book: help me be good series

a children's book about teasing
by joy berry.
we just read a few of these titles
and will be getting more.

the series includes the following titles:
“Being Lazy, Being Forgetful, Being Careless, Being Messy, Being Wasteful, Overdoing It, Showing Off, Being a Bad Sport, Being Selfish, Being Greedy, Breaking Promises, Disobeying, Lying, Interrupting, Whining, Throwing Tantrums, Complaining, Teasing, Tattling, Gossiping, Being Rude, Snooping, Cheating, Stealing, Being Bullied, Being Bossy, Being Destructive, Fighting, Being Mean”

each book:
1. Defines a misbehavior
2. Explains the cause of the misbehavior
3. Discusses the negative effects of the misbehavior
4. Offers suggestions for replacing the misbehavior with acceptable behavior

she has other series as well.

i think it helped that we were discussing the behavior objectively because
the girls were surprisingly candid and thoughtful
about their behavior and that of others.

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book: when royals wore ruffles

when royals wore ruffles by pamela jaber
when royals wore ruffles
by pamela jaber
a fun, witty book on fashion through the ages.
don’t forget to bring your attitude!

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a typical homeschool day

thought i’d share a schedule of a typical homeschool day:

7 am homeschool prep
8 am breakfast & dress
9 am – 1 pm homeschool:

  • circle time
    • greeting & alFatiha
    • date & current events
    • song/rhyme/poem
    • surah of the week
  • independent work & presentations
1 pm lunch & free play
2 pm quiet/nap time
3 pm outside play
6 pm dinner prep
7 pm dinner
9 pm bath, story & bed

notes:

  • i treat a schedule as a guide. i try to stick to it on a regular basis, but i’m still flexible, because if our eyes are open there are many teachable moments in just living life.
  • what happens in the gaps? life.
  • i try not to do personal stuff in the morning, like check email, facebook or blogging. i distracts me then and often for the rest of the day.
  • i try to put a load of laundry in right after breakfast, other than that, the chores can wait.
  • the girls often help with making meals and chores — it’s the montessori way!
  • i have not included extracurricular/enrichment activities, but they’d be worked in as necessary, preferably outside of our main homeschool hours of 9am-1pm.

“Interruptions can be viewed as sources of irritation or opportunities for service, as moments lost or experience gained, as time wasted or horizons widened. They can annoy us or enrich us, get under our skin or give us a shot in the arm. Monopolize our minutes or spice our schedules, depending on our attitude toward them.”
- william arthur ward

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baby’s first circus

ringling brothers circus
get your baby a FREE ticket to any ringling bros. and barnum and bailey performance
anytime, anywhere, no expiration date!
http://www.ringling.com/TextContent.aspx?id=11738&parentID=348&assetFolderID=352

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musalla kids newsletter

http://www.musalla.org/Musalla_kidz_5.html
musalla kids newsletter
is a bit of islamic studies, values and social studies all mixed together.
it uses stories, word searches and games to help discuss 46 topics
from sharing to not observing certain holidays like valentine’s day.
it also has poems, stories from the seerah, the basics of islam and more.

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cities on the cheap

http://www.citiesonthecheap.com/
find your city
and then find homeschooling activities and events in your city
on the cheap!
cities on the cheap

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free admission from bank of america

http://museums.bankofamerica.com/
get FREE general admission to participating museums, zoos, science centers, botanical gardens, and more
on the first full weekend of every month
by just presenting any bank of america card.
bank of america
get back some of that bailout money!

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taming TV

http://www.tvsmarts.com/
these folks comb through scheduled TV programming
to provide a list of educational public and cable shows for each week.
so, we can watch TV responsibly
instead of it watching us.

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nancy stewart’s song of the month

nancy stewartnancy stewart had dedicated her website
“to providing FREE songs, resources and information for teachers, parents, librarians, and homeschooling families.”

every month she gives away a free song
including lyrics, sheet music with guitar chords, an accompanying activity and relevant links.
you can also download archived songs of the month: over 72 songs and running.

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freeKidsMusic.com

http://freekidsmusic.com/
download free, legal, high-quality
traditional and contemporary children’s music
for personal use only.
freekidsmusic.com

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