FRIDAY BUSINESS MEETING
I have so many fun things to talk about, I thought I’d lump ’em all together into one cute lump and share it all at once before I inevitably forget. It’s been a hairy Friday so far, but I feel like we’re on the flip side now. Vera was extra cranky this morning so she went down for an early nap (glory!), the kids did logic-Sudoku puzzles are so good for logic class, and we did an art project on Kandinsky in peace and quiet while listening to a little George Winston over pumpkin candles. I was reminding myself how we don’t have to wait for a new week or month or year to hit the “restart” button. We can hit the button whenever we need to–sometimes more than once a day. It’s ok. Vera’s awake and in a much better mood and they’re all watching a documentary on Lewis & Clark and all is well again…till the next time I have to hit restart.
Ok, back to the announcements.
BIG BOOK OF HOMESCHOOLING IDEAS BLOG TOUR
Back in June, iHomeschool Network released The Big Book of Homeschooling Ideas. I am still so excited about this book. It is a must-have for all homeschoolers. The Big Book of Homeschooling Ideas is an awesome reference book. This massive book was written by 55 seasoned homeschooling mamas and contains around 103 chapters on a ton of subjects.
“Wouldn’t it be great to have a library of resources you could turn to when you have a question in your homeschool? The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas and the recorded webinar sessions go beyond the basics of academics and delve into delightful methods like active learning, learning with video games, using LEGO bricks for learning, teaching on the road, learning with movies, loving living math, discovering your child’s personality type, and more.
The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas is a collection of 103 chapters written by 55 experienced homeschool moms who don’t hold back from sharing their best advice about managing a homeschool budget, balancing homemaking with homeschooling, and even maintaining a strong marriage.”
If you haven’t bought the book yet, you’re in luck! From October 1-November 10, we’re offering The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas plus 23 mp3s from iHomeschool Studio for a special price of $15 (regularly $36). I’ll make sure and remind you on the first and post something on my sidebar. This is seriously so much homeschooling goodness for homeschool families of all stages in homeschooling. Many of the bloggers are offering giveaways as well. You will get so much inspiration, I promise!
The blog tour is starting on October 1st. Every day you can travel around blog land and read from 31 moms that helped author the book, including me, as we talk about what we wrote about in the book and why we’re passionate about it. It’s going to be great!
Here’s the calendar of the blog tour and a list of the authors participating:
Learning Well LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links from Amazon or other programs are used on this website. For more info, please refer to our disclosure statement.
- October 1 – Heather Woodie from Blog, She Wrote. Author of the chapters Teaching Geography with Geography Quests, Teaching Sewing in Homeschool, and Being a Homeschooling Mentor Rather Than an Instructor.
- October 2 – Stephanie Harrington from Harrington Harmonies. Author of the chapters Everything You Need to Know About Gardening and You CAN Teach Art. Stephanie will be giving away a Teaching Art Basketful of Goodies.
- October 3 – Joan Otto from Unschool Rules. Author of the chapter Learning from Video Games. Joan will be giving away a $20 GameStop gift card.
- October 4 – Mary Prather from Homegrown Learners. Author of the chapter How to Teach with LEGO. Mary will be giving away free LEGO scripture copywork.
- October 5 – Amy Stults from Milk and Cookies. Author of the chapters Learning with Maps and Genealogy for Kids. Amy will be giving away a copy of WonderMaps from Bright Ideas Press.
- October 6 – Eva Varga from EvaVarga.net. Author of the chapters How to Use Postage Stamps for Learning and Inquiry Science with Middle School Students. Eva will be giving away Getting Started with Inquiry Science.
- October 7 – Colleen Kessler from Raising Lifelong Learners . Author of the chapter Hands-on Science. Colleen will be giving away Science for Smart Kids: Electricity.
- October 8 – Sallie Borrink from SallieBorrink.com. Author of the chapters Allowing Play to be Your Child’s Preschool, Parenting a Spirited or Highly-Sensitive Child, and Parenting an Only Child. Sallie will be giving away a $25 shopping spree at Sallie Borrink Learning.
- October 9 – Karyn Tripp from Teach Beside Me. Author of the chapter Homeschooling with Games. Karyn will be giving away a printable Build a House – Math Bingo Game.
- October 10 – Selena Robinson from Look, We’re Learning. Author of the chapters Teaching Foreign Language, Active Learning Ideas for Kinesthetic Learners, Using Movies for Learning, How to Add PE to Your Homeschool Day, and Homeschooling Through the Summer. Selena will be giving away We Got Jazz.
- October 11 – Janine LaTulippe from True Aim Education. Author of the chapters How to Encourage Math Haters, How to Answer the Critics of Homeschooling, and Character Development. Janine will be giving away a Character eBook Set and a Free Character Building Activities printable.
- October 12 – Marci Goodwin from The Homeschool Scientist. Author of the chapter Nature Study. Marci will be giving away a field guide.
- October 13 – Jennifer Dunlap from Forever, For Always, No Matter What. Author of the chapters Homeschooling in a Large Family and Homeschooling through a Move. Jennifer will be giving away a couple of Florida learning resources.
- October 14 – Ticia Messing from Adventures in Mommydom. Author of the chapters Tools to Teach the Bible to Your Kids and Hands-on Learning. Ticia will be giving away an Old Testament Bible study.
- October 15 – Alicia Hutchinson from Investing Love. Author of the chapters Children’s Literature, Homeschool Conferences, and Unit Studies. Alicia will be giving away Mrs. Hutchinson’s Classroom Guide: Homeschool Basics.
- October 16 – Michelle Cannon from Heart of Michelle. Author of the chapters Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School, Homeschooling the Child with Bipolar Disorder, and Navigating from High School to College with a Dyslexic Child. Michelle will be giving away a one-hour homeschool consultation.
- October 17 – Jennifer Janes from Jennifer A. Janes. Author of the chapters Special Needs Homeschooling and 25 Ideas for Ministry and Volunteering in the Community with Kids.
- October 18 – Renee Brown from Great Peace Academy. Author of the chapters How to Find Resources for Gifted Child Homeschooling, How to Homeschool During Job Loss, and Prioritizing your Marriage While Homeschooling. Renee will be giving away a $25 Amazon card.
- October 19 – Adelien Tandian from Blessed Learners. Author of the chapters How to Start Research With Your Logic Stage Kids. Adelien will be giving away Basic Science Notebooking Pages and Graphic Organizers.
- October 20 – Heidi Ciravola from Starts at Eight. Author of the chapters Making Tweens and Teens More Independent Learners and High School Literature. Heidi will be giving away The Ultimate Homeschool Planner and The Ultimate Weekly Planner for Teens from Apologia.
- October 21 – Dianna Kennedy from The Kennedy Adventures. Author of the chapters Keeping Babies and Toddlers Occupied While Homeschooling, Managing Extra Curricular Activities and Homeschooling, and Homeschooling While Pregnant. Dianna will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card.
- October 22 – LaToya Edwards from Learning to Let Him Lead. Author of the chapters Homeschooling Elementary Aged Boys, and Single Parent Homeschooling.
- October 23 – Carisa Hinson from 1+1+1=1. Author of the chapter Homeschooling Tots. Carisa will be giving away Animal ABCs Bundle.
- October 24 – Shannen Espelien from Middle Way Mom. Author of the chapters Getting Started with Credit-by-exam, Where to Buy and Sell Used Curriculum, and Transitioning to a Virtual School from Public School.
- October 25 – Marianne Sunderland from Adundant Life. Author of the chapters Homeschooling Teen Girls, The Power of Interest-led Learning, and Raising Kids With Vision. Marianne will be giving away a DVD/study guide bundle of Intrepid: The Zac Sunderland Story – Part 1, Part 2 and Wild Eyes: The Abby Sunderland Story.
- October 26 – Kyle Suzanne McVay from Aspired Living. Author of the chapter Classical Homeschooling. Kyle will be giving away A Home Educators Guide to Living Math.
- October 27 – Mama Jenn from Mama Jenn. Author of the chapter Homeschooling Twins. Jenn will be giving away an Education Cubes Set (membership AND cubes/photo blocks).
- October 28 – Amy Matkovich from A Journey of Purpose. Author of the chapters Making the First Day of Homeschool Special, and How to Make a Homeschool Budget and Stick to it. Amy will be giving away Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover book and The Graduate’s Survival Guide (book and DVD).
- October 29 – Amy Maze from Living and Learning at Home. Author of the chapter Free eBooks and Audiobooks.
THE ART OF FALL: MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOP FOR KIDS
I am over the moon excited to do this course with my kids next month. The Art of Fall is an e-course created by Alisha Gratehouse to teach your kids some great techniques and enjoy this season with your kids. Alisha has put together an amazing fall art course for you and your kids. You’ll do:
- Sketching
- Acrylic painting
- Watercolor painting
- Chalkboard art
- Collage art
- Sculpting
- Hand lettering
- Art journaling
- And MORE!
What could be more fun to incorporate in your art class this fall?! I wanted to remind you that Alisha is offering this class at a special price of $36 (regularly $48). Special price is running until September 30th, so sign up now!
31-DAY BLOG CHALLENGE
Ahhhh, the illustrious 31-Day Blogging Challenge. Every October, bloggers near and far participate in the 31-Day Challenge, blogging about a subject every single day for 31 days. I participated for the first time last year and completely poured my heart out on the world wide web, opening my journal pages for all to see. It was an extremely difficult time and the writing was therapeutic. I’ve thought a lot about what to write about this year. Like last year, I want to share from my heart. Hopefully my portrayal of myself in this space is always “real,” but I want to show more of my day-to-day. I want to talk about where the rubber meets the road in this journey we call motherhood. I want to talk about the daily struggles that we deal with–home and school. But this series isn’t just going to be for homeschoolers. I want to talk about things we’ve struggled with in our home, how we’ve worked on it, or what we’re planning on doing to make it better. I realized the key to all that is simplification. Simple living leads to thriving. For the month of October I want to get real with you about the struggles that we all deal with to balance home and school–whatever kind of school that may be. I want to have a full-month discussion on how we can simplify the sources of contention in our homes and create a simpler, more peaceful life for our families. Sound good?? I can’t wait to get started. Be ready for 31 days of great discussions, ideas, challenges, and maybe some videos on how we can simplify home and school. See you October 1st!
Alright, meeting adjourned. Let the weekend leisure commence. Lighting more candles, planning our Oktoberfest party, and prepping a pork roast for dinner. Happy fall, folks.
I am thinking of joining in this October too, Alicia. Every year I think maybe I will but then become quickly overwhelmed by it and talk myself out of it. Ha! Story of my life! This year, with a bit of a renewed love for photography + blogging I think I am going to take the plunge. I can't quite nail down my topic though so I had best get on that. I can't wait to read what you have to share though- as always!
Such a great and productive business meeting. 😉 Can't wait for your 31 days and I think that art class looks amazing!
I think your 31 Days series will be perfect for so many of us. Can't wait to read your ideas! xo