Nov 29 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 30

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Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 30 talks about partitioned countries: Palestine and India. We worked on this chapter the week of Thanksgiving, so the recommended cooking project fit. I decided to make a gluten free cake about partitioning Palestine.

Two sides of cake with peanut butter M&Ms

Two cake layers with peanut butter M&Ms

For the first time in my life, I bought candied cherries. I did not even know they existed. My husband warned me they did not taste good, but I was determined to try them. After all, the recommendations discussed using M&Ms instead and how that would be an inferior option. Continue reading »

Nov 27 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 29

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Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 29 covers the end of World War II with two stories: the war that stretched across the world and the atom bomb. Sobering events to be sure, albeit fascinating.

Boy carrying luggage

My son acting out “leaving London” like English children during WWII.

I made sure to point out that we live one hour away from Oak Ridge National Laboratories, where THE bomb was manufactured. My husband has cousins who work there. His uncle worked there all his life. We have yet to visit the place. We plan to do that in the near future. Maybe next spring, when we can afford a field trip day without wondering about book work. Continue reading »

Nov 20 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 28

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Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 28 deals with the three-war war and the Holocaust. So hard, telling these stories! I teared up as I read to the kids. The suffering that generation had to go through with the two world wars makes me heartbroken.

American Girl Series Molly

American Girl book showing how a girl would experience World War II.

Growing up under communism, they censored a lot of modern movies – a good thing, actually, because it forced us to read books instead. If they did show us a movie on our limited TV broadcasts, it would be about World War II, the Holocaust, or a musical featuring Fred Astaire. I feel like I have studied World War II forever or, at least, since age eight.  Continue reading »

Nov 15 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 27

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Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 27 deals with the civil war in Spain and Hitler’s invasions. No wonder Ms. Bauer wanted to make sure the children reading this fourth volume are mature. Much sadness and violence abound in this book.

Rebuilding the Fatherland

Rebuilding the Fatherland

We had to work with the kitten again this week because he loves to hang out in the school room and walk all over the table, sniffing our papers. I will be honest, the crafts and activities suggested did not excite us too much. So, again, I have to remind myself that we are older and do not need to spend 30 minutes playing a board game that we will never play again afterward, or build yet another structure that will end up in the trash. Continue reading »

Nov 15 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 26

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Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 26 covers the Great Depression and Hitler’s rise to power. The two may seem unrelated, but Susan Wise Bauer makes the case for how America’s woes kept Americans too focused on themselves to really care about European politics.

Boy and girl studying history homeschooling

Map work for history

FDR and the New Deal also feature in the first story about the Great Crash and came of it. It was an eye-opening experience for the kids, who do not know the meaning of lack, of course. I told them I had a friend whose grandmother lived through the Great Depression. To this day, that grandma still buys two of everything she gets at the store.  Continue reading »

Nov 7 2018

5 Reasons Why eLearning is the Future

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Advancements in technology have seen vast changes in the way people learn. There are now more learning platforms that individuals can use. One front-runner is eLearning. The reasons for the success of eLearning are many. The points below highlight several essential features of this learning platform for those considering this method.

Kittens meet via Skype

Our children take Skype violin lessons. During a short break, the teacher’s kitten meets our kitten.

 

It Is More Flexible

One significant benefit of eLearning focuses on its flexibility. Time is precious. It is the one factor that holds many people back from taking their education one step further. Advanced qualifications take time and effort. Unlike traditional methods, online learning is often a lot more flexible. Continue reading »

Oct 30 2018

Bright Businesses You Can Run As A Homeschool Mom

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Being a homeschool mom takes up pretty much the entirety of your day. This means that you might not have time to go out to work. If you need an extra income, you will need to find an alternative way of gaining an income. But, how do you go about doing this?

Mom Laptop Couch

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Well, you can run a business from the comfort of your own home. You don’t need to have an office or a staff to run a business, and this is what many people forget. Below, we have talked about some of the businesses that you can run as a homeschool mom. Continue reading »

Oct 30 2018

Why Home Schooling Is More Popular Than Ever

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Homeschooling has become more popular than ever. We won’t use this space to decry the difficulties of the contemporary education system. Most home-educators simply do not want to interact with it.

We often think we can do a better job. This sounds like hubris, but when you really think about it, how hard would it be to teach your child 1 + 2 = 3? And that c-a-t spells cat? You start there and build on it. Teacher’s manuals will help you when you get stuck.

Girl swinging on a swing

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While this article will focus on the benefits of home education, we in no way mean disrespect to you, your child, or their school. However, those on the fence about home education may want to read on. Continue reading »

Oct 29 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 25

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Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 25 covers armies in China. The first story talks about Japan, China, and a pretend emperor. The second story talks about the long march. It also introduces Chairman Mao to the children.

The Chrysanthemum throne paper craft

The Chrysanthemum throne paper craft

Having grown up under communism, this information is painful and very difficult to process. I cannot begin to tell you how badly I feel for Chinese people who still have to live under communism. Continue reading »

Oct 21 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 24

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Chapter 24 has an intriguing title: The King and Il Duce. First, I had to explain the title to the kids. We will study about the first king of Egypt and then we will travel to Italy to learn about Mussolini, whose nickname was The Leader or Il Duce in Italian.

Fasces craft

Fasces craft – no dowels or straws in my house, so we used pencils.

Then, we proceeded with the reading as well as we could while the new kitten, Smoky, was running around the classroom. He is a big distraction these days, but I try to be accommodating. The children love him and they have never had a small pet like this before. Our previous pet was an old cat named Izzy. He was 15 by the time we lost him. There was not much action with Izzy, but Smoky runs and plays all day. Continue reading »