Learn About Light – Resources for a Unit Study

 

 

 

Science can be one of those scary things to teach but it doesn’t have to be! Science is all about hands on learning. Don’t be afraid of it! Have FUN with it!!!!! 

Science is one of my favorite things to teach and I think it’s one of the most natural things for kids to learn. Kids are so curious about the world around them and that’s exactly what science is all about. How many times have you heard your kids ask why?? Well, science answers most of those questions! LOL 

The resources I found for a light unit would be perfect to pair with an anatomy unit on eyes.

As always, I include resources for a variety of ages. All books can be found at your local library, on Amazon or Paperback Swap (you should really check out this link).

All printable resources are free unless marked with $$$.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lapbook – Homeschool Helper Online

Printables and Activities – BBC

3 Free Printables – abcteach

Printable Worksheets – Primary Leap (sign up for free)

Worksheets – Education.com

Printables – Kid Friendly Homeschool Curriculum 

Science Terms Printables – Mrs Sandford’s 4th Grade Blog

Worksheets – Mr Collinson

Printables and Activities – Teach Engineering 

Worksheet, Coloring Page and Info – Science With Me

$$$$$$$$

Teacher Book Bag Simple Science Unit – Sound and Light

Exploring Light Lapbook

 

Science Net Links – info

Education.com – activities

A to Z Teacher Stuff – Lesson Plans

Scholastic – Activities for Magic School Bus Gets a Bright Idea

Learner.org – info

Exploratorium  – Activities

Science Kids – Info and Activities

How Stuff Works – Info

WatchKnowLearn – videos

Physics 4 Kids – Info

Monster Sciences – Activities

Optics For Kids – Activities

YouTube – Learn About Light Video

 

 

Magic School Bus Science Kit The Mysteries of Rainbows

Young Scientist Series – Light

Science Wiz Light Experiment Kit

 

 

HAVE FUN HOMESCHOOLING!!!!!!

 

 

Bat Unit Study Resources

In the days leading up to Halloween I will be posting different resources for a bunch of different studies that you could do. I’m starting with bats and will also try to get spiders, Salem Witch Trials, Romania and Halloween in general up in time.

As always, most of the resources I list are free unless marked with $$$. I try to cover a variety of ages. All the books can be found at your local library, on Amazon or Paperback Swap.

The pictures are clickable links.

There is a whole series of these. Bats at the Beach, Bats at the Ballgame, etc.

Nocturnal Animals Lapbook – Homeschool Share

Stellaluna Lapbook – Homeschool Share

Bat Coloring Pages – Coloring.ws

Printable Bat Templates – First Palette

Life Cycle and other printables – Kidzone

Bat Printables and activities – Activity Village

Bat Coloring Page and activities – Classroom Jr.

Bat Printables – Education.com

Bat Mini Helper – Currclick (free, even though it’s on Currclick)

Bat Printables and Activities – A to Z Teacher Stuff

Printable and Info  and Bat Info and Activities  – Scholastic

Printable Crafts and Activities – DLTK-Kids

Coloring Pages and Art Ideas – Crayola

Printable Bat Craft  and Other Bat Craft   – Learn Create Love

Bat Coloring Pages – AnimalPlace.net

Worksheets, Lesson Plans and More – Teacher Planet

Bat Activity Sheets  – School Express

Printable Bat Diagram – Vintage Printable

Printables and Info – A to Z Kids Stuff

$$$ – all things below this line are NOT FREE

Bat Nomenclature – Pinay Homeschooler

HOAC Bat Lapbook – Currclick (check the price on HOAC first)

Bats and Spiders Unit Study – Currclick (check the price on Amazon first)

Bat Notebooking Pages, Lapbook and more – Christian Homeschool Hub ($25 a year for unlimited downloads)

Games, activities, crafts, etc.

Bat Unit – About.com

Bat Lesson Plans – Bats Live

Bat Crafts – Squidoo

Bat Facts – Squidoo

Wild Kratts – Going Batty and Building a Bat Home

Bat Crafts – Family Crafts About.com

Bat Catcher Game – PBS.org Zoom

Bat Lesson Ideas – Education World

Bat Info and Activities – Bat Conservation International

Bats! Why Should We Care?

Bat Educational Resources – BatConservation.org

Bat Info, Games and Quiz – Bats 4 Kids

Bat Video – Nat Geo

Bats Facts and Videos – Kids Nat Geo

How Bats Work – How Stuff Works

Bats – Animal Planet

Bat Facts – Bat Rescue

Listen to Bats – Bats.org.uk

Bat vidoes, activites, x-ray and more – Incrediblebats.com

What Do Bats Do in the Winter – YouTube (look over on the right for more great bat videos)

Bat Crafts – Spoonful

Bat Crafts – Artists Helping Children

Montessori Bat Unit – Just Montessori

 

 

SHEW!!! There you go! 😀

 

HAVE FUN HOMESCHOOLING!!!

 

 

Pirate Unit Study with FREE Printables!

(graphic – The Graphics Fairy)

 

I am still planning away and I still have TONS to do. I have barely scratched the surface with Joshua and Deanna! YILES!!! Cailey’s is maybe 1/4 done and Colin’s is more than 1/2. With Colin I plan on using Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool for math and reading. For science, history, geography and animal studies, he will be following along with Cailey. 

After I get some more concrete ideas for Joshua and Deanna, I will share them here. Joshua is going into his senior year and Deanna is going into her junior year. My goodness!!! These kids grow up so fast!! MAKE THEM STOP!!!!

Here are the things I have found for a study of pirates. Most things are free and the books can be found at your local library, Amazon or Paperback Swap.

I try to provide resources for a variety of ages. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s not! 😉

For this study I made some notebooking pages. All the graphics used were free. I used to make notebooking pages for the kids all the time but I sort of got away from it for a while.

MY FREE NOTEBOOKING PAGES –  piratenotebooking2stacysewsandschools     AND    PirateNotebookingPagesStacySewsandSchools (some of the clip art comes from The Graphics Fairy)

(the book covers are clickable links)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(some are FREE)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pirates books by Charles Rivers Editors – a large list of Kindle books about individual pirates

 

 

MY FREE NOTEBOOKING PAGES –  piratenotebooking2stacysewsandschools     AND    PirateNotebookingPagesStacySewsandSchools (some of the clip art comes from The Graphics Fairy)

 

Pirates connections – Homeschool Share

Pirate Lapbook – Homeschool Creations

Pirate printables and crafts – DLTK-Kids

Pirate coloring pages – First-School

Pirate printables – Printactivities.com

Pirate printables – Making Learning Fun

Pirate printables – Busy Bee Kids Printables

Pirate printables –  2 Teaching Mommies

Pirate printables – Fleece Fun

Pirate coloring pages – Coloring.ws

Pirate printables – 1+1+1=1

Pirate unit study – The Home School Mom

Pirate coloring pages and crafts – Squidoo

Pirate lapbook and notebooking – Dynamic 2 Moms

Pirate Pre-K Pack – Over the Big Moon

Pirates coloring pages – Fantasy Jr.

Pirate coloring pages, crafts and lesson plans – Crayola

$$$ Pirate Lapbooks and Notepacks – Hands of a Child

$$$ From Currclick:

Pockets of Time – Pirates Past Noon

All Pirates: A Fun Study

Pirates Bundle

History Scribe – Age of Discovery

Pirate Tales

 

 

(crafts, activities, info, games, fun links etc.)

Ahoy Mates! A Pirate Unit Study – Squidoo

How to make a treasure chest – Squidoo

Pirates Past Noon – Study Guide – Squidoo

A to Z Home’s Cool Homeschooling

Funschool

Craft Jr.

Infoplease.com

National Geographic

The Kid’s Window

Family.go

Lesson Pathways

Busy Bee Kids Crafts

Pirate Timeline

 

Hobby Lobby and The Dollar Tree often have pirate themed items very cheap!

Treasure Chest Cakes –   one     two   three

Pirate Costume DIY –   one   two   three

Pirate movies for kids –   Kids TV Movies     and     Common Sense Media

 

 

 

Upcoming units –

Worms

Simple Machines

India

And possibly some grammar printables

 

 

This was my first time making notebooking pages to share. I used to just make them one at a time… I hope it works out! LOL Let me know if there’s a snag, please! 🙂

HAVE FUN HOMESCHOOLING!!!!

 

 

Plants Unit Study

Moving right along, the next unit on my list for science will be plants! I hope you find the resources helpful!

As always, everything I use for our studies are either free or cheap! The books can all be found through your local library system, Amazon or Paperback Swap.

 

 

 

BOOKS – 

DK Eyewitness Plant

DK Eyewitness Tree 

What Happens When Flowers Grow?

What Shall I Grow?

Hungry Plants

From Bacteria to Plants

One Hour Nature Crafts

Flowers, Fruits and Seeds 

Insect-Eating Plants

World of Plants

The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds

 

 

 

KINDLE BOOKS –

Handbook of Nature Study – $2.99 (This is a WONDERFUL book to have in print, though.)

How to Draw Plants – Free for Prime

My First Book About Flowers – Free for Prime

Interesting Facts About Plants – Free for Prime

 

Kindle Botany Books for Older Kids (a good list and mostly free)

 

 

PRINTABLES –

 

Plants Lapbooks and Unit Studies – Homeschool Share

Plants Lapbook – Homeschool Helper Online

Plants Lapbook – Squidoo

Plants Worksheets – Squidoo

Plants Worksheets and Notebooking – HS Launch

Plants Worksheets – Classroom Jr.

Plants Worksheets – Education.com

Gardening Pre-K Pack – Homeschool Creations

Tree ID and Coloring Pages – Little Schoolhouse in the Suburbs

Montessori Inspired Botany/Gardening Unit – Living Montessori Now

Botany Calendar Connections – 1+1+1=1

Learn About Flowers Paper Craft – DLTK-Kids

All About Plants – Montessori for Everyone

Plants and Tree Printables – Handbook of Nature Study

Botany Printables – Ellen McHenry’s Basement Workshop

Plant Worksheets – Have Fun Teaching

Plant Printables and Activities – A to Z Teacher Stuff

Flower PreK Unit – 2 Teaching Mommies

Plant Coloring Pages – Squidoo

Plants Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $9

Botany Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $9

Traveling Seeds Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $7

Get Ready to Garden Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $7

All About Plants Unit Study – Currclick – $3.50

All About Plants – Simple Days Unit Study – Currclick – 99 cents

 

 

ONLINE RESOURCES – 

30 Free Learning Resources for Gardening and Farms – Homeschooling Hearts & Minds

Botany & Plants Unit Study – Squidoo

Flowers in Art – Squidoo

50 Delightful, Edible Flowers – Squidoo

The Plant Kingdom – Squidoo

Creating a Terrarium – Teaching Tiny Tots

Nature Detectives

Plants for Kids – Science Kids

Plants – Biology 4 Kids

Plants Video – Nat Geo Kids

Plants – Kids Biology

Botany – Homeschool Escapade

The First Book of Trees – download

Plants – neoK12

Plant Videos – BBC

Plant Crafts – eHow

 

 

They Might Be Giants – Photosynthesis

 

 

Plant and Animal Cell Rap

 

 

Learn About Plants – Photosynthesis

 

 

Learn About Plants – Life Cycle

 

 

Parts of a Flower

 

 

I hope you enjoy the resources!!! 😀

Have fun learning!

 

 

Middle Ages Unit Study

Yesterday was crazy busy here. Both girls had appointments at the eye doc. Both girls will be getting new glasses. SIGH….. Seems their vision is getting worse. BOTH OF THEM!!! Deanna is going back to bifocals and Cailey’s astigmatisms are getting worse. SO not good news!!!! I had hoped to have a new tutorial up for you today but it looks like that may have to wait until tomorrow or the next day. In the meantime, check out this unit study!

Most of the units I put together can be used for elementary through middle school and some could be stretched to high school, as well. I usually try to throw in some things for younger kids, too. I know that most of us are teaching a few ages at once! LOL

BOOKS –  

Most of these can be found at your library, cheap on Amazon OR on Paperback Swap (my favorite book site).

DK Eyewitness Medieval Life 

DK Eyewitness Knight

DK Eyewitness Castle

Castles, Pyramids and Palaces

In the Time of Knights

The Great Castle Search

Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures – Medieval Castle

Castle

Discovering Knights and Castles 

Knights & Castles : 50 Hands on Activities to Experience the Middle Ages

Knight : A Noble Guide for Young Squires

Magic Tree House – The Knight at Dawn

Magic Tree House Research Guide – Knights and Castles

Days of the Knights – Eyewitness Reader (Level 4)

Measly Middle Ages – Horrible Histories 

Terrible Tudors – Horrible Histories

You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Medieval Knight

You Wouldn’t Want to Be Sick in the 16th Century

You Wouldn’t Want to Be in a Medieval Dungeon

Saint George and the Dragon

Time Warp Trio – Knights of the Kitchen Table

Mary, Bloody Mary

Beware, Princess Elizabeth

Nine Days a Queen

Catherine, Called Birdy

The Whipping Boy

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Ghosts of the Tower of London

Beware the King

The Door in the Wall

The Ravenmaster’s Secret 

 

 

 

KINDLE BOOKS – 

If you don’t have a Kindle, don’t worry! You can add the app to your computer or cell phone for free! We have it on our desktop, laptop and my iPhone! LOL My e-reader is a Nook. 😉

Medieval Kings of England – free for Prime

Medieval – Picture Book – free for Prime

Knights! – Kids Look and Learn – free for Prime

Knights! For Kids! Learn to Read! – free for Prime

Castles – Picture Book – free for Prime

Discover Series – Castles – $2.99

 

The Elizabethan Renaissance Unit Study – free for Prime

 

 

 

 

FREE PRINTABLES – 

Knights and Castles Lapbook – Homeschool Share

The Plague Lapbook – Homeschool Share

Connections – Middle Ages – Homeschool Share

William Shakespeare Lapbook – Homeschool Helper Online

Notebooking – Homeschool Helper Online – scroll down

Notebooking – HS Launch

Knights – Activity Village

Tudors – Activity Village

Castle Coloring Pages – Activity Village

Shakespeare – Activity Village

St. George – Activity Village

Knights – DLTK-Kids

Castles – DLTK-Kids

Medieval Coloring Pages – Coloring.ws

Middles Ages Study and Lapbook – Squidoo

Medieval Coloring Pages – Squidoo

Medieval Pack – Royal Baloo

Knights Preschool Pack – Homeschool Creations

Knights Notebooking – Last in Line

Medieval Pack – 3 Dinosaurs

Notebooking – Notebooking Fairy

 

 

 

OTHER PRINTBLES and DOWNLOADS –

 

Medieval Castle Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $7

The Middle Ages Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $8

The Renaissance Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $7

The Norman Conquest Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $9

The Anglo-Saxons Curriculum – Hands of a Child – $9

 

The Middle Ages – Unit Study – Currclick – $3.50

 

Simple Schooling Middle Ages – Currclick – $7.50

 

Timeline Add-Ons: Middle Ages – Currclick – 50 cents

 

Make Your Own … ABC Book About the Middle Ages – Currclick – $1.99

 

Who’s Who in the Middle Ages Booklet – Currclick – 25 cents

 

History Scribe – Medieval Times – Currclick – 96 cents

 

Medieval Life: Fedualism and Beyond Unit Study – Currclick – $3.50

 

Daily Life in the Medieval World – Currclick – $3.60

 

 

 

 

ONLINE RESOURCES – 

 

Middle Ages Coat of Arms – Crayola

Learn About the Middle Ages – Squidoo

Middle Ages Freebies – Squidoo

Music in the Middle Ages – Squidoo

The Middle Ages, Renaissance and the Reformation – Squidoo

Medieval Feast and Field Trip Ideas – Squidoo

Knights & Ladies Lessons – Squidoo

Magic Tree House The Knight at Dawn Study Guide – Squidoo

Learning About the Middle Ages Through Crafts and Stories – Squidoo

Knights & Castles Theme – Our Montessori Home

Medieval Castles

Mini Siege Engines – Instructables.com

Middle Ages – Infoplease.com

Middle Ages for Kids

Middles Ages – Kids Konnect

Middle Ages – A to Z Kids Stuff

Skipton Castle

Chillingham Castle

Castles, Knights and a Medieval Village Unit – Our Busy Homeschool

Medieval Life

Castles

Middle Ages – BBC History

The Renaissance Connection

Tudor Britain

Middle Ages – Online books – Heritage History

Medieval Crafts – A Book in Time

Middle Ages for Kids – Mr. Donn

 

 

 

 

Bear Unit Study

 

Our next animal study will be about bears!! They look soooo cute and cuddly, don’t they? LOL

I will never forget the first time Colin saw the taxidermy bears at Bass Pro. He wanted NOTHING to do with them! LOL

 

 

BOOKS – 

 

Watch Me Grow – Bear

 

 

Bears – Usborne Beginners

 

 

A Bed for the Winter – DK Readers

 

 

Bears: Polar Bears, Black Bears and Grizzly Bears

 

 

Bear-ology: Fascinating Bear Facts, Tales and Trivia

 

 

The Magic School Bus – Polar Bear Patrol

 

 

 

The Magic School Bus – Sleeps for the Winter

 

 

Bear Snores On – (There are a lot more books in this series.)

 

 

 

KINDLE BOOKS – 

 

 

Bears 5-Pack  – free for Prime members

 

 

Bears – Kids Look and Learn – free for Prime members

 

 

Bear Facts & Pictures – Free for Prime

 

 

Bears – Our Amazing World Series – FREE for Prime

 

 

Amazing Series for Kids – Bears – FREE for Prime

 

 

Grizzlies – Kids Look and Learn – FREE for Prime

 

 

The Wonderful World of Bears – FREE for Prime

 

 

MAGAZINES –

 

Zoobooks – Bears

Zoobooks – Polar Bears

Your Big Backyard – Dec/Jan 2011

National Geographic Kids – April 2012

 

 

PRINTABLES – 

Bears Unit Study and Lapbook – Homeschool Share

Giant Panda Lapbook – Homeschool Share

Bear Printable Activities and Crafts – DLTK-Kids

Bear Activity Sheets – School Express

Bear Coloring Pages – Coloring.ws

Bear Worksheets – Education.com

Montessori Printables (animal tracks, animal families) – Montessori for Everyone

All About Bears – Unit Study – Currclick – $6.95

Polar Bears – A Fun Study – Currclick – $1

Bears of North America – Simple Days Unit Study – Currclick – 99 cents

 

 

 

 

ONLINE RESOURCES – 

 

Bear Activities and Facts – Kid Zone (lots of printables here, too)

Polar Bear Animal Study – Squidoo

How to Draw a Grizzly Bear – Art Projects for Kids

Brown Bear Facts  – Nat Geo Kids

Bears – Kids Konnect

The American Bear Association

Learn About Bears – Squidoo

LearnAboutBears.com

Bear Pictures – Nat Geo

Facts About Bears – About.com

Bear Lesson Plans – Discovery

Bear Theme – Lesson Tutor

List of Bear Movies for Kids – Common Sense Media

Bears – Animal Planet

Planet Earth  and Living Planet are both great series that have several bear parts.

Jeff Corwin watches a bear.

 

 

I have to admit, there weren’t as many bear things easily found as I thought there would be. Most of the stuff seems to be geared toward the very young (teddy bears).

If you want to do a specific bear, you could probably find more things.

 

 

Coming up tomorrow, a SEWING tutorial!! YAY!! LOL

 

 

 

Aztecs, Incas and Mayans Study

Here is a list of resources that we will be using for our Aztecs, Incas and Mayans study! 😀

Books –

DK Eyewitness Aztec, Inca & Maya – I ❤ DK Eyewitness books.

Focus on Aztecs and Incas

Step Into the World of Ancient Middle America

Me, Oh Maya  (Check your library for Time Warp Trios video to go along or if you access to Discovery Streaming you can find it there.)

Awesome Ancient Ancestors 

Printables –

Ancient Mayan Culture Unit Study – I was lucky to get this free for Kindle

Here is another link for it – Currclick – it is only $1 right now!

Free worksheets from School Express

Ancient Maya Lapbook from New Bee Homeschooler (aka 2 Dynamic Moms) FREE!

Hands of a Child Mayans, Aztecs, Incas Lapbook (On sale right now!!) The great thing about Hands of a Child packs is that they have everything you need. There is a answer key AND a study guide!

Free Clip Art – for making your own notebooking pages, lapbook  minibooks, coloring sheets, whatever. 😉

Here is a great list of coloring pages for Aztecs, Incas and Mayans

Online Resources –

Maya Inca Aztec 

Ancient America

Squidoo – Lost Empires

Differences in the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans

History.com videos

YouTube videos

Crafts –

This was a tough one. There just isn’t a lot out there to get ideas from. Here is what I came up with.

Crayola.com

Homeschool Den – Wood Animalitos   God’s Eye

Mayan Worry Dolls  (We actually have 2 that I bought from World Market, if I can find them!! LOL)

Aztec Suns

Inca Craft Ideas

Wednesday I should be posting our England study! 😀

Russia, Foxes and Matter! Unit Study Time

This week Cailey will be starting units on Russia, foxes and matter. We are still doing Rome, too. It’s taking FOREVER! LOL

RUSSIA

Lapbook from Homeschool Share  – free

Coloring Pages, Crafts and Maps from – Education.com, Activity Village, Crayola (all free)

Printable from Nat Geo Kids (free)

Little Passports Russia Kit

Books –

Freebie I got for Kindle – (no longer free)

Russian Fairy Tales (from my personal library)

The Nutcracker Ballet – (personal library)

Usborne Beginners – Ballet – (personal library)

A to Z of Classical Composers – (personal library)

FOXES

Lapbook from Homeschool Share – free

Shape book from Christian Homeschool Hub – $15 fee to join (used to be $1)

Crafts from DLTK Kids – free

Fox Unit Study  – free

Books-

Freebies I got for Kindle –

 

 

 

2 National Geographic for Kids Magazines –

December 2011/January 2012

August 2010

MATTER

Young Scientists Club Kit 5

DK Eyewitness Matter – (personal library)

States of Matter Unit

The Matter Song  

Matter Worksheets – some are free

States of Matter Booklet – free

Matter Worksheet set – free

There you go, our new units! We are also still doing Ancient Rome, 50 States and the usual math, spelling and language arts. Our music and art will be tying in with Russia for the next 2 wks.

I am always watching out for Kindle freebies for the kids and have been really lucky to find some GREAT ones for homeschooling!  Here is a link where I find most of them – Free Homeschool Deals – Jamerrill is an expert at finding awesome homeschooling freebies!!

How to Homeschool in Virginia and Basic Homeschool Info

This is a post that should have written  a long time ago! LOL It can be very confusing when you first start looking to homeschool. The local school systems are usually uninformed or misinformed about the laws and can give you the wrong answers if you ask them. And some  people that work in the school systems can be down right hostile about homeschooling. I have first hand experience with that. 😉

So here is the break down.

You do NOT need prior authorization to take your children out of the school system. They ASK they you notify the superintendent of your local board of education within 2 wks of starting your homeschooling.

You need to file a NOI (notice of intent to homeschool) with the local board of education, addressed to the superintendent. What this means is that you need to send in a list of your children that you will be homeschooling and their ages, along with your address. You will need to send in an NOI every year by August 15th. Some BoEs have a person that is designated to handle the homeschooling paperwork, even if that is the case, send your NOI to the superintendent like the law states. 😉

There are several options when filing to homeschool. Under option 1 you have 3 choices- i- You have a high school diploma, GED or higher. You will put this on your NOI and send in a copy ONE time. After that when you send in your yearly NOIs, you can say that your diploma is on file. ii-have a teaching degree,  iii- provide a curriculum or program of study,  iv-You do NOT need a diploma or GED. If you don’t have a copy of your diploma or just don’t have one at all, you can still homeschool in the state of Virginia. You will need to say on the NOI that you are filing under that option (iv) and include a paragraph that shows you have basic mastery of the English language.  This is the option I usually use. I  write a paragraph stating why I think homeschooling my children is a better option for my family and my general homeschooling philosophy. I have never been found to not be in compliance.

There are other options- 2- Religious Exemption, 3- Certified Tutor, 4- Private or Denominational School but I believe that option 1 is used most often.

No matter which option you choose, you will need to send a list of subjects that you plan to teach. This can be as simple as saying math, science, art, history, music, etc. This has just recently been cleared up. Some counties were asking for scans of the table of contents from text books, or out and out summaries of each subject. BLAH!! That was more than the law asked for.

You will need to test your children at the end of every year OR have them evaluated by someone that holds a teaching degree in any state. I always go with the testing option just because it is easier and less costly. You can buy the tests for $25 for each child and give them yourself in your own home. I always use Seton Testing Service. They are quick and easy.

Here is a site that gives the specific laws for homeschooling in Virginia, HSLDA and HEAV.

Also, notice that the law specifically says that the BoE has NO RIGHT to approve or deny your right to homeschool your children. They can only say whether or not you are in compliance with the law. The letter that I receive from my county actually says that I am approved and that just goes all over me….. I called a local homeschool lobbyist and she said that I COULD fight it if I wanted to but that she would just let the wording go unless there was some other infraction that happens. So, that is what I did.

Now, when you pull your children out of school all you have to do is say that you are taking them out to homeschool. DO NOT let them tell you that you can’t because YOU CAN! You need NO prior authorization whatsoever. 😉 I actually had this happen to me in Henrico county. 2 of my children were in elementary school when I decided to homeschool. I went to the school to withdraw them and everyone was perfectly lovely and supportive. Deanna’s teacher even offered to provide me with anything I might need in the way of curriculum. Then I went to the middle school to withdraw Jacob…. Oh, boy! A completely different experience!!! The lady in the attendance office was downright hostile! She said that I had no right to homeschool. How would they know I was doing a proper job?? I had her call the BoE and ask THEM. Well, she got someone on the other line that misinformed her. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!! I went home and called the same local homeschool lobbyist that I had to call when we moved out of Henrico county. She said that she wanted the name of the lady that the attendance lady talked to, because she was misinforming the school.  One thing lead to another and I agreed to talk to the superintendent at the BoE about the whole experience. He apologized for everything I went through and said that he would make sure it never happened again and that everyone in his office and the office of  the lady that oversees all the homeschooling paperwork in Henrico county would be given a current list of the homeschooling laws and make sure that they understood them correctly.

You do NOT need money to homeschool. All you need is internet access and a library. Seriously. I have NEVER spent a lot of money on homeschooling. Most of the money I spend goes to paper and ink! LOL BUT if you want to you can certainly buy the fancy packages but know that they are not needed. There are SOOOO many free resources online. When I do spend money it’s usually for unit studies on Currclick or lapbooks/notebooking packs at Hands of a Child. LOL  You can find free unit studies, lapbooks and notebooking at these and other places-

Squidoo

Homeschool Share

Homeschool Helper Online

The Notebooking Fairy

New Bee Homeschooler

An Old Fashioned Education

There are MANY, MANY more but these are really great starting points and the ones I use most often.

Also, check out my Pinterest boards! I have stuff saved for every subject you could possibly think of! LOL

 

All of this may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. It may sound scary, but it isn’t that, either. Now, that being said, it can feel overwhelming at times and there are the bad days BUT I wouldn’t change it for the world. I LOVE homeschooling my children and I wish that I had ALWAYS been a homeschooler. Even if I moved to a town with PERFECT schools I would still choose to homeschool. Am I a perfect homeschooling mom? That doesn’t exist. BUT I am doing what I think is right for each of my children. That is what counts. Will we miss a few things here and there academically? Maybe… But tell me, who remembers every single little thing that they were taught in schools? No one and I can’t do much worse than that! LOL My kids are learning at their pace and in their own styles. There’s no stress and no pressure. They are kids and I want them to enjoy that time, it is so fleeting. So, if it takes one of the kids 2 years to learn algebra properly, that’s OK!! And if one hates to write then he or she can type or draw or simply tell me in his or her own words. I don’t do grades. To me if they know it, they know and if they don’t, they don’t. There is no in between and we have all the time in the world to make sure they understand something completely.

There are so many wonderful things about homeschooling. This post just scratches the surface! LOL I could go on and on and on. And on…. LOL Maybe I should make a weekly homeschool post! LOL

I have a couple of other posts about homeschooling in general and I list some of my favorite homeschooling sites and blogs. You can find those posts under the homeschool button at the top of the page.

 

 

Lions, Thailand and Matter! Oh, My!

LOL I love that title.

I am about to share with you how we do lapbooks. It’s the “normal” way. 😉 It just goes to show that there are sooooo many ways to homeschool even if you use some of the same methods. LOL

This post is going to be VERY picture heavy but I tried to tone it down a little. I had taken over 30 pictures… LOL

Here is some of how our lion lapbook looks like.

 

 

Some, but not all, of the lapbook components came from Homeschool Share, others came from DLTK Kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are familiar with lapbooks then you have noticed that we do them differently than most. LOL We make a book from construction paper and staple it all together, making a book. If you are NOT familiar with them, here are a few pictures of how they are usually done.

 

 

This picture is from Hands of a Child. They have reallllly awesome lapbooks.

Most people use 2 or 3 folders and attach them to make a lapbook. You can find more pictures here from Successful Homeschooling.

I know others that use a piece of poster board for their lapbooks. ANY way works. Make it your own! 🙂

 

Here are the books we will be using for the lion lapbook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will be doing 2 other lapbooks this week. One for Ancient Rome and one for Thailand. I have NOT put the Ancient Rome one together yet. The scissors make my hand hurt something terrible so I have to space them out and take my time.

 

Here are some shots from our Thailand lapbook. Once again, some of the components come from Homeschool Share and other come from all over! LOL Some are from Dover and Crayola.

 

 

That is the only book our library had on Thailand. BUT Amazon had a great Kindle freebie a couple of days ago!!!! We will definitely be using that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love to add in real pictures along side the coloring paged and mini books whenever I can.

We also have the Thailand Little Passports that we will be using.

 

 

OH!!! And I found some soap from World Market that was made in Thailand! LOL

 

 

I realllllly love using things from World Market with our country studies. Sometimes it can be hard to find something, though… That’s why we only have the soap… LOL We were ALL set for China last year…

 

For science this week we will be using Young Scientist Club’s Kit 5, states of matter.  We had signed up last year for the club and then realized that we could get them A LOT cheaper through Amazon. LOL There you get 3 kits in a set for about the same or a little more than one kit through the club. We paid $17/month for the subscription and got 1 kit per month. At Amazon right now set 2, which has three kits in it,  is $17.81. Yeah, I think that is where we will be getting them….. LOL  The great thing about these kits is that they come with everything you need. Well, except things like water! LOL The Magic School Bus science kits are great, too. I will have to dig up the pictures of the kits we did last year. The Cs LOOOOVED them!!

 

In sewing news, I will be sewing up bags to take to social services on Friday. I have 3 full right now and want to make 4 more. Then I will start on my first pattern testing for Squiggly Twigs Designs!! So excited about that. I printed it out today and I know exactly what fabric I will using. Look for something for fall. 😉

Bags of Hope and Love news–

I was greeted with more donations Sunday morning. God is really working here, y’all! It’s just so amazing! We will be able to reach so many children! I am so thrilled!!!

Check out these pictures!

 

The bags and the box are filled with items that go in the bags. But don’t worry! If you want to donate we still need more items!

Here is a list of what is needed the most right now:

Journals

Razors for guys

Shaving cream

Body wash or soap

Snacks

Socks

Blankets

We have Bibles covered. Our pastor ordered 50 New Testaments geared toward teens! They should arrive this week! That is SOOOOO exciting!!!

There is a lady in her 90s at church that has been crocheting mini blankets to go in the bags. She donated 5 Sunday!

 

Isn’t it great???

Look at all the fabric that has been donated to make the bags!

As the pastor said last Sunday, give God what you have and see what HE can do with it. Jesus feed the multitudes with 5 loaves and 2 fish. What more could He do with what YOU have to give??? Let Him use you and find out!!! We all have SOMEthing we can give; time, talents, money, whatever…. God has given these things to you, now give them back to Him to use for His glory!!

I started an online Bible study this morning through Good Morning Girls. I signed up with a group on Facebook that will be going through it together. Anyway, this was the first morning and I read something that really struck me. Let me see if I can find it so I can share it with you.

Here you go-

There is no better evangelism in all the world than a church whose hope in God is so strong that they gladly deny themselves in order to meet the needs of others. – John Piper

Only one thing satisfies the heart whose treasure is in heaven: doing the works of heaven. And heaven is a world of love! It is not the cords of heaven that bind the hands of love. It is the love of money and leisure and comfort and praise — these are the cords that bind the hands of love. And the power to sever these cords is Christian hope. – John Piper

God does not call us to sit around on our rumps. We are to get busy doing His work! Get out there and minister to the people. We are the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. Spread the love! That is the true meaning of being a Christian. Spreading Christ’s love.

I want to share with you 2 of my favorite Bible verses –

1 Corinthians 13

New International Version (NIV)

13 If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part,¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

Matthew 25: 34-46

(NIV)

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fireprepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

 

Sorry I have been lax in posting the past couple of days. I have been dealing with major headaches. Hoping they are behind me now!! Just when I would think they were gone, back they would come again. SIGH…. Keep me in your prayers, please!!