Pinning it DOWN - Paper Snowflakes

Welcome to the third Pinning it Down Tuesday! Do you find yourself pinning projects to Pinterest, but rarely getting around to doing them? Do you need a bit of encouragement to make some of those projects come to life? Join Pam and Sarah every Tuesday for the Pinning it Down link-up, where we're making a Pinterest project happen in our homes every week. This week is hosted over at Pams

This week I decided to tackle something from my Kids Craft Ideas Board. We made paper snowflakes. The original idea came from Michele Made Me: Reader Question: How do you cut your snowflakes ?  Her step by step tutorial is excellent.
Michele has some excellent ideas of what you can do with your snowflakes.

• Junkmail Snowflakes Tutorial ❈ The Wall Blizzard 
• Junkmail Snowflakes Tutorial ❈ Gift Toppers
• Junkmail Snowflakes Tutorial ❈ Lanterns 

Source: michelemademe.com via Chareen on Pinterest

The Process

Completed Paper Snowflakes

Blessings
Chareen
Photo Collages done with the FREE software Photoscape . Tutorial over at Great Fun 4 Kids.
Are you ready to play along? Here's how the link-up works:

1. Choose a project from one of your Pinterest pinboards and make it happen. Blog a little about it. Remember, it doesn't have to be elaborate- we just want to see what you've been up to! 
2. Make sure you link back to Pams somewhere in your post so others can find us and play along. Feel free to grab our Pinning it Down graphic if you'd like to add it to your post. Also, don't forget proper pinning etiquette and try to include a link back the original idea whenever possible. We want to be sure that cool idea credit is given to the proper person. 
3. Link up over at Pam's . Make sure you're sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address. You can add your link all the way through Friday, so if you haven't gotten a chance to work on any of your pins yet this week, you're not too late

NBTS Week 3 - {Learning Spaces}

Welcome to Week 3 of the Aussie NBTS Blog Hop.  This week we are sharing our Learning Spaces for 2012!

In week one you met my three children Mr T, Miss J and Sir N who have all been homeschooled.
In week two I shared the curriculum choices I have made for the year ahead with Sir N.  This inspired me to share a Time Line of my homeschool journey with you.

I have a confession to make (blushing) I had been avoiding this post.  I had popped on over to Our World Wide Classroom and had a look at some of the dedicated learning spaces that  Our Aussie Homeschool, Pumpkin Patch, Our little Homeschool and Educating April had shared and got cold feet showing our space as we do not have dedicated space for homeschooling. Over the weekend I popped back over and had a look at Doves Rest, Home School Dreaming, Defying Gravity, Herding Hobbits!, Acres of Learning, Mansted Family Project and Seven Little Australians and was inspired to tidy up and invite you on in to see where we learn.

Welcome to our Learning Spaces
Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them for a better view.

Sir N's drawing of where he learns.

This picture means a lot to me.  Sir N did not know about this blog hop. He asked me for a piece of paper yesterday to draw.  Quietly sat down and drew me a picture.  He brought it to me and said "This is where I learn ! "

This is a panorama of our living area where 80 % of our learning takes place. The balance is outside and in the community {e.g. Sustainability Expo, Fishing, Ballet, Hanging Rock, Australia Post}

Our lounge is currently occupied with Sir N's Farm !

This is our read aloud space.  If it's cold we hop into bed with a warm doona and read there.  In summer we read here and if the day is not too hot we will hop onto the trampoline or a picnic blanket in the garden. To the left of the chair I have a bookshelf with most of the years Core books and some extra research books.

To the right of the read aloud chair I keep two boxes.  The blue one contains the current read alouds.  The basket contains our library books.

This is our dining room where Sir N sits and does his writing work. The draws to the right of the freezer contain all his pens, pencils and books we are working through. On top of these draws is a terrarium where what ever we have caught in the garden temporarily lives for us to study. We also have some rather unique pets in our home. Being married to a Zoo Keeper means that we get to look at and touch many interesting types of wildlife and get to go to the zoo as often as we like.  Last year we enjoyed Night Zoo.

This is our kitchen where we cook together.  A few months ago I moved the microscope to the kitchen bench. It used to live next to my computer but never got used because we forgot we had it.  It now gets used quite regularly. An example of one of the things we looked at last year is a flea we found on our cat.

I have this wonderful corner display cabinet we keep our treasures and memories and talk about.  It is also a perfect spot for our world globe.

This is our rumpus room which contains five of my seven book shelves.  I am truly blessed. One word of warning to homeschool Mums you do NOT need or have to own this many books to effectively homeschool.  I have this many books because I LOVE books and my husband graciously indulges my delight.
The three identical book shelves on the right are special to me.  My Dad hand made these when we immigrated to Australia.  I was in need of book shelves as the last house we rented had built in book shelves.  I was frustrated over the expense and design of book shelves.  We purchased the wood and my Dad spent hours making these for me. The tallest one contains mainly novels. 

Thank you to all of you who shared your spaces and inspired me to share mine.

Blessings
Chareen

Tuesdays Treasure - Jesus Tree

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library and add your post to Learning All the Time Favourite Resource Link Up. 



This week ...

Jesus Tree

40 Days with Jesus

This is too good not to share ! Collette over at The Art of Being Mama has made and shared this wonderful resource for us.  It is an Easter devotion {40 Days with Jesus} Jesus Tree continuing the story of the Jesse Tree from Christmas.

Collette has provided the Daily Bible Readings for us as well as beautiful graphics (she has personally hand drawn each ornament) to colour, cut and hang on your Jesus tree.

The devotional contains your daily outline.  She has provided scripture references as well as the Ergermeir Bible page reference.

• Ornaments 1 -  18
• Ornaments 19-24
• Ornaments 25 - 30 
• Ornaments 31 - 36 
• Ornaments 37 - 42  

Blessings
Chareen
** Updated 09/01/2014

Have you seen: Kill it, Cut it, Use it

   In one word EXCELLENT. I found these programs by accident one evening when I was channel surfing and looking for something better to watch.  The series title is: Kill it, Cut it, Use it and is presented by the BBC.

Image from BBC site.

As you can see from this image each episode takes you from live animal to all the different uses that that animal is used for.  If you don't want to see an animal die skip the first 4 min but watch the rest.  It's a behind the scenes educational tour.
In the Cow episode there were five segments: Making coat Buttons, Tennis strings, Fine Bone China, Luxury Leather interiors and Fire Fighting Foam.

The first series had a look at: The Cow, The Sheep, Fish and The Pig.

I hope the BBC produce this series on DVD I would love to purchase it.  

Some partial episodes on YouTube

• Making Face Cream From Sheep's Wool - Kill It, Cut It, Use It - BBC Three 
• From Cow To Car Seat - Kill It, Cut It, Use It - BBC Three 
• Whale Puke: The Perfect Perfume Ingredient - Kill It, Cut It, Use It - Episode 4 - BBC Three
• How fish leather is produced (more fish leather sneakers) 'kill it cut it use it'

These episodes are not full episodes but rather a sneak peak to each episode.

Read More Here:

• The unusual uses for animal body parts
• Kill it, Cut it, Use it Episodes.

So if it comes onto a TV channel for you set aside time to watch it.  We only saw three of the episodes (cow, fish and sheep) and they were excellent.

What are your favourite science shows ?

Blessings

Chareen 
This post is linking to: 
Learning All the Time Favourite Resources

3/52 Joshua - God's Warrior

I am playing catch up on my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge
 
This is book three for the year

Joshua - God's Warrior 

by Ellen Gunderson Traylor.

• Format: Paperback
• Number of Pages: 288
• Publishers: Harvest House Publishers
• Publication Date: 1994
• ISBN: 1-56507-250-2
• Author Ellen Gunderson Traylor

This is the sequel to Moses The Deliverer and carries on where Moses ended. Walk with Joshua as he walks with Moses for forty years and God trains him to be a mighty warrior. I enjoyed the story and insights that Ellen brings to the person of Joshua. The story moves a lot slower than Moses but over all is still an enjoyable read.

Ellen says in her note to the reader: This is the story not only of God's working through prophecy, but of his special ordination of a military general. It reveals the demanding character of Yahweh, as well as his fatherhood, as he prepares Israel for its inheritance. ... it is also a story of one man's personal journey.

Enjoy
Blessings
Chareen

Buy this book from: Amazon, Book Depository, Fishpond 
Linking to: 52 Books in 52 Weeks. 

Homeschool Mothers Journal {15} - 46 days of LENT ?????

The Home school Mother’s Journal began as a single post on a Friday morning over at The Home school Chick, and turned into a link-up for home school mothers across the blog-O-sphere to share a piece of their journey with one another each week. The link party is open from Friday to Monday so join me in The Home school Journal and lets encourage one another on our home school journey.

In my life this week…

 
In our home school this week…

Sir N touching a Little Penguin

• We worked on skip counting by fives.  Took out our abacus and used that.
• Worked on the letter Y in the Go for the Code book.
• This week we read: The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of BALTO. 
• We went to visit Melbourne Zoo for a couple of hours while Paul had a meeting !
• Did lesson six of Drawing Textbook by Bruce McIntyre. We do half a lesson each week. 
• Watched Episode 4: Intimate Relations from BBC Life in the Undergrowth. You can watch Life In The Undergrowth – top ten video clips on the BBC website.  

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

• Did you know that 2012 has been designated the National Year of Reading ??
• 48 Great ways Homeschoolers are using Pinterest.
• 22Living books for Math addition over at Heart of the Matter.

I am inspired by…

• A beautiful post over at Princess Warrior Lessons by guest blogger Leah from Prayer Gifts titled: Wait and see. To whet your appetite here is a snippet:
     My son was my teacher today.  As I drove him across town to his friend’s house, my 15-year-old and I chatted about his older brother, all full of plans, heading off to college soon.  As we talked about how different things will be when Garrett moves out, Logan glanced over at me and said, “Mom, I don’t want to know all the answers. I just like to wait and see what happens.”..............
  head on over to Princess Warrior Lessons to finish this excellent post that will touch your mother heart with the deep abiding love of Jesus. 
• What would I do differently ? over at Keepin it real. I wish I had had this information when I was a mum with very young children.  
• When God wont hurry up.  Beautiful post and healing to the heart.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

• This week it was our turn to host the home school mom's group.  It was good to see the ladies and enjoy encouraging fellowship.
• Went to Granny's house for lunch and a haircut.
• Went to Granny's house to celebrate her birthday on Thursday.
• On the spur of the moment we decided to go with Paul to Melbourne Zoo on Thursday.  We enjoyed looking around. Did you know it's their 150th year anniversary ?
• Counting down the months, weeks and days

My favorite thing this week was…

• Conquering Mount Washmore and then destroying Mount Ironmore !! 

What’s working/not working for us… SOS HELP

• I am a little confused!  This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and signaled the begining of LENT.  In theory there are 40 days to Lent and day 41 is Easter Sunday.  This year Ash wednesday is 46 days before Easter Sunday so how am I suposed to do this ?????? Day 40 is actually next Tuesday the 28th February.  Please HELP me untangle this ?

Questions/thoughts I have…

• What does your daily schedule look like?  I need to make one and was wondering if I should do a little of each subject each day OR have a day for each subject other than the three R's.

Things I’m working on…

• My overall fitness. I have been using Wii Active and enjoying it.  I am surprised by it's effectiveness.  I am not a game console person and I must confess that after each session I feel as though I have had a personal coach coaching me. I just hope I can see some results in my clothing size soon ;-)
• Reading the books I have on Nature Journaling: Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie, Field Trips by Jim Arnosky, Chapters 33{Nature Study} , 34 {Nature for City Children} & 35 {Neighbourhood Nature study} in my Charlotte Mason Companion book. I am planning a once a month linky party for the Charlotte Mason Companion starting on Monday 19 March with these three topics to start with.  So if you have the book get reading, blog and join me. 

I’m reading…

• All about the THE KOOKAGUMJOEYS who are the FIRST® LEGO® League Australian Champion’s Award Winners 2011. They are fundraising for their planned trip to represent Australia in Germany in June 2012.  If you are able hop on over and donate to help these girls get to Germany. 
• His Dreams over at Keepin it Real.
• The book of Leviticus.  My favourite chapter has been chapter 19.  If you are a new christian, an older christian wanting to be refreshed or simply looking for a good summary of boundaries to live by or things to teach your children about Godly living then this is the chapter for you.  I want to summarise this for Sir N's wall: Guidance for Godly Living.
• Joshua - God's Warrior by Ellen Gunderson Traylor.
• The myth of the eight hour sleep on the BBC News site.

I’m cooking…

Even the cat knew there
was good food to be had!!

• Stir Fry chicken for wraps.
• East African Chicken.
• Omelettes filled with mushrooms, onions and capsicum.
• Fresh flounder my husband caught last night. (5 Flathead & 2 Garfish on the board and Flounder in the sink)

I’m grateful for…

• The insights I gain when I pop over to Vicky's place Creating With Wisdom.  I especially enjoyed her last two posts: I think I'm going green and Shop Free Lent.
• The Gift of Weakness.  A blog post about God's provision in depression.  His hand of healing.  
• The people who have shared generously about their lent traditions and ideas.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

•  Start by making your own home a place where happiness and love abound, through your love for each member of your family and for your neighbour.  Try to put in the hearts of your children a love for home.  Make them long to be with their families.  So much sin could be avoided if our people really love their homes. 
  
  Mother Theresa

Blessings

This post is linking to:
Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and The Homeschool Chick pop on over to read what other homeschool Moms are doing.

She is Far Above Rubies

Today is a special day.  It's my Mom's birthday so I thought I would introduce you all to her.

My mom is a capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman who is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies.
The heart of my Dad trusts in her confidently and he has no lack of gain.
She has been the model wife and shown what it means to comfort, encourage and do him good.
Through her example of seeking out wool and working willingly with her hands have I learned much.
She has always provided nourishing meals for our family. Through her example have I learned to be a frugal nutritious cook.
My Mom has always arisen early and she diligently taught us all from His word.
She has always lived a godly example and has never courted neglect of her duties.
She girds herself with spiritual strength and has always stood firmly by her faith.
I have learned much about having a heart for the poor and filling the hands of the needy whether in body mind or spirit. My Mother gives generously of herself to those in need (at times that has been me ...)
My Mom has clothed her family well and we never had want for warm clothing. (I have fond memories of her knitting.)
She is an excellent seamstress and has patiently taught me how to sew, crochet and knit. (and still is).
In an era of godless living my Mother is adorned with modesty and is always appropriately and sensibly dressed.
My Mother demonstrates strength and dignity in her daily living.
My Mother has been blessed with skillful and godly Wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness she wisely shares her counsel and instruction.
My Mother has always looked well to the things of her household and the bread of idleness is not found there.
I love my Mom and she is a blessing, my Dad boasts about her.
There are many woman who have done virtuously and nobly well but she has excelled them all and to me her value is FAR above RUBIES

I love you Mom Happy Birthday.
Love
Chareen

Ideas for LENT from Pinterest

Today is the beginning of Lent.  I have never observed this period before and wanted to know more about it.  Here are some blog posts on what others are doing for Lent:
What is Lent? over at Bible Gateway Blog. Check out my LENT pinboard over on Pinterest for more links.

** Update - Pinterest changed something in their coding which deleted all graphics so I've linked straight to the blog posts for you :) **

 Over at Lord, Make Me a Saint Lent Link Up I liked this idea of beans.  There is also a great list of practical crafts for you to see.  (Original Pin)

Collette shared about her families Jesus Tree and I am inspired to make one of these this year.  There are down loadable printable and readings.   (Original Pin)

Here are some ideas from Pinterest:

This looks wonderful. Its a step by step from Jesse Tree to JESUS TREE for Lent (Original Pin)

40 Ideas for Lent (2012) This is a great list.  (Original Pin)

• 10 questions to ask at lent
• 10 books to read at lent 
• 10 Disciplines to put in place 
• 10 Scripture Meditations

This one looks good.  This is a blog party with ideas for lent.  There are 88 ideas linked up. (Original Pin)

Here is a great printable for counting down the days of LENT. (Original Pin)

A lent and holy week lap pack to purchase (Original Pin)

Home Made countdown over at Lolly Jane. (Original Pin)

40 days of ......... (Original Pin)

Ideas for preparing for Lent. (Original Pin)

What are you doing to celebrate LENT with your family this year ?

Blessings

Chareen

Photos from Catholic Icing used with permission.

Tuesdays Treasures {27} - Amon's Adventure

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library and add your post to Learning All the Time Favourite Resource Link Up. 



This week ...
Seeing that tomorrow signals the begining of Lent in the church calender I thought I would share some books about easter with you. For those of you who are familiar with the Jotham's Journey Trilogy will be thrilled to hear that Arnold Ytreide has written a book for easter titled:

Amons Adventure.

Arnold Ytreide

• Author: Arnold Ytreeide
• Format: Paperback
• Number of Pages: 208
• Vendor: Kregel Kidzone
• Publication Date: 2011
• Dimensions: 9.25 X 8.50 (inches)
• ISBN: 0825441714
• ISBN-13: 9780825441714
• Ages: 8-12
• Series Family Story for Easter

Buy this book from: Christian Book, Amazon,  Book Depository, Fishpond,

From the back cover: Thirteen year old Amon, the son of Jotham and Tabitha, enjoys playing with his friends but is also eager to join his father in the temple court where only men are allowed.  So when his father is falsely accused of a terrible crime, Amon willingly sacrifices his childhood ways in hopes of saving Jotham's life. Along the way, he sees the jubilant crowds that gathered on Palm Sunday, hears the Messiah address the angry mob, is present during the daring betrayal of Judas Iscariot, and witnesses the ultimate sacrifice made on Good Friday.

Blessings

Time Line of my Homeschool Journey

Yesterday as part of the Aussie Not Back to School Blog Hop I shared my Sonlight / Eclectic approach to homeschooling.  This post has inspired me to write a Time line of my journey.  A word of warning this post is LONG!!!

• 1997  - Immigrate / Investigate Homeschooling and methods. Read For The Children's Sake
• 1998  - Sonlight K learned from Ruth Beechick about being a Home Educator. 
• 1999  - Sonlight 1 Discovered Dr Raymond Moore and Better Late than Early Homeschool conference by Gregg Harris
• 2000  - I used the Sonlight Catalog to do Core B discovered A Charlotte Mason Companion Homeschool Conference with Diana Waring
• 2001  - Read the Well Trained Mind and purchased the books to do this.
• 2002  - Eclectic WTM and Sonlight books.
• 2003  - Eclectic WTM and Sonlight books. Started with Student Writing Intensive from Excellence in Writing.
• 2004  - Join ATI to do Wisdom Books & Homeschool Conference with Diana Waring
• 2005  - ATI Wisdom Books Saxon Math
• 2006  - Back to Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere Explorer Saxon Math
• 2007  - Sonlight  Year One World History Saxon Math Teaching Textbooks
• 2008  - Sonlight  Year Two World History Teaching Textbooks & Core P 3/4
• 2009  - Started Sonlight  History of Gods Kingdom &Teaching Textbooks Homeschool Conference with Diana Waring   Interviewed by Herald Sun and Trail Guide to World Geography. 
• 2010  - Sonlight  20th Centruary History Teaching Textbooks& Core P4/5 feature family in Keystone Magazine
• 2011  - Jane attends Carrick to do Cert III in Childrens Services Updated Core K with Sir N & Expedition Earth  .
• 2012  - Updated Core K with Sir N & World's Greatest Artists, Miss J Graduates.

Its been a busy fourteen years of discovery and learning. Learning all the time.  I have become an Eclectic Homeschooler more as the years go by.


My Journey in Detail

The very first book I read concerning Homeschooling was For The Children's Sake by Susan Schaefer Macaulay. I am so grateful that I did.  This book challenged me and encouraged me to really enjoy my children and to see each thing that I do as purposefully training them.  It challenged my core values and grew me as a person in ways I never expected from a book.

• I spent several months visiting homeschooling families and seeing what they use.  Some of what I looked at are:  ABeka, Advanced Training Institute Wisdom Books,  Christ-Centered Curriculum, Accelerated Christian Education (Paces), Bob Jones University Press, Timberdoodle, Learning Language Arts Through Literature, KONOS Unit Studies, Rainbow Resources. The choices and methods were over whelming. Each and every program had its positives and negatives.  I didn't know which way to turn (and this was before the Internet .......) The more families I visited the more I realised there was not one right way to homeschool each and every one was different. But what was going to work for me ?

I was then given a Sonlight Catalog. My saving grace.  I read it from cover to cover and was hooked.  I liked the idea of an Instructor guide.  I had no idea what to do and some guidance sounded like a good thing.  And books good living books really appealed to me.  Our first year we used Sonlight K.
 This catalog has become my living book resource and I eagerly anticipate its annual arrival in the mail.

When my box arrived from Sonlight they had given my a gift worth its weight in gold: The Three R's by Dr Ruth Beechick.  This is a treasure trove for new homeschoolers of primary aged students. Ruth empowers you with the jargon and know how to put you at ease when teaching Reading Writing and Arithmetic. Excellent.  It is available from: The Book Depository, Amazon, Fishpond, Sonlight.

One of the very first Homeschool seminaars I attended was a video one hosted at my good friend Jenny's house.   The Homeschool Seminaar presented by Greg Harris (Father of Joshua Harris known for I kissed Dating Goodbye)  Greg has written a book on Homeschooling called: The Christian Homeschool.  In Homeschool circles he was also known for The 21 Rules of This House. Gregg's passion is Delight-Directed Study which has been their family's approach to home schooling for over thirty years.  Priceless Treasure: Why I Choose to Home School was published in Talk Magazine in 1999. I found an excellent article summarising what happened to the Harris family since then.
The thing I remember from this seminar was Greg encouraging us as homeschoolers to look around and try something.  Use the curriculum for more than a week before putting it aside. Use it for at least three months.  If it's still not working then put it aside / sell it and use the wisdom from the experience to purchase your next choice. Write up what you liked / did not like and do research till you find what works for your family.

• I hooked in to two Home School groups: South Island Home Educators and Christian Home Educating Families. (Christian Home Educating Families (CHEF)   Dot was an inspirational mentor.  We would meet once a month at her place and fellowship with home educating moms who would share treasures they had unearthed.  This is where I discovered a Charlotte Mason Companion.

I have three favourite homeschool books and this one is by far my favourite. It is written by Karen Andreola. This book fed my heart, and encouraged me. It contains Karens journey of homeschooling her children using the Charlotte Mason Method. I love the practicality of this book. The line drawings ....  If you don't own this book you need to get it for yourself you will not regret it. It does not matter if you are new to homeschooling or a veteran of 15+ years there is something in this book for you. A thorough chapter-by-chapter overview of the inspiring teaching principles of Christian educator Charlotte Mason, this book reveals the practical day by day method of how to teach "the Charlotte Mason way". The author offers friendly advice, and humor, along with the joys and struggles of real homeschool life
It is available from: The Book Depository, Amazon, Fishpond. Karen now has a blog you can follow: Moments with Mother Culture.

The year 2000 introduced me to the wonderful Waring Family who were touring New Zealand sharing Beyond Survival with us.  Oh I am so glad I attended this home school seminar.  Diana is an enthusiastic encourager and her family were an inspiration and encouragement to keep schooling through the high school years. Diana's passion and Bills gentle encouragement recharged my batteries.

It was Diana who inspired me to get Beyond Survival in my homeschooling and enjoy the abundance the lifestyle has to offer.  At this conference I learned about learning and teaching styles and the impact this has on our school at home how it causes a lot of frustration both for the teacher and student and it did not have to.  Arm yourself with this treasure from Diana and discover some excellent tools for your homeschool today. This book is available from: The Book Depository and Amazon.

It was through this conference that I first me the wonderful Smith Family.  Craig and Barbara were and are pivotal to the Home School Movement.  They started the Home Education Foundation and if you needed anything all you had to do was pick up the phone to access their wealth of information.  If you are in need of some excellent encouragement and information I recommend their quarterly Keystone Magazine . Our family had the privilege of being the feature family in 2010.
Before Craig passed on into glory last year he recorded a few encouraging YouTube clips. There are 146 clips for you to choose from.  Make a cuppa and take some time to have some of your questions answerd by this godly man who was a pioneer and leader in the homeschool movement for over thirty years.

Enter the Well Trained Mind.  This book took the homeschooling community by storm in 2000/2001.  I was hooked.  I loved the idea of teaching history chronologically. At this stage Sonlight did not have a chronological history programme. The do now (Core G & Core H & Core 300 ).  I could not wait to start using her recommended books.  We used Sonlights catalog to find twaddle free read alouds.  We sourced them from all sorts of places. (Amazon and Childrens Books in particular).  We ambled along this journey for a few years.   
This book is available from: The Book Depository, Amazon, Fishpond.

In 2003 I was introduced to Teaching Writing Structure and Style.  I had been wrestling with how to teaching essay writing and preparing my students to be excellent writters.  I needed tools and this course equipped me. If you are wanting to know what excellent composition writing is this is the program for your homeschool. It is an easy step by step system.  I recommend your co-op purchase this programme for the moms to do.  If you are confident you can teach all that is required and have your students ready and well equipped for university by year 12 (or earlier if you have a confident writer).   IF you would rather have Andrew teach your students you can buy the Student Intesnsives  from Linda at Adnil press in Australia.There are three levels A, B & C these levels are identical in their content, the level is in reference to the age of your student.  If you come unstuck Linda is Australia's Certified Instructor.  The program is designed to be taught over the lifetime of your student not in one week !

When first looking at homeschooling I liked the idea of homeschooling all my subjects from a christian point of view. We had looked at Advanced Training Institute Wisdom Books  when I first looked at homeschooling and thought that would be great to do for high school.  A good friend of mine was switching over and I realised high school years were upon us. So we joined IBLP and started using Wisdom Books and Lap packs for our learning. You can download a sample Wisdom Booklet #4 from IBLP
ATI is available world wide. (Australia, New Zealand, USA)

Bill and Diana returned to New Zealand in 2004 to encourage and support the homeschool community.  We were once again privileged to attend a seminar by Diana.  It was here that I was blessed with this treasure.  This too is on my favourite homeschool resource pile.  Things We Wish We had Known. it's a compilation of letters by 50 veteran homeschoolers all sharing what the one thing is they wish they had known when they started home educating. Q: Who do parents turn to with questions about homeschooling, whether they're novices, long-timers, or just testing the waters? A: Experienced homeschoolers. Who better to answer the questions arising from any serious endeavor than those who have been there, done that, and found a better way? The one thing I remember most from this conference is Diana warning us to avoid a snap shot mentality with our children. This book is available from: The Book Depository, Amazon, Fishpond.

2006 arrived and we moved to Australia.  It was at this time that I felt ATI was no longer a good fit for our family and in my heart I knew I needed to return to Sonlight.  So we embarked on Eastern Hemisphere Explorer.  I was in heaven surrounded by good books and an IG.  What more could a homeschool mom want ??

2009 I heard Diana would be in Melbourne so we attended her conference.  What a blessing that was. Diana encouraged us as moms.  What is the one indispensable ingredient needed for homeschooling ? YOU are that ingredient.  Diana encourages us to use the Bible as our plum line (The Well Kept Secret of a Biblical Education).  She encouraged us to Actively ENGAGE learning as well as to enjoy teaching History via the Scenic Route. You can purchase some of her workshops on CD.
Diana has written an excellent chronological history curriculum (History Revealed) from a biblical perspective (Ancient Civilizations, Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries, & World Empires, World Missions, World Wars) her History Audio products are excellent and children of ALL ages will enjoy their journey through history with Diana.  Dianas books have encouraged and inspired me on my journey.

2009 I really wanted some specific geography curriculum and discovered: Trail Guide to World Geography.  If you’d like a geography course that includes mapping activities, atlas usage, research, notebooking and culture with very little teacher preparation, look no further. The Trail Guide to World Geography is a “week one, day one” kind of teacher’s manual with daily geography drills (answers included) and numerous weekly assignment choices. Multi-level geography course for 36 week school year for elementary through high school. This program comes in three levels: Primary, Intermediate & Secondary. It is value for money and available in book form or digital download. In the space of three years your student will do a comprehensive walk through earths geography. I will be using this with Sir N when he is 8, 12 and 16.  

In 2011 I embarked on this blog and discovered just how much curriculum is available on line to us as homeschoolers. I was feeling a little burned out and tired and on my blog hop adventures I discovered Erica over at Confessions of a Homeschooler. This year she shared The Worlds Greatest Artists study. The best part is it's FREE! I am so glad that I did. The source books are excellent and Sir N is enjoying this project !


Well that my friends is a tiny glimpse in to some of the things that have influenced my journey so far. If you are looking for homeschool supplies please check out my Links page for some of the companies I have used in the past.

May your week and year ahead be filled with His abundant blessings.

Blessings
Chareen 

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