Carnival of Homeschooling

If you haven’t checked out the Carnival of Homeschooling before, you’ll want to stop by Hal and Melanie Young’s blog, Raising Real Men, and check it out. You’re sure to find some new ideas and encouragement. Maybe you’ll even be inspired to join in the next issue!

siggy-dena

February 25, 2011 | Filed Under Homeschooling | Leave a Comment

Grocery Store Bingo

Here’s a free printable that might make grocery shopping with the kids a bit easier. Keep them occupied with Grocery Store Bingo.

February 25, 2011 | Filed Under Homemaking, Homeschooling | Leave a Comment

Free Creative Writing Prompts

Are you having trouble getting your kids to write? Here is a great list of resources to help you out.

Heart of Wisdom has a large listing of sites that offer free writing prompts.
Davidrm.com Good for older students
Tooter4Kids.com
TeachersCorner.net I really like how these are organized by month and include an optional pdf with the prompt and a picture for you to print out. My two younger boys are enjoying using these.
CreativeWritingPrompts.com Just hover your mouse over a number to see the prompt.

Happy Writing!

Free homeschool helps work for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

siggy-dena

February 20, 2011 | Filed Under Homeschooling | Leave a Comment

Library Databases ~ Free Reference Materials

Library

I’ve recently been checking into the resources our library has to offer and I was really surprised at all of the databases we can access. Some need to be accessed from the library, but others can be accessed from your own computer, with a library card. There are some really great homeschooling resources. I found them by visiting our library website and then clicking a link that said “Research Tools/Databases”. Hopefully, your library offers something similar. Below is what our library offers.

Ancestry Library - census, vital records, church, court and immigration records.
Auto Repair Reference Center - Repair manuals and wiring diagrams.
Biography Reference Center - Collection of full-text biographies.
Consumer Reports - Product reviews and ratings.
CultureGrams - Maps and in-depth information on 187 countries and all the United States.
HeritageQuest Online - Genealogical collection of federal census records, source documents, and much more.
History Reference Center - World’s most extensive full-text history reference database.
Literary Reference Center - Information on thousands of authors and their works.
Mango - Online language-learning system that teaches actual conversation skills for 22 different languages and includes ESL.
NoveList - Suggestions, lists and the next in a series for fiction books.
NoveList K-8 - Everything for children’s fiction needs.
OverDrive - Download audio books or ebooks and play it on your computer, MP3 player or cell phone.
Points of View - Provides users with a series of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue.
ProQuest - Searches over 2,000 magazines and journals.
Referencia Latina - Spanish-language database.
Student Research Center - Obtain info from EBSCO databases.
World Book Encyclopedia - Online version with articles, maps. photos, charts and audio/visual clips.

Using the library works for me. To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

siggy-dena

February 15, 2011 | Filed Under Homeschooling | 1 Comment

Report Card Freebies!

A+ excellent written on an exam paper.

Saving Dollars and Sense has put together such a great list of sites with report card rewards that the best I can do is send you on over! She not only lists a good selection of freebies, but also has a list of links to free printable report cards for us homeschooling family.

Enjoy!

February 9, 2011 | Filed Under Homeschooling | Leave a Comment

Do You Know What Frazil Ice Is? Amazing!

Neither did I! Gather the kids and watch this video of Yosemite park. It’s fascinating. Watch to the end for the glowing waterfall! (It’s just under 8 minutes.)

Using Youtube for learning Works for Me. You can find great info on nearly any subject. To read more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

siggy-dena

February 8, 2011 | Filed Under Homeschooling | 1 Comment

Win a Free Lapbook Kit

Econobusters is hosting a giveaway for a free Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child. The contest closes Saturday and so far there are no entries! All you have to do is share a wish list of your five favorite Project Packs in the comments of the blog post. Good luck!

February 8, 2011 | Filed Under Homeschooling | Leave a Comment

Free Printable Love Letters

I posted these on Facebook, but they’re so cute I want to share these printable love letters here as well. These would be fun for Mom to make for the kids or the other way around. Just print, color and write. They’re sure to be a hit with whoever receives them.