Woo Hoo! TOS is doing it again! Fall Homeschool Expo October 4-8, 2010

They are doing it again! TOS is hosting another online homeschool expo this fall and has a two-day sale on registration today and tomorrow! Check it out!!!

'Save $10 on Schoolhouse Expo Registration - Two Days Only'

RECIPE: Homemade Syrup

No, I am not telling you how to tap a maple tree, here! Just a recipe for a simple, very frugal, additive-free pancake syrup!

Simple Pancake Syrup
2 c white sugar
2 c dark brown sugar
2 c water

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat until boiling stirring occasionally being careful not to agitate any crystals that may have formed on the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and add 2 T butter. You may also add 1 t vanilla or maple extract if desired (but we usually do not. The butter gives it a wonderful flavor without it! Think Mrs. Butterworth's TM!)

I Made the Crew!!!

The TOS Homeschool Crew, that is! I am so absolutely thrilled! I received an email about a week ago but it got buried in my inbox since we were at the Special Olympics Summer State Games in Atlanta. I was finally cleaning out my inbox on Saturday night and found the "Congrats" email! Woo Hoo!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I will be a homeschool product tester/reviewer for the next year starting in July. We will have the opportunity to try out some new products and then dish about them on my blog! I am super excited! (Can you tell??) My first two try-out reviews were for Download N Go Expedition Austrailia and When I Grow Up ... I Wanna Be a Firefighter!


Bear with me as I bask in the excitement a few more days! :)

I By-Passed a Mother's Day Post This Year

I didn't mean to exactly, it just snuck up on me. I started one three times but each time it came out very cynical. So I just let it go. I may go back and try to tone them down later but for now, I am moving on.

We have been extremely busy training for the State Summer Games with Special Olympics, me taking a cake decorating course, Music Man's dance recital, Farm Boy's taekwondo belt testing and winding down our regular school year. We go year-round but drop down to three days a week once we hit our minimum for the year. (Almost there!!) I will post each event as I can but just haven't had the time to get to them as of yet.

But now I have to get ready to start school ....

TOS REVIEW: Download N Go Expedition Austrailia

Farm Boy is my geography nut. He has loved maps from a very young age and now, at six years old, can name and point out almost all of the 50 United States on his wall map. He enjoys world geography as well and often asks about different countries. One of his favorites is Australia.(I have a cousin living there and he thinks that is super cool!) This week we had an opportunity to learn more about Australia through Download N Go Expedition Australia!

This ebook was very well organized and told me what to expect out of it in the intro letter/description. There are "five daily lessons with lapbook components for each day." For someone who has never lapbooked before, this was absolutely the best way to begin! There were book suggestions for each day, some kind of video and links to other websites with tons of information about Australia! The vocabulary words were right on target for my kindergartners.

Music Man has trouble with drawing and writing so he was able to dictate his answers easily while I filled in the blanks for him. (We just skipped the drawings for the most part!) We haven't tried lapbooking before because he also has trouble with cutting. I quickly discovered the benefits of lapbooking as an occupational therapy activity.Cutting, gluing, coloring, thinking and planning were all part of the lapbooking experience.

There were tips throughout the ebook for the teacher such as how to "hide" the comments in YouTube in case something was posted there that you were prefer your kids not to see. I have been using YouTube for years and did not know how to do that!

I personally loved the recipes as I love trying things from different cultures! We were not able to work in an Australian meal during the week but plan to do it the weekend.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with this ebook. It is totally worth the price. I am even looking at writing a subscription into our school budget for next year. It is a must-have if you enjoy lapbooking. I know we do now!

Download N Go Series from The Old Schoolhouse Store and Amanda Bennett (Samples Available!)
Single Editions $7.95 with monthly, semester and yearly subscriptions available!
Ages:  K-4th Grade 
All ebooks published by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine come with a Money-Back Guarantee!

PS I need to seek forgiveness for no new personal pictures the past few weeks. My camera is experiencing technical difficulties and my iPhone does not take blog-worthy photos.

Fun Friday: Earth Friendly, Money Savvy Piggy Banks

Today's edition of Fun Friday comes from Homemade Mamas, a blog written by two sisters in Illinois. This month they are focusing on recycling and being green. We created Earth Friendly Money Savvy Piggy Banks these from two mayo jars and one spice jar. My "anal self" had to find jars that matched each other so both boys would have the same looking system.

Here is the first leg of the project finished (complete with money added already!) We had a lesson on money this morning and I explained to them that we would now be giving them an allowance every week so they could learn how to handle money. Their allowance will be $1 per week in the form of four quarters - .25 to save, .25 to give and .50 to spend.

Dad will have to help with the second part, cutting the top slots for us. Once that is done and they are painted, we will glue the "save jar" shut to prevent temptations. :) Farm Boy has collected coins for quite some time so he had a good head start. I was proud of him for dividing the money up between all of his jars and not just placing it all in his spend jar. (He even gave some to Music Man!) 

Farm Boy has decided he wants to save for a baby sister. :) He's been praying for one for quite some time.



PS My camera is still sick. Pics are taken with my iPhone.

REVIEW: TOS When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be .... a Firefighter!

We all have dreams as a child about what we want to be when we grow up. My youngest son changes his mind weekly, sometimes daily. Most days, however, it is between two things, one being considered most often is a firefighter.

When I was asked to review this ebook, I was thrilled. I had seen this series soon after I visited the The Old Schoolhouse Store last summer, and I had looked with interest at the different titles, 11 in all.

I received this ebook as part of my try-out process for the TOS Homeschool Crew. As I peeked through the curriculum, I wondered how I was going to implement it. There are word searches, color sheets, a lot of interesting (to me, anyway) history and end-of-the-unit party ideas. Unfortunately, I did not find a lot to use for my kindergartners. Their eyes glazed over as I tried reading the history and background to them. They colored the coloring sheets and we talked about visiting a fire station but we did not fully delve into the topic as I had hoped. The age range states it is appropriate for ages 4-10, however, neither of my kindergartners could understand the vocabulary words or questions I asked them from what I had read to them.

I think this is a great series, but I think that the age spectrum is too broad. I think older elementary kids would love it, though I still do not know how to implement the history and background information. Maybe that was just for me? Several pages of single-space information is not something I could just read to my kindergartners. And I did not see instructions anywhere in the ebook about how I was supposed use that information.

The end-of-unit party ideas included games and an adorable fire engine cake, but I decided not to try them out since we really did not make this a unit study.

Part two of the ebook featured Robotics. Again, there was a lot of background and history information here and it was extremely interesting - to me. However, for kindergarten aged kids, trying to explain the terminology was a challenge. There was a pretty cool looking project with instructions on how to make your own robotic hand out of Styrofoam.

Other things included in the ebook were vocabulary words, review questions, a math lesson, crossword and word search puzzles, prompts for creative writing and storytelling, handwriting and copywork. 

When I put together a lesson from scratch, I expect to have to work harder in making sure my kids understand it and I have covered all aspects of the lesson. But it also gives me the flexibility to tailor it to their needs. When I purchase a ready-made lesson, I expect to be able to sit down and work through it without a whole lot of complication and hassle. I personally prefer a curriculum to be designed specifically for a more narrow range of ages rather than a larger gap age range. If it is one that can be used for several ages, I think it needs to be stated in the description how to use it for different age groups. 

If you are looking for a great study for older elementary age kids, look no further. But if your children are young, like mine, I suggest you look for other great products available from The Old Schoolhouse Store.

TOS WannaBe Series

TOS WannaBe Series  So You Wanna Be ... a Firefighter!

$8.95

Ages 4-10 (though I would say it is more appropriate for 8-10)

Lesson Pathways: Building Paths for Online Learning

This is the most exciting resource I have found in a very long time! I cannot even contain my excitement - so much my dear hubby's eyes glazed over as I began trying to describe it to him! This is a FREE online curriculum called Lesson Pathways that isn't actually done online. Think automatic lesson plans for eclectic homeschoolers (like us!) You set up a profile for each child and assign the "pathway" to each one based on what year (or stage) of learning they are in! It is easy to set up the "planner" for an entire year just by adding a "Guided Journey" or you can choose to add separate building blocks to create your own curriculum. It is stand-alone from what I can tell and goes from K-5!! WOO HOO! I wish I had found this in the fall when we began planning for the year.

Check out the Lesson Pathways Blog and their own description of what they are!


Lesson Pathways: Building Paths for Online Learning

Ultimate Blog Party!

If you are visiting from the Blog Party, WELCOME!! I'm Dawn aka cookfromscratch on most webpages I visit. 

I have never participated in one of these before but I am so excited! The more I blog, the more blogs I find myself reading! And THAT is what a Blog Party is all about! I am thrilled to have a reason to read other people's blogs (like I really NEEDED one.)

I am a Christian homeschooling mom from Georgia. Married to my college sweetheart since 1997. I love to cook. I love photography and you will often find me hiding behind a camera. My boys, Music Man and Farm Boy, keep me busy. We school in the mornings and usually have activities in the afternoon ranging from taekwondo to dance therapy to homeschool PE. This is our first year homeschooling and we love it! 

Music Man is my oldest. He always has a smile on his face (as long as he isn't hungry or tired!) and loves anything to do with music and dancing. Music Man has what is called FG Syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder characterized by heart defects, low muscle tone and developmental delay. He also has ADHD which we combat with diet following the Feingold Program. We deal with sensory issues on a daily basis and have to think outside the box in many things we do with him. 


Our middle son, Samuel, died at birth due to multiple congenial abnormalities including FG Syndrome and possibly ARPKD (Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease.) I created a non-profit organization, Remembering Your Baby, in his memory to help other parents who lose a baby at birth. 

Our youngest, Farm Boy, is totally typical and all boy! He loves living in the country, all living creatures -especially those that live outside and brings a great deal of energy to our family. He began taekwondo this January at the Athens Taekwondo Center and just earned his Yellow Belt.


So that's me in a nutshell. Feel free to look around. There are homeschooling helps, recipes and just random bits of info on us and our life. Glad you stopped by!

Whoops! Let me not forget that THERE ARE PRIZES in this party! I personally love surprises and these prizes take the cake! Especially since you can make a list of the ones you prefer in case you win! My list of preference in the prizes would be US105, USC75, USC31, US17, US56.



Or any of the PayPal, Amazon or Target Gift Cards!

Homestead Academy: Dolch Kit

On last week's Fun Friday, I posted about the Dolch Word Bingo Cards from this website. It is a great FREE resource created by a first grade teacher in California who is now retired. She not only made cute bingo cards, but also a complete Dolch Kit. There is even a booklet of the words split up into lists! I printed one out for Farm Boy to use in the car.

Homestead Academy Fun Friday: Dolch Word Bingo Cards

It's FUN Friday at the Homestead Academy!  This week we played Dolch Word B-I-N-G-O!

Bingo Cards

Feedburner Finally Moved to New Blog

WOW! I got the email today showing where my Feedburner subscriptions were finally moved over. I apologize for leaving y'all out for so long! I hope that the update did not confuse or overwhelm you all! I am working to remove the very OLD OLD subject line for the Chandler Family Web Home. Hopefully by the time you get this update, it will be gone. Just know it is still us writing to you!

The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Annual Open House

I am so thankful to live in an area where homeschooling resources abound! Spring has sprung in the south and with it we have many fun field trips available! Our next one is planned for Friday, April 2, 2010! Can't wait!!

The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Annual Open House

Happy 1st birthday: Mother keeps McDonald's Happy Meal for a whole year... and it still hasn't gone off | Mail Online

Um, gross! And people think our eating habits are freaky! Really glad we gave up McDs and all the other fast food places!! BLEH!


Happy 1st birthday: Mother keeps McDonald's Happy Meal for a whole year

Craft Your Own Abacus! | Activities | Education.com

Craft Your Own Abacus! | Activities | Education.com

Announcing Earth Fare's Family Dinner Night!

Woo hoo!!! Finally a KIDS EAT FREE that we can participate in!

Announcing Earth Fare's Family Dinner Night!

Parenting Special Needs Magazine Winter '10

This issue features the son of a college friend of mine, Sarah Cook! It focuses on autism.Ain't he the cutest thing? His mom is a photographer too so the pictures of him are fab!

Parenting Special Needs Magazine

Raising Olives' Homemade Hamburger Buns

This is the first homemade bread I've ever attempted to knead by hand. It was super easy and so very yummy! I made child-size buns but unfortunately didn't get a picture of my own. I must say I am pretty proud of myself though!! I know they passed the picky eater test when Adin asks me to make them everyday! :)

Homemade Hamburger Buns

I Took His Hand and Followed

I Took His Hand and Followed
Mrs. Roy L. Peifer

My dishes went unwashed today,
I didn't make the bed,
I took his hand and followed
Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring,
My little son and I...
Exploring all the great outdoors
Beneath the summer sky

We waded in a crystal stream,
We wandered through a wood...
My kitchen wasn't swept today
But life was gay and good.

We found a cool, sun-dappled glade
And now my small son knows
How Mother Bunny hides her nest,
Where jack-in-the-pulpit grows.

We watched a robin feed her young,
We climbed a sunlit hill...
Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,
We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was neglected,
That I didn't brush the stairs,
In twenty years, no one on earth
Will know, or even care.

But that I've helped my little boy
To noble manhood grow,
In twenty years, the whole wide world
May look and see and know.


I Took His Hand and Followed - BestHomeschooling.org

Money, Money!

This week's math lessons have focused on money. We dumped our big change jar out and I let the boys each have their own piles. They sorted the coins (using the pincher grasp for Music Man) and picked out anything that didn't belong in there (such as screws or foreign money.) Then we talked about what the different coins were and who was on them. The boys are fascinated by the Presidents this month since we just have the holiday and the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington. So we talked about the Presidents a bit as well. Then they were instructed to make $5 out of the coins. Farm Boy decided on two dollars worth of dimes, one of nickles, one from quarters and one from pennies. I showed him how to organize and stack the pennies so he could easier count my tens. Music Man struggled a bit with the difference between nickles, dimes and quarters. I abandoned him creating the dollars and just let him sort. We talked about the different shapes. We'll pick up money again at another time for him.