I woke up yesterday fired up. Fall – my favorite time of year! I had scoped out an event at our local crafts store, Beverly Fabrics, and I knew Katie was going to love it. They were offering small craft projects of the fall variety with a hint of Halloween thrown in. This would be… More The Sheer Pain of Being a Tween: So Simple but So Awful
Katie created this award-winning poster for our local water utility. We know water is a limited resource. And I have talked to Katie about it for years. We live in a wonderful area but it is regularly impacted by climate shifts that often result in limits on our water consumption. So today, around the world,… More Blog Action Day: Save Water, Take a Dirt Bath
We are a month into school and Katie is humming, almost purring, with the challenge. Sure it’s been a lot of work but as she said, “Mom, I don’t mind working hard for smart teachers!” No truer words have been spoken. For the first time since third grade, Katie has teachers who are actually “into… More Working Hard for Smart Teachers Makes the Whole Difference
Ahhh, bullies. We have managed to get through six years of school with very few incidents of bullying. But now Katie’s in middle school and the landscape has changed. Thankfully, we started reading Queen Bees and Wannabees together just before school started. What a great book. We are only about half way through (homework is… More We Enter the World of Queen Bees and Wannabees (and Bullies)
Okay, so I talked about how much I miss home school and already ranted about one of the things that worries me about being back at public school, but to be fair, there are so many things I am truly appreciating about being back I wanted to share my list. So here goes! My daughter… More We’re Back! Five Things I Am Loving About Public School
Where else can you see piggie butts! We are so very lucky to live in a county that still plays host to an annual county fair. I hear fairs are closing down all over the United States and I think that’s just a shame. There’s nothing better than the sites, sounds and smells of agriculture,… More Local County Fair Delivers Food, Fun and Self-Esteem
The “Study Nest” where it all happens! I know it’s temporary, it will pass, but today I got a kick in the teeth that reminded me of why I pulled Katie out of public school in the first place: she came home defeated. She worked really hard on some homework, I checked it, it was… More I’ve Got the “Oh Crap We Are Back in Public School” Blues…
Pat the real Hamster in a Littlest Pet Shop creation. Oh, a quiet morning – just like the old days – and a few minutes to finish writing. I love it! Here’s the top five things I really miss about home school. You can see part one, with the other five things here. 5. No… More 10 Things I Miss About Home School: Part Two
Last year was great. I really did like home school. Sure it pushed me to my limits balancing work and teaching, but we had so many great adventures and experiences. With the start of this new school year, I couldn’t help but look back and think about those lovely home school days (top ten, countdown… More 10 Things I Miss About Home School: Part One
After plenty of preparation and excitement, we managed to get the child off to school. Sure she was up at 6am. Of course she was ready and dressed by 7am. We needed to pick up her girlfriend Ashley at 8am (no one goes to school alone on the first day) so we had lots of… More Day One: School Starts; Hello Sixth Grade!
I thought she was going to burst. It was 24 hours before school would actually start and the kid was totally losing it. It turned out to be one of the longest periods of time I have lived through. I know, I have to come to terms with the fact that Katie did not love… More A New Adventure Begins: Middle School – Public Middle School
If you haven’t played Farmville yet, you’ve been warned! Don’t start! It’s totally addicting. I initially started playing to learn more about how the folks at Zynga (the company behind the franchise) were so good at being “sticky.” That’s what we call it when an online application does a good job of bringing people back… More Am I Stretching Things too Far? Home School Lessons from Farmville!?!
We started watching Undercover Boss with the very first episode. I was intrigued that the CEO of Waste Management was willing to do a “reality’ show and I was interested in learning more about their business. I mean we see their trucks all around us – what made it tick? Katie went along with me… More Undercover Boss as Homeschool Curriculum – This is good stuff! (Worksheet Included!)
One year, I took Katie to Henry Cowell the first Sunday of every month and had her take pictures so she could see the seaons change month to month. It was a great exercise and helped her actually see how forests change based on daylight, rain, fog, and more. This year, since we are officially… More Henry Cowell State Park: Home School Scavenger Hunt
That’s right! We had us a Science Fair and it was great. Despite the hesitation and resistance expressed by the teachers about competition or, wait for it, setting expectations, the kids did great! In fact, it was probably the best event I have attended at our home school! As you might have read in my… More The Home School Science Fair: The Results are In!