Cool Homeschool Stuff for this Year

1. Wrap Ups. How fun are these! I love doing them too! Gracie does these while listening to Adventures in Odyssey. We've been on this Adventures in Odyssey kick this summer. You can listen online - new episodes are added all the time, too. The site is whitsend.org my kids like to listen to it while they fold laundry or draw.

Back to the Wrap Ups, Gracie and I are doing this whole 10 days to multiplication mastery program in the summer. She had a hard time in 3rd grade with some of her multiplication facts, so I am hoping this will help. She needed something hands-on - and this is ideal! She can listen to the Wrap Up CD, and do it with her hands at the same time. Sensory overload is good when you are trying to drill something in.

2. An overhead projector! I have literally 1,000's of Art Transparencies and other neat overhead stuff, so I will really be using this a lot in my Art Co-op class I'll be teaching this year. Yes, it is huge, I haven't told my husband we are going to have to store it who knows where, but think of the cool art projects I can do with it. I can put anything in the world on a wall with this thing! I might even go into business painting murals.

3. Teaching Textbooks. Algebra I. This is my first experience with a video based curriculum and let me tell you I am giddy that I won't be teaching Algebra! I can diagram sentences, analyze the complete works of Shakespeare and say volumes about the History of Art but I have no business teaching Algebra!

4. New subscription to Puritan Picks. Go HERE to see what I am talking about. This is kind of a Christian NetFlicks kind of thing. I love it because there are many videos I can check out there that I wanted for schooling, but I didn't want to buy it for just 1 or 2 watchings. And have you noticed that the local video store is disappearing? I think Redbox is causing this to happen. We read Pilgrim's Progress and I wanted the cool, new version to show the kids. There are lots of great books that are movies and I would like the kids to watch when they finish reading. Ally will read the Hiding Place this August, can't wait to watch that. ALSO - I wanted some Drive Through History movies and they have those as well.

5. Great planners for everyone! In the past, I have printed daily sheets for each kid - this year I just bought some planners and I will keep kid-friendly lesson plans that they will follow for themselves.

6. New bins for organization. I love these, got them at Walmart for $3. I needed more room for each kid's stuff this year. These are Gracie & Daniel's - Ally's are in a separate part of our school room (the Jr. High section). I couldn't just put her books with the elementary kids books, you know, come on she is a 7th grader this year.

7. Silver Metallic Sharpies and Construction paper Crayolas. Wow. I think these are my 2 favorite art things, well this month anyway. Paired with some really great black construction paper and you have brillance in art projects! These crayons are like oil pastels, really rich in color. I can't wait to set the kids loose with these! Or maybe I'll hide them and keep them all to myself!

8. Last but not least, B broke down and bought Rosetta Stone for learning Latin American Spanish. Can't wait for the whole family to go through this program together.

I have so many more exiting books and things we are doing this year. I am getting ALMOST excited to start school again. I just need a couple of teacher workdays to pull it all together. I always plan some neat little cutsies and surprises for the first day. Last year I redecorated the school room and didn't allow them to see until the 1st day. We are planning to start school on the 16th!