January 17, 2012
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Homeschool Blog Meme
Haven’t done one of these in a while… it looked like fun.
1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed
We liked Understood Betsy a lot. We like the Ingalls books, and I personally like Story of the World. We *HATED* Holling C. Holling, and Just So Stories. History of America is good stuff, too, but I wasn’t fond of 50 Famous Stories – they seemed to hodge-podge and there wasn’t a real rhyme or reason to them. I might enjoy Charlotte Mason’s series, but I can’t drag myself thru them.
2. One resource you wouldn’t be without
The computer!
3. One resource you wish you had never bought
I got a Dover coloring book of the Kings & Queens of England. Since nobody knows what they look like, Dover took liberties… and made every single one of them look like exactly the same dude. What a PITA, lemme tell ya. Anyone want a coloring book…?
Another is Anna Comstock Botsford’s Handbook Anthology. It’s one HUGE mamma-jamma that the AO people said you HAD to have… and I’ve never even cracked the sucker. We’re just too busy with Burgess’ Bird, Animal, and coming up soon, Seashore books. I also got a free insect book yesterday, so… I think I don’t really need her honkin’ huge Anthology of critters. Not now, anyhow.
4. One resource you enjoyed last year
The ‘A is for’ state books we found and started our state study with. We use it along with ‘Emily’s Guide to the 50 States‘.
5. One resource you will be using next year
I’m looking at a Latin curriculum that I found via the site this quiz came from. It’s called Song School Latin. A local library actually has it, and I’m going to borrow it and see if it will work out for us, because it’s all based on songs and stories. But for now we’re busy with Salsa Spanish!
6. One resource you would like to buy
I don’t like the Hans Christian Anderson book of fairie tales that I have… I would like to find something that is a little more… enchanting? Mine has no pictures, for example, and is very blah-de-blah-blah-blah. Honestly, though, most everything I want? I make or get at the library. ((shrugs)) A library search for Hans Christian Anderson books is on my to-do list.
7. One resource you wish existed
I wish a LOT of resources existed. At the moment, I’m creating both a calendar (Hebrew vs. Gregorian) lapbook and a music theory lapbook. I’ve made DOZENS of lapbooks because there’s just nothing out there free for moms to take. I ended up making my own Biome book for the kids, because there just… isn’t anything like what I could do out there. I would like someone to make pop-out mini books of the seven wonders of the world. To be used in a lapbook or Book of Centuries. But that’s asking a LOT.
8. One homeschool catalogue you enjoy reading
I don’t read homeschool catalogs. I think they’re full of ridiculous things that make everything more complicated than it needs to be. And it’s ALL expensive – because you can monetarily rape a homeschooler who isn’t motivated to make their own stuff. I also stay FAR away from homeschool co-ops, parenting groups, the Homeschool Building, and the like. Because they keep records, and I don’t want to be known, thanks.
9. One homeschooling website you use regularly
Ooh… um, HSLaunch, HomeschoolHelper, and SatoriSmiles are visited when I need to see if what I want has been done already, but usually I walk away empty-handed. I rarely get anything from homeschool sites. HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay? Maybe one or two things a year strike me as interesting. Today I read thru another JewishHomeschoolMom’s site… the WHOLE thing, as long as she’s been blogging. I liked one thing, but I’m re-working it to be nicer/neater. I’ll share when it’s done. ((wink!))
The one thing I’ve noticed is that the women who homeschool blog are mostly doing it from a beginner/preschool level, and/or have two or less children. That’s… I can’t relate. At all.
10. Tag six other homeschoolers… in no particular order!
I haven’t tagged you – I don’t like to do that. So feel free to answer the questions and post a link in the comments section!!!
Comments (5)
Have you tried Lang’s Fairy Tales (the colored books)? I loved those as a girl, and the illustrations are top notch.
I’ll play! (In a moment
)
Latin: If you don’t like Song School (I *think* it may have some Catholic leanings, but I’m not sure – I’ve looked at SO MANY. :sigh: There’s one…Christiana Latina, or something like, that is only the Mass. :sigh: That was $5 wasted!), try Getting Started with Latin by….something or other Linney. It’s like $15 new (cheaper used!) and he has mp3 files of EVERY lesson free on his website. Basically, he reads the lesson to you – I like it, because all *I* have to do is copy the new word and sentences on the whiteboard, and let him teach it.
(One word a day, that’s all it is. VERY simple!)
You might like Minumus/Minumus Secundus, too – they’re comic-book style. E-mail me if you’re interested, I…might…be able to help you there :rolleyes: (I’m telling ya, I found a…LOT of free stuff in my ramblings.
Lapbooks: did you ever get the flash drive I sent you? There’s a LOT of lapbooks on there that I’ve run across in my ramblings – I know I have at least 1 Music Theory one in the mix. Somewhere….my kids finally rebelled and refused to do them (except Science – they WILL do that one. They can’t remember the details if they don’t.) Now, they’re sorry – I have them outline each History chapter, then write 5-10 essays per week on it. :p They don’t complain any more…..:lol:
Oh – and see, most of the blogs I’ve tripped across are all moms of elementary students, and have 3+. I can’t find many that have kids doing High School work (advanced or not!). :sigh: It’s why I keep going back to the Well Trained Mind forums – at least there are posts there about kids at the same level as mine.
Woot! Took me all afternoon between teenage stuff, and mom this, and mom that… but I shall be posting it in the morning! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
I 100% agree with you on question number 8! We use a lot of different websites, I’m so thankful for the internet, it makes homeschooling so easy…I can’t imagine what it would be like without the internet. I like the websites you mention…some of my other favorites that you might like are softschools.com, enchantedlearning.com, atozteacherstuff.com, and homeschoolshare.com