Friday, February 26, 2010

Friday Review


So, a crazy yet incredible thing has happened in the past month and I now am a home schooling mama.
This has been something that has been whispering to me for more than a couple of years, and well, it was finally the time.  


This was our first week, and I have to say it went surprisingly SMOOTH.
I am a very over organized person with lists and check lists, so of course that is what keeps me dotting all our i's and crossing all our t's each week and touching on all our subjects.


I decided that Friday's will be our day for REVIEW and tying up anything that we've left unfinished.  
I have to admit I was smiling from ear to ear at my daughters excitement of a friday quiz. It is a low key quiz that covers EVERY subject we covered during the week. (little does she know it really is to tell me what she soaked up during our week.)   She aced every question and it was not a small quiz. Yeah Me!
ANYWAY, I thought it fitting that I do some Friday "reviews" (sharing) of tools, books or sites that I have found to help me paddle our journey more smoothly.


So here we go....


First off, I have a friend who is another mom schooling at home, and I have found her blog to be a very valuable resource.  Check her out here: http://lightningigniting.blogspot.com/


Next is the most amazing historical books by Diane Stanley.  You can see them here at amazon.
We only have Good Queen Bess. (The story of Elizabeth I of England).  But, let me tell you it has gorgeous artwork and the language and story is so easy and fun it is a delight to read.  I would love to get my hands on some of her others such as Michelangelo, Cleopatra, Da Vinci, Joan of Arc and Bard of Avon (the story of Shakespeare).  I am truly inspired by them!


Ok, there was a website I found this week to help make spelling lessons fun here: http://www.spellingcity.com/
You create a free account and then create your own spelling lists, and then your kids play fun games based on YOUR own list.  The games were things like "hang mouse" and word searches, and many more!


There has been LOTS and LOTS of new findings for me over the month, but I hope that every Friday I will have new ones to share with you.


The last book I got my hands on yesterday.  I think it is an absolutely amazing book.  Charming and delightful and quite possibly a MUST in my curriculum.
The Core Knowledge series:
What your 3rd grader needs to know.
Peek at it on amazon.
It is chocked full of every bit of CORE knowledge that your child should know at certain grade levels, but it is in a story book format that addresses your child directly and is FULL of stories and sayings and phrases that are right there in the book with the lesson that is trying to be conveyed.
I am in love, and can not wait to get my hands on every single grade that it offers.


So that is my review guys.  I am feeling like a rock star momma after this week.  Hopefully the momentum will last!


Oh. P.S.
My daughter started her own blog this week.  It is her view of home schooling.  It might be fun to follow a 9 year olds mind in the world of home schooling.
Here 

3 comments:

  1. Yah YOU! I am really excited to go find out more about that series by Diane Stanley. I bet we'd love it at my house too.

    I just got something in the mail today myself. It's the "Making the grade, Everything your __ grader needs to know". It is not by the same people as the Core Knowledge series but it seems to correspond nicely. For $12-$16 to have actual worksheets (so I don't always have to hunt something down to coordinate and then pay to print it all too) I thought it seems worthwhile. Check it out when you visit Amazon next.

    I'm so glad we're doing this together!

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  2. It sounds like your week went great! That is AWESOME! I am so excited for you both! :)

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  3. Love hearing about your day and your enthusiasm! We have also read a few Diane Stanley books (recommended in our curriculum) and agree they are great! We checked out Good Queen Bess and we own Peter the Great. Another author team you should check out - Ingri & Edgar Pari D'Aulaire. These, my friend, are what "living books" means. Books that incite the imagination through their story-like format and delightful artwork. Very NOT like a dreadful text book. And, they do not "talk down" to kids. Love it! I'm so glad you are having such fun! I just can't help but to smile at you!

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