Summer Bucket List: Stamp Collection

I mentioned a few weeks ago in my Summer Bucket List that Blonde Warrior would be making a stamp collection.  We have a house rule that you may not participate in any organized extra-curriculars (sports, music lessons, clubs, etc.) until you are at least five.  But that certainly doesn't mean that our little ones don't have their share of fun.  

In an effort to give Blonde Warrior, only four, a special summer "to do", I helped him begin his very own stamp collection.  

The Hubs and I dated long distance for three years.  We only saw each other every three-six months. Back when email was a new development and texting was only something you saw in the movies, we used snail mail.  LOTS of snail mail and phone calls to stay connected.  

Blonde Warrior and I sorted through three years worth of old letters to claim all the unique stamps.  

Our local hobby shop sells fancy-looking stamp display folders at a somewhat reasonable price, but with a little searching around the house, I was able to wrangle up an unused office folder and a few sheets of plastic business card organizer sheets.  A homemade book will be a perfect trial run to see if he actually enjoys the collection.  If so, I can add the fancy one to his Christmas wish list.

He was so excited to see his book complete and even asked if we could give a notebook and all his unused, duplicate stamps to his best friend so they can "start a club."  He anxiously awaits the mail each afternoon in hopes of claiming the small $.45 treasures.

So far, it has been much more educational than I had expected it to be.  Most of the time, he asks all kinds of questions about the stamp itself, where the letter has come from, and where the place is located on the map.  A simple geography lesson in disguise.  

So how do you successfully remove a stamp from the letter?

1. Tear off the upper corner of the envelope.
2. Soak the torn corner in warm water for several minutes until the stamp begins to naturally separate from the envelope.
3. Carefully pull the two pieces away from each other.  The water will break down the adhesive but may not remove it completely.
4. Thoroughly dry the stamp on waxed paper, metal, or glass so that the adhesive doesn't reapply itself to the drying surface.  
5. Press the completely dried stamp between two books if the corners curled in the drying process.

Top 10 Fequently Asked Questions

While the homeschooling movement is gaining traction, it's still a rather against-the-grain form of education. And like all unconventional lifestyle choices, it tends to raise a lot of eyebrows and garner its fair share of question marks.

I've been around the block a time or two thousand and have heard all the questions and have received all the sideways glances.

But, not all curiosity comes from a place of judgment. More often than not, folks are just after a little information, not an inquisition.  

Here's a list of the top 10 questions I receive most often and my GO TO answers.

What curriculum do you use?

I tend to be rather eclectic, picking and choosing the best from various styles of education and publishers. Feel free to browse my curriculum lists from year-to-year Since our schooling needs continue to ebb and flow, so must my list.

Why did you choose to homeschool?

Like all of life's "big questions," there is no simple answer. I have put together a series of my Top 4 reasons. The main one being that my husband and I felt called of God to do so.

What about socialization?

As I have already answered at length about that in part 4 of my Why Do I Choose to Homeschool series, I'll give you the short version. For the most part, people who ask that question know very little about homeschooling and even less about a traditional classroom setting. I taught in the classroom for seven years prior to homeschooling and know that by its very nature, a school tends to be quite institutionalized. What little socializing does actually take place, typically comes in the form of bullying and unnecessary peer pressure. The peer pressure isn't always blatant, but often subversive as in the case with popular clothing trends, music & movie choices, and attractions to the opposite sex. Children are only encouraged to have relationships with children born the exact same year as them. If that is "socialization," I think I'll pass.

Have your children ever asked to go to school?

Nope. Not even once. Part of the reason might be that one of our co-op moms lives right across the street from the playground of a local elementary school. She obviously hosts our group occasionally. When getting out of our car to enter her house, my kids have looked across the road and have seen several fights break out with groups of children, teachers yelling at students in rather unkind tones, and many students looking tired and bored in their "pen." I wish I were exaggerating these facts, but unfortunately, I am not. It might also make a difference that my oldest kids each have public schooled friends who have mentioned to them at various times their own desire to be homeschooled for a number of different reasons.

What do you love most about homeschooling?

How do I pick just one answer??? As a school teacher, I looooved teaching but hated all the school politics. I suppose my favorite thing about homeschooling is that I get to teach...my very favorite kids in the whole world...and I don't have to deal with all the "extras" that come with the job.

What is your least favorite thing about homeschooling?

Sometimes it does get a little overwhelming. When I was a school teacher, I only had to prepare one lesson a day per subject. Next year, I will need to prepare three lessons in most (but not all) subjects, provide educational/intentional play for a toddler, and nurture/chase after a crawling baby. Pheewww...just writing that makes me a little dizzy!

How do you know what to teach and when?

I do the same thing that a classroom teacher would do...follow the general scope and sequence laid out for me in various teacher's guides and manuals. Since I've been doing home teaching for a while, I feel freer to "invent my own wheel." But if I'm ever in doubt, I can refer to the curriculum. There is NOT a single classroom teacher that I know of who has taught every single grade. Therefore, every teacher has to...at one point or another...be directed by a pre-determined guide. A homeschool mom is no different. She just has the advantage of being able to tailor/tweak the "guide" for her specific child. As an added bonus, I get to include my kids in the plan. Their own passions and interests get to steer their learning much of the time.

Do you ever fear that you might not be qualified to teach a particular subject?

Well, the short answer is that many new homeschooling moms fear that they will leave something out or that they might be ill-qualified to teach a particular subject...that they will sabotage their child's education. On the contrary, a MOTHER, more than any other person in the world has her child's best interest at heart. Most homeschooling mothers go ABOVE and BEYOND to ensure QUALITY for her children...to invest all her time, energy, and resources to do the job well! And in the end, if I am not the best at algebra or a foreign language, I have to rest in the fact that God gave ME these children and called ME to educated them. It was not by accident. It was by design. He knows what their futures hold and will provide them with all that they need to do His will for their lives...with or without me and my inadequacies.

And here's the long answer...

How do you juggle it all...homeschooling, mothering little ones, home keeping?

What mother doesn't juggle a myriad of balls? I often feel that my schedule is no different from a working mother's. We typically school from 9:30-3ish, which would be considered normal working hours for some moms. With God's help, I do the best I can each day. Some days feel like a success, while others are quite a bit more challenging. It helps to have a great support network of family and homeschooling and non-homeschooling friends. Organization and household habits are essential. But those help to make ANY household run smoothly. With the addition of the Newbie, our day has had to evolve a bit. But, it IS POSSIBLE to homeschool with a newborn or a toddler, there are just adjustments that need to be made to the day.

What do you do with your toddlers while you are teaching your older ones?

That answer is a whole post in itself! Two very successful tools that I have in my arsenal are an assortment of small hands-on "tot school" activities; and, what I, affectionately, call blanket time. My two...almost three-year-old...has graduated from being on his blanket, but it won't be long before the newbie can have his turn.

What homeschool questions do you find yourself answering often?

Mommy & Me Journal

Several years back, when Sweetie Pea was just a two-year-old tot, I was in a ladies' Bible study. One night we, women, were sharing some thoughts about parenting and a friend told of a letter-writing exchange that she had started with her daughter to cultivate their relationship. After mulling over her thoughts for a few days, I decided to put my own personal spin on it by using an inexpensive composition notebook covered in scrapbook paper to create this mother-daughter journal.

FoxMind Equilibrio Review

A few months back while at a homeschool mom's support group meeting, one of my friends was sharing about a game she had recently discovered at the annual homeschool convention.  It seemed like a game that would captivate my builder boys and more importantly, could be played with just one player...perfect for those school days when each of my littles are engrossed in their own personal projects.

Needless to say, I was excited when the creative folks at FoxMind sent me the 2010 Creative Toy Awards Game of the Year, Equilibrio.  

This wonderfully unique game is in their Architecto line of products and is just one of four spacial visualization games designed to challenge young minds in complex structure building.

At a cost of $34.95, the game comes with the following:

•  18 solid plastic "Geoblocks" which can be used with all four of the Architecto games

• 1 rules booklet that also includes 60 illustrations of complex geometric puzzles and a few building clues for the more difficult constructions

Object of the game:

Choose one of the puzzle illustrations in the game booklet, each of which are color-coded for graduated skill level.  Select the suggested Geoblocks listed in the "legend" and use your imagination to recreate the chosen structure.  The real challenge comes when trying to determine the best possible sequence of stacking in order to keep it all "upright."  Victory is yours when you correctly stack all the 3-dimensional pieces without tumbling the tower.

Although it might seem rather simple, many of the suggested puzzles have numerous pieces balancing precariously on the thin edge of the pieces below them.  

It is easy to see why Equilibrio, as well as the other three award winning games in the Architecto Line, was such a hit for my friend and her son.  These brain building games help develop the cognitive skills necessary for higher level reasoning, critical thinking, and problem solving.  Children and adults, alike, can gain valuable dexterity and hand-eye coordination as they duplicate these 2-dimensional patterns.

As an added bonus, my kiddos loved it!  Although each game only takes around five minutes to complete (perfect for a short burst of fun on a busy school day), they all gathered round and took turns for over an hour building and rebuilding towers, excited to turn the page and discover a new challenge to conquer.  Despite the fact that this one person game has a suggested age of 5+, Greased Lightening and Blonde Warrior were able to toss the book aside and use the blocks to "free style" their own towers.  

Want to try it out for yourself?

My friends at FoxMind have generously offered up Architecto, the original award winner of the Architecto line.  It is very similar to Equilibrio, but with an age rage of 7+, has more advanced 3-dimensional structures in its pattern booklet.  Head on over to FoxMind and see for yourself.  And while you're there, be sure to check out their long list of other noteworthy games.

You can also visit them at:

http://twitter.com/#!/FoxMindGames

https://www.facebook.com/FoxMindGames

Just follow the simple instructions from Rafflecopter.  There are nine chances to register to win.  Simply click on the +sign for every entry you wish to make.  

***Mandatory Entry:  To enter, be sure to leave a comment in the "comments" section telling me what sounds most appealing about this great game.  (Remember, simply leaving a comment does not ensure entry.  You also have to click the +5 after you have LEFT a comment.)

Good luck and thanks for following The Unlikely Homeschool!

For more free giveaways, visit Hip Homeschool Moms.

No purchase necessary to win. Must be a 18 years of age and a US resident to enter. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or affiliated with Facebook.  Odds of winning are based on the number of entrees. A winner will be randomly selected using Rafflecopter and will be announced Monday, July 9, 2012.  Disclaimer:  This was an affiliate review.  Although I received a free product, I have given an honest review.  All thoughts have been my own.

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What's My Net Worth?

A while ago, I was offered my old job back teaching at the local Christian School.  Without hesitation, I turned it down.  But for quite some time after that, the "professional" opportunity gave me pause and encouraged me to take stock of my "job."  Is staying at home to homeschool my children worth it?  or should I join the ranks of the working world to earn a larger net worth?

Granted, homeschooling my children requires sacrifices.  Certainly, I wish I had more "free time," adult conversations, time to enjoy baking...sewing...scrapbooking...reading...PAUSING, a larger bank account, the ability to go grocery shopping on a lunch break and not have to have five kids in tow, the opportunity to have bonafide sick days, and the list goes on...

But when I consider my "net worth" in light of eternity, I'd have to conclude that NO OTHER job could pay me more!  Here's a look at my paycheck.

As a homeschool mom, I have the opportunity to...

Be present for the everyday milestones.

Share much-needed one-on-one time.

Encourage them in their natural gifts.

Inspire their personal creativity.

Captivate them with "whatsoever is good", not whatsoever is popular.

Glimpse siblings becoming best friends, not just pesky annoyances.

Cheer for EVERY success and encourage after EVERY failure.

Instill a life-long love of learning.

Inspire first tries.

Nurture a love for God and a love for others within them.

Train them...as Scripture says.  Not just delegate that to someone else.

Raise "abnormal" kids...and be grateful for that!

Yes, I do often "sow" in sacrifices, but I "reap" in eternal dividends.  And I would consider that to be an IMMEASURABLE net worth.

Have you tallied your net worth lately?  

Sometimes we all need a little reminder.

Linking up with Cornerstone Confessions and Hip Homeschool Moms.

10 Reasons Why I Choose a Living Literature Approach

"What curriculum do you use?"

It's the age-old question that ALL homeschoolers get asked. It's right up there in popularity to "What about socialization?"

These five little words pose quite a conundrum for this unit study-Charlotte Mason-living literature-Thomas Jeffersonian-Montessouri-notebooking-slightly textbooky-ECLECTIC momma. Where do I even begin in explaining myself? Except to say that I do not, personally, believe there is one method of education that is perfect for EVERY subject...for EVERY child...within EVERY family. Therefore, I don't think there is any ONE curriculum that fits the needs of my family. I think they all have some excellent qualities and usefulness, but an equal amount of ineffective aspects. I choose to pick and choose...I choose to exercise my right to tailor my curriculum to suite our very unique needs.

That being said, if I had to narrow our schooling method down to one choice, I would consider The Unlikely Homeschool to be mostly Living Literature based...using REAL books, both fiction and non-fiction, as the core of our instructional materials.

And here's why...

Living Literature encourages a life-long love of learning.  

Once a child learns to read, he/she can read to learn. This method of education establishes an independent form of learning. A child who can read can learn just about anything he/she chooses without needing the assistance of mom to plan a fun unit, a textbook to dictate subject matter, or an elaborate hands-on activity to reinforce the material.

Living Literature promotes exploration of a particular branch of study.  

A topic is not limited to just a paragraph or two, as in the case of the textbook approach. If a child has a natural interest in volcanoes, he/she can read countless books about volcanic activity and never be forced to move on to the next topic simply because a textbook dictates that they must.

Living Literature stories are engaging because they are written by experts on the subject. 

Passionate writing can only come from a passionate writer. Textbook authors write on a myriad of topics and may or may not have a significant amount of interest in most, if any, of the subjects. Passionate writing breeds passion from a reader. And isn't PASSION a natural catalyst for the learning process?

A living literature approach is easily adaptable to multi-level learning.  

I have five kids. It would be virtually impossible to teach five different topics for every single subject. There would not be enough hours in the day. By learning with literature, every child can be exploring the SAME topic but be reading a REAL book at his/her level.

A living literature approach can be a natural extension of all the other methods of teaching/learning.  

Great books can be added to enhance a unit study, information from a textbook, a hands-on project, etc.

Living literature can teach a child "how" to think, not "what" to think.  

By reading a multitude of books on a subject, a child can get many perspectives/opinions on the same subject and make an educated assumption/conclusion about the given information.

Reading quality, well-written works will ALWAYS encourage good writing and communication skills.  

I believe that teaching great language skills should be THE MOST IMPORTANT academic goal for any homeschool parent. Math, science, history...are all worthwhile endeavors. But, there is not a single life scenario that could not benefit from good oral and written communication skills. By reading superior literary works, a child can learn communication skills by a good example.

A living literature approach is budget-friendly.  

A library card is the only requirement.

Living literature promotes natural learning.  

While reading about one topic, a child might come upon information about another topic of interest...which might eventually lead to a third topic to study. It is a natural progression of thought instead of a forced sequence, as is the case with a textbook style of learning.

At the risk of making a teaching style into a spiritual decision,

I believe Christ gave many wonderful endorsements of living literature in Scripture.  

He was a natural storyteller and often used parables to teach a lesson. A parable is the verbal counterpart of written literature.

I still hold fast to my ECLECTIC educational program, but if forced to choose one particular teaching method over another, I am confident that a Living Literature approach is the most well-rounded form of learning. And so, when I'm asked "What curriculum do you use?", my answer is always the same...

Books, I choose books.

Are you a Living Literature Homeschool?  If not, what works best for you and yours?

Discovery Quiet Time

Quite a while ago, I began one of my favorite summertime traditions: Discovery Quiet Time. As has been said, "Necessity is the mother of invention." One afternoon it became quite obvious that my kiddos, who were too old for naps, needed a bit of quiet alone time. And really, doesn't everyone? I am a natural extrovert, but even I need a little piece of solitude each day to refresh. Regroup. Renew!

How much more do my children, who are just learning proper social skills and who spend nearly every waking minute together in a very small house, need a bit of alone time?!

Summer Read Aloud Goals

In keeping with the book theme of earlier this week, I thought I'd share our book list for our summer Read Alouds.

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

**Disclaimer:  Apart from the first one that we just finished yesterday, we have not read ANY of these books, so I can not necessarily endorse them yet.  But, they have come highly recommended by a few trustworthy sources.  I'm a bit of a book snob.  But, if they pass my "test", I'll be adding them to our Great Read Alouds list.

Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

Sweetie Pea and Super Boy loooooved this one.  I did have to do a little bit of editing as I read aloud, though.  Occasionally, it had a few crass words like "shut up" or "stupid."

Follow My Leader, the story of a blind boy and his guide dog by James B. Garfield

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien

We usually take about 2-3 weeks to finish a Read Aloud since we also read picture books together each day.  So, we may or may not get through our WHOLE list...but then again, maybe we'll need to add a few more!  Here's hopin'.


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Linking up with Living Life Intentionally and Sun Scholars.

Orb Factory Sticky Mosaic Review

Every afternoon, when the kids and I snuggle in for a good Read Aloud together, I allow them to choose a handcraft to work on...there are MANY benefits to handcrafts during reading time, but that is for another post.  Last summer at his 6th birthday party, Super Boy was given the Orb Factory Pirate Sticky Mosaic kit.  I was thrilled because I had been meaning to buy one of the Sticky Mosaic Kits for quite some time, but just never got around to it.  

Well, long story short...he LOVED it!  Everyday, he anxiously awaited our read aloud time.  I'd like to say it was because of my wonderful narration, but alas...it was the Pirate kit!

In fact, it was such a huge hit with all the Littles that The Unlikely Nana and Papa picked up My First Picture Maker Magnetic Mosaic, a more preschool-friendly version, for Blonde Warrior's birthday a few months later.  

You can imagine how excited I was when the fine folks of the Orb Factory sent one of their newest editions, VeggieTales™ My First Sticky Mosaics Fun Friends to our doorstep!

Not only are these mosaic kits great for color and shape review, they also provide ample small-motor and dexterity practice necessary to promote good handwriting skills.

This latest kit was just one of four in a line of Orb Factory VeggieTales™ products and came with the following items:

• 6 well-known VeggieTales™ character cards including Larry Boy and Bob the Tomato

• 6 self-adhesive cardboard stands

• 400+ sticky foam and jeweled pieces

• a corresponding key card that indicates the color and shape of the foam pieces

What we liked:

If getting to create replicas of the characters they love was NOT enough, the Littles also enjoyed the addition of jeweled stickers that added sparkle to their creations.  

Since the VeggieTales™ My First Sticky Mosaics Fun Friends is in the preschool (3+) line of Orb Factory products, the simple color/shape matching process was just perfect for Greased Lightening and Blonde Warrior.  Although Greased Lightening, not quite 3, needed a little help removing the foam stickers from the sticker packs, he did an excellent job matching up the shape/color and placing the sticker in the correct spot.  He's always been my "fine motor" boy and was insistent upon getting each triangle edge to line up with its corresponding location.  

I might mention that the Original Sticky Mosaic Line for kids 5+, is a bit more challenging.  The shape/color cues are replaced with simple squares with numbers on them.  A child has to look at a key card and match the number with the corresponding colored foam sticker.  (Sort of like the old Paint by Number kits of yesteryear.)  

I save our Orb Factory kits for read aloud time, but they would also be perfect for visits to grandmas house, long car rides, doctor's office waiting rooms...any where that you need to whip out a fun activity to keep little hands busy for an extended period of time. 

The Nitty Gritty:

The VeggieTales™ My First Sticky Mosaics Fun Friends costs $9.99, but Orb Factory has a full line of products ranging in price from $4.99 to $19.99.

To learn more about Orb Factory, be sure to visit them at:

•  www.orbfactory.com

•  http://twitter.com/orbfactory

•  www.facebook.com/orbfactory

•  http://orbfactory.blogspot.com/

Want to try it out for yourself?

Orb Factory is giving away one FREE VeggieTales™ kit of your choosing to one of the fine readers of The Unlikely Homeschool.

Just follow the simple instructions from Rafflecopter.  There are eight chances to register to win.  Simply click on the +sign for every entry you wish to make.  

***Mandatory Entry:  To enter, head on over to Orb Factory and look around.  Then, be sure to leave a comment below telling me which VeggieTales™ kit you'd like to win!  (Remember, simply leaving a comment does not ensure entry.  You also have to click the +5 after you have LEFT a comment.)

Good luck and thanks for following The Unlikely Homeschool!

For more free giveaways, visit Hip Homeschool Moms.

No purchase necessary to win. Must be a 18 years of age and a US resident to enter. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or affiliated with Facebook.  Odds of winning are based on the number of entrees. A winner will be randomly selected using Rafflecopter and will be announced Wednesday, June 27, 2012.  Disclaimer:  This was an affiliate review.  Although I received a free product, I have given an honest review.  All thoughts have been my own.

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