tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34820550139310826362024-02-21T20:04:48.171-08:00Homeschooling HealthyJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-52601749003418636782014-02-22T16:34:00.000-08:002014-02-22T16:34:05.456-08:00Use Fun And Games To Break The Monotony<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJgjmb1AAikqOK-h4q99Q1xsM5Aot-PHV4EzVa_1cvm6td8wzEtKd134P773H_-Fjp5mfILrBDjCYbqoDJJ6AITTDaQolDriBm27SfNNRdokvryxeIEoMn0c46O4GLf5g4TyzZ-Q6SgUW/s1600/ABC+Food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJgjmb1AAikqOK-h4q99Q1xsM5Aot-PHV4EzVa_1cvm6td8wzEtKd134P773H_-Fjp5mfILrBDjCYbqoDJJ6AITTDaQolDriBm27SfNNRdokvryxeIEoMn0c46O4GLf5g4TyzZ-Q6SgUW/s1600/ABC+Food.jpg" height="320" width="250" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Looking for something different to break up your usual routine while you're counting down to Spring Break? The internet is full of</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/learning-games.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">learning games</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> for kids. I remember years ago when my kids were still in public school, the last few days before the Spring Break were a pretty unproductive mix of pizza parties, egg decorating, and watching movies, rather than accomplishing any real schoolwork. And parents send their kids to school for that? At least at home if we need to take it slow for whatever reason, I can find plenty of educational things for them to do - well, in between Easter parties, of course! :)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So here we are in the middle of winter, looking for spring and trying to muddle through. There are some fun</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a href="http://www.science4us.com/kindergarten-science-curriculum/">kindergarten science</a> games</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I found when searching the net, specifically. It sounds so silly but games can be fun </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">educational! </span><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2013/02/should-you-use-internet-to-homeschool.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-75042402881116678542014-02-15T17:50:00.001-08:002014-02-15T17:50:40.343-08:00FREE Printable Nutrition BookLooking for some kindergarten or <a href="http://www.science4us.com/elementary-homeschool-science/">first grade science worksheets</a>? Have I got a deal for you! I came across this printable booklet that's free for the downloading. Learn about the different food groups and why each is important. It would make a fun diversion from the usual science curriculum in the doldrums of winter!<br />
Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bx2AfXyzJRoPYjM5YjlmNGEtMjZiOC00NmU3LWIxMWUtNTgyNWMzYzhlNzk3/edit?authkey=CPHBvs4L&authkey=CPHBvs4L">HERE</a>. <br />
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-54176597764822899912014-02-08T17:19:00.004-08:002014-02-08T17:19:41.219-08:00Deceptive Food Packaging : When Foods Aren't What They Seem<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-40663eef-1439-7fbe-379e-74eb22cf94cd" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt;">
<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2013/03/deceptive-food-packaging-when-is.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Deceptive Food Packaging: When Foods Aren't What They Seem</span></a></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Did you know that while Lucky Charms cereal says "Whole Grain" on the package, it also contains almost as much sugar? (11 grams of whole grain per serving, and 10 grams of sugar) So you might buy Lucky Charms thinking it was a nutritious cereal since it has whole grain, but you'd be consuming an unhealthy amount of sugar with every bowl - which isn't healthy at all!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Food manufacturers are notoriously good at these types of labeling deceptions. It's not an outright lie, but it definitely puts forth a particular message about the food - which may not be true at all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here's another example. "Strawberry Sensation" Fruit Roll-Ups from General Mills actually contain no strawberries whatsoever! And some Kellogg's cereals with pictures of strawberries on the box don't contain any strawberries either!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Read the article</span><a href="http://money.msn.com/now/9-foods-that-arent-what-they-seem" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, for a list of 9 foods that are deceptively labeled.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If consumers don't know what's in the food they're buying, or have to read the "fine print" on the ingredients to see if nutrition claims made on the packaging are true, it makes it much harder to eat healthy! Can your kids think of some other examples of foods where the packaging is deceiving and the food looks healthier than it really is? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was buying a can of fruit the other day and the can said "no added sugar", which I thought was a wonderful thing until I read more closely and discovered the fruit was sweetened with the artificial sweetener Splenda instead! Yuck! Go through your kitchen and see what you can discover!</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-82229430998078531052014-02-08T17:03:00.002-08:002014-02-08T17:16:33.424-08:00Homeschool High School Blog Hop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you're <a href="http://letshomeschoolhighschool.com/">homeschooling high school</a>, check out this awesome Blog Hop for high schoolers -<a href="http://letshomeschoolhighschool.com/2014/02/04/homeschool-high-school-february-2014-blog-hop/"> Homeschool High School Blog Hop!</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
February is the month for love, presidents, groundhogs, Black History,
and tons of funky or bizarre things to celebrate and learn about. In
honor of so many different happenings during February, this month’s
focus is potluck! You get to choose what your post will be about. You
might choose to inspire us all, share your current schedule or
curriculum, show off your classroom or your high school homeschooler’s
projects…well, you get the idea. </blockquote>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-26415517577829012192014-02-01T17:37:00.001-08:002014-02-01T17:37:35.318-08:00Chapul Bars: Would You Eat Crickets?<div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">image credit: </span><a href="http://www.chapul.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">www.chapul.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have to say, I'm intrigued by this latest development in the realm of nutrition bars. You've all probably heard of Clif bars, right? There are many similar brands out there. But here's something new....the Chapul Bar, which is made from crickets. Yes, really.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm not so sure I could bring myself to eat this, but maybe some of you more adventuresome foodies would enjoy them. They do sound healthy! From</span><a href="http://chapul.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">their website:</span></a></div>
<br /><a href="http://chapul.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For centuries, human civilizations have rightly considered insects an excellent, plentiful and resource-efficient source of protein. Even today, 80% of the world’s people regularly munch insects as part of their normal diets – chapulines in Mexico, stir-fried red tree ants in Cambodia, inago (grasshoppers) and hachinoko (bee larvae) in Japan and casu marzu in Italy. And with good reason…many insects are an incredibly rich source of protein, iron and omega-3 acids and are very low in cholesterols and fat.</span><img height="177px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/8SdplT5YYEi7JXpXpFhm_chYDaHSkNS75HE_95dXK3kZhY5yqL_u1OefMwI1h2YqV9UVRl-BlX32XpQw5u96_HBbh1g-vvzZ7VMX_CEWXCZWBeZt1DQNBP3Wgw" style="border: 0px solid transparent;" width="267px;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The new Chapul bars contain flour made from ground-up crickets, so it's not like you could get an insect leg caught between your teeth. If you didn't read the label first, you might not even know you were eating crickets, and from what I've read, these things have received pretty great reviews. Are any of my readers brave enough to try them?</span></div>
<br /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/07/utilizing-homeschooling-resources-online.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-31104596728546641752014-02-01T17:32:00.002-08:002014-02-01T17:32:40.178-08:00What's Your Strategy For Homeschooling Science?<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-57339548-f039-e36b-fa7a-84e4959300a2" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/02/homeschooling-science.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><img height="267px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CvngAagrN9mTvjdukh8nwmtFvHQY-wio8uSo_5vvU-644bgE9oNkqUitfe65lkbseW3JQ0-jO67Gv7o7NTDwxC-ckPSAumO2yq6eu-7ICa3xC74viF-EuNa6EQ" style="border: 0px solid transparent;" width="267px;" /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/02/homeschooling-science.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> One thing I love about homeschooling is the flexibility it provides, not only for what material I teach my kids, but how I do it. Science is one of the tricky subjects that often requires a bit of introspection for homeschooling parents. Do you want to use a prepackaged curriculum, or combine many eclectic sources of your own choosing? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> And just how will you tackle the issue of providing hands-on activities and science experiments for your child? Is science your specialty, or would you rather someone else teach your kids about <a href="http://www.science4us.com/elementary-physical-science/matter/changes-in-matter/">changes in matter</a>, the biology of amphibians, and what elements and atoms are? There are so many questions to consider, and for new homeschoolers especially, it's often best to decide what you're looking for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">before</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> you start looking. Would an</span><a href="http://www.onlinescienceprogram.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">online science program</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> be best for you? Or maybe science enrichment classes at your local children's museum? All of these options have merit, and many others are worth considering too.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Remember, there are as many ways to homeschool as there are homeschoolers! </span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-65758684227357364462014-01-25T17:27:00.000-08:002014-01-25T17:27:08.035-08:00Book Review - Tall and Tasty Fruit Trees by Meredith Sayles Hughes<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-6c1542d3-cc27-8e2c-ee99-1abdffb05812" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt; text-align: center;">
<img height="300px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/DSie6qq2Bsf9Aq1ZKsPZ2RxQoguVSKJHPdaKcg1zoZWoLHMi0yZL1hwnrajKcVUHf6I0bEEABTKHPMRz8nv-WwJJ5tNF9VrrvM7bgmP4iS6ipG33QQEzBUN4Pw" style="border: 0px solid transparent;" width="300px;" /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/09/book-review-tall-and-tasty-fruit-trees.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></h3>
<br /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/09/book-review-tall-and-tasty-fruit-trees.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is a fun book with lots of photos, graphics, and even a few recipes. It explores apples, peaches, mangoes, figs, and citrus fruits, and it would be a great way to add some depth to your children's study of nutrition.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Apples</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The book discusses the history of each of these crops, but in a way that keeps the reader engaged. It covers the use of apples in legends, for example, such as Snow White and Merlin, the magician in King Arthur's court. Johnny Appleseed is discussed too, as well as practical information like grafting and growing apples, pesticides and their effects on ecosystems, a bit on the different varieties of apples, and how to prepare many apple dishes and apple cider.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peaches</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Did you know peaches originated in China? Me neither! They were eventually brought to the Americas by European explorers in the 1500s. Peaches have since become a staple crop in the southern US. The book also explains the difference between the cling and freestone varieties, how to grow and harvest them, and a bit about their nutrition. They're high in vitamin A!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mango</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The mango used to be an exotic fruit, but has become much more mainstream in recent years. Most mangoes are from India, but they're also grown in Florida and Hawaii. Mango trees are tropical evergreens that don't lose all their leaves. It was very interesting to learn about the proper way to slice a mango, which can be tricky because of the wide, flat pit.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Figs</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Figs are an interesting fruit that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. They're very sweet, but also contain fiber, and wow, a single fig contains as much calcium as half a glass of milk! Want to try making your own fig pudding? There's a recipe included in the book.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Citrus</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The final part of the book takes a look at citrus trees. I really enjoyed the pictures of Florida citrus trees, loaded down with fruit, and the huge trucks carrying loads of oranges to market. Some commercial oranges are sprayed with a chemical called ethylene that makes them uniformly orange by getting rid of their green spots. Some of the more unusual citrus fruits are covered in the book too, like the pummelo and citron. Kids will love the recipe for making a secret invisible ink from lemon juice, too!</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Tall and Tasty Fruit Trees</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a fun look at these 5 types of fruit trees that would appeal to a wide age range. There's something for everyone in this book, from historical information to recipes, and everyone can learn a little something by spending a few minutes flipping through the pages. </span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-78961769304320605792014-01-25T17:23:00.004-08:002014-01-25T17:23:45.775-08:00A is For Apple - Learning Alphabetical Order With Fruits and Vegetables<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-60573992-cc21-b8fa-3c82-5491feb9d1d8" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/03/is-for-apple-learning-alphabetical.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><img height="427px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/2RC43JSj3KydUyekXhptDjCpQdWDtZ54tWffPyOS1z-QD2OSnr1X0FpDxL_SIYeoWZEBJPaqGxHktP1TSPoGtVzJ2OisQRTVz-bFNTYwhZnnM21OHiSGtHpweQ" style="border: 0px solid transparent;" width="255px;" /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/03/is-for-apple-learning-alphabetical.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></h3>
<br /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/03/is-for-apple-learning-alphabetical.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here's an <a href="http://www.spellingcity.com/Games/alphabetize.html">ABC order activity</a> for the new spellers in your family: Can you think of one fruit or vegetable that begins with each letter of the alphabet? Ooh - harder than it looks, huh? </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I started this project with my little ones this week, and we're making each letter into a fruit or vegetable. This takes an awful lot of creativity! Start by making a list of one fruit or vegetable for each letter. Once that's done, you can brainstorm with the kids on ways to make the pictures. (Use the internet for ideas!) If nothing else, it will teach the kids a little about</span><a href="http://www.spellingcity.com/alphabetical-order-practice.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> ABC order.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> but hopefully they'll learn enough to count this as a nutrition lesson too! You could even stretch your</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/art_lessons_online.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">art curriculum</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> with a fun project like this. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So let's see....A is for Apple, B is for Banana, C is for Carrot, D is for....???</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/03/gardening-printable-coloring-pages.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-51321509460795367602014-01-18T18:11:00.003-08:002014-01-18T18:11:59.213-08:00Can Diet Soda Help You Lose Weight?<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-744fd340-a844-a436-fcb8-8e355522001f" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/06/can-diet-soda-help-you-lose-weight.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><img height="320px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/u4rnVil6X2sWx2oOAFV885yiXOdx1OzW0NrxoFOLPp8gy40xX_L5kt_8jmwsZqv0E_5F_E6vnDgAzg2On69BeixFLjWnSeRnEZ8__YaUqE8W_1HnAjSLCFB7Ug" style="border: 0px solid transparent;" width="427px;" /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/06/can-diet-soda-help-you-lose-weight.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Contrary to popular belief, diet soda </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">does not</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> help with weight loss.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This seems backwards, doesn’t it? How can the diet sodas so many people use to help keep them thin, and with virtually no calories in them, actually cause weight </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">gain</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">? Unfortunately, the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, as well as many other products on our grocery store shelves, have plenty of ill effects on our health. If you think about it though, it makes sense. How could a cocktail of chemicals be healthy?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A</span><a href="http://www.uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat2.asp?newID=3861" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">study</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> at the University of Texas Health Science Center investigated the relationship between diet soft drink consumption and waist circumference. The study tracked hundreds of participants over a 10 year period and found a 70 percent increase in waist circumference among those who reported drinking one diet soft drink per day. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shockingly, participants who consumed 2 or more diet soft drinks per day had waist circumference increases of 500 percent over those who did not drink diet soda. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Unfortunately, this is only one of many research studies that have detected a correlation between obesity and diet soda consumption.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But why?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Researchers believe that the artificial sweetener often found in soda, aspartame, actually increases blood glucose levels. The exact mechanism by which this occurs is subject for debate, but one possibility is that when the body tastes something sweet, a chain of events is set in motion to mobilize insulin in the bloodstream to deal with the expected onslaught of sugar. In the case of artificial sweeteners, that insulin proves useless. But elevated insulin levels are a precursor of type II diabetes, obesity, and related conditions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Speculation also abounds that since artificial sweeteners are many times sweeter than regular sugar, our taste buds react to them by expecting a sugary treat, triggering chemical changes that result in those same elevated insulin levels. Scientists don’t yet know for sure, but it is certain that the use of artificial sweeteners do predispose people to obesity and elevated insulin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What Can You Do?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s best to limit soda consumption to an occasional indulgence, and then to drink soda with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. If these studies are any guide, at least your body knows what to do with real sugar, and the insulin it releases is used appropriately to allow that sugar in your blood to enter the cells.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Better yet, since a diet soda has no nutritional value whatsoever, just imagine what a relative 500 percent increase to your own waist circumference might look like, and opt for water instead!</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-15444729539873578012014-01-18T18:10:00.000-08:002014-01-18T18:10:01.540-08:00Blog Writing For Middle School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji69jrIEMaXDTcwA9c8OrOeUNrnrdRGAfY3Z4wWj2ZDY8eZR8PJ3RBLDhcdra8Gz-tbHrKWiLvkTTPIB33zFl6Nypu3_jZwCl2MYEVIFtXTHW2QlD9HzSQ5V4IJy5r64g9N-ZUpC9MBUhK/s1600/typing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji69jrIEMaXDTcwA9c8OrOeUNrnrdRGAfY3Z4wWj2ZDY8eZR8PJ3RBLDhcdra8Gz-tbHrKWiLvkTTPIB33zFl6Nypu3_jZwCl2MYEVIFtXTHW2QlD9HzSQ5V4IJy5r64g9N-ZUpC9MBUhK/s1600/typing.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Trying to <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/learning-middle-school.shtml">homeschool middle school</a>? If your kids are old enough, they might enjoy writing their own blog. By middle school, most kids are at an age where they understand</span><a href="http://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/writing-process/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">the writing process</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> well enough for blogging. For this age group, it can be as simple as telling about their day, or as complex as writing elaborate works of fiction. My middle schooler is writing her first novel, or maybe it just seems that way! :) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kids like the combination of writing and internet, so go with it and make it work in your favor. Add some photos or graphics and have fun with it. A</span><a href="http://blogwritingcourse.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> blogging project</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> would be perfect if you want to call it schoolwork, but writing for fun is a great thing to encourage too.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How about keeping a food diary on a blog? Have the kids write down everything they eat for several days or a week. Then go back and figure out how many servings of protein, vegetables, etc. they ate. Have them brainstorm ways to improve their nutrition. They'll be learning good eating habits and working on their writing skills too! </span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-33035657836263310182014-01-12T17:00:00.002-08:002014-01-12T17:01:51.179-08:00Preschool Nutrition Flashcards<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-57339548-891a-d3cb-d838-e8cad2e461cf" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/04/preschool-nutrition-flashcards.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><img height="49px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ufsPuHTlK522Rxnf4PPWJuJoD4G3wRUeA_Xxn2lLWXvxjZJYPSGcDeZSxE41Jluq5l_vpPahjjyZcfbDIxNZe6VPIGNJkfuGb4J8bAx_bXE7VnBygGnuiKGtkQ" width="100px;" /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/04/preschool-nutrition-flashcards.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of those most basic parts of teaching young children about nutrition is learning which foods fall into which food groups. What kind of foods are peanuts, celery, lentils, or butter? Learning the food groups is the first step in learning how to eat healthy<b>. </b> <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/preschool-games.shtml">Preschool games</a></span><a href="http://www.spellingcity.com/Games/flash-cards.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and flashcards work well for younger kids, and can even be fun for older ones. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have your kids draw pictures of different types of food on index cards, or cut out pictures from magazines or grocery store sales ads and glue them onto the cards. Hold them up and see which of your children can name the food group first. You could make the game harder by using flashcards of foods with more than one ingredient, like a turkey sandwich, for example. Can the kids figure out all the food groups present in a turkey sandwich? How many servings of bread are in that sandwich?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Most</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/success.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">early child education</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> only gives nutrition a passing glance, but if you start with some fun flash cards and games to learn the food groups, you're building a foundation of nutrition knowledge for kids to add to later. They can't plan a proper meal if they don't know what they're eating!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here's a great tool for inserting images onto printable flashcards that works well for this project. </span><a href="http://quizlet.com/faqs/faq-how-do-i-add-images-to-my-flash-cards/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://quizlet.com/faqs/faq-how-do-i-add-images-to-my-flash-cards/</span></a></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-74004376201882239052014-01-06T16:02:00.002-08:002014-01-06T16:04:31.982-08:00Are You On Track For 2014?<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="240px;" id="docs-internal-guid-57339548-6a00-fa90-4006-3c5556d926c2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Xcj0BGrL4T9t9VP1yOOg7bXlZ5Qf3G81USngHK5YFbvXFMzhXFT41FzhcwVqo4UxZh3MSzEKeG69Yt-lZT16lw5dgLbY9lAlhz_knN-7nzKaFkS9h3d3ZYLsRg" width="267px;" /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2013/01/are-you-on-track-for-2013.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We're into the first month of the year, and with so much of 2014 still before us, it's a great time to sit back and reflect on our homeschooling experience. From the first</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/phonics-curriculum.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">phonics curriculum</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> you chose, to the</span><a href="http://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/high-school-writing/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">high school writing</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> class they will someday take, and everything in between. How has the last year of homeschooling been? Are you on track for 2014? If not, take a minute to rethink your homeschooling goals and how to get there.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What's so amazing to me is that my kids are turning out pretty well, in spite of all the mistakes I've made, and all the things I would have done differently if I could go back and do it all over again. I'm sure that's not a sentiment unique to homeschoolers, but in terms of our curriculum choices especially, etc. it's never a bad idea to re-evaluate and try to improve.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you haven't started the nutrition lessons here yet, the new year is a great time to emphasize nutrition and healthy eating. It's that time of year, after all!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-10585942582324734132013-12-29T17:35:00.000-08:002014-01-03T06:44:18.399-08:00Hiring a Tutor?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Even in the world of homeschooling, there are some constants and there are some things that are constantly changing. One of the current homeschool trends </span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschooltrends.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is to hire a tutor for subjects in which parents may not be proficient. This isn't a completely new idea, of course, especially as kids get into the high school years and need help with their calculus homework! My own daughter takes Spanish lessons from a tutor, since I don't speak Spanish myself. Some parents hire tutors for upper-level math or science classes. If you're not so great with <a href="http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/art_and_music_games.html">art games</a> or music lessons, your kids might benefit from a tutor in those subjects too.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For high school kids, preparing for the SAT takes time and energy they'd rather devote to other things. Hiring an</span><a href="http://www.time4writing.com/online-writing-tutor/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">SAT writing tutor</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">might be an option to consider, just to help make that prep time more efficient. Don't think that because you're homeschooling you need to be well-versed in all subjects - part of the challenge of being a homeschooling parent and teacher is knowing when to delegate bits and pieces to an expert! </span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-64120515093307272562013-12-22T18:42:00.002-08:002013-12-22T18:42:54.071-08:00Homeschooling High School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quite a few parents who have homeschooled during their child’s younger years are bewildered when it comes to</span><a href="http://letshomeschoolhighschool.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">homeschooling high school</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. They wonder what to do, and how to go about it, once that imaginary line is crossed and their child begins high school. But when you boil it all down, it really isn’t complicated to choose high school curriculum at all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes the best approach is to stick with the program you’ve been using. If a certain homeschool curriculum has worked well for you, and it’s possible to continue through the high school years, why not? For other people, entering high school is a good transition point to begin a new program. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the most important things to look for when choosing a high school curriculum is how easily the information provided converts to a high school transcript. As a homeschooler, it’s your responsibility to keep accurate records and compile them into a transcript. This will be necessary if your child decides to apply to college, or even to enlist in the military. Your state may have specific requirements on how transcripts should be formatted and what information they should contain, so be sure to check on the details. Generally, a homeschool transcript should list courses taken, a brief description of each, and the final grade received.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some high school curricula lend themselves more easily to the process of compiling a transcript, and this should be considered in your decision-making process. For example, if a short synopsis of what is covered in each class is provided, you won’t have to sift through the course material to determine what to enter on your transcript.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some homeschool programs try to mimic the course progression found in public schools, such as Biology in 10th grade, Chemistry in 11th grade, and Physics in 12th grade. This sort of thing is really a matter of personal preference, but worth some time for consideration.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By high school, many homeschoolers have developed their independent-study skills to a high degree and don’t require much input from a teacher or parent. An independent study program may work well for these kids. Similarly, high schoolers have different learning styles, and homeschool curriculum should be chosen according to the method by which they learn the best. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some people prefer traditional lectures and note-taking, and others do well if they are given reading and written assignments to complete. Some kids may learn best in completely non-traditional ways like hands-on activities or apprenticeships instead.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Often, kids will have some idea of their future career aspirations by high school, and one of the great things about homeschooling is that students have the flexibility to explore what interests them. Consider their interests and likes or dislikes when you choose curriculum to make sure they enjoy what they’re learning about and that they’re exploring career options that appeal to them along the way.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Finally, it’s always a good idea to include your student in the decision of choosing their high school curriculum. Not only will they be more inclined to do their best work, but high school students have an innate sense of what will work for them, and what won’t, that shouldn’t be ignored. Keeping your student informed and included in the process of choosing curriculum will be beneficial to the whole family. Learning</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/how-to-homeschool.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">how to homeschool</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> high school is a process for the whole family.</span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-57182191686462014922013-12-15T16:26:00.001-08:002013-12-18T17:55:31.206-08:00The Pros And Cons of Homeschooling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are a million reasons to homeschool, but as with anything else, there's a downside too. The</span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/pros_cons_homeschooling.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> pros and cons of homeschooling</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a complicated issue, and probably different for each individual and each family. The biggest downside for me is that it's pretty time-consuming! Time management is key, or you'll lose your sanity trying to keep up with everything, especially if you have more than one child.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the parts of homeschooling I like the most is that I can tailor lessons to each of my kids' learning styles. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Teaching math to a <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/teaching_math_to_visual_learner.shtml">right-brained visual learner</a> or</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> science to a kinesthetic learner, or language and writing to an auditory learner....You can do all of things with homeschooling because you control the methods you use for teaching. That's certainly not the case with the one-size-fits-all approach of most public schools. Homeschooling gives me so much flexibility, not only in scheduling lessons but in how those lessons are taught. And if your child is struggling with a new concept, sometimes how you teach it makes all difference!</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-80565029939651299902013-12-08T16:30:00.000-08:002013-12-08T16:30:39.816-08:00Learning About Syllables in Nutrition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Learning about syllables is important because in many cases</span><a href="http://www.spellingcity.com/syllables-segmenting.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">syllables</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> represent phonemes, the smallest bits of pronunciation in words. So learning about syllables helps kids learning to read. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's time for</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/backtoschool.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">back to school</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and time for homeschooling moms to consider curriculum and lesson plans for the year. Have some fun with syllables to get the year started! Here are some examples:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">nutrition = nu-tri-tion</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">protein = pro-tein</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">carbohydrate = car-bo-hy-drate</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">healthy = health-y</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">fat = fat</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">organic = or-gan-ic</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-3743489360690021942013-12-01T13:49:00.001-08:002013-12-01T13:49:10.265-08:00How To Memorize Spelling Words<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid--63cd5a8-b01f-b7c3-8473-e8b01e683c22" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2013/06/how-to-memorize-spelling-words.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><img height="320px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/v7f9jGO33wQQRfm4-szcMYg3W-R_23LEyM-WQHqgQaYa-kgnKl2NjtuCreMl67Sxd37dWjKX2KYZtuHlvLQ8F8p-1t9dq8ynZBeBUgRT4tTi7p5WFnXdKJJ78Q" width="427px;" /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2013/06/how-to-memorize-spelling-words.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here are some fun ways to make memorizing those spelling words a little less painful.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Come up with them yourself! Kids are more likely to learn a word's correct spelling if they've chosen it themselves, so have your kids highlight (or jot down) words they come across in their studies that give them trouble. Let them add one of these to their weekly list of spelling words!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Playing</span><a href="http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/spelling-games.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> spelling games! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> How about hangman, sentence unscrambling, or word finds to have some fun with it? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Repetition! Write the word and say it out loud. Again! Flashcards word well for this purpose too. Have your kids take an <a href="http://www.spellingcity.com/">spelling test online</a> to see how they do.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Use different brain pathways to learn the spelling - try fill in the blank or</span><a href="http://www.spellingcity.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">matching definition</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> exercises, draw a picture of the word, write a description of whatever the word is about, spell the word in a song to help you remember, or link that word to something more familiar in your brain that could help you remember it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Break it down into syllables or phonemes, or remember the rhythm of the word. You could also use a mnemonic to help you remember, such as triggering the rule "i before e, except after c" in your head. </span></div>
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<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-39354691008065872792013-11-24T19:23:00.001-08:002013-11-24T19:23:45.640-08:00An Interdisciplinary Approach To Science and Nutrition<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid--63cd5a8-8d45-daeb-b62b-9caefd90a797" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have you ever heard of an "interdisciplinary" curriculum? It's one of the latest catch-phrases in the world of public school education, kind of the latest fad, if you will. Interdisciplinary instruction simply means to coordinate resources and materials from multiple subject areas to cover a particular topic. Many of us homeschoolers have been doing this for years, in the form of unit studies. Even if your main curriculum isn't structured this way, you've probably at some point done a unit study or theme unit, right?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are entire curriculum aligned on this basis. Konos comes to mind. Five in a Row is one I've used personally with my own kids and absolutely LOVED. I'm sure there are others, but the point is that the concept of interdisciplinary study is hardly anything new. Marketing teams can put a new spin on it and try to sell it to you, for sure, but the bottom line is that kids learn the subject matter especially well when it is covered in multiple disciplines. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So instead of a boring math textbook with pages and pages of math problems, a child who also learns how math applies to music will have a greater appreciation of both. Or more simply, a child who learns about China in a Social Studies book will gain more depth of understanding if the teacher plans a celebration of Chinese New Year too. Another example of interdisciplinary learning would be a unit study about rivers....the geography of the land, how rivers are created, what creatures live there and their life cycles, the <a href="http://www.science4us.com/elementary-physical-science/energy/heat-energy/">heat energy</a> or chemical contamination of rivers, and all of this interspersed with poetry, art, or works of literature relating to rivers too. See how it all comes together? Instead of just learning A, B, and C, teach your kids about A, B, and C and their relation to the rest of the alphabet too!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is how I approach homeschooling </span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/homeschooling.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and education. Nutrition should not be a subject unto its own. It should be taught as bits and pieces of a much bigger picture. We can learn about the science of nutrition, and the calculations and math behind it too. But there are less obvious tie-ins to social studies, history, and many other fields. Often, the interdisciplinary topics are where the real learning and understanding takes place.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have your kids learn by doing. Teach them to garden, and to cook, and to calculate, and to THINK about nutrition, not to regurgitate information. It's about</span><a href="http://www.science4us.com/elementary-physical-science/matter/materials-and-mixtures/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">learning about materials</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and then DOING something with them! But shake things up too, and do a little of the unexpected. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Creating</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">doing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> helps kids to learn across a wide spectrum of disciplines.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2013/08/homeschooling-special-needs-child.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-40897945828088463862013-11-17T14:29:00.001-08:002013-11-17T14:29:26.795-08:00Homeschooling - When To Ask For Help<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Most homeschooling parents feel pretty confident. They know they made a
great decision to homeschool their kids, are they're making it work for
them. The kids are doing well, the parents love the outcome, and all
is well. But trouble does arise sometimes, even in the most dedicated
and well-organized homeschooling households. If you need <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum.htm">homeschool help</a>, you're not alone! We all need help sometime,
but how do you know when it's time to ask for some assistance?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">When You're New</span></b><br />
Obviously, newbies are going to have some questions. Don't be afraid to
ask! Are you wondering about the homeschooling laws in your state? Or
how to arrange a Drivers' Ed class for your teenager? How <i>do</i>
you teach phonics to a kindergartener, anyway? And what's the best math
curriculum out there? If you're new to homeschooling, you aren't going
to automatically know these answers, so you'll need to find someone who
does. The internet is helpful, but it's a smart move to find other
homeschoolers in your local area and join a support group to meet other
families who've been through the same thing and can guide you.
Homeschoolers are a really helpful bunch, so if you have a
question....ASK!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>When Something Isn't Working</b></span><br />
Is your child just not getting those multiplication tables memorized, no
matter what you do? Are they having trouble with handwriting, or
reading skills? Maybe you're frustrated by the amount of "busy work" in
the curriculum you've chosen not challenging your child enough? There
are a thousand reasons you may be dissatisfied with how things are
going. <br />
<br />
You might consider shopping around for a different curriculum that fits
your child's needs better. You might also seek professional guidance,
as in the case of suspected dyslexia or seeking occupational therapy for
serious handwriting concerns. It could be helpful for you speak with
other parents in your support group and and ask how their own kids did with <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/math_facts.htm">learning math facts</a> and multiplication tables. <br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br />
When You're Out Of Your League</b></span><br />
I have no idea how to teach my daughter Calculus, and I'm not much for
Art or Music class, either. So I have my kids taking some co-op classes
where other homeschool moms who do know Art and Music are doing a great
job at imparting that knowledge to my children. And my daughter is
getting help with Calculus there too! The same principle holds for
foreign langauges - if you don't happen to speak Spanish or have French
immigrants living next door, teaching your kids a foreign language is
going to be difficult, even with the most well-intentioned curriculum.
Get some help! <br />
<br />
Don't keep beating a dead horse. If you don't understand how to
accomplish the goal you've set for your kids, or you run into roadblocks
along the way, don't be afraid to ask for help. We've all been there,
and if you ask for help when you need it, you'll be more confident in
helping someone else someday too!
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-15071228740260812822013-11-02T12:31:00.001-07:002013-11-02T12:32:28.592-07:00Why Join a Homeschool Support Group?<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="284px;" id="docs-internal-guid-4ab9e9f8-1a4a-e43f-c336-87f2647dcbe7" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/LrRVpq_iNdStjXx4t5kBaGpO8cLHFjZ4M2sbNt4aSRPyBDFQKxxZ9owH3Cx9n5ps0jeGWJTorJT5e1z1fnA7mqOQY3NpnVusK8EIxNAWTKUexHLPm-CeHbGyeg" width="427px;" /><a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2013/05/homeschool-support-groups.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">W</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/ChristianHomeschool.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">hether you're a veteran homeschooler or starting a <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/welcome.htm">new homeschool</a>, belonging to a support group of other homeschoolers in your area can be hugely beneficial.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Support groups can be just casual gatherings of families meeting for play dates or educational field trips. Lots of places where public school classes attend field trips are willing to accomodate homeschoolers if they can get a group together to attend.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Support groups could also take the form of a co-op, where the group meets periodically and parents take turns teaching some particular subject to the kids. This is an advantage because another parent might know more about art or geology, for example, based on their own education or career, and you child will be learning from someone with expertise in the subject.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whatever you're looking for in a support group, you're probably wondering where to look! Using the internet, you can find plenty of</span><a href="http://www.secularhomeschool.com/content/203-secular-homeschool-support-groups-state/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">secular homeschool support groups</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and Christian homeschooling groups as well. You could also ask around and find out from local homeschoolers you know. Fellow homeschoolers in your local area are often the very ones you need to connect with. </span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-4433370730951305382013-10-27T16:01:00.000-07:002013-10-27T16:01:02.217-07:00Ideas For Supplementing Your Life Science Curriculum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While most homeschooling families are generally content with the science curriculum they’ve chosen, there's always room for improvement. Some families prefer</span><a href="http://www.secularhomeschool.com/content/587-resources-teaching-evolution-homeschool/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">homeschooling evolution</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and others teach creationism, but whatever your stance on that controversial issue, if you're looking to make a year’s worth of Life Science bigger and better, some of these ideas may be worth considering.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Many families enjoy unit studies because they’re so flexible and can be tailored to whatever level of intensity you want. I’m having my oldest daughter choose a few projects throughout the year that she’d like to learn more about. So far, she’s made a poster-sized chart about taxonomy and classification of plants and animals, and she wants to try replicating some form Mendelian genetics by crossing different seedlings of green bean plants to vary their characteristics.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hands-on activities are important when teaching kids about science, so even though it isn’t specifically recommended in our science text, we’re going to dissect a frog. I’m waiting until my daughter has finished the unit on body systems, and then I plan to order a frog and dissecting kit from a science supply store online. Stores like that are chock full of great ideas, experiments, and supplies to help round out your curriculum. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are sometimes resources available in the local community too. The children’s museum in my city offers monthly classes for homeschoolers, and while they don’t always pertain to Life Science, I made sure to sign up my daughter for the ones I though</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">t would be helpful. She’ll be learning how to use a microscope and get some hands-on experience learning about ecosystems and habitat, among other things. One of the farms in our area rents out small incubators each spring that kids can take home and watch a chicken egg hatch. These kinds of opportunities are everywhere, if you know where to look. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Overall, the year is going well and, I have to admit, I’m learning right along with my daughter. She’s enjoying the projects, local classes, an</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> online <a href="http://www.science4us.com/elementary-homeschool-science/">homeschool science curriculum</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and other supplemental things I’ve come up with for Life Science, and adding something extra to a traditional science curriculum has really helped us both stay excited about schoolwork. </span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-312720381178898212013-10-20T18:14:00.000-07:002013-10-20T18:14:00.065-07:00Science and Celery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtCt88vxDedYrOoK0rR_NRwxCxcTEr5HwImdE_mtac64i4vdF24G1quJjITZAT4G8Ntl-uD8TMk3IRLoGYwzhsk6CYLyHCMwKtkJAbYL1-lk04GcPcfVmkZb4J6_lcb1jI6ZJKnilo1K2/s1600/celery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtCt88vxDedYrOoK0rR_NRwxCxcTEr5HwImdE_mtac64i4vdF24G1quJjITZAT4G8Ntl-uD8TMk3IRLoGYwzhsk6CYLyHCMwKtkJAbYL1-lk04GcPcfVmkZb4J6_lcb1jI6ZJKnilo1K2/s320/celery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">GUEST POST </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Back when I was a </span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/welcome.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">new homeschooler</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
I thought everything we learned had to be part of the curriculum.<span> </span>Fortunately, I have a very “science hungry”
child who finished her science curriculum long before I had planned for her to finish.<span> </span>This meant I had to be creative with things
to keep her science hungry brain occupied!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the activities that we have tried lately is a “grow
again” garden.<span> </span>Let me explain.<span> </span>There are a number of fresh vegetables that
will regrow from the pieces left over when you cut them up.<span> </span>Not quite like starfish, but still fun to
explore.<span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right now we are growing our own celery.<span> </span>Did you know that if you cut the root end of
the celery off and care for it properly you can grow your own celery?<span> </span>Here is how you do it.</span></span></div>
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<span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wash, then cut the celery stalks off of the root
end a couple of inches from the end.</span></span></div>
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<span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Use the stalks as you would normally.</span></span></div>
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<span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take the root end and place it root end down in
a shallow saucer/bowl. </span></span></div>
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<span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add tap water to the bowl, deep enough to just
cover the end where the roots would grow.</span></span></div>
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<span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Place in a sunny window.</span></span></div>
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<span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wait!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Within about a week you will see new leaf growth out of the
bundle.<span> </span>To keep the celery growing you
will need to change the water regularly and trim off any pieces of the celery
that becomes soft and mushy.<span> </span>Eventually,
roots will grow from the root end.<span> </span>Once
that happens you can plant it in soil.<span> </span>Know
that celery requires a lot of water to grow so keep the soil moist but not
soggy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The one thing we have found so far is that the stalks
growing from our regrown celery plant do not produce the thick, firm stalks
that you are used to purchasing commercially.<span>
</span>The stalks from our regrown celery are more tender and slim.<span> </span>They are also very celery flavored.<span> </span>One other thing that I like about our regrown
celery is that we control the chemicals, additives, and fertilizers used in the
growth meaning we can make it as organic friendly as we choose.<span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are other foods that work this way.<span> </span>Onions, shallots, green onions, and fennel
will all regrow by the same method.<span> </span>If
you have garlic cloves that begin to sprout you can also have your children
regrow garlic, just plant the clove-green end up!<span> </span>Interestingly enough you can also plant the
end of a carrot it if has leafy growth.<span>
</span>The carrot will not regrow but it will produce carrot leaves which can
be used as garnish and greens in salads. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve even met a lady who keeps an oak barrel planter outside
her kitchen door and tosses seeds from fruits into it as well as the vegetables
I’ve mentioned.<span> </span>She said that she never
knows what her mini kitchen garden might be growing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Learning how their food grows and growing some of their own
food can be a very educational experience for children.<span> </span>Hands-on </span><a href="http://www.science4us.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">science
for kids</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> should be fun and engaging, and in this case it can be pretty
tasty as well!</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Linda Warren is a writer and homeschooling parent of an only child
who is just now beginning some high school courses.<span> </span>They began their homeschooling journey using
Time4Learning and Spelling City.<span> </span>They are
continuing their homeschooling journey with the new </span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/high_school.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Time4Learning
Interactive High School</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> curriculum.</span></span></i></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-34952880791306616302013-10-13T17:26:00.002-07:002013-10-13T17:26:36.014-07:00Homeschooling With a Learning Disability<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-4ab9e9f8-b45a-43d2-8cef-045d93c101eb" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When you're considering your options, there are plenty of</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/pros_cons_homeschooling.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">pros and cons of homeschooling</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to think about. If you're</span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/pdd.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">homeschooling with PDD</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, dyslexia, autism, or any number of other learning disorders, your methods of homeschooling need to be tailored to the needs of your child. One way to look at this is to first determine how your child learns best. Are they are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Traditional educational approaches are geared toward visual learners, but not all kids learn the same way. You may even need to teach the same material in different ways if you have more than one child and their needs are different too. The biggest benefit to homeschooling is the flexibility it provides. You can give each child what they need to succeed, with an individual approach you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">know</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> will work! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-38055059549376312642013-10-06T16:30:00.006-07:002013-10-06T16:30:53.171-07:00Nutrition Analogies To Learn Vocabulary<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-4ab9e9f8-9019-a4dc-1115-fbf5dda88749" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt;">
<a href="http://www.nutritionforhealthykids.com/2012/02/try-some-nutrition-analogies-to-learn.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Worm is to apple as cow is to___________.</span></h3>
<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-4ab9e9f8-9019-a4dc-1115-fbf5dda88749" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Anyone know the answer to the <a href="http://www.vocabulary.co.il/analogies/">analogy</a>? GRASS! (Because we all know that happy, healthy cows eat grass, right? Not corn or grain or whatever else!)</span></h3>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Try this one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">vitamin C : oranges</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">_______ : milk</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oranges contain vitamin C. What important nutrient is found in milk? Calcium!</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Yea! You're on a roll! How about one more?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">red, shiny : apple</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">yellow, curved : __________</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Banana! Analogies aren't just for the SAT test anymore. </span><a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/homeschooling.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Homeschooling</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> kids can really enjoy analogies, and if you start when your kids are young, they'll have lots of time to master them before SAT-time.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It might be something fun and different to pass the time this winter. If you send me your nutrition</span><a href="http://www.spellingcity.com/analogies.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> analogies</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, I'll compile a list of them to post on the blog. Give it a try! </span></div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482055013931082636.post-55984311942737484822013-09-29T17:39:00.002-07:002013-09-29T17:39:39.859-07:00Candy Bar Math Lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXz5lvCfJOFLAYFYwjjtOibExzoaBroP98wchg-CbPg9jqjwZqyI9rD5KsvrwYqlnwCU2cXol_3kfM6na2Zx_ps-0f3nr9HqAq1-dD3sCsrZKUZymqSgNSGHbG91WnyebFNFLEEVfBV6SW/s1600/kitkat.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXz5lvCfJOFLAYFYwjjtOibExzoaBroP98wchg-CbPg9jqjwZqyI9rD5KsvrwYqlnwCU2cXol_3kfM6na2Zx_ps-0f3nr9HqAq1-dD3sCsrZKUZymqSgNSGHbG91WnyebFNFLEEVfBV6SW/s200/kitkat.jpg" width="200" /></a>All
foods sold in the U.S. must be labelled with their nutritional
content. These labels are called "Nutrition Facts", and I found a
picture of a really crazy one online that I thought would be fun to
share. It's the label from a "Mega-Kat", which is a giant Kit-Kat candy
bar. It weighs 2 pounds!<br />
<br />
(Check out the pictures of someone holding an even bigger Kit-Kat candy bar <a href="http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/20100131-Giant_Kit_Kat">here</a>. It weighs 30 pounds!)<br />
<br />
Time to do something useful with this information! Let's use this Nutrition Facts label to help with <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/math_facts.htm">learning math facts </a>& have some fun. What can you learn from this Nutrition Facts label? </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_EGaQNMnVZW6nnLz_el4gcs-qB-u8xMBBYVpdNueCHOhLPFl5gxxRUu8Fx92aXjsHPrWV-SNywFht7pHPd40MuFIPjSd6ozD0Bn26WBjB4kcAUSinuySpm5Qe9GD2ADdh2EWx78TfBznF/s1600/kitkat2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_EGaQNMnVZW6nnLz_el4gcs-qB-u8xMBBYVpdNueCHOhLPFl5gxxRUu8Fx92aXjsHPrWV-SNywFht7pHPd40MuFIPjSd6ozD0Bn26WBjB4kcAUSinuySpm5Qe9GD2ADdh2EWx78TfBznF/s320/kitkat2.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>If you were going to split this candy bar among yourself and 4 of
your friends, how much cholesterol would each of you be consuming? </li>
<li>How many of these giant candy bars would you need to eat to get 80 grams of fiber?</li>
<li>How much sodium is in<i> half</i> a serving? </li>
<li>If there are 4 grams in 1 teaspoon of sugar, how many teaspoons of sugar are in this candy bar?</li>
<li>If you ate 5 of these candy bars (and didn't get sick), how much vitamin C would you have eaten? </li>
</ul>
<br />
Ok, <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-math.htm">homeschool math</a>
class is over. Now we all know candy bars are not healthy, but let's
look closer at these Nutrition Facts. Notice that the 2 things this
candy bar contains the most of are.....Fat and Sugar.<br />
<br />
I'll never look at a Kit-Kat quite the same!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345260720725023792noreply@blogger.com0