Friday, 15 June 2012

HSMJ 22 - Griping about Blog Giveaways ...

In my life this week…
I have been experimenting and learning how to use the Canon EO5 DSLR we were given.  Paul happily babysat as I went out one evening to photograph the homeward bound traffic.  This photo was in response to a photo challenge to capture movement. What do you think ?
It's been a week of nursing a sick husband and son who had the flu. Starting back with official school and planning our year ahead. We currently work on a five week cycle.  Four weeks of school then one week off to rest which works well.  Although at the moment we will be starting with a six week cycle so we can fit in a complete school year and finish two weeks before Christmas.
 
In our home school this week…
  • Week 15 Sonlight Core
  • Worked on preparing our South Africa section of Expedition Earth papers.
  • Sir N started reading Book 1 in the I Can Read It!
  • We are currently reading:  Dr Doolittle
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
  • Have you seen the Tech Coach ? Check out this blog it's full of FREE on line games and virtual tours from Typing Tutors, Maths Games, Rocks & Minerals, History etc.  If you can think of a category you can find a post covering what's on the web for your child.  EXCELLENT Resource.
  • Are you are looking for a great way to teach Biblical World View to your 6-14 year old? Apologia has a new product range on the market called What We Believe consisting of Journals, Colouring Books, CD's and Main Text for you to look at.  Lori over at Special Connection Home School has written an excellent introduction of Who am I ? which is the second book in the series.
I am inspired by…
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
  • This week we visited my sister and sister in law.

My favorite thing this week was…
  • Seeing Sir N rediscover his delight in cuddling with Daddy and reading a great book. 

What’s working/not working for us…


Questions/thoughts I have…
     
  • Why is it that all the big home school companies don't bless anyone outside their own country with giveaways ??  Even though they have a large customer base off shore ?  This is one of my pet frustrations at the moment. Sigh ...
  • Do you know of any Australian Home school Companies willing to supply giveaways for Aussie bloggers ?
  • Do you know of any Australian Bloggers hosting give aways ? It's my blog's 1st Birthday and I want to celebrate with some digital giveaways and have no idea how to access some product.  Any volunteers out there ?
  • Deborah over at The Paper Maid answered this question for me even before my post went up today. Tammy over at 1...2...3... Teach with Me is hosting a 200 Follower Giveaway. For a chance to win one of the prizes there are six possible blogs to follow or TpT stores to follow totaling a possible 12 entries. Winners will be announced on 20 June 2012.
Things I’m working on…

I’m reading…
I’m cooking…
  • Nothing new this week.
On Pinterest I found...

I’m grateful for…

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

Source: Facebook  Healing with Art.
Blessings







The Home school Mother’s Journal began as a single post on a Friday morning over at The Homeschool 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 has moved and is now hosted over at iHomeschool Network and is open from Friday to Monday so join me in The Homeschool  Mothers Journal and lets encourage one another on our home school journey.

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

TT - Top Ten Favourite Read Alouds

 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 weeks topic is inspired by 10* in 10* (Ten Weeks of Top Ten Lists) over at iHomeschool and hosted at Many Little Blessings.


My Top Ten Favourite Read Alouds
Last week I shared with you Ten of my Favourite Homeschooling sites.
Top of the list was Sonlight who introduced me to most of my favourite must have read alouds. 


Little Britches
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 260
Vendor: University Of Nebraska Press
Publication Date: 1991
ISBN: 0803281781
ISBN-13: 9780803281783
Sonlight:  Core D & E



Carry on, Mr. Bowditch 
Author: Jean Lee Latham
Illustrator: John O'Hara Cosgrave II
Date Written: 1955
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Boston
Current Pub. Date: 2003
Pages: 256
Edition: illustrated
ISBN: 978086020864-8
Sonlight:  Core D
The Phantom Tollbooth

Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Bullseye Books; 1st Yearling edition (October 12, 1988)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0394820371
ISBN-13: 978-0394820378
Sonlight:  Core  G & W




The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Laurel Leaf (May 15, 1978)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0440995779
ISBN-13: 978-0440995777
Sonlight: Core D




A Little Princess

Reading level: Ages 9 and up Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (December 9, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064401871
ISBN-13: 978-0064401876





Follow My Leader
Reading level: Ages 5 and up
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Puffin (December 1, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140364854
ISBN-13: 978-0140364859

Sonlight:  Discontinued. 



Mountain Born
Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: JourneyForth (September 1, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0890847061
ISBN-13: 978-0890847060
Sonlight Core B

Elsie Dinsmore
Format: Paperback
Vendor: Hendrickson Publishers
ISBN: 1598564005
ISBN-13: 9781598564006
Ages: 10-14
Series: Original Elsie Classics





Escape From Warsaw
Paperback: 218 pages
Publisher: Scholastic (January 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 059042534X
ISBN-13: 978-0590425346
Sonlight:  Core H
Whatever happened to Penny Candy ?
Author: Richard Maybury
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 159
Vendor: Bluestocking Press
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 0942617622
ISBN-13: 9780942617627
Series: Uncle Eric Books
Sonlight: Core F


What are your Top Ten Read Alouds ?

Blessings

Saturday, 9 June 2012

52 in 52 - A Stolen Life

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

My Mom in law belongs to a book club in Hoedspruit and while I was there they had their monthly meeting.  It was so much fun catching up with the ladies of this group I used to belong to 15 years ago.  One of the great things was having access to so many great books.

A Stolen Life
Jaycee Dugard



Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (July 12, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 145166494X
ISBN-13: 978-1451664942
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces




From the back cover: "In the summer of 1991 I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friends and a mother who loved me. I was just like you.
Until the day my life was stolen.


For eighteen years I was a prisoner. I was an object for someone to use and abuse.
For eighteen years I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to be a sister. For eighteen years I survived an impossible situation.


On August 26, 2009, I took my name back. My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I don’t think of myself as a victim. I survived.
A Stolen Life is my story—in my own words, in my own way, exactly as I remember it." - jaycee dugard.

That's just how the book is written.  It has not been written by a ghost writer.  It is frank and honest and at best compelling.  I couldn't put this book down.  I was shocked and surprised at her frank honesty and the excellent quality of her writing considering she was abducted at the age of 11 and had no more formal education.  She must be an incredible young woman to already have written this account.  She shares extracts from her journal written in captivity.  If you are looking for a feel good book then this is NOT the book for you as it is frank and honest about the invasion perpetrated on this young woman for 18 very long years.

Jaycee has started a foundation called the JAYC Foundation. (Just Ask Yourself to Care) Our mission is to be of service to families that have suffered a familial or nonfamilial abduction or other trauma and to spread the word of compassion and awareness through educational programs. We connect families to support and services they need in order to recover from the abduction or other traumatic events, such as returning from military deployment or a major natural disaster.

I rate this book: *****
Sexual content: yes
Linked to: BW24: RIP Ray Bradbury