21 Signs You're a Homeschool Resource Junkie
By Heather Idoni
Added Monday, January 19, 2009
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The Homeschooler's Notebook
Encouragement and Advice for Homeschool Families
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Vol. 10 No 5 January 19, 2009
ISSN: 1536-2035
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Copyright (c) 2009 - Heather Idoni, FamilyClassroom.net
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Notes from Heather
-- Are a Homeschool Resource Junkie?
Helpful Tip
-- Activity Prompts for 'Bored' Syndrome
Resource Review
-- The Thinking Toolbox
Reader Question
-- Recommendations for Lapbook Resources?
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
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Notes from Heather
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1. Top Headlines this Week Regarding the CPSIA Fiasco
2. 21 Signs You Are a Homeschool Resource Junkie
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Congress Makes an Attempt to Save Books from Destruction
Chairmen Henry A. Waxman and Bobby L. Rush, together with Senator
John D. Rockefeller, incoming chairman of the Senate Commerce,
Science and Transportation Committee, and Senator Mark L. Pryor,
sent a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission expressing
concerns about implementation of the Consumer Product Safety
Improvement Act of 2008. The letter highlighted four issues of
particular concern and urged the Commission to take swift action
to address critical issues of implementation. They ask for the
exclusion of children's books from testing and also reiterate that
NOTHING has changed to protect libraries and resellers from undue
hardship in complying and destruction of books and other inventory,
including clothing. They ask for an exemption for 'ordinary' books
and clothing that is made strictly of fabric. Read the complete
letter here: http://familyclassroom.net/Congress.pdf
---
Here is an excellent article from Forbes.com about the whole issue:
http://familyclassroom.net/Forbes.html
---
And here is just one homeschool company affected by the new law --
Apologia Elementary Kits to be Entirely Discontinued Due to CPSIA:
http://www.creationsensation.com/MuseumStore/kitsceased.htm
---
Now -- I believe I promised something more on the light side this
issue. My dear friend (Jodi W. in Iowa) found this on Robin
Sampson's blog and she gave me permission to share it with you! :-)
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Hi, I’m Robin and I’m a Homeschool Resource Junkie. I am a
bibliophile. The practice of loving or collecting books is dubbed
bibliophilism, and the adjective form of the term is bibliophilic.
I have a habitual longing to purchase, read, store, admire and
consume books in excess.
I wonder if all homeschool moms are bibliophiles or they become
bibliophiles? I think it a chicken or egg question that will remain
a mystery.
21 Signs You Are a Homeschool Resource Junkie
1. Every wall in your house has a bookshelf and you are contem-
plating how to hang more from the ceiling.
2. You awaken groggy the morning after a curriculum fair, unable
to remember how many you books you bought or how much you spent.
You shake in fear at the thought of looking at the receipts.
3. You order a fourth filing cabinet because the first 3 are
overflowing with curriculum catalogs.
4. The local owners of used bookstores invite you to their kids'
birthday parties.
5. The flash cards fall out of your craft closet and bury your
toddler and large dog.
6. Your night stand is toppling over and there are large tumbling
stacks on the floor with books that, yes, block the path to the
bathroom but give you great comfort and inspiration.
7. You can’t read a full curriculum review on the internet without
clicking through to see if you can afford it.
8. You were on the first waiting list for a Kindle.
9. The librarian greets you with 'Oh, you again!'
10. Your mailman asks for another route because of 'that homeschool
mom and all those book deliveries -- even after you installed the
superduper humongous mailbox, he still can’t fit ALL the packages in.
11. Amazon denies you a renewal of Prime Shipping.
12. You schedule your family vacations around different states’
homeschool conventions.
13. You would not think of going to the doctor or dentist without
book bag stuffed with several genre options.
14. When you finish a book you get this awful empty feeling like
you just pulled the plug on a loved one.
15. You lend out your curriculum to your homeschooling friends
but don’t tell them you’ve never used it yourself.
16. You made the decision to purchase your home based on the built-in
book shelves.
17. Your hubby put his photo in your curriculum catalog stack to
remind you of what he looks like.
18. Your collection contains more books than any family with 20
children could possibly read in one lifetime.
19. You buy what looks like the greatest curriculum ever at the
curriculum fair only to get home to find you bought the same one
two years ago.
20. Your children refer to Borders and Barnes & Noble as dangerous
places. They know once you go in they might not see you for days.
21. You visit LibraryThing.com and Shelfari.com daily.
-- Robin Sampson, Heart of Wisdom
http://heartofwisdom.com
http://homeschool-books.com
http://heartofwisdom.com/blog
---
Do you have comments to share? Please do!
Send your emails to: mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net
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Helpful Tip
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(This was a great tip I found while reading through some older
issues of our Homeschooler's Notebook.)
Help with Boredom
"I would find that my son (6) would often come to me 'bored'.
I cut out some cards and drew simple sketches of various things
he can do to keep himself busy -- a picture of his bike, Duplo
blocks, a magnifying glass, swing, etc. I think I came up with
almost 30 things! He loves the ideas, and is more than willing
(for now!) to go through the cards and find something to entertain
himself. Thankfully I have only one child who is inclined to the
'bored' syndrome." -- Perdy
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Do you have an idea, experience, or tip to share? Please write!
Send to: mailto:HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net
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Resource Review
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The Thinking Toolbox
Authors: Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn
For more information or to order:www.HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com
Homeschool graduates and brothers, Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn,
have written an entertaining and educational book perfect for
tweens and teens. The Thinking Toolbox has 35 lessons to build
thinking and reasoning skills. The bulk of the book consists of
lessons covering “Tools for Thinking”, “Tools for Opposing View-
points”, and “Tools for Science”. In addition to using the
exercises that correspond with each lesson, the authors have also
included a projects and games section so readers can use their
new skills in fun, interactive ways.
Like its predecessor, “The Fallacy Detective", the authors recom-
mend using this curricula with ages 13 and up. However, because
the concepts are a bit less abstract, I believe “The Thinking
Toolbox” can be used with kids as young as 11 with lots of parental
interaction. In fact, this book is best used by more than one
person at once, so everyone in the family or a study group can
learn together, discussing the funny and interesting scenarios
presented in the exercises. Lessons are short and filled with
creative illustrations by Richard LaPierre. Lesson topics include:
when is it dumb to argue, how to list reasons why you believe some-
thing, opposing viewpoints, circumstantial evidence, scientific
method, how to analyze data, and many more brain-stretching concepts.
Our culture often presents mixed messages -- and clear, critical
thinking is not always taught or encouraged. It is important for
our children to know not only what they believe, but how to present
their side and think through opposing viewpoints. As more and more
“scientific” evidence is presented for everything from global warming
to evolution, understanding how scientific studies are supposed to
work will help our young people to confidently and intelligently
question the authorities and present their own point of view. “The
Thinking Toolbox” is a thorough, well-written, and fun way to teach
and learn these important skills!
-- Cindy Prechtel, http://www.HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com
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Last Issue's Reader Question
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"What lapbook resource would your readers recommend?I would like
a book with lots of different ideas. Thanks." -- Nancy G.
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Our Readers' Responses
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"Nancy, I learned about lapbooking through Tobin's Lab -
www.tobinslab.com . Tammy Duby offers several resources for
teaching you how, as well as supplies. I know there are other
good ones out there, but after using Tammy's materials, I had
no need to look further. My only regret is that I didn't learn
about lapbooking years earlier." -- Mary Beth
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"I have used the Dinah Zike book 'Big Book of Books'. It has
many ideas for paper folds that you can apply to any lapbook.
I have found it very useful." -- Jennifer
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"I recently discovered a great source for lap book, note book and
units studies. It is: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/levels.php
It is literature-based but if you have a topic you are interested
in they have a lot of stuff. For example, we are doing a unit on
Antarctica and Penguins and found a lot of great stuff under the
title of 'Mr. Popper's Penguins'." -- Sandy
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Answer our NEW Question
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"Dear Friends -- I am 48 years old, and in the process of applying
to return to graduate school in order to work toward a masters
degree in counseling psychology -- my family's call is to minister
overseas, and I am called to minister to expatriots and missionaries.
I received my Ph.D. in speech communication before my boys were born,
and have homeschooled them until now, rather than working.My boys
are seven and ten, and we homeschool from a Classical/Charlotte Mason
approach.
Though I have taught undergraduates and was fairly well organized
at that time, it has taken me a while to be organized in teaching
all subjects to two young children!In fact, last year was the
first year that I wrote down what I thought we might be doing in
a sequential manner -- we still do not go by a calendar, but we at
least can know at a glance what we need to do next in math, spelling,
grammar, dictation, science, and history.
We use Singapore math, Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World, First
Language Lessons for the younger son; and Writing for God's Glory
for the older son, Dictation from the Harp and the Wreath, Spelling
Power, Atoms and Molecules and Fizz, Bubble, and Flash for Chemistry,
and would like to do more with Lambs Book of Art and some piano
materials that we occasionally have time for.I hope to get us
back into nature study this week or next.My younger son is going
through Bob Books and Phonics Pathways for reading, and my older
son reads to me from books that he enjoys, such as 'Time Stops for
No Mouse' (fiction) or a book on electronics circuitry.
My older son is mildly dyslexic, and the book, The Gift of Dyslexia,
that a reader recommended, has helped us tremendously!We just
began implementing its program in November, and have seen a big
difference, but we still are on the journey to have him even read
his electronics books for fun (he looks at the diagrams and tries
to figure out what he needs to know from them).
So, my question is this.What would you recommend I do in the next
year, God willing I am in school part time?I need to structure
our homeschool again, as I did last year (organization has helped
immensely for us to even get the basics done!).But, it took a
great deal of time (months of work!) to organize.I am considering
using a pre-packaged program such as Sonlight, but still using
Singapore math.Other times I think that I can manage to organize
like I did last summer, and we should just stick with what we
already have.My younger sister and brother are using ACE, but I
have looked at it and think it might be too programmed for us.
I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness and replies!" -- Julene P.
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Do you have ideas for Julene?
Please send your answer to: mailto:HN-answers@familyclassroom.net
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