The Runaway Train - A Pro-Homeschooling Video
By Heather Idoni
Added Monday, August 1, 2011
========================================================== Vol. 12 No. 32, August 1, 2011, ISSN: 1536-2035 ========================================================== (c) 2011, Heather Idoni - www.FamilyClassroom.net ========================================================== Welcome to The Homeschooler's Notebook! If you enjoy this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend! And please visit our sponsors -- they make our publication possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ================= IN THIS ISSUE: ================= Notes from Heather -- Presenting 'The Runaway Train' Winning Website -- Engineering for Kids Helpful Tip -- Make Your Own Quizzes Reader Question -- Gifted Son Loves Astrophysics Additional Notes -- Newsletter Archives -- Sponsorship Information -- Reprint Information -- Subscriber Information
=================== No Agenda Homeschool's "Runaway Train" Video For those who would like an uplifting and encouraging word about homeschooling, here is a great video presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjFh7rLZrW0 Share this link with a friend who is considering home education -- or use it as an effective communication tool with family members who have objections or concerns. I personally felt quite inspired after watching! Enjoy! :-) -- Heather --- More Reader Feedback for Christina - Speech Therapy Alternatives "My 3 1/2 year old daughter is speech delayed so I felt moved to help in some way and I did a little searching. There is an online speech therapy service that does cost which may be worth investigating as you wouldn't need to leave home to use it and the speech therapist teleconferences through webcam, headset via computer website is: http://www.tinyeye.com/index.php Here is a blog of a speech pathologist and her daughter diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech: http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/p/free-speech-therapy-articulation-cards.html There are quite a few free resources including slide shows, printables and more plus heaps of information on this website by speech therapist Caroline Bowen: http://speech-language-therapy.com/ Here is a free membership site that provides resources and forums run by a speech therapist: http://www.icommunicatetherapy.com/ As my daughter was born with Down Syndrome, she has low muscle tone as well as difficulty with auditory processing. We bought a family sound therapy package which has done wonders. After using the little player and the headset a couple of times she started babbling like a baby does when they are learning to talk -- and within a couple of months she has spoken lots of new words with greater clarity. (I must admit yesterday when she said 'I love you' for the first time I had tears in my eyes.) The sound therapy was the missing piece of the puzzle for us. It is based on Dr. Tomatis's work. I even use it myself (as I was having trouble with background noise) and it has helped me a lot. It feels a little odd at first when it works out the muscle in your inner ear. The link is http://www.soundtherapyinternational.com/ I hope you get some use out of the sites above. Another idea would be to approach a nearby university to see if speech therapy students would be interested in helping for a minimal fee or as part of their practical studies. The best of wishes for you and your family! -- Therese in Australia --- Your feedback is always welcome! -- mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net ================ Winning Website ================ Engineering for Kids - http://www.biglearning.com/treasureengineering.htm Do-it-yourself projects, hands-on electricity, physics, architecture, and technology.
============ Quizlet.com "This handy gadget creates flashcards and quizzes. There are already 2,000 quizzes in all subject areas that you can use. This is a great resource for those of us who create our own lesson plans. Check it out!" -- Cindy D.
============================== Mom of Gifted Young Son Looking for Ideas "My son's interests are astrophysics and website design. I went to the library and got him some computer programming books. I know nothing in either of these areas. They don't make books for children either. I try to follow his interests, but he's already way beyond me. He's 8 by the way. Are there any books for children that cover these areas? Everything I find is college age and beyond. So I'm going with college books for now, but he's only 8 and it's a lot to absorb. Can anyone steer me in the right direction? I'm overwhelmed here. I don't know where to start in either of these areas." -- Candee, a member of our Homeschooling Gifted Yahoo Group
======================= "Since Candee's son is interested in computers, I'd like to suggest two sites: http://www.HomeschoolProgramming.com http://www.GreatSoftwareTools.com She might find something of interest for him." -- Cara --- "My kids have really enjoyed MIT's SCRATCH program: http://scratch.mit.edu/ It gives them a chance to design games, animations, etc. My kids have also done school related presentations as an alternative to writing papers. Even my 5 year old is able to mess with it a little -- and my 16 year old is able to come up with some pretty complex programs." -- Sandy G. --- "Here are some internet sites that might be of some use: http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/as/Astronomy_and_astrophysics http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/43/astromind2.html You might also try How it Works: How the Universe Works."
===================== "I have two boys, 14 and almost 13. I've been homeschooling them from the beginning. The past year has been one of the worst. They don't want to do anything and fight me the whole way. It's just not fun for me anymore at all. So I thought since I absolutely cannot put them into our most horrible public school, I would look for another alternative, which would be some sort of online school. I've heard about K12, but it is not available for us here in Montana. (Well, I think if you pay tuition you can attend; for other states it seems to be free.) We definitely cannot pay tuition, so I'm looking for an online program/curriculum that would be free. Does anyone have any ideas or can anyone possibly give me some sort of information? I'd REALLY appreciate it! Yikes -- it's already August! I really need to figure out what to do soon! -- Yvonne in Montana, member of our HomeschoolingBOYS.com email encouragement group ---
Do you have suggestions or alternative ideas for Yvonne?
===================== Do you have a question for our readers? You'll be next in line! :-) Send it to mailto:hn-questions@familyclassroom.net and we'll answer it in an upcoming issue! ============================== Here is the page where you can subscribe to our newsletter: http://www.familyclassroom.net And here is our searchable archive: http://www.familyclassroom.net/archives.html =========================== There are opportunities for your business to be a sponsor of this newsletter! Read more about our VERY AFFORDABLE advertising here: http://www.homeschooladnetwork.com/homeschoolersnotebook.php ===================== All contributed articles are printed with the author's prior consent. It is assumed that any questions, tips or replies to questions may be reprinted. All letters become the property of the "Homeschooler's Notebook". [Occasionally your contribution may have to be edited for space.] Again, I welcome you to the group! Feel free to send any contributions to mailto:HN-articles@familyclassroom.net or mailto:HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net. Our main website is: =========================== No part of this newsletter (except subscription information below) may be copied and/or displayed in digital format online (for instance, on a website or blog) without EXPRESS permission from the editor. Individuals may, however, forward the newsletter IN ITS ENTIRETY to *individual* friends (not email groups). For reprints in paper publications (homeschool support group newsletters, etc.) please direct your request to: mailto:Heather@FamilyClassroom.net
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