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Fact or Fraud: 4 Common Science Textbook Errors

September 19, 2016 by Susan 10 Comments

Did you know that science textbooks from elementary school through college continue to print “facts” that were patently proven false decades ago?  We examine these common textbook topics:

  • Peppered Moths
  • Embryonic Homology
  • The Miller Experiment
  • The Geologic Column

Fact or Fraud: 4 Things Your Science Textbook Has Wrong

 

If your child’s textbook taught that bloodletting, heroin, and mercury were effective medical treatments, I imagine you’d take issue with that.  After all, those practices were proven false long ago.  Well, did you know that science textbooks from elementary school through college continue to print “facts” that were patently proven false (by mainstream science) decades ago.

Several years ago, my husband began studying evolution and the age of the earth with a critical eye.  Since then he’s travelled to a number of states to present at camps, churches, and a Bible College.  For Christians, he presents solid Biblical evidence.  He also provides ample scientific evidence that is easy to understand that proves that evolution, besides being mathematically impossible, is wrought with lies and deception.

So let’s dig in to determine fact or fraud.  I know some of these examples will look familiar to you…get ready for (as Paul Harvey used to say), “The rest of the story.”

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The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Disney

August 9, 2016 by Susan 14 Comments

 

This is the ultimate guide to adding learning to your Disney vacation.  Literature, history, geography, science, and more.  You might be surprised how many educational opportunities there are!

Are you looking for ways to incorporate your trip to Disney World into your studies. Ideas for literature, history, and loads more to homeschool Disney!

Incorporating our real life into our schooling has always been important to us, like when we took an impromptu trip to Texas to spend a few weeks, and the ways we’ve learned about our state with fun first day of school field trips.  So deciding to homeschool Disney World was a no-brainer!

Studying about an amusement park, you ask?  Spending valuable school time learning about a cartoon Mouse?

If that’s what you’re thinking, you are in for a treat!

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First Day of School Traditions for Your Homeschool

August 3, 2016 by Susan 11 Comments

 

The freedom that homeschooling offers can make for some of the best first days of school ever!

When I say the words “first day of school”, what do you think of?

Sharpened pencils, that first swipe of crayon on a page, cracking open the glue sticks?

As a homeschooling family, we have tried to remember to take advantage of the freedom afforded us.  We’ve incorporated travelling into our schooling, for one thing.  Another thing that I’ve tried to do is make the first day of school unique.

Since we’re still several weeks out from school starting for most folks, I thought I’d share some of our best first days with you to hopefully get your creative juices flowing!

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7 Honest Homeschool Math Curriculum Reviews

July 11, 2016 by Susan 9 Comments

The ultimate review collection.  Reviews of all of the math curriculum we’ve tried over 10 years of homeschooling.  What worked & what we really wanted to work but just didn’t…pros, cons, hits, misses.

Honest homeschool math curriculum reviews from 10 years of homeschooling. What worked, and what we really wanted to work but just didn't.

 

When we started homeschooling, the one thing my kids asked was that we not use Saxon Math curriculum.  The charter school they had attended used it and it was not their favorite.

Let me say clearly…I know lots of homeschool families that use and LOVE Saxon.  It’s just not a good fit for us.

One of the very best things about homeschooling is that you can pick and choose what will work for your family.  And if something doesn’t work…you can try something else!

Math Curriculum

With math, we have used a number of different curriculums (I know “curricula” is the correct plural, but it sounds funny, so I don’t say it).

When I was looking for things to try, I loved reading about other people’s experiences.  So today, I thought I’d share ours.  Each one of these had pros and cons, things we liked and things we didn’t.  You can click on the images to read more about each curriculum.

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Smashbooks

June 1, 2016 by Susan 22 Comments

We used Smashbooks to homeschool while travelling. Loved them!!

A few years ago, Minnesota hosted the “Winter That Never Ends”.  By the beginning of March, we began dreaming of a sunny vacation.  Greg pointed out that with us homeschooling and him working from home, we had the freedom to be anywhere.  We talked about how nice a condo in Florida would be, if only we could afford it.  And then I remembered.

“Honey, your mom lives in Texas.  Texas is warm.”

And so we went.

We made our home in Waco for two and a half weeks, one of which I designated as Spring Break.  I wanted to take full advantage of our new environment for our schoolwork the rest of the time.  And I wanted to do something creative.  We had done lapbooks several times, including one before a trip to Disneyworld, but I felt the boys may have outgrown them.

Have you heard of Smashbooks?

They are essentially a type of scrapbook, but less structured and made on the go.  Unlike a scrapbook that you make after an event, a smashbook you put together while you’re doing it.

Smashbooks can be in a regular notebook, plain scrapbook, or binder.

And having the word “smash” in the name made it more appealing to my two boys.  🙂

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Spelling Wisdom

May 11, 2016 by Susan 3 Comments

Spelling Wisdom from Simply Charlotte Mason is a unique and effective way to teach spelling.

While we never really subscribed to any one philosophy of homeschooling, the closest we got would have to be the Charlotte Mason method.  I was always drawn to her belief in educating the whole child through discipline and exposure to art, music, nature and great writing.

My boys had a heavy phonics background in their time at the local charter school they attended.  My eldest finished fifth grade and my younger third when we decided to homeschool.  They were both strong spellers.

So when we began homeschooling, I was looking for a spelling program that built on the foundation they had.

What we landed on was Spelling Wisdom by Simply Charlotte Mason.  We used the downloadable version, and only printed what we needed.

As described on their website:

Learn today’s 6,000 most frequently used words presented in the writings of great men and women of history.

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About me…

Welcome! I'm Susan, and I'm so glad you're here. I am a former teacher turned homeschooler, married to my favorite person, blessed far more than I deserve, and certain that we don't have to do it all alone. Find Out More…

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  • Homeschool
    • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews
    • Homeschooling High School
      • Earning College Credits in High School
    • Elementary, Middle School, & Littles
    • Homeschool Experiences (Tutoring/Study Groups)
    • Homeschool Consulting
  • Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Vegetables & Sides
    • Breads
    • Desserts
    • Beverages
    • Freezer Recipes
    • Preserving
  • Faith
    • Resources for Living a Biblical Faith
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Marriage
      • How to Break Porn Addiction: There is Hope!
    • Everything Disney
    • All the Board Games
    • Themed Entertaining
    • Home & Garden
      • Herbal Remedies
  • Contact
  • Home