Category Archives: homeschooling

Jul 7 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 2, Chapter 1

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We started the second volume of Story of the World during what is officially our summer break because (1) my children asked for history and (2) the textbook has 42 chapters while the school year only has 36 weeks. It is recommended that we cover one chapter per week, so we need to cover six chapters before we start our new school year in August. Of course, nothing bad happens if we get behind or if we finish the textbook after we close our 180 days of school next year…

But when my five-year-old says, “Mommy, we have not done history in a long time. We need to do history!” and when my son says, “When do we start studying about the Middle Ages, mom?” I know it is time to start photocopying the activity pages and order extra reading material from the library.

Magic carpet craft activity

I printed out a picture of them so we can glue their faces onto the page provided.

Just to clarify, the Activity Book gives parents permission to photocopy activity pages (maps, coloring, craft patterns, paper dolls etc) for the needs of their family. Also in the Activity Book one can find lists of corresponding literature, fiction and non fiction, which one can purchase or borrow from the library, to enhance the study of each chapter.  Continue reading »

Jul 2 2015

Workshop Slides

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As of this week, Homeschool Ways added another tab to the main menu: Workshops.

This tab will offer my readers the slides I use during my workshops, in PDF form.

Feel free to use them, but please mention your source, HomeschoolWays.com, and my name, Adriana Zoder.

If you have any questions about some of the concepts listed, please feel free to email me – blog at homeschoolways dot com.

Check back often, as I will develop new seminars and upload the slides there.

Jul 2 2015

25 Best Homeschooling Books

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According to my umbrella school coordinator, homeschooling moms should keep themselves fresh by reading at least one or two books – an in-service for homeschool moms per year. Take 30 minutes in the morning, before your household wakes up, and read these books to strengthen your outlook on homeschooling. At some point, you will want to start reading the classic books of Western Civilization, if you have not read them before children (see #1 and #4 below).

Please note that I am an Amazon affiliate. Here’s a link to my aStore with all the books listed below.

Bookshelf filled with books

One of my bookshelves, in dire need of organization.

1. Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

2. Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

3. The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell

4. How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer Adler

5. The Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte Mason  Continue reading »

Jul 2 2015

Thoughtful Thursday Week 27 – Homeschool Conferences

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I have said it before, and I will say it again: homeschooling parents should attend a homeschool conference at least once a year. Sorry for should-ing all over you, but you should. I am not saying you should spend money on transportation, hotels and restaurants to get to one. But if you have a local event, by all means change your schedule, get a second job to pay for the fee, volunteer at the conference for discounts, do whatever it takes and attend.

Adriana Zoder and Susan Wise Bauer at the Appalachian Home Educators Conference in Knoxville, June 2015

With Susan Wise Bauer at the Appalachian Home Educators Conference in Knoxville, June 2015

The reason people don’t attend homeschool conferences is that they don’t think they will get enough value out of them. I know, I know, some of you are saying, “That’s not true. Some actually can’t afford a conference.” I can agree with that only for the extremely poor, but even they make an effort to earn some extra money for something they deem valuable.

Ultimately, it is human nature to choose activity A over activity B because activity B does not offer as much satisfaction or perceived value as activity A. Sure, I understand schedule conflicts. I also understand lack of resources. I even understand the fact that homeschooling parents are afraid of being made to feel inadequate in their efforts by so-called homeschooling experts.  Continue reading »

Jun 18 2015

Thoughtful Thursday Week 25 – Continuing Education

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Last month, my sister graduated from a Romanian university with a master’s in education. I am so proud of her. She has been working on this degree for years, a bit at a time, as time and circumstances allowed. In addition to being a mom and an author, my sister has been working for a Christian radio station for more than two decades. She is not really planning on being a teacher, but she felt this master degree would give her the knowledge to continue to write and produce children’s radio programs.

The AL Abacus from Right Start Mathematics

The AL Abacus we use from Right Start Mathematics has two sides, for different operations.

As homeschooling moms, we also ought to invest in ourselves through continuing education. It is not only traditional classroom teachers who need in-service days. Home educators should read at least one book a year about how to teach. Summer time is the best time for this, of course, because many of us take at least a month off from teaching actively. Continue reading »

Jun 7 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 38

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Chapter 38  is titled The End of the Ancient Jewish Nation. I read the story to them and they colored the map. They also colored the flag of Israel. I pulled up the Israeli flag on Google Images, so they can see how to color it. Later on, I noticed that the Activity Book specifies the colors needed.

Star of David coloring page

The Star of David and the Israeli flag, colored by my son

I would like to make latkes, but lately we have been making doughnuts and other fried foods a bit too much – too much for us. I need a break from grease for a bit. I don’t like to fry food anyway.

Playing Dreidel with LEGO bricks

Playing Dreidel with LEGO bricks

We made our dreidels and played the game. It was really fun. We had never played dreidel before. We used LEGO bricks. Somehow, the dreidel fell on All or Nothing most of the time.

Jun 3 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 35

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Caesar the Hero or Chapter 35 was sad. Really, really sad. It was tough to introduce the kids to the way Julius Caesar died. Again, I question the generosity of violent details in this history curriculum for first graders. I understand that they made it usable by children in grades 1-6, but it really was geared to first graders in the first place.

Boy with flag craft

Our Caesar with his flag

My librarian actually posted a note on some of the ILL titles she ordered for me. She wanted to make sure I reviewed these titles, because she deemed them appropriate for high school or, at the very least, for somebody in middle school. I told her that I previewed everything anyway and I thanked her for her concern.  Continue reading »

May 31 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 33

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Chapter 33 deals with Confucius, tangrams and tea. We drank tea. Not green tea, because we stay away from caffeine, nor mint tea, as suggested in the activity book, because we did not have any on hand. I started a tea pot and placed three Bigelow Orange and Spice tea bags (affiliate link) in our respective tea cups.

Tea Cups

Our tea bags steeping in the cups

They remembered how we used to drink tea with cake or cookies or scones in the winter and at our recent afternoon tea at Buckhorn Inn, so they decided they wanted some pumpkin pie with their tea. (We made pumpkin pie yesterday so they knew we had some in the fridge.) It was a lot of fun and we talked about how tea originated in China, but it is now the national drink in the United Kingdom, India and many other countries.  Continue reading »

May 28 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 32

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Chapter 32 deals with China: the First Emperor, the Great Wall of China, pictograms, calligraphy, and the burial chamber filled with clay warriors and horses. My son had a lot of fun listening to the stories. I thought it was a long chapter, but he was not bored at all. I mentioned there is yet one more story in the chapter and he said, “Keep going! Read it!”

Boy building a dirt mold for a backyard Great Wall of China

Filling the dirt mold

After map work and coloring, we built the Great Wall of China: first on the table, then in our backyard. Here is a clip showing him fill up the dirt cast. Here is the next step – removing the cast.

To make the cast, we used super glue and craft sticks, as directed in the activity book.

We had lots of fun, although I did get some super glue on my fingers. Two days later, I am still dealing with it. The duct tape left some residue, too. I just could not figure out how to use super glue to connect the four sides. So I opted for duct tape instead.  Continue reading »

May 26 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 30

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The Aryans of India or Chapter 30 helped us understand the roots of Buddhism and Hinduism. The kids colored The Buddha and the map while I read the stories.

For our craft, we made rakhi bracelets. First, we made one for sister to put on brother. She liked it so much, she wanted a bracelet for herself, too, so we made her one as well. I have not handled a hot glue gun in a while and I got burned, several times. Ouch! So be careful if you are doing this, too.

One new thing I am doing, by the way, is I walk on my stepper while I read to them. This has nothing to do with history. But I thought I should mention it because it doubles up my time and my blog means to provide tips for a thriving homeschool. I did not think I could do both at the same time, but I tried it and it was fine. I get 10-15 minutes of exercise while reading to them, depending on how long the lesson is. We live such sedentary lifestyles, as 21st century Americans. Every little bit of movement helps.  Continue reading »