Less than 2 weeks until the Fourth of July! For a limited time, the one-week Independence Day Unit Study is being offered in downloadable format at HomeschoolEStore - here's the link:
For those of you who have been looking for a study sample of the Patriotic Holidays study, follow the link, then click on the "Preview" link at the top of the page.
Blessings,
Amanda B.
www.unitstudy.com
Just a reminder that the four-holiday set of Patriotic Holiday Unit
Studies CDROM sale ends tomorrow, May 31st. This CDROM also contains
the free bonus - Patriotic Holidays Notebooking Pages - all for $10.95.
Here's the link:
http://www.unitstudy.com/pathol.htm
Flag Day is included in this set, and it is almost here - Flag Day is
June 14th!
Blessings,
Amanda B.
www.unitstudy.com
Hello all! After tomorrow, May 31st, the downloadable Memorial Day Unit
Study sale ends - here's the link:
http://tinyurl.com/2yev99
Blessings,
Amanda B.
www.unitstudy.com
One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is "You've already got two children through college after being homeschooled - how did you do it so successfully?" This question always makes me smile - consider what each of these individuals consider to be the definition of "successful homeschooling." Think about it for a minute - what do YOU consider to be a "successful" homeschooler?
There is a simple verse that explains our goal in successfully educating our children:
Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Notice that this includes no references to training them to be lawyers or doctors or veterinarians or athletes. :-) We do comply with the educational requirements for the state, but our emphasis is on helping them learn to lead godly lives and use their unique God-given gifts to follow His will. He is making their paths clear, and we are there to support and encourage them in these efforts.
Along the way, I have learned a few important things that have made homeschooling easier as we went along. In the weeks to come, I will be sharing some of these tips with you, with the hope that they might make your load easier - learn from my hard-headed lessons!
1. Accept the fact that your family is unique and different. Understand that your success and your homeschooling will look different from everyone else in the world! Your success will be different, and your children are uniquely different. What others in your homeschool co-op group do with their children is not necessarily going to be a success with your children. Make your OWN definition of success.
2. Things are much easier when you realize that there is no formula. Homeschooling and family life are much easier when you see that there is no formula to follow. Scary but true, as we learned in engineering school, homeschooling is an unsolvable equation - there are too many variables - too many unknowns! Chicken pox this week, garden planting next week - we are a constantly changing work in progress. This is true about parenting, too - there is no "easy" button or formula to follow. Get busy living and learning and quit stressing about copying what others do - find your family's own style and stay flexible.
3. Protect your time and your family's time with a passion - every day is a precious gift. I love the line from the Chris Rice song, Life Means So Much, "Teach us to count the days, teach us to make the days count... Life means so much..." Some things to try -- turn off or minimize all intrusions and any distractions that you can (telephones, cell phones, nosy neighbors, television and neighborhood kids pounding on the door). Learn to say NO when you would have to sacrifice "protected time" - family time, date night, etc.
Enough from me for now - more of the top ten tips to follow soon. I hope that you and your family have a meaningful Memorial Day - and thanks for joining me on this thrilling ride called homeschooling!
Blessings to you and yours,
Amanda B.
www.unitstudy.com
Patriotic Holidays Unit Study - Special Price through May 31, 2007
Memorial Day is almost here, with Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day just around the corner. Enjoy learning about the history of our country and the true meaning of each of these special days.
Four one-week unit studies of each of these holidays, and the Patriotic Holidays Notebook Pages are included
as a bonus on the CDROM - now only $10.95 through May 31, 2007
Plan for Summertime Fun
Christy: The Complete Series, DVD Set
By Fox Faith
Now the television series based on Catherine Marshall's award-winning novel comes in one affordable boxed set! Christy: The Complete Series features 19 episodes about Christy Huddleston's life as a schoolteacher in the impoverished Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Determined to make a difference, 19-year-old Christy left the comfort of her home to help the children. Christy is home entertainment at its best, these wholesome programs star Kellie Martin, Tyne Daly, LeVar Burton, and many special guest performers. Four double-sided DVDs. Approx. 15 hours total.
American Spirit Jigsaw Puzzle
A favorite pastime at our house year round - jigsaw puzzles! This is a beautiful 500 piece puzzle of the American flag - just in time for all of the upcoming patriotic holidays.
Eagle's Flight Jigsaw Puzzle (1000 pieces)
Your family and friends can all work together to assemble this beautiful 1000 piece full-color puzzle, featuring a majestic eagle against a patriotic backdrop. Measures 20" x 27" when completed.
The Andy Griffith Show: 16 Hilarious Episodes, 2 DVDs
Welcome back to Mayberry! Pull yourself up a rocking chair and get ready to enjoy a visit back in time to America's favorite hometown of Mayberry, NC. Join Andy and all of his friends and family for down-home, wholesome humor. These DVDs are loaded with bonus material, including cool old commercials and vintage cartoons like Betty Boop, Tom and Jerry, Mighty Mouse, and Popeye!
Andy Griffith (8 Episodes on DVD)
Remember when Barney spent his life savings on a used car, and it turned out to be lemon? Laugh your way through classic TV moments like these in this collection that includes "Barney's First Car," "Andy Discovers America," "Aunt Bee's Medicine Man," "Andy's English Valet," and "The Great Filling Station Robbery." Eight episodes split onto 2 DVDS; approx. 3 hours, 20 minutes total.
Mickey, A Baseball Movie
When widowed attorney Tripp Spence (Harry Connick Jr.) finds himself wanted by the IRS, he and his young pitching sensation son Derrick (Shawn Salinas) assume new identities and flee to Las Vegas. Here, Derrick becomes "Mickey" and Tripp enrolls him in a second final year of Little League. But as the nation, the government and a nervous Tripp watch, "Mickey" leads his team from the city championship all the way to the controversial final game of the Little League World Series. Can a 13-year-old fugitive with an 80 mph fastball now find a way to stay anonymous - and honest - as the most famous 12-year-old athlete in the world? Screenplay by John Grisham. Rated PG. Approx. 104 minutes.
Anne of Green Gables, DVD
Megan Follows, Tony Award winner Colleen Dewhurst and Academy Award nominee Richard Farnsworth give unparalleled performances in this critically acclaimed motion picture, based on the international best-selling novel. Filmed amidst the spectacular scenery of Prince Edward Island, Canada, this award-winning movie follows the enchanting life of orphan Anne Shirley, from her struggles as an adolescent to her triumphs as a young woman. A delicate epic full of wit, style and emotional power. Digitally restored. Approx. 195 minutes.
Memorial Day, a day when we take time to remember all of the people that have given their lives for American freedom. They gave up promising futures, families, hopes, and dreams — for all of us. Let us use this day as an opportunity to honor them, remember them, and learn more about their sacrifices. This is a one-week unit study that offers daily lessons focusing on Memorial Day.
Looking back on my childhood days, I recall that Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day. This was a day when families would gather, clean the cemetery plots of family members, plant flowers, and place small flags on the graves of those family members that had died defending America. People would “decorate” their graves, to honor their memory. This was also a time for a family picnic and a parade in town. It was a family time — a treasured time.
When we saw flags waving in the breeze all over the neighborhood, we were proud to be Americans. I would like for American children to experience this same pride and appreciate what it has taken to keep that flag flying. As time has gone by, these traditions have often been left behind and forgotten. Now, if you ask many children what Memorial Day is about, they remark, “The day the pool opens!” or “The beginning of summer!”
It is high time that we reclaim the memorial — the remembrance of those who fought so proudly so that we can be free to enjoy our precious God-given liberties. With that in mind, let’s work on bringing the focus back to the intent of this holiday. We can do this in a way that will open the children’s eyes to the liberties that they enjoy and show them that these liberties have been protected at all costs. We will briefly learn about the history of the holiday, some of the wars that Americans have fought in, and ways that we can honor the great people who lost their lives defending our lives and liberty.
