New Boys' Adventure Catalog, Music Theory Online, More!
By Heather Idoni
Added Monday, November 29, 2010
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Vol. 11 No. 70, November 29, 2010, ISSN: 1536-2035
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© 2010, Heather Idoni - www.FamilyClassroom.net
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Welcome to The Homeschooler's Notebook!
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 The Keystone School is an accredited and licensed private school that offers teacher-supported distance learning courses for grades 6 – 12. We have partnered with homeschool families for over three decades in educating children at home through middle and high school. At Keystone you can enroll your child in a full course load, or supplement another homeschool curriculum with one or two Keystone courses. Whether your child's goal is to become conversational in Mandarin, get a head start on earning college credit by taking AP courses or brush up on English grammar, Keystone can help. Call us at 800-255-4937 or visit keystoneschoolonline.com to learn more. |
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Notes from Heather
-- New Boy's Adventure Catalog!
Resource Review
-- Bringing Them Home
Helpful Tip
-- Notebooking/Lapbooking Site
Reader Question
-- Free Music Theory Resources?
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
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Notes from Heather
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Brand New Online Store/Catalog for Cool BOY Stuff!
I was recently introduced to this great store for fun adventure products for boys! :-)
http://J.M. Cremp's is a brand new company owned and operated by Jay and Maria Asplin, along with their five boys, Michael, Peter, Collin, Erik and Ryan. They live in (and work out of) their home in Dassel, Minnesota.
They have everything from great books to totally cool items like these zip lines (which I never would have thought of, but I'm seriously considering for a Christmas present for my boys!):
http://www.jmcremps.com/Summer-Adventures/products/76/
And check-out these great authentic looking dress-up ideas!
http://www.jmcremps.com/Costumes/products/66/
You can view the entire J.M. Cremp's online catalog here:
Or request a free catalog by mail here:
https://www.jmcremps.com/inforequest.asp
Hope you enjoy browsing their catalog as much as I did.
Anybody have a good catalog for girl stuff to recommend? Let me know! :-)
-- Heather
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Your feedback is always welcome! -- mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net
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JMCremps.com - Coupon good thru December 10th!
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Resource Review
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Bringing Them Home
Author: Elizabeth Wiens
Published by: OakTara
For more information or to order: http://elizabethwiens.com
Bringing Them Home is a fictional novel packed with both encouragement and practical information for homeschool families, or those considering homeschooling. The author is a homeschool mom, as well as a passionate advocate, educating others about the problems with government-run education.
Although it is a fictional account, the dialogue and the characters mirror a real life family that begins as so many do, with doubts about the schools where their children attend. Meet the Knight family, and follow them on their journey from thinking homeschooling is “weird” to fully embracing the lifestyle. Along the way, they are supported by other, more experienced homeschool families, deal with some who don’t understand their decision, and share their struggles and successes as they figure out what works for their family.
Since the goal of the book is to introduce those considering homeschooling and encourage families who are already on the journey, Mrs. Wiens weaves both practical information, as well as, the emotional thought process that takes place as a family adjusts to the changes that homeschooling brings. This is not a “how-to” book, yet homeschool moms will find themselves picking up helpful tips woven throughout the story. The best thing about this novel is how the author lets you inside the head and heart of these parents who are striving to do what is best for their children. Parents, especially moms, will find themselves relating to the inner struggle that we face when we navigate the days, months and years of our homeschooling journey.
This is a great book to encourage new homeschoolers, and even more beneficial to those who are considering removing their children from the school system. Although there is not a lot of new information for those who have been homeschooling for several years, I still found myself encouraged and my ideals reinforced, which we all need when we are swimming upstream in this culture!
Cindy Prechtel, www.HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com
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Helpful Tip
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I came across this awesome site for notebooking and lapbooking pages:
http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/ancientcivilizations.htm
I hope you all enjoy it and find something you can use. Thanks to a friend who shared it with me!" -- Toni
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Last Issue's Reader Question
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"Hi -- I'm new to homeschooling and wondering if anyone knows of any free websites out there for introducing music theory?" -- Vicki
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Our Readers' Responses
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"Hi, Vicki -- and welcome to homeschooling! From what I've seen, you can find free curriculum on the web for almost any subject. Here are some sites we've used for music:
Free web-based music theory lessons:
http://www.8notes.com/
(Scroll down to the bottom left under 'other stuff' and click 'music theory'. They also have free sheet music and more!)
Music theory printables based on keyboard:
http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/
(Click on 'music fundamentals'. They also have some free basic piano and guitar lessons with sheet music and audio examples.)
Fun site for kids, but useful for older beginners, too:
http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/printit_notename.htm
(Click on 'Free Music Theory Worksheets' in the middle area. They also have free sheet music, blank staff paper, and composer biographies.)
And this isn't theory, but was helpful to identify a problem with sense of pitch:
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/tunetest/dtt.asp
Enjoy!" -- Tracy
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"Here is a great Music Theory ebook offered free by Jonathon Harnum:
http://www.allabouttrumpet.com/BMT/BMT_giveaway.html
Also, Joy Miller from Five J's blog has a lesson plan/study guide available at her blog:
http://fivejs.com/free-basic-music-theory-study-guide/
Hope this helps." -- Melissa C.
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"Hi -- I'm planning to try this one:
http://datadragon.com/education/reading/
I haven't got far into it, so I hope it's a good one." -- Diana
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Answer our NEW Question
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For our upcoming High School special edition --
"My son was diagnosed with ADD in sixth grade, and he was in public school until his 8th grade year. According to the public school system he was working at slightly below his grade level, so when I began to homeschool him I made the mistake of not doing a skill level evaluation. By the middle of our 9th grade year I began to realize that all of the basic skills that he was supposed to have gained in public school were not there or not strong. I had him take a skill evaluation test the end of last year, and I adjusted his curriculum to his ability. My question is this: How do I get all of his required high school classes completed while still adjusting his curriculum to reteach things he has missed at a skill level he can handle? If anyone could help it would greatly be appreciated." -- Felicia
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Would you like to share some advice and/or encouragement with Felicia?
Please send your response by email to: hn-answers@familyclassroom.net
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Ask YOUR Question
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Do you have a question for our readers?
Send it to mailto:HN-questions@familyclassroom.net and we'll answer it in an upcoming issue!
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