tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86013907763735475992011-12-27T17:45:03.692-08:00Homeschooling families with 4 or more kids share their stories, tips, trick, strategies, and general musings about homeschooling a large family.Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.comBlogger441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-86568857301330266552010-11-16T10:08:00.000-08:002010-11-16T10:24:23.337-08:00

November has come in with a brisk chill in the air. But lots of things to learn. We have been doing a pilgrim unit which I have also combined with a badge out of our AHG book called Our Heritage. We have subscribed to the letters from a pilgrim girl and a Wampanoag Indian boy from scholastic. The girls have learned alot about this time period. We have been fortunate enough to be able to combine

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-60823246912218872262010-09-13T20:30:00.000-07:002010-09-13T20:41:52.845-07:00

We went on the 10th to Oaks park Not Back To School Days. We had an awesome time and even though we home school year round. We have had a fun filled summer. We also will finish up any curriculum left from last year as I order my new curriculum every February. The older ones start college on the 20th. The girls are looking forward to many new and old activities. Today, I had the privilege of

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-25034635242767477282010-08-10T14:21:00.000-07:002010-08-10T14:27:59.094-07:00

Saturday afternoon we had the pleasure of visiting a hands on native American Plank house.(I love hands on museum type places) We learned so many things even I learned a thing or 2. The children got to help ground red rock for the paint that they used to paint different things. They learned about all types of foods they ate and what they used to make their clothes with. This Plank house was

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-20616308915514776052010-08-02T10:24:00.000-07:002010-08-02T10:37:08.551-07:00

Hi all. Summer is going well. But it has left me with some wondering about homeschooling the children still. We chose to home school because when we moved out west here Catholic school was much higher tuition then back in New York (like over a $1000 a month more) and we felt we just couldn't swing it at the time. So we found a place that provided Catholic Curriculum actually the same the children

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-69763017227141431702010-07-08T16:50:00.000-07:002010-07-08T17:27:20.415-07:00

Summer is Here and we have many adventures ahead of us. As I plan our summer schedule I think back to the days with the older ones I have 4 now who no longer go on all our fun adventures as they have moved to older things to do in their lives. I never realized how nostalgic this time would be as I think about the fun times we had. I know I will have many fun times with our younger ones too. I am

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-12792661750132044812010-02-11T16:14:00.000-08:002010-02-11T16:28:08.440-08:00

As the younger ones get older and we explore more outside activities. I wonder what is too much. The older 4 were always on the go and doing activities almost every night of the week. But as I grow older I realize maybe that isn't what is best for the younger ones. They are doing church activities and American Heritage Girls. They belong to a homeschool group and now we are joining another. They

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-6425924413374815992009-12-31T14:14:00.001-08:002009-12-31T14:16:58.704-08:00

*** Cross-posted at all the Lotsofkids blogs. *** It's New Year's Eve (at least in this part of the world). 2009 is almost gone and 2010 is standing before us. It was a difficult year for many people. Financial hardships and insecurity made the year a struggle for so many. That said, even though things were hard, the trials led so many back to focusing on what is important, such as family and

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-88778793494384928142009-11-12T15:57:00.000-08:002009-11-12T16:15:40.597-08:00

As we progress thru this year I am once again finding myself thinking about our final year of home schoolin with our 4th child. I always go thru this but I find myself wondering and hoping I have done all I can for Michael to be a success in life. He is strong willed and I know he knows his lessons well and is a hard worker. But still I cant help wonder did I do enough. I have been reflecting

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-43880418371036883652009-10-01T14:44:00.000-07:002009-10-01T15:01:23.291-07:00

As we enter Fall we have fell back into our routines with schooling full time (we do school work part time in the summer). Everything is going right along we are staying on schedule. This month we start the book it program again, We will be visiting the oldest apple tree, a pumpkin patch, apple press and the grist mill and a dentist office to see how all the neat things work. We have started a

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-91935080583901735872009-09-08T16:49:00.000-07:002009-09-08T17:09:48.675-07:00

Hi all, How is everyone doing? Summer is over here and the chill is in the air, so we set out for another full school year. I cant help think of school years gone by just call me sentimental I guess. Well, our curriculum is from Seton and we totally love it. We get alot of skeptism from some for our choice of books. But I have used others and we found this to best suit our childrens needs

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-11984610429652994842009-05-06T21:30:00.000-07:002009-05-06T21:45:20.865-07:00

I know I haven't been on in a bit. So I thought I better post. We have been studying birds I am always so amazed at all the learning chances that come along with Spring. We have been studying birds and were lucky enough to go bird watching and spot some great ones. Bird watching was a little hard on the younger ones so we came home and we spotted a hummingbird in our front yard. We also

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-31039753944364334492009-04-30T04:36:00.001-07:002009-04-30T04:36:44.650-07:00

When I heard that there was a new outbreak of the Swine Flu, I have to admit my response was more of weariness than concern. Now, I'm not downplaying the seriousness of the situation at all. It's a dangerous flu and people have died--that's not good at all. However, over the last couple of months my family has been wracked with one illness after another. Stomach bugs, flu bugs, and severe

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-69388192974009861622009-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:002009-02-14T08:39:10.139-08:00

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-67704715539421235152009-01-02T19:02:00.000-08:002009-01-02T19:07:44.439-08:00

Math Mammoth : http://www.mathmammoth.com/We were blessed to be given the chance to try out Math Mammoth. Math Mammoth was created by Maria Miller, who has a master's degree in mathematics with the teacher educational studies, and minors in physics and statistics. After working with homeschooled students she noticed that the books many homeschoolers used were inferior to what she had used

I must be nutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745646286732685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-10921600382028945122009-01-01T10:30:00.000-08:002009-01-01T10:32:40.971-08:00

I know not everyone is breaking for the holidays, but nonetheless, things usually slow down a bit on the school front (be it home or public) during this time. As we gear up to get heavy-duty schooling again, all of us here at Homeschooling Lots of Kids and Lotsofkids.com would like to wish you and your family a wonderful and productive New Year. May 2009 bring great things for you!

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-1072808240297730142008-12-21T16:42:00.000-08:002008-12-21T16:54:49.793-08:00

MotherboardBooks.comI have always loved technical things, expecially computers. Unfortunately, I still don't know much about how they work or the technical terms. So when I was told I was going to get this curriculum I was really excited! We were so blessed to get Computer Science Pure and Simple book 1 and book 2, and we also got MicroWorlds EX software (which is needed for this curriculum).

I must be nutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745646286732685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-17018560035014279502008-12-11T12:27:00.000-08:002008-12-21T16:42:07.039-08:00

The Little Man in the Map by E. Andrew Martonyi, Illustrated by Ed Olson http://www.schoolsidepress.com/index.cfmWhen I heard that we would be reviewing this book, I was intrigued. A little man in a map that has clues to remembering all 50 states? How would that work and who or what is a little man in a map?When I opened the book and started reading I was shocked! The little man in the map has

I must be nutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745646286732685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-17250060267825796462008-12-10T20:17:00.000-08:002008-12-11T14:36:13.990-08:00

Well as the Christmas season and Advent winds its way into our daily lives we must add extra time onto our school day. It is only about an hour but their is so much I want to cover before this season is over. We have learned about different Christmas trees and then went to a tree farm and just explored so many different ones. As we try and stay focused on our daily tasks. I try to have a

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-72668081141266835402008-12-10T18:22:00.000-08:002008-12-21T16:41:36.139-08:00

When I found out that I was going to be reviewing an art curriculum I was so excited! This is one area that we often skimp on each year. I always wanted to teach my kids about art; art elements, perception skills, drawing, painting..etc. But I am no artist, and finding a curriculum that was geared towards someone who has no art background was difficult.Along came Spears Art Studio and what a

I must be nutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745646286732685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-34202300755563606682008-12-09T05:39:00.000-08:002008-12-10T04:12:54.944-08:00

We had our homeschool Christmas party last night.What a blast about 10 families and about 30 kids.Everyone either brought an appetizer or a dessert.I brought sausage cheese balls and the disapeared FAST!!!One of the most important thing for homeschooling moms i feel is getting together with other homeschooling moms and last night was wonderful.I got to see friends i havent seen in awhile as well

azmommaof6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01394930578759791765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-900901554649898612008-12-08T18:00:00.000-08:002008-12-08T19:22:47.015-08:00

What a perfect time of year to do a lesson on the 5 senses! Our younger 2 "students", ages 5 and 3, started a lesson on the 5 senses this afternoon. We started by reading a Usbourne book about the senses. They learned new terms like nerves, receptors, and spinal cord. After reading and discussing all we could about hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting, and smelling we ventured to the kitchen for our

The Zandi Zoonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-42557291135289676042008-12-08T06:12:00.000-08:002008-12-10T04:11:57.534-08:00

One of the things I love about homeschool is that schooling is not on a set schedule. Mind you, we endeavor for a set time every day, but since the home setting is more relaxed, our weekly learning can extended into the evening and on weekends. Also, there is a lot of impromtu learning. Now, I am proud to say that we have always been in the mindset that learning never stops. Even when our

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-74492177735641801972008-12-03T03:46:00.000-08:002008-12-03T04:03:56.530-08:00

As the holidays approach, I think one of the hardest things about homeschooling is staying motivated. There are certainly enough distractions with holiday plans, gift-giving (or gift making), baking, parties, and decorations. Getting the kids, and yourself, focused, can be a chore.I know this is also a problem for public school teachers too, so I guess I shouldn't feel so bad. Most schools

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-18613019037634415832008-11-26T15:06:00.001-08:002008-11-27T02:35:18.742-08:00

From all of us here at the Homeschooling Lots of Kids Blog, and from the Lotsofkids.com family...

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-91145550898997364972008-11-20T18:16:00.001-08:002008-11-20T19:16:32.421-08:00

We have 6 children who are, officially, being homeschooled this year. Each one has their own different needs (duh, right?). I love this about them, I really do. But, it can get really crazy around here.Usually, when a parent asks advice for how to weed out activities and simplify their life, they are told, "limit it to one activity per child per semester." Hey, that's actually good advice.

MsJennBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949337035976194047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-32360806765645806932008-11-20T04:20:00.000-08:002008-11-20T04:55:52.382-08:00

Never in my life did i think i'd be homeschooling a blended family.I knew i'd homeschool,but throw in the words "blended family" and you've reached a whole new ball game there folks.(we won't even go into the fact that i have 2 public school teachers in my new family) I think the biggest concern or problem that arises when you're homeschooling a blended family is the trust factor.I mean the other

azmommaof6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01394930578759791765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-57529198892366464572008-11-17T05:15:00.000-08:002008-11-17T05:28:31.616-08:00

We are in the midst of learning about Thanksgiving. I think this was a subject we went over every year in school, and we learned pretty much the same things. This year I wanted to get deeper into the subject with my kids. Much like most of our homeschool, we are very ecclectic in our approach, sampling a little bit of this and that, and letting the kids choose what elements they want to focus

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-15847497676157846652008-11-15T09:48:00.000-08:002008-11-15T11:51:17.236-08:00

I have been meaning to post this for a few weeks but school and children have been consuming most of my time lately. I have home schooled 10 of my 11 kids so far and one asset to our home school was and is the local library. We make it a part of our school week to get new books. I also require all my kids 10 and under to read for 30 minutes each day.The older ones are willing to read

Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731971249757684731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-68696410517760021542008-11-15T04:34:00.000-08:002008-11-15T04:37:21.980-08:00

I've been making my sweep of the LOK Blogs this morning. If you're a regular visitor of this blog, you'll notice that our sidebar has been beefed up. You can now view our contributor's personal blogs, subscribe to our feeds, grab a badge to link to us, and much more. Another addition is a blogroll of our other blogs at Lotsofkids, so you can easily see what's going on elsewhere! Thanks for

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-32619521535112724522008-11-12T16:01:00.001-08:002008-11-12T19:36:23.518-08:00

We finally delved into the wonderful world of lapbooks and let me tell you, it really is wonderful. A friend passed along a link to a great, free election lapbook and so we decided to try it out. We brought out the big foldup table from the garage and put it in the middle of the livingroom. We all piled around it and went to work learning vocabulary, who the major players were in this

The Zandi Zoonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-61630150040697090782008-11-08T17:10:00.000-08:002008-11-09T05:06:12.046-08:00

http://www.homeschoolingabcs.com/?hop=lhhacademyWhen I was told that one of the products that we would be reviewing was basically a ‘how-to’ guide for first time homeschoolers, I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t be able to ‘get into’ this review. I mean, I’ve been homeschooling now for 7yrs, what more can I learn about homeschooling? I was pleasantly surprised by how well thought out this

I must be nutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745646286732685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-8015700653377640322008-11-06T15:35:00.000-08:002008-11-08T03:49:15.971-08:00

Well, for us November is very traditional. I don't know aout other people but there is so much I want to teach our children in the month of November and December. So I have to pick and choose. We now take our field trips on the weekends in these months so that I can fit all I want to do in our class activities. Some of our favorites are learning about the pilgrims and the indians that helped them

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-27412873642880821172008-11-02T05:18:00.000-08:002008-11-02T05:45:05.158-08:00

While making my daily rounds of Fox News and CNN to get my dose of what is going on in the world, I came upon this:Kindergartners Sign Pro-Gay Pledge CardAs most people know, Californians are on the verge of a major vote to decide if the ruling allowing gay marriages will stand. I'm not here to talk about that. I have my feelings on the issue, but that's not what this is about. The article shows

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-81312964865108036792008-10-29T06:31:00.000-07:002008-10-30T09:04:57.281-07:00

The older boys have been really resisting homeschooling lately.I dont think it's homeschooling in genera i think it's more of resisting school in general!!!our dining room is where i do the bulk of the little kids lesson and then in the living room i'vebeen letting the 2 oldestwork.But they'd rather pick their noses or have a tickle fight then work.So i was trying t figure out how i could make

azmommaof6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01394930578759791765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-62779641671650369352008-10-23T13:33:00.000-07:002008-10-23T20:15:18.472-07:00

http://www.hslibrarybuilder.comHSLB is a unique online store. Unique, in that, not only do they carry new and used books, but some of those titles are out of print books...and the prices are very reasonable.There are many other wonderful features about this store. Not only do they sell books but they also have a: fundraising program, membership program, helping hand program...and much, much

I must be nutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17745646286732685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-53846753453693080502008-10-21T08:49:00.000-07:002008-10-21T08:53:44.475-07:00

I love it i'm so happy!!yesterday my soon to be 4 year old came over to me and asked me to sit down and do the alphabet with her.She brought the stool over to the White board and we started with her singing the song and telling me which letter came next..you know A B C ....then she'd shout D!!Well by the time we got to O Holly said let me do the rest. So i would show her with my finger how to do

azmommaof6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01394930578759791765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-25739477773079199822008-10-17T16:46:00.000-07:002008-10-18T16:13:21.293-07:00

Hi all. Hope everyone had a terrific week. I try to end our week with a little field trip. Today we went to see the oldest Apple tree in Washington it was planted back in the 1800's. It is believe to be the oldest tree in the northwest. The children could have been a little more enthused but they did leave with a little more history of our great state and this field trip is leading into another

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-17008434520034873692008-10-14T20:20:00.000-07:002008-10-15T04:38:28.113-07:00

Just thought well I had some spare moments I would introduce us. We our a homeschooling family from Washington. We use a catholic curriculum thru Seton homestudy school. We have an 11th grader, first grader, kindergartener, pre k, and a toddler left that we are teaching. We also have a dd that is in college studying to be a vet and 2 older sons 1 married with a lovely wife and our first

ourblessingsourangelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12546102457912409487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-16989826236816821492008-10-10T13:08:00.000-07:002008-10-10T13:10:48.165-07:00

I was reading one of the many articles that have been written about the deepening financial crisis of our country. I have to admit it's scary. For a long time I was worried about our own plight, dealing with unemployment and limited resources. Now I terrified about the broader picture of how our country will get out of this.Anyhow, in my reading I came upon this article: Govenor Weighs Cutting

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-28418957229716931882008-10-04T05:49:00.000-07:002008-10-04T06:43:06.827-07:00

Hello everyone this is my first post over here on the LotsOfKids Homeschooling blog.I'm so happy to be here. I'm Wendy homeschooling mother to a blended family of 6. We are starting out second year of homeschooling as a family of 8 but before this me and my kids homeschooled.Do you ever find yourself trying to prove to other's that your kids ARE learning enough in homeschool?That you're just not

azmommaof6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01394930578759791765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-5807145171633327512008-10-02T13:33:00.000-07:002008-10-02T13:36:16.836-07:00

It's kinda funny, because I was looking for something TOTALLY different on Google, but came upon this very cool site. Free Guitar Lessons. There is a lot of information on the site, but one of the neatest things is the author has videos to accompany the course. So you can actually see and hear how to do the chords. For those of you with kids aspiring to be guitarists, this site is a great--

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-38776152112841837252008-09-24T07:52:00.000-07:002008-09-24T09:32:39.020-07:00

I think one of the harder things about homeschooling on a penny is that you have to do more footwork. When you buy a pre-packaged curriculum, even for one subject, it's usually laid out for you. More than once, I have been discouraged when looking for something in particular and being told that a curriculum is free, only to learn that it in fact requires me to buy a workbook or CD. I mean, I

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-16541187291383984312008-09-12T03:56:00.000-07:002008-09-24T08:01:42.240-07:00

A lot of my family is central Louisiana. When Katrina hit, my cousin who was 9 months pregnant, ran to the attic of her house to escape the flooding and was trapped there for 3 days until a passing boat rescued her and her fiance. During Gustav a couple weeks ago, he lost power for a week and had minor flooding. However, as Ike comes ashore, while he is not in Texas, he is in a path that will

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8601390776373547599.post-57008001681052128282008-09-05T05:42:00.000-07:002008-09-24T08:01:57.852-07:00

A few months ago when the idea of starting a group blog at Lotsofkids.com for Homeschoolers, I honestly never thought I would be a member of it. I have always dreamed of homeschooling, and actually got my feet wet in it a couple years back when a transportation issue forced me to homeschool my kindergartener. Little did I know that 2 years later, yet another transportation issue would have me

Mirzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07434600358514028976noreply@blogger.com0