If I had ten thumbs, all ten would be going up for the Yourteacher.com math program.  It has been a month now since we have subscribed and started learning through their wonderful math lessons, and I can tell you it has been a great success!

Once you subscribe, you have access to over 450 on-line math lessons, with courses in Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2.  (I personally hope that in the future they expand their lessons to other subjects, because I am so impressed with the teaching methods.)

The videos feature a teacher, who speaks concisely and clearly, at a chalkboard, taking you step by step through different problems.  Don't get it?, then just back up and start again until you do.  They offer additional problems, along with challenging problems if you are feeling up to it.  When you answer correctly, cheering is heard, very good for the motivation factor.

My daughter, who is a reader, more than a math person, is really enjoying this program.  I never even have to remind her about math, she instantly goes on every morning for her next lessons.

Parents, for those of you (who like me), never excelled at math in school yourselves, this program will have you interested too.  It is like having a one on one math tutor.

Yourteacher.com is offering the first week free, so try it out for yourself, it is normally $29.50 a month, and you can pay month by month for the service.  IT IS WELL WORTH THE MONEY.  So worth it in fact, that when summer rolls around, we are not going to put it on hold until September.  We are going to just keep going with it and see how far it can take us here.

It offers structure, challenges, step by step learning, what more could you want for your math curriculum? Try it for the first week, you will be hooked.  By the way, this is not part of any affiliate program, I make no money pitching this program to you. So please know that I am really excited about this program, just because we are using it and succeeding beyond our expectations with it, and for home-schoolers everywhere, it would be a wonderful asset to your classroom.

Yourteacher.com Math Program

I apologize for not posting lately, we had the flu go through the household, and for the last few weeks it has gone from one person to the next.

I have a few great sites for you to check out:

Cyberguides  Grades 9-12:  This site is an excellent site for your older student for literature lesson plans.  Based on the California State Standards, it lists several works of literature and follow-up lesson plans and activities.

Get Writing:  An England based website that is stock full of activities and lesson plans for writing assignments.  I really loved the creative ideas that are put forth here.  This site is both for the beginner to the experienced writer.

The Basics of Screen-Writing:  If your child is a budding script writer, then this seminar is for him/her.  Created by the American Film Institute, this seminar takes you step by step in the basics of screen-writing, and it is absolutely free.

Annenberg Media:  I have highlighted Annenberg Media before, but it is well worth bringing to your attention again.  It has excellent teacher resources and media aids for your classroom.  Just a few of their offerings:

The Africans
Against All Odds: Inside Statistics
Algebra: In Simplest Terms
American Cinema
The Brain: Teaching Modules
Death: A Personal Understanding
Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish
Ethics in America
Growing Old in a New Age

There are literally hundreds of lessons, videos and articles to choose from.  It is not odd for me to spend a few hours here at a time.  So much to learn in so little time!

Now this is Western Civilization done right!  Annenberg Media has put together on-line, a 52 week series on Western Civilization, that is billed for High School and Adults.  I though will tell you that you can use this series for your home-schooled middle school child without it being too lofty for them, and the educational benefits are tremendous.

The 52 week series is done in video format, using thousands of images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is interesting, and entertaining using these visuals to teach. Taking you from the dawn of civilization to a look to the future. It is an impressive mixture of History and Art woven together. These lessons are only 30 minutes in length, and can easily fit into your daily or weekly schedule, and are free of charge. Some of the lessons are as followed:

• The Dawn of History
• The Ancient Egyptians
• The Rise of Greek Civilization
• Greek Thought
• Alexander the Great
• The Hellenistic Age
• The Rise of Rome
• The Roman Empire
• Early Christianity
• The Rise of the Church
• The Decline of Rome
• The Fall of Rome
• The Dark Ages
• The Middle Ages
• The Late Middle Ages
• The National Monarchies
• The Renaissance and the Age of Discovery
• The Rise of the Middle Class
• The Wars of Religion
• The American Revolution
• The French Revolution
• The Industrial Revolution
• The Age of the Nation-States
• The First World War and the Rise of Fascism
• The Second World War
• The Cold War
• Europe and the Third World
• The Technological Revolution
• Toward the Future

I did not include all the subjects, but enough to give you an idea on the order the program heads.  You can read a description of each program on the website.  In the very first lesson within the first few minutes, there is a delightful 4 minute "short" movie on the History of Civilization done in four minutes.  It is quite charming! There is nothing to download or buy.  To access this wonderful series go here:

Annenberg Media

A fellow home-schooling parent the other day asked me what "Bible Study" I used with my daughter.  She was having a hard time finding a good program for her 12 year old son that wasn't too elementary.

We start our day with Bible study each morning, which is not at all unusual for a home with Christian based education.  I had looked into many different curriculum and lesson plans, a lot of them well done, but we settled upon our own way of studying the bible, let me explain.

Word of Promise Audio Bible fit our need.  It is not your average audio bible, this bible has theatrical sounds and quality, and features several Hollywood "stars" as the voices:

• Jim Cavieziel
• Michael York
• Richard Dreyfuss
• Stacy Keach
• Marisa Tomei
• Lou Gossett Jr.
• Lou Diamond Philips
• John Heard
• Kimberly Williams-Paisley
• Luke Perry
• John Schneider
• Ernie Hudson
• Rebecca St. James
• Michael W. Smith
• + more........

As your student reads along with his/her bible, the chapters come alive in the ears (and the heart) as it is acted out for them on audio.  The sounds are fantastic, the music dramatic, it is extremely powerful.

We listen to a chapter a day, and we chose to go right in order, from Matthew to Revelation.  But you can certainly listen to whatever you want to fit your lesson plans.  After we listen to a specific chapter, my daughter then asks me questions that came up during her listening and reading.

You can download the whole New Testament right to your computer (our choice), or you can order the discs to be sent to your home. (I have also seen them for sale at Sam's club).  To order to your computer on-line it costs $28.95, to order the set for your home library $32.99.

Also, Word of Promise has a pay it forward program where if you sign up your church, a percentage of what is ordered is then sent to your church, a double blessing.

There are samples of the program on the website, you can also watch a trailer of the Word of Promise project, be sure to watch both before you decide to order.

Sometimes (actually a lot), I am unclear what a particular passage means.  That is when I find my way on-line to "Thru the Bible" with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.  Pastor McGee died over 30 years ago, but his teachings live on through Christian radio, and through the website that is accessed from all over the world.  From the site, you can download Dr. McGee's teachings for free, and then go right to the chapter that you are having problems with, and get an understanding of it from Dr. McGee perspective.

There are many many programs out there for bible study for your home-schooled child, but I wanted to share the two that work very well for us, perhaps they will work well for you also:

Word of Promise Website
Thru the Bible

In our home, we home-school though a private school in Ann Arbor Michigan named "Clonlara".  We choose this school because it has over 40 years of home-schooling experience and has students world-wide.  I choose it personally because they are much better at keeping records than I am, and though it provides broad lee-way on curriculum, keeps me focused on where my child should be academically. . .a.k.a. I need structure!.. :)

Clonlara also encourages volunteering in some capacity for the student in home-schooling in their communities.  And I for one think this is an awesome idea!

It is vitally important for a child to feel connected to his/her community, whether it is through their place of worship, their city, their country or their world.  My daughter for example is 12, and volunteers in the Sunday school classes through her church.  She loves doing it, and loves the children.  It wouldn't matter if there was a severe storm watch out in our area, if it is her day to volunteer, we get there (her orders, not mine)

She is ready though to spread her wings and add to her volunteering portfolio.  So we are now beginning to discuss the things that she cares deeply about...children, elderly, sick, dying, environment, politics, teaching English, or reading to the blind???  There is a lot she cares about, so she is going to keep narrowing it down until she comes up with a few that are dear to her heart.

I in the meantime am checking out volunteer sites, not only for this area, but nation-wide so I can pass on this information to you, and I have come across a site that seems very helpful in planning all this.

The site is called Volunteer Match, and all you do is type in your zip code, how far you are willing to travel and press enter.  The next page you see is all the listings of volunteer opportunities in the area you have chosen.  It supplies the following information for you:

• Opportunity (what they need you to do)
• Organization (who needs the help)
• Location
• Date (some are special events, others are on-going needs)
• Great For (whether its good for teens, elderly etc...)

The "Great For" category is perfect for finding a opportunity for your teen.  Most companies seeking help list an age preference and makes your job a whole lot easier by not having to call around asking if they take 14 year olds.

If you belong to a local home-schooling group, you can also organize a teen volunteer group, help set it up, ask for volunteers, set monthly meetings, elect a leader, and let the kids go from there. They as a group can find a need to be filled. This is a fantastic way to foster new friendships also.

Discuss with your student whether they would like to contribute time to something or someone they care about, and continue to plan such things as time available to volunteer, and how they think they can help.  Thinking outside of one's self is extremely rare these days.  Equipping your home-school child with a volunteer experience, or on-going experiences is going to add to your child's character more than you know.

Volunteer Match

I am not kidding you, my daughter (age 12) begged me to cut loose of the planned curriculum and instead watch another section of "The States" from the History Channel.  I don't mind, it is a really interesting and fun DVD series, that teaches me something new each time, actually a lot of new things.   We are in Vol. 1, pt 3, and the States in this section are: New York, Oregon, Louisiana, New Mexico and Vermont.

By the way, I love the way the DVD skips around the country, it's like getting a surprise each time!  We have come up with some great lesson plan ideas while viewing, and I will suggest some to you as we go through each State.

New York:  The New York segment touches on the Hudson Rivers' importance to the state.  It is also the largest producer of wine on the east coast, reveals how "Uncle Sam" came to be (surprised me!), and explained sky-scrapers and 9-11.  Future lesson plan? 9-11

Oregon:  Oregon the State of "thinkers"  Did you know that in Oregon you cannot pump your own gas?  Oregon is also the first state to okay assisted suicide (I wouldn't brag, but oh well..), and the only inland State attacked by a Japenese plane.  Future lesson plan? The Oregon Trail

Louisiana:  Terry Bradshaw was the celebrity speaker for Louisiana.  Louisiana has more bridges than any other state.  Learn where the Cajun really came from. History on Andrew Jackson and a touching view on Hurricane Katrina and other horrible natural disasters that have hit the State. Our pick for future lesson plan? Update on Katrina victims (my daughter's suggestion)

New Mexico:  Neil Patrick Harris was the celebrity spokesman for this state. New Mexico has more P.h.d.'s than anywhere else in the Country.  History of Billy the Kid and the Manhattan Project are both covered.  Also showcases New Mexico's art community, and a fascinating look at New Mexico's Zozobra, which we will study some time later (we never heard of it!)

Vermont:  The section on Vermont is so pleasant that it makes you want to move there.  Home of the very first patent and Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  Learn why their granite is rated grade A, and all about their maple syrup and snowboarding activities.  Future lesson plan?  Plan a trip to Vermont!!

That's it for this section.  I urge you to add this series to your home-school library, it is so full of history, geography, facts and fiction, and holds your interest the entire time!  Back in a few weeks with more!

Order "The States"

Many of you may already be aware of the fact that an asteroid is set to hit Mars on January 30th, 2008, or is it?  It has been called a hit and a miss so many times that it's hard to keep up with it.

If it does hit, what affect will it have here on earth? Any? One great way to find out is to visit NASA's website and visit their podcast section, and if your student is an ipod user, NASA has a special NASA room set up at itunes.

The Audio Podcasts are set up into these categories:

• This Week at NASA
• Shuttle and Station
• Solar System
• Universe
• Earth
• Student Opportunities

The Video Podcasts are set up into these categories:

• This Week at NASA
• NASA edge
• Shuttle and Station
• To the Moon
• Solar System
• Universe
• Earth
• What's Up

But it doesn't end there.  Your children have a whole library full of podcasts from additional NASA resources:

• Ask an Astronomer
• Astrobiology Magazine
• Brain Bites - Ask NASA
• Chandra X-ray Observatory
• Digital Learning Network
• Hubble Watch
• + more

My daughter who loves science, but detests boring book science was busy yesterday downloading her own selections onto her computer.  We only stumbled upon this section of NASA yesterday and we were hooked.

These podcasts can easily fit in to your current science curriculum and lesson plans, and who better to learn science from and keep on top of current events in space than the NASA scientists?

To visit: NASA podcast Room

I am so glad it's the weekend so I can finally sit down and update on some new discoveries and current events that have occurred in the last few weeks.  There is some interesting stuff here, hopefully some of it will interest you enough to inspire some new lesson plans for your children:

New Game Builds Vocabulary for Kids - and Adults:  There is a new game in town for your Nintendo DS, it is called "My Word Coach", and it is getting great reviews. It was inspired by a college professor and has six different vocabulary games that also tracks your progress, read about it here:
My Word Coach

Indoor Gardening: Growing your own Vegetables and Herbs Indoors durinig the Winter: This is a fantastic and informative article about how to grow vegetables inside your house during the winter.  It is written with clear direction and really shows you how to get started with little cost. This would make a great home-school family project! (Not to mention fresh vegetables around the house year-long)
Indoor Gardening

Scottish Water Plant Dig reveals ancient Roman Fort:  This is a cool story! When construction workers in Scotland were readying a site for a new treatment plant, they came upon an ancient Roman fort, which is dated 2000 years old. To read about the discovery:
Ancient Roman Fort

Puzzle Pouch and Free Patterns:  If you have a student who likes to sew and if looking for some easy patterns, don't miss this article. The sewing blog at About.com has found some terrific free patterns for a Puzzle Pouch, and don't worry about not having a sewing machine, these can all be done by hand:
Puzzle Pouch and Free Patterns

Fortune Cookie - Made in Japan?:  This is a fun story, it has been discovered that fortune cookies are not Chinese at all, they are Japanese!  Read the story of how one history graduate in Japan discovered this shocking fact:
Fortune Cookies: Made in Japan?

U.S. Scientists Create beating Hearts in Lab:  This was a huge story in the science and medicine world.  A group of scientists created beating hearts in aging rats, they feel that this could lead to some mighty new changes in health-care in the future. Read about the discovery and story:
Beating Hearts in Lab

Sir Edmund Hillary, who first climbed atop Mt. Everest, has died:  Yes, Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88 on January 11, 2008.  This story made me put a note to myself about future lesson plans on Sir Hillary and Mt. Everest in general.  Children will find his story exciting, and his life even more so:
Sir Edmund Hillary dies

On-Line Tangram Puzzle Games:  If your student is into puzzles of any kind, then your student is going to love Tangrams.  Dave at About.com has put together a few sites for you involving Tangrams. Tangrams may look simple enough, but believe me it is not, some of these are wonderfully challenging:
On-Line Tangram Puzzle Games

Tornado Handbook, an Interactive Guide:  You have to love the people over at the Discovery Channel, they are always coming up with some unique learning tools! This is a interactive Tornado handbook, that allows your student to participate in making a tornado, while learning step by step along the way how tornadoes form, you are going to love this!:
Tornado Handbook

New Solar System could Breed Life:  Astronomers are very excited about this one.  The beginning stages of a new solar system have been discovered, and scientists believe that this new solar system could breed life. To read more on this discovery:
New Solar System

Time-Line Greenland:  This is just a great time-line for Greenland that will enhance any study or lesson plan you may be doing on Greenland. Done in chronological order and stacked full of information:
Time-Line Greenland

Civil War Detective Solves Grave Mix-Up:  Imagine that you really really really don't like the neighbors down the street "The Smiths", you are feuding constantly. But then you die and for some strange reason, end up buried in the Smith family plot! Read the story of the Civil War soldier, who really wound up buried in the wrong place, and the person who solved it:
Civil War Grave Mix-Up

Make your own Sock Puppets:  Finally, some hands-on fun for the little ones.  Very good article on making your own sock puppets and a list of materials that you will need to get the project done:
Sock Puppets

Going High-Tech: Geo-caching in the Classroom:  This is one gold-mine of a find for classroom fun with GPS.  This site will help inspire hours of learning and fun using a GPS for your older or advanced students. The blog has several ideas to get you started:
Geo-caching in the Classroom

Volunteers needed to join International Bird-Feeding Study!:  Be part of an international study on bird-feeding.  There are two different programs to choose from. This would be an ideal on-going lesson plan for the entire family, and a chance to be part of something very special and important:
Volunteer for Bird-Feeding Study

That is it for this week, hope you found something new for your home-school curriculum planning!

I love to find amazing talents and outstanding people who have been home-schooled. Christophe Bisciglia is just one of those people.

He was one of those kids in a public school, who just couldn't keep still, kept asking questions, often annoying teachers, he wanted to learn and he wanted to learn now. So he was taken out of public school to be home-schooled, where he found the time to pursue the things that he loved

Not one for ordinary lesson plans, he started raising horses and collecting computers, and this is really where he found his spark.  He learned to hack all his video games, he grew up and attended University of Washington, and at the age of 22 started working for Google.

This is where the Hero part comes in.  Now that he is 27, and still hacking games, he designed a program called Google 101, which became a class at University of Washington that teaches students a new concept called "cloud computing".  The concept hit big, so big that through a partnership with IBM, it will spread to other Universities.

To learn more on cloud computing click here:  Cloud Computing

Christophe Bisciglia is making his mark in the world, and that is why he is a Home-school Hero.....

I have met dozens of home-schooled children over the years who are in love with horses, and horseback riding.  Several times a year, hundreds of home-schooling families visit ranches and horse farms all over America, it is a very fun and educational field trip to take.

As an extension of Michigan State University, My Horse University has MUCH to offer your older home-schooled child.  I believe this course would be perfect for teens, but if you have an advanced middle-school child who is wild about horses, this may be for you too (Check out the sample lessons on the site). If you have horses of your own, these on-line courses are really for you!

My Horse University offers science-based courses and live web presentations on horse breeding and selection, from the top experts in it's field.  The short courses take about an hour or two to complete, and you can view the courses when they fit into your schedule from your own home.  On the website, you are able to view samples of the courses, and of the web presentations before you buy anything.

Don't wait too long though to sign up, the live web presentations are as follows:

• Breeding for a Champion - January 21
• Your Next Competition Horse - January 23
• Preparing and Breeding your Mare - February 4
• Post-Natal Care - February 11

These web courses can be bought individually, or as a whole series, and each series has an overview and extra activities that you may chose to take part in.  This is great scientific fun for all horse lovers!
My Horse University

ChaCha.com has started their new text service (it's free try it!), and I have been busy training for the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, where Chacha.com is the official text service for the event.  It has been really fun, but has taken me away from blogging for a bit.  But I am back...

Today, I want to tell you about a few free good services out there for Home-schoolers and their teachers:

The first one is for free placement tests.  This is a Christian Home-school site which allow you to download their placements test onto your computer, and you can test your student to see what level they are currently at. This will be really helpful for you at the beginning of your school year:
Switched On School House 2007 Edition

This second one is also for Christian Home-schoolers.  It offers a daily bible quiz, which will aid your child in remembering important details about the bible, the answers may seem simple, but it is not as simple as it looks, so it is good for all ages:
Home-school Bible Curriculum

This next site is for any student (or for that matter, parent), who needs to learn how to type.  It is a free on-line typing course, you just need to register:
Goodtyping.com

I know in this day and age of computer, some teachers in public schools are dropping cursive as a subject.  I think it is a big mistake, but to help aid your student with his or her cursive skills, this site has print-outs on everything you need to teach cursive handwriting, it is not a fancy site, but click on the links provided and see how valuable it actually is:
Handwriting for Children

I am now going back to my Home-schooling, and of course my Cha-Chaing! Come join us!

I live in Michigan, I love the winter.  I love the snow, ice, ice-fishing, skating, skiing and sledding.  I have no patience for people who live in cold states, complaining about the cold and snow.....get up and have some fun!

My theory is, you do not enjoy winter because you don't participate in any winter sports, or fun.  But even us snow lovers tend to get a little to cozy inside once Winter has been around for awhile, so time to try something new.

Build an ice-rink as a family.  If you don't know how to skate, perfect!  What better way is there to learn something than in the privacy of your own backyard?  This is a big project, don't leave it to dad, all will have fun participating in the building and maintaining of your ice rink:

Directions for Ice Rink #1
Directions for Ice Rink #2

Take some time off of your daily home-schooling schedule to get the hands on experiences of these projects, your children will learn to love the winter (you will too).

As you are waiting for that ice to form, on to your next project, which is also family geared, build yourself an igloo.  It really is not as complicated as it sounds, and it doesn't need to be perfect, just steady!  Not to mention a cozy little retreat to hide in for awhile:

Igloo Making #1
Igloo Making #2

Now isn't this beginning to sound a lot more fun than pre-algebra?  The next project is making an ice lantern.  If you have never seen one, then you are in for a treat.  You may even want to keep in mind this project come next Christmas and have some waiting for your visitors during the Christmas holidays.  Expect a lot of "ooohs" and "ahhhs" not only from your guests, but from your children who will build these along with you.

Snow Lantern #1
Snow Lantern #2

I belong to three different home-schooling groups, some of them seasoned veterans in home-schooling and curriculum with creative and  fantastic ideas.  If you don't belong to a home-schooling group as of yet, I would Cha-Cha search for one in your area.

The great dog-sled race, the Iditarod is set to start March 1, 2008.  This is a perfect time not only to teach about this historical race, but to pick your own dog team and map along.

There are lesson plans galore available for this event.  I am using suggestions from Walter McKenzie's One and Only Surfaquarium.  His suggestion for lesson plan follows in this order:

• January 7th - February 3:  Create a wall map of the trail
• February 4th - February 16:  Select a Musher to follow in the race
• February 19th - February 29th:  Prepare for the big race
• March 1st - end of race:  Follow the race, and map you musher as he/her advances

Now Walter's site has a list of sites to set up your lesson plans, the sites to really make note of are as followed:

• 2008 Official Iditarod Site
• Fascinating Facts
• Iditarod Podcasts
• Iditarod Virtual Field Trip

Those are just a few of the over 100 sites listed on his site.

During February 19-29, take time to find projects and lessons to learn about the dogs, the owners, the history and the race, the history of how it all began is extremely interesting.

My student is excited about this project, she will be keeping a journal on the team that she has chosen.  All children love to feel a part of an event, this lesson idea allows them to follow along with "their" team, and they then become anxious to learn all they can about "The Last Great Race", the Iditarod.  Have Fun!

I wanted to bring this site to your attention before they decide to pull the $5 offer down.  I am signing up for this math program, and from what I can tell it is an amazing teaching tool.

"Your Teacher" is a math program using real teachers through videos.  You can view a sample lesson right from their site.  It teaches the math, offers problems, quizzes, and if you want more practice it offers that option also.

The videos are first rate, clear, and easy to understand.  "Your Teacher" offers math lessons in pre-algebra, algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2, available on demand.

You can test drive the program for one month at a price of $5.00.  Normally it is $29.50 a month.  I am going to test the program out this month and report back next month some time after we have used it in our curriculum.

But....and this is a big BUT....I would invest the $5.00 and test drive it yourself, I don't know if the offer is good for a short while or not.  No matter where you are currently at in your math program so far this year, I have to think that this will help you greatly in helping your child understand and interact with math.

Visit here:
Your Teacher Math Program

Massachusetts Institute of Technology has opened it's doors to the public for free on-line.  You are now able to download 1800 different courses right to your computer, including lecture notes, exams and other resources.  Those of you who are home teaching older students, or those with advanced students should take advantage of this free gold mine of education.

You of course, will not receive college credit for taking these classes, but it sure will give your student a head start on his or her college career.  Many of these courses are available in video form.  Here are a few of the courses offered in video that may appeal to your home-schooler:

• Introduction to Biology
• Introduction to Psychology
• Animal Behavior
• Circuits and Electronics
• Introduction to Drama
• Understanding Television
• Introduction to Musical Composition
• Practical Electronics
• Documentary Photography and Photo Journalism: Still Images of a World in Motion

Also available from M.I.T. is a off-shoot called "Highlights for High School", where your student can take such classes as:

• Practical Electronics
• Furniture Making
• Building in Landscapes
• Introduction to Robotics
• Toy Product Design
• Solving Complex Problems
• Technology in a Dangerous World
• Writing and Reading Short Stories

Go ahead and see what M.I.T. can offer you and your student.  Or perhaps even sit on a few college lectures yourself.  This site is crammed full of learning for any teen who has any interest in the technology or engineering fields.  Visit online:

M.I.T. Open Course Ware

Highlights for Highschool

Boy I tell you, the home-schoolers and past home-schoolers are taking all the awards in the music business lately.  Meet Katelyn Jolley, who on the surface looks like any other 13 year old girl in America, but Katelyn is special.  She recently was declared winner of the Music City Madness 2 Competition and is now set to to take a trip to Nashville to meet with record executives.  Take a listen:



She credits home-schooling as her key to success.  Her parents who are both musical themselves allowed her to naturally learn by hand's on experience with the instruments around their home.  She picked up the guitar in January 2007 and a few months later was composing her own songs.

Watch for the Home-school hero in coming years, I have a feeling of success here!  By the way, be sure to watch for the look she gives the camera (and her father who filmed this video) at the end of the song.  If that isn't a classic 13 year old look, I don't know what is. Enjoy!

Being a home-school Mom, I am always looking for new and motivating ways to bring practicality into our lesson plans.  Planning curriculum that includes the very things that we adults use on a daily basis.

Microsoft offers such online lessons. They offer a series of lessons using word processors, spreadsheets, databases, cameras and much more.  This site is for all grade levels, and very easy to get around and understand.

Microsoft currently offers lessons in:

• Geography
• Mathematics
• History
• Science and Technology
• Language Arts
• Social Studies

It is a wonderful way to teach and utilize the Microsoft products most likely already on your computer, and a wonderful way to teach your child while they master each application, hands on and learning at the same time!

Each lesson comes with instructions, teacher planner, and additional links for further studying.  Visit the Microsoft Learning Page here:  Microsoft Learning

If you are not using movies as part of you Home-schooling curriculum, you are really missing out on some great learning adventures with your children.

Walden Media provides all the help you need to get started.  You need to of course, rent or go see one of the movies, and once you do that, Walden provides activities and lesson plans to go along with that specific movie.  The activities are geared towards a regular classroom, but you can easily adapt them to your home-school setting.

Lesson Plans are available for these movies put out by Walden:

• Aliens of the Deep
• Around the World in 80 Days
• Because of Winn Dixie
• Bridge to Terabithia
• Charlotte's Web
• Ghost of the Abyss
• Holes
• Hoot
• How to Eat Fried Worms
• I am David
• Jim Thorpe - Original All American
• Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
• Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe
• Paddywack Lane
• Pulse
• The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep
• The White Giraffe

As you can see, a variety of movies for all grade levels are provided, and I am sure many more will be added during 2008.  I uploaded the video clip for "I am David" below, if you missed this movie when it was first released, do yourself a favor and rent it soon, it is a treasure!  You also will have a lot of fun planning these movie lessons for your children, so check out the lesson plans at Walden here:  Walden Media

We continue to enjoy our series on "The States", a 3 disc series made by the History Channel.  If you missed part one, please read here:  "The States" - Part 1

I am blogging about this series in several parts, because it is so vast and is one of the best pieces of curriculum that we have added to our home-school library. We are on disc one, and this next section covers Texas, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Iowa, and Delaware.  My children are really enjoying this whole series and learning so much from each section.  Let me highlight a few of the interesting facts on each State:

Texas - Texas is big, and so is it's pride, learn about the 3 large cities in Texas, each having over a million citizens, Texas and it's football frenzy, their bbq's and their oil. My pick for future lesson plan out of Texas: The Alamo

Massachusetts - "The States" covers the Irish history, the 4 U.S. Presidents that have come out of Massachusetts, the Boston drivers.  Massachusetts firsts?  Try the first University and the 1st Subway system.  My pick for future lesson plan out of Massachusetts - The History of Harvard.

Arkansas - This state is full of history, "The States" does a wonderful job explaining the rich and sometimes troubled past of Arkansas.  They have an interview with one of the "Little Rock Nine", and the woman literally brought me to tears.  We plan on studying more on the "Little Rock Nine", and the people involved in the history making event.

Iowa - Home of the artist who painted the "American Gothic"....rumored to be the artist's sister and dentist!  Iowa is also this nations leading corn crop growers.  Lesson plans can include "American Gothic" in popular culture.

Delaware - Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, and is home to half of the Fortune 500 companies, "The States" does a fantastic job on explaining how Delaware became the "money" State.  It is also the home of Dupont and the State with the first self-governing black church.

These are just a very few of all the history, facts and events that "The States" touches on.  It is done all so well that your children don't even realize how very much they are learning, because it is so entertaining to watch.  I myself am amazed at how much I am learning myself.  To order directly from the History Channel: "The States"

I know, I know, you are taking a little time off for the holidays from your lesson plans, but home-schooling never really stops does it?  Here are a few of the new discoveries and happenings going on in our world that you can go through, just for the fun of it!

Read about a lost civilization at the bottom of a lake, in the middle of the Kyrgyz Mountains, located in Russia.  What is most interesting is a rumor of an old monastery located on an island in the middle of the lake, rumored to possess the relics of St. Matthew the Apostle. Read of this fascinating discovery:
Remains of Ancient Civilization Discovered on the Bottom of Lake

Two lesson plans in one in this next article.  Learn the history of Roti, an Egyption bread, that resembles a pita.  Once you have learned the history, it also includes a recipe so you can try this bread in your own home:
History of Roti

February 12, 2008, the State of Kentucky will start a two year birthday celebration in honor of Abraham Lincoln, it is the bicentennial party.  Learn how preparations are being made and what activities are being planned. It may be the perfect time to plan a few lessons on President Lincoln:
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Readying for Festivities

At Cambridge University, historic penguin chalk drawings were found, belonging to Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton, famous Arctic Explorers, dating from about 1904 to 1909, probably from lectures they had done at the school.  Their history is quite fascinating, and I encourage further reading on their lives and journeys for your children:
Historic Penguin Sketches Found

Just what the world needs, poison dart frogs!  If you have a child that is nuts for frogs, this story is for you.  Two new species of poison dart frogs have been discovered in Columbia, the article also includes great pictures
Two New Species of Poison Dart Frogs Discovered in Columbia

Scientists are much closer to discovering why Marine mammals don't develop brain damage from low oxygen intake.  Brain Globins are behind it all, and may in the future help in aiding human brain aging problems:
Why Diving Marine Mammals Resist Brain Damage from Low Oxygen

Now that you are home-schooling your children, you think we are safe from bullies, but don't sit back yet, there is a "bully" black hole out there that is destoying everything in it's path. Earth has no problem though, since this menace is 1.4 billion light years away:
"Bully" Black Hole Blasts Nearby Galaxy

Here's a story that will get you to start planning for presents for next year's Christmas.  Pens made out of cow patties.  Just goes to show you what can be accomplished with hands-on activities:
Man uses Cow Patties in Unusual Pens

370 trillion miles from here, there may be a sun setting, and it's not ours. Learn right along with the scientists that have discovered this sunset and what they believe it all means:
Astronomers Spot Possible Sunset

Take a field trip around the world with a couple of bloggers who are sailing the world. Read about their adventures, and a few scary moments as they travel from Indonesia to Malaysia:
Lightening and Frozen Cows

Here is another Abraham Lincoln story.  A new photograph was found of the President recently, which is notable because there are only 125 known photographs of him now known.  Your student will find it fascinating, because in the dedication pictures, they are all on horses, yet you can make out a tall bearded man with a tall hat, amazing!:
President Lincoln discovered in 1863 photos

I hope you enjoyed this weeks discoveries, and you find a few good ideas for future lesson plans.