The Thinking Mother

The Secrets of College Success Book Review by ChristineMM

Published on 2010-08-26 13:22:00

Title: The Secrets of College Success: Over 600 Tips and Tricks Revealed (Professors’ Guide)Authors: Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. HymanPublication: Jossey-Bass , August 2010ISBN: 9780470874660My Star Rating: 5 stars = I Love ItSummary Statement: Everything You Wish You Knew From Those Who Know the DrillThis nonfiction book presents over 600 tips for college students to learn the ins and outs of how to be successful in college. It’s arranged by topic into chapters using lists or bullet point

Up Tunket Road Book Review by ChristineMM

Published on 2010-08-26 12:50:00

Title: Up Tunket Road: The Education of a Modern HomesteaderAuthor: Philip Ackerman LeistPublication: Chelsea Green Publishing May 2010ISBN: 978-1603580335My Star Rating: 5 stars out of 5 = I Love ItSummary Statement: Thoughtful and Philosophical, Excellent Storytelling Memoir of a Modern Homesteader; Worthy of a Slow ReadingMy great-grandparents were real homesteaders in northern Maine a hundred years ago and I grew up visiting my grandmother on the same land in the same home she and my grandfa

Framing and Foundation Building, Not Sheltering

Published on 2010-08-26 08:37:00

Announcement:I have reached the point in my parenting journey where I cannot shield my kids by having them live in a bubble. Actually I seemed to have reached this point perhaps eighteen months or two years ago but have not yet shared this on my blog. I figured it was about time I share these thoughts.---When my children were younger I tried very hard to fill their lives with quality experiences and media (books and movies). I tried to not introduce them to pure garbage. And of course I didn’t

Carnival of Homeschooling Week 241 Published

Published on 2010-08-24 07:54:00

The Carnival of Homeschooling Week 241 has been published at Notes From a Homeschooling Mom.This Carnival provides a lot of homeschool-related reading. Take a look!I enter these Carnivals and encourage you to as well.If you have a blog or a website and write about homeschooling I encourage you to consider submitting an entry to this weekly blog Carnival. For information on how to make a submission, see here.Enjoy!Technorati Tags: Carnival of Homeschooling, homeschooling, homeschooling informatio

The New York Public Library Student Planner Review by ChristineMM

Published on 2010-08-24 07:50:00

Title: The New York Public Library Student Planner August 2010 to August 2011My Star Rating: 5 stars out of 5My Summary Statement: Different and Better Than Other Student Planner Calendars; Great for Homeschooled Students Too!, August 21, 2010 After looking at all the student planners available in a big chain bookstore in person, when I saw this one, person I knew it was right for my son (in grade 8). This calendar is for August 2010 to August 2011.The bulk of the planner is the weekly planner s

Almost Time to Start the New Homeschool Year

Published on 2010-08-22 18:52:00

The summer has flown by. We were too busy. It was a summer in spurts, spurts of being too busy, spurts of rest, spurts of me doing big house maintenance projects and spurts of travel.We have one week of summer left before the homeschool activities done elsewhere, sports and Scouts resume. I'm not completely ready to start homeschooling. But the outside things are paid for and the appointments are on the calendar and we'll show up for them. I'm perched at a dangerous point -- where if I don'

Real Life Grammar Lesson #2

Published on 2010-08-22 11:55:00

What's wrong with this sign, seen at a deli in Connecticut?I admit I've not found the use of the apostrophe easy but this one is pretty bad.copyright 2005-2009 The Thinking Mother

Beer Can Chicken Attempt

Published on 2010-08-21 07:45:00

In July while in Cape Cod with access only to a propane gas grill we attempted to make Beer Can Chicken. I've wanted to try it since seeing it praised highly on various FoodTV shows. This recipe was from somewhere on the Food Network site (sorry I don't recall which).I'm deeming this first attempt a failure but figured I'd share the photos as they are kind of funny. This seemed like way too much smoke to me. The temperature is much harder to control on this Weber gas grill than the Web

It's Time to Hate on Homeschooling!

Published on 2010-08-18 17:52:00

It's back to school time in some places and the rest are gearing up for a start date sometime soon.Thus the time is perfect for blog posts and media articles to share why the person hates homeschooling. These are opinion pieces where the writer seeks to both convince us of how happy they are while trying to tell us that those of us doing what they hated should be hating their situation too. Well, sorry, I'm not in your boat and no matter what you say I'm not joining you.These articles

Ethical Wildcrafting Practices

Published on 2010-08-17 07:27:00

This nine page online free guide explaining ethical wildcrafting practices is fantastic. This is a must-read for beginners. I hope experienced wildcrafters already know this!It's applicable to all wildcrafters nto just professional herbalists.Wildcrafting for the Practicing Herbalist by 7song.comcopyright 2005-2009 The Thinking Mother

Great Book Weeds of the Northeast

Published on 2010-08-16 12:36:00

While in Barnes and Noble this week I found this book that I'd never heard of before, in the gardening section. Weeds of the Northeast This book has what I've wanted in books on plants or gardening but have not been able to find. It is a guide to plants and shows 3-4 illustrations including close-ups as well as the whole plant then just the seed and also the blossom. Views of the plant in various stages of development (including seedling or emerging plant) plus most being full color ph

Real Learning vs. Answering Test Questions

Published on 2010-08-16 12:21:00

This month I placed my first order with The Teaching Company so I feel I've entered another milestone in home education. It seems all academic-minded homeschoolers, with teenagers I know use The Teaching Company lectures on DVD (most are college courses taught by college professors).The I made both of my kids watch with me yesterday was the first two lessons of How to Become a Superstar Student. I figured it would be good to hear some of this from someone other than me. One thing said had me sha

Carnival of Homeschooling Week 240 Published

Published on 2010-08-16 11:54:00

The Carnival of Homeschooling Week 240 has been published at Consent of the Governed.This Carnival provides a lot of homeschool-related reading. Take a look!I enter these Carnivals and encourage you to as well.If you have a blog or a website and write about homeschooling I encourage you to consider submitting an entry to this weekly blog Carnival. For information on how to make a submission, see here.Enjoy!Technorati Tags: Carnival of Homeschooling, homeschooling, homeschooling information, blog

Feeling Pissy

Published on 2010-08-15 09:20:00

Although I had a good night's rest today has turned out to be a day when I'm in a terribly pissy mood and feeling overwhelmed to boot. I've lost my patience with both of my kids and it's going to be a long day. On days such as these this is what I do to save my sanity:1. Stay offline as much as possible lest I communicate something via email that I may regret or stir up more trouble than I intended due to that "bad tone" coming through. 2. Stay away from social networking sites as something my f

Random Thoughts About What I've Been Up To Lately

Published on 2010-08-13 20:57:00

Today I barely thought about homeschooling which is a good thing I think. It was nice to stop planning and worrying about the schedule being over-booked. Instead I spent a whole day working on projects in the house. None were fun but both were necessary. I feel the urge to get things in order before chaos beings. So I'm happy that the laundry room was totally decluttered and cleaned and that I tackled more corners in the basment by decluttering and tidying up. I got out in the garden only to har

Extra Vrigin Olive Oil Scam

Published on 2010-08-13 12:05:00

Did you hear that many common brands of extra virgin olive oil did not meet quality standards to deserve that designation?Read one article here, which lists the brands in question.Chefs seek payment for virgin oils' phony puritycopyright 2005-2009 The Thinking Mother

Today's Digital Learners

Published on 2010-08-11 07:05:00

I've seen this before, have you? If so, it's worth watching again and pondering. The thoughts that come to mind are that my homeschooled students have access to technology and use it in different ways. We still use traditional materials such as when I taught them to read and they read paper books, however they also listen to audio books on cassette, CD, on Playaway and MP3 files on an MP3 player. We use television, video recordings, and the Internet for video (YouTube for one). One child has foo

Places We Learn (aka Do Homeschooling) Under Our Own Roof

Published on 2010-08-10 06:07:00

On Twitter I read a tweet that homeschool bloggers are contributing posts to a themed week this week called "Our Schoolroom" for part of "Not Back to School Blog Hop".I decided on a whim to participate. I immediately grabbed my camera and took photos. No cleaning was done for this so you will see some projects-in-progress like book sorting with stacks on the floor, of books waiting to be put away. Maybe you will spot the just-opened cardboard boxes delivered by UPS and FedEx that have curriculum

The Year Money Grew on Trees Book Review by ChristineMM

Published on 2010-08-09 16:14:00

Title: The Year Money Grew on TreesAuthor: Aaron R. HawkinsGenre: Juvenile Fiction (age 10 and up, grade 5 and up)Publication: Houghton Mifflin, August 2010My Star Rating: 5 stars out of 5 = I Love ItSummary Statement: A Coming of Age Story Filled with Personal Values; A Wholesome, Engaging Tale with a Good Moral MessageThe Year Money Grew on Trees is a fiction book being marketed for children aged ten and up but I feel it’s a great book for younger, advanced readers too. Set in New Mexico in

I Have a Teenager!

Published on 2010-08-09 09:18:00

Today, I became mother to a teenager. I can't believe my first baby is thirteen now. In the last year he's been leaving childhood behind and moving toward becoming a young man. Although the changes are gradual it is still surprising to acknowledge that it is really happening.Photo taken last week at the Boy Scout National Jamboree at Fort AP Hill in Virginia.copyright 2005-2009 The Thinking Mother

Homeschool Co-Op's vs. Enrolling to School

Published on 2010-08-08 09:44:00

A friend of mine keeps prodding me asking what the difference is between using homeschool co-op's and enrolling the child into school instead. I enjoy lively discussion so this is not a complaint. She has been talking to me about this topic for perhaps three years, which is 2.5 years before my own children enrolled into their first homeschool co-op, so until now this was not a personal discussion or criticism.A related topic is if a homeschooler is going to use the same types of materials if not

Real Life Grammar Lesson #1

Published on 2010-08-07 20:53:00

How many English grammar errors can you find in these signs? You may double click to enlarge if you'd like.Photos taken last week in a Burger King restroom in Virginia. (I took these to ask this very question of my sons for a mini homeschool grammar lesson.)copyright 2005-2009 The Thinking Mother

Some Resources for Homeschooling Kids with ADD or ADHD (and some Right-Brained Learner Info)

Published on 2010-08-06 12:01:00

I spoke with a mother on the phone today, she was asking for advice and information about homeschooling a child with attention issues. I do not have a child with an ADD or ADHD diagnosis, however I have some ideas for finding more information and support.1. Join a local homeschool support group for parents who are homeschooling a child with ADD or ADHD. This may be a group that meets face to face or one that has an email discussion group. Try Yahoo Groups. Also join the discussions on the free d

Boy Scouting is Cool, Hip and for Today's Kids

Published on 2010-08-05 11:52:00

While our family was at the Boy Scout National Jamboree 100th Anniversary outdoor arena show a few days ago, we heard this song for the first time, performed live by Alex Boye. This song is the theme song for a movie, Scout Camp. Here is a link to the Scout Camp movie home page from which you may watch a recording of the live show (direct linking and embedding is not an option at this time, sorry).Here is a video from YouTube with clips from the movie. I felt like Boy Scouting entered a new phas

Quick Thoughts on Homeschooling, Teaching, and Curriculum

Published on 2010-08-04 10:20:00

Here are some random thoughts I have floating around my head today.Never underestimate the power of teaching one on one. It's powerful.Just because a product exists for a learner to use doesn't mean it is necessary in order to learn that concept.Just because you can afford to buy that thing doesn't mean it is needed.Extra effort on the part of the teacher is free of cost. It takes energy and sometimes creativity. It takes persistance and usually patience. You can muster these up.Stuff does not r