorite memory of pre school is marble painting. I still want to participate in marble painting when I see kids doing it. Thanks!
I never liked school very much until sometime in my third year of university. I'm now in my 5th (I'll be done in December - they cancelled a required class last year), and I'm sad to be finishing because there are still so many things I could learn there.
ikkinlala AT yahoo DOT ca
I'm a homeschooling mama too. Recently started writing for God's World News, which is a great resource for homeschool families (as well as other families!).
Thanks for the chance here!
My 6 year old just started reading Real Science-4-Kids Pre-Chemistry book and is loving it!
jubys1mom(at)yahoo(dot)com
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