Idea for Teaching a Homeschool Co-op Literature Class

I, along with a friend, teach literature to a group of high school students in our homeschool co-op. Last year, we delved into the class with blinders on. I guess I never expected the class to be popular and thought it would be a breeze. Well, last year we had fourteen students. I thought that was a large number. This year we have twenty and actually had to close it to more. Yes, we could have had more!

Choosing a curriculum to use was a difficult decision. I wanted to be sure that whatever we chose would be filled with ample writing lessons because, after all, high school kids should be in the rhetorical stage of learning. Wow, did I learn fast that the group started class with all sorts of English studies backgrounds! We ended up choosing Excellence in Literature's curriculum, beginning last year with Introduction to Literature (Book One). This book gives a good foundation for those who are at the early stages of writing.

We pretty much followed the instructions and lessons as they are given in the book. We did skip The Tempest by William Shakespeare because we begin our co-op classes in September but end early May. We simply didn't have time to do them all. Also, we added some vocabulary lessons as well as discussion questions. I don't like to use comprehension questions with high schoolers. They should have that foundation in the earlier years but should now be learning to see things and evaluate them through their own worldviews. Discussion questions to the works studied, as well as vocabulary words, are easy enough to find on educational sites on the internet. 

We have an hour each week to teach the lesson, and then the students are responsible for learning on their own the rest of the week. This "guidebook" is also the teacher's book. It truly does guide the students along as they read a body of work, study the author, study the history behind the work, and then write out well-researched essays relating to that particular literary work. 

I have to admit, the curriculum pushes the students, and I think that's good. Last year, we saw kids at the bottom of the pack rise to the top. It was so fun to watch their progress. It's one of the reasons the class is so popular this year.

We did things like debates and a Family Feud style game to help reinforce lessons. We also threw in some role playing, allowing some students to interview folks such as Mark Twain, his wife, and his publisher, as well as others. It was great fun that helped the kids learn more about the authors.

One other thing that we added to our class was to participate in our co-op's year end program. A few of the students, with some guidance and suggestions, wrote an original skit based upon one of the stories we studied - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, as well as Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. This skit, A Modern Knight in King Arthur's Court, was a great learning experience. We required that each student take part in the production. Most had an acting part, a couple put together the set, and another was a stagehand. The skit was comedic and fun. It brought the house down. Most of all, it showed the audience that learning literature and writing is fun and a blessing.

This year, we are teaching American Literature by Excellence in Literature, skipping Literature and Composition (book 2). We have decided to drop The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It seemed like the best one to drop. We are also planning to do something for the year end program again. Already a couple of the students have suggested a Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Washington Irving) skit. Again, it will be a comedy based on several books we study this year. I think Benjamin Franklin (Autobiography) makes an appearance.

If you're looking for a good literature program that adapts well to co-op settings, I urge you to take a look at Excellence in Literature.

A Christian's Approach to Teaching Literature

I'm going to warn you from the get-go. I plan to weave more than one theme into this blog post. To set the record straight, I have been the wife/mom/school teacher in our home for a lot of years - married for 30, mom for 28, and teacher for 23. Life hasn't always been that good to our family but God has. It is with the experience of those ups and downs that I want to approach the subjects of literature and the whole media challenge that Christian homeschooling families face today.

Through the early years, I wanted to impart Christian values straight from the Bible to my children. We did not watch any TV for many years. I ordered explicitly Christian curriculum and used that for the elementary grades. As the kids approached the high school years, I rethought a little of that, sprinkling in a bit of the classics, but still keeping to the books and stories that most conservative Christians would approve.

The three oldest boys graduated and went on to college. It was then that the world hit them full force. College professors didn't necessarily put only Christian titles on their curriculum lists. In fact, since the boys attended secular schools (we couldn't afford Christian colleges), those Christian titles didn't amount to much in the eyes of the instructors. The boys got a crash course in secular worldview, and wow, was it ever a crash.

As for my younger two, they ended up with a different approach to learning literature - the classics from Treasure Island to Huckleberry Finn to Jane Eyre. By the way, these classic pieces have roots in Christianity, especially Jane Eyre. We have learned about the authors and their approaches to writing. Once you understand where the writers are coming from, you can understand a little better the literature itself.

Martin Cochran has said, "History is best at telling us what did happen, while literature is best at telling us what should happen." In classical literature, we find that life is not always perfect. In fact, it is a hard road. Those who pursue their own ways find ruin, as in The Great Gatsby. Always, being faithful to God when it is hard leads to great reward, as in Jane Eyre, granted that reward might be later in Heaven rather than the here and now.

Do I still believe in Christian literature? You bet. It can strengthen us and provide safe parameters for our reading pleasure. However, I think that to dismiss some of the great classics for an exclusively Christian curriculum might be doing our homeschooled children a disservice. Careful blending of the two, as they reach the high school years, helps them to solidify their own values and worldviews. Writing exercises drawn from the literature helps them to express those worldviews in an ever increasing hostile world.

Now, as for other types of media, I believe we should strongly lean toward faith based forms. I have watched some of the movies, based upon classic works, and have been sorely disappointed. Most modern adaptations of the classics are nothing like the original books. The language alone is enough to shock a Christian.

If we are Christians and say that we are, we need to be careful what we set before our children. Reading a classic tale that is not overtly Christian is not necessarily a bad thing - we can learn what "history should be" from them. However, setting something that is overtly anti-Christian really is a bad thing. We should be outraged when these sorts of movies and television shows are produced and refuse to watch them.

There are enough faith based, good films out there. Walden Media, Pure Flix, Fox Faith, and several other companies are working to making media more family friendly. The movies and shows they put out are quality stuff. I encourage you to seek them out. I borrowed some DVDs from our local library that were put out by Pure Flix. I love their variety of Christian movies and the kind of programming they have because I never have to worry about compromising my values. The home should be a place where Christ is honored.

So, to bring it all together, what I am trying to relate is that we moms are the keepers of the home. We can pump hostile values into our homes or we can allow Godly ones. Reading secular classical literature is not the same as reading that which purposely undermines our faith and values. Watching faith based programming for entertainment is a great way to learn those little life lessons in ways that our children (and we) enjoy.

By the way, Pure Flix is currently offering a free 4-week trial. Visit them today to learn more.

Book Review - Nature Girl: A Guide to Caring for God's Creation by Karen Whiting and Rebecca White

Nature Girl: A Guide to Caring for God's Creation is written by Karen Whiting and Rebecca White. It is published by ZonderKidz.

I had a blast looking through this fun and practical book for young girls. This book is appropriate for any age, but probably the girls who would enjoy it the most would be those in the tween through early teen years. My own daughter is 13 and she is at just the right state in her life to gain a lot from it.

Filled with fun recipes such as Tangy Tomato Sauce and English Muffin Pizzas, the book offers more. There are science experiments, puzzles, activities, and loads of other fun things to do in this book. The skin care products that are healthy for you and good for the environment will be a hit with my daughter and probably with countless other girls.

I think this is a good addition to a science curriculum for the homeschooled girl as well as others. I love it.

*I received a copy of Nature Girl: A Guide to Caring for God's Creation in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Guest Post by Susie Monday: 9 Creative Ways to Help Kids Say I Love You

Guest post by Susie Monday, co-author of The Missing Alphabet: A Parent's Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids.

9 Creative Ways to Help Kids Say I Love You

by Susie Monday

Got a tactile-learner? A kid who loves to dance? Or maybe your child really loves color? While every child has a constellation of Sensory Alphabet strengths (shape, color, movement and sound are just a few), your child probably has one or two that really stand out — that you notice in his or her artwork or in elements of his or her collections and activities. Valentine’s Day crafts provide ways for parents to nurture these strengths and help kids say I love you in fun creative ways. Below are craft ideas designed for each element of the Sensory Alphabet.

SHAPE: Is your child’s art always full of shapes? Cut out cookies! Make the process easier and faster by using dough from the grocery store refrigerator case. Find imaginative cookie cutters and combine shapes and words to say I love you in new ways.

SOUND: Let sound-oriented kids make a Valentine’s wind chime with metal, glass and wooden craft store finds. Throw in everyday household items like bowls and plates to create loving symphony.

COLOR: Make "stained glass" cookies with color-loving kids, using bread stick dough. Shape it to make the "leading" on a cookie sheet topped with foil. Use crushed colored sugar candies in the spaces, cook at 350 degrees and let the candies melt. Let cool before peeling off the foil. Experiment with the colors and explore what else can represent love besides red.

MOVEMENT: Have your kids spell out the letters of “I Love You” with their bodies, and then take pictures. These can be used to create a sweet card or frame.

LIGHT: Appoint the light-loving child as the official photographer for holiday events. A lesson in digital app photo editing (PhotoPad is free for the iPad) or in designing digital slideshows or print-on-demand books puts this creative eye into action.

TEXTURE: Make a Valentine’s card that focuses on touch rather than sight. Use bows, ribbons, homemade tassels and other textured embellishments. Feathers and sponge-and-paint prints are fun to cover things with.

SPACE: For little builders, create a giant heart using recycled boxes wrapped in plain paper or Popsicle sticks. Decorate it with stickers, markers, doilies and colored paper. When it’s done create a set of keys, and have your child give them to family and loved ones.

RHYTHM: With your rhythm kid, fill small glass jars (such as baby food jars or small jelly jars) with a tablespoon of different shake-able items such as beans, rice, red-and-green beads, and metal washers. Decorate the lids with foil tied around the tops and stickers for patterns. Shake along to Valentine’s songs.

LINE: A linear thinker loves stories. Put him or her to work making handmade Valentine’s books using photos that tell a story about the great love stories in your family. Start with folded paper with a construction paper cover, hole-punched and tied with string or stitched down the center on the sewing machine for the binding.

Matching a creative thinking strength to the right set of materials and a fun challenge can make it more fun -- and help your child build from his or her strengths.

Susie Monday, educator and artist and co-author of The Missing Alphabet, A Parents’ Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids, with Susan Marcus and Dr. Cynthia Herbert. http:/www.themissingalphabet.com.

 

Book Review - The Missing Alphabet: A Parents' Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids

The Missing Alphabet: A Parents' Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids is written by Susan Marcus, Susie Monday, and Cynthia Herbert, PhD and is published by Greenleaf Book Group Press. It becomes available on October 23, 2012 and is priced at $17.95.

Susan Marcus, Susie Monday, and Cynthia Herbert, PhD are the founders of the "New World Kids Program" as well as the Foundry in Austin, TX. They are not strangers to the world of children and their development, as their well-written book proves. They are big advocates for developing creative thinking in kids and the roles their parents play, hence The Missing Alphabet. 

Have you ever heard that children are either gifted in creativity or they are not? Are they just born with those creative juices flowing, while other kids just don't have what it takes to think creatively? According to Marcus, Monday, and Herbert, all children have the potential for great creativity - plain and simple. In The Missing Alphabet, they expound upon the discovery that each child has a rich potential for creative thinking.

Since children are born with such a large capacity for creativity, it is important that parents build upon that first block of potential by supplying the Sensory Alphabet - the building blocks for creative thinking. Sadly, those building blocks are mostly missing from the schools today.

The Missing Alphabet is very easy to read and interesting to boot. Lots of family fun ideas and activities are suggested, such as visiting the zoo and taking pictures, studying the ways the zoom can suggest movement. Perhaps the family would want to take videos of the animals and then edit them later. Discuss the movements of the animals. Would you have thought that something so simple and fun would build creativity in your child?

 I just took things like that for granted. As long-time homeschoolers, our family has done many of the activities and learning ideas contained within this book, but we had no idea we were building such wonderful structures within our children. We just knew we were having fun and the kids were learning lots. As each of them grew into his or her own creative interests, we thought maybe we simply had "gifted" children. HA!

I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through The Missing Alphabet and reading it in depth. I have two children remaining in our homeschool and I'm thrilled to see suggestions that I hadn't thought of yet for building those blocks of creativity .

**I received a copy of The Missing Alphabet: A Parents' Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids in exchange for my honest opinion.**

Beginner's Bible App for iPad

If you have an iPad that you allow your children or grandchildren to use (or if they have their own - not unheard of these days), you might like to know that Zondervan has released an app for the bestselling Beginner's Bible. This app is free of charge and includes all of these cool things:

Six interactive Bible stories
Coloring pages
Puzzles
A game

Additional story packs will be available for $1.99 each. They will be released over the next three to five months.

Should be exciting for the little ones. My own kids would have loved these but had to settle for paper.

Another Year of Homeschooling

Let me make a disclaimer. While the above photo is in the public domain (you can publish it, print it, whatever, royalty-free), it is definitely NOT my desk. Or the desk of one of my children or my husband. It's too pretty, too new looking, too expensive looking to be ours.

Now that you understand our poverty, you will understand some of our homeschooling choices a little better. We have five children, all of whom have been homeschooled since the very first years. In other words, from birth. Yeah, I said from birth. Didn't you know that kids learn from the moment they come out of the womb? Our homeschool has never been all that traditional, in the public or private school sense of the word. We have taught manners and respect from early on. With that came tons of Christian learning and training, using the Bible and our local church for tools. Add good, Christian literature and media to the mix and you need nothing else. Math was learned in the toddler years as we began counting buttons on their shirts, measured the ingredients to make cookies together, or counted to three before coming after the naughty boys or girl. As in boys plural and girl singular.

As the children grew older and learned more, we added many textbooks, workbooks, games, field trips, you name it to the curriculum list. Did they learn much? YES. We proudly boast of our three graduates. One is now a police officer while the other two have done extremely well in their college classes. President's List and Dean's List sort of kids. Ah, the great benefits of homeschooling.

This year we still have two in our homeschool. Ryan is entering the 9th grade and Amanda is going into the 6th. While I was homeschooling Josh, Jonathon and Evan as well as the younger two, I was a stay-at-home mom. Now I work a part-time job as the local public librarian. While it's only for four hours a day, it's enough to throw a wrench into our homeschool plans.

I have decided to use the Monarch curriculum (Alpha Omega) with Ryan this year. He can bring a lap top with him to the library; I can supervise him while he works independently. He did some placement tests a month ago through the Monarch system and now knows how it's going to work. It'll be fine. I think.

Amanda will also come to the library to do her school work. She is going to use Saxon Math 7/6, Learning Language Arts through Literature tan book, Mystery of History volume 3, A Beka Science grade 6, Lingua Angelica I, Rod & Staff Bible grade six, and various handwriting practice books. We'll read good literature throughout the year. It will be fine. I think.

As I've always said, it doesn't take a genius (or a licensed teacher) to homeschool. It simply takes prayer and dedication. You have to commit to it. I've committed and have promised to stay the course. I wouldn't do it another way.

Online Options for School

These days school comes in many different packages. We homeschool our children. Others send them to public school or parochial school. Still others are doing something a little bit in the middle of the three options - online distance learning.

I'm hearing more and more about online learning for kids in middle school and high school than ever before. It seems to be a good idea for the younger, more technically savvy, set because they are extremely comfortable with computers and interacting with web sites.

When online schools first came out, they were basically colleges. There are a whole lot more options now for those who want to teach their children at home but still have the help and accreditation they might need via an online program.

I've been spending some time researching online schools and want to share with you Online School Solutions. First of all, it is a division of KC Distance Learning. In some states they offer both online public school and online private school. I checked to see what is available for my state, Michigan, and found that The Keystone School - and online high school and middle school is offered. Full-time school with an accredited diploma is one option, or one can enroll in one or more courses to add to what he is already doing.

Many local school districts now partner with distance learning programs to give the student a well rounded education. School bullying is reaching an all-time high and parents are ready to yank their kids out of there. Enrolling in a program such as a KC Distance Learning school  is a viable alternative for many families.

Bullying aside, the courses offered look to be sound and challenging enough. That is always my first concern when choosing curriculum. This is not a Christian school, so do not look for the science courses to reflect that.

If traditional schools are not working for you, or you want to supplement at home, Online School Solutions might be a good place for you to check out. If you homeschool and want online courses (hint: learning online frees up some teacher time) check it out. If you're just curious, check it out.

Our family has not tried much in the way of distance learning, though my son took some online courses through a community college and did very well. I'm curious to hear what others think about online schools, so please leave me a comment if you have some thoughts about them. If you'd like to watch a demonstration video, click here. A multi-media video can be viewed here.

This and That

My giveaway (soap and a huge pack of coupons) is ending sometime late tonight. If you want to have a chance to win this, enter here. The picture isn't the greatest due to my camera settings being out of whack and my inability to understand it. We tested the soap last week and love it. It's all-vegetable and great for sensitive skin.

I found a great recipe that duplicates (almost) Starbuck's Frappuccino. You can substitute coffee for the espresso with the easy directions.

Do you utilize Coke Rewards? I have been redeeming my reward points for free 20 oz. bottles.

Rod & Staff Publishers is having a 1/2 price sale on seconds (light cosmetic damage) textbooks. They don't have a website, so you would need to call them at 1-606-522-4348 to ask which books are available and to order. There is a limited amount available and the sale ends this week, so call tomorrow a.m. if interested.

I hope you're having a wonderful Sunday. I've been under the weather so I didn't make it to church. Instead, I spent some time with the Lord reading the Bible and praying.

**WINNER**

This contest is now closed and the winner has been selected via Random.org.

Result: 3 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

bison61 said...

I've been using coupons for about a year-I check the ads to see what is on sale & then check my coupons. Saving money on groceries helps alot with my budget. Congratulations to bison61!

Saving on School Books - PLUS - A Free Entrance to the Park!

I have finally finished gathering curriculum for this coming school year. We begin school on Labor Day because my husband is working and it just seems to be a good time to start. I made it a goal this year to get all of my curriculum (for just three students this year!) as inexpensively as I could. Here is the result:

Evan - Grade 11

Advanced Mathematics (Saxon) - $0 - already owned
Lift up Your Eyes on High (Christian Liberty Press) - $9 - eBay
US History for Christian Schools (BJU) - $0 - already owned
Applications of Grammar Bk 5 (Christian Liberty Press) - $15.48 - CBD
Bible - Bible Survey Series (Rod & Staff) - $0 - already owned
American Literature for Christian Schools (BJU) - $0 - already owned
Spanish I (Power Glide) - $ 6.31 - eBay
The Listener (BJU) - $11.80 - eBay

The astronomy curriculum (Lift up your Eyes on High) came with 5 other books for supplementation (GREAT books) and I will also assign classic literature and other supplemental books such as, The Mayflower Pilgrims (which I got free from Paperback Swap). Grand total for Evan - $42.59

Ryan - Grade 6

Copywork for Boys (Queen Homeschool) - $0 - already owned
Observing God's World (A Beka) - $0 - already owned
New World History (A Beka) - $10.08 - eBay
Maps, Globes, Charts & Graphs (Steck-Vaughn) - $8.90 - eBay
Spelling Grade Six (Purposeful Design) - $0 - Paperback Swap
SpellQuizzer - $0 - SpellQuizzer
Math 65 (Saxon) - $0 - already owned
God's Chosen Family (Rod & Staff) - $16.65 - Rod & Staff Publishers
Step by Step (Pathway Publishers) - $0 - already owned
God's Gift of Language C (A Beka) - $15.00 - eBay

Grand total for Ryan: $50.63


Amanda - Grade 3

Review of Latina Christiana I (Memoria Press) - $0 - already owned
Roots of English (Memoria Press) - $17.99 - CBD
Classic Curriculum Writing (Mott Media) - $0 - Paperback Swap
Bible Nurture Series (Rod & Staff) - $55 - combination of eBay & Rod & Staff Publishers
Real Heroes from the Bible (Pacific Press) - $15 - from a missionary
Math 3 (Saxon) - $45.86 - ebay
Beginning Wisely (Rod & Staff) - $0 - already owned (teacher's manual from Paperback Swap)
The Mystery of History (Bright Ideas Press) - $0 - already owned
Exploring God's Creation (Christian Liberty Press) - $0 - Paperback Swap
Your Health (Harcourt-Brace) - $0 - Paperback Swap
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths (Random House) - $0 - already owned
SpellQuizzer - $0 - SpellQuizzer
Art in Action grade 3 (Harcourt) - $0 - Paperback Swap

Grand Total for Amanda: $78.85

Total for all three kids: $172.07

When I had Josh in Christian Liberty Academy, I spent $600-$650 per year (x 4 years). This puts it in perspective for you.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Michigan Department of Resources, in partnership with the Library of Michigan, has a program going to help you enjoy the great outdoors. It's called "Park & Read." Go to your public library, grab a good book, and ask for a Park & Read certificate. You'll get a free day pass to any state park in the system. Go here for more details.

We went to Burt Lake State Park in Indian River a few days ago and enjoyed a nice picnic with sea gulls.

This and That

I'm so sorry I didn't get a post up for today. I have not visited other blogs too much the past couple of days either. That makes me sad. I have had a horrible headache for about three days and that, coupled with my son's open house and all of the work it entailed, prevented me from getting much done online.

I do want those who donated to the Mombasa mission trip to know that Jonathon and the other kids have raised their money and are now prepared to leave a week from Wednesday. We covet your prayers for the mission team's safety, for the street boys our kids will minister to, and, most of all, that God will be glorified through this. A big thank you goes out to anyone who's prayed or donated money......your reward will be great because God's going to work a miracle because of your faithfulness.

Organization in the Homeschool Library

I spent the better half of last night and this morning organizing our homeschool library, a.k.a. the bookshelves above. With five children and 15 years of homeschooling, we have accumulated a TON of books that got placed here, there and everywhere. The shelves were a total mess and it drove me completely crazy.

I crave organization. I grabbed Ryan and together we took every book off the shelves, weeded out those we no longer need (posted them on Paperback Swap and Half.com), and put the books in a decent order back on the shelves.

We organized the shelves into categories:

History & Geography
Science
Math
Literature and Reading (took four shelves for this category)
Bible
Games
Josh's College Books and Photo Albums
DVDs and Videotapes

The children have been given strict orders to NOT mess these shelves up! They may take books, read and use them, then place back where they belong. Let's see how long that lasts.

My next project is to actually catalog our books. That'll take a while.

Finding Homeschool Products on the Cheap

In the past couple of days, I have been searching for homeschool products. My favorite places to shop are E-Bay, Half.com, and Christian Book Distributors. If you are a member of My Points, you can sign in with them and then shop E-Bay to gain points.

Last night I won two auctions with E-Bay for much needed curriculum, both of them like new condition and very low cost. I was so excited! I spent about 1/3 of what I would if I purchased them brand new.

Here's what I'm still looking for (like you care :)

• Lift up Your Eyes on High test packet, Christian Liberty Press
• Applications of Grammar Book 5, Christian Liberty Press
• Applications of Grammar 5 test packet, Christian Liberty Press
• Appreciating Music, Bob Jones University Press
• Spanish I & II, Power Glide
• American Literature (Bob Jones University Press) test packet, Christian Liberty Press
• Maps, Globes & Charts I & II, Steck Vaughn
• Line Upon Line, Christian Liberty Press
  

Menu Plan Monday - May 11

This is going to be a busy week for me because my brother and his family are coming from Indiana for a visit.

I just spent the last three hours working up a high school transcript for my graduating senior, Jonathon. Warning to homeschoolers everywhere: Work up transcripts as you go by keeping clear records. Then you won't have to spend all that much time on it. Why, you might ask, did that take so long? When you homeschool, you don't have an "official" transcript unless you use a satellite school that your state recognizes. I had to list every course taken along with the names of textbooks, publishers, percentage of books completed, and on and on. What a chore!

But it's done now and I can concentrate on other, more pressing matters - like house cleaning and MENU PLANNING!

So here's this week's menu plan:

Monday

Roast Beef in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots
Tossed Salads

Tuesday

Beef & Noodles (homemade egg noodles and left-over roast beef)
Mashed Potatoes
Corn

Wednesday

Breakfast Supper surprise prepared by my brother, Steven
*It's a surprise to me too*

Thursday

Pizza & Pop
Nephew will have gluten-free pizza made by his mommy

Friday

Hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill
Chips provided by the "chip man"
Fruit

Saturday

BLTs
French Fries
Green Beans

Sunday

On Your Own

Visit Organizing Junkie for bigger and better menu plans :)

Swapping Books

Today I joined Paperback Swap. I made my list of the books I need for next year's homeschool and, after checking to see what it'll cost to buy them brand new, I decided I must try something different.

Before you can order any books from this "let's trade" site, you have to list 10 books of your own. That was easy enough. I listed more than 10 books that the kids and I once used for school but are not planning to use again. Then, I put up my wish list of books I need.

Sounds great, huh? Well, I'm like number twenty in a long line of others wishing for the same items. And the items I listed to swap today? I already have three to mail out with another three pretty certain in the next 48 hours.

I sure hope I get to do more than just ship out my books because, at this rate, I'll spend more money than if I'd just kept my books.

The New Manta at Sea World

Have you heard about the Manta at Sea World opening in May? I just visited the web site associated with this exciting new coaster - a flying ray - and read all about it. In fact, I did more than just read about it. I took the Manta quiz!

Okay, I just love Sea World anyway. When our three older boys were small we took them to Sea World and I think Jeff and I enjoyed the visit as much or more than the boys did. There is so much to learn about marine life that I don't think we can ever know all there is to know. If we could have only taken them on a cool flying manta ray and come up close to a whole slew of sea creatures, our time would have even have been more fun, if that were possible.

Here's the most exciting bit of news I can give you concerning this ride: you can win a "front of the line sea pass" at Orlando, Florida's Sea World! All you need to do is visit the Manta website and complete six steps - just click on the "participate and win" button when you sign up for an account. Hey Twitter users - this one is for you!

Even if you don't win the sea pass, you will still get a complimentary electronic photograph of your experience with the great new Manta ride. So what are you waiting for?

Field Trips and Teaching a Little Culture

We took a field trip yesterday, joining with several homeschool families from our area of Michigan. We first went to the Cheboygan Opera House to see a presentation of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, which a theater company from Detroit put on for young children. This play is colorful, musical, and just plain fun for the kids. It's also the first theatrical presentation my youngest two, Ryan and Amanda, have ever seen live.

Being up here in northern Michigan, we rarely get the opportunity to expose our children to the arts, mostly because most of these opps are in the larger cities, like Traverse City, Saginaw or Flint. I really believe that it's important, in this day and age of computer games and television, to teach theater, music, and even dance. This was a great opportunity because the play was free to teachers, school children and parents yesterday.

After we left the opera house, we journeyed a few blocks to a nice city park. The kids played and the adults visited. Amanda and I walked across the parking lot to Cheboygan Harbor (on Lake Huron) and snapped some pictures. Hope you enjoy them.

In the picture below is a very distant shot of the Mackinac Bridge. It almost looks invisible in the picture, but we could see it very well in person.

Some Free Homeschool Books

I have some books I don't want anymore and, if you're interested in them, you can have them. All I ask is that you pay me media mail shipping costs. If you want any or all of them, please e-mail me. You can find my e-mail address on my profile page by clicking "e-mail." (left side of page)

The books I have right now up for grabs (and I'll have more as the school year ends) are:

No Greater Joy Volume 3 - Michael & Debi Pearl
Manual of Christian Doctrine Answer Key - Christian Liberty Press
Manual of Christian Doctrine, 2nd Edition - Louis Berkhof
The Random House Book of How Things Work (1991) - Steve Parker
Intermediate Logic Answer Key, Test Book, and set of 4 VHS videos (1996) - James B. Nance
Introductory Logic Answer Key (1997) - James B. Nance & Douglas J. Wilson

Kids Music for 99 cents!

Did you ever wonder where all of the great kids' songs of days past went? They all but disappeared. I've wanted to teach oldies such as, O Susanna, Baby Bumblebee, and Camptown Races to my younger children for some time.

This is my chance to do it at a great price. On Easter Sunday, April 12, Amazon.com is offering 150 Fun Songs For Kids by Countdown Kids as their MP3 Deal of the Day - for only $0.99! You can't beat that price, especially since this album regularly sells for $9.49.

We incorporate music into our homeschool studies as an essential curriculum. We find it's too hard of a strain on our budget to take the children to music lessons. Have you priced them lately? I taught Jonathon the basics of guitar and he picked it up from there along from getting some instruction from the church band.

We do family singing for much of music class, which is where 150 Fun Songs For Kids will fit in well.

I hope you'll get a chance to check out the song titles and listen to snippets of them. Then come back on Sunday and download the entire album for only $0.99.

The Dolphin Bubble Craze

I keep going to other blogs and finding that people are writing about these "dolphin bubbles." I decided I should see what all the craziness is about. What I found is that some dolphins at Sea World blow bubbles in the water and play with them.

What's interesting is that these bubbles aren't like those you and I would blow, which would be blown at the top of the water and rise. These bubbles are blown near the bottom of the tanks the dolphins are in and they seem to sink. Weird.

The dolphins don't simply blow the bubbles out of a natural instinct or ability. It seems that it is a learned ability that they have picked up from other dolphins, which would indicate that the animals have a high intelligence. I think we all know that dolphins are very smart, but I don't think everyone knows the level of their intelligence. We seem to learn more and more about aquatic animals as time goes on.

I watched a video of dolphins at Sea World playing and they blew bubbles, popped them, and seemed to have a blast doing it. Amanda watched with me and she was fascinated. If you like to learn, visit Dolphin Bubbles. Below is a video of the dolphins you'll like.