Tomorrow is our first day of school. I feel mostly prepared, but tonight, as I was sitting here trying to get the last minute items organized, I realized I didn't have a way to organize our supplies. We complete our lessons around a table in the living room/homeschool room, and there are no desks or pencil cases anywhere to be seen. So I took the small mountain of school supplies and a kitchen utensil organizer I had on hand and got to work getting myself organized. ...
Homeschooling
DIY Sewing Cards
My youngest is now 4 years-old, and that means we start pre-school. While I began collecting items for our homeschool at Just Between Friends last spring, there are some items I have chosen to make myself. Sewing Cards were an easy place to start. Pre-Schoolers Need Sewing Cards While to some, a sewing card may just look like a quiet activity to get your pre-schooler to focus, there is a lot more going on there. The use of sewing cards strengthens the wrist and tiny fingers ...
Summer Reading – Something for Everyone
Summer Reading - A Little Something for Everyone When you think about summer reading and your child, the goal should be to read for enjoyment more than anything else. Books can be at grade level, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with reading an “easy” book if your child enjoys it. Encourage your children to read anything they can get their hands on, regardless of genre – comic books, folk tales, poetry, plays, fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, fairy tales, picture ...
Homeschooling Parents: Give Yourself Grace
To all of the homeschooling/cyber schooling parents: Give yourself grace. Homeschooling your child(ren), even with a cyber school, is a challenge. There is a lot of work for them, and for you. There is a learning curve as you get used to the technology, courses, and teachers. It takes a while to get your feet under you, and to feel completely confident in what you are doing. Its normal. We now have 2 years under our belt, but the best advice I was given was if the shit hits the fans ...
IKEA Hack of the MÅLA Easel
Recently, I wandered the showroom at IKEA and found the MÅLA easel – a basic children’s easel where one side is a wipe-off board, and the other side is a chalkboard – for $14.99! I couldn’t believe it! Brand new, and still cheaper than what I was used to seeing at consignment sales for a wooden framed easel. **The MÅLA easel is also available through Amazon if you don't have an IKEA near you. There was only one catch – I really wanted at least one surface to be magnetic, ...