Author Archives: Adriana Zoder

Dec 30 2015

Year in Review

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How has your year been? Have you learned some important lessons? Have you had fun? Have you read some good books? Have you experienced any losses?

For me, in a way, 2015 has been the year of sudden death: my dad in January; my children’s friend in November; a youth camp counselor in June (while my son was at summer camp, but they did not tell the little guys about this incident which took place on a lake nearby, at a sister camp focused on wakeboarding); 140+ Parisians, people with whom I feel I have a cultural connection; Scott Dinsmore, an inspirational blogger I have followed for more than a year now. Every one of these deaths is too sad for words.

All this has lead me to appreciate Today. Today. Tomorrow is not promised. Today is all we get.

Boy and girl reading a music program together

My children checking the piano recital program as they waited for their turn.

In 2015, I have published four books: 101 Tips for First Grade Homeschooling, The Homeschooling Mom’s Devotional Journal, Life in the Smoky Mountains and Kitten in the Storm. Or 11 if you count the seven bilingual editions of Kitten in the Storm as a new book, which, truth be told, that’s what they are. Each of them needed translation, layout, design, a new cover, editing, copy-editing and so on.  Continue reading »

Dec 29 2015

101 Tips for First Grade Homeschooling

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A couple of weeks ago I published 101 Tips for First Grade Homeschooling. For one day only, on December 30, this book will be available for FREE on Kindle. If you do not own a Kindle device, you can download the free Kindle app on amazon.com and read the book on your computer, tablet or smartphone.

After December 30, the book will be $3.99 for the Kindle format and $5.99 for the paperback format.

This represents the third volume in my “How to Homeschool” series and it deals with a lot of issues you might run into when your homeschooler is in first grade. The first two volumes cover preschool and kindergarten.

101 Tips for First Grade Homeschooling

The third volume in my How to Homeschool series

When I decided to publish a series by that title, I knew I wanted to keep the books short and sweet, perfect for busy homeschool parents. In the spirit of “just do this,” I have written 10 chapters with 10 tips each. Chapter 11 focuses on Tip 101 – in this volume, it deals with sex education. Continue reading »

Dec 28 2015

Mathletics.com Review

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Mathletics.com is an online math program for Kindergarten through 12th grade, put together by 3PLearning.com. As such, you will receive login information and you are ready to go.

What is neat is that when you purchase your subscription to Mathletics they give away a year’s worth of education called “school-in-a-box.” It is a UNICEF sponsored program.

Mathletics Kit

Your Mathletics kit comes in a pretty box

UNICEF will send a physical kit containing education essentials to teachers in schools that have minimal supplies or right after a disaster and all that thanks to your signing up for Mathletics. It makes one feel good when one contributes to somebody else’s development.  Continue reading »

Dec 27 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 2, Chapter 14

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I read Chapter 14 to the kids in the car, while my husband was driving us to the piano recital. It was my way of distracting everybody – especially myself – from nervousness. I think it worked. My kids did well on their recital, considering their age. It was my daughter’s first piano recital and she played two songs. My son played three songs. It was his second piano recital.

Homemade viking bread

Crusty, gritty and oh so yummy viking bread

Lots of nervousness going on and lots of dynamics among all of us, so I decided we needed to distract ourselves completely with history.  Continue reading »

Dec 25 2015

Merry Christmas To You

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From our family to your family, Merry Christmas! God with us – Immanuel – what a glorious truth! May we experience divinity in every moment of our lives. Mundane moments can be hallowed when we listen to the right message, when we are tuned to the right bandwidth.

The Zoder Family at Christmas time - 2015

The Zoder Family (us!) at Christmas time – 2015

If you don’t celebrate Christmas, we still hope you will accept our wishes for joy, peace, harmony and goodwill.

We love sharing our homeschool and, by extension, our family, with you through this blog and I especially want to thank you for being my friends from afar. I enjoy your feedback and comments. Please keep them coming!

Dec 24 2015

Violin Recital

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Last Sunday, my children had their violin recital. It was my daughter’s first. She started taking violin lessons in August and she has already learned the first five pieces in the Suzuki violin book number 1. By that I mean that she can play them by heart, but you understand she does not sound like a virtuoso yet, right? She sounds like a five-year-old who has been practicing five times a week for the past five months.

My son has taken violin lessons for two years now. He is working on the last piece in the second Suzuki violin book and then he will have graduated to book number three. He does well for his age but violin is a tough instrument. Just when you think you have fixed your fingering, the bow starts flying in all directions and you need to give it some attention.  Continue reading »

Dec 23 2015

Christmas Break

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Another Christmas has come and we have been allowed to experience it. No matter how you celebrate it or if you celebrate it at all, the idea of coming together with loved ones and exchanging presents is a great one.

This year, my kids are excited to track Santa’s voyage around the world on Santa Tracker, compliments of Google. I have allowed them a whole week (this one) of no school and no instruments. We still read in the evening and do our devotional. They log onto Mathletics.com and Science4us.com which theoretically counts as school but it is so much fun for them, they don’t think of it as a chore. I have reviews coming soon on both, by the way.

Homeschooled brother and sister working on the computer

My kids working on science4us.com

We are still dealing with the loss of their eight-year-old friend, Deborah. My daughter says that “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” reminds her of Deborah and she asks, “Don’t you think of heaven, going there one day and finally meeting up with her again when you listen to this song?”  Continue reading »

Dec 22 2015

Tuesday Tome

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Drum roll please… Announcing a new series for the new year, called Tuesday Tome.

Every Tuesday in 2016 I will post about a book I read in the previous week. Yes, I am going there. I will challenge myself to reading one book per week. That will be 52 books in 52 weeks. I want to slow down my writing and increase my reading. I am in need of filling and feeling.  Continue reading »

Dec 21 2015

The Well-Educated Mind

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When I purchased my copy of The Well-Trained Mind three years ago, I thought I would never be interested in The Well-Educated Mind. I thought I would be reading right along my children as we followed suggestions from The Well-Trained Mind. Who would have time for anything else? I was wrong.

The Well-Educated Mind

The book for homeschooling parents who are thirsty for more

Not that I find myself with “vast chasms of time” on my hands, to use Thomas Jefferson’s expression. But I got my kids on track with their assignments from The Well-Trained Mind and now I find myself curious, hungry, and eager for filling in the gaps in my own education. When I heard The Well-Educated Mind was being revised and re-published in October 2015, I placed my pre-order in September and waited (im)patiently for it to come out.  Continue reading »

Dec 20 2015

10 Tips for Putting Yourself on a Reading Schedule

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I have written here before about how limited the options of a homeschooling mom are in terms of career dreams or free time for that matter. And yet, as our children grow more and more independent, we find we have more and more time on our hands. Or, if you are like me, you have a lot of time between the hours of 2am-6am when you simply cannot sleep. That’s your signal that it’s time to get on a reading schedule.

Here are 10 tips for putting yourself on a reading schedule:

  1. Start with a strong “why.” Are you thirsty for knowledge? Are you preparing to teach literature in the upper grades? Do you personally need help in dealing with a particular issue in your life? Motivation is everything. If you have a strong “why,” the “how” will follow.
  2. Read what interests you but after you have gotten a few must-read titles out of the way, venture into a territory of books you know you should read but you don’t feel like it. Do it for the kids – to give them an example of “reading for a challenge.”
  3. Don’t limit yourself to fiction or to nonfiction. A lot of conservative Christians ban fiction altogether. It’s a big debate. Personally, I feel strongly classics must be covered in a solid homeschool literature program. You are welcome to disagree.
  4. Don’t neglect your daily Bible reading, if you are a believer. The 66 books of the Bible remain your ultimate guide for life and for peace of mind. When I am reading an especially worldly novel, I find my time in the Bible cleanses my mind of the accumulated dross.
  5. Aim for 40 pages a day: 20 in the morning before everybody gets up and 20 in the evening or during breaks – you do take breaks during the day, right? Most books average 240 pages. That gives you 6 days and a sabbatical. You can give or take a few pages a day, of course, if the story grips you or if it leaves you unsatisfied.
  6. If that sounds like too much, work your way up to that number. Start with one page, then see if you can muster five or ten in a day. Once you are up to 40, you can try to go for 50 and 60 and so on.
  7. Susan Wise Bauer tells you exactly how to read a book and how to outline it and its characters in The Well-Educated Mind. It might slow you down at first, but eventually you will reap great benefits from it and it is totally worth your  time.
  8. Don’t get discouraged if you skipped a day. Just pick it up the next day and keep going.
  9. Train your children to help with housework more and more. It frees up a lot of your time and gives them life skills.
  10. Join a book club. You might enjoy the stimulation and the group discussion, not to mention the time away from your beloved children.

Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said that you will be the same person five years from now except for two things: the books you read and the people you meet.

I could not agree more. I have been changed by the books I have read and by the people I have met. It’s a journey and a discovery and an adventure that does not cost much but yields a lot of returns, not all financial, but all important.