Time flies......

Life got in the way there for a while. Sorry, folks. I'll try to get back on track. If there's a topic you'd like to see addressed, drop me a line! :)

Vocabulary In Your Inbox, Spelling On Your Screen

You can have vocabulary sent to your inbox! dictionary.com has a daily-word service. Just sign up with your email and voila! You're off and running. We like this one because it's not geared towards the very-littles like many vocab resources are. While the words are rarely *very* difficult, they are the sort of words you probably remember from the SAT, GRE, and other tests. They send the word with definition, pronunciation, definitions, etymology, and a few examples of the word as used in existing writings. If your child wants more, the Weird and Wonderful Words series of books are an awful lot of fun, but they list words like "spanghew" which, while entertaining, probably won't come up in any practical way unless your life is an awful lot different than ours is. :)

spellingcity.com is a really great (free!) resource for any age. I believe that it was originally conceived as a webpage that parents and teachers of young kids could use and it works well for that, but since it allows you to add your own words, it's flexible enough for any level. One caveat - when the site was getting started, I don't think they were prepared for someone like me who wanted to add SAT-level words and it could take a few days for new words to be "approved." (They need to add sound files so the kids can hear the words and this is done individually.) If you plan on using very unusual words, try to enter your lists ahead of time so that everything is available when your child logs on. The site gives you practice, quizzes, and games to play for reinforcement. I would encourage everyone to check it out - if it's the sort of thing your child will click with, it's a wonderful tool.

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***Speaking of free resources, I need to amend my recommendation for the HandiLand chore-charting website. When they sent out a survey asking if we'd be willing to pay for the service, I was afraid that they'd already made their decision and it appears that I was right. You can still do minimal activities for free, but now you need to pay for a lot of what made the site fun for DD. I don't think we'll continue to use it. It's too bad that this happened. I think it was a great site and they already had ways to make money in place without requiring subscription fees.

How Bad do I Think Google Is? Let Me Count the Ways........

So, I decided to start a blog. Two actually. I'm a homeschooling mom putting herself through nursing school, so I thought I'd write about both, each on their own page. Share a little useful information, some common experiences, etc. Great. All is good.

Since each blog was on a specific topic and, let's face it, a homeschooling mom putting herself through school can use every nickel she can earn, I decided to add Google's AdSense program. No biggie - each blog has a certain audience, so the ads should be things they might really be interested in - nursing school info on the nursing blog, homeschool resource links on the homeschool blog.

But hey, did you know that Google can, with absolutely no explanation, yank all of your ads AND keep all of the money you've earned so far? Whoo, talk about fun....... They claim privacy issues and refuse to provide even a hint of what the problem is/was, yet expect bloggers to be able to defend themselves somehow? If you don't tell me what you think the problem is, I can't possibly make any sort of explanation!

[Yes, I looked through the Help pages they referred me to and still don't know what the problem was. I didn't click on my own pages, I didn't pay for clicks, I didn't imply that clicks would get anyone entered in a drawing, etc.....]

So, I thought I had part of the heat bill paid this month. With all of the ice and snow, that was a good thing. Now, it's all gone. Up in a puff of smoke.

Thanks Google. Maybe someday Larry and Sergei will find out what it feels like to be treated this way. It won't come from me, but I hope someone's there to help pay their heat bills when it happens......

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Happy New Year, Chinese style!

Gōngxǐ fā cái, hóngbāo ná lái!!

OK, I'm not nearly young and adorable enough to get away with demanding a red envelope, but you all have my best wishes on today, the first day of the Year of the Ox. If you're lucky enough to live in an area of the US that puts on a good party for this occasion, enjoy the fireworks and dragon dances.

A few resources for learning about Chinese New Year and the various traditions and activities involved:


The University of Victoria up in Canada has a nice faculty page up with links to information on the full 15-day slate of festivities as well as food, decoration, and taboos.
http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html


And a nice, succinct run-down of New Year dos and don'ts:
http://www.familyculture.com/holidays.chinese_new_year.htm


OK, Wikipedia is not my favorite source for many things, but they do have a nice overview of this one....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year


This page is terribly clunky, but has some really nice examples of Chinese calligraphy and presents it so that you can see how the art has evolved over the ages
http://www.chinapage.com/callig1.html


And, finally, good wishes to all of you students!
Zhù nǐ xué xí qǔ dé hǎo chéng jì ！

Enjoy!

Inauguration Lessons

So, it's time for a new President to be inaugurated. What a great time for practical civics lessons! The AFT and NEA (yes, I know, bear with me, lol) have produced a series of activities and study suggestions that is worth checking out. They've designed most for the older set with a few adaptations for younger kids, but, as homeschoolers, we're used to taking materials and pulling out what we can use, right? :)

http://www.pic2009.org/page/content/lessonplans

Here are a few more things for the kids to think about.....

What oath does the President take? Where does it come from? What words do new Presidents add that are not actually in the oath itself?

What oath does the Vice President take? Who else takes the same oath and why would the VP oath be the same as theirs?

Why January 20th at noon?

How did the tradition of Inaugural Balls begin? How did the President involved feel about it? Why?

Read a few inaugural addresses form different periods in US history. Talk about how current events and context may influence inaugural addresses.

Watching Barack Obama's inaugural address, can you identify what his Calls To Action are? Are they similar or different from those of previous Presidents? Are there any Calls that you feel you'd like to answer with your own positive action within your community?

What do you think the purpose of an inaugural address is? As you watch, how does it make you feel? (Contrast to other addresses you can find copies of if you like.) If you were being sworn in as the new President, what would you include in your address?

Younger kids can be introduced to a lot of American symbolism during the inaugural festivities. Try pointing out some of the symbols you see and discussing why they're important and how they're being used.

Kids have been fascinated by the two new First Kids. Have them write a story about what it might be like to live in the White House or have friends visit them there.

Some Famous and/or Accomplished Homeschooled Folks

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/Famous.htm

This page has a pretty nice list of folks who were homeschooled and have gone on to succeed in their chosen fields. From soccer players to mathematicians to musicians, there's a pretty wide choice of people listed. There are short blurbs on each, with links for more info - the Computational Origami by Erik and Mark Demaine is worth the click to this page all by itself, imho!

Enjoy!

Once A Month Cooking

We can spend a lot of time cooking. Some of us love it, some not so much...... If you'd rather be spending that time doing something else, have you considered cooking once a month?

No, really. :) Make a list of the foods that your family likes. How many of those keep well in the freezer? Well, how about grabbing the kids and spending one day each month chopping and boiling and baking, then making individual- or family-sized portions and freezing them? It's really not much more trouble to make a large pot of soup instead of a pot big enough for one meal or get a larger dish and bake a dozen chicken breasts instead of just 2 or 3.

Try a few of these, then follow the links below for more:

-Make a batch of spaghetti sauce, then freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, turn the cubes out into a freezer bag. When it's pasta night, just boil up the noodles and melt a few cubes of sauce.
-Cook a bunch of chicken breasts in a frying pan, adding lemon juice and black pepper to taste. Freeze each separately or make sure they are frozen before putting them all in one bag - no fun trying to pry frozen chicken breasts apart.
-Cut steak into useful portions, then place in a ziploc bag with your favorite marinade. Freeze. Want beef tomorrow night? Pop a bag out of the freezer and into the fridge to thaw overnight.
-Chili and lasagne work well, too. Just make too much and freeze in portions. :)

http://tinyurl.com/9or525 (Food Network page with looong URL)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/357170
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze.html