Teacher Mama Jen on Using Five In A Row (FIAR) — With a Free Printable! :)

We've recently started using Five In A Row (FIAR) in our homeschool, mostly due to the influence of fellow ROCKERs mom Mariel. I LOVE using it, especially since it doesn't take much preparation time (perfect for a "lazy" homeschool mom like me, LOL!). :)

I actually read about FIAR on other homeschool moms' blogs, one of the more memorable ones was Forever, For Always, No Matter What. The mom behind it, Jen, left a comment on my other blog last year, when I posted about adoption.

Image from Jen's FB page

I was SUPER inspired by Jen and her family and their adoption story! :) So much that I even asked Jen to write a guest post for me on Truly Rich Mom (check it out here!). I also got more inspired to try out FIAR. :)

Anyway, Jen recently wrote a great post about using FIAR and even shared a free printable planning page over at HomegrownLearners.com. :) I highly recommend it to everyone out there, especially those who are looking for curriculum or just an excuse to buy superb-quality books for your kids! :) Click here to read her post. :) Have fun! :D

P.S. For Philippine-based readers who wish to try FIAR, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you check out Mariel's blog and FB page. :)

If you're anything like me, you will find yourself falling in love with children's books (all over again for me!) and wanting to collect the very best titles for your children! :) Hehehe! :) Oh, and in case you want to see The Learning Basket ladies in person and hoard view their books, they'll be at the Medela House this Saturday for the ROCKERs June meet-up! :) Come join us, if you like! :) Just make sure you register online first here or leave a post on my Facebook page! :) Hope to see you!

A brief update on our discernment about homeschooling :)

OK, so, as usual, I am supposed to be working but am blogging! LOL! :) So, I'll make this quick: God has been absolutely amazing at how He has been speaking to us lately, especially with regard to our discernment whether to continue homeschooling or not. Family members, friends, fellow homeschoolers, even complete strangers have contacted me and given me their own inputs, thoughts, suggestions, shows of support and prayers - and I am deeply humbled and grateful! THANK GOD for all of you! :)

I've also received amazing links to posts and articles that have been greatly encouraging, including these:
Daily Focus - Totally Discouraged
I Want To Give Up - But I Won't (Fellow ROCKERs mom Racquel posted about this too, on her blog here).
Before You Say 'I Quit!'
For When You Want To Quit

And, my all-time favorite now:
Help! My 5-Year-Old Won't "Do" School! {I can SO relate to this one! LOL!)

I like this article too:
What Medical Education Can Learn From Homeschooling {since I have a medicine-related degree too, i.e. a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy, which was supposed to be my pre-med course at the University of the Philippines. After graduating from UP though, God called me to be a fulltime missionary instead, and now, a writer. Go figure! I wonder what would have happened to me if I had been homeschooled!}

Anyway, I said this would be a brief update. So, the bottomline is this: we're still discerning. (Yes, even after all your helpful and touching comments, calls, messages! And attending the HAPI Media Launch at Expo Kid 4 last Saturday!) I'll post about Tim's assessment at Cradle of Joy soon, probably after his assessment at Brainworks next week, to save time. :)

Image source here.

Having said all that though.. you can probably guess which direction we are more or less leaning towards! ;) Do keep praying for and with us, and thank you so much for your love, support and prayers!

...nevertheless {Lord}, not my will, but Yours, be done.'' 

(Luke 22:42)

How To Start Homeschooling: A Response to Mommy L's Letter

Image source: www.batavialibrary.org

Because of this blog and, I guess, my homeschooling articles on Smart Parenting's (SP) website, I have been blessed and privileged to have received inquiries from parents (some I know personally; most, though, I don't) about homeschooling, particularly in the Philippine setting.

Now, I am no homeschooling expert (I've told my editor at SP to change the "title" they've given me but they still haven't! hehe!), especially since we just "formally" started homeschooling Tim last September. However, I do have a passion for researching on homeschooling, which has recently translated into writing about it and interviewing more "experienced" homeschoolers. Still, I know I have a lot more to learn!

Anyway, most recently, this is one of the messages I received (I'm only sharing part of it and have "hidden" the sender's identity for privacy reasons):

Hi Tina!! I need some guidance and advice... I'm thinking of homeschooling.. Can you help me get started? I dunno how to start eh. I hope you can give me some guidance. Thanks! ~ Mommy L.


Below is part of my reply to her (pls. forgive the formatting, I just copied and pasted this from Facebook). I'm sharing it here in case there are other parents who may stumble upon this humble little blog of mine and are considering homeschooling too. I hope it helps somehow!

• Hi, Mommy L!  First off, let me honor you for your discerning about homeschooling..  I believe that when God places the desire to homeschool in someone's heart, He will honor and bless that decision! 
  
  
  Anyway, for starters, maybe you’d like to read these articles:
  http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/preschooler/education/homeschooling-in-the-philippines-faqs-and-tips-for-parents
  
  http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/kids/preschooler/why-homeschooling-is-best-for-your-preschooler
  
  
  http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/kids/preschooler/the-benefits-of-homeschooling-your-child
  
  
  http://rockersph.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/hello-world/(with a powerpoint show about Catholic homeschooling that I did for our homeschool group)
  
  FYI, we’re using Catholic Heritage Curricula (http://www.chcweb.com/catalog/index.html) as our core Kinder curriculum now, but supplement a lot with other stuff. 
  
  
  Admittedly though we’re quite eclectic and somewhat “irregular” in our schedule since I am still out of the house at least 2x/week because of work at SVP.
  
  
  We’re also praying about Kolbe (www.kolbe.org), and Seton (http://www.setonhome.org/) as they are both solidly Catholic and very Marian for grade school. Both have Kinder curricula though in case you’re interested. 
  
  Through the ROCKERs homeschool group, I have met lots of more experienced homeschoolers, who are more than willing to share their experiences and tips. It has been a HUGE blessing and I often get my encouragement to keep homeschooling from them! 
  
  
  Hope this helps you, dear! Will pray for you, your family and God's call for you! Godbless!
  
  
  If you want to be part of the ROCKERs Philippines Facebook group, just click here and ask to be added to the group. Alternatively, you may send me an e-mail at teachermamatina@gmail.com. ;-) I'd be happy to answer your questions or add you to the group, or both! ;-) God bless!

More Helpful Websites for Homeschoolers!

In a previous post, I mentioned the Top 100 Educational Websites for 2012. This time around, I thought I'd share some sites as recommended by some of my fellow homeschool moms on our ROCKERs Facebook group page. Hope these prove helpful, in one way or another, to those involved in educating kids, particularly the homeschooling families:

http://www.clickschooling.com/
This site provides a daily recommendation for web-based learning, themed around a particular subject, like for Mondays- Math, Tuesdays - Science, Wednesdays - Language Arts, Thursdays- Social Sciences, Fridays- Virtual Field Trips, Saturdays- Music, Arts, and Foreign Languages, and it also has another division, involving "carschooling."

http://www.currclick.com/
It's an online shop of homeschooling resources, but they provide a ton of freebies, so check out their free stuff - just click on the button "Free Stuff."

http://www.lessonpathways.com/
It provides free K-5 curriculum and teaching resources for multiple learning styles and teaching methods. You can also use their planning tool for each child). Hope you find them helpful, too! :)

http://www.starfall.com/ (Read my review of the website here).
-phonics


Other useful sites:
www.superchargedscience.com
www.catholicicing.com
www.thelearningbasket.com
www.walkingbytheway.comwww.homeschoolconnectiosnonline.com
www.flinklearning.com

For preparing Kindergartner worksheets:http://www.kidslearningstation.com/http://www.schoolsparks.com/kindergarten-worksheets


There are actually tons and tons more sites! ;-) Thank GOD for the Internet, huh?! (As long as it's used in a good way, it CAN lead to more good than harm!) Will post more links soon! Be blessed!