The Gangs All Here

This is a picture of my family. My son, husband, daughter and of course the crazy dog. Yes he is sitting on a raft. He thinks he is the king of the pool lol.

Evaluator in Marion County Available

Her name is Jane, and she is the Evaluator we will be using. She is located in Marion County, and has experience. She has given me permission to post her info here, for others that may need an evaluator. Her email address is flcreate@yahoo.com and her phone number is 352-595-3071. Her fee is 40 dollars if she comes to you, within 30 miles, or 45 dollars for farther than 30 miles. She can do it for 35 at her home.

Youth League Baseball

Your local youth league, can be a great asset to homeschoolers. One it can help meet PE requirements, if you have to do PE. Two it helps with socialization issues. We just finished up our first year, of youth league baseball, through the SVL. Since homeschooled children cant play sports through the school, this was a great oppurtunity. It got to be a little pricey, but I wouldnt say it was too bad. They only won 3 regular season games, but they did end up winning the Championship, which I think surprised everyone. I am not sure my son will want to do baseball again next year, but he said maybe basketball.

Happy Memorial Day

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Memorial Day.



Memorial Day Comments ~ Myspace Comments

The last days of school

We are coming to the end of 2nd grade, and these last few days, will be casual and 1/2 days. We still will do recess, and PE, but not much new information will be added. He is reading his first Chapter book, a chapter a day, and will do a book report on the last day of school. He has to finish up his cursive writing alphabet, and I am going to touch on division just to see how it goes. The rest of the time will be spent reviewing what was learnt, in second grade. I take my starting curriculum, and make review papers for each Subject and topic. This will give me a very good idea, of any weak points there may be. How do you spend your last days of school, before summer vacation?

Want to learn a new language for free?

I found this article in Womans Day Magazine. You can learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portugese, Greek, Mandarin Chinese and many more. When you sign up you will get, weekly emails from a teacher, with lessons and learning tips. This is sponsored by the BBC which is on a mission to enrich peoples lives with programs and services, that inform, educate and entertain. Check it out at http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages

Simple Memorial Day/4th of July crafts

These could be for any patriotic holiday. We did the picture flag, last week, and they came out cute. It is geared more towards elementary school than older kids. The flag one is cute, and we will be doing that this week. I think it would be cute to make a planter using the same method, but putting the tissue paper on a terra cotta planter, or old milk box. Here are the links to the two crafts, enjoy.

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/shapes/holidays/postitflag_usa.htm
http://www.craftideas.info/html/american_flag_plant_poke_b.html

Here are some more websites with cool craft ideas, check them out too
http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/1343_tissue-crafts.htm
http://www.preschooleducation.com/afourth.shtml
http://www.makingfriends.com/tissue_paper_crafts.htm

Shop Good Will

I know this doesnt really pertain to homeschooling, but I wanted to share it with everyone. A friend just told me about this cool site call shop good will. All sales proceeds go to the Good Will Charity. Click the link and check it out http://www.shopgoodwill.com/

TLS Books free worksheets

This site is great, and I use it quite frequently. They offer free printable worksheets, for all subjects. Plus they offer standardized testing printables, for free. It is a great site, click the link to check it out.

http://www.tlsbooks.com/secondgradeworksheets.htm

Want Books at a great price

I actually saw this site, advertised on a commercial. I thought it was probably just for college level books. But when I went to their website, they have tons and tons of books, for all grade levels. If you want to check it out go to http://flus.cheapbooks.com/search_director.cgi?category=Books&query=3rd+grade They offer price comparison from several different websites, so you pick the deal that is best for you.

Dj's Hot Dog Poem

Anyone who has followed my blog, knows we are concentrating on writing skills. I found an awesome website called busy teachers cafe, and they have great tips for writing and other skills. Every month they put out a calendar, with a different writing topic for each day of the week. We have been doing it since March, and his writing has improved immensely. He was so proud of his hot dog poem he asked me to put it on here. So here it is, I hope you get as much of a kick out of it as I did

Once I had a hot dog, it was all shiny and red.
I thought I would keep it and tucked it in bed.
I put him in a bun, he thought it was fun, but when he was done we went outside and played in the sun.
It was too hot for him, he was roasting like pork.
When I thought about it for a minute, I felt like a dork.
I brought him in the house, it was all nice and cool.
A few minutes later he wanted to go in the pool.
I put him in the pool, it was all nice and clean.
But then he went to the bathroom, because I fed him a bean.
My hot dog was sleepy so I put him in the playpen. and he got real weepy.
Mom was home I didnt want her to meet it,
So I decided to eat it.
And that is my poem about a hot dog.

The End

His spelling wasnt perfect, and I added the commas, but he was very proud, and so was I.

Budget cuts will cost school district 20 positions

According to the Gilchrist County Journal, budget cuts, will cost the school district 20 positions. Retiring teachers, will not be replaced, and some teachers aides will need to be laid off. This is a huge blow, for any of the counties, that are now dealing with budget cuts. When Amendment 1 was passed, the state had to come up with other ways to get the revenue lost through the tax cuts for homeowners through the Homestead Act. Unfortunately schools, and Healthcare will suffer due to these budget cuts.

Happy Mothers Day

I would like to say Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers today. May your day be blessed, and peaceful.

Caitlins 4th Birthday

Yesterday was my little ones fourth birthday. It was a interesting day. Potty training has been a chore with her, and I told her when she turned 4 the pull ups would be gone. So there was a lot of drama, but success was attained. Today the 10th, we had a little party, and mothers day all in one. I made her pet shop cake, and she loves her pet shop house. She thanks everyone that sent her cards and gifts. If you scroll down the page you will see pictures. She will be starting preschool homeschool in the fall.

Have a Homework question, Algebra, Calculus, Term Paper

Go to the right hand column type in your question in the Just Answer box, and press ask question. Certified teachers and other educators will answer your question. There is a fee, but you only pay if you are satisfied with their answer. Check it out, it is a cool feature.

29 Days until Summer Vacation

As you can see by the widget, at the top of my blog, there are 29 days of school left. Do you follow a standard school calendar, make your own, or school all year? We followed the local school calendar, because it was our first year, and we started after public school had already started. We did change it just a hair, to meet some of our needs. Such as spring break was taken a month, before the school calendar, as we had family coming from out of town. I have already started making my own calendar for next year, and it will be based on our own needs, and a regular school calendar.

Kingskids Learning Games

This site, has all learning games, for all grade levels. This is one of our favorite sites, to use. Click the link to visit, and start learning through games http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/108.html

Homeschool Views

This site, is a nice little site. It has free printables, games, ideas, curriculums, plus other great things. I have used this one alot in the past. Click the link to visit this site http://www.homeschoolviews.com/resources/printables.html

3rd Grade Reading List

We are preparing for next year, which will be 3rd grade. This is the Reading List we will be following. Feel free to copy it if you want, and change it to fit your childs needs.


Atwater, Richard Mr. Popper's Penguins
Benchley, NathanielFeldman Fieldmouse
Birney, Betty G. The World According to Humphrey
Blume, Judy Fudge-a-Mania
Bond, Michael A Bear Called Paddington
Bunting, Eve Nasty Stinky Sneakers
Byars, Betsy Beans on the Roof
Carlson, Natalie The Family Under the Bridge
Carrick, Carol What a Wimp!
Catling, Patrick The Chocolate Touch
Christopher, Matt Secret Weapon
Cleary, Beverly Muggie Maggie
Clifford, Eth Harry's Horrible Snake Disaster
Cone, Molly Mishmash and the Substitute Teacher
Cussler, Clive The Adventures of Vin Fiz
Danzinger, Paula Amber Brown is Not a Crayon (Series)
Delton, Judy Kitty in the Middle
Duffey, Betsy How to Be Cool in the Third Grade
Evans, Douglas The Elevator Family
Gannett, Ruth My Father's Dragon
Gardiner, John Reynolds Stone Fox
George, Jean Craighead There's an Owl in the Shower
Gilson, Jamie It Goes Eeeeeeeeeeeee!
Grahame, Kenneth The Reluctant Dragon
Greenwald, Shelia Give Us a Great Big Smile, Rosy Cole
Griffith, Helen Caitlin's Holiday
Haas, Dorothy Beware the Mare
Harding, William Alvin's Famous No-Horse
Hesse, Karen The Cats in Krasinski Square
Hiser, Constance Critter Sitters
Howe, Deborah Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery (Series)
Huritz, Joanna The Just Desserts Club
King-Smith, DickThe School Mouse
Kline, Suzy Horrible Harry Moves Up to Third Grade
LeGuin, Ursula Catwings
Lewis, Marjorie Wrongway Applebaum
Maclachlan, Patricia Sarah Plain and Tall
Miles, Betty Secret Life of the Underwear Champ
Miller, William Richard Wright and the Library Card
Pennypacker, Sara Clementine
Pinkwater, Daniel Fat Men From Space
Pullman, Philip Spring-heeled Jack
Quackenbush, Robert M. Bicycle to Treachery
Quattlebaum, MaryJackson Jones and the Puddle of Thorns
Quindlen, Anna Happily Ever After
Rabe, Bernice Margaret's Moves
Robinson, Nancy K. Angela and the Broken Heart
Rockwell, Thomas How to Eat Fried Worms
Roy, Ron The Missing Mummy
Sharp, Margery The Rescuers
Smith, Janice Lee The Kid Next Door & Other Headaches
Sobol. Donald Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (Series)
Taylor, Mildred The Gold Cadillac
Van Allsburg, Chris Jumangi
Van Leeuwen, Jean The Great Rescue Operation
Walter, Mildred Justin & the Best Biscuits in the World
Warner, Gertrude The Boxcar Children (Series)
White, E.B. Charlotte's Web
Wright, Betty Ren A Ghost in the Family
Yep, Laurence Cockroach Cooties
Yolen, Jane The Seeing Stick