Sunday, December 30, 2007

100th Post and One Year Blog Anniversary

Wow!  It has been a year since I started my little blog here at homeschoolblogger!  Since this is a special day, I thought I would give you a sneak peek into the next two or three months of our homeschooling.  As I said in an earlier post, we are hoping to homeschool for free for awhile using what we already own.  This does not mean it is going to get boring around here.  I found a lot of stuff that we were not using.  So with the new year fast approaching, here is a look at the new stuff and new ways we will be doing some things.

We will be concentrating more on some fine motor activities.  I realized that my 4 year old is not very good at buttons and zippers and that all the little ones could use more control in their fine motor tasks.  In addition, my ds (5) has very weak muscles in his thumbs due to cerebral palsy.  For a child who wants to draw and write as much as he does, this is frustrating for him.  I went searching through my OT shelves and found these treasures below that had never been used.  We will have lots of fun with these new items.


I also collected all of the books in the house that are FIAR books.  Here is enough to cover the next 2 to 3 months.  Yippie!


I also saw this math set on a Montessori site and really liked it, but it was so expensive.  I made my own using stuff around the house and I think it came out great.  My dear son is already begging to "play with it".  I think it will go well with our Miquon math lessons.


I also found these in my homeschool stuff.  They are safety story cards that help children look at pictures of dangerous situations and figure out what they should do to remain safe.  My dd (7) really needs to think through things like this, because her "If Then" skills do not come naturally.  I am sure it will be useful for all the little ones.  I also like the nice guided questions on the back.



There are a few new things for the big teen, as well.  Our two new literature books are below.  I think he will really enjoy them.  We are working our way through a list of books that really had an impact on my dh or myself.


Also, here are the last two things I have for us to dissect.  I still want to get a fetal pig to dissect with him but this will hold us for the next month or so.  He is almost done with his biology book so this will be a reward at the end.  OK, I hear some of you saying dissecting those things is the reward?  LOL -- he really likes this stuff.  I do need to get my hands on more prepared slides for our microscope, but these can also wait a month or so.



Here are the artists that we still have to complete in our Meet the Masters Program


Since we have many doctor and OT/Sensory appointments this coming month, I decided to revamp how we do school on the road.  In my best estimate, in the month of January, I will have some combination of children in waiting rooms for about 24 hours, barring illness.  In the past, I have lugged our school books to doctor office waiting rooms, but I always think the quality that we get in a waiting room is poorer than at home.  Also, curious people always want to ask questions about homeschooling, and then my lessons go down the drain.  So I am going to make our time in waiting rooms more fun and less teacher directed.  The portable DVD player which we got for Christmas will serve well for watching educational DVDs.  I found some great math and art history DVDs at Blockbusters Online for the big teen.  I have a long lineup of good educational videos for the little ones through Blockbuster Online, as well.  The other items will help the girls with phonics.


Well, that is my sneak peek into what we will be doing for the next few months.   I think I found enough stuff in my home to homeschool for free for several months.  That is very exciting to me.  So what are your plans for the New Year?  Are you making any changes?

Blessings,
Dawn

12 comments:

  1. Ignore my email! I cannot believe that you were the first person to find me!


    That is just too funny! This is my first attempt at a blog, so we will see what happens. I was thinking of creating another blog just for the choir. We'll see!


    Tell Katie and the rest of the gang Hi and we will see you on the 15th!

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  2. ... for the warm welcome back.

    I've just read your post about the items you found unused, and how you will be homeschooling free through them!! Sounds great!! Looks great too!!

    May you and your chidren be greatly prosperous and successful in your educational adventures.

    peace - Robin

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  3. I would love to know which movies you have lined up, as well as how you go about finiding educational movies through Blockbuster Online.

    jennybell

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  4. I always get such great ideas from you! Thanks so much! We, too, have a ton of appointments coming up next month, and I never thought of taking the portable DVD player with us.


    We also need to work on fine motor skills. I once saw a shoe similar to yours, but the lace on the right-hand-side was dyed a different color from the left-hand-side, making it easier for the child to learn to tie. I think I'll try to make something like that. I also want to get my hands on some theraputty, but I'm not sure where to find it.


    Again, thanks for sharing your great ideas!


    Denise

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  5. Oh I can relate to trying to homeschool in waiting rooms. I am so blessed we got all of our OT stuff done by the time my oldest was in kindergarrten. But next month has many doc appts and contests, some on the same day. My kids being older, usually take their books with them, but of course they are usually distracted and it's just not as good as home. We'll have to catch up on weekends I am sure.

    Blessings,

    Laurie

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  6. From the looks of it, you are going to have so much fun! We LOVED FIAR when we used it - what precious memories. I also love Montessori manipulatives. Happy Blogiversary!! I just passed my one year/100 post mark in October.

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  7. Looks like a great plan! I never thought of bringing our portable dvd to the Dr's.


    Happy New Year!

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  8. Happy Anniversary!


    Oooh, can i come be in your school?

    All your plans look like so much fun!

    yes, it is so hard to "do school" in waiting rooms.


    Thanks for sharing your "free" plans for school.

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  9. I really love all the ideas you came up with. I never thought of using the Blockbuster on line service but I may look into that. Can't always find what we are looking for at the libraries. Love your math set. Very creative thinking. I appreciate you sharing all your ideas. Thanks.

    Ginny

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  10. It looks as if you've found some neat finds that will add some fun, and hopefully a wealth of learning, into your school atmosphere.


    I don't know if you experienced this, but I often laugh about how, when I began my blog, I had no idea how it might go, or if anyone would even be interested in anything I had to say. Amazingly enough, I'm looking back at the 350th comment! I sometimes go back to the first comment just to remind myself of how blessed I've been to find good friends in HSB.


    God bless you.

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  11. Isn't it amazing all the great resources we can have on our own shelves that end up getting pushed to the back. I've been sorting through my books little by little this month. I think it's a great idea to let them use the educational games and dvds at the dr., etc. Makes learning fun for them, and take some pressure off of you.

    Letitia

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  12. I think that using what you have is a great idea and I just might take you up on the challege!

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