Student Planner Review

So this may be my first time reviewing an academic planner, and this one is a student planner which I am totally excited about because we are back homeschooling this year so the planner will be used by my oldest who will be starting 7th grade in a few short weeks.

So this is what the exterior of the one we received looks like. It is hardback with the ability to lay flat to write in. It isn't super bulky so she can drop it down into her backpack to take with her when we go on road trips or to the library.

These two pages are to set up what courses the student will take on a weekly basis and which days each week as well as a semester overview. This is awesome for us because as homeschoolers we can use these pages to keep up with (for record-keeping purposes) exactly what was learned throughout the school year.

The each month's calendar is spaced out over two pages which allow the student to keep up with activities. Especially for the busy kid who may be involved in extracurricular activities like our kids are planning for. There's a notes column to jot down notes and things to remember. And down in the lower right-hand corner is a monthly memory verse for the student, so over the course of the school year they should be able to memorize at least 10-11 verses.

And last is the weekly planning pages which have a check-box layout rather than a time slot layout which in my preference is better because we often do not always adhere to a time schedule but we do tend to maintain our routine. With the checkboxes, I informed my student that she would write down all of her assignments the weekend before and check off each one as she completed them and I would review and grade the following weekend. My goal is to allow more self-governance for our oldest and give her more responsibility for keeping up with her assignments and chores.

So for me, this planner gets 5 stars!! It is well thought out and simple enough to use without too much explanation. I definitely recommend. And if you want one a little more feminine they do have another cover option:

{FYI: as always this planner was provided to me for FREE from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

God's Good News (children's book)

I love a good children's book. Why? Because my husband and I have five (5!) children and having a home library is so important to me. Books are a complete necessity in life to me.

So here's a new book by Billy Graham. (my first time reviewing a book by him)

So to start this book is very colorful. On average each story is about 2 pages long with some being longer. There are also short takeaways or devotions to go with each story, penned by Billy Graham. The great thing I like about this book is that roughly half the book is Old Testament and half the book is from the New Testament. Most children's books I've come across usually have a majority of the book come from the Old Testament and a smaller portion from the New Testament.

So far, We're reading select stories as my children point out who they would like to read about. However, I am pleased with what I have read thus far. In every story you see that it is quite close to Scripture and the love & grace of God is shown. And even though it is a children's storybook, I can see it being used to help someone with absolutely no knowledge of the Bible to ease into understanding what they read in the Bible.

{FYI: I received this book in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

This Mama's Favorite Homeschooling Websites!

I am sure you know by now that I am a proud homeschooling mama! I enjoy teaching my children and watching them learn.

So I decided to compile a list of websites I go to regularly. Why? Because I'm sure there are plenty of other mamas who do not make their own worksheets and would rather have PDF copies of worksheets so that other children can use the same worksheets and maybe to repeat a concept or lesson. I prefer to print out worksheets because actually...It's A LOT cheaper than buying workbooks and once I download the file I've got it for future use.

So first up is Jamerrill's website: Free Homeschool Deals I have been utilizing this website for the last two years. I absolutely love that she compiles freebies from all over the web. I have access to plenty of printables at this one website.

Next up is Carisa's website: 1+1+1=1. I love this website because Carisa puts together whole workbooks. And they are themed (i.e. Cars, Sofia the First, Daniel Tiger). What better way to get your child interested in doing school work than to have their favorite character on the page! (Some is free, some does cost)

Then there is Lauren's website: Mama's Learning Corner. She also have full workbooks and I love that she covers every subject including the Bible!

These are the main three websites I go to for homeschooling printables. There is always others, however I remain faithful to these ones. Of course I may venture out here and there to other websites if I'm looking for a specific printable. Perfect example: this morning I was looking for a money counting printable and I googled one instead of going to their websites because there's a certain format I wanted.

So tell me, what homeschooling websites/blogs do you like?

To Home-school Or Not to Home-school

Recently I decided to include more of what home-schooling looks like for us. As we are not a traditional home-schooling family. By traditional I mean completely detached from the public school system, your own lesson plans, your own curriculum. We participate in FLVS (Florida Virtual School), which is an online k-12 school that is apart of Florida public school system.

What we have done however is add in a bible lesson each morning before starting the day's lesson (which I teach to my daughter. Then she does an online assessment afterwards to show her understanding and knowledge.). What I can say I really like about FLVS is that they provide all the curriculum FREE of cost your family, all you need is a computer, internet access, and a telephone (for teachers to call and check monthly). This works best for my family when we started homeschooling because we've been on a strict budget. I know people say well find freebies online and print them out. That can take up quite a bit of money as well considering printer ink and paper has to continuously bought.

(This is our kiddos in the morning doing our Bible lesson, in which they copy a verse from the Bible and we discuss it.)

Now I will admit we are considering the ABEKA system this year. It does require purchasing the curriculum, however we keep the curriculum after the year is over which is one thing I really like. I also like that the entire curriculum is Bible based. So hubby is really leaning toward that curriculum for the kids going forward. And honestly so am I. I like having the free curriculum and taking the guesswork out of lesson planning BUT I hate having to keep up with public school's schedule & turning in assignments for someone else to grade. I do like that they keep a grade book, which is something I would have to do. 

So it will be quite the weighing of pros and cons over the next month or so (which is when we would buy the ABEKA curriculum for the fall).

So tell me what do you think about ABEKA (if you have used it)? Or recommend to me some good home-school curriculum.

~Kris 

Homeschool Mom's Bible NIV

As a homeschool mom's I've always had to carefully plan my days so that I can include time to read my bible and time to study it. And God-forbid I come across a day where I'm completely off schedule (this happens A LOT) and I have to remember to squeeze in time to read and study. Many times I find myself praying through out the day. Many a days that's the only way I can get through the day with the small prayers carrying me through the day.

So as a book reviewer, I saw the opportunity to review The Homeschool Mom's Bible NIV and I jumped for joy! Why? Because not only is it a bible geared specifically towards Homeschool Mommies, it has a year worth of devotionals included in the bible among the scripture. So not only can I get a daily devotional in, that devotional is set among the Word so I almost immediately read the Word around the devotional and reflect on what I read.

The bible is of a nice size, its small enough to throw inside a bag when running out the house yet big enough to not cause you to have to squint. I love the bible however I did take off the jacket, I'm not a big fan of jackets cause they move around a lot unless I tape them down.

I recommend this to the mom on the go or the mom who wants to combine her daily devotional with her bible so that she never forgets one or the other. (Like I have done on occasion.)

{FYI: I received this bible from the publisher, Zondervan, in exchange for my HONEST review.}

Homeschooling For Our Family

Our family of course does not fall into the traditional category of homeschooling as we adhere to Florida State standards and we use the Florida Public school curriculum through their FREE homeschool program (K-12, through Connections Academy). I love homeschooling because when Kaylee succeeds, I'm right there to cheer her on.

So that was my disclaimer, for families who are strictly doing more traditional homeschooling methods and curriculum. I chose this form of homeschooling because it works very well for us as the homeschooling parents (I find it very hard to put together a curriculum and it can be quite expensive purchasing one).

So this curriculum actually works as it includes (for Kindergarten) sight word reading books and Kindergarten level reading books. What I love is that Kaylee has a homeroom teacher who checks in with us monthly for an assessment to see that Kaylee is not only learning but also to point out areas, that I may not have recognized, to work with Kaylee on. That is one of the main things I appreciate about going through the public school homeschooling option is that while I am my daughter's everyday teacher, she has a state certified teacher who checks in and helps out. The other thing that I love is that while Kaylee is homeschooled, she does have the option to interact with her "classmates" through group video chat biweekly (for lessons and show & tell). 

Now as far as bible study goes, I add that in daily as we read from three different children's bibles (we like to mix it up), we also have two prayer books we read from..and my babies love to worship to music. Their favorite worship artist: Kari Jobe...specifically her tracks Steady My Heart and Find You On My Knees. You want to hear my kids start worshiping no matter what they are doing...put on Kari Jobe.

Our routine has changed to us getting up by 6:30 am. We're up brushing teeth, bathtime,  reading, worshiping, praying, and eating breakfast. By 8am, we're buckled down for school work for Kaylee. Caleb likes to color and he loves music, so that's what he does. By 12pm we're eating lunch and cleaning up then its afternoon free-time until Daddy gets home. After Chris is home, we wind down for dinner and bedtime by 7:30pm.

I know of course this schedule would not work for all families but the point is to get on some type of schedule so that your children are aware of what the day will be like, there will be less fuss because they already know. Now I'll be honest there are many days that we get off schedule and that's okay, that's one of the many perks of homeschooling. 

So if you homeschool, what is your schedule like? Are there any curriculum you particularly like for your children? Any that you would recommend?

Homeschooling

        So today's topic? Home-schooling. Many people that I know tend to give our family the side eye because we homeschool our daughter and will homeschool our son when its his time. 

         So why do we home-school? Well for two reasons, its what works best for our daughter and more importantly we believe it is what God has led our family into doing. I'll be honest I like having a job and being able to soundly contribute to our family financially however since our daughter turned five, working outside the home has NOT been an option for me. And Lord knows that I have tried.

         When it comes to following the prompts God gives us, we try to always adhere to what God tells us. So one thing that has definitely been on that list is me being home. Taking care of our family, our home, and home-schooling our children. I am quite aware that this arrangement cannot work for every family, I'm just thankful that it does work for our family. I'm aware of the families that need both mom and dad to work so the family stays afloat. I write this to the families who CAN afford to homeschool or have thought about it. I promise you, it is WORTH the headache, the constant answering of questions and becoming your children's teacher.

         Now the great part about home-schooling is the fact that when my daughter excels, guess who is front row and center to see and cheer her on? ME. And that is an awesome feeling to know that I am the person who got to help her learn to read, add and subtract. I enjoy watching my daughter flourish. I also homeschool her because there was a time when we suspected that she have ADHD/ADD because of how hyperactive she could be but instead of going off the deep end, we just endeavored to really learn her and what works best for her. One thing we have done is cut down on sugar drastically which has helped with how hyper she is. We've also given her a daily routine where she knows what's coming next so she doesn't put up too much of a fuss.

          The program we use with home-schooling Kaylee is Florida Virtual School Full Time. Its probably not your "traditional" method of homeschooling but it works for us. It allows us to keep Kaylee on track with state standards and still allows me to have an active hand in her education. I am able to add in bible devotion every morning and I try to do a person profile or family profile at least once a month. For example last month we learned about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's family. I have heard of programs like Abeka, Charlotte Mason, etc.. and I think they are probably really nice. I just know those can be expensive and when you don't particularly have a lot of money to shell out on a curriculum it doesn't hurt to check and see if your state has a K-12 virtual online school since its FREE and they send out ALL of the materials your child will need...including a computer if you qualify.

       Now if you choose to come up with your own curriculum or want to do it at your own pace picking what curriculum you use, I can definitely recommend a couple different websites in which you can find free worksheets and workbooks, you of course will need to print them out but other than that they're FREE. 

• CurrClick 
• Education.com 
• KISS Grammar 

The Crafty Classroom 

Spanish Lessons 

Free Homeschool Deals 

I hope this helps you if you are thinking of homeschooling. And helps you understand if you ever wondered about homeschooling.

~Love to you ALL

Kris Bush

        

Children-Preschoolers!

Okay as a mom of a curious three year old. My life is always busy at the least. Especially with us recently deciding to take her out of daycare because she was being bullied. Now my days are filled with making sure she's learning something new & reiterating what she's already learned everyday.

However now that I'm homeschooling her, she's actually spelling her name which she didn't learn until my husband and I taught her. She also is learning to write her name and identify her letters as well as objects that start with those letters. Such as A is for apple or D is for Dora.

Honestly I am extremely proud of her for learning and myself for teaching her. I now understand the level of patience teachers have. We are planning to keep homeschooling her either until we find a school we like or until this fall when she will be four and can attend regular preschool. I just pray we are equipping her well to be able to adapt to regular preschool & be up to date with the other children.