Planning

Wow... May is gone and June is here! The summer is going by so quickly already. I find my mind wandering off to thoughts of school next year. What will we do? How can I make things run smoother? What did I not do last year that would have been beneficial to the kids/myself? I'm sure many of you have the same goals for school to operate better each year.I recently ran across some tips that I thought I would share... maybe at least one of us will benefit from these:
1) set goals for each child (intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social... see Luke 2:52)
2) determine what will be covered this year
3) get appropriate materials to accomplish goals
4)  decide on school schedule
     -will you school year round or will you follow the public school schedule?
    - maybe you will be nontraditional and school 6-8 weeks on and 1 week off (afterall we can all do something for 6-8 weeks)
5) look over material... decide what you will use and what you will not.
6) divide material by number of weeks/days
7) schedule in some "down" time
    - there will be tough days, sick days, great weather days, laundry catch-up days, etc.
8) lay your framework - (math on MTTHF, science on MWF, etc)
9) lesson plan
10) keep records
   - if you grade papers/test: keep grades
   - this can also be where you keep a list of books read, skills acquired
   - cost of materials and where purchased for reference
I hope this information helps someone to be better organized for school next year. Until that time enjoy your summer break!

The little things add up quick

As parents and mothers we all know how quickly the little things add up! For example how does one outfit became a mound of clothing? Well I have found something that add up just as quick, but doesn't add work to your day. It's called SWAGBUCKS! Swagbucks is a search engine that earns points. So the next time you need to look up something; just go through your swagbucks account and maybe you will earn points for it. I save my points to redeem Amazon gift cards. For every 450 points you earn you can redeem a $5 gift card. Since January I have earned $35 in Amazon gift cards! It is great and I just thought maybe some of you would be interested in checking it out for yourself. Click on the link above and it will take you to the sign up site.

Curriculum Night

I am not sure about the rest of you, but I am excited about Monday night at Meghan's house. Oh to have a night to hang out, chit chat, and look through the plethora of curriculums that others have used. It almost makes my giddy inside! :) I am a knowledge junkie and can't get enough on certain things... one of those being curriculums. There, now all of you know one of my little secrets. hehe!
What kind of homeschool family are you? Did you know that there are many methods or philosophies of homeschooling? I'll be honest, I did not, until last year when I began to research for the girls 1st curriculum. Wow I was fascinated! Being brought up in a traditional public school I assumed there was only one real way to learn. With that said, I am so glad that my kids are being given a chance to have a one of a kind education based on their needs. So for those who are interested or maybe just do not know (like me) here are some/most of the homeschooling methods/philosophies. I hope  you find yourself in this just like I did. It has been a help for me in choosing curriculums.

1. The Classical Method- follows the Trivium- check out Susan Wise Bauer
2. The Literature Based Method- examples include Sonlight & WinterPromise
3. The Workbox Method- less philosphy more practicality- system
4. The Leadership Education Method- also called Thomas Jefferson Education
5. The Eclectic Education- mix of methods
6. The Traditional Method- textbooks, worksheets,etc.- ex: Abeka, Rod & Staff
7. The Unit Study Method- examples: KONOS, 5 in a Row
8. The Charlotte Mason Method- ex: Ambleside online
9. The Unschooling Method- interest-led learning, relaxed schooling- 5 steps

I myself fall into the Electic category. I am very structured in certain areas and much more free in others. I hope this helps those who need more information to find the path that is the best for them. There is a great blog about this on simple homeschool that includes more information.

The Homeschool Budget

With this year more than half way over, thoughts of next year lingering in our minds, and the homeschool convention quickly approaching; I thought I would post about the $$$ associated with homeschooling. For each family the amount we spend on our schooling varies greatly. That is one of the things that make homeschooling so great... we determine what works for our family! Today I wanted to talk about homeschooling on a tight budget. As most of you have seen curriculums can be quite expensive, but when we think outside the box it can costs much less. Using all the many resources available will enable you to cut the cost tremendously. Below are a couple of websites that address the issues of homeschooling on a budget. I hope you find some of this information helpful to you/someone you know. I have read articles on some of the sights but not all. Some may not be christian sites, but may have a good resource for school. Stay up late, send the kids to grandma, or just take a break and check it out. Oh and don't forget to scan through the comments... somtimes that is where the best tips are!

• smockityfrocks
• homeschoolingmommaof4
• thefrugalfind

I know that there are so many more sites that talk about this topic. This is a good place to start. Enjoy!

Banish The Winter Blues

At simplehomeschool.net (a new homeschool blog) they have given a list of 6 ways to banish the winter blues. So if you are all struggling to get schoolwork done maybe these 6 tips will help. They are...

1. Get Outside
2. Break out of the Rut
3. Rethink your priorities
4. Follow the Spark
5. Look for Something you can Learn Together
6. Keep Believing in Yourself

They have gone more in depth on the website if you are interested in reading more.

More on Organization

Sara's post reminded me of an email I received earlier this week from Home Educating Family. The Well Planned Day 2010-2011 planner is available for pre-released sale at 20% off. That is a cost of $19.95 before shipping. I have never ordered this planner before, but am seriously considering it for next year. Here are a few things it contains:

• organize and plan for up to 4 kids
• plan field trips, enrichment activities, and books to read
• plan weekly meals & perforated shopping list
• read through the bible in a year
• can be bought as a printed version or a PDF download

If you have used this before I would love some feedback. Did you like it? Have you found a better planner?
These planners are also available in The Well-Grounded Middle Schooler and The Well-Guided High Schooler for those of you who are looking for something to help your kids stay a little more organized.

let's talk organization

Anyone do this... www.workboxsystem.com ?

I'm strongly considering reorganizng into this system and wanted feedback on it.

Right now, I have most of the everyday school contained pretty well, but it would be nice for my kids to have more independence in getting work done, and this system looks like it would foster that. (maybe :)

The New Blog

 Here it is ladies! The Veritas blog is running and ready for us all to share our words of wisdom with one another. This will be a place we can posts helpful tips for the rest of our co-op families. Maybe you are a veteran and can offer helpful tips for a newbie, or possibly you love to cook and  have some incredible recipes to share with those who are only in the kitchen as a necessity, or maybe it is a possibility that one of you has figured out how to make home and school run smoothly (if so, please share). We want to support and help one another through this blog. Please help me in making this a very helpful tool to our homeschooling success!