Homeschool mom need some encouragment???

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Let the school year begin

Well - on Tuesday we started homeschooling for our 5th year...wow - I can't believe we've been doing this for 5 years. Some of the things that I REALLY like about homeschooling are that Heather gets to sleep in and starts school when she's finished her chores and has breakfast. Some of the things I oft times don't like about homeschooling are when she doddles and doesn't do her work diligently.

Thankfully, though it's only been 2 days, Heather has been VERY diligent in getting started on her school work and working through her day. She has a girls devotion that she is reading that covers each day of the year, she is doing a bible study on Truth, we are doing My Father's World "Creation to Greeks" curriculum this year which covers bible, social studies and science, Teaching Textbooks for Math, Switched on School house for Language Arts and Crayola Expressions PC art curriculum for art.

We'll be looking for someone to teach her violin and will be attending nature walk activities on Wednesday and My Father's World Co-op classes on Friday's.

I pray this year proves to be our best year yet and ask the Lord to lead and guide us through anything challenges that might come our way.

Shout out for Times Tales...

Well - we have struggled with math for this past year. We started out the school year with our 2nd year in Singapore math but after much struggling on my part to effectively teach my 3rd grader where she could understand the concepts she was doing...I ventured to find something else that could help us that would not require as many tears on EITHER of our parts. ;-) Thankfully my good friend Laura Hecht recommended we try Math U See...it has been a TREMENDOUS asset to our homeschool curriculum. By the time we got the curriculum we were a year behind on math. We have thankfully gotten caught up and my daughter is LOVING math. She's been struggling with learning her times tables so I did some research and found this "strange" but awesome program called "Times Tales" which uses a mnemonic systems of memorization...while the stories are a bit strange...it has been fun and now she's spouting off her times tables without any problems...I would highly recommend this curriculum for any student struggling with their times tables!


Check them out at www.timestales.com it'll be the best $35 you spend!!!

I love to...

More flashcards, word scramble, crosswords, and hangman at StudyStack.com

My Father's World...it is...

Ok - so I went with My Father's World yet again this next year. I got to praying about it and realized that they have SO much of the ground work already done for me...as much as I dislike all the reading that we do...I also LIKE all the reading that we do...MFW has opened me up to books I would have never had an interest in before.

Curricula, Curricula, Curricula...THAT is the question!!!

I'm on the search for Curriculum...in Kindergarten we used a variety of workbooks which was good but I felt there should be a bit "more" for my dear daughter. For 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade we've used My Father's World...

I thought that I'd take a step "out" of the box and throw together a "variety" of curriculum again for 4th grade...unfortunately, when I got to the Homeschool Expo...I freaked out and froze...urgh - I just don't know WHAT I should do.

I like the fact that My Father's World has done the research, planning and dialog for me but there's SO much that they sell in their packages that we don't end up using.

I am THRILLED to death with switching from Singapore to Math U See for our math so there's nothing I want to change about that.

In Language Arts I'm considering Bob Jones English 4 or Rod N Staff.

In Bible I have a couple of Bible Study work books that look good and fun.

In History & Science I'm considering Mystery of History, Apologia, SOS, My Father's World or Heart of Dakota...Lord help me PLEASE!!!

Got any thoughts for me??? Email me kritterblogdesigns(at)gmail(dot)com

St. Louis Homeschool Expo

Attention St. Louis area homeschooling families...tonight starts the St. Louis Homeschool Expo at Evangelical Free Church on Carmen Road. Get in FREE tonight and shop til you drop or come watch the Talent show. Tomorrow & Saturday pay $10 to attend many seminars or more shopping. Log on to www.stlhomeschoolexpo.com and come join the fun!

Spring Break???

To "Spring Break" or "NOT to Spring Break"...THAT is the question!!! Our district is off the 13th & 20th but Heather's homeschool group classes is also off on the 17th - In all honesty...I'd love to take the ENTIRE week off of "official" school (you never STOP learning!!! :-) But since we are FAR, FAR behind...(thank goodness we have 12 months to complete our school year! :-)...I guess we'll go ahead and do school this week...urgh - bummer - just talked my self "in to" and "out of" a Spring Break!!!

Hey Homeschoolers...

Is anyone else out there in Homeschool/bloggy land concerned about Obama's motives concerning school? urgh - HELP God!!!

Is the school year over...YET???

Last week I thought I was pulling teeth trying to get my precious girl to do her school work...then I realized - We were in the "Mid-year hump" it has happened EVERY February for the last 4 years...you'd think I would KNOW by now!!! Thankfully, after I realized this...it was so much easier for me to pray about it and continue on. It does look as if we'll be doing school until the end of June though...urgh - we'll have our hours by May but if I want to get our curriculum done...we'll be going on until June. I don't know...we'll have to see.

Welcome everyone!!!

Thanks for checking out our homeschool blog...I don't have any information on here yet but it was fun designing the page!!! Drop me a line and let me know what you think about the layout when you get a minute! Love to you all!!!