Homeschool Conference

Oh me, Oh my . . . the homeschool conference this year totally blew me away. I got so many good deals. I'd love to make a list of every.single.book. I bought. . . but not enough time for that. This year we will be study the time period of 1850 to modern times. Therefore, all of our literature we will be reading is from that time period. I bought the original classics for Alec, as he is a super-strong reader. But, for Ashley, I had to buy the same books, but on a 3rd grade level. I want her to be able to read independently also. We'll be reading books like The Call of the Wild, Peter Pan, Laura Ingalls Series, The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women and many, many more. So, this summer I will be drenching myself in reading Alec's classical literature books so I will be a prepared teacher. I'm so very, very excited. Books just make me plain giddy. Most of these books I spent anywhere from $0.50 to $2.00.

Here are a few of my other deals.

Alec's Saxon Math - I got the DIVE CD which is a teacher that actually teaches him Math on the computer. Can I get a yippee skippee from anyone out there? I DO NOT want to have to relearn Pre-Algebra/Algebra to teach it to my kid . . . lazy, I know. . . I got the teacher book, student book and DIVE CD all for $67. This would normally cost me about $120-150 brand new.

Alec's Apologia General Science - teacher and student book I got for $20. Brand new this would cost me anywhere from $50-80.

Although we will be reading classical books for literature I did get Ashley a Bob Jones literature textbook for $3.00. I thought the stories in this book would be great for pleasure reading. I've done Bob Jones literature in the past, and I really liked it.

I got Hanna a 1st grade reading text book too for $2. I think alot of the short stories in this book will be so good for her to improve her reading skills.

I got LOTS of Adventures in Odyssey. These are awesome. Since we aren't big TV folks (i.e., no TV in the car, very little here at home), my kids love these stories. They teach great Biblical truths and are very entertaining.

I also got some "Your Story Hour" CDs. . . they tell stories of different historical figures. . . George Washington, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, etc. . . and dramatize them. Good stuff folks, good stuff. I really love to listen to things like this with the children as I am cooking dinner. Alot of times they will draw or color as we listen to them together. I think I enjoy them just as much as the kiddos.

Here are the 2 suitcases I filled up full of books.


Here are the kids in our new house in what will be a homeschool room checking out all the things Alec and I bought.

I'm so glad they all love books.

I'm so ready for this school year to be over. . . yet, I can't wait for next year. Weird, huh?

The only thing I have left to buy is our Bible curriculum, Shurley Grammar for both Alec and Ash, and a time line for history. I am bound and determined to order it before June though . . . that way I'm not last minute like usual.

I say every year that I want to go and hear the speakers. I've never done this. Maybe next year?

I love meeting new homeschool moms. I met this one mom who helped me decide on the Math to do next year. Another mom I met as we were sorting through our books . . . we talked about classical literature and she reminded me to not forget the library. I saw several Amish/Mennonites. These people fascinate me, and I would love to sit down and have a cup of coffee or 2 with them. I wanted to take their picture, but I know they don't appreciate things like that, and I wanted to be very respectful.

Homeschoolers certainly have a stereotype. I will say I did not see the first woman in a denim jumper . . . although I did see some with hair pulled up in buns. I saw this really cute mom decked out in a cute shirt, a great pair of jeans, some great accessories, a cute pair of high heels and a super-cute boy with her . . . oh wait, that was me!!! Just kidding. . . most of the moms there were cute moms. . . normal moms . . . just like the rest of us. You don't have to wear a denim jumper, no makeup or jewelry, tennis shoes, and pull your hair up in a bun in order to homeschool. It's simply a calling . . . a calling from God . . . certainly not for everyone though and certainly not for every season of life. It doesn't matter what you wear, or how much money you make, or what neighborhood you live in or don't live it, or if your friends homeschool or not, or your education level. You just have to have passion and a desire to do it.

More to come on homeschooling later. I actually plan on devoting a whole week's worth of posts to it soon. Since I have been doing this for almost 8 years I'd love to answer questions and dispel some myths about homeschooling. Get your thinking caps on . . . and your questions . . . 'cause in a few weeks I'm going to want to know what you want to know.