Well, I think I can see spring on the horizon! So, we know what that means. Planning for the next school year! Woo Hoo! Yeah whatever.
We all know better. We get a tingle down our spine every time we go to the
mailbox and see a new curriculum catalogue!
We turn the pages with utter excitement, thinking of all the exciting
learning that we can do for the next year.
We dog-ear pages and circle descriptions…..with great
anticipation! Oh the EXCITEMENT! And then comes our Debbie Downers.
First our most treasured prodigy begins with the long drawn out moans of,
“Moooooooooommm! I don’t want to do
latin…whhhhyyyy do I have to do I have to do Algebra?? Seriously….this reading list is from the dark
ages!” Oh those precious faces so
full of potential and ANGST.
As we work hard, making our brains sweat as if we were doing Zumba in the
Sahara, contemplating what classes each of our precious jewels would surely
excel in, what will be needed for high school credits, and of course the super
fun electives! Oh, how we plan!
Then the other downer appears…..you know the one. The one at the end of the order
form….yeah…that one….TOTAL. That
little box can take us from euphoria to the deepest darkest place in our
children’s messy closets! Then comes
the saddest part…what can we do without?
Oh! My heart breaks to a million pieces, falling to the floor with
tinkle of fine glass! (Look at me…practicing my descriptive writing!)
BUT! A thought jumps into my brain
like the ding on the microwave! THE
LIBRARY! YES! I will make my own curricula…I will
research, plan, outline, do all the worksheets and assignments! I CAN DO THIS!
Who am I fooling???? I have science
experiments in the back of the fridge….that started as “left overs for
lunch.” I just can’t seem to recall
what lunch…or when. And if you look
under the beds, the dust bunnies have formed a commune of free love and
peace.
We all have been there. It is so
hard to build your curricula to your children.
We battle costs, fear, intimidation, and failure. But, with that said, we find such joy in what
we see our children accomplish. As home
educators we celebrate the grades; but also the special little nuances,
learning to tie shoes, writing their name,
finding them being quiet….with a book, seeing them help the elderly get a
shopping cart from the rack….so much that cannot be measured in an aptitude
test. Moms, do not stress over the books
and the grades! Look at the human you
have made and now are molding to be a generous, kind, caring, and loving
person.
Mama, hold the head high! We are strong, smart, and capable! We have coffee running through our
veins! We can teach, cook pizza rolls,
change a diaper, and pay bills! We are THE
WONDER WOMEN of the world! So, get your
bracelets on, attach your lasso of truth (but does it work on a 3 year old?),
put on that push-up bustier and high heel running boots, and get out there and
show the world, “I AM A HOMESCHOOL MOM AND I AM STRONG AND FEARLESS!”
Well, except for the fear to open those containers in the fridge…
We’ve compiled the ultimate list of 2020 homeschool conventions, along with a planner to help you organize your weekend and keep track of workshops and vendors!
If you are a convention organizer, or just know of one that should be on this list, please send us a quick note and we’ll add it!
Teach Them Diligently attendees — Use coupon code Mission10 for $10 off registration!
With everything becoming connected online, is there really any reason to physically attend a homeschool convention? After all, that comes with the added expense of travel, and then you can’t just shop online in your pajamas…
There’s just no substitute for community and face-to-face contact, and a homeschool convention offers benefits that you won’t find anywhere else!
Finding Your Tribe I can’t prove it, but maybe the reason homeschool conventions begin in early spring is because they know we’ve been cooped up all winter, and most families are suffering from ‘February Fever.’ We have to break out, find other homeschooling families, and shake off winter!
An Ounce of Encouragement It can be lonely homeschooling, whether you live in a big city or a rural area. Getting into a crowd of people who have made similar life choices can be affirming. Plus, you’ll be able to bounce ideas off of others, get new ideas, and remember that we’re all in this together.
Information from the Source It’s one thing to read a book. It’s another to actually sit down and talk with the author and get personalized information. You can actually do that at conventions! Reap the benefits and wisdom of experienced homeschoolers. You can do this in the vendor hall, in a one-on-one setting, walking around the hotel (but be mindful of their limited free time), or within the workshops themselves.
Workshop Paths Many conventions these days are creating ‘paths’ of workshops, meaning they have a series for new homeschoolers, those with special needs children, and those preparing for college. You’re not confined to those workshops, but by following the path that fits your family best, you have a pre-set schedule that will allow you to maximize what you learn from these experienced speakers. Oftentimes, there are special discounts offered within the workshops, too! J
Curriculum Discounts The exhibit hall is packed full of vendors offering fantastic discounts on their curriculum. There are usually some pretty nice extras to supplement the curriculum that you won’t find anywhere else, too! If you’re in the market for something new, you can actually flip through and examine various selections, talk to the publishers (or authors) about them, and make a well-informed decision for your family. You can maximize your time by looking ahead to see which vendors will be represented and make a note to visit their booths. (There’s a page for this in the convention planner!)
It’s a Family Affair There seem to be two types of convention-goers….those who take the whole family, and those who make it a girls’ weekend. (Having done both, my preference falls toward the latter…everybody needs to cut loose with friends sometimes, right?!) If you take the whole family, though, you’ll have a (typically) rare opportunity to get Dad involved.
Usually the dads are off working full-time so that moms can stay home and homeschool. Both parents care about education, but Mom is the one fully-entrenched. Taking Dad to a convention will give him a different perspective, and new appreciation, for the daily grind of homeschooling. As for the littles, there is usually some sort of day camp set up for them to enjoy time with other kids while Mom and Dad get some one-on-one time to either attend workshops or go sleep in the hotel room…
Well it has happened AGAIN! As I sit and look at my lesson planner, it hits me, like wrecking ball! (But, I am fully clothed LOL)
Thanksgiving is in 27 days and Christmas is in 54! Where oh where did the days go? I imagine planning for the holidays in a public school is stressful, but as we homeschoolers know…we can either rock it….or pull our hair out !
I know when mine were littles, we would really RELAX during the weeks between the holidays. One year we decided to have a homemade tree. We hand made all the ornaments, we used water balloons and bright tissue paper and made some amazing paper mache’ ornaments! We also used standard balloons and made large ornaments to hang from the ceiling. It was really a lot of messy fun. In other words, we did all of our art for the year in a couple of days!
I love the holidays and homeschooling! You can incorporate so much into your teaching! We have studied Christmas traditions in other countries, researched the first Thanksgiving…and being of Native American Heritage, we did a focus on the First People’s history of Thanksgiving!
You can also download a free holiday guide – with Christmas reading lists for all ages, a holiday-themed cross-stitch design, and gift guide as a thank you gift from our webmaster and her blog, Homeschool On the Range.
So, dear friends as we prepare for the Holiday season, we as mommy educators can do so much to make a holiday more than food and gifts! We can do history, art, science, and language arts (family Christmas letters), and hand writing…..and they will never know!
One of the hidden costs of homeschooling is time. It takes a lot of time and focus to properly homeschool, which makes working a full-time job difficult. There are, however, many homeschooling moms (or dads) that work part-time or seasonal jobs.
HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) estimates that homeschooling families spend approximately $300 to $600 per year, per child, on educational needs. This can really add up! There are ways, however, to save money…
Curriculum
The biggest chunk of change you’ll notice right away is the
cost of curriculum. There are so many
different types of curricula out there that we recommend doing a little bit of
investigation before investing money into one.
If you have access to one, attending a homeschool convention is an excellent way to get your hands on several types of curricula, flip through the pages, and see which ones will or won’t work for your family. Personally, when we started homeschooling, my husband and I started ruling out which ones we didn’t like for our family, as that helped narrow down the shortlist to about six that we wanted to check into further.
You can check curriculum websites for samples, often
full-module downloads to try out you’re your family. If you’re near Oklahoma, you can come by the
Book Shack and take home some different types of curricula to try. Mardels or a used bookstore are also good
options for this, though you won’t be able to take them home (free) to try out
with the kids.
If you choose curriculum carefully, you should be able to
reuse it for subsequent children or resell it.
For example, we use Saxon Math and only had to purchase each textbook
once. We purchased one student book for
each child to use (and could have had them write on notebook paper, but student
books aren’t that expensive, and it was easier for the kids to write in the books).
Co-ops, Classes & Extracurricular Activities
Foreign language, homeschool band, physical education, debate
classes – these are things that work best when taught in a group setting, and
are often covered in cooperative settings…but that costs money. It is, however, cheaper than weekly lessons!
For some families, especially at the high school level,
science or math classes get outsourced to a ‘real teacher.’ Not everyone feels comfortable teaching at
those advanced levels, particularly for a child who is preparing to attend
college.
All of these expenses cost money, but should be included in
the homeschooling budget, because they are a necessary part of education.
Field Trips
When we were roadschooling, nearly 90% of our homeschool
budget went toward field trips. After
all, if you’re only going to be visiting a place once, you make the most of it,
right?
We still spend money on field trips each year because
experiential learning is a fantastic way to cement concepts and foster a love
of learning! There are many options for
frugal and free field trips if you just dig a bit.
Follow your local museums on Facebook, and you’ll see when they post free days for educators, homeschoolers, families, or just the general public.
Visit the fire station, police station, or town mayor for a lesson in civics and emergency management.
Most new homeschooling families spend more money than
experienced ones. This is partly due to
needing to purchase curriculum and all of the materials upfront (whereas more
experienced ones tend to have leftovers on hand, or purchase in bulk during
back-to-school sales).
Another pitfall is purchasing several different types of
curriculum. Sometimes things don’t work
out as intended; sometimes they’re just not a good fit for your family. Many times, new homeschoolers aren’t ‘in’ on
where to get curriculum at a reduced price.
Bibliomania – This homeschool consignment store is one of the Book Shack’s biggest supporters, and we love to support them, too! They have a walk-in store in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where you can come and visit with the proprietors and thumb through all kinds of curricula. They also have an online store at Amazon. You can also call the store directly, or private message through Facebook, and have the option to pay with Paypal or credit card over the phone.
ChristianBook – If you hit ChristianBook at the right time (sign up for the email list, and they’ll tell you when this is), you can get curricula at deep discounts. They also have books, craft kids, home décor and stuff for adults, and (my favorite!) “surprise boxes” — $100+ in books for only 9.99.
Amazon – Not surprisingly, since they sell everything but the kitchen sink (actually, the probably sell those, too!), Amazon is a great resource for finding books, supplies, science kits, craft kits, and even curricula…sometimes at cheaper costs since you can buy them from a third-party vendor.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com – This online resource offers all core classes, plus several electives, for every grade level…up to adult learners! Use code TRIAL to get the first month for only $5. By doing so, you’ll have an automatic, ongoing monthly discount but also will get your first MONTH as a member for only $5. If you don’t love it, just cancel it after the first month and all you will have lost is a skinny latte. Find out more about ST here.
Worried about getting all of the pieces right in the high school homeschool puzzle?
Through the Door will help you with what you need, from a homeschool perspective, to confidently face high school and college.
This book & worktext set will help you and your high school student breeze through the steps of college and scholarship applications, as well as brushing up on study habits and life skills. The worktext includes activities, worksheets, and planning pages, and accompanies the book.
FAQ Who am I? With 20+ years experience in education and counseling, I have a passion for helping other homeschool moms. I’ve worked in elementary, middle, and high schools in both a teaching and school counseling capacity. For the past seven years, I have been homeschooling our two boys – one gifted and one special needs – and understand the struggles that many moms face.
Who is the online self-paced workshop for? It’s for parents and students in middle and high school. Many of the modules are for the college-bound student, but it is helpful to the career-bound student as well.
How will it be delivered? This is a downloadable book and accompanying workbook.
Parents of special needs children have a difficult row to hoe…one fraught with worry, sleepless nights, and a seemingly never-ending list of doctor and therapy appointments. Some hope that public schools will help address their child’s needs. Some avoid the school system and go for the tailored education approach. There is no right or wrong path to take…only the one that is right for your family.
If the special needs student attends traditional school, they will be given an IEP – an individualized education plan. This is a legal document that defines what a student needs according to his or her diagnosis. It outlines a special education program that provides tailored instruction and support services, such as speech or occupational therapy.
Within the homeschool, an IEP can also be a valuable tool. By sitting down and taking stock of the student’s needs – really taking stock and writing it down – you can evaluate where you’re at, where you want to be, and design a plan for how to get from point A to point B.
Crafting the Individualized Education Plan
When crafting the IEP, consider the following:
What are your student’s biggest struggles? Include academics, motor skills, and life skills.
What is your student’s preferred mode of learning? Visual, audio, kinesthetic? How can you tailor lessons to that learning mode?
Realistically, where is your student today? Where would you like your student to reach? (Be realistic.) Which ONE goal would make the biggest difference in your student’s performance, either in the classroom or in daily life?
The first thing you’ll want to do is take an honest look at where your student is performing. It doesn’t matter how many grade levels behind that may be, just record the level of current performance in each subject. This will give you a realistic picture of where you are.
Second, list any support services that you will need, such as speech, physical, or occupational therapy. This plan is appropriate for students with mild to moderate special needs, as students will severe special needs most likely have been working with a provider since shortly after birth. Also address any life skills you’d like to see addressed.
Create academic goals for your student. Make them realistic, or you’ll be setting both you and your student up for frustration. For example, if he is six grades behind in reading level, aim for growth of two grades per year. You might be surprised and find that you have a ‘jumper’ – a late bloomer who ‘jumps’ six grade levels in one year! Write down your goals, and include strategies for how you will meet them.
Create life skills and support services goals for your student. Write them down, addressing strategies for how you will meet each. For example, ‘Speech Therapy, 30 minutes three times a week’. Some of these skills and goals may seem basic, but when you’ve identified the need and written it down as a goal, you’re more likely to address it!
At the end of the school year, reassess your student to see which strategies worked. Given the informal nature of homeschooling, feel free to continually reassess and alter therapy / strategies as needed. This is one of the perks of the individual attention you can offer at homeschool.
Some homeschooling families are fortunate enough to have speech and occupational therapy services offered through the school. For these families, they have created an IEP with the public school as part of the process for obtaining these services. Oklahoma is not a state, however, that provides educational support services to homeschoolers.
Once you have determined your student’s needs, see if your medical insurance (including state insurance) will cover any of the services. If they will, your family doctor can refer you to a provider. If they will not, you can begin working with your child at home until the situation changes. Check out Speech Therapy for Homeschool and Occupational Therapy in Homeschool for free / frugal therapy ideas.
Once you’ve explored homeschooling styles a bit, you’ll probably set off looking for curriculum. Here are some places where you can score curriculum and materials for free!
Many of these are digital resources and require no extra resources or use books you can check out from the library. Just remember that you’ll still need to pay for any printing. Here is one of our favorite places to print!
Connections Academy, Epic, K12….all of these virtual public school programs are often confused with ‘homeschooling.’ Today we’re going to answer some of the most common questions that we hear. Each student has different needs, and these options might be the right fit for you family, but they’re not actually homeschooling…
If we’re ‘at home,’ isn’t it homeschool?
Homeschools are parent-directed and privately-funded.
Homeschool families are responsible for providing the curriculum and instruction. There are no funds set aside for homeschoolers, and they are usually restricted from participating in public school activities. Curriculum and activities are paid for by the family. At the Book Shack, we strive to help families ease that burden through our resource room.
Parents have the freedom to choose curriculum and resources that match their worldview. They decide how to plan education and track records. (Some states also require parents to keep records, complete testing and / or portfolio review, and take standardized tests. Oklahoma currently does not.)
On the flipside, there are also no government regulations (in the state of Oklahoma).
Virtual schools are government-directed and publicly-funded.
Virtual school programs provide the curriculum, instruction, and access to extracurriculars at no expense to the family. Teachers are usually state-certified, and parents do not play an instructional role. This is “public school done at home.”
Students must comply with state standards for testing, as well as all other laws applicable to school-age students (eg, vaccinations).
The virtual schooling program must be completed at / by a certain time and in a particular order. There is no time for student-directed ‘bunny trails.’ A minimum amount of ‘seat time’ must also be spent for each class.
Virtual public schools are free, as in they are paid for by tax dollars. Like brick and mortar public schools, however, there are still extra fees that come up. The price of a ‘free education,’ however, is the freedom to choose how to educate your student.
If I use virtual schooling, and want to call myself a homeschooler, why do you care?
Because the rights and freedoms of homeschools are different from ‘traditional’ schools, it is important to maintain a distinction. Each state has their own legal requirements.
The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) maintains a position that to confuse the two groups will eventually erode protections that homeschool families currently have, and fought hard to receive. These rights, such as freedom to choose our own curriculum, were hard-won by previous generations of homeschool families, and we would be remiss to let them slip away.
How does the Book Shack & Homeschool House feel about virtual public schooling?
The Book Shack does not offer resources to families who are using virtual public schooling, as their materials are already covered by the state.
The Homeschool House does offer its space and classes to virtual public school families. This is a community effort to bring together all children who are schooling at home.
For some parents, having a special needs child is the impetus to homeschool. For others, it’s a nerve-wracking concern. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, homeschooling a special needs child is an adventure!
With the advent of No Child Left Behind, special needs children both gained and lost in the classroom. There is more advocacy and information, and accommodations are understood and generally more accepted, but there is still much temptation to box students in. Many families are choosing to homeschool because their special needs children’s needs are not being met in the traditional classroom.
It can be very overwhelming to homeschool a special needs child, especially at first. You not only have to plan the academics, but also the therapy and interventions that are required for your child. In some states, the school system will still help with these needs, but Oklahoma is not one of those states. We parents are required to find therapists and cover that cost on our own. It is one of the prices we pay for a lack of legislation and state-mandated testing for homeschoolers.
Getting a Diagnosis & IEP (Individualized Education Plan)
If your child has been in the school system, then he probably has an IEP. Know that it will expire and you cannot get a new one once he’s been pulled to homeschool. Don’t fret over it; just know it. Keep a copy of the IEP paperwork to take to therapists and doctors when seeking assistance. Your therapist will probably do a therapy-specific evaluation, so be sure to keep that paperwork, too. Start a file…
If you are starting from a homeschool environment, your first stop will be the family doctor, who will refer you to one or more therapists. They will do initial evaluations, which you will want to keep on file.
All of this paperwork is your ‘leg to stand on’ should there be any questions about your child’s performance in the future (not likely, but possible). They are helpful in building your case once you reach the upper grades — as your child may need testing accommodations. You are eligible to file for accommodations on tests such as ACT and SAT.
You are the Expert
No one understands your child like you do. You know his likes, dislikes, what bothers him, and what works best. Working with therapists, you can use his strengths and weaknesses to tailor a program specifically toward his needs.
For example, our son loves airplanes and aviation, so we have used many aviation-oriented games for therapy. Because he’s interested in the topic, he puts forth more effort into mastering those difficult tasks.
As parents, you have already spent years teaching your child and learning in which ways he learns best. Equipped with this knowledge, you are prepared to become an individual classroom teacher as well! Knowing your child’s strengths and weaknesses will help you to tailor the lesson plan to his needs.
For example, if he has dysgraphia, allow him to orally discuss topics, or teach keyboarding at a younger age. If he has trouble with multiple instructions, provide short, individual directions.
Moving at a New Pace
If your child grasps a concept immediately, feel free to move forward. By the same token, if he’s having trouble understanding something, take as much time as you need. For subjects like math and language arts, a failure to build a strong foundation leads to crumbling academics later on. In a traditional school setting, there is only so much time for each concept, but in the homeschool, you have the freedom and flexibility to take as much time as necessary!
Don’t look at it as your child being six months behind in math. Look at the fact that you are putting in the time to cement a solid foundation. Some children are ‘jumpers,’ meaning they don’t show any academic growth at all for a long time, but then ‘jump’ two or three grade levels over a short period of time. Given a strong foundation, things will eventually click into place! Without that foundation, however, you’re merely building an academic house of cards. Move at your child’s pace…
You are Not Alone
Support for special needs homeschool families comes in many places! Here at Homeschool House, every single one of our leaders has at least one, if not more, special needs children. Feel free to ask us questions, and we’ll do our best to point you in a helpful direction.
There are special needs-specific homeschool conventions, Facebook groups, and even local playgroups (look toward your cities, Tulsa and OKC) for these families.
Most curricula offer ways to tailor toward special needs learners. You may have to call the curriculum publisher directly, but they’re usually amenable to discussing how it can be adapted. The Book Shack can also help you with locating curriculum to fit your child’s learning style.
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……
When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”
“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.
As the school year comes to an end, I see so many changes. Teaching two instead of one been the biggest change, but I have to say…big brother has really stepped up with advice for his sisters!
It’s funny how as the year progresses, the Light Units disappear! We are planning the closing of the year with much anticipation! The sunny days make school seem, well, DULL. The girls are enjoying bike rides, new kittens, and all the flowers!
This year I had to rethink my teaching. My number 2 daughter was really struggling with pre-algebra. So, being a somewhat creative mom, I came up with an IEP plan for homeschooling! I want her to succeed; so she and I set goals and discussed what she felt would help her with the transition into more difficult math. And it is working! Not every child will be an Einstein, but we as home educators have the ability to take what could be a DISABILITY and turn into a work of PROGRESS!
On another note, I found that both of my daughters really enjoy writing. They write short stories and essays with a flare!
And of course we had our “planning conference” for the next year. I really encourage the children’s input for curriculum. So we are ready to put down the moola for school year ’19-20!
It seems like if was just yesterday I taught my oldest to write his name, and *POOF* he is a full grown man -working and driving, being a productive citizen! So my pearl of wisdom is: enjoy these times…all of them. From getting b’s and d’s written in the right direction, to learning times tables, suffering through endless history lessons, and the tears and arguments…because…they go by way too fast!
So dear friends….as we close another year, may your pencils forever be sharpened with erasers, that rulers, compasses, and protractors never be lost, and that our wee ones always know, how much we truly love them!
Do you know how many great opportunities there are for homeschooling mamas to get educator training right here in Oklahoma? We’ve compiled a short list of some of the best (and most overlooked) ones for you to attend! {Feel free to drop us a line with others that you know, and we’ll get them added to this list….let’s collaborate!}
OERB offers FREE petroleum-based curriculum for teachers and homeschoolers across the state of Oklahoma. All levels of teaching are covered in their workshops, which are like a mini-retreat! The classes offer hands-on curriculum for each subject that focus on the petroleum industry. (ie, Core History teaches high school history from the viewpoint of Oklahoma’s oil & gas past) In addition to classroom training, you’ll receive a nice lunch, some snacks, a goody bag, and a day off from the kids!
Similar to OERB, these FREE courses are offered based around the agricultural industry. Each workshop covers all levels of teaching (whereas in OERB, you select your student’s level), so you’ll get information, curriculum, and goodies to use with all of your children together. Additionally, there are numerous free lesson plans available on their website for you to use!
Learn about our diverse natural areas and state parks through real-life and virtual field trips. You can download curriculum materials, and earn trading cards and certificates of completion.
There are several opportunities available here, including visiting with a geologist, the traveling library, hands-on geology kits, a resource room you can visit, touring the Sarkeys Energy Center, and the traveling fossil kit (which is very nice!).
Using water as a theme, Project WET provides hands-on activities to enhance the teaching of science, math, social studies, language arts, and many other required subjects. Project WET is primarily designed for teachers of grades K-12. This training costs $20, but that training comes with supplies and curriculum.
Oklahoma Project WILD provides educators with the tools, training and resources needed to engage students in active, hands-on learning about wildlife and the environment. The activity guides are available only by participating in interactive, hands-on, fun workshops.
While we haven’t personally attended this one, it is a one-day workshop for middle and high school teachers focusing on soybeans and doing science experiments with bio-fuel.
Focusing on forestry, biodiversity, and climate change, these workshops are offered online for educators. (This training is NOT free.) However, each month, free curriculum and student activities are posted on their site, and the activities change, so check back regularly!
It’s that time again! Every homeschool mom’s delight! Homeschool children are singing the song of “their People”……Yes! It’s homeschool convention time!
We plan for months, checking the vendor list, noting what we need to purchase (free shipping!!), what we want to look at, and of course, the gathering of the freebies! Our children get excited, they will be amongst children like them! I know that mine were excited for the book vendors, the hands on exhibits, and the most important….the young entrepreneurs booth.
I have to admit…I have been homeschool conventioning (is this a word?) since the denim jumper days! I still drag my “box on wheels”, which by the way, gets some strange looks! I carry a small spiral notebook that has my needs and wants…when I visit my curricula booth, I am welcomed with a big hug and and friendly, “Good to see you again this year!”
Every year I meet up with all my home school moms and we plan our yearly lunch….a walk downtown to our favorite Mexican restaurant! And this is with at least 9 children in tow! If you have never been to a convention….you are missing out! The smell of new text books, an entire booth dedicated to paper products! (YES) There is a booth where you can purchase the dreaded frogs and squids for dissection, and there are books galore for reading enjoyment! And this mom purchased two fabulous novels written in the 1800’s!
Oh! The freebies! Pens, pencils, water bottles, candy, lunch bags, and keychains…..of course some of the best are the free drawings for curriculum, i-Pads, and lap tops! From one home school mom to others…if you get a chance, visit a homeschool convention! It is day of fun and encouragement! PLUS….this can be considered a “professional day” for your records!
Next year….my plans are to attend 2 (yes..TWO) conventions! I may go into book overdose! Here’s to lazy summer days! Oh…who am I fooling! I don’t know about y’all, but this girl has some deep house cleaning to do!
Another school year is coming to a close. This year really flew by fast.
13 years I have been at this…my oldest will be finishing his Junior year.
I swear it was just yesterday he learned to write his name!
As I look over my dinning room table, well….maybe I should say “school table”, there are workbooks, text books, notebooks, and and tray of pencils that are without erasers, and all with broken lead; through this mess I can see the the amazement of learning.
Homeschooling is not as easy as some would think. You spend hours pouring over curriculum samples, deciding on what type of teaching and learning will work best with each of your little scholars. You plan lessons, field trips, experiments, and extracurricular activities. And, all the while you are also doing laundry, planning and cooking meals, cleaning house, shopping, doctor’s appointments, the many trips to the library, and any other task that needs to be done.
Not only is the table a mess, so is my house! Deep cleaning is usually put on “hold” until summer break. My therory on this is that I will only have my childrens’ attention for a moment, and that this house will wait, for these little minds need to be dust and cobweb free more then my home.
I have heard so many say, “How can I stand to be home all day with my kids?” or “I need my “Me Time”. For which I gladly reply, “These children were a gift from God to me, and my time with them is so short, I want their memories of education to be one of family, learning without stress, and having life skills.” My “me time” is at 5am….when the house is silent…
So, as these last few weeks are coming to a close, and I prepare for for the next year of learning….my heart is full. The outcomes of this year’s goals have been met, the children have grown, they have learned, they have aquired more life skills, but most of all….they are growing into loving, honest, and well adjusted young people.
Yes my life is super busy, and sometimes I look around at my house and just sigh….but this is my life, a life of continous chaos, but it is all mine….and I LOVE IT!
Sooner Homeschool Angels Curriculum Koop (yes, we know co-op doesn’t start with a K…but it worked)
We are a cooperative homeschool organization, which means that everyone works together. You may volunteer time, donate curricula, or donate funding to help cover utilities / supplies. While we are extending the ministry of the Book Samaritan, we will be changing how things were run. We will not be mailing supplies – hence it is now an Oklahoma co-op – you will have to come to the ‘storefront.’ As things progress, we will post here. Our projected opening date for the ministry is December / January.
Summer 2022 – Reopen under new name, the Script’morium.
November 2020 – Closed. Under re-construction.
June 2016 : Closing out the Book Samaritan and starting the move
July 2017 : Back-to-School Night and sharing books with families
Please remember that, while we are centrally located in Oklahoma, this ministry is available to all co-ops across the state and (hopefully soon) nationwide. We were at our local homeschool co-op’s back-to-school night, but it is not a ministry just for them…it is for all homeschoolers and new teachers.
Our First Event (the one where we have to drastically downsize due to no building availability yet…..)
We love hearing comments like this!!!!!!
These are our busy little bees!
They used to go work up at the Book Samaritan with us twice a year, helping the owners to organize books and keep things in order.
Then, in the summer of 2016, they moved 65 truckloads of books…stacked from side to side, floor to as high as they could safely go. These were some tired little puppies, but I think they deserve a lot of credit (hence the trip to Medieval Times) for helping to get the Book Shack up and going.
We also had a few helpers from our local co-op, who could come for a day and help move things around. All told, it took four weeks to move items from the Book Samaritan in Pawhuska, Oklahoma down to our new home in Prague, Oklahoma.
And then we found out that our 501(c)3 wasn’t coming through. We lost our new home and had to immediately downsize (just like if you were foreclosed upon) – losing 95% of the items we had managed to salvage. It was a bad week…
Well, it was a long week for us. It was a good week for the 100+ families that we were able to help in our big “homeschoolers helping homeschoolers” event!!
Following that, we had some health issues to deal with, while at the same time continuing to get all of the paperwork straightened out. We’ve also spruced up the website a little bit – adding tabs across the top of the page that will answer many of your questions.
Now that it’s come to fruition, can you imagine just how happy these little faces are about knowing that their Spring Break will be spent doing none other than……………….moving books? 😯
Let’s give a hand for our very best helpers!!!
If you’re not sure what you’re looking at…that would be our 501(c)3 non-profit status letter.
They say that ”it takes money to make money,” but the truth is that it takes money to help other people, too. As much as we’d like to never have to ask for donations and financial support, that’s just not realistic. Therefore, after much debate, we found a few ways that will allow you to support the Book Shack without having to stretch your budget even further.
Where do these donations go?
They are used for :
boxes & packing material
packing tape
blank paper & shipping labels
light bulbs
bookshelves
staples, clips & other binding materials
*postage for recipients
(*= We are currently unable to offer this, due to having no operating costs at this time. See policies for more information on how postage is currently being covered.)
They have been so wonderful to help us as we get started and continue to work to get this organization up and running smoothly!
If you’re in Oklahoma or NW Arkansas, you should definitely check them out for this semester’s materials.
About BiblioMania
The store
was founded in Tulsa, OK, in 1992, and is a unique source for gently used homeschooling materials on consignment. With dozens of years of homeschooling experience under their belts, the ladies who run the store have a wealth of information and encouragement, and will cheerfully answer your homeschooling curriculum questions! (They’ll also provide hugs and strength when you’re ready to throw in the towel.)
Visiting
If you’re going to visit the store, be aware that it’s in the back corner of a strip mall. It looks something like the pic on the right. Here is their contact information :
12929 E 21st St Suite I
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Phone : (918) 438-9889
Our little helpers loaded up even MORE books and were ready for a rest on the long ride home! I think that they, more than anyone else, will be happy when the organization has a permanent home and the boxes no longer need to be lugged around! LOL
We’re having a fundraiser this weekend….and it’s going to be HUGE! We’re talking seven truckloads of items….from several different houses….so you know there’ll be something for everyone! Come on out….bring your friends & family….and if you have an hour or two, sit a spell and take a volunteer shift. AND we made the paper. It’s been a busy week! 😊
After over fourteen long months of dragging books around and storing them in garages, we have finally found a home for the Book Shack!
Wings as Eagles Christian bookstore, in Prague, has graciously offered us a space above their store to use. It is upstairs, so be prepared. If you have a physical disability, we will work with you to get you the materials you need.
To find the Book Shack, look for the Wings as Eagles store – on the corner of Hwy 99 and 9th Street – then look for the antique-barred door just to the right. That’s where you’ll enter! Head upstairs to Room C, and come on in! (Moving to Shawnee as of April 2019)
We received some VERY big donations last week, which is AMAZING!!! We are so grateful for the community of folks who are working together to help each other out. 😃
Within these donations were many items that are more appropriate for a classroom setting, including math manipulatives, games, classroom reproducibles, classroom posters, reading books (like for a classroom library), and a few other things that are more appropriate for classrooms than homeschool.
These items are still available for any of our homeschool families that come to visit (though they cannot be mailed, as they cannot go media mail rate), but we have such a surplus, and these are the types of things that classroom teachers need for their classrooms, so we decided to partner up with the local school district and invite public school teachers to come and pick out items that they need for their classrooms.
On Monday and Wednesday of our July opening dates, both homeschool and classroom teachers will be able to visit the Shack to ‘treasure hunt.’ Depending on how well this event goes, we may open up the Shack to teachers again next summer.
First-time homeschoolers generally try to replicate public school at home. It’s what they know, and it’s familiar. Trust me…many mommas have gone down this road before!
Learning to re-frame the day, however, is the first step toward homeschool freedom. When you understand and accept that there is considerable learning value is almost everything you do, it relaxes your attitude toward school…which transfers to your students…and makes for a more enjoyable experience.
How to re-frame?
First, learn the lingo.
Does your child understand something? Wonderful! They have ‘comprehension.’
If you quiz your child on his ABCs, does he know them? Great! He just passed an ‘assessment.’
Second, master documentation.
Say your elementary student spent two hours outside, skipping rope, playing with sidewalk chalk, catching bugs and examining them, and making leaf prints. That’s physical education, art (or handwriting, depending on what was drawn), science, and nature study!
Baking cookies together as part of holiday preparations? This activity has math (measurement and time), chemistry, reading, home economics, and nutrition lessons!
We’re not suggesting that everyday consist of this type of schooling, though there are families who do ascribe to this theory – it’s called Unschooling, and you can learn more about it here.
The point is that each day doesn’t need to consist of books, papers, and pencils to ensure that learning is happening. When children are excited about something, they’re sure to learn and retain more!
Thanks for stopping by. This is Sammy the Web guy 🙂 and we are currently under construction here. So mind the mess 🙂 as I dig through and get something everyone can enjoy and use. So keep checking back as things will continue to evolve and grow.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars! This Wednesday is the grand re-opening for the Book Shack, along with the Homeschool House learning co-op, in Shawnee.
