i can put in the work 1 time
and it will last over several uses
and sometimes several years.
however, a pack of 10 self-laminating pouches goes for $14.
what i do is use clear contact paper
– often used for lining drawers –
found in the kitchen aisle.
for around $4 i can get about 18 yards
which equals almost 60 self-laminating pouches.
sanaa is using the addition strip board to complete addition tables.
she was so excited to find the answers herself
that she completed all the tables,
1 through 9,
in the same day.
often she did not even use the table.
she would start counting from the first addend,
then add the second addend
by tapping her finger on the table to count it out.
e.g.: if the problem was 6 + 3
she was start from six and then,
tap her finger on the table 3 times saying, “…seven, eight, nine.”
amazing!
then, about halfway through, she figured out the pattern
and confidently declared that she knew her answers were correct.
even so, she graciously checked her work
against the answers.
this is going to be fun,
but i’ve got to make sure i’m prepared
so I can keep up with HER.
Acceptance grows but myths persist
By Michael Smith
May 19, 2008
from the Washington Times
[ http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080519/FAMILY/532085759/1016 ]
How we see ourselves and how others perceive us can be very different. That’s one of the lessons from a recent survey by Ellison Research that looked at public attitudes toward various education options.
On a five-point scale regarding the overall quality of education, public school received a 3 and home-schooling a 3.14. According to Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, one of the surprises of the study “was the fact that home-schooling is becoming more of an accepted form of education in the U.S.”
Count the Home School Legal Defense Association as one group that is not surprised. HSLDA has more than 80,000 member families and is the largest organization in the home-school community. We have seen tremendous growth and development of home-schooling over the past 10 years. Two million children are being home-schooled in the United States; every kind of curriculum is available online; and numerous home-school support groups and co-ops make home-schooling much easier than it was just 10 years ago. It should be gratifying for all home-schoolers to see that this sample of the general public acknowledged the educational value of a home-based education.
Though the debate over the quality of home-school education has largely been settled, the Ellison survey showed a significant disparity on the question, “Which is most likely to prepare students for life after graduation?” On this question, 42 percent chose public school and just 6 percent chose home-schooling.
Mr. Sellers described this result as a “bit of a head-scratcher.” How could people see public schools and home-schools as essentially equal regarding the overall quality of education but also think public schools best prepare students for life?
Perhaps the respondents were viewing home-schooling as isolating, discouraging interaction with the world. This is a myth. Home-schooling is not, as the name may suggest, confined to the home, but is a practical education based in the real world. Life in the adult world is full of diverse people and is largely unrelated to the peer-segregated environment of an institutional school. Being outside the institutional school environment speeds up the maturing process, thus preparing the home-schooler sooner and better for the adult world.
This is borne out by a 2004 study, ‘Homeschooling Grows Up,” which was designed to find out how home-school graduates are faring in society. Commissioned by HSLDA, this study surveyed more than 7,000 home-school graduates, and the results showed they were more involved with their communities than the average public school student and also were found in all types of employment.
Home-school students have many opportunities to learn in the “real world,” the place where we spend most of our lives, and do not see themselves as socially unprepared. In fact, just the opposite is true. Home-schoolers have myriad options when it comes to extracurricular activities. They go on field trips, socialize among home-school support groups and participate in sports leagues.
HSLDA is confident that with the passage of time, more people will come to understand the wisdom of preparation for life through home-schooling. An estimated 100,000 students graduate from home-schooling every year. As more people meet well-educated and socially prepared home-schoolers, the attitudes toward home-schooling will continue to improve and perception will be brought closer to reality.
Michael Smith is the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. He may be contacted at 540/338-5600; or send e-mail to media@hslda.org.
i got the idea when i saw two girls
at the botanical garden for earth day.
their shirts read:
yes
i’m homeschooled
yes
i’m socialized
yes
i had class today
i got the tree image from istockphoto
and did the rest with a little photoshop.
not that anyone would buy them,
but they are not for sale to the public.
it’s an exclusive thang. [smile]
only members of
good tree montessori homeschool
can buy them.
also, it’s a unity thing,
like for outings and what not:
we love homeschool.
yes, we do!
we love homeschool.
how about out you?
i’m homeschooling,
but thinking and planning ahead, see.
it may be the case by the time my children
want to go to college
– if that is indeed what they want to do –
or apply for some job
that they just can’t get around
a requirement for a high school diploma
despite any displayed talent, natural ability or actual experience.
here are a few institutions
that allow you to get that paper
while still giving you the room
to tailor your child’s homeschool curriculum:
i’m on a yahoo group where a woman — an american citizen living abroad — posted a question about homeschooling in germany where homeschooling is illegal. a replier to the post shared advice from the home school legal defense association saying that as a US citizen she did not have to comply with foreign homeschooling laws AND because she was living out of the country, she didn’t have to comply with even US state law. now, who would have known THAT with HSLDA?
the Home School Legal Defense Association or HSLDA “is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms…members receive legal consultation…are represented through negotiations with local officials, and…are represented in court proceedings.” HSLDA advocates on capitol hill, in state legislatures and in the media.
founded in 1983, HSLDA “employs over 60 staff members in both full and part-time positions” and all nine attorneys are homeschooling dads. after the initial, affordable membership fees there are no other cost even if you have to go to court, although most potential problems are resolved without any court action.
if you’re not sure if you want to join, sign up for their newsletters via email — called their e-lert service — so you can get a feel of all they do legally for the right to homeschool.
check them out: www.hslda.org
it’s probably old as the internet, but i found this online and added a few green edits:
Q: How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?
A: First, mom checks all the books on electricity out of the library. Then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison, and do a skit based on his life. Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles. Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices. They decide to buy compact fluorescent light bulbs that save electricity as well as the environment. They figure out how much change they’ll get back if they buy three bulbs for $3.99 and pay with a ten dollar bill. On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Alexander Hamilton as his picture is on the ten dollar bill. Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed. And there is light.
from the matter and energy section
in basic montessori by david gettman,
this is one of the exercises that help to
“make a child aware that air is an important part of the physical environment,
and to demonstrate some of the air’s properties.”
plus it’s fun.
“we have air in our lungs.
when we blow through the straw
we blow air.”
kids probably do this anyway.
but done with explanation
– and a little dish soap and food coloring for fun –
now it’s a science lesson.
even aya got in the lesson a bit:
