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Teaching the Mortgage Crisis; Ten Year Old Wants Work

By Heather Idoni

Added Monday, February 15, 2010
==========================================================
Vol. 11 No. 11, February 15, 2010, ISSN: 1536-2035
==========================================================
© 2010, Heather Idoni - www.FamilyClassroom.net
==========================================================

Welcome to The Homeschooler's Notebook!

If you like this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend!
And please visit our sponsors! They make it possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=================
IN THIS ISSUE:
=================

Notes from Heather
-- Presidents Day & Webinar
Helpful Tip
-- Mortgage Crisis Lessons
Winning Website
-- Creating Music
Reader Question
-- Ten Year Old Wants to Work
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information

===================
Notes from Heather
===================

Today is Presidents Day! :-)

Jodi at www.HomeGrownHearts.com has a great page with pictures
of Presidents Day lapbooks she did with her boys as well as up-to-date
links to activities and crafts you can enjoy with your children:

http://www.homegrownhearts.com/presidentsday.htm

---

"Credits and Grades and Transcripts... Oh, My!" -- Take Two!

I have good news for those of you who couldn't attend our
first online seminar (webinar) in January.  We have scheduled
a repeat performance with Lee!

It will be held on Thursday, February 25th - 5 pm PST / 8 pm EST

Just go to this link for the FREE sign-up:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/741409968

Here are just a few of the great comments we received after the
first webinar:

"Thank you for your well thought out webinar.  You are easy
to understand and communicate well.  It was well worth my
time, and I would not be surprised if many of us feel much
better about tackling the task of homeschooling through high
school!  Lee spoke very clearly and I appreciate her visual
examples.  It was a good introduction to the subject."

"Thanks for all the wonderful info.  I feel that I am more
prepared for my daughter starting high school next year."

"Thanks!  Very impressed with your presentation, knowledge
and outcomes with your sons.  Kudos!  Extremely well done,
comprehensive, enjoyable, informative, professional, succinct."

"Thank you for giving your time to guide us and ease our
fears. You have been very gracious.  Lord willing, I *can*
do this (homeschool high school, that is!)  Very helpful."

"Fabulous!  Great information that eases the fears of
homeschooling high school AND documenting it."

"You're doing a wonderful job.  I thought it was great and
the ability to participate live and have an immediate answer
to a question was worth everything."

"This was indeed encouraging.  My youngest of 3 children is
just nearing graduation... all were  home schooled K-12.
Thanks for helping others keep their children at home during
high school, and to face their fears and do well!  I enjoyed
it!  Very well organized!  Thanks so much!"

"Thank you so much for the invitation. It was helpful. I'm a
little less stressed now!  Excellent and useful information."

"This really eased my fears.  I'm a new homeschooler, pulling
my children from public school this last fall.  My oldest is
in 7th grade and this webinar relieved a lot of stress and
fear. Thank you."

"So very helpful!  As a longtime homeschooler (9 years), I
was a little nervous to start homeschooling high school. Your
Webinar greatly eased my concerns! Thank you so much."

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!  This was an
awesome and informational webinar for me.  I have been

very unsure and stressed out about bringing my 16 year old
home to school.  (We have four younger kids we already
homeschool, but they are at least 4 years from high school.)
I was afraid of 'messing up' his chances for his choice in
colleges.  Not anymore!  Thank you so much for sharing

your experience and knowledge!"


Hope you can join us at the next free webinar on February 25th!

Blessings,
Heather and Lee

---

Do you have comments to share? Please do!
Send your emails to: mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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have a resource like this instead of having to
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your maps to many people." -- Sue


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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
================
Helpful Tip
================

Use this great article and study questions to teach Sociology,
Economics, Math, Character Building, Bible, Critical Thinking
and Current Events!

The Wall Street Journal recently featured an excellent article
taking a look at the mortgage crisis
and the moral dilemma that
many families have found themselves in -- namely, those who have
realized they benefit financially from just "walking away" from
payments they can no longer afford -- or a home value that is far
below what they owe due to circumstances beyond their control.

The questions the article raises would be great to discuss with
your children -- and one of my favorite websites, Izzit.org, has
come up with some specific questions you can use to initiate
this across-the-curriculum conversation!

Click here for a link to the full article and discussion questions.

---

Do you have an idea, experience, or tip to share? Please write!
Send to: mailto:HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net

==================
Winning Website
==================

Creating Music -- www.creatingmusic.com
 
Created for children of all ages, this site features games and other
activities for kids to create and listen to music.  The music sketch
pad is really neat -- click on an instrument, then draw up and down
lines.  Click "play" to hear your composition!

Cindy Prechtel, www.HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com

===============================
Last Issue's Reader Question
===============================

"My soon to be 10 year old has stated a few times lately that he wants
to 'work', as in a job that pays money.  We require our kids to do daily
chores and anything else we need them to do, in addition to schoolwork,
and they get an allowance per their age once a month.  He has already
saved quite a bit of money in the bank.  I don't want to squelch this
desire in him, but he can't mow lawns yet (it's winter) and I'm wondering
how to not let this opportunity pass.  Any suggestions?" -- Jill T.

=========================
Our Readers' Responses
=========================


"Jill -- Not knowing about the area in which you live, these suggestions
may or may not apply, but these are some of the things our son did to
earn some extra money in the neighborhood:  For the elderly, he would
collect their mail and newspaper and take it to the door for them
(earning him a quarter or 50 cents), pick up the debris in their yards
(usually earning him $1-$2), and helping them out with various other
chores requested of him (earning various different amounts).  He is
still helping out many of the same neighbors today and he has learned
a lot from them in many ways." -- Kimberly

---

"Jill -- If your son is that ambitious, outstanding!  Time for some
collaborative thinking with your son.  With him, do some Internet
research and brainstorming, coming up with a list of things he is both
capable of doing and wants to do but needs some skills.

Then start emphasizing the need to start something now -- and by the
time he is 15 he could have a very profitable business.

Ditch the allowance.  Phase it out non-chalantly.  'You know something
son, I made a mistake.  An allowance is the wrong message I am trying
to send to you.  It is the same as welfare and you need to work for
every penny you get in life.  This is true when you become an adult
and it will be true in this house starting next month.'

Then have a list of jobs he can do for money.  And make it real work,
not just dusting or picking up the yard.

We give $2 per hour to our children.  They rarely use it, but spend
most of their time trying to come up with ways to start a business.
Have they done it yet?  No, but their mindset is where I want it to be.

Encourage your son for having the mindset and willingness to work.  By
taking it just a step further, you will be amazed at the transformation
by the time he is 15 or 16.  All my best and encouragement."

-- David Kimball, www.household-budget-made-easy.com

---


"Jill -- What about agreeing to pay your son for extra chores around the
house?  My son has scrubbed walls, cleaned grout, reorganized bookshelves,
etc. to earn extra money.  The chores I give him to earn extra are not
his regular responsibilities; they are things that I really need to get
to and haven't had time.  It benefits both of us!
 
Also, he could ask grandma or another relative if they have any such
chores he could help them with for some extra spending money.

Good luck!" -- Michelle O.

---

"Hi, Jill!  I too, have a boy who is always looking for a way to make
some money!  He turned 10 in January, and here are some things we have
done:

1.  He has a 'can route'.  He called friends and relatives in our
neighborhood and asked them to save their cans for him.  He sorts them
(steel vs aluminum) and we take them once per year to the scrap metal
place to sell them.  He walks to his various stops and picks up can along
the way, also keeping our streets and ditches cleaned up.  (We live in a
rural area, so it is a bit of a walk).

2.  He built marshmallow launchers out of PVC pipe, and sold them on ebay.
We have spoken to a man that owns a small sporting goods shop, and he is
interested in carrying them, too.

3.  He hires out to weed the neighbors' gardens.  This summer he will
also mow the lawn for one of them.

4.  Garage sale -- He cleaned up his room, sorted and priced toys and
books he was done with, and we ran them in a multi-family yard sale.  He
helped with the set up, worked the sale, and helped with the clean up.

A side note:  Of the money he makes, 30% goes into the bank, 10% to God,
and the balance between 'learn' and 'fun'.  He gets an allowance each
month, and it is split the same way.

Good luck!" -- Robin

---

"Here's what I have done with my ambitious children who wanted to earn
extra money and it was cold outside.  I would find projects that I would
like to get done but never have time for, like cleaning the kitchen cabinet
fronts, straightening drawers, washing walls or doors, vacuuming behind or
under couches, using the vacuum hose to get up close to baseboards, etc.
-- odd jobs that get neglected a lot.  I set a price on each, say a nickel
or dime a door, twenty five cents a drawer cleaned.  Just agree on a price
before beginning.

A lot of extra chores that I don't normally have time for were done, they
earned some money, and we were all happy with the results." -- Kim

---

"Hi, Jill -- My daughter is on the same page as your son.  She's saving
for an item and wants to earn money other than allowance.  I thought
vacuuming people's cars for a few dollars was a good idea (take size in
consideration when setting prices).  Neighbors, close family, and friends
who visit often work best.  We have a  shop vacuum that works excellently
for the task.  Just be sure to ask the car owner to look well under and
in between all nooks and crannies of their vehicle and remove all items
they want to save from being sucked into the vacuum.  You don't want your
son to suck up something valuable or important.  For a more detailed
cleaning of the inside the price can be adjusted.  Since it's winter,
water and boys don't mix!  :)

Another one is organizing their garage (or a specific area/group of items).
You would agree that this would have to be done in the home of people you
completely trust." -- Yiriam  L.

---

"If you have neighbors close by, he could perhaps find work walking dogs,
or taking garbage cans out to the curb on trash day and returning them
after pick up.  He might be too young to have a paper route, but you could
look into that too." -- Laurie

---

"I think a wonderful idea for kids to earn money is to have them clean out
neighborhood trash containers.  Many communities now use these large cans
for trash pickup.  They can post fliers and have customers drop off their
cans the day it gets emptied.  Be sure to have some sort of label so you
know who to return them to.  These would only take 15-30 minutes per can
using a high pressure hose.  Then give them a scrub down and a spray with
Lysol.  Many would be willing to pay big bucks to get their cans fresh
and clean, especially in the hot summer." -- Sandy

---

"Jill -- try thinking about your son's interests and special abilities.  Is
he good at working with his hands?  Maybe he could build birdhouses or
birdfeeders to sell.  Does he like young children?  Babysitting under your
supervision might be worth trying.  Is he responsible and conscientious?
Perhaps you have neighbors who need someone to care for their pets or
houseplants when they go on vacation.  Elderly people often need help with
simple things like shoveling snow, washing windows, or changing light bulbs.

Does he like to bake?  Cookies and other baked goods always sell well.  You
might check out some books with ideas for businesses for children, such as
The New Totally Awesome Business Book for Kids or Beyond the Traditional
Lemonade Stand
or The Kids' Business Book.  There are probably others, and
maybe your library would have some." -- Mary Beth

=========================
Answer our NEW Question
=========================

"Has any one used the AKVO/Sequential Spelling system all the way through
and been satisfied with the results?
 
I love the way it logically builds.  It makes sense to me.  I wondered if
anyone has used it for a child that did not think logically?  How did they
do?
 
One of my daughters, as Cynthia Tobias says in The Way They Learn, is a
global learner (needs to see the big picture before absorbing the details,
needs to hear something more than once), and something like... an abstract
random learner.  Thank God I found that book or I'd think something was
wrong!  She thinks so differently than me. :-)
 
I also wonder if anyone has found a spelling curiculum/system (yes, I'm
logically minded) that they found that worked well for my daughter's
learning style type -- global/abstract random/auditory learner.
 
Thanks." -- Anna

---

Would you like to address Anna's question?

Please send your answer to: mailto:HN-answers@familyclassroom.net


=====================
Ask YOUR Question
=====================

Do you have a question you would like our readers to answer?

Send it to mailto:HN-questions@familyclassroom.net and we'll see
if we can help you out in a future issue!


=======================
Need Immediate Help?
=======================

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This ultra-safe chat is supervised by experienced moms who are
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ear and encouragement.

http://www.HomeschoolChat.us


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