Friday 9 September 2011

Nails, Wood & String

"Daddy I want to make something with wood, nails and string" came the imploring voice of Sir N on Thursday morning. Daddy's are wonderful they come up with all the solutions.

Look what Daddy and Sir N did together yesterday:

Our Supplies
Colorix crayons, string, nails, hammer
I dug out the Colorix Crayons because they are easy to use.  My paint is packed away at the moment and this was the next best thing.
The String Art Fun Techniques page  suggests using cork tiles from your local hardware store.
"Daddy I want to use the drill to make a hole"
Daddy drew a picture of a sailing boat on a piece of wood.
Next he nailed some nails for the string to be attached.


Sir N then used colorix crayons to colour in the yacht picture.


Paul then spread the colour using water and a paint brush.


All ready for us to add the string.


The finished item.

Free String Art Patterns are available from String Art Fun.  There is a fee one for a boat and a circle that once it is strung makes a picture of a heart.  I really would like to try that one. 

Blessings

A Childs Ten Commandments to Parents

  1. My hands are small; please don't expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you.
  2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely. Don't restrict me unnecessarily.
  3. Housework will always be there. I'm only little for a short time, please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world and do so willingly.
  4. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs. Don't nag me all day long. (You wouldn't want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness). Treat me as you would like to be treated.
  5. I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by and disciplining me in a loving manner.
  6. I need your encouragement to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; remember, you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.
  7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I'll be prepared to make the kinds of decisions that life requires of me.
  8. Please don't do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn't quite measure up to your expectations. I know it's hard, but please don't try to compare me to my brother or sister.
  9. Please don't be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids.  Besides, it's a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very special.
  10. Please take me to church regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God
Dr. Kevin Leman is an internationally known psychologist, humorist, best-selling author, TV personality and speaker. Dr. Leman is probably best known for his Birth Order Book. Along with Dr. Jay Passavant, family counselor, he hosts the syndicated television program realFamilies.

I hope this has encouraged you as much as it did me this morning to take the time to enjoy Sir N.

Blessings

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Homeschool Meme

Imagine my surprise and delight when Erin from Seven Little Australians tagged me for a meme.  I was so honoured to read she was interested to hear from me!  So... 

1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed
I  need to cheat with the answer to this one!  I have a large number that I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy.  I find the longer I homeschool the more I need to keep going back to the places I have received encouragement from before.
Here are some of my favourites in no particular order: Educating the WholeHearted Child by Sally and Clay Clarkson, Things We Wish We'd Known by Bill and Diana Waring, A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola, and Beyond Survival by Diana Waring.

2. One resource you wouldn't be without
My personal home library.  I must confess though you do not need to own a library at home to successfully home educate.  I have been blessed with a wonderful library of books that has grown over the last fourteen years.  I have gathered books from many different places such as: Sonlight, opp shopping, friends hand me downs, Children's Books, Christian Books, The Book Depository, Christchurch Library Sales, Christian Value Books to name but a few.

3. One resource you wish you had never bought
 ATI (Advanced Training Institute from IBLP)  In hindsight I wish we had stayed with what was working well for us and not moved to this.  We did this for two years before reverting back to what fit our family best. There wasn't one bad thing in particular and as a Mom I learned a lot but for my children it didn't work at all.

4. One resource you enjoyed last year
Geography Matters.  Geography is sometimes one of the most neglected areas in homeschool circles and was very impressed when I came accross this website.  The books are available for purchase in book form or e-book format. Cindy Wiggers has done a fantastic job with putting this resource together. I have Trail Guide to World Geography.  Samples available are: Trail Guide to World Geography-SampleLesson.pdf and Table of Contents to World Geography. It comes in three levels. Junior school, middle school and high school.  Over the space of three seperate years your students will receive a comprehensive coverage and understanding of world geography.

5. One resource you will be using next year
 This year we made a Time Line to use with Sir N.  I will be using Time Line Figures from Sonlight as well as Time Line Figures from Amy Pak at Homeschool in the Woods.

6. One resource you would like to buy
 I would really love to buy some premade slides to use with our microscope.  I am currently looking at two sets and still trying to make up my mind which one and then will have to save to buy. The best buy so far that I have found is from Science Education Online the sets I am considering are 100 prepared slides and The Wonderful World of a drop of water slide set.

7. One resource you wish existed
I have a confession I wish there were two:
  • Firstly I wish there was one downloadable history/geography curriculum for Australia along the lines of Road Trip USA by Erica at Confessions of a HomeSchooler.
  • I really wish there was a French Language Programme for young primary school age children along the lines of the Rosetta Stone Method but without the reading.
8. One homeschool catalogue you enjoy reading
Over the years I have enjoyed a variety of different catalogues.  Some that I have read a few times and kept copies of are: Rainbow Resources, Diana Waring History Alive, I really enjoy reading the Sonlight Catalogue and eagerly await it's arrival in the mail each April.

9. One homeschooling website you use regularly
To be honest there isn't just one there are a few. They are listed in the blogs I follow as well as a few of the bling links on the right. I must confess I am more of a book girl and prefer to see a resource or search out help on my friends bookshelves or have a chat over a cup of tea. I am new to the blogging world and have just over the last few months being surfing blogs for answers to my most pressing questions. There are also links in Every Bed of Roses Links Page.

10 Tag six other homeschoolers
I'm particularly keen to hear from;
Blessings


Updated: 21 September 2011

My Two Add-on Homeschool Questions by Jimmie

This meme is called Homeschooling in Ten Easy Questions, but Pam’s post had only eight questions. To fix the discrepancy without renaming the meme, I’ve chosen to create two of my own questions. Sorry to end on a negative note, but the struggles are where we learn the most, so I don’t want to discount them.

9. What homeschool subject gives you the most frustration or anxiety?
At the moment with Sir N it is a second language !

10. What is your greatest challenge in homeschooling right now?
Finding my daily routine.   It's been over 12 years since I home schooled a six year old.  Right now I am trying to juggle home school time, household time and paly time with Sir N.

Now it’s your turn! Go ahead. Copy the questions and do the homeschooling in 10 easy questions meme. It’s fun.