Thrift Schooling

My second grade daughter has recently been enjoying a one-year subscription to the The Starfall Home Membership  from the Starfall Education Foundation . From day one of homeschooling I had known about this program . It was talked about online, with friends at church and among other homeschoolers. I had known several people who had purchased a membership, and loved it, but when I first downloaded the app I only used the limited free version. I was impressed with what I saw and let my kids frequent the site but the kids always wanted more since they were not able to access the entire site with the free version.  Now that I have The Starfall Home Membership, the disappointment has been lifted and my daughter especially has been thrilled to have access to all of the content.  With the membership, you receive access to not only the app but the website. In addition to the fun activities geared towards children pre-k through second grade, there is a plethora of parent tea...

Resurrection Rolls Recipe The week before Easter, I call the kids into the kitchen for a special breakfast treat, Resurrection Rolls to help prepare them for the celebration of our risen king. I don't have a problem with letting them dye eggs or eat marshmallow peeps (we don't do the Easter bunny though) but I do make sure they understand the true meaning of Easter. This fun activity helps to get the point across! The ingredient list is simple: 2 (10 oz) Cans Refrigerated Biscuits 1 (10.5 Oz) Bag Marshmallows 1/2 Cup Sugar 3 Tablespoons Cinnamon 1/4 Cup Melted Butter While the oven is preheating to 400 degrees, the children combine the sugar and cinnamon. I hand each one a flattened biscuit and they place "Jesus" (the marshmallow) in the tomb. They fold it up so the edges are wrapped firmly around the marshmallow and then dip it into the "oil," (butter). Then they dip it into the "spices," cinnamon and sugar. I place them in the ov...

My children have recently been improving their typing skills with the Ultrakey Online Family Subscription  by Bytes of Learning . I am so grateful for this program because it is exactly what I have needed to press and push my children towards typing correctly. One of my biggest pet peeves is when my children type with just one finger. This is not the most efficient method. I have been wanting them to learn how to type correctly for several years now. I have had them try different online typing programs before, all of which were game based. I thought to myself, "this will be perfect for them! They will learn how to type and not complain about it." Well, that was never the case. Though they would enjoy the games, they were never consistent with placing their fingers over home row and striking the keys with the correct fingers.  What this program does, is it works on form. And perfection. And perfection of form. It reminds me of the typing c...

Our family recently had to opportunity to go back in time and experience history by reviewing  Wulf the Saxon ,  a historically based audio drama produced by Heirloom Audio Productions . Before I share our experience, let me answer those pressing questions you may have after looking at the cover of this CD set, posted above! Who Exactly Is G.A. Henty? The question is not who "is" but who "was." The answer? G.A.  Henty  was an English author known for his historical adventure stories. His books were popular in the late 1800's. He is one of those authors whose works are rich, entertaining, and based on true historical events. His books are coveted by those who love historically based literature to help teach and preserve history.  Who Was Wulf The Saxon? Wulf was a young boy that served as a thane of Earl Harold (future king) of England during the time period of the battle of Hastings which was in the 11th century. What Is The Storyline? Now...

There have have five bomb threats in our local public schools recently. FIVE! All at separate schools. Four in my county and one just a county over.  All in a matter of three weeks.  What gives? One was the middle school that my son would be going to if we weren't homeschooling. One was an elementary school just down the road. And these were just threats.  No *real* danger. But still, fear instilled in the hearts of little kids. And parents. And teachers. No child should have to experience those emotions, yet they did. All because some kids thought it would be funny. These certainly weren't the pranks that I remember happening at school as a kid. I remember students from the football team somehow getting their coach's keys and *hiding* his car on the football field. Maybe a kid's locker got TPed from time to time. But nothing like this.  And then Florida happened. Where the danger was real. Parents lost children. Students lost friends. The pain was ...

At the age of five, each child in our family receives a small plot of land in our backyard. They can turn it into a vegetable garden, a butterfly sanctuary filled with flowers, or an herbal paradise. This tradition began after observing the behavior of my eldest son. Every year, he would eagerly await the onset of spring so he could get his hands dirty planting seeds in the garden right by his dad’s side.   Marigolds that my middle son grew from seed, when he was six! Finally, one day, I noticed my husband out in the yard creating a new wooden structure. It was a raised bed filled with soil for our son to create his first garden. My son’s eyes lit up when he had a chance to plant his own garden, although the true joy was found when he was able to pick the vegetables he had planted. I noticed a sense of accomplishment and excitement when he would hand me beans, squash or peas that we could cook that night for dinner. He was even more thrilled when I would be in ne...

The battle of Cloyd's Mountain. All that's left in remembrance of this Civil War battle is this sign, smack dab in the middle of the road near Dublin, VA.  Just down the road from Virginia Tech, lies a piece of history that often gets overlooked in the textbooks. You drive by the battlefield today and all you will find is a residential area, cow pasture, and a lonely creek. We wouldn't even have known about it, had it not been for the locals.  What a treasure it is to speak to those whose families have lived in these hills for decades and are willing to share the stories of the past. While standing in the valley of a historic battle where hundreds of men died in just one hour, our feet stood where a pond used to be. Union soldiers stood on one side. The Confederates on the other. As we listened to the stories of the landowners, you could see the bullets flying, soldiers charging and bodies covering the battlefield as those willing to share their knowledge took us ba...