Another confession (AND the Top 100 Educational Websites for 2012)

When I was a new mom, I told myself that I'd never let my kids watch TV or play computer games at a young age. Like fellow homeschool/work-at-home mom Blessie, I wanted my kids to "play outdoors, read books, and build things from scratch." (Yes, we homeschool moms are of the idealistic sort, aren't we?! LOL! ;-)


But, as most people probably know by now (through reviews I've written, like the ones here, here, here and here) I DO let my kids watch TV/DVDs (*gasp*) and I DO let them use the computer! In fact, I don't think our homeschool life would be as frugal and fun without it (the computer, at least!) *NOTE: The key word for our family now is frugal! He, he! :-)



Don't get me wrong though - our kids, like Mommy Blessie's, still get to play outdoors, read books (well, have books read to them at this point in time - two favorites are "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and "The Runaway Bunny"), and build things from scratch (or recyclable items). We also like listening to audio stories, especially from The Story Home.


However, I believe in the need for balance. And, since I still haven't achieved my ULTIMATE dream of being a fulltime stay at home teachermama (I work from home most days of the week), most days I need time to work and so I need to keep the kids occupied - and A LOT of times, this involves the TV and computer! (Please forgive me!)

Photo source here.

So it pleased me a lot when fellow homeschool mom Racquel recently posted about the top 100 Educational Websites for 2012, which came out on the Homeschool.com website. I browsed through the list (you can do so too by clicking here), and found some of our own favorite websites listed there, among which were:


http://pbskids.org - Tim LOVES playing "The Cat in the Hat" games here! Seussville is another favorite site! Yes, we're Cat in the Hat fans! ;-)

Free Christian/Catholic Comic Books (and other books) Online

Image from printactivities.com

This post was inspired by a  comment thread on our ROCKERs Philippines Facebook group page. Mommy Blessie asked about comic books in Filipino or English. I did some "Googling" and came up with these (though I haven't looked through ALL of the sites yet):

Info and links on Comics on Catholic Saints and other Catholic Heroes - including links to FREE old Catholic comics on the Internet

Christian Books links on Christart.com - includes comics, illustrated storybooks, instructional books and short stories

Link to a downloadable book of Filipino folk tales

International Children's Digital Library

Children's Storybooks Online

Free Online Children's Stories at Storytimeforme.com

Children's Books Online.org

Leading to Reading

Storyline Online.net

I will update this post once I get to go through each site or maybe even do some reviews ;-)

Happy reading! ;-)

Homeschooling A Reluctant Learner

What a beautiful inspiring post from one of my favorite homeschool sites: Simple Homeschool! :-) This Sunday morning, I am led to reflect more on why we are homeschooling and what I am doing "wrong" which may be more harmful than helpful to Tim (and Rysse)! :-)

Thank You Lord for articles like these, which help bring me back to the right path! I am sharing it below for you all. :-) You may also find these activities helpful: http://webmama-blog.blogspot.com/2010/05/activities-for-relunctant-learners.html. God bless us and Mama Mary, please continue to pray for us!

Teaching a Reluctant Learner

by TONI on SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

in INSPIRATION

Ihave a child who hates school.

This is hard for me to admit because it feels like I failed. I failed my son, my family, and the homeschool community.

Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and founder of Steady Mom (the original post can be found on Simple Homeschool.)

Three weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at the Heart of the Matter virtual homeschooling conference. My topic? Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom.

The talk went well, and afterward I had the idea to turn it into a series for you here. So over the next few Mondays, I’ll share tips that set a homeschooling mama (or papa!) up for success in the homeschooling lifestyle.

When I use the word “secrets,” I don’t mean they are necessarily earth-shattering ideas or principles you’ve never heard of before. In many areas of life, often the most profound truths are also the most simple.

I’ve called them secrets because they encompass ideas I wish I would have known at the beginning of my homeschooling journey–ideas I’ve had to figure out and stumble across along the way. If I would have known these from the beginning, I think it would have helped me approach homeschooling in a more relaxed, pressure-free way.

Catholic ABC's Preschool Curriculum!

One of my all-time favorite Catholic mom bloggers, Lacy, of Catholic Icing, may have outdone herself this time! :-) I am so so pleased to re-post her announcement about her latest project, Catholic ABC's preschool curriculum in book form! :-) Way to go Lacy! I am sure a lot of Catholic moms everywhere, including us here in the Philippines, will be greatly blessed by this! (I hope you consider coming up with a downloadable version soon, hehe!) Congrats to you and to God be all the glory! :-)

Below is Lacy's post, which you can read in full version here (there's a giveaway ongoing too, so head on over to her blog to check it out!). Blessings on everyone!

Catholic ABC's (The Book)- A Catholic Preschool Curriculum

on Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Anyone wondering where I've been? Well, I'm putting the finishing touches on my new book! Catholic Icing Presents: Catholic ABC's (The Book) - A Hands On Preschool Curriculum! {Also, there's a giveaway at the end of this post you don't want to miss!}

I love that the Catholic ABC's series matured into an all inclusive, user friendly book! 

I don't have any of them actually printed yet, but I'm sending off for them later this week!!! (Insert happy dance here!) I have poured my heart and soul into this book, and I could not be more pleased with how it has turned out! 

I couldn't decide whether to write the curriculum for homeschoolers or classrooms, so I wrote it for both. Can't go wrong with that decision, huh? ;-) So Catholic ABC's the Bookincludes separate teacher scripts for both homeschoolers and classroom teachers. You could use this book to teach your child, a group of children in your home, a class at a Catholic preschool co-op, or a whole preschool CCD class- your options for teaching are limitless, and this book makes everyone a teacher!

I am so happy to have this in a book form because it includes so much more than I've been able to post online! New crafts, 5 brand new unit studies, guides for setting up your classroom and organizing your materials, bible verses that go with each lesson, visual aides of full color artwork from the religious masters, and more! Also, the entire book is going to be printed in color which I'm really excited about!  

This Catholic preschool curriculum is hands on all the way! From the unit studies, to learning the alphabet, to crafting, singing, and counting- this book strives to make learning (and teaching) fun! Hey, why shouldn't it be fun?

I designed the book to engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. The activities in this book help develop gross and fine motor skills. I believe that children learn best when they have multiple senses engaged, and when they have meaningful experiences that they can connect with. This book definitely helps you create these kind of experiences with your preschoolers. 

Catholic ABC's has 26 lessons that are based on the letters of the alphabet. They're meant to be used weekly. Each lesson includes a craft, bible verse, saint of the week, full color visual aid (usually in the form of beautiful artwork from the masters), and many lessons also include a bonus activity. The 5 unit studies follow the liturgical year and have directions for making unique learning tools to teach the story, and again, make it fun! The unit studies also teach the kids counting and numbers, and they all include a fun learning song. 

               Unit Studies:

1. Ordinary Time 1 - Creation
2. Advent/Christmas - Nativity
3. Ordinary Time 2 - 12 Apostles
4. Lent - Stations of the Cross
5. Easter - He is Risen!

All the templates, coloring pages, etc that are needed for Catholic ABC's are included in the "Master Copies" section of the book. They're bound in so they won't get lost.

As always, I take all of the guess work out of the crafting for you. Catholic Icing can make a crafter out of anyone! ;-) All of the crafts in the book are fairly easy to complete, and require only affordable and readily available craft supplies.

Ok, in case you can't tell by the excessive use of exclamation points in this post, I'm very excited about my book! I can't wait to hold the printed copies when they arrive! I just might have to invite all my friends over for a fun celebration. :-)

How Much Does it Cost?

Catholic ABC's The Book is going to cost $35 plus shipping, but if you'd like to place a pre-order, you'll receive a $5 discount! So that's just $30 plus shipping.  :-) (Shipping is $5.25 US and $15.00 international) I'm taking pre-orders between now and August 15. After August 15 the book will cost $35.00.

 

*The original deal offered on pre-orders was free shipping. Everyone who ordered within that time will receive the free shipping. Everyone ordering from now on will receive the $5 discount instead. Sorry for the confusion.*

Breastfeeding and homeschooling: How to make it work

I find it really comforting that a lot of the pro-homeschooling people I know are also pro-breastfeeding and pro-life! Even Hathor the Cow Goddess homeschools! hehehe. :-) Very affirming! 

From naturalmomstalkradio.com

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week/Month, which I also wrote about in my other blog here, I thought I'd also re-post this article from The Homeschool Classroom below. I found it very helpful myself. :-) 

HAPPY WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK! :-)

Homeschooling? Breastfeeding? Overwhelmed? How To Make It Work

by PAST WRITERS on OCTOBER 7, 2010 · 9 COMMENTS · BABIES/TODDLERS, FAMILY, HOW TO,MOTHERHOOD

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in babies/toddlers,family,how to,motherhood

Homeschooling takes place in the intimate domain of the home and family, and any changes in the family naturally also change the school.  One big change many home educating families go through is the addition of a new baby.

Infants demand Mom’s attention almost exclusively, and many parents feel stretched thin trying to keep up with the baby and help the older children with their studies.  However, because everyone is together in the home, caring for a newborn is happily compatible with home education.

Breastfeeding is a natural fit for many homeschooling families, so here are 5 tips for integrating feeding the baby with teaching the children.

• Put a comfortable chair near your school area.  Or, move the lessons to the couch or rocker.  Home schoolers don’t have to be tied to a desk, so take advantage of the situation to try out a change of scenery.  You won’t be very effective if you are crouched on a bar stool trying to feed the baby while your second grader demands help with her spelling words.
• Have supplies at the ready.  Your children still need your presence as they do their schoolwork.  Too often, when teacher’s away, the kids will play!  It’s distracting if Mom is always jumping up to find a burp cloth, grab a new onesie for the little one, or running to the nursery for a blanket.  Instead, get a hand basket or tote bag with a handle, and put all of your necessary breastfeeding supplies inside.  Carry it with you from room to room and you’ll have everything nearby.
• Make room for baby.  If your children do their schoolwork at the kitchen table, make sure there is a comfortable spot for the baby to rest in there, too.  Wear your baby in a sling, find a spot for the swing, get a travel bassinet, or even tuck her infant car seat in the corner.  That way, after nursing you can put a content or sleeping baby down and seamlessly move to teaching multiplication – while still keeping a close eye on your newborn.
• Hold off on field trips. Many homeschoolers also car school, teaching and learning on the road as the family drives from activity to co-op to club.  The weeks following the birth of a new baby, however, should be a time of rest.  Some women are sensitive about breastfeeding in public, although it is legal in most states to breastfeed anywhere.  Moms may be worried about offending other families or don’t think they can keep up with the kids on the playground while feeding a child at the breast.  Take it easy, stay home, and spend the time nurturing close family relationships while establishing your milk supply and getting to know your new baby.
• Make a list of activities that can be done while holding a needy baby.  Newborns are notoriously unpredictable, so that means Mom will have to be prepared.  Have your list ready for those days when you just can’t put the baby down.  Days like this might be perfect opportunities to set out photos of famous architecture and a bin of blocks, or to have a silent reading day with everyone curled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn.  Perhaps you can keep a few educational videos in reserve so the children can watch a special on the building of the pyramids while you tend to your littlest one.  Creating a contingency plan ahead of time will keep you in control of your school and ensure that the older children’s education is not neglected.

Enjoy your baby, and enjoy your children’s education. It’s not mutually exclusive, and your students can only benefit from seeing how everyone in the family’s needs are met as you learn together.

Montessori at Home: 8 Principles to Know

by HEATHER on JUNE 29, 2011

in METHODS & PHILOSOPHIES

(A Note from Teachermama Tina: This post originally appears on the Simple Homeschool site. I have been thinking about the different styles and methods used in Homeschooling, and the Montessori approach seems very interesting, though I don't know if I could pull it off! hehe. Enjoy reading!)

Written by contributor Heather Bruggeman of Beauty That Moves
Montessori education is a philosophy and model created by Maria Montessori, the first woman physician in Italy, in the late 1800s. At its core, Montessori education is designed to promote peace and considers the whole child as well as the environment in its approach.

It has been a primary influence in our family’s lifestyle and educational philosophy.

We’ve heard from some readers that you are interested in Montessori philosophy as it might fit into your homeschool. And some of you were looking for a little inspiration or direction to light the way.

If you are like me, you appreciate things broken down into easy to follow steps.

In 2005,  Angeline S. Lillard wrote a book called Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, in which she discusses whether or not a century old methodology can stand up to modern day scientific research in developmental psychology. Her research led to the understanding that Dr. Montessori’s ideas were, and still are, a very effective holistic approach to educating a child.

It’s an academic way of saying that Maria Montessori knew what she was doing.

In Lillard’s book she covers Eight Principles of Montessori Education.  Today we will look at those and think about how they may fit into your homeschool.

The 8 Principles of Montessori Education

1. Movement & Cognition

Movement and cognition are closely entwined, and movement can enhance thinking and learning.

For most of these principles I’ll list a few points to consider as a homeschool family, but this particular one calls for a brief story.

Sir Ken Robinson did a TED Talk on Schools Killing Creativity. He told the story of Gillian Lynne, a school girl whose parents were told she may have a learning disorder because she was fidgety and couldn’t concentrate. They sent her to a specialist. She restlessly sat on her hands while the doctor and her mother spoke of the problems Gillian had at school.

Eventually, the doctor said he needed to speak to the mother privately, he and Gillian’s mother left the room. As he was leaving, he turned on the radio that sat on his desk, when they left the room he said to her mother, “Just stand here and watch her.”

The minute the doctor and mother left the room, Gillian recalls coming to her feet and moving to the music. The adults watched her for a few minutes from outside the room.

The doctor turned to her mother and said, “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn’t sick, she’s a dancer.”

Gillian Lynne went on to study dance and eventually become a world famous choreographer, her work included the productions of Cats and Phantom of the Opera. (Thank goodness for that doctor.)

Humans need movement, each in their own way.

2. Choice

Learning and well-being are improved when people have a sense of control over their lives.

• Make a list of work assignments for the day and have them create their own schedule.
• Keep a basket in the refrigerator of healthy snacks for them to choose from.
• Create a basket of pre-selected (high quality) SSR books for them to choose from.

3. Interest

People learn better when they are interested in what they are learning.

• Fill a basket with oversized, ‘coffee table’ books from the library. These tend to be filled with beautiful, inspiring photography that will spark conversation and interest.
• Create a lapbook or unit study around a favorite hobby, period in history, musician, author or animal of your child’s choosing.
• Love letter writing? Create a letter writing station or box for kids to help themselves. Be sure to include everything needed: stationary, pens, stamps, address book, (laminated) copy of a properly written letter.

4. Extrinsic rewards are avoided

Tying extrinsic rewards to an activity, like money for reading or high grades for tests, negatively impacts motivation to engage in that activity when the reward is withdrawn.

• This challenges normal practice for many of us. I don’t feel inclined to hand out money or treats for every job well done – but there is a pass/fail, win/lose mentality in our culture, and the older a child gets, the more they become aware of that. To be honest, I’m working on this one.

5. Learning from & with peers

Collaborative arrangements can be very conducive to learning.

• Host a knitting group in your home
• Meet at a funky cafe for a weekly study group
• Form a young writers or poetry group
• Seek out a homeschool debate team
• Into film making? Gather with friends to make a short film.

6. Learning in context

Learning situated in meaningful contexts is often deeper and richer than learning in abstract contexts.

• Make homemade yogurt rather than talk about how their favorite yogurt is made.
• Learn about flora and fauna with field guides in hand and an afternoon trek through the woods.
• Take a morning trip to the grocery store with a budget and menu plan.
• Play with science by making homemade lip balm, soap, or natural remedies.
• Keep chickens or bees!

7. Teacher ways & child ways

Particular forms of adult interaction are associated with more optimal child outcomes.

• Have Week In Review meetings with your kids, individually if possible .
• Children can partner with you on designing a garden, rearranging furniture (design), or reviewing curriculum choices for the coming year.
• Collaborate on literature list for next year.
• Have them recommend a few titles of books they love for you to read. (Does not matter the age of the child or if you wind up reading Jack & the Beanstalk – they will appreciate you honoring their judgment.)

8. Order in environment & mind

Order in the environment is beneficial to children.

• Maintain an art shelf with easy to access projects that rotate from week to week.
• Keep your learning environment clear of clutter.
• Adopt “10 Minute Tidy” period at the end of the day.
• Some families find workboxes to be helpful.

These principles can provide a helpful map to those in need, or simply a source of inspiration as we each look ahead to our next school year.

Blessed To Be A Resource To Other Homeschoolers :-)

Photo from dontstayin.com

I have been receiving e-mails and Facebook messages from other moms about homeschooling, and I feel so blessed and honored to be considered a "resource" for others. I am not an expert on homeschooling, and we have yet to put order in our homeschool life, so I am deeply humbled by all the messages I have been receiving. Anyway, here is one of those messages, and my reply as well: (I am posting them here in the hopes of helping others.. :-) God bless us all!

From a fellow mom on Facebook who discovered this blog:

Hi Sis Tina, i visited your blog website and it helped me understand homeschooling more. i hope you can add me here in FB, and hope you can help me understand homeschooling. I feel that I am the only one excited with the idea of homeschooling my child,my husband says he will support me but I am just really having second thoughts if I can really do it. I don't want my husband to be disappointed and of course I want the best for my child. Hope to hear from you soon sis. thank you.

Here's my reply:

Hi sis!

Thank you for your message. :-) I am so happy and grateful to the Lord that my blog is helpful to others. I am by no means an expert on the subject as I am, just like you and a lot of other moms, struggling to make sense of our homeschooling again, and to organize our homeschool (I still work fulltime for Couples for Christ or CFC), especially as we have been very busy lately with CFC's upcoming 30th Anniv Celebrations. We are still, in simplest terms, unschooling, and to be honest, there are days or even weeks where no "formal" homeschooling takes place. 

Anyway, praise GOD and congrats to you (and hubby) for the brave step you are taking to explore homeschooling. It may be challenging especially if you don't know where to start, so I am suggesting you start here: PRAY. :-) Ask God's guidance regarding your desire to homeschool and especially for hubby's continued support and understanding.

Also, how old is your child and what are his/her interests? This will help you determine the type of homeschooling you want to do i.e. unschooling, eclectic (mixed), Charlotte Mason, Bible-based, etc.
You may also want to decide which path is most suited for you, i.e. to be registered with a local HS provider like Catholic Filipino Academy or The Master's Academy by Christ's Commission Fellowship, or be independent (unschooling and eclectic would fall under this), or registered with a foreign HS provider like Seton, Kolbe, etc. It also helps to attend as many parents' orientations as you can and do online research, and to seek inputs from other homeschoolers (try joining the pinoyhomeschool yahoogroups).

If your child is still preschool age, my blog has lots of useful links on the header, and also may free curricula to choose from for preschoolers and toddlers on the right side. (Although what we actually use is mostly whatever I can think of! hahaha.)

Incidentally, CFA (Catholic Filipino Academy) has an early nursery program for 3 year olds and up, mostly focused on reading and early Math skills, which you can purchase for P8000 at any time of the year. You may want to check this out too.

I hope this helps you sis. I am not as organized as I would like to be, and as others may perceive me to be (blogging makes one look good huh?!) but I do try my best, and I just hope that God will use my blogs (I have another one at www.trulyrichmom.com) to bless others. 

God bless us as we seek what is best for our kids and teach them for eternal life! :-)

In Christ,
Tina :-)

Lenten Activities For Preschoolers PLUS Holy Week Crafts We Plan To Do

Sharing with you this article I wrote for the Smart Parenting Philippines' website (they published it rather late in my opinion.. hehehe... but still.. I hope this helps you!). Also, I'm posting the links to the Holy Week crafts from Catholic Icing that we are going to do.. I am still gathering materials, but I hope we could start doing them tomorrow, Holy Wednesday. Have a blessed Holy Week everyone! :-) Remember.. JESUS is the reason for Easter, not the Easter Bunny! :-) *winks*


Lenten Activities For Preschoolers


Lent is the best time to introduce your little ones to the joy of Easter and how to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.  They may not fully understand the concepts of fasting, abstinence, and almsgiving, but it’s never too early to teach our kids about these things. 

For a more meaningful Lent for you and your little ones, try the following activities:

1.    Prepare a “Sacrifice Storage Area”. 
Ask your child to choose something that he would like to give up for Lent and let him keep it inside a special box or other container that can act as a “Sacrifice Storage Area.”  He may choose a favourite book or toy or DVD. Set a good example for him by also choosing something that you will be putting in the “Sacrifice Box.” 

As much as possible, get other members of the family to do the same as well, no matter what their ages. Explain that we make sacrifices during Lent as a sign of our love for God, and to learn to appreciate the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

On Easter Sunday, prepare a simple but meaningful ceremony where each member of the family gets to take out their “sacrificial item” from the Storage Area and say a Thanksgiving prayer.

2.    Make an Offering Box.
Using a makeshift “alkansya”, our family sets aside money during Lent which we will be offering on Easter Sunday to a charitable institution of our choice (most probably, it will be Bo Sanchez’s Grace To Be Born Maternity Home and Nursery, which caters especially to pregnant mothers in crisis).

Making an offering box is a great way to teach your kids about sharing your resources and material blessings with others. Tell your child that instead of spending excessively on things that you don’t need in the first place, donating money will help others in need. 

Tim and his offering box

It would also be good to note that teaching our children acts of generosity is something we should do not only during Lent, but all throughout the year.


3.    Make a Lenten Cross.
This easy-to-do craft will give you an opportunity to teach your children about prayer and thankfulness. This idea is taken from the Domestic Church website and is a fun way to get your preschooler to practice her scissor skills under your supervision. 

First, draw cross patterns on a cardboard then have your kids cut them out.  Make sure you have enough space on the cross for pictures.  Next, let the children cut out small pictures from magazines, old brochures and other glossy printed material of things that they are thankful for and glue them on the cross.  Talk to them about the images on the pictures that they have glued on the cross and encourage them to be grateful for all the good things you have in your life. 

Teach your kids about the Power of the Cross and the Love of the Savior!

You may want to display their Lenten cross crafts in a prominent part of your home, like on the fridge or the kids’ room as a reminder to pray and be thankful for all He has given us.

4.    Make a Spiritual Bouquet of Prayer Petal Flowers.

This is another great idea from Domestic Church, and is a creative way to build your children’s devotion to the Rosary, one decade at a time! 

Using colorful paper, cut out a series of flower petals, stems and leaves for each person taking part in the Rosary. There should be one stem (representing the Mystery), ten petals (representing the Hail Marys), one little circle or centre for each flower (representing the Our Father) and one leaf (representing the Glory Be).

As you pray, glue the “flower parts” that correspond to the prayer until you complete one flower. 

When you do this daily and all the decades are said, you and your kids will end up with a wonderful collection of flowers – a spiritual bouquet of prayer petal flowers. You could offer the prayers each day for a specific person or group, and give them the completed flowers as a colourful and meaningful gift.


5.    Learn about the Stations of the Cross.
The Stations of the Cross is another beautiful devotion that we can teach to our children. It is a good way for them to learn about the events that led to Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection. There are many resources available online for teaching the Stations to your kids. Here are several useful links to help you get started:

Online Stations of the Cross for Kids and Families
Family Stations of the Cross from Domestic-Church.com
An article from the Passionists on Teaching the Stations of the Cross to Children
Multimedia Stations of the Cross for Children from Loyola Press

The most important thing to remember about these Lenten activities is that they will have greater significance when parents do them together with their kids. Find time together with your kids and make your bonding moments even more meaningful by enriching your family life AND faith all at the same time.

And now for the links from Catholic Icing (and linkys from other blogs/sites featured there) ! :-)


We plan to do these: (I am hoping to do all of them! Quite ambitious for a disorganized mama like me, but with God all things are possible, right?!)


Holy Thursday - Last Supper Craft, Praying Hands Craft and Washing of the Feet

Good Friday - Stations of the Cross Coloring Activity and Loyola Press' Stations of the Cross for Kids


Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday - Resurrection Eggs, Easter Countdown Calendar, Printable Resurrection Set

Thank the LORD for moms like Lacy who are SO gifted creatively and SO hardworking in putting up posts like these! Super helpful for clueless Teacher Mamas like me! :-) hehehe. Here's to a blessed blessed Holy Week and an even more blessed Easter everyone! :-)