Free homeschool calendar and planner generator

I just found a free, easy homeschool planner and calendar generator.

You can quickly generate:

  • Weekly assignment sheets, including customized subjects
  • Single and multi-page calendars
  • Sequential Weeks of Numbered Days
  • Bible Reading Record



The generator is located here: http://homeschoolclassifieds.com/planner_form.asp

In addition, this generator is located on the HomeschoolClassified.com site. I will soon be posting about several great options available for buying used curriculum and this site will be at the top of my list. You can also sell your curriculum on this site, up to seven listings for free, with no transaction fees.

Homeschool Breaks

After a very busy school year wrap up for my family, I wanted to post about something I’ve learned is very important for homeschoolers: taking breaks.

I know there are homeschooling families that are able to take guilt free breaks, but most of the homeschooling moms I know are overachievers. They are constantly fighting the worry and guilt that they are not getting enough education time in with the children. Even though their homeschool far exceeds the depth and learning their children would be getting anywhere else, they still try to make every free moment a learning experience.

But we all need those breaks to refresh and revitalize us. I operate my homeschool pretty closely around the public and private school systems with a scheduled fall break, Christmas break, Easter break and an extended summer vacation. I live in the desert so a lot of my fellow homeschoolers use the hot summers for homeschooling and take extended breaks in early winters to enjoy the holidays and the nicer weather. When you take your breaks is up to you and your family.

I do highly recommend scheduling breaks. One year, I took quite a few breaks when we were involved in a lot of activities and we ended up way behind on our books.  Even a loose schedule gives you an idea when your school year or current curriculum will stop and start. Scheduled breaks also feel a lot better because they’ve been planned.

Also, resist the temptation to fill in other school work during a scheduled break. Don’t schedule heavy reading but encourage fun reading. Do go on a family outing but resist the temptation of requiring research reports on where you went or what you saw. Play board and card games. Just enjoy being together. As you all know, these are all still learning experiences but there is a lightness and freedom when you remove academic requirements.

So to all you homeschoolers out there (and everyone for that matter): Have a nice break!

Standardized or Achievement Testing Services for Homeschoolers

I’m going to be writing a series of posts about testing homeschoolers. This first post is a list and some basic information about mail-in testing services.

But let me comment on a couple of things first:

1. Check with your state requirements for homeschool testing.

I live in Arizona where there are absolutely no requirements for standardized or achievement testing. I do choose to test my children because:

  • I do operate my homeschool as “college prep” meaning I do anticipate that my children will go on to college.
  • Because of this, test taking skills are very important (preparing for the PSAT, SAT, and ACT).
  • I also want an idea of how they compare to other students.
  • I want to see how they preform in the different subjects to give me an idea of what I need to concentrate on in their homeschooling.
  • I want to make sure my homeschool isn’t lacking something. For example, the first time I had my older two tested, they both underperformed in map skills. This indicates I need to include more map skills in my homeschool.

Other states have very specific testing requirements for homeschoolers so you will need to check with your state requirements before looking at any of the following resources.

2. Check what testing services are offered by your local homeschool support organizations

Many tests require specific testing guidelines for proctors and sometimes group rates can be cheaper. The organization will also be sure your student is in a proper test taking setting such as having plenty of desk or table space and making sure it is quiet.

Mail-in Standardized and Achievement Tests Services Available for Homeschoolers

This tests can be administered at home by a parent without special degree requirements:

Family Learning Organization (FLO)
http://www.familylearning.org/testing.html

CAT/5 (Complete Battery)
Grades: K-12
Special requirements to administer? No
Pricing: $37
Timing: All materials must be returned within 2 weeks of receipt

Basic Achievement Skills Inventory (BASI)
Grades: 3-12
Special requirements to administer? No
Pricing: $37
Timing: All materials must be returned within 2 weeks of receipt

Thurber’s Educational Assessments
http://thurbers.net/thurbers.net/About_CAT_5.html

CAT/5 (Survey and Complete Battery)
Grades: K-12
Special requirements to administer? No
Pricing: $50
Timing: There are very specific testing weeks in the spring you order for. Check their website.

Bayside School Services
http://www.baysideschoolservices.com/

CAT/5 (Survey and Complete Battery)
Grades: K-12
Special requirements to administer? No
Pricing: $60 ($45 if ordered by Feb 1st, $50 if ordered by Apr 1st)
Timing: 1 week to return tests once they have been received, scores are returned within 8 weeks

Seton Testing Services
http://www.setontesting.com/default.php

CAT-E (older test)
Grades: K-12
Special requirements to administer? No
Pricing: $25
Timing: All materials must be returned within 2 weeks of receipt

The Sycamore Tree
http://www.mailordercentral.com/sycamoretree/products.asp?dept=177

Terra Nova (CTBS)
Grades: K-12
Special requirements to administer? No
Pricing: $50 ($100 fee if tests are not returned)
Timing: Can only be ordered Mar 1st-Apr 30th or Jun 1st-Jul 31st

There are special requirements for test administrators for the following tests:

BJU Press
http://www.bjupress.com/testing/

Stanford (http://www.bjupress.com/testing/stanford.php)
Grades: K-12
Special requirements to administer:
1.Bachelor’s degree
2.Experience or training in test administration or have viewed our Test Administrator’s Training DVD (available to order online)
3.Be listed with us as a pre-approved Stanford tester, which requires a one-time completion of an application and your agreement with the information contained in the companion brochure.
Pricing: $44/test (10% discount if ordered between Sept 1st – Nov 1st and returned by Dec 30th)

ITBS®/ITED® (IOWA) (http://www.bjupress.com/testing/iowa.php)
Grades: K-12
Special requirements to administer:
1.Bachelor’s degree
2.Completed application (on BJU site)
Pricing: $44/test (there are also addition testing services such as the CogAT you can for fees up to $80)

Pizza Hut Book-It Program for Homeschoolers

It’s always nice when companies offer the same education incentives to homeschoolers as they do for public and private schools. One of those incentives program is the Pizza Hut Book-It program. If you decide to participate, you sign up your own homeschool and the number of K-6th grade kids in your household that would like to participate in the program. Currently, the Book-It program is enrolling for the 2010-2011 school year. Enrollment deadline is June 30, 2010.

What you can except to receive from Pizza Hut is a set of coupons to distribute monthly to your elementary age students once they’ve met a personal reading goal. The coupon is good for a one-topping personal-sized pizza. There are no other ordering requirements meaning you don’t have to purchase other food in order to received the personal pizza.

More information about the Book-It program is located here: http://www.bookitprogram.com/

The 2010-2011 homeschool enrollment form: http://www.formspring.com/forms/bookitprogram-homeschool_enrollment_form1

Bayeux Tapestry Battle of Hastings video

A friend recommended this video to me and I used it today in my history class. We’re studying the Battle of Hastings, Alfred and William the Conqueror in “The Story of the World, Vol. 2: The Middle Ages” which is the series we use for world history.

This video shows a very clever reenactment from the Norman’s point of view using an animation of the Bayeux Tapestry.

My daughter loved it though mentioned the tapestry characters bleeding and a animated head being chopped off was “disturbing.”

Of course, let me give credit where credit is due. This video was created by Potiongraphics, animation and direction by David Newton, music and sound design by Marc Sylvan.

Great Homeschool Resource: Google Docs

I’m a big fan of free Google applications (programs or services). I try almost every application Google releases and a lot of them I end up using daily such as iGoogle, Gmail, Analytics (website statistics), Wave (claims to be the future of email), Google Books, Google Groups, Picasa (photo software and online storage and sharing), and Google Maps. But, this post is about how I use Google Docs in my homeschool.

Background

First things first, this resource is directed at assignments that can and should be typed. I’m a big advocate of writing assignments out in elementary school, with the exception of the occasional report or long story. But, as students grow older, I believe it is imperative they are taught computer skills. There is no way to avoid computers in our society. I personally believe that if you avoid computers in your homeschool, especially with high schoolers, it’s the equivalent of refusing to use a telephone because you think writing letters is far superior. Yes, letter writing is still needed but a telephone call takes care of a lot of things in a much more timely and personal fashion.

How I Use Google Docs in my Homeschool

Google Docs is basically a simple online word processor. It has all of the same very basic functions as Microsoft Word. The difference is that a document is stored and edited online. This is what makes Google Docs a powerful tool in my homeschool:

Google Docs are accessible on any computer or internet device

My student’s work isn’t locked on one computer. They can go to any computer in my house or any other place with an internet connection and retrieve their document. This is still safe because you have to have a login and password to access your Google Docs. No more excuses about the file being on a computer someone else is using. No more excuses about not being able to finish an assignment because your student is at Grandma’s house.

You can “share” a Google Doc

By “sharing” you send out a link to the document to specific people. You can give these people “read-only” access or you can add them as a collaborator. You can share the document with multiple people. If your student has a story they want to share with their friends and family, it’s as easy as adding those people to the share list.

Collaborator feature

The collaborator feature is where I find the most power in using Google Docs. When my student writes a report or submits an assignment, I have them share the document with me as a collaborator. Then I can go in the document and comment, highlight problems and much more. This way we have an active editing and correcting process. There are no lost papers or lost corrections.

So How Do You Get Started Using Google Docs?

First, you and your student(s) need to activate a Google Docs account. The account is completely free. If you already use another Google service such as Gmail, your user name and password will be the same. If you have never used any other Google application, you will need to sign up with your user name and password.

This is the link for Google Docs: http://docs.google.com/

Please feel free to use the comment feature on this post to ask any additional questions you may have about using Google Docs in your homeschool.

Using Magic Tree House Books in your Homeschool

If you are a parent of elementry aged students, you have probably already heard about Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House Series so you can probably skip the next section (FYI Mary Pope Osborne has some other books that are ideal for classical homeschools but I’ll save that for a later post).

If you haven’t heard about the series, let me give you a brief introduction:

The Magic Tree House series is about a brother and sister who have magic adventures based on a particular subject, usually based in history, literature or science. These adventures are historically or scientifically accurate based on Osborne’s careful research about the subject. I would estimate they’re geared around the 3rd – 5th grade reading level. I also read them aloud to younger ages or use them as a read aloud to develop reading.

But, the Magic Tree House Series resources don’t end at the book. They have developed a free website that complements the series at http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/series.html.

Each book has a list of additional reading and resources and a teacher’s guide.

The site also contains  a “passport” program which encourages children to read the series with the reward of printing out a stamp for their Magic Tree House Passport Book every time they complete the book and answer a small series of questions about the book correctly.

How do I use the Magic Tree House series in my homeschool?

Because the Magic Tree House series is topic oriented, I can pick one of the books to complement the science or history subject we are covering.  For example, my 4th grader and I have just studied the Vikings in history so she is reading Magic Tree House book #15, Viking Ships at Sunrise. By combining history and literature, I reinforce the subject we have studied with literature.

Below I have created a quick reference table that relates the subject of the Magic Tree House book to general science or history:

Animals

Subject Book # Title Research Guides Student Resources Teacher’s Guide Purchase
Dinosaurs 1 Dinosaurs Before Dark Dinosaurs Passport Page Prehistoric Times Amazon
Sabertooth Tigers 7 Sunset of the Sabertooth n/a Passport Page Prehistoric Times Amazon
Dolphins 9 Dolphins at Daybreak Dolphins and Sharks Passport Page Water and Space Amazon
Lions 11 Lions at Lunchtime n/a Passport Page Natural Habitats Amazon
Polar Bears 12 Polar Bears Past Bedtime n/a Passport Page Natural Habitats Amazon
Tigers 19 Tigers at Twilight n/a Passport Page Natural Habitats Amazon
Dingoes 20 Dingoes at Dinnertime n/a Passport Page Natural Habitats Amazon
Gorillas 26 Good Morning, Gorillas n/a Passport Page Natural Habitats Amazon

Places

Subject Book # Title Research Guides Student Resources Teacher’s Guide Purchase
Amazon River 6 Afternoon on the Amazon Rain Forests Passport Page Natural Habitats Amazon
Moon 8 Midnight on the Moon Space Passport Page Water and Space Amazon
Hawaii 28 High Tide in Hawaii n/a Passport Page Exotic Lands Amazon

History

Time Period Subject Book # Title Research Guides Student Resources Teacher’s Guide Purchase
~1300BC Ancient Egypt 3 Mummies in the Morning Mummies and Pyramids Passport page Ancient Worlds Amazon
~250BC Ancient China 14 Day of the Dragon King n/a Passport Page n/a Amazon
776 BC-393AD Ancient Greece 16 Hour of the Olympics n/a Passport Page Ancient Worlds Amazon
~80BC Roman Empire 13 Vacation Under the Volcano n/a Passport Page Ancient Worlds Amazon
~1000AD Vikings 15 Viking Ships at Sunrise n/a Passport Page Warriors on the Sea and Land Amazon
Middle Ages 2 The Knight at Dawn Knights and Castles Passport page Warriors on the Sea and Land Amazon
1600-1700 AD/CE Japanese Ninjas 5 Night of the Ninjas n/a Passport page Warriors on the Sea and Land Amazon
~1600 Shakespeare 25 Stage Fright on a Summer Night n/a Passport Page World of William Shakespeare Amazon
1621 Thanksgiving 27 Thanksgiving on Thursday n/a Passport Page America’s Past Amazon
1560-1720 AD/CE Pirates 4 Pirates Past Noon Pirates Passport page Warriors on the Sea and Land Amazon
1775–1783 Revolutionary War 22 Revolutionary War on Wednesday n/a Passport Page Fighting For Freedom Amazon
1861–1865 Civil War 21 Civil War on Sunday n/a Passport Page America’s Past Amazon
~1870 The Prairie/Tornadoes 23 Twister on Tuesday Twisters Passport Page Natural Disasters Amazon
The American West 18 Buffalo Before Breakfast n/a Passport Page America’s Past Amazon
The American West 10 Ghost Town at Sundown n/a Passport Page America’s Past Amazon
1906 San Francisco Earthquake 24 Earthquake in the Early Morning n/a Passport Page Natural Disasters Amazon
1912 Titanic 17 Tonight on the Titanic Titanic Passport Page America’s Past Amazon

Great Homeschool Resource: DonnaYoung.org

One extremely valuable homeschool resource I use over and over again is Donna Young’s site appropriately called http://donnayoung.org/index.htm.

Along with her own homeschooling wisdom and advice, she has designed and uploaded all kinds of free homeschool related printables (in pdf format) . The site is very clean and well organized. Some of the subjects are curriculum specific such as the Apologia Science area that includes printable labs and schedules.

I’ve created a basic list of of Donna Young’s website content below:

What is Classical Education?

If you’ve just started homeschooling, or are still pretty new to the homeschooling community, you’ve probably heard the terms “classical education” or “classically educating” or discussions about the classical approach to homeschooling.

So let me briefly define the term as it applies to modern homeschooling:

Classical education refers to an education approach that recognizes a three phase learning process call the trivium. The trivium consists of the grammar stage, the logic stage and the rhetoric stage which corresponds with the age/grade level of the child. This education method usually works through the history of the world chronologically and ties in most other subjects with the study of history, especially literature.

My journey to classical education

I didn’t discover the classical approach until I had homeschooled my own children a little over three years. We starting homeschooling using public school textbooks but I began to notice how redundant the books were. Each year the next grade level added a only little more knowledge and everything was very generic. We were all bored.

During this time, I joined a homeschool support group and some of the ladies were discussing a book they had found very helpful. The book was called The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. I purchased the book and it has been my homeschooling “spine” every since.

When I say this book is my homeschooling “spine” I am saying I use it as a constant reference. This book thoroughly describes the classical approach to homeschooling and it goes much further. It is full of resources, curriculum suggestions, book lists by time period and so much more.

Here’s a couple of places you can purchase it online. Sometimes Amazon offers used books for a little cheaper but I would recommend getting the most current version since there are so many curriculum choices and books listed in the book.

From Christian Books:
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, Revised and Updated Third Edition by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

From Amazon.com:
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition)

Still confused?

In the simplest form, classical education recognizes three stages of learning call “the trivium.”

Stage 1 The Grammar Stage (typically 1st through 4th grade)
This is the stage for learning facts. Most kids love memorizing at this age and generally don’t question what they’re learning.

Stage 2 The Logic Stage (typically 5th through 8th grade)
This is the stage students begin to wonder why. The facts aren’t enough anymore, they want to understand the process and/or the reasons.

Stage 3 The Rhetoric Stage (typically 9th through 12th grade)
By this stage the student is ready to defend what  they know and understand.

Now these are very basic explanations. Personally I used the classical method very loosely. I do notice that for the most part, my younger kids don’t really care why, they just want to know “what.” I And, I definitely noticed a defining moment between the logic stage and the rhetoric stage. A student still in the logic stage gets very frustrated when asked to do rhetorical tasks.

These stages often help me understand how much information to give my students. I find a lot of parents, such as myself, make the mistake of pushing a student beyond their phase and that is where a lot of frustrations can start. If you grammar stage child is excelling, give them more facts, don’t start pushing logic on them before they are ready.

What I love the most about the classical method – relating subjects

Though I’ve transformed from a strict classical home educator to a casual classical home educator, there is one element of classical education I will always recommend. A classical education relates subjects. For example, the basic method of a typical classical curriculum involved covering world history over the course of four year, beginning with ancient and ending with modern times. This cycle is repeated in every stage so the student gets a complete world history three times over the course of their education. You connect literature with the time period you are covering in history.

For example:

If you are studying Ancients times

Your grammar student will be reading (or you will be reading to them) Tales of the Greek Heroes
Your logic student will read Rosemary Sutcliffe’s Black Ships Before Troy: A Retelling of the Iliad
Your rhetoric  student will read Homer’s The Iliad

I can’t count how many times that my children have been able to associate historical fact with a book from the time period or about the time period.

Classical curriculum

First things first, if you purchase the The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, you’ll be able to put your own curriculum package (grammar, math, history, literature, science etc.) together based on the books suggestions. It’s a lot of footwork and you’ll need to work up your own schedule but you can really adapt your homeschool to your children and lifestyle. A lot of the literature books can be picked up at the library and you can save money by buying used curriculum.

But, a lot of people appreciate curriculum that is already scheduled for them. The good news is several publishers offer curriculum that is based on classical education methods. In fact, many of these companies offer full curriculum choices, also known as “school in a box.”

Some great comprehensive classically based curriculums to check out:

  • Sonlight comprehensive homeschool curriculum for grades K-12, can be ordered as “school in a box”
  • Tapestry of Grace/Digital Edition: Year 1 classically styled curriculum that works for all age level. Great for homeschools with multiple grade levels.

The Definition of a Homeschool

I thought I’d begin this blog by defining what a homeschool is. Below I have pasted an extended technical definition I worked up of the term homeschool. It’s a work in progress but I think it captures the general spirit of the term.

Homeschool

Most spell checking software recognizes homeschool as a misspelled word. The software suggests splitting the word into two words, “home school,” or even hyphenating the word “home-school.” But, spelling homeschool as one word is grammatically correct. Families who choose to homeschool prefer this spelling.

A homeschool is an educational lifestyle outside of public or private school in which a parent or guardian directs the education of a minor child or children.

One word or two words, what’s the big deal?

When home and school are split to make two words, home becomes an adjective of school. This implies that the school is in a home. It also implies that the home school is run in the form of a traditional school. This definition is too narrow. Traditional schools are very scheduled, especially in older grades where students travel from class to class. All of the students in a class study the same curriculum. Teachers answer to administrators. Administrators answer to school districts and so on.

When the words are combined, homeschool becomes a movement instead of a format and location. Not all homeschoolers homeschool in their home and most do not follow a traditional school day format. State laws vary but most homeschoolers have the freedom to choose what curriculum they want to follow. Children in the same household may or may not follow the same curriculum. The homeschool schedule also varies. Some homeschools are spontaneous and others are very structured. Most homeschools end up somewhere in between. Homeschoolers cherish the freedom to educate their child or children in the way they feel is best.

What about online learning?

It is important to differentiate online learning and independent study from homeschooling. A child who does school at home through a virtual academy or independent study program is not homeschooled. Instead, they do school at home. This is an important difference. Their education is not directed by the parent or guardian. It is directed by the school or virtual academy the child is enrolled in.

What is not defined by the term homeschool?

The term homeschool does not define anything beyond parent or guardian led education outside of a public or private school. Homeschool does not define a method or approach. It does not define a location or a particular religious view or lifestyle. People of all races, religions, social and economic backgrounds, and education levels choose to homeschool.

Where did the homeschool movement come from?

The term homeschool has been around for only a few decades but the concept of homeschool is much older. Before the 1850’s, most children were homeschooled including many famous Americans such as John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin. In the late 19th century, states began adopting compulsory attendance laws and school shifted from the homeschool to public and private institutions.

Most experts agree that the modern homeschooling movement began with the increasing distrust of the establishment during the 1960’s. These modern homeschooling pioneers questioned traditional learning and sought better academic methods for their children. In the early 1980’s, evangelical Christians became interested in the homeschooling movement as a way to teach their faith to their children outside of secular schools.

The homeschool movement continues to grow an estimated 5-12% a year. Approximately 1.9 to 2.5 million children were homeschooled in 2008-09. As the numbers continue to grow, homeschooling will become recognized as a mainstream form of education.

Sources:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/homeschool/index.asp
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/PoliticsofSurvival.asp