Started out the day thumbing through my blog dashboard when a news feed caught my eye. It was titled 6 Things Freelancer Writers and Bloggers Can Learn From Rappers! Ofcourse I had to go read it. I thought the Author made several good points. Freelancers could benefit from reading it.

Now on a different note I did want to mention I did take some time to read the post by Jaime over at See Jaime Blog titled  25 Prayers for My Husband. This prayer list is one I will be referring to often. Another great resource and book I have read regarding praying for our husbands is the book called The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. Having several good resources on hand can really help.

So, while I was making breakfast this morning I couldn’t help but think about the latest blog post by Tricia Goyer. She really makes you think about people you may have turned your back on. It’s a quick read. Go check it out If Jesus Loved Everyone, I Should Too. 

Great stuff today. Hope you find this blog post helpful!

Have you read this post yet? It’s awesome: Home school lessons from a big rig

Sunday Sandy Toe Blogging is a post from: Homeschooler Help

I love to start my Saturday by relaxing and reading tweets. I especially love it when someone tweets a hilarious tweet such as Dee @wishfulme retweeted a tweet about a sweet elderly couple learning how to use their webcam. I was rolling on the floor. My kids thought I was nuts.  

The  @homeschoolclub tweeted about Seth Godins blog post about education and our kids:

Large-scale education was never about teaching kids or creating scholars. It was invented to churn out adults who worked well within the system. Click here to read more.

My next stop was over at See Jaime Blog. Her latest blog post was titled Weekend Inspiration Around the Web. I must admit the first thing I noticed on her blog post was not her fancy coffe mug but the book underneath it-The Best Devotions of Sheila Walsh. I absolutely love Sheila Walsh.  Hope I get to see her at a Women of Faith Conference soon!

Jaimes blog is a great one to follow. I especially enjoyed the inspiration links she shared at the end of her post. I took some time to read one of the links called Homeschool Blindspots. I thought it was very interesting. It’s a long read. You may want to set aside about fifteen minutes of uninterupted time.

I will be ending the night by reading another one of Jaimes posts called: 25 prayers for my husband.

Who knows maybe I will blog about that one too.

Time Out for Me is a post from: Homeschooler Help

I was listening to the NPR station All Things Considered the other day when I heard this homeschool story.  I thought it was a very different, unique homeschooling story and very inspiring to say the least. I would have to say it is definetly worth sharing.  I just love homeschool success stories! They inspire me and encourage me. I’m sure I’m not the only  homeschooling mom who could use a little encouragement now and then.

Head on over to the NPR website and have a listen. You can listen to this homeschoolers success story or read the transcript homeschooling student recieves scholarship to harvard.

In a nutshell the cohost Michael Norris on NPR All Things Considered conducted a very informative interview with Kerry Anderson who was homeschooled in her moms big rig right there in the cab. She continued on to a community college, then was recruited into Harvard.

Kerry has recently graduated from Harvard and is currently studying for the LSAT then headed to law school.

This is the 2nd success story this week about homeschoolers going to Harvard that I have posted.

I’m sure this homeschooler  had goals that had to be reached. Congrats to her for her accomplishments!

I am beginning to think Harvard likes homeschooled graduates. What do you think?

What to read next??  How about Goals for Kids 

 
photo credit: Nevada Tumbleweed

Lessons From a Big Rig: From the Rolling Classroom to Harvard is a post from: Homeschooler Help

Ran across this awesome article today by Alicia Bayer.  I Just had to share. I’m sure homeschooling parents experience this at least once with one of their children Enjoy!

So you’ve decided to homeschool. You’ve convinced your spouse, you’ve done your research, you’ve planned your schedule… and your child announces that she’s heartbroken that she’s not going to school this fall.

This is actually a fairly common scenario for homeschoolers with young children. Part of the reason is that the media is filled with back-to-school talk this time of year. Part is often that young children see their playmates going off to school. Television shows like Arthur and many picture books also do a good job of “selling” kindergarten to young kids Continue reading on Examiner.com

Other pages you may be interested in reading:

 Prepare your toddler for preschool: How to teach your toddler to read

Homeschooling Preschoolers is a post from: Homeschooler Help

Just because you pass a test and can memorize something doesn’t mean you learned something.

Listen to what this student has to say. She really does give an amazing speech.

You may also enjoy Goals for Kids 

Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling is a post from: Homeschooler Help

I am batting around the idea of adding in Sonlight Curriculum this year. Sounds like a great program. I like the idea of lesson plans prepared and ready to go

How about you?
Thinking of using Sonlight Curriculum for your homeschooler but not sure where to start?

You can learn more about the  Sonlight Instructor’s Guides

This type of  instructors guide might be just what you are looking for to give you the confidence you need to know what to do and when to do it during the year.

Watch the video and see what Laura Lee Ellis Homeschooler for 13 years says about the Sonlight Instructor Guides.

Are you using Sonlight? What do you like best about it?

Homeschoolerhelp recommends: Goals for Kids

Christian Curriculum: Sonlight is a post from: Homeschooler Help

Setting goals for your child can help them feel a little more comfortable, confident and more focused.

Goals should be set for a number of reasons:

Goals can help your child get from point A to point B. Homeschoolers need direction and a plan. I’m sure one of the many reasons for homeschooling is to teach them responsibility.

Goals can provide desire and motivation. When your homeschooler reaches a goal it can give them a great deal of confidence. That confidence can lead them to the desire and motivation to reach another goal.

Making a goal form and reviewing together can give you and your child feedback on whether they are making progress or not. It can help to get them back on course if they get distracted and unfocused. This is one sure way to hit those homeschool goals.

Homeschoolerhelp recommends:
Goal Setting For Kids!

Goals for Kids is a post from: Homeschooler Help

It’s never too early to teach your toddler to read and prepare them for homeschool.

Your childs development of early literacy skills depends on parental direct involvement in teaching reading and writing. Just imagine in just five to ten minutes a day you can well prepare your child for early success in homeschool.

Check out these statistics

• Over 30 million adults in the United States and Canada are considered functionally illiterate.
• 38% of all 4th graders can not achieve basic levels of reading profeciency in the U.S.
• 42% of children leave school without achieving  basic, functional English in the U.K.
• 33% of Australia grade 5 students do not meet the bench mark literacy skills.

As a homeschooling mom myself I know how critical it is to teach our children to read at an early age.

You too can discover the simplest most effective program to teach your child how to read

Click Here! Get them started today

How to Teach Your Toddler to Read is a post from: Homeschooler Help

This site was created to encourage and inform single parents who are homeschooling or want to homeschool.

Finally! A site geared specifically towards single parents that want to homeschool. I was beginning to think that there weren’t any resources available for those of us that are single parents thinking about the home school way of life.

What I really like about the site is that it’s from someone that has done the whole single parent homeschooling thing. Since starting the site she’s remarried but she’s still been in the shoes of a single parent homeschooler so she knows what it’s like. She knows how single parents have to ‘think outside the box’ when it comes to teaching their child(ren) at home.

One thing I didn’t like about the site was that it has a lot of South Carolina resources available. Granted, she’s from there so it makes sense she would provide those resources. It just didn’t do me a lot of good to have homeschooling resources for a state I don’t live in. But, overall I was pleased with the site and the information available.

The Single Parent Homeschoolers site provides information about:

• single parent homeschooler issues
• encouragement and laughs
• resources and references

This week’s homeschooling resource:  Single Parent Homeschooler

Single Parent Homeschoolers is a post from: Homeschooler Help

Who ever knew there could be so much information available for homeschooling? I can’t believe how overwhelming the whole homeschool concept is.

I don’t know how someone goes from the idea to do it, to researching to actually doing it. I just keep thinking man, it’s a good idea I’m not wanting to do this full-time!

However, with all that being said I have found some awesome homeschooling information along the way. So I do feel like my research hasn’t been a complete waste. And hopefully something I share will be a help to someone out there!

This week I came across a site called Homeschooling Ideas. I did a Google search for ‘homeschooling for beginners’ and they were one of the first sites listed. There was one whole page devoted to ‘newbie’ things. The author shared that when they first started homeschooling they were exactly where I’m at right now – feeling clueless. So, they put together some advice (with links to articles, etc) that they wish they had been given back in the beginning!

Just a few of the things they touch base on:

• Don’t rush out and spend a lot of money
• Don’t let anyone tell you how to homeschool
• Think of it as educating yourself as much as educating your child

I found the information pretty helpful. I’m still feeling pretty overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Thankfully I’m not on a time line or deadline of any sort and am only looking for ways to help supplement my son’s public school education in subjects he struggles in!

This week’s homeschooling resource:  Homeschooling Ideas (Homeschooling for Beginners: Things I Wish I Had Known – My Advice)

Homeschooling Ideas is a post from: Homeschooler Help