Monday

 

 

I am tired… so tired.  Today we had to be on the road by 7:45am.  The kids had a class in Olds.  The roads and weather were not nice.  But on the plus side I managed to get signed up for the AHEA conference this year before we left for class.  We found out that the horse Jordan wanted to buy (as a second horse), he can buy it (we were second in line and the first person said no).  So we go to pick him up on Thursday.  And both of my kids passed their babysitting course today and are now “certified” to babysit.   I am so grateful to be home, Wes has a nice fire going, I am waiting for Stephanie to call me back.  I am really looking forward to crawling into bed soon.   Zzzzzzzzz.

Sunday morning rabbit trails…

 

Love is more than a noun -- it is a verb; it is more than a feeling -- it is caring, sharing, helping, sacrificing.

William Arthur Ward

 

1.  Interruptions -http://www.thestayathomemissionary.com/2011/01/interruptions.html - ("My whole life I have been constantly interrupted until I realized that the interruptions were my work." Henri Nouwen)

 

2.  Interesting ideas for this question – http://www.fiarhq.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85467

How can I build altars?

---

I was reading on this in Joshua, after God led them through the Jordan River where God commanded them to build an altar so their children would ask what God had done for them. Here's my blog post about it (it's a bit long to repost all here). It has stayed with me still and I wondered what you all thought about it and how you thought I could do this... build altars so that my children will ask what God has done for me? And I certainly don't mean 12 stones, but in today's world what can I do? I know you guys have a lot of creative ideas and I haven't really come up with any on my own.

http://melissajc.blogspot.com/2011/01/bible-in-90-days-week-3.html

http://wherelearningflows.blogspot.com/search?q=memorial+box

 

3.  Mind your mind - http://www.itakejoy.com/mind-your-mind/

 

4.  Easy lasagna noodles -  http://lindaslunacy.blogspot.com/2011/02/easy-lasagna-noodles.html

 

5.  How and why we use olive oil - http://www.susannahskitchen.com/2011/02/how-why-to-use-olive-oil.html

 

6.  "When you are pursuing love, running toward Christ, you do not have opportunity to wonder, Am I doing this right? or Did I serve enough this week? When you are running toward Christ, you are freed up to serve, love, and give thanks without guilt, worry, or fear.  As long as you are running you are safe." -Francis Chan

 

7.  She has no name - http://www.thestayathomemissionary.com/2010/11/she-has-no-name.html

 

8.   "I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19

 

9.  “So many times we get overwhelmed with the word give.  What does it mean?  What does it look like?  There are so many needs.  How do I begin?
The answer is simple....the quote that my Dad loves and uses often:

Daily experience the extravagant love of the Father and give it away to the next person you meet.” - http://www.thestayathomemissionary.com/2010/11/being-filledthe-beginning-of-giving.html

"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.  This is love: not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:9-12

 

 

Changing Your IF to Get a New THEN

LOVED this article!

Changing Your IF to Get a New THEN

http://www.motivatedhomeschooler.com/?p=53

How do you get an education if you never go to school?

 

 

How do you get an education if you never go to school?

http://www.mamamia.com.au/weblog/2011/02/how-do-you-get-an-education-if-you-never-go-to-school.html

LOL!

 

 

Dear Winter, I am breaking up with you. It's not me, it's you, you make me miserable. I think it's time I start seeing other seasons.

RABBIT TRAILS–Feb 24, 2011

I keep losing my internet connection, so I haven’t been posting as often as I would like to.      I hope you find something useful in todays edition of rabbit trails.

 

1.  CREATE TIME TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE -- http://zenhabits.net/time/

 

2.  THE GIFT OF TIME:EXTENDING HIGH SCHOOL  -- http://www.crosswalk.com/homeschool/11645974/

 

3.  DON’T EVEN TRY TO BE PRODUCTIVE -- http://www.steadymom.com/2011/02/dont-even-try-to-be-productive.html

 

4.  A LITTLE LIKE LOVE - http://www.incourage.me/2011/02/a-little-like-love.html

 

5.  A SOUL HEALING -  http://www.incourage.me/2011/02/a-soul-healing.html

 

6.  10 STEPS TO CONTINUE LEARNING THROUGH LIFE - http://livingthebalancedlife.com/2011/10-steps-to-continue-learning-throughout-life/

 

7.   50 Amazing and Essential Novels to Enrich Your Library  --  http://zenhabits.net/50-amazing-and-essential-novels-to-enrich-your-library/

 

8.    Stop wanting everything at once and you will reach your goals  -- http://www.lifewithflylady.com/stop-wanting-everything-at-once-and-you-will-reach-your-goals/

 

9.  THE MOTIVATED HOMESCHOOLER  -- http://www.motivatedhomeschooler.com/

 

10.  THE RIGHT WAY TO HOME SCHOOL  -  http://un-schooled.net/?p=483#more-483

 

11.    from the comments section of the above article --

Ami

February 22, 2011 at 10:43 pm · Reply

I used to tell people, ‘we just… learn.’

And that everyone’s homeschooling journey is different because none of us have the same destination.

Some people thought we were weird.
Others were certain.

Doesn’t matter. Worked for us.

And Maya.. as for inlaws.. you do know the difference between inlaws and outlaws, right?
Outlaws are wanted.

 

12.   another comment – “Learning is a lifelong process. It does not stop when you graduate from high school or college. You may not know all of your multiplication facts by the time you are age 8 or 9 or 39. And, that is OK. It’s OK not to know them by heart, without thinking about them. What is important, is that you know how to solve 9×9 when you need to know the answer. Knowing the answer seems so less important to me, then knowing how to find the answer.”

 

13.  24 THINGS I LEARNED IN 24 YEARS -  http://www.upgradereality.com/24-things-i-learned-in-24-years

 

14.    A Nutrition Course That Gets It Right  -  http://www.foodrenegade.com/realfoodnutrition/nutritioncourse.html

 

15.    Free Chronicles of Narnia Audiobooks  -  http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/series/the_chronicles_of_narnia

 

16.  365 simple pleasures -- http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/02/14/365-simple-pleasures-to-brighten-a-year/

old rock star songs

 

Family Day morning rabbit trails…

 

 

1.  Eleven yes, seven no  --  http://www.the-generous-husband.com/2011/02/21/eleven-yes-seven-no/ 

In US law, chapter 11 bankruptcy is a reorganisation - an attempt to recover and rebuild. Chapter 7 is a surrender, it’s saying “we can’t go on”. In marriage, divorce is a chapter 7; but what would a marriage chapter 11 look like?

 

2.  (I am going to read this one with the kids today.)  30 HABITS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE -- http://freestylemind.com/30-habits-that-will-change-your-life

 

3.  Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. Abigail Adams

 

4.    10 STEPS TO CONTINUE LEARNING THROUGH OUT LIFE  -- http://livingthebalancedlife.com/2011/10-steps-to-continue-learning-throughout-life/

 

5.  HOW TO KEEP TRACK OF STUFF YOU LEARNT -- http://freestylemind.com/how-to-keep-track-of-what-youve-learnt

 

6.   The most important thing to remember about failure can be summed up in this fantastic quote by Will Smith:
“Don’t let failure get to your heart and don’t let success get to your head”.

 

7.  FOOD ON THE BRAIN -- http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2011/02/food-on-the-brain/

(how our food affects our moods and learning)

 

8.  LETTING GO OF NEED -- http://www.morningdo.com/?p=851

 

9.    REBOOTING HOME(SCHOOLING)  -- http://livinglearningandlovingsimply.blogspot.com/2011/02/rebooting-homeschooling.html

Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein

 

Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein

• "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
• "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
• "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
• "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
• "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
• "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
• "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
• "A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
• "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."
• "God is subtle but he is not malicious."
• "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
• "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
• "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
• "Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
• "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
• "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
• "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
• "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
• "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
• "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
• "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
• "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
• "God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically."
• "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
• "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
• "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
• "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
• "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
• "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
• "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
• "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
• "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
• "If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
• "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
• "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
• "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
• "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
• "In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep."
• "The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead."
• "Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves."
• "Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!"
• "No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"
• "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
• "Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."
• "The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
• "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."
• "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
• "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
• "The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."
• "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
• "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."
• "One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year."
• "...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought."
• "He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."
• "A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
• "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)

Ann Voskamp's book.... I am truly enjoying this book

One Thousand Gifts

Ann Voskamp
---

Forget the bucket lists that have us escaping our everyday lives for exotic experiences. How do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties?

One Thousand Gifts: Chapter 5 from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Beloved–Tenth Avenue North

 

 

Times by Tenth Avenue North

 

 

i should be sleeping….

 

1.  Warm Toasted Marshmallow S'more Bars --  http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettycrockerrecipes/3307399156/

 

2.  Tastespotting -- http://www.tastespotting.com/

 

3.  www.homeoflife.com

“Don´t be unnecessarily burdened by the past. Go on closing the chapters that you have read; there is no need to go back again and again. And never judge anything of the past from the new perspective that is arriving, because the new is new, incomparably new and the old was right in its own context, and the new is right in its own context, and they are incomparable. ” Osho

 

4.    "Opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and
looks like work."
~Thomas Edison~

 

5.  http://www.bowdenfarmfreshchicken.com/links

We are now selling AVON!  Just go to www.avon.ca and click on Shop and then shop online..  After you place an order you will be prompted to put in our telephone number.  It is #403-358-0133.  You can pay by credit card and there is a $5.95 shipping charge per order.  Your order will come to you via Canada post!  It is that easy!  Happy shopping!!!

http://shop.avon.ca/avonshop_en/default.asp?department=shop

 

6.  Please check out my new photos in the sledding album on Fotki.com!

http://public.fotki.com/Pamela-Infojunkie/sledding/

 

7. 

http://artistswhoblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/aimee-dolich-artists-who-blog.html

 

8.    365 simple pleasures to brighten a year -- http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/02/14/365-simple-pleasures-to-brighten-a-year/

 

9.  We went to see the movie “The King’s Speech” tonight.  It was very good.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King%27s_Speech

 

10.  On missing fellowship  - http://eric-carpenter.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-missing-fellowship.html

 

11.  Messy meetings  -- http://www.alanknox.net/2011/02/messy-meetings-2/

 

12.  I used to be the prettiest girl -- http://www.omsh.com/i-used-to-be-the-prettiest-girl-in-the-world/ 

(Today I’m cross-posting with Kate Fridkis of Un-Schooled. Now in her mid 20s, Kate was “unschooled” at home and writes on a variety of homeschooling issues from her own personal experience and perspective. Enjoy her guest blog contribution below, and then click on over to her blog to check me out.)

 

13.    Bacon, Egg and Cheese Cups  ---  http://www.parentsconnect.com/dishes/bacon-egg-cheese-cups.jhtml?xid=221STU/Nutrition/

 

14.  Great tip about Disney  --

On that note, if you are, in fact planning a trip to Disneyland, I highly recommend you consider renting the Disney Theme Home.  It’s a house that is located just east of the Park, within walking distance.  It’s been entirely renovated in a Disney theme, and it was absolutely perfect for our family (there were nine of us in total).  It has an outdoor pool, four bedrooms and will sleep up to 10 people.  The website is www.disneythemehome.com.  The owners actually live in Los Angeles, but are incredibly helpful and accommodating.  They truly made us feel like we were the most important people that they had ever had at the house! 

 

15.  http://www.unitunitunit.com/qwertybeats/

 

16.  Find fun and interesting facts about the day and year you were born. http://www.dayofbirth.co.uk/

Results for 29th August 1973* :

• You were born on a Wednesday.
• Your star sign is Virgo.
• Your birthstone is Peridot.
• The season was Summer.
• You were born in the Chinese year of the Ox.
• The US President was Richard Nixon (Republican).
• The UK Prime Minister was Edward Heath (Conservative).
• You are 37 years 5 months 22 days old.
• It is 190 days until your next birthday.
• In dog years you are 259 years old.
• You are 13,689 days old.
• You are approximately 328,543 hours old.
• You are approximately 1,182,755,320 seconds old.
• View a printable version of these results...
• See links to more interesting information about 29th August...

 

17.  Shift Your Fingers One Key to the Right for Easy-to-Remember but Awesome Passwords  --   http://lifehacker.com/#!5516188

 

18.  SAT question of the day  --  http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-question-of-the-day?excmpid=OC5-ST-1-QOD

February pictures to date

this is country music!

 

an update of our life in pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hippity hoppity down the rabbit trails today

 

 

1.  My mother made me this way -- http://www.the-generous-husband.com/2011/02/16/my-mother-made-me-this-way/  (great advice here!)

 

2.  www.homeoflife.com

‎"Each moment brings new surprises to
the one who has no expectations, who
comes with an absolutely open mind.
Then incredible things start happening.
Even if you had wanted them you could
...not have expected them; you could not
have found yourself worthy enough to
expect them." Osho

 

3.  The purpose of an institution -- http://uncollege.org/archives/258

 

4.  Google Health -- http://www.google.com/intl/en-US/health/about/

 

5.  Food cravings --- if you crave this _______, what you really need is this _______  --- http://www.naturopathyworks.com/pages/cravings.php

 

6.  The 29 Healthiest Foods on the Planet --  http://www.bellybytes.com/articles/29foods.shtml

 

saw this on a t-shirt

 

 

PROCRASTINATORS

UNITE

TOMORROW

back to rabbit trails…

 

1.  Lifestyle Homeschool

We are studying Dependability and I came across this quote: Ability without dependability has no value. (author unknown).  It is a good come back to the child who says "I meant to...." or for the procrastinator.

 

2.  Principles of relationships - http://www.daveblackonline.com/principles_of_relationships.htm

 

3.  Evening Primrose Oil - http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-evening-primrose.html  (I just started taking this supplement.)

 

4.  UNCOLLEGE – how it works  --- http://uncollege.org/academics

 

5.  Portable salad bar - http://realfoodhealthyliving.com/2011/02/05/favorite-gadget-portable-salad-bar/

 

6.  No rise pizza dough - http://realfoodhealthyliving.com/2008/02/13/no-rise-pizza-dough-or-focaccia-bread/

 

7.  Garlic salad dressing - http://feedingthecrew.blogspot.com/2011/02/garlic-salad-dressing.html

 

8.  Have them teach themselves

http://www.bizymoms.com/expert-advice/Article/Homeschool-High-School--Teach-Them-to-Teach-Themselves/1425

http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/view/rc/s31p993.htm

 

9.  How to quit your job and go to Italy - http://smallnotebook.org/2011/02/14/how-to-quit-your-job-and-go-to-italy/

 

10.  how to be a more patient mom in just 24 hours - http://inspiredtoaction.com/2011/02/how-to-be-a-more-patient-mom-in-just-24-hours/

It was a beautiful winter day yesterday…

 

so we spent the afternoon outdoors enjoying the sunshine.  Wes rigged up a hay ride for us (us meaning the church gathered here for the day), and made an awesome sledding hill with 3 or 4 different runs.

 

seasons of love

 

Seasons Of Love lyrics
Songwriters Larson, Jonathan D

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, a year in the life?

How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love

Seasons of love
Seasons of love

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand journeys to plan
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?

In truths that she learned
Or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned
Or the way that she died

It’s time now, to sing out
Though the story never ends
Let’s celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends

Remember the love
(Oh, you got to, you got to remember the love)
Remember the love
(You know that love is a gift from up above)
Remember the love
(Share love, give love, spread love)
Measure in love
(Measure, measure your life in love)

Seasons of love
Seasons of love
(Measure your life, measure you life in love)

If there is any one truth I would gladly impress on the mind of a young Christian….

 

“If there is any one truth I would gladly impress on the mind of a young Christian, it is just this, that God notices the most trivial act, accepts the poorest, most threadbare little service, listens to the coldest, feeblest petition, and gathers up with parental fondness all our fragmentary desires and attempts at good works. Oh, if we could only begin to conceive how He loves us, what different creatures we should be!”

-Mrs. E. Prentiss, Stepping Heavenward

what questions would you ask a potential school board and facilitator before signing up with them?

 

Today I asked my online home school support groups this question:

I am meeting with a lady this afternoon who is pulling her son out of public school and is looking to home school.  I am hopefully going to help her find what she is looking for their home education goals.
What I am looking for from all of you is, what questions would you ask a potential school board and facilitator before signing up with them?

Here are some of the answers I received (they are some great answers):

1.  maximum freedom with maximum money - i haven't needed a lot of "support" - i find i have way more support online with you all, and in real life with my sisters and friends  (well, i've met most of you IRL, too) - plus if i need something, i'm confident to go and dig.  I've also read all the homeschooling books and have an idea about the main philosophical approaches, and an idea of where i fit in there - also, i've tried enough curriculum to be able to tell with a pretty large degree of accuracy what will work for my family.

A lot of that just comes with time, though - and if a mom is willing to put in the time to do her own research, we really need *nothing* besides the "keeping it legal" aspect of being signed up somewhere (and i don't agree that it's the government's role to force me to tell them what i'm doing with my children's education, but whatever, it's the law right now) - and here in Alberta, it is very nice to have the money to go for music lessons/sports/books/lab kits etc...

 

2.  I didn't know that you really don't have to read every single page of work. That you only need to send in the actual work stuff. So you can change the lesson around or omit or add stuff according to your child.
If I had to read every single page in every subject I'm not sure we would get through it all in a year. Some things she all ready knew we would skip the lesson and just have her do the work. Other times it required more of a lesson to understand the work.
Also our school (School of Hope) doesn't require that she write everything herself. Mainly spelling and her phonics/English stuff she does. I can speed things up by making all the other subjects like math/science filling in the lesson with my writing. I just ask her the questions verbally and fill in what she says. She's only in grade 2 though.
Make sure she understands to contact the teacher if any questions arise. In the beginning I was concerned about contacting the teacher for the small things. However she truly has been great in answering all my questions and providing different ideas.
My only complaint with the School of Hope is that there is no support in the area. If I want to attend sessions and other stuff they are either in Calgary or Edmonton. That's too far to drive every week for an hour. So I do feel isolated a lot.
That's my two cents, but again I am new to all of this as well.

 

3.  I know I am American, and do not have these groups to investigate.  However, I may be able to help with some questions to have the boards answer.
1)  What do you have to offer for my child?  Maybe this would take some investigation on my part, but I do know when D pulled the kids out of school, I checked out almost every curriculum out there and wished I could have seen some before purchasing.
2)  My Child likes ____.   (music, writing, sports)  What do you suggest we do?  Some homeschool groups here in the states do more sports or music or group activities.  Some co-ops do better than others.  If I new what my child liked, I would hope my facilitator would be able to head me in the right direction.  I hear some of you saying how different boards have field trips, online classes,etc.  If your child learned by doing, a board that had lots of FT nearby , would probably be a good fit.  If your child liked independence and online classes, than you want/need a board that supports your child and your family.
3)  My child had trouble with ______.  What do you suggest to help this situation?  A few suggestions should be given.  It would be nice if you could see and try out any curriculum prior to purchasing.  I have talked with different schools locally. Those who answered my questions in a timely manner, will be the ones I choose.  One local school still has not responded to my calls and visits.  I would not pick this school for my children.
4)  Do they have a parent support group?  When I first started, I so needed support from anyone!!  Do they have a child support group for your child's age?  Will they let younger/older join?  One group I was in , only wanted 8 year olds with 8 year olds.  My kids also took a class where the class range went from 4 to adult!  It was a pottery class, that because of a wonderful instructor, age really did not matter.
5)  I would have the mom do some online research to know what is available to her and the family.  This, to me, was very important!  I would also talk with any parents I could, who hs, and find out what they like/dislike about their group.  Do a few activities with each group.  Talk with parents and kids.
6)  Enjoy your child!!

 

4.  Good Morning,
We are with the School of Hope, and that is something that is lacking,
no matter what grade level your child is in - total lack of
support/activities in the area, closest being Edmonton or Calgary.
Contacting your facilitator or teacher on the other hand is totally
awesome, they always find a way to help and return calls. Work for us
has always been - get the main things done and these assignments have
always been coded for us, so we know that these areas are to be learned
fully, and the rest can be touched on lightly. eg. math or science -
know the concepts, skip to the next lesson or lessons. \love it, no
wasting time doing lessons that kids already know - do the test for the
record and get on with the rest. This has been how we have been
schooling for the last 14 or so years, and with the same board. I am
home schooling the last 2 of the tribe and we are teaching grade 8 & 9.

 

5.  When we pulled our kids from public school, I didn't really know/understand that there were different types of schooling (?????) available - traditional, blended and fully aligned.  So, I didn't know to ask about that and what it meant.
I would also ask about how funding is handled - with our first school board, if I needed something, I just asked our facilitator and she bought it for us ...... I didn't realize that with some school boards, you just hand in receipts (wow, have I ever come a long way, lol).

 

6.  I like to know that my facilitator is a homeschooler also..... And not a school teacher who thinks homeschooling is school at home.... Which is often not the way homeschoolers roll.

 

7.  Here are the questions I would ask:

T

***************************

Questions You Should Ask Before Notifying

Your Intention to Home Educate

1.  What are the two assessments required in the Alberta Regulations?

2. Are home visits compulsory or are there choices where we could meet?

3. What will the Facilitator do when visiting?  What do they expect to see? What do we have to show him/her?  What is his/her job, really?

4. What is your perspective about the role of the supervising authority or school board in evaluating a child’s progress?

5.  Do my children have to write the Alberta Achievement Tests?  What happens if they don’t?

6. Are all your facilitators home educators or what qualifications do your facilitators have that give them a good understanding of home education for Grades 1 -12?

7. What is approved curriculum?

8. What methods of home education do your facilitators support and oversee?

9. What is my recourse if during the year we don’t agree?

If you are uncomfortable with the answers, shop around.

It is important that you know you have specific rights within the Alberta Regulations on Home Education, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and precedence set by the Supreme Court of Canada.

 

8.  Well the first thing I would discuss with them is why I was pulling my child and listen to their reaction for that .... and how they think I should proceed and how they could help me accomplish that.  If they just want her to do the same thing at home as they are doing in school and that doesn't solve the issue .....(i.e. if he is bored and they want him to do the same work he was doing ....doesn't solve the problem)

Because she's pulling him she needs to find a school board that is willing to "rescue" her (their word not mine ha ha) so that would have to be a first question....some boards are willing to because they won't receive any funding for her, some are willing to as they feel if they help her now hopefully she'll sign up with them the following year.  I wouldn't be concerned about what funding they offer until next year (she has time to register with another board in September after she's gotten her "feet wet" so to speak).

The second thing I would discuss is what their expectations are from me (what do they "require") as far as work from student, contact etc., (oh and what grade is he in?) that would also determine what I would ask re: if they want him to write provincial tests or not (again depending on why she is pulling him).

So in summary it all depends on the "why she is pulling him" would determine the questions I would ask.

-------

All very good answers.  I wish I would have been this smart when I first signed up.  :o)

happy

 

 

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

 Abraham Lincoln

lost?

 

Not all who wander are lost.

-JRR Tolkien

interesting…

 

what is Christian leadership????  Food for thought…

 

Inspiring Speech About Learning Differently - Temple Grandin (Autism)

 

 

I want to see this movie:

Deanna has her new glasses

 

She says the world is so much clearer now.  :o)

Cow Whispering 101

 

Yesterday Wes taught a lesson on low stress cattle handling (which I like to call cow whispering…LOL).  His students were 7 kids ages 7 to 15.  Wes  was sharing methods he had learned of the Bud Williams method.  Many of the kids help out here on the ranch sometimes, so Wes wanted them to understand the theory behind what he tells them to do in the cattle pens.  Wes is planning on having the kids over again to show them the methods in action in the pen.

Here are some links about Bud Williams:

http://www.managingwholes.com/--low-stress-livestock.htm

http://www.grandin.com/B.Williams.html  (I sent this one to the participants this morning as a follow up to yesterdays lesson.)

Here is a video that demonstrates low stress handling using the pressure and release methods:

and another

this one uses a horse and dogs as well:

Video of cattle handling at Maddux Ranch in Nebraska. Cowboy is using the Bud Williams "bud box' to move calves into a double alley. Note the use of flagged handling stick. The cowboy never raises his voice to move the cattle, just the stick, horse, dogs and facilities.

 

I need to close all my tabs because I am going to be teaching about blogging this afternoon.  So I want to restart my computer so it it is “refreshed” and ready to work.  :o)   (Hopefully the internet will behave and stay working this afternoon.)

 

1.  fun with math doodling

http://letsplaymath.net/2010/12/13/fun-with-math-doodling/

 

2.  cooperative ultimate frizbee

http://www.coopsports.com/ultimate.shtml

 

3.  sign up for ahea

http://www.aheaonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=103

 

4.  new blog to check out

http://www.bighouseinthelittlewoodsblog.blogspot.com/

 

5.  a year of change

http://www.thechangeblog.com/download/ayearofchange_free_pleaseshare.pdf

 

6.  http://www.ndoherty.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/disrupting-the-rabblement-manifesto.pdf

 

7.  file organization

http://www.bookkeeping-essentials.com/file-organization.html

 

8.  4 hour body

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030746363X?ie=UTF8&tag=marandang-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=030746363X

 

9.  http://frugaldad.com/2011/01/24/why-young-entrepreneurs-should-hold-down-a-job-after-college/

 

10.  http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=2732#comments

 

11.  chewy pretzel bites

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/02/chewy-pretzel-bites.html

Wednesday wanderings…

 

1.  when helping hurts – a lesson on enabling

http://www.thechangeblog.com/when-helping-hurts-a-lesson-on-enabling/#more-4580

 

2.  relationships are easy --

http://zenhabits.net/relationships/

 

3.  Master List of Home Business Ideas

http://www.ahbbo.com/ideas.html

http://www.ahbbo.com/articles.html

4.  on Colossians 4:12

http://eric-carpenter.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-colossians-412.html

 

5.  What Does Authentic Organic Church Life Look Like? Part I

http://frankviola.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/what-does-authentic-organic-church-life-look-like-part-i/

 

6.  how to organize your photos

http://orgjunkie.com/2011/01/how-to-organize-your-photos.html

 

7.  60 ways to make life simple again

http://www.marcandangel.com/2010/11/01/60-ways-to-make-life-simple-again/

 

8.  What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.
- JW von Goethe

 

9.  8 simple steps to achieve anything

http://www.marcandangel.com/2010/03/01/8-simple-steps-for-achieving-anything/

 

10.  great expectations

http://raisinghomemakers.com/2011/great-expectations/

 

11.  Bill Gothard says, “When we focus on our responsibilities, it produces revival.”

 

quotes

 

The most important fact about the subject of education is that there is no such thing. Education is not a subject, and it does not deal in subjects. It is instead the transfer of a way of life." G.K. Chesterton

 

True education is a kind of never ending story-a matter of continual
beginnings, of habitual fresh starts, of persistent newness. --J.R.R. Tolkien

 

"Knowledge is knowing; understanding is knowing what to do; wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is actually doing it. "    ~ Tristan Gylberd

late night rabbit trails…

 

1.  "The only man who is really free is the one who can turn
down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse." -
Jules Renard

 

2.  the advice of Bruce Lee:
"Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is
uniquely your own."

 

3.  Disrupting the Rabblement: How to think for yourself, live your dreams, and piss off some zombies -- http://www.ndoherty.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/disrupting-the-rabblement-manifesto.pdf

 

4.  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"   Hebrews 13:5-6  (New International Version)

 

5.  Why Do You Do What You Do?  --  http://www.minimalistathome.com/what-you-do/

 

6.  Who leads your church?  - http://www.simplychurch.com/2011/01/who-leads-your-church.html

 

7.  House Church – Teaching   --- http://eric-carpenter.blogspot.com/2011/01/house-church-teaching.html

 

8.  Unattainable Beauty -- http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/unattainable-beauty.html

 

9.  “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that our aim is too low and we make it.” – Michaelangelo

 

10.  I am going to introduce the kids to FlyLady tomorrow… http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Routines.asp

 

11.  Organizing Expert, Julie Morgenstern, says this about procrastination in her book, When Organizing Isn’t Enough – SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life:

“When we procrastinate we don’t do high-value activities.  A procrastinator will do anything to avoid the dreaded task, sometimes even “mindless habits” like checking email, watching TV, or getting lost on the internet. Regardless of your favorite method of procrastination, it all pads your schedule with fluff.  Procrastination is all about stalling — putting off starting or finishing something out of anxiety rather than logic.  It’s also a way of making your life more difficult.”

 

12.  tips for dealing with procrastination -- http://organizing.yourway.net/tips-for-dealing-with-procrastination/

 

13.  start your day by eating a frog -- http://simplemom.net/worst-thing-first-eat-that-frog/  ---   The basic idea is that if you do the worst thing on your plate first thing in the morning, the rest of the day is a cake walk.   ---- “Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” -Mark Twain

 

14.   Degunking Gadgets: The Proper Way to Clean Electronics   ---   http://technology.yourway.net/degunking-gadgets-the-proper-way-to-clean-electronics/

 

Whoa… I just looked at the time (12:08am).  Time for me to get to bed.  Goodnight.