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All posts by NerdMom
Curriculum Freebie!
I admit it. I have a hard time picking out curriculum over the internet. I would love to hold, feel, read these books before spending lots of money on them but I don’t have a homeschool store around. Well, Rod and Staff appear to have a solution. They have a variety of freebies that you can request. You can choose from curriculum packets from 1st to 6th grade, verse memorization and scope and sequence packets. Just click on Free Stuff, pick out what you want and there is no shipping or handling. I haven’t received mine yet but I hear they are very generous.
Color Seperated Pep Talks
Last week I talked about concerns some people have about homeschooling, one of which is that kids are limited as to the types of people they are around. Apparently one public school think that separation is good, at a race level. Mount Diablo High School in the bay area separated students by race for a pre-exam pep talk. Personally I find this reprehensible as did some of the students. The students attended assemblies complete with flags of their heritage (or country of heritage) and they were told to do their race proud. They were informed how much better white kids on the whole do on these tests and were using race as a motivation. Now my kids are only in school with one race (at least the everyday stuff) but that is only because my husband and I only can make one race of child. But my kids are in groups with many different ethnicities and if I ever heard my kids making similar white comments, well you can’t even imagine what kind of trouble they would be in.
(HT: Joanne Jacobs)
Glow in the Dark Toilet Seat
I saw this Glow in the Dark toilet seat at Gizmodo and just thought it was neat. Maybe it is the pregnant woman in me that is tired of making sure that the seat is down in the middle of the night;). It is over kill but still an interesting idea.
Pregnancy Carnival
Welcome to this edition of the Pregnancy Carnival. We have some very interesting and insightful posts so let us jump right in. First up is The One Year Exit Plan with “Congratulations, You are Pregnant!” Personalized Fertility Mantras. They point out the power of positive thinking when it comes to IVF. Then we move onto More4Kids and What Are Some Danger Signs Of Pregnancy? This would have definitely answered a lot of my questions when I was pregnant with the first 2. Jigsaw HC’s Rants and Reviews shares with us the Top Reasons to Fly with a Baby or Child. And yes, that means there are some;).
Then we move onto headlines with my own post about the 22 Week Miracle Baby. Venomous Kate over at Electric Venom asks Pregnancy: The Latest In Teen Fashion?
Next we move onto some great personal posts. We start with Dana at Principled Discovery with Pregnancy Update, or prayers answered before requested about a moment of worry and its moment of joy at its resolution. Next, PixelRN submits Switching Teams about going from an OB practice to a midwife practice.
Then the stories that tell us what it is all about. Emily’s Blessings offers Pregnancy Photo’s Blessing # 5 – Sierra Michelle that tells the story of her youngest daughter, including the years of praying by an older child. Then Homeschooling Hints announces Our baby is here!
That brings us to the end of this Pregnancy Carnival. Please read, share and comment on our many fine contributions. Then, submit an article and join us for our next edition on March 16th!
Exposure to Bullies, Good or Bad?
When it comes to the non-homeschooling world’s view of homeschooling I am greatly frustrated. It seems that many people are frustrated with our public schools and admit that homeschoolers have a better grasp on academics. But they don’t like a)you are mostly around people who share your views and even more so b)that you are not being exposed to jerks. I was over commenting on an article on Two Babes and a Brain (read that comments too) about a district that is throwing out standards (you know, grades and grading). My natural response was that homeschooling was the perfect option. I was told by someone I respect that she didn’t believe in homeschooling for the 2 aforementioned reasons, especially since we as parents aren’t going to be around forever to protect our kids. (Don’t flame her, I am just using her comments as an example of an argument I hear all the time)
Then I was reading an article on a child that committed suicide over at Why Homeschool as a result of bullying. Henry points out that the public school doesn’t effectively deal with a bully nor the issue.
Then I was reading a final article over at Dr. Helen about the workplace being an extension of the school yard and workplace bullies. She began asking why these type of people are allowed to walk all over the rest of us.
People need to learn to control their emotions at work, but those who feel entitled, will continue to hurl abuse at co-workers if they think they can get away with it without any repercussions such as the embarrassment of being called out on the carpet for their tacky and unprofessional conduct.
That is when it all fell into place. As homeschoolers, I hope we are all teaching our kids to a)not be bullies and b)not tolerate be bullied. Imagine how all the world would change with that attitude. Part of the attitude I hear is that we all lived through it but is that a reason to do anything? I personally want better for my kids both how they are treated and how they behave. So I am going to hold onto the fact that we are revolutionizing the world! If the rest of the world is jealous that we are willing to do what can to protect our kids, I am sorry but you can’t bully me;).
WFMW: Puzzle Organization
I was thinking up a post for this WFMW and I have to say that my best ones are not my own. The way that I organize my puzzle was taken from a book years ago. Why puzzles? For those of you who haven’t experienced this yet, puzzle boxes were not meant to be used. Take the lid off and put it on a couple times and the box is broken in the corners. The other challenge with puzzles is finding the errant puzzle piece and figuring out where it goes. This is a multi-step project but I promise it doesn’t really take that long. First get a box of colored pens. Each puzzle gets a number in a different color (the different colors are only important while the kids are little). Then write that number on the back of every piece. Then put the pieces into a zip top bag and write the number on the outside of the bag. Then cut out the front panel of the puzzle with the picture and all the details. Write the number on the back of the panel. Then get a folder for the panels and a box (a plastic shoebox works well) for the bag with the pieces. You can look at the panels and pick out your puzzle. Then just put it away! If you find a piece the kids left on the floor, you know right where it goes!
Out and About in the Blogosphere
I just wanted to share a couple of great Carnivals with you. Shannon over at Homeschool Hacks has this week’s Homeschool Carnival. In addition to being filled with great posts, it is also filled with Presidential Trivia. Then you should pop over to Brain Cramps for God to read a gifts themed Christian Carnival.
22 Week Miracle Baby
A baby was born just under 22 weeks and appears to be doing well. It is now 2 months old and there is even talk of sending her home. What amazes me is this is how far a long I am! Something that the article said that was new to me was that 1/2 of all babies born at 25 weeks make it. It just makes you wonder how someone can think this isn’t a baby.
(HT: Biblical Womanhood)
In Honor of President’s Day
Someone on one of my homeschooling groups emailed this out.
It seems to just be a sample of a complete President’s unit. I haven’t seen anything else from them but I think this is cute. I may even use it as a refresher for me!