2009 April | Heart of the Matter

April 30, 2009 By AmyS 1 Comment

Thank you so much for your participation in this carnival, it has been a blast and quite the learning experience. We have decided to combine the last 2 weeks of the carnival in this post since we only receive 3 entries for “week 7″. Please scroll down to find the winner of the prize package.

Organizing your Activities

Bethany LeBedz from Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom gives us a light-hearted look at celebrating Christmas AND homeschooling at the same time in her post Deck the Halls.

Molly Green from Econobusters shares her review on The Schoolhouse Planner.

Tammy from Garden Glimpses shares her Suggestions for finding often overlooked “field trip” places.

Organizing your “Heart”

Erin from Delighting in His Richness provides inspiration for those really tough days — like a wheat seed, if we die to self through offering ourselves a living sacrifice God can multiply our harvest for generations.

Molly Green from Econobusters says as stay at home moms who blog, work, homeschool, and do social networking, our priorities can get WAY out of line if we allow them to. In order to organize your heart, you have to have some balance in each area..

Tammy from Garden Glimpses shares a couple of key Scripture verses that will help keep your heart on task as a mom.

Bethany LeBedz from Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom gives us a reminder that ultimately we aren’t in control of our plans and we need to focus on what God brings out way each day in order to receive His blessings in her post Life is What Happens When You Have Other Plans.

Jamie from Rose Cottage encourages us to let go of the illusion of control and learn to accept God’s Will even when it isn’t convenient, in her post Inconvenient.

Kristina from On Fire in PNG gives us a reminder of why we homeschool in the first place.

Fran from Happily Ever After writes about the need to appreciate how our husbands love us “in the little ways”. It’s not about presents and material things, but about honoring us and being there for us when we need them.

Lori from All You Have To Give writes a beautiful devotional on the quote, “One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.”

Christine from Fruit in Season discusses not allowing yourself to become a burden to your children by doing for them what they can do for themselves, in her post Lightening the Load.

Previous Weeks:
Organize your physical space
Organize your morning
Organize your school schedule
Organize your records
Organize your projects
Organize your kitchen

Congratulations to…Tammy from Garden Glimpses!!! You are the winner of a $170 prize package loaded with organizational products!! Prizes include:

A $30.00 Gift Certificate to In the Hands of a Child
A $25.00 Gift Certificate to CurrClick
The Schoolhouse Planner by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine ($39.00 value)
The Master Plan e-book by Julie Forsythe ($39.95 value)
The Co-op Planner e-book by Julie Forsythe ($19.95 value)
Organized Kids: Easy Solutions for Clutter-Free Living by Debbie Williams ($14.95 value)
Kid Chore Organizer by Molly Randolph ($5.00 value)

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April 30, 2009 By Nikowa Lee

We recently experienced some trouble with our blogroll and were forced to close it down. Now that our host is back up and running, we would like to officially invite you to join our blogroll! Please note that this is a brand new blogroll with a clean list. We apologize, but if you were a member before, you will need to resubmit your information. We can’t wait to check out your blogs!

This blog ring is a place just for homeschooling parents and teachers to find similar blogs in one central location. Web surfers can peruse this list without having to scour through hundreds of other blogs that have no relevance to homeschooling.

All bloggers must be in agreement with the following criteria:

The blog must be written by a homeschooling parent or teacher and the blog must reflect that.
Blogs must not contain profanity or lewd comments.
Blogs must not contain inappropriate photos.
The person who blogs on the site does not have to be a Christian. We welcome all homeschoolers regardless of their beliefs, or schooling methods however, we cannot add anyone to the list who belittles or mocks another’s faith or schooling method on their blog.
You must place one of the following links on your blog to be approved:

Please Be Advised:
Each blog that requests to be added will be visited by a moderator to make sure that it meets the qualifications before approval. However, if a blog’s content changes to something that doesn’t meet our guidelines and is not caught during random checks please report it to us. Please note that it could take 5-7 days before your blog appears on the list. For questions, please email Nikowa at nikowalee@heartofthematteronline.com.

The Heart of the Matter reserves the right to refuse or remove any blog that does not meet our guidelines.

STEP ONE
To add your blog to our blog ring, please email Nikowa at nikowalee@heartofthematteronline.com and include your email address, blog title and your blog URL.

STEP TWO
Please copy and paste the following code (within the box) onto your blog. You can place it into a sidebar widget.

<center>
<a href="http://heartofthematteronline.com/join-our-blogroll/"><img src="http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj249/homeschoolinghearts/blogroll.png" /></a>

<br />
<marquee direction="up" onmouseover="this.stop()" width="140" overflow="auto" onmouseout="this.start()" scrollamount="2" height="200" align="left">
<script language="javascript" src="http://rpc.blogrolling.com/display.php?r=7b2aefe0a4a31dcbf787b455a9ab1b2e" type="text/javascript"></script></marquee>

</center>

As the blogroll grows, the list may take up a good portion of your sidebar. Some bloggers have found it helpful to place the code into a separate post. Another option, which unfortunately does not work on some blog formats, is to use a Flooble expandable content box. This script will allow you to collapse and expand the blogroll box. If you would like for us to place the code on your blog for you, please include your username and password as well as the URL to your blog in an email to us, and if we can work with your platform, we will insert the code for you.

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April 29, 2009 By HeatherW 7 Comments

How We Use Sue Patrick’s Workbox System to Structure Our Homeschool

If you visit even just a few homeschool blogs out there in the blogosphere, then it’s likely you’ve come across the “Workbox System”. So, what’s all the fuss about? Why are homeschooling moms clamoring to get this system in place in their homes?

Sue Patrick developed this system to help her autistic son have a more structured day from the time he was still a toddler on up into his school days. However, this little gem of a system can all help all moms make sure the school day is consistent and rich for each child.

The basis for the system is a little rack that holds 12 plastic shoe boxes. In general that means a wire rack with four shelves which can hold 3 boxes each. Each box gets a number velcroed to the front of it. When you purchase Sue’s book, you will get access to the printables you need to set up your workboxes. In addition to the numbers on the front of the box, there is a schedule strip where you have squares with Velcro in them. The schedule strip is used to order the child’s school day. In between the numbered boxes on the strip, you might have a break card, or a water the garden card, or a play with a sibling card. The idea is that kids follow the schedule strip and do what is in each box or otherwise directed on the schedule strip.

Sue has a lot of ideas on how to use the system in a variety of situations and her book gives you ideas on how to break down your current curriculum in a way that fits into the boxes. One of the hallmarks of the Workbox System, is the visual cues it provides. As the child completes a box, he sets it aside away from the cart. This way, he gets to see his progress as he gets closer to the goal which is to finish the work in all 12 boxes. Ms. Patrick has also built in other cues like “checking in and out” for the school day, “ask for help” cards, and “work with mom” cards.

Ms. Patrick’s book also describes how she uses centers and file folder games as a regular part of the daily routine. Would you believe her treadmill is part of the daily Workbox System at her house too? Be sure to check out her manual to see what else was important to her as she put together this structure school time for her family.

As you travel the blog circuit and see how others have chosen to implement the system, you’ll see all kinds of modifications and activities. There are no shortage of ideas out there on how families are incorporating the Workbox Systems into their school.

So, what goes in the boxes? All the school work for the day. I put regular school work in there plus all the extras you SAY you want to do but don’t get around to, because either you don’t have time or you forget or you lose steam or you didn’t prepare it ahead of time. I haven’t gotten up to 12 items yet, but I will get close soon. Our unit study goes in first, then I can switch around other things like math, silent reading my choice, silent reading their choice, a math game, writing time, spelling, sewing, guitar practice, snack, break, etc.

Who is it for? For any child at any level, the author says. High schoolers and young ones and special needs kids all do well with the system. It has a schedule but it can vary as much or as little as you want it to. There is structure but flexibility.

It works for ANY curriculum. You just have to know how you want to break it out. You just put the various things you do throughout your day into the boxes in the order you want the student to do them. It fosters some independent work ethic. It ends questions like, am I done yet? How much more school? Can I do ___?

I like it for the accountability for ME. In order for it to work, I have to be prepared ahead of time. It’s a lot of up front work, BUT it pays off when our day proceeds in peace. I am not looking for something I printed and can’t find (while the kids scatter), I’m not saying, hold it I need to get this or that (and the kids scatter). I put it all out and it’s ready to go.

I like it because to fill the 12 boxes I’m pulling stuff off the shelf that I always MEAN to do but never do, like those great 100s charts and the book that goes with it and lots of other games and fun things. I like it because I can put variety into my kids’ days without managing the effort at ‘go time’.

I had been having my kids do activity time before they get free time. It’s more or less structured “free” time. Now I can just load the boxes with the day’s activity and call it a day. I like it because I can get to those things we never seem to have time for – because I load it up in the boxes. Like my daughter’s sewing projects – I just prepare them and put the materials in her box.

It gives my preschooler pre-determined and set-up activities that he can go through without being disruptive or constantly asking for media time (in whatever form he desires at the moment). He loves it!

It works because it’s all ready to go and we just flow through the day with some level of peace. I’m less frustrated when the day begins because all my ducks are in a row.

For me it is a living checklist. I was working on a daily checklist for the kids when I saw this on a homeschool forum. It clicked with me. It fits right in with my word for 2009 which is “tenaciously purposeful.” I want to be tenaciously purposeful in working more into what we do during the day. So many times it seems like we are going for what we can “get done” in the time we have. I want more for my kids. The workbox system is a tool I can use to make that happen and it’s working! Perhaps it will work for you too.

Heather Woodie is a homeschooling mom of four kids ages 10, 8, 6, 3 and wife to a handsome chemical engineer for 13 years. Before raising a family, she taught middle school science and has a masters degree in curriculum and instruction secondary education. Now teaching at home means the chance to provide the extraordinary for her children. Between family and homeschooling time, she is working as volunteer staff for MOPS International as an Area Coordinator for NY State. She’s been homeschooling four years and you can read about those adventures on her blog, Blog She Wrote .

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April 29, 2009 By AmyS 45 Comments

Just a quick note…beginning next week we will be doing this project on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays instead of everyday.

Today we are onto letter C. Leave your Clever Comments you Classy Comedians.

Don’t forget, you can have conversations with each other in the comment section. And you can subscribe to the comments for this post by clicking the checkbox for “notify me of followup comments via e-mail” way down at the bottom of this post. Also, be sure to post about this on your own blog and invite your friends to join in.

So, tell us about you, using the letter C!

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April 28, 2009 By Shawnee 5 Comments

Where do your homeschoolers like to study? Do you ever take “school” outdoors? Leave us a comment and tell us your thoughts. Reply to other comments directly. Join the fun!

While it’s true that bookwork is certainly not the only important aspect of homeschooling, even those who freestyle school or choose unschooling as an option may at some point refer to books, instructions, directions, reading material, etc. At any given time, a parent can encounter resistance to even the best of students when faced with bookwork. When this resistance rears its ugly head, it’s time to shake up the routine a little. This can be as simple as choosing a place of study that will encourage your child to feel motivated by the difference in the environment.

Study areas incite creative thinking. Your homeschool student will work best when the mind is inspired. The mind gets inspired by what the eyes see, what the ears hear, and what the nose smells. Put that mind in nature and you will surely reap the benefits of your efforts.

A bench outside makes a great study area. Other areas that offer interesting alternatives to the boring inside classroom can be found on the trampoline, in the bench swing, at a table and chair placed on the carport, in a playhouse, or even in a tent made by sheets and chairs that you set up in the living room of your home. You can include your child’s suggestions for study areas, mix it up, make a game of it, and receive less resistance to that book work that must be done. You can even allow your child to take the school desk to different areas of the house for spontaneous study fun.

Sometimes the smallest change of scenery or atmosphere can make a difference. Studying at the local library may be one of your options. Take a trip to the local park. Set up a date with a study-buddy. Just remember, the idea is to motivate and encourage. Engaging your child in the decision-making process encourages participation, thinking skills, reasoning skills, planning, and imagination.

You can create a wonderful study area outside by allowing your child to help choose plants, flowers, seating arrangements, and location. One year I found a bench at a garage sale that made a perfect outside study bench. My daughter and I carried rocks to make a circle, placed them under shade trees by the bench, and made a flower garden inside the circle. When spring came, the warmer weather and sprouting blooms in the garden made beautiful accompaniments to study time. She could enjoy the daylight, hear the birds sing, listen to the breezes, hear the windchimes from our porch, and smell the fresh air as she relaxed and focused on her books. The atmosphere calmed her, which made her more receptive to learning.

*photo courtesy Jamie

So, put your head together with your child and shake up your routine. Design a few study areas for your child and welcome success into your homeschool.

shawnee Shawnee Bowlin is a homeschool mom of a 10th grade daughter, also an aspiring writer and artist. She works as a veterinary technician and has been writing for the public since 2006. She lives in Northeast Texas and enjoys animals, nature, reading, writing, and riding motorcycles. You can visit her blog at Shawnee Paints

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April 27, 2009 By AmyS 62 Comments

Oh boy, was yesterday a BLAST! Thank you all for joining in yesterday, I am so excited to learn even more about you today! If you are just joining us and wondering what this is all about…go read this post and then come back and join in the fun.

Important question first…is doing a new letter every weekday too much, or should we space it out a bit more?

So, tell us about you, using the letter B!

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April 27, 2009 By Susan 20 Comments

It’s getting to be that time of year. I don’t know about you, but my mind is having a hard time staying focused on finishing up this year of school. I’m already jumping ahead into fall when I can bring out all our new books. Of course I don’t have them yet. Right now I am evaluating what has worked this year and what hasn’t. I’m figuring out what we will need for the new grades ahead and what each child specifically needs to improve their skills.

This means out with the old and in with the new. I have books on my shelf that worked for one child but not the next, and books that didn’t work for any of them. I think it is time to clear some stuff out to make room on my shelf.

I’m excited to bring forth what I think is a great idea and I hope many of you will participate. The more the merrier! Heart of the Matter is going to host the first used book/curriculum sale online (as far as I know). There will be several steps involved and I hope to make them clear but please leave a comment if you have question. The sale will go from May 11-15th. This should give people time to get their books ready and posted by then, and they will have a week to shop and sell. You may post your books on your blog anytime during that week.

Collect your books you want to sell.
Take photos of them.
Post photos of books with a brief description/condition with the price you would like for them.
Add a Paypal button for each book.
Come to Heart of the Matter and leave the url for the post in Mr. Linky on May 11th.
Make sure to shop on other blogs for books you might need.
Blog about the book sale so that word gets around.
Post a button on your blog.

Paypal is the easiest way to make payments and receive money from buyers. If you do not have a Paypal account I recommend you set one up. It is quick and easy, but does take about 3 or 4 days for it to be completely set up.

When you log in to your Paypal account select the Merchant Services tab at the top. Steps one, two and three will walk you through making a buy now button for your item. Copy and paste the code in your text box on your blog. Make a separate button for each item. This will take some time depending on how many items you have to sell.

You may group your books in a lot. Just make sure to note what books come in that lot and then a price for the whole lot. You can add a shipping amount when you make the button or you can include shipping in your asking price.

Heart of the Matter is not responsible for any disputes that may arise between book seller and buyer. You sell and buy at your own risk. We trust that those who participate will do so with integrity by accurately describing material and shipping in a timely manner.

If you have any questions, please contact Susan at susan@heartofthemattermagazine.com

susan Susan lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three daughters, two cats and a dog. She has been homeschooling for 7 years. She started in the beginning and plans to homeschool through highschool. Each year has been an incredible learning experience for her. She is convinced that she has learned far more than her students. When not teaching or taking care of the home Susan enjoys reading, crafting, which may include sewing, crocheting, or jewelry making, and drinking various coffee and tea drinks. Susan writes about her journey at From the Narrows.

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April 27, 2009 By AmyS 1 Comment

We would like to wish the AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL (not to mention talented and sweet) Marsha Drews a very blessed birthday. Please stop by her blog and leave her some birthday love.

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April 26, 2009 By admin 79 Comments

Last month we hosted a delurk-a-thon and we really enjoyed learning more about our readers. It was so much fun that we want to do it again…with a twist.

We want to know all about YOU…from A to Z and everything in between. 3 times a week we will be hosting a different letter of the alphabet and we invite you to share some things about yourself using the “letter of the day”.

You can have conversations with each other in the comment section. Scroll down and see. Sweet huh! So if you see someone who has something in common with you, leave them a comment back. See how many people you share the same interests with. Let’s all make some new friends!

You can also subscribe to the comments for this post by clicking the checkbox for “notify me of followup comments via e-mail” way down at the bottom of this post. That way, you won’t miss a thing! Also, be sure to post about this on your own blog and invite your friends to join in.

Letter A
Letter B
Letter C
Letter D
Letters E & F
Letter G
Letter H
Letters I & J
Letter K
Letter L