Welcome to the latest edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. Read more…

It is buzzing all over the blogworld… the annual homeschool blog awards are going on right now At The Post. You’ve seen me mention it a few times because there is something just exciting about having your blog enjoyed so much people vote you “The Best…. Blog”. Of course there are a great many blogs out there. Perhaps not in the awards at all, and still those in the awards that may not be at the top but still just as good. Read more…

Erina, Cairan and Cait are helping their mother bake bread in the family’s kitchen in Dubai. The children have ground the wheat and measured the ingredients, and are now kneading dough while singing a nursery rhyme in unison.

When the task is done, four-year-old Cait goes to her play kitchen to make bread for her dolls. Cairan, seven, walks to the living room and listens to her mother recite another chapter from Little House in the Big Woods, a book by the famous children’s author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Read more…

Welcome to this hundred-and-umpteenth Carnival of Homeschooling! Because November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo or nano), and I’m over 10,000 words into the writing process (and can’t think of anything but writing, writing, and more writing), I thought it would be appropriate to format this Carnival as sections of a book. I even consulted the Chicago Manual of Style for an authoritative list of book parts! Read more…

Today, I received a copy of a letter that my local MP sent to the education secretary, Ed Balls. This letter was prompted by my concerns about the Badman report, a review into home-education which was submitted in June and immediately accepted by Balls. The government may implement these recommendations by including them in the Queen’s speech on 18 November.

My six-year-old daughter is educated by me, at home. I am not a home-education evangelist and neither do I have any problem with the concept of school, but I do know that home education works for us. Badman’s recommendations would change what home education means to us – a positive and successful part of our family life – into an ongoing battle with the state. It would be compulsory for me to register with the local authority and a criminal offence for me not to. I would also have to apply to my local authority for approval which may, or may not, be granted. Even if granted, I would have to go through this process on an annual basis and, at any point the LEA could refuse my application and force my child into school. In terms of fostering an educational environment which feels secure for the child, it is hard to think how the government could be less helpful. Read more…

When Anne Marie Semke was a school-aged child, she said she thrived in the public school system. She loved it enough that she decided to become a teacher and taught at both public and private high schools in Vancouver, B.C. As an adult, Semke still has fond memories of public school but is choosing to homeschool her two children.

“When I became a teacher (I) realized this is a system that works for certain children and certain families but not for all,” Semke said during a weekly gathering of the ACTS HomeSchool Group at Sunrise Baptist Church in Puyallup. Read more…

“What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, road maps, guidebooks, to make it easier for them to get where they want to go (not where we think they ought to go), and to find out what they want to find out.” ~John Holt~ Teach Your Own

Homeschooling offers children the time and space they need to learn, grow and thrive. As we turned the clocks back this week-end, I thought of all the many hours we have enjoyed with our children over the years thanks to homeschooling. Below are a variety of posts that offer ideas and ways others are enjoying that precious family time. Read more…

People always ask me, “So, do you like home schooling?”

And I usually say something like, “Um … well, um … I mean, I like it, but I just have trouble with the part where you have to learn stuff. But once you get past that … well, um, it’s good.”

The better question to ask me would probably be, “Do you feel as if you are deprived of anything as a home-schooler?”

The answer? No.

I feel like there are a lot of advantages to being home-schooled. Read more…

• In 1512, Michelangelo’s paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were shown to the public for the first time.
• In 1952 the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb in a test in the Marshall Islands.
• In 2002 I registered the domain homeschoolbuzz.com. Coincidence?

After 7 years and 3,432 blog posts plus 550 book reviews, we’re still enjoying working on this site. We also enjoy reading the 165 fine homeschool blogs contributing to Homeschool Blog Buzz. We hope you each are blessed in some way by our efforts. I hope we can continue doing this for a long time.

After Hurricane Katrina kept thousands of kids out of school for weeks and months, and after talk of months-long closing of schools due to avian flu began popping up on the news, I organized a project, working with the staff and readers of Home Education Magazine, to write a guidebook for families who were unexpectedly given the job of teaching their kids at home. One immediate dilemma I noticed as I read through the pieces submitted for the book was the question of whether to try to keep up with what the school would have been teaching, or to use the time to do things better suited to the family’s own interests and needs.

This split between “school-at-home” on the one hand, and “unschooling” or “eclectic homeschooling” on the other, is a continuing debate among long-term homeschoolers as well. But for the family that is intending to homeschool for a year or less, it can be a big decision – and one that they don’t want to spend a lot of time worrying over. Read more…

A reader writes to say that his five year old came home from public school kindergarten with a flyer alerting parents that the kids are about to have a whole week of “Just Say No to Drugs” education. It shocked him that kids as young as this are being subjected to this sort of thing, and made the reader and his wife consider whether they would be better off getting their kids out of the public school environment, and homeschooling them.

He wrote me asking for homeschooling advice. I told him a couple of things from our experience. First, be realistic. Homeschooling is not for everybody, and it’s no panacea. You have to have a certain amount of idealism to get through the tough parts, but understand that there probably will be tough parts. Not everybody is ideally suited to be a teacher, nor are all kids suited to home learning. If you can go into it without illusions, you’ll do better. Read more…

Yes, this is the 200th edition of the COH!
(Today, October 27th, also happens to be my birthday!)

Thanks for responding to the COH invites.
Come on in and settle down… we have some great reading in store for you!
Read more…

The latest numbers from 2007 show 1.5 million kids in the United States are home-schooled, an increase of half-a-million kids in just 4 years according to the U.S. Department of Education.

We now meet one South Dakota mom who is teaching her five kids at home and find out why she made the decision to teach her kids, herself, at home.

Christina Driver doesn’t just help her kids with their homework. She’s assigns it, choosing to spend 180 days a year teaching at home….concerned about what her kids could be exposed to at public schools. Read more…

Some evangelical parents need monitoring by the state because they may ‘intimidate’ their children with ideas about God, sin and hell, a BBC radio host has said.
The Government’s Schools Minister replied by saying this is part of the reason for conducting a review of the rules on home education.

The comments were made on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Programme, broadcast on 18 October. Read more…

One of the great benefits of educating our own children is the ability to be free of the standard school calendar. Our family takes advantage of this by spending 16 weeks each summer in Maine. I want to share the beauties of our adopted state with some snapshots and fun facts.

Maine is a land of forests and shore. The tides rise and fall about 8 feet so there is a stark contrast between low and high tide so even little children can tell the difference and can figure out scientifically if the tide is coming in or going out. (Hint, look at boats on their moorings to tell which way they are being pulled) Read more…

Washington (CNSNews.com) – Andrew Revkin, who reports on environmental issues for The New York Times, floated an idea last week for combating global warming: Give carbon credits to couples that limit themselves to having one child.

Revkin later told CNSNews.com that he was not endorsing the idea, just trying to provoke some thinking on the topic. Read more…

Hi everyone! Welcome to the NerdFamily House! We are having our first rain of the season out here so I hope you didn’t get to wet. Come on in, let me take your jackets and bags. Make yourself at home!

Before we get into anything just a quick a reminder for all those in California. It is once again time for affidavits!! If you file a PSA you only have until October 15th to get over and fill that out online!!

You can grab a cup of coffee or a soda and go join in on the education conversations around the kitchen table. Read more…

“Chris was both a people person and a goal person. He cared deeply about people, but was also driven to always do more!” says HSLDA President J. Michael Smith. “He was the most determined person I ever met in my life. Even with all the things he accomplished every day at HSLDA, he continually wanted to tackle new challenges and serve homeschoolers in more and better ways. He was so focused on the homeschooling world, but he was also very much focused on his family and dedicated to raising his children.” Read more…

Recommended reading level: ages 16 and up
Reviewed by: Kathy Davis

Lyn is a gladiator daughter, coming from a line of seven gladiator fathers.  Yes, after her biological father died, Lyn’s mother married six consecutive gladiators, all who died a gladiator’s death.  Now it looks like Lyn might have to marry the man who killed her seventh father as he took her dowry bracelet her father was wearing during the fight for good luck.  Even though she learns this guy happens to be a tough gladiator but a nice guy, she isn’t ready to be married.  So, she begins to look for some way to get out of marrying him. Might it involve her facing him in the arena to the ultimate fight?

This novel blends ancient Rome with modern day.  There’s lots the book explores; a culture that is obsessed with violence, overpowering media coverage, special needs and family dynamics, death and grieving, and how an organization (gladiators association) can be like a strict religion. Besides being an interesting story, this book is a thought provoker.  Could our society, that is so addicted to reality TV, ever condone a “fight to the death” “gladiator” type sport?  It sure is convincing in the story.  These glads and glad wives are celebrities, complete with a paparazzi following.  Besides the gladiator culture, Lyn’s family is explored in depth.  She has a close relationship with her little brother, and is very protective of him as he has some sort of special needs.

I might mention I did find the narration a little challenging at first take, the conversations have no quotes nor any he said she said, it was free flowing thoughts and dialogues.  It was distracting only until I got the hang of it, which was by about the second or third chapter.

Be aware there is swearing, violence, commercialism including the mention of condoms, smoking and a character commits suicide.

Girl in the Arena has a unique style and topic.  The author does a fine job blending the ancient past time with modern day realism. I found the book absorbing and it kept me turning pages.

Note: Acknowledgements to Bloomsbury USA for providing me with an advance review copy of this book for review.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more information about gladiators.
Here are the other bloggers participating on this blog tour:

Abby the Librarian, A Patchwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, Maw Books Blog, My Own Little Corner of the World, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes

The first Duggar grandchild arrived Thursday night with her proud grandmother, Michelle Duggar, helping daughter-in-law Anna Duggar with the birth.

Mackynzie Renee Duggar checked in at an even 8 pounds and 19½ inches. Exclusive video of the birth was shown on TODAY Friday, and Mackynzie, her parents and the entire Duggar clan will be on TODAY Monday to talk about the newest member of America’s most famous superfamily. Read more…

Six-and-a-half-year-old Jack Cavanaugh says it’s “cool” having his mom as his teacher.
Joe and MaryAnn Cavanaugh of Honesdale had their hearts set on sending their son to St. Vincent’s School. But when the school closed its doors last spring, the family came up with a new plan: Catholic home schooling. Read more…

Brown, the executive director of the Upstate Homeschool Co-op, said a number of new students this year previously attended religious private schools, including Joshua and Deborah Rogers’ 5-year-old son, Austin.

Deborah Rogers said finances were a contributing factor in choosing to homeschool her son, who was enrolled in the early education program at a Greenville church. But with another son who would start preschool this year, Rogers knew expenses would begin to pile up.

It would have cost $400-$450 a month in tuition for the two children, she said, adding: “That’s a lot when we’re a single-income family.” Read more…

Boyd, writing to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, looked at the research promoted by the homeschooling movement itself.

It shows, according to Boyd, that almost all homeschooled children are in married-couple families (98 percent); most homeschool mothers don’t work outside the home (81 percent); and most homeschool parents have at least a bachelor’s degree (66 percent of fathers, and 63 percent of mothers).

That’s hardly the picture of a typical household in Mississippi, where only 19 percent of adults have a college degree and where the majority of children are born out of wedlock. Read more…

What he doesn’t mention from the same study, more parental education did not always correlate to better homeschool student achievement. (i.e., students of parents certified as teachers did worse). Parent education level did however explain a 2.5% difference in student scores. Not insignificant but certainly within the variance of government schools.
Personally, I don’t think all those single-parent under-educated families in Mississippi would or should take up homeschooling. But it’s nice to know they could if that’s their choice.

Four children of a family that fled Germany to avoid further fines for homeschooling have been snatched from their home in France by police and accused of “being alone,” according to a report today on the ongoing war against home education across the continent.

The word comes from the Home School Legal Defense Association, which has been involved in a long list of cases of persecution of homeschooling families across Europe, especially in Germany. Read more…

Carnival of Homeschooling How Did October Get Here So Quickly? All of a sudden school officially started, the leaves started turning orange and red, and the temperatures dropped too cold for and Indiana Fall. I surely don’t know how time flies by us so quickly, but I am already longing for warmer temps!

Thankfully, we are expecting some warmer temps this week… just a bit warmer. That is good for us, because we are in the middle of building a Sukkah outside in celebration of the Feast of Sukkot. We are using the Sukkah and all the information surrounding the Feast to home school by what I call Living Learning Moments. Living Learning Moments is just my name for hands-on life-learning. That’s how we home school. Read more…

IRVING TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Each day before the school bus comes to pick up the neighborhood’s children, Lisa Snyder did a favor for three of her fellow moms, welcoming their children into her home for about an hour before they left for school.

Regulators who oversee child care, however, don’t see it as charity. Days after the start of the new school year, Snyder received a letter from the Michigan Department of Human Services warning her that if she continued, she’d be violating a law aimed at the operators of unlicensed day care centers. Read more…

The biking debate started last spring, when school district officials told Kaddo Marino that Adam was violating school rules by biking to class. Walking to the school also is not permitted.

Kaddo Marino challenged the policy and asked the school board to change it. The district charged a committee to review the rule, which was instituted in 1994.

At the start of school in September, Kaddo Marino thought that she had a nonverbal agreement with school officials to allow her son to ride his bike until a new policy was resolved. But on the night before classes started, school authorities called parents to say that walking and biking to school would not be tolerated. Read more…

Free Printables

A website filled with Free Printables: Calendars, Cards, Worksheets, Games, Puzzles, etc. Hey, it’s free. Check it out.

Nick Hotel

I’ve never been to a Nickelodeon Hotel but it sounds like a good off-season deal. From an email sent to me:

Nickelodeon Family Suites wants you to take your lessons on the road to Orlando with new exclusive deals for home school families. Through December 23, 2009, Nick Hotel is offering family vacations starting at less than $90 a night for weekdays.

Serving as the perfect classroom for engaging and interactive lessons, Nick Hotel is an action-packed family resort with two huge pool complexes, live Nickelodeon entertainment including SpongeBob and Dora, themed KidSuites, a hands-on craft room, 4-D Theatre and so much more.

For more information or to book online, visit the site or call 877-NICK KID and ask for the promo code HOMESCHOOL.

Mindbites

Mindbites has great Education Video Lessons,  Children and Parenting and plenty of other content that would interest homeschoolers. Some of the videos are free, others are for online purchase and viewing. Homeschoolbuzz is an affiliate of MindBites and we will be featuring video samples from time to time like this one:

On Friday September 25, 2009 Glenn Beck had a special entitled “The Mother’s Challenge: A 9.12 Project.” During the final thoughts section Dr. Frank I. Luntz said, “If you begin everything with ‘as a mom…‘ You win.” That thought, and a brilliant comment by Nancy, during a discussion of the feeling of being alone, referring to her friends calling themselves “Sisterhood of the mommy patriots,” were the inspirations for starting this site.

The purpose of this group is to give a forum for moms of all types to come together to discuss and resolve issues. Through the centuries women a have bonded together to teach and mentor one another. In the spirit of those foremothers let us now come together. Many of you have questions, some of you have answers. Some of you may know what textbooks teach a good history of our nation. Others can mentor a first time school board candidate… Read more…

The Orcutt teenager’s latest achievement is Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction honor. High school students earn the award by scoring an average of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Sarah scored perfect 5s on biology, world history and English composition. She scored 4 points on English literature, U.S. history and European history. Read more…

“Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas,” the president said earlier this year. “Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.” Read more…

EL PASO — Shanaya Fastje writes books while most girls her own age play with dolls.

At 10, Shanaya has written and illustrated not one, but two children’s storybooks, “Mystery School,” and “Mystery School: Monday Sleepover Disaster,” both inspired by her own experiences as a home-schooled Northeast student.

To top things off, she is working on a third book, already doing high-school- level academic work and making her own bookmarks and jewelry to help support an international charity that benefits poor schoolchildren in Third World countries. And she is learning to play guitar and how to paint like an artist. Read more…

The students were asked ten basic questions ranging from “What is the supreme law of the land?” to “What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?” These questions, about history and government, were selected from the national citizenship test, which is administered to immigrants through the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The results of the survey are shocking:

* A staggering 77 percent didn’t know the name of the first President of the United States.
* An astounding 86 percent couldn’t name the author of the Declaration of Independence.
* A whopping 90 percent didn’t know how many justices there are on the U.S. Supreme Court.
* A paltry 2.8 percent of those polled actually “passed” this mock citizenship test. Read more…

When I or my kids get really interested in a subject, we easily find ourselves taking rabbit trails and seeing where they lead. This is how this carnival developed. I was looking for a few pictures and links about the autumnal equinox, taking place today – September 22nd – at 5:18pm EST. I was thinking something along the lines of this:

And a cool informational link.

But Google can be a dangerous thing, and before I knew it (about 6 hours later – including having to break to teach and eat and stuff), I had three pages of links, and my kids had heard pretty much everything they’d ever want to hear about the autumnal equinox and autumn in general. To redeem my “virtual wanderlust,” here is an entire school day’s worth – from science to recess – of anything and everything you would ever possibly want to know about autumn, the autumnal equinox, and homeschooling. Read more…

Welcome to the 194th Carnival of Homeschooling. Due to the number of critter-related posts we received this week, this week’s Carnival is dedicated to the wonderful world of animals.

(This is Snowball, our elderly hamster.)

Fall is the busy season for squirrels and many animals. Read more…

Home-school advocates say the lack of reporting and regulation is the way it should be because it leaves parents free to make choices for the child. But others say it leaves an uncounted number of children at the mercy of parents who don’t have what it takes to give kids what they need to avoid being left behind in life.

The tension between the two camps — traditional bricks-and-mortar educators and fiercely independent home-schooling parents — has existed for years with each bad-mouthing the other for real or perceived inadequacies.

Should Alaska join the ranks of other states by tightening its home-schooling laws? Read more…