Thrift Schooling

Depending on the age of your child, there is a wide variety of skills that can be worked on while having your student keep a nature journal! One of the benefits of keeping a nature journal is that you are expanding on their outdoor experiences in an educational and creative way! 1- ART :  Provide your child with different techniques when drawing in their nature journal.  - Nature Rubbings - Pencil shaded Drawings - Colored Pencil Tracing - Pressed Flowers -Colleges from magazines - Photos that have been taken by you or the child in nature and printed to place in the journal - Diagrams ex. Parts of a Flower - Charts ex. Compare and Contrast local trees 2- HANDWRITING SKILLS: Although you don't need to be picky, and usually don't use lined paper for the journal, this allows the child to become comfortable writing as they are learning, making the experience most practical. 3- DATES:  Simple yet important. By having your child write ...

Welcome to DAY 3 of our 5 Day blog hop. If you are just joining us there are 90 bloggers sharing about topics near and dear to their homeschooling hearts! I hope that you will click on the banner at the end of this post directing you to these sites and that you'll be encouraged, refreshed and motivated!  FOCUSING ON GOD'S HANDIWORK One of the joys of homeschooling is that YOU are the teacher. Obvious statement, I know, but what I mean is that YOU are the one imparting into your kids. Everything that the Lord has revealed to you and shown you, YOU can use to teach these little ones at a young and impressionable age! Being outside in nature gives us an opportunity to teach the truth as we witness, dissect and discuss His majestic handiwork!  EVOLUTION VS CREATION One of the main dividing factors between homeschool and public school curriculums is the issue of evolution verses creationism. I am a believer in Jesus as the Word who was with God in the beginning and w...

We all want to get our kids outside more. There is something healthy and therapeutic about being outdoors. Developing a love in your child for being outdoors is harder for us parents than it is for the kids. More laundry, more muddy feet tracked into the house, more creepy crawly things hidden in the crevices of their bedrooms. Turtles, frogs and the other day they even caught a butterfly and let it free in the house! They are learning, as are we how to instill a lifelong love for nature in their little hearts. AWARENESS One book that I found recently is called Science in Your Own Backyard by Elizabeth Cooper .  This books allows your child to learn right from the comfort of your own backyard. Whether you live in the city or on a farm, these principles can be used to teach your child how to become aware of their surroundings! The first activity has your child simply lie on their stomach and see what they observe! I did this with them and had them draw in their jo...

Where to Begin A nature journal is an excellent way for students of all ages to combine science, outdoor exposure and writing in a creative fashion! Even at the beginning stages I enjoy providing my children with these journals to help them become aware of their surroundings and the hows and whys of it all in a biblical fashion.  Natural journaling is generally included in Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum but is used among homeschoolers of many methods and with many different types of curriculum.  When I first saw on another blog the concept of keeping a nature journal I immediately fell in love! I love being outdoors and hope for my kids to share the same passion. I love to teach them about God's creation while being in his creation so this was a perfect fit for us! The first two resources I came across were the Handbook of Nature Study and Outdoor Hour Challenges. The challenges encourage you to spend at least an hour a day outside with your...

One of my favorite memories as a kid was visiting The Corning Museum of Glass . I loved visiting the gift shop and picking out a delicate, glass jewelry box with a bird etched on the top. Both the lid and the bottom were pure glass which I held some of my favorite trinkets in for years! My 3 Year old Enjoying an Exhibit I was a little older than what my children are now when we visited the museum so I wasn't sure if it would be a smart idea to bring three children under the age of seven to a GLASS museum but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity for an amazing experience since we were in the area! My husband and I both grew up within a few hours from Corning Museum of Glass located in Corning, NY. We both had fond memories there and wanted our children to experience the same! Little did we know, they've had amazing new additions since our visits including a MAKE YOUR OWN GLASS STUDIO which opened in 1995. This studio has projects that can be made ...

Brain Food Learning  provides educational DVDs to provide children of all ages an interactive educational experience. I reviewed the  Fascinating World of Insects  which is a 43 minute DVD featuring many different insects. $14.99 This video begins with an overview of insects taking about the basic characteristics that they share. It then goes through and describes, in detail eleven different insects, describing their way of life and habitat! IN THIS VIDEO YOUR CHILD WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER  THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ABOUT INSECTS: GRASSHOPPERS:  How do they protect themselves? LADYBUGS:  Which colors can you find them in? How many times can they flap their wings per second? RHINO BEETLES:  How long do they live? How much can they carry? FIREFLIES:  What do they use their lights for?  MOSQUITOES: Why do the females suck blood? How fast do their wings flap? HONEY BEES: Why do they st...

Couponing Made Simple  by Christi the Coupon Coach  is written for those who may have been interested in couponing but haven't yet taken the plunge. This book begins with several success stories of people who tried her method and saved large amounts of cash! You'll read about people who recieved amazing deals: $124.01 worth of groceries for $41.11 $54.40 worth of products for $1.55 $99.78 worth of groceries for $10.05 You'll see a snapshot of the products they received and how they accomplished such an amazing goal! $18.00 The second section teaches you a "new way to shop." She shares two main keys to help you use your coupons effectively and efficiently! The chapter I enjoyed the most was "the language of couponing." The author defines the terms commonly used in the arena of couponing, some of which helped me have a better understanding of how to receive the most bang for your buck! My Experience: Well, I have in fact tr...