August 18th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Terri

5 Must-Have, No-Cost Resources for Homeschooling

These past two years have not been easy ones for many Americans, that’s for sure. With businesses downsizing and laying off staff, many loyal employees find themselves out of work. With the bursting of the real estate bubble, many hard-working homeowners find themselves in a house they can no longer afford to keep and yet can neither afford to sell. We live in hard times, but often it is these very hard times that generate the most creative thinking. As they say… Necessity is the mother of invention. I believe that was first spoken by Plato. Or you could say… “Invention is the mother of necessity.” Thorstein Veblen, the author of that quote, was a U.S. economist and social philosopher who lived during the latter portion of the 19th century until the Great Depression. He lived in times not unlike our own. Swift change can cause turmoil.

So, if invention and creativity is spurred on by necessity or difficulty (and vice versa), then now is a great time to look for and use no-cost resources that will serve us well during this economic downturn.

There are many of you who cannot afford homeschooling curriculum this year. Does that mean that you should put your children into public school? No, what it means is that it is time to get creative, even inventive, when it comes to our children’s education.

And this is your place to start. I am going to share with you my top 5 “must-have” homeschooling resources that won’t cost you a dime. Bookmark each of these sites and refer to them often as you prepare and teach your children during this upcoming school year.

5 Must-Have No-Cost Resources

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Are you homeschooling a high schooler?

This year is bittersweet for me as my oldest completely homeschooled child is entering her senior year.  I can remember clearly my trepidation when we began this high school adventure 3 years ago as it was all new to me.

Now, she is a beautiful, confident high school senior who is taking courses at the local community college and getting ready to graduate.  Wow, time flies and it won’t be long before my little bird flies from my homeschool nest.  I approach this final year with her as my student with a sense of sadness, but also with tremendous joy!  What an accomplishment we will soon celebrate!

Are you thinking about high school?  Or perhaps feeling muddled in the middle of it all.  Here are two links to provide encouragement for you and some resources that will make the way smoother.  God bless you in your journey!

Homeschooling Through High School

Upper Level Homeschool

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May 20th, 2010 / 20 Comments » / by Terri

People ask me all the time what we do that allows us to work from home and enjoy many of the freedoms and benefits that come along with that.  So, I decided to hold a free webinar where I share with you my 8 step formula for a profitable online business.

You can watch the recording here:

http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/8StepsRevised/

If you want to sign up for the 4 week course that starts tomorrow – Friday, May 21st – then you will need to do so quickly, because the doors close tonight.  You can check it out here:

http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/8steps.html

And, if you want to enter our drawing to win (1) free course, we’ll be giving that away later today at 4:00PT.  To enter, just leave a comment that tells us what sounds beneficial about the course and why you would like to participate.  Make sure that you leave some way for us to contact you, in case you are the winner.  That’s it!

You need to comment today in order to enter our drawing.  You may comment here or on our Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/KnowledgeQuest

Hope to see you on Friday!

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May 13th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Terri

Just a heads up… we’re offering free media mail shipping between now and May 25th at the Knowledge Quest website – www.KnowledgeQuestMaps.com.  Is there something on your wish list?  Is it heavy?  Now might be the time to order.

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May 4th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Terri

5  Ideas for mixing it up this spring.

I love this time of year as the many flowering trees bloom in succession.  We are now enjoying the dogwood explosion and it is a beautiful sight to see in the Northwest.

I am the first to admit that it gets really hard to “do school” at this time of year.  When the sun comes out and warms up our porch, we just naturally gravitate to the outdoors.  That is also one of the reasons why I love homeschooling… we don’t have to sit at desks and tables in order to learn.  So, let’s think outside of the box!

This is a great time to do something new and/or different.  I’ll provide a list of fun spring activities in just a moment, but first let me share some of the things that we have been doing at the Johnson house.

Last Friday, we enjoyed a wonderful Colonial feast.  We have been studying the colonial time period, so we wanted to celebrate with an historical feast that will go down in the memory banks.  Here are a couple of pictures:

As you can see from the top picture, we like to dress up!  It just makes the occasion so fun.  Even the grandparents come in costume!  We had grand amusement making the “powdered wigs” for the event.  Our girls looked like little statesmen!

In the bottom picture, we are enjoying our first course of New England Clam Chowder and Maple Wheaten Bread.  Later, we served up some hasty pudding, rosemary potato cakes and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Of course, we washed it all down with “Liberty Tea”.

Other activities that we are enjoying this spring are building a weather station, watching caterpillars transform into butterflies and planting a garden.

What can you do to liven up your spring studies?

Here are some ideas for you:

1. Start a nature notebook. Kids naturally love to draw.  Buy your children individual notebooks – even if just at the dollar store – that can be designated for a nature journal.  Then, spend some time outdoors – taking hikes, going to the park, playing in the yard – and bring the journals along with you.  Encourage them to draw the interesting things that they discover – a bird’s nest, a caterpillar on a leaf, a wildflower…
2. Build a weather station. We’ve been studying the colonial time period and found out that Benjamin Franklin had a fascination for all kinds of weather – not just lightning storms.   You can build a homemade rain gauge, barometer, hygrometer, weather vane, anemometer and compass.  Here’s a site with instructions – http://www.fi.edu/weather/todo/todo.html.
3. Plant a garden. Even if you do not have a large plot for a garden, you can buy or build raised garden boxes and plant some herbs and vegetables for your family’s summertime eating pleasure.  We actually have plenty of room of a large garden, but still prefer raised beds because it cuts down on the weeding that we have to do.   Alternately, you can plant a flower garden that your family will enjoy all summer long.
4. Build a chicken coop. More and more families are choosing to grow and raise their own food.  Friends of mine that raise chickens say that they are a good first farm animal and don’t require a great deal of effort – that is, after the coop is built.  Do you have teenage boys?  This might be a good project for them.
5. Buy Painted Lady caterpillars online and watch them form their chrysalis and become beautiful butterflies that you can release out into your yard. We purchased ours here – http://earthsbirthday.org/good-green-butterflies/.

That’s it.  Enjoy your week!  Get out there and enjoy nature and maybe I’ll see you online at the Homeschool Expo this week.  I hope so!

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April 28th, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by Terri

Quick Ideas for Making History Fun!
By Cindy Rushton
2010 Ultimate Homeschool Expo

Want to make the new school year better than ever? Want studies that are interesting for the whole family? I think I can help you!

How about some quick tips for making your history studies fun? I think you will find these to make lessons fun and easy. Let’s dig in…

* Get Out to See History as Much as Possible…  Hunt up any Living History Days scheduled in your area.  Get out to all historical sites and museums…even hands-on children’s museums. Don’t miss any historical reenactments and plays within driving distance! These all give wonderful opportunities to get your children in touch with those that love History and know it best.

*  Begin a History Notebook… This is the cure to dull, lifeless texts.  Let your children create their own notebooks of study! Include anything from great quotes to poetry to pictures to sketches to newspaper clippings to photographs to mementos from history sites, reenactments and postcards from friends to narrations from books read.  These personalized curricula will bring life into all areas of study.

* Tap Into Grandparents, Elderly, Family, and Friends… Our family and friends have been a key source of finding out neat stories that are not recorded in the history books. Sitting at their feet, we have learned many details from history that would be long lost without the gift of story telling. The key to making this come alive is to listen and record their stories for your History Notebooks. Keep this part of history alive for you and for generations to come!

* Find Treasures at Antique Stores… One of our favorite past-times is “junking” at antique stores, junk shops and flea markets.  Take your time to find wonderful treasures from the past, which will breathe life into your History studies.  You can find journals, uniforms, books, dress up clothes, and even play gadgets to make history come alive for your little ones!

* Let the Little Ones Make Up Their Own Costumes… I have always enjoyed researching and creating authentic costumes from other time periods.  I used to have more time and energy to create costumes for every time period we studied.  Now, my children are using their extra time and endless supply of energy to create their own costumes.  I love to see them as they pull together little things from around the house to create their own costumes!

* Let Them Make Doll Clothes… This tangent began for us when my daughter got her first American Girl doll.  We combined my love of creating authentic doll clothes with my deep passion for making doll clothes.  Each year for the past five years, I have spent time each December creating matching outfits for Elisabeth and her dolls.  This is easy to do with today’s patterns.  Just take basic designs and create your own “historical” costumes for the dolls.  If you have a beginning seamstress interested in some quick projects, this would be a wonderful way to learn the basics of sewing while learning History!

* Make a Timeline…Timelines are priceless!  We have had two different kinds of timelines for our studies in History.  We had a huge one that took up an entire wall in our old home. It was fascinating to watch the little ones as they would “review” and “test” each other on history as they went by! When we built our home, my husband would not allow that one back on the wall, so we made our own Book of Centuries on our computer, which includes all of our history facts. We simply developed a notebook with the dates marked.  We record key events, people we study and the key events of their life, our family’s key events, illustrations which remind the children of those historical figures and events, pictures that the children have collected from books and trips that we have taken, information from our Computer Encyclopedias and Internet Sites, and even charts we have collected or made ourselves. These are another “text” that we create about our studies. How priceless!

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Need MORE Help?

How about the ULTIMATE mom-time? Yep! Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2010! Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, the very first online homeschool convention. She is recording Preview Chats for the 2010 Ultimate Homeschool Convention RIGHT NOW! Join her wonderful guests FREE as they count down to the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (May 3-7, 2010–BUT! NEVER ENDING because it is an ONLINE Convention!). Check out all of the details here:

http://www.cindysaffiliates.com/go.php?offer=knowledgeq&pid=29

2010 Ultimate Homeschool Expo

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April 24th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Terri

And if it doesn’t load, you can follow this link here:
KQ 2010 Survey

We’d like to give you a 20% coupon code when you take our 3 minute survey.  Thank you!

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April 23rd, 2010 / 5 Comments » / by Terri

Quick Tips For the Perpetually Late, Disorganized, Stressed Out Mom!
By Cindy Rushton
Ultimate Homeschool Expo

Does this SPEAK to you?  Nothing is more frustrating than great intentions but failure with the time management, organization, and gentle spirit thing!  So, what can REALLY help? Need a bit of hope?  Practical ideas? Well, beloved, here are a few tips that have made a world of difference for me:

–>    Be sure to slow down and have a quiet time EACH DAY! Take time for God to fill YOUR cup each day. Let Him give you HIS peace, order, and best of all, schedule!  Take time to hear HIS plans for your day.  Throughout the day, listen to His gentle direction.  Be sure that you are willing to let go of the things that God wants to prune away. Without this, all else is only a band-aid!

–>    Invest in a Planner! I am the world’s worst at trying to do it all while trying desperately to remember those incredible details that are doomed to slip my brain! I decided to take a long, honest look at the things that were creating chaos. Most often, the biggest culprit was overcommitment or an underestimate of time involved with commitments. Writing down ALL commitments, along with an honest look at the time commitment involved (even going and coming OR planning the details around that commitment!), has made an indescribable impact on my life! Not to mention, another breeder of chaos in my life was constantly looking for information that needed to be in a dependable place like phone numbers, ordering information, etc. Keeping ONE binder with my information included eliminates the chaos, but it does even more! It gives my brain a rest!

–>    Evaluate to find the BEST that God has designed for YOU to do!  Sure, there are many “little things” that must be done to manage our homes, but if you are really struggling with balance, discipline yourself to write down everything that you are doing for a little while.  Pray over the importance of each and every thing. Time is so very precious. God gives us everything that we need to do all that He has designed for us to do, but He will not anoint those things that will choke out His best for our lives. So, really pray through…think through…weigh out everything. Listen to God for HIS goals for you.  Prune those things that are not in line with His goals for you. Get rid of any time wasters. Prioritize every activity, every day! Combine activities that can be done together to make the most of time. Delegate those things that others can do to help you be a good steward of your time. Then, make the most of your time doing the very best things that God has designed for you to do!

–>    Write IT down! Yep! Give your brain a break!  This may seem to compound your problem, but trust me this will help more than you know! It is NOT another thing to do! Rather, once things are written down, the work is done FOR you! For example, keeping a calendar of events in your planner will help to alleviate conflicts in your schedule. Blocking off plenty of time for each entry will help you to give yourself enough margin left over for LIFE! I may live less than five miles from downtown, but if there is an appointment there, I KNOW to give myself 30 minutes to get there! Also, I cannot tell you how much my lists from years ago are beginning to really help me! I have lists for school lessons, shopping, traveling, producing the magazines, speaking, etc. I may have to add to my generic list, but I cannot tell you how many times my lists have helped me to be sure that NOTHING was left out or forgotten. Plus, now the planning process is simplified.  I just pull out my list, go over the list, add anything that is missing, and get busy! Several of my lists are typed into my computer, ready to print. Talk about EASY planning! Find ways that you can simplify what you are doing—writing it down will probably be one of your first steps too!

–>    Keep your STUFF ready to use! Whether your planner or your purse or even your Bible/journal for church, get things together and in their special spot, ready to go.  I have a tote that includes all of the things that I need for Church. I keep it together, ready to go. Our school books stay in a milk crate (one for each child), ready to use at the table or to grab for our trips with the business. Everything that we need is ready at all times. My planner stays at my chair, ready to grab to leave the house. So on. Decide on what you need for planning, church, homeschooling, or your business. Get everything together. Find its very best spot for it to be easy to use, but not in the way or forgotten.  You will be surprised at how much stress this will alleviate!

–>    Put limits on your day! For years, I battled the different aspects of my day that tend to become monsters! Funny thing, I have never seen my family life ever become one of those monsters. My sweetheart and my children are so much more patient than my nasty kitchen! Memories will always wait for schoolwork to be completed. Laughter will always let the business monster rant and rage! The best (but most difficult) lesson of my life to date was that if I wanted the legacy that God had planned for me, then I had to diligently guard the different aspects of life. I had to consciously purpose to make memories and build relationships with those I love much, much more than a clean house or thriving business or successful homeschool. A whole day can zoom by just on the internet with the business…or working through our lessons…or even re-organizing a closet. Plus, those things wear me down till I am completely zapped! Oh, and then, I am not the nicest person on earth! (ouch—confessions hurt!)  While these things are precious and wonderful in their boundaries, I have to CONSTANTLY place limits to insure that we have a balanced life that makes the most of each day AND builds a legacy.

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Need MORE Help?

How about the ULTIMATE mom-time? Yep! Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2010! Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, the very first online homeschool convention. She is recording Preview Chats for the 2010 Ultimate Homeschool Convention RIGHT NOW! Join her wonderful guests FREE as they count down to the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (May 3-7, 2010–BUT! NEVER ENDING because it is an ONLINE Convention!). Check out all of the details here:

Get your ticket for the Ultimate Homeschool Expo here – http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/uhse10.html

By the way, I’ll be speaking on these subjects at the Expo:

1. Choosing the Best Curriculum for Your Family

2. Teaching Geography the Easy Way

3. Juggling Business While Homeschooling

4. Teaching the Multi-Grade Homeschool

Would you like to listen in for free?  Join our Facebook page and get all of the details there:

http://www.facebook.com/KnowledgeQuest

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April 22nd, 2010 / No Comments » / by Terri

I just got an email from my friend, Cindy Rushton.  She is “pumped” about her Ultimate Homeschool Expo resource library.  Actually, she is so excited about it that she has just shared a sneak peek into her Membership Site.

You see one of the neat things about the Ultimate Homeschool Expo is that everything is ONLINE as more than a convention–it is the ULTIMATE homeschool resource library.

With every online event that Cindy plans, she builds a private, exclusive Membership Site that includes everything from the UHSE in one place–it has audios (from all of the sessions and from the bonus gifts that her speakers give to us), ebooks, complete unit study guides, articles, printable notebooking pages, cookbooks, on and on. I can’t believe all of the things that we receive for only $39.95. It is truly ULTIMATE!

Anyway, back to the reason that I am sharing with you…

Cindy just sent me permission to give you a sampler of one of her free gifts that is included on the Membership Site. I am so excited to give it to you! It is a audio and ebook set that she actually sells on her website, but she is giving away on the Membership Site. Here is the into:

A Quick Start for Notebooking Mini-Set!

Need ideas for encouraging your young writers and QUICK?  Ready for a FUN way to encourage your most reluctant writer to write AND like it??? This fun-filled, hands-on workshop is one that you simply CANNOT miss!!  Cindy Rushton, who has become known through the years as THE BINDER QUEEN, uses Notebooking for EVERYTHING! She will show you how to begin whether your child is a toddler or the most skeptical high schoolers.  This workshop is sure to light a fire that will equip YOU to help your children deepen their studies and document learning all along the way! TOPICS FOR THIS WORKSHOP INCLUDE: Hey! Do I Have A Chance At This??; Why On Earth Notebook???; Down to the Nitty Gritty…WHAT Do I Need and HOW Do I Do It?; Step-by-Step Through Notebooking; Scrapbooking! YES! You CAN Have Fun Homeschooling; Hey? What is Legal?  What All  Goes Into A Notebook???; Developing FUN Studies That Teach and Inspire!!; Copywork…Answers to ALL of Your Questions; Taking the Writer From Reluctant to Researching; Ideas, Ideas, Ideas, There’s Gotta Be One for You; PLUS Much, Much More! PLUS! Cindy doesn’t stop with the workshop, she also includes the Q/A Session after the workshop AND her handouts/samples of student notebooks. Awesome!

Let’s Try Notebooking Audio Mp3:
(Cindy’s Workshop)
http://www.cindysdesktop.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/TALNotebookingPartOne.mp3

(Questions and Answers)
http://www.cindysdesktop.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/TALNotebookingPartTwo.mp3

Handouts:
http://www.cindyrushton.com/Ebooks/LetsTryNotebooking!.pdf

Samples of Student Notebooks:
http://www.cindyrushton.com/Ebooks/SamplesofStudentNotebooks.pdf

Isn’t that FUN?

You know the saying that a picture captures a thousand words,well…what about a gift like this???  And, just think…this is only ONE of the awesome gifts included on the Membership Site. There are hundreds more!

Take my word for it, you will WANT a ticket to this event and access to all of the wonderful resources. Grab your ticket here:

http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/uhse10.html

By the way, I’ll be speaking at this event.  Here are my topics that I’ll be sharing with you if you come:

1. Choosing the Best Curriculum for Your Family

2. Teaching Geography the Easy Way

3. Juggling Business While Homeschooling

4. Teaching the Multi-Grade Homeschool

I hope that you’ll join us!

http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/uhse10.html

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April 21st, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by Terri

by Cindy Rushton
Ultimate Homeschool Expo

Want to know one of my biggest secrets to homeschooling the easy way? Want to know one of my biggest secrets to scheduling success? This one secret can make your daily schedule finally fit. It can end your scheduling frustrations forever.

I am not a “schedule by the minute” type of person. (GRIN)  I fail with schedules like that. They don’t meet my needs. My life includes too many areas that have different needs daily. Timed schedules just do not work for me.

So, what has worked for me? Setting up a framework to my day. This is one incredibly powerful tip. It can make a HUGE difference in your day as well. It just might be the secret that has alluded you through the years.

Wondering what I mean by a “framework” for your day? By framework, I mean a general flow to each day that includes all of the areas of my life that I juggle. But, how do I do that? Here are some quick tips:

1. Decide what should be included in your daily schedule. Look at what you are all about. Look at your goals, activities, values, priorities. Look at your husband’s schedule–wrap everything around him. Look at what you need to include in your day to get everything done–quiet times, lessons, homemaking, read alouds, work, etc. This is important. Otherwise, you will include things in your schedule that may not be the very best choices. And…one big risk…you may never get around to the things that matter the most. Decide what really needs to be a part of each and every day for your day to be successful.

2. Decide the best time for the tasks you need to complete each day. This will help you get a good flow to your day. For me, quiet times are just best at the beginning of the day. Chores are great right after them–I need them completed so my brain can focus on the table time.  Our business work and errands need to be done in the early afternoon. Read alouds are best before bedtime.  You get the picture. When I tried to read aloud over lunch, we had so many distractions that we could never fit it in. Trying to work the business in the morning would never work…and of course, we couldn’t take care of business errands at night. See how important it is to really look at the best time to get tasks done. Look at the best time for all of the tasks that need to be done. Look at the best flow to get everything done easily each day. You may not get this right at the beginning, but you will get closer and closer each day. You will love it!

3. Balance your day. Don’t let any one area of your life get out of balance. Everything that we do in our day has a tendency to grow into a big time thief–homeschooling, homemaking, home business. Those important aspects of our life can easily grow out of their boundaries. While I love each of them, they can get rather exhausting if we don’t keep them in balance with the other things that we have to do. The best way for me to stay balanced is to be reasonable about what I expect for each day, keep things simplified and easy, and keep everything inside of its time of the day. I don’t mind those days that we want to dig deeper in a topic that we are studying. I also don’t mind those days that we tackle a messy room. I don’t even mind those days that we have a special business project that needs more time. But, if those areas were demanding extra time every day, it would be easy to get burned-out, frustrated and battle with our time each day. Want to make it work? Find a balance for your day.

4. Set up routines. Talk about a HUGE help for me. Without routines, things can get so frustrating every day–there are constant decisions, there is more strife in the family, there is no consistency. Routines help us to make things go faster, without the strife and struggle of figuring things out DAILY. Routines reduce the stress of making decisions daily. Routines help our children to know what to expect so they can move through all of the things that they need to do each day. Routines are crucial. They assure a smooth ride. They keep us on track. They keep us out of the ruts. They take us in the direction that we want to go. One of the toughest things I ever did was develop routines in my home. However, one of the most rewarding things that I ever did was develop routines in my home. When I got very, very sick, everything kept going. During those times that I have been stretched, things kept on going. All because of routines. Set up routines. Then, your children will know what to expect. They will learn what is next and next and next. The decisions will be made for you. They will be able to “just do it” with or without you. Set up routines for your family. Develop one set of routines at a time–look for the time of day that things go haywire. If it is morning, for example, look at all that needs to be done. Brainstorm. Make a to-do list for that routine. Write it out. Work it as a checklist until it becomes a habit. If you see other things that need to be added into that set of routines, add them. Tweak it until it is smooth. Then, move to the next troublespot. Do this for all of the times of your day. Watch to see how much it helps!

5. Prune anything that is not necessary. Truth is, we cannot do everything. What we do in our day keeps us from doing other things. It zaps our time, energy, strength. We need to be picky about what we add to our day. Every single thing that we do costs us something. We need to constantly prune those things that are not necessary. Prune anything that hinders, distracts. Be honest. Be ruthless. Prune. Even the good things! Go for the best!

6. Take the squeeze out of your schedule. Watch out for the squeeze in your schedule. Don’t fill every minute of your day with something to do. Why? Because there are always going to be crisis situations, interruptions, melt-downs, delays. If we have our schedule maxed out, we will constantly be overwhelmed, overworked, and squeezed. Find ways to take the squeeze out of your daily schedule–cut out extra running, watch out for time thieves, prioritize your daily to-do’s (and eliminate any that make the day too tight), cut out extras that are unnecessary, keep the day simple and easy. Keep a relaxed atmosphere. Constantly, take the squeeze out of your daily schedule.

7. Stay flexible! Stay adaptable! Actually, one of the reasons that we really want to develop a framework to our day is so we have more flexibility, so we have more “space” in our day to be adaptable. We want to be able to seize opportunities that come our way. We want to be able to slow down and enjoy our children. We don’t want to miss teachable moments. These days just go by too fast. We want to enjoy every second. We want to make sweet, sweet memories. This requires that we stay flexible and adaptable. So, take the time to develop your own framework to your day. Do the tough work. Get your plans together. Work on these suggestions. Then, stay flexible. Stay adaptable. Grasp on to all that God has in store for you!

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Need MORE Help?

How about the ULTIMATE mom-time? Yep! Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2010! Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, the very first online homeschool convention. She is recording Preview Chats for the 2010 Ultimate Homeschool Convention RIGHT NOW! Join her wonderful guests FREE as they count down to the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (May 3-7, 2010–BUT! NEVER ENDING because it is an ONLINE Convention!). Check out all of the details here:

Ultimate Homeschool Expo

Posted in: Uncategorized

April 20th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Terri

It is Spring! Why Not Begin a Science Notebook?
by Cindy Rushton of Ultimate Homeschool Expo

Today being inside just tortures me! It is STUNNING outside! Even the little birds are begging us to go outside.

Are you like me, dying from “cabin fever” and ready for spring? This is the perfect time to begin Nature Notebooks! Not only will you have an abundance of treasures awaiting your exploration, but these are perfect days to try something fresh. Ready? Let me help…

Chances are you already have many things that could be included in a Science Notebook around your home. Look for those “goodies” that do not have their own special place and add them to your Science Notebooks. This is the perfect opportunity to develop “a place” for those “goodies” while developing a nice product for displaying all the growing knowledge of nature all while your children are keeping special memorabilia! One of the things that I like about using supplies intended for scrapbooking is that there are so many products that enable us to keep bulky materials safely inside of our notebooks. Not to mention, scrapbooking makes EVERY notebook so much cuter! J And…to imagine that we call this “school!”

Want some ideas of things to include in your notebooks???

· Sketches…Don’t forget to include date, time, place, Latin name, and common name. Oh! Don’t forget to document where you found it.

· Snapshots…Don’t forget to journal about your snapshot!

· Pressed flowers, leaves, feathers, butterflies, etc.

· Glossary of terms studied…

· Artwork… (Nature art, original drawings, coloring pages…)

· Diagrams…

· Poetry…

· Information about discoveries…

· Lists of new findings…

· Handouts from trips…

· Narrations from trips, outings, hikes, nature walks, books read about nature or scientists/naturalists…

· Timeline…Mark your excursions, inventions, famous men and women, so on!

· Instruction Sheets on “How to Care for…” or “How to Collect…” etc.

· Booklets…

· Project data…

· Bible verses…

· Journal entries…

· Details from outings…

· Favorite quotes about nature…

· Reading list…

· Research…

· Reports…

· Essays…

· Science experiment logs…

· Notes from any Science study…

You can add a lot of life to your Science Notebooks with special supplies you find along the way! I have found that the little touches have made our notebooks so much more fun and in the process hooked my children.

Encourage your children to use die-cuts, frames, stencils, shapes, and edgings galore to make their notebooks fun and beautiful! My children now beg each weekend to work on our binders/scrapbooks. We have taken these simple skills into other projects for our Science studies such as creating books or booklets…making cards with pressed flowers, sketches, poetry and Scripture verses…and displaying our collections. The key is to just have fun and enjoy making your notebooks all yours!

Happy Notebooking!

Cindy

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