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Athens Homeschool Activities and Resources

February 23, 2016 By MommyOctopus 5 Comments
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

Athens Homeschool Activities and Resources

Homeschooling in Athens, Georgia is filled with a ton of great opportunities, co-ops, homeschool days, and more!  The Athens Homeschool community is surprisingly huge!   It is pretty much the perfect town to homeschool.  Let me know if you know of other things to add and I will try to keep this page updated as much as possible!

Facebook Pages:

On the facebook pages, you can be kept up to date on social functions, outings, curriculum sales, or even post your own questions about homeschooling.

  • Homeschoolers Near Athens
  • Secular Homeschoolers In Athens
  • Athens Homeschoolers Park Group
  • Athens Homeschool Resources
  • Jackson County Homeschoolers
  • Georgia Homeschooling Discussion Group
  • Madison County, GA Homeschoolers
  • Homeschooled Teens of Athens
  • Athens Homeschool Edventures

Community Schools and Co-ops:

As you can see, Athens has plenty of community schools and co-ops.  Many offer extracurricular activities in addition to academics.  The communities are wonderful for getting to know other homeschooling families and even for getting a small break from your kids during the week if desired.  Each community school and co-op is individual with different beliefs, rules, activities, and teachers.  Some are free and some are paid.  Find out more about them and what they offer on their websites below:

  • Heritage Classical Study Center
  • Double Helix STEAM School
  • Summit Academy
  • Classical Conversations
  • Compass Community
  • Bridgeway Educational Support Team, LLP
  • Wisdom Seekers
  • Monsignor Donovan – offers a hybrid homeschool track
  • Sandy Creek – offers homeschool classes

Resources:

  • Athens Teacher Reuse Store – Make an appointment and show your Declaration of Intent for FREE school supplies and other items

Homeschool Activities:

There are a bunch of homeschool activities other than just these.  I recommend calling ahead to make sure that the event is still going on before heading out.  You can find plenty more on the local facebook homeschool pages.  Some are not homeschool specific, but good options.

  • Homeschool Skate at Athens Skate Inn: This takes place on the first Friday of every month from 1:00-4:00 pm. $5 admission plus $2 skate rental.
  • The Rook & Pawn – Call or visit their facebook page for details
  • Trail Life
  • American Heritage Girls 
  • Athens Area Homeschool Band
  • UGA Strings Project
  • Lyndon House Arts Foundation
  • Civil Air Patrol

Local Field Trip Ideas:

  • Hand Me Down Zoo
  • The Georgia Museum of Natural History at UGA
  • Zoo Atlanta offers Homeschool Activities

Articles of Interest:

  • Free Things To Do in Athens, GA
  • End of the Year Homeschool Evaluation Form
  • How to Sell Used Homeschool Curriculum
  • How to Organize Important Homeschool Papers
  • Homeschooling Your Preschooler
  • 25 FREE Homeschooling Resources
  • 6 Awesome Math Manipulatives
  • Homeschool Testing in Georgia
  • 10 Things New Homeschooling Parents Need to Know
  • 6 Reasons Why We Homeschool Year Round

Legal Information:

  • Homeschool Legal Defense
  • Georgia Home Educator Association

Review: SchoolhouseTeachers.com

January 7, 2016 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.


For the past few weeks, my children and I have been reviewing the Yearly Membership at SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an excellent resource for homeschooling families with over 200 courses from preschool through grade 12.  With the low monthly fee, you get access to all of the courses for your entire family, no matter the size!  Perfect for our large(r) family!

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Once you are logged in to SchoolhouseTeachers.com, the best place to start on the site for a new member is the New Members Hub.  From there you will be brought to a page where you can start looking for courses.  The courses are divided up into Preschool/Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and High School.  Click on the category that you are looking for and then you’ll have an abundance of courses to choose from!  One you decide which courses to take, just click and you’re there!

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Once I was logged in, I was overwhelmed at all the classes that were available!  So many choices and so little time!  I narrowed it down by choosing which child I wanted to find a course for first.  I went with my preschooler.  I decided to use the Beginning Handwriting course with my almost 5 year old daughter since she’s been wanting to do more school with the “big kids”.  This was the perfect way to ease into it without buying lots of extra workbooks.  Everything was clickable and easy from there.  The lesson plans come with an introduction to the course and show you exactly what to print and even tips on how to teach.  I loved seeing all the helpful hints and having everything accessible at the simple click of a button.  In this particular course, each lesson is work for about a week.  The activities combined fun and learning all together to make it exciting for my daughter.

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After we got her settled, I decided to go to my oldest and check out the middle school lessons!  Holy smokes!  They offer classes for Art, Bible, Computer and Technology, Drama and Speech, Electives, Foreign Languages, History, Geography, Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Music, Nutrition, Health, Fitness, and Science!  We ended up deciding on Math since she could use a little extra encouragement in that subject.  More specifically, we went with Pre-Algebra.  We actually skipped ahead to what she is currently working on in her math book, which is percents.  It had simple explanations that we easy to understand and some problems to work on.  It was a great supplement to our current curriculum.  In this case, I don’t think I would use this particular course as a stand alone, but am definitely going to use it as a supplement.

My final thoughts is that SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an excellent program to supplement homeschooling.  Although it may be hard to narrow down your selections on courses, the fact that there are so many to choose from make it a fantastic resource.

I am now a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew and as such I’ll be brining you more homeschool information and reviews over the next year!  I think many of you will really enjoy this addition to MommyOctopus.com.

SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Since I’m a crew member, I have an exclusive code for you guys!  New members can use code CREWFOLLOWER on SchoolhouseTeachers.com through 1/31/2016 to save 50% off a year’s membership!  That’s quite the deal!  A year membership is $139, so only $69.50 after the code!  For more information, head on over to SchoolhouseTeachers.com and check it out!

SchoolhouseTeachers.com Review 2016
Crew Disclaimer

How To Organize Important Homeschool Papers

July 31, 2015 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

How To Organize Important Homeschool Papers

As a homeschooling mom, I’m careful to make sure that I’m doing everything that the law requires.  Here in Georgia, we are required to file a Declaration of Intent each year and keep a copy of our attendance reports.  Every 3 years starting in 3rd grade, we have testing.  We also have to do a written performance report at the end of each year showing our child’s progress.  Now comes the big question.  How do I keep all these papers organized and easily found if needed?

How To Organize Important Homeschool Papers 1

Simple!  A few years ago, I made a 1 inch binder and put in dividers for each year.  Everything is clearly labeled and easy to find. Behind the divider goes that year’s important papers – DOI, Attendance, Performance Reports, any test results, etc.  All the stuff that is required by law to keep goes in this binder.  That way IF I’m ever asked to prove anything, it’s all just an arm’s reach away.  The binder is then stored at the top of our school bookshelves to make sure littles don’t get this binder out by mistake.

How To Organize Important Homeschool Papers 2

 

How do you organize your important homeschool papers?

Our Homeschooling Plans For 2015-2016

July 23, 2015 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

Our Homeschooling Plans For 2015-2016

I’ve been working on getting everything in order for the upcoming homeschool year.  With our baby boy due in September, I’ve really got to get on the ball!  This year we are still using most of what we did last year but changing a few things as the kids age and learning styles change.

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Math, we are once again using Horizons Math. This seems to be working well for my kids. We use the math books plus we supplement with the extra worksheets for more practice. We are also continuing with XtraMath.org.  I can’t say enough great things about this website!  It’s a completely free way to make sure your kids understand all of their math facts.  As a mom, I can login and see how they are doing as well and what needs improvement.

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For Language Arts, we are utilizing a few things this year.  We are once again using Wordly Wise 3000 for my bigger kids.  This starts in 2nd grade and helps with vocabulary, reading comprehension, and sentence writing.  For spelling, we use SpellingCity.com.  I do purchase the premium membership for $29.99 for my kids, but I’ve heard many use the free version as well.  I like the premium because it keeps track of everything and has more features.  At the $29.99 price, I can include up to 5 children.  A new thing we are adding this year is Easy Grammar.  I have heard great things about it and it seems fairly self-taught.  We also debated on Daily Grams and may end up adding that in once we get everything else rolling.  The big kids are also doing IEW to further enhance their writing skills. My 3rd child is going to be working on Draw Write Now. All of the kids are also using A Reason For Handwriting.

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For Bible we are using the Catechism for Kids.  We did questions 1-10 last year so we will continue with questions 11-20 this year.  I like that you can purchase the PDF fairly cheaply so I can print for multiple children.  I’m also continuing to read through the History Lives set to the bigger kids when the littles are occupied.  Some of the stories can be fairly intense so it’s taking longer to go through them so we can digest and discuss.

History we will continue to pull from Allinonehomeschool.com and of course the vast variety of books at the library.

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Science we are pulling from God’s Design for Life.  This will be our first year using it.  We are borrowing the books from my sister in law.  She really enjoyed using it last year with her kids.

I think that’s it.  I’m sure I’ve left something out!  All the kids are taking classes at local co-ops as well depending on what each child needs.  Between homeschooling 4 kids and a newborn, looks like I will have my hands full this year 🙂  What curriculum are you using this year?

Other posts you may be interested in:

  • Homeschooling Your Preschooler
  • 25 Free Homeschooling Resources
  • Testing Options for Georgia’s Homeschool Students
  • How to Find Educational Videos on Amazon Prime to use in Homeschool
  • 10 Things New Homeschooling Parents Need to Know
  • 6 Awesome Homeschool Math Manipulatives
  • 6 Reasons We Homeschool Year-Round
  • My Favorite Homeschool Items
  • HomeschoolCompliance Makes my Life Easier!

Homeschooling a Preschooler – See What Works for Us!

June 26, 2015 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

Homeschooling a Preschooler

I’ve been homeschooling for over 8 years now and each year, I have new homeschooling moms approach me asking for advice on homeschooling a preschooler.  Their questions are almost always the same.  Today I want to talk to you guys about my opinion on homeschooling a preschool age child and what has worked well for our family.  Below you’ll find the most often asked questions and my answers.

When should I start homeschooling?

Personally I recommend starting at birth.  Before you freak out that you haven’t taught your 1 year old how to read, think about what you have taught them.  You’ve guided your child in learning to walk and talk.  You’ve taught them language even if their main word is NO.  They’ve learned how to climb, how to love, how to share.  You’ve taught them so much already without even thinking about it!  Keep up the natural progression of learning!

What curriculum should I purchase for my 3-5 year old?

When my oldest was 3-4 years old, I thought about the same thing.  I couldn’t wait to get started and I didn’t want my daughter to be “left behind” and fail her as a homeschooling parent.  Surely we needed to prove to others that we could do this.

As my kids have grown older, I have completely changed my thoughts on this topic.  I’ve gone the other direction and we have taken more time to enjoy the preschool years.  The preschool years are so magical and fun!  Homeschooling a preschooler can be, too!  With 13 years of school Kindergarten-12th grade ahead of us, enjoy those sweet years of not having to do school.  Your child can learn by spending time with you!  Go on a nature walk for science.  Cook for math.  Read for language.  The possibilities are endless!  Don’t jump in to the book work yet!

If you’re really wanting to do something, pick something simple, such as Easy Peasy Online Homeschool Getting Ready Level 1 or 2.  Go to Sam’s, Walmart, or Target and get a simple and fun workbook.  Visit the library.  Check out this list of 25 free homeschool resources. Save your money for when your children are older and homeschool materials cost more.

But my friend/family member says that THEY have a homeschool curriculum and I don’t want my child left behind….

To each their own.  Let’s stop comparing our children to other children and do what is best for our family.  I’ve been there, done that and for our family, waiting to have a full day of school has turned out to be a great decision.  There is always time to add more later.  As I said earlier, you have 13 years of school ahead.  Why rush it?

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What activities should we do then?

Sing.  Dance.  Find some fun manipulatives.  Check pinterest for ideas on fun games and activities.  MeetPenny.com has a great list of preschool homeschool materials that you can find right at the dollar store.  Starfall.com has some fun resources and activities as well.  Check out all the resources at the library from puppet shows to story time.

Online Programs:

There are a bunch of different online programs geared toward preschoolers.  Some of our favorites are:

  • HOMER
  • Reading Eggs
  • ABCMouse

 

What does YOUR family do?

Typically I do buy a few workbooks from the dollar store or another store to let my preschooler practice school while the big kids do their work.  This helps keep the child occupied and happy while I’m working with the others.  Other than that, we utilize the library, iPad games, LeapFrog videos, manipulatives, etc and skip the heavy book work.  This works well for our family.  Lots and lots of reading together and outside adventures as well.

My final advice

Remember you do not have to recreate traditional school unless that is what your child enjoys.  Homeschooling a preschooler needs to be fun!  There is plenty of time to learn and each child is very very different.  If you do too much, you could have homeschool burnout before you’ve even gotten started.  Even with my 4, I’ve found that what works for one, may not work for the rest.  Be flexible and enjoy the early years.  They are gone so fast!

What are your thoughts on homeschooling a preschooler?

25 Free Homeschooling Resources

April 23, 2015 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

25 FREE Homeschool Resources

Homeschooling your children is a big decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. There’s a lot to consider and one of the biggest is whether your budget has room for you to purchase curriculum, supplies and everything else that comes along for the ride. Luckily, there is a boatload of free homeschooling resources on the net that you can use along with your curriculum or by themselves if you aren’t using a set curriculum. Take a look at them and see if there’s anything you can use. I’m sure you’ll find something that you like!

  1. Free Kindle Books – Amazon is chock full of free Kindle books that are great for homeschool. They change almost hourly too so you’re always able to look and find a few new ones.
  2. Open Culture – When it comes to homeschool freebies, Open Culture really is the place you want to be. Currently they feature over 200 free videos, online textbooks, games and more.
  3. Educents – While Educents is technically an online store, they do offer a large amount of freebies each day. You’ll find them in a range from single printable to entire unit lesson plans. Most of the printables are created by either homeschooling Mom’s themselves or certified teachers so you can count on getting quality freebies for your kids.
  4. Ambleside Online – If you’re a fan of the Charlotte Mason learning style, Ambleside Online will provide you with an entire curriculum to use from Kindergarten to grade 12 in the 5 basic subjects as well as electives such as art, Shakespeare, folks songs and more. This is a religious based curriculum so just keep that in mind if you’re a secular homeschooler.
  5. Free Lesson Plans from Scholastic – If you’re looking for unit plans for specific things, Scholastic is a great resource for grabbing freebies. They offer multiple lessons in grades Pre-K through 12 on subjects like “Remembering Anne Frank,” outdoor learning centers and so much more.
  6. Free Piano Sheet Music – If you’re including piano in your homeschool music program, Virtual Sheet Music is perfect for you! You can download free sheet music for the classics on piano as well as some that are duets for piano and other instruments.
  7. Free Science DVD’s – Looking to supplement your science curriculum? The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has you covered. You can order over 25 free science related dvd’s for free! They’re great for adding onto what your child is already learning.
  8. Discovery Education – If you’re a fan of the Discovery Channel, you can add them to your homeschool! They offer several free lesson plans on a few different topics. They’re great for when you just need a quick supplement.
  9. Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool – Easy Peasy is another heavily religion based curriculum, but it is a full curriculum for grades K-12. She includes all of the core subjects plus a few extras.
  10. Free homeschool planners – When it comes to homeschool planning and record keeping, Donna Young is the queen. She offers planners, records, calendars and more and they’re all free. If you’re keeping a homeschool binder, you’ll definitely want to take a look.
  11. Free Tech Classes from Google – Every kid should learn a bit about coding and things and Google is the place to be for that. They offer a few different videos and lessons on coding and other tech services. Just be sure to select “student” from the drop down menu.
  12. Free Art Lessons & Projects – Don’t let their name fool you. KinderArt is a great free resource for free art lessons or art projects for students of all ages. You can sort them out by age or medium to be sure that you find what you need to.
  13. NASA Kid’s Club – Have a future space cadet in your homeschool? They’ll love the NASA Kid’s Club and you’ll love that they’re learning about space.
  14. Free Kid’s Money & Budgeting Curriculum – The Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank offers their kid’s money & budgeting curriculum called “Great Minds Think Alike.” You can order a free physical copy or download it by PDF.
  15. Free First Aid Classes – Homeschool isn’t just about the 3 R’s and these Free Basic and Advanced First Aid classes are perfect for adding an extra elective.
  16. Free Sign Language Classes – Why not learn a new language that isn’t Spanish, French or German?
  17. Free Banking Lessons and Curriculum – Head over to Hands on Banking for lessons and curriculum to help you teach your child the ins and outs of banking, budgets and more.
  18. Project Gutenberg – With over 46,000 free e-books, you’ll never want for something to read. You can find both older classics and new ones indexed here and they add more every day.
  19. Encyclopedias Britannica – Remember those thick books that sat on your book shelf? They’re not available online and for free.
  20. We Give Books – Books can be super expensive and We Give Books is trying to help with that. Your child can read current books (Such as the “Who is” series, Nat Geo books and more) online in digital magazine form for free.
  21. Free Nutrition Lessons – The USDA offers multiple free brochures, posters and worksheets to help you teach your child proper eating habits and nutrition. Just remember to read each option carefully because you could end up with 30 of each if you don’t.
  22. Free Learning Worksheets – K5 Learning is an awesome site for worksheet in every core subject in, you guessed it, grades K-5.
  23. Free Curriculum on Water – Learning the water cycle or how to conserve it? Head over to Water.org for free curriculum. They offer 3 different ones in Elementary, Middle and High School ages.
  24. Free Teacher Resources – The Library of Congress offers multiple resources to both teachers and homeschoolers for free.
  25. Free Online Clubs – Curriclick offers several free online clubs for homeschool students. Choose from things like American Girl, Lego and more. Topics change from semester to semester.

Homeschooling doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to break your budget. Use these 25 freebies as a jumping off point. The internet is full of them and they’re all perfect for homeschooling on a budget!

10 Things New Homeschooling Parents Need to Know

July 20, 2014 By MommyOctopus 1 Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

10 Things NEW Homeschooling Parents Need to Know

I’ve been homeschooling for about 6 years now since my oldest is going into 6th grade.  It has flown by and I feel that we have learned so much in the challenging years that I can share with others.  Of course, these are things that have applied to our family. Here are things that I wish someone would have told me when I first started homeschooling.

1. It’s okay to stay home.  Many new homeschoolers want to sign up for every co-op, opportunity, class, playgroup, etc that comes up because of the lack of socialization stereotype.  We have found that it’s okay to stay home!  In fact, it’s needed more and more as the kids get bigger.  It’s impossible to do your school work well when you’re always on the run somewhere.

2.  It’s okay for your kids to be on different levels in different subjects.  Think of it as another benefit to homeschooling!  One of my children struggled to read but excelled in math.  Put them on the level that they need to be in each subject and not what society says.  Eventually they may catch up but it sure beats the stress of pushing them when they aren’t ready.

3. Hesitate before putting your child ahead a grade just because little Johnny can read at 4 years old.  My firstborn was reading fluently at 4 so we figured why not go ahead and start kindergarten.  Once she hit multiplication and some harder subjects, we hit a major roadblock.  She cried, I cried, we thought about public school and then realized what had happened.  Emotionally she just wasn’t ready for the weight of the harder subjects.  We let her back off and repeat the previous grade with a different curriculum and she’s now on the grade she would be with her similar aged peers.  In hind site, I definitely think that holding a child back is better in many situations than pushing them forward.  The pressure can be overwhelming for all.

4. Check for homeschool curriculum events.  I remember one year I had my heart completely set on one curriculum and went to the curriculum fair with the full intent of purchasing it.  Once I got to the fair and had my hands on the items, as I flipped through I realized how much I hated it!  Going to the fair saved me a ton of money and I was able to check out other curriculums and found one that I wanted for my family.

5. Make a list of reasons why you have chosen to homeschool your children.  This may become your very lifeline.  There will be days that are hard and days that are harder.  You need to be completely confident in your reasons why you homeschool.  For my family, we homeschool due to convenience, our family’s schedule, and one on one time with learning disabilities.  There are others, but those are the main reasons.

6. Your homeschool does not need to look like school.  You do not have to have desks, homework, strict schedules, or be inside all day.  Beautiful day outside?  Take the kids to the park to work on history.  Someone has a birthday?  Bake a cake for math and science.    Life is happening! Don’t miss it for bookwork.

7. Having a bad day?  Throw the books to the side and go out on an adventure.  Now of course if you are daily having bad days, something needs to be reevaluated.  An unplanned day off every once in a while is great for the whole family.

8. Refuse to compare your children to public school children.  For some reason, some people feel the need to “quiz” your child because they are homeschooled.  Be sure and cut this off fast.  Your kids are not performing dolphins.  In the same note, don’t brag to public school friends that your 7 year old homeschooler has finished 5th grade.

9. Homeschool year round.  Whenever we submit our intent to homeschool to our state, we submit a 12 month period.  Typically August 1-July 31 of the following year.  This gives us a grace period in case life happens.  Things may come up that you have to take weeks or even months off of school.  You can read more about why we homeschool year round here.

10. Find homeschooling moms that are older than you and have been homeschooling longer.  Ask them questions or even request to sit in their house for a day and watch.  I have learned so much about homeschooling from moms who have been there.  It has saved us a bunch of heartache by learning from others challenges.

Do you have anything to add?  Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Other posts you may be interested in:

    • 6 Awesome Homeschool Math Manipulatives
    • 6 Reasons We Homeschool Year-Round
    • My Favorite Homeschool Items
    • Homeschooling a Preschooler

6 Reasons We Homeschool Year-Round

June 19, 2014 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

6 Reasons We Homeschool Year-Round

I keep getting questions from friends and family asking when we are done homeschooling for the year.  The answer?  We won’t be.  We homeschool year round.

Do we take summer breaks?  Absolutely.  For example my son finished his math book yesterday.  He will not be getting his new one until August.  We take off a week for VBS.  The kids are involved in camps and do not do school during their camp weeks.  We still have plenty of breaks during the summer and even more throughout the year.

Now before you freak out, here are the reasons why homeschooling year round is right for my family.

1.  More Adventures, Less Crowds.  We love to take advantage of the lower crowds and take our family trips during the school year.  Such as our week long trip to Disney in March for my 30th birthday.  We also spend more of the fall and spring days outside and going on adventures so that during the summer when it’s ridiculously hot by 10am we can focus on school.  We don’t have to turn to the TV and video games to pass the time.

2. Flexibility.  I love being spontaneous during our school year.  Rainy outside?  Let’s drop school and go dance in the rain.  Get invited to some fun event during the week?  Throw school out the window and let’s go!  We like to keep a fun learning environment and I just love the flexibility that homeschooling through the year allows our family.

3. Lots of Daddy Time.  My husband works for the Sheriff’s Department so it’s a crazy schedule at times.  Homeschooling year round allows us to spend more time with Daddy.  Since he works every other weekend, we can have Saturday school and take Monday off instead to spend more time with Daddy.

4. Routine.  We don’t get the burn out that is frequent.  School has become routine and continues through the summer.  It’s just what we do.  I’ve heard of some friends doing 6 weeks on, 1 week off and that works well for their children.   We haven’t tried it yet.

5. More Holiday Time: Around the holidays we can take more time off for when Grandma comes in town or if we decide to drive up and visit her.  This means more cookie decorating, more Christmas activities, more fun!  We know if we take extra days to visit family, we can make it up in June when it’s too hot to do anything (like NOW!)

6. Less forgetfulness: Let’s face it.  During the summer, kids typically forget how to do some of the things they’ve learned in school.  When school starts up again, many of the first chapters are typically review.  With year round school, we fly right through the review and on to more learning.

Do you homeschool year round or have you considered it?  Let me know your thoughts.

Georgia Homeschooler Community – FREE Events, Adventures, Classes, Homeschool Days

April 24, 2014 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

My friend Robin over at the Georgia Homeschooler Community has given me permission to post her newsletter info for you guys!  I love how she gave a little shout out to Mommy Octopus on one of the deals 🙂 To get this info delivered right to your inbox weekly, sign up HERE for their newsletter.  Not a homeschooler?  You are still absolutely welcome on these outings!  

FREE 5th Battalion Ranger Training Open House, Dahlonega, Saturday, 11 a.m. 
Georgia Homeschooler will be there!

FREE Rick Hubbard Concert at Red Clay Theatre on April 27th – Duluth
Eddie Owen Presents Rick Hubbard and his Kazoobie Kazoo Show at The Red Clay Theater for a Sunday Matinee Kids Concert, on April 27 at 2:00 PM. It’s music, comedy, and fun for the whole family. Every kid gets a chance to be on stage with Rick Hubbard and everyone gets FREE Kazoobie Kazoos. How cool is that? Well, it’s even cooler because this special kids concert is FREE ADMISSION, so bring all the kids and have a blast.

FREE Entry and Tours at Bremen Jewish Museum on April 27 – Atlanta
Receive free entry into the Bremen Jewish Museum on Sunday, April 27th in honor of Yom Hosoah, the 49th annual community-wide Holocaust commemoration.

FREE Entomology Class on Thursday in Arnoldsville  Dr. Hinkle is offering a free entomology on Thursday, April 24 from 2-3:30 p.m. at Corinth Baptist Church cabin (behind the church) in Arnoldsville. Dr. Hinkle has asked all who attend to wear shoes for outside. If you plan to attend, please RSVP Lisa Harris at lisakayharris@yahoo.com.

FREE Pizza Day at Stevi B’s on April 27th – 
A big thanks to fellow Georgia Homeschooler and blogger Erin of http://mommyoctopus.com who shared that Stevi B’s is offering a free thin crust Margherita pizza to go on April 27th for their 6th Annual Pizza Day. Download the coupon and enjoy!

Dave Ramsey Financial Literacy Scholarship Contest for High School Students
Financial expert Dave Ramsey is inviting high school students to test their personal finance knowledge by taking the $15,000 financial Literacy Challenge by April 24. Three lucky seniors will each win a $5,000 scholarship to the college of their choice, and three underclassmen will each win a Google Chromebook. Winners will be announced by May 16!

FREE Family Concert at the Carlos Museum, Sun., April 27th, 4 p.m. – Emory
The Emory Chamber Music Society and the Carlos Museum present Lois Reitzes, legendary voice of WABE, who will narrate two favorites: Peter and the Wolf and the Carnival of the Animals performed by Keiko and William Ransom at one piano. Free public parking is available at Fishburne and Oxford Decks. Perfect for all ages. Reception Hall, Level Three.

GHEA Seeks Volunteers for Homeschool Convention
GHEA is seeking volunteers to help with the homeschool conference. This year’s conference will be June 5th-7th at Gwinnett Center in Duluth. Currently our needs are many and varied. Help unload vendors, at registration, hosting speakers, the graduation ceremony and other areas. PLEASE contact Lisa Lewis today! lisalewis31@msn.com

FREE Concert Hosted by Lauren Cohan from The Walking Dead – Atlanta
Lauren Cohan, main cast member of the Golden Globe-nominated television series The Walking Dead, will host the Atlanta Music Project Orchestra’s 2014 Spring Concert. The concert will be held on Saturday May 10, 2014 at 12:00pm in the Altitude Ballroom on the 27th floor of the W Atlanta – Midtown. MailChimp is the Presenting Sponsor for the concert.

May 9th – Homeschool Day at Six Flags

FREE UGA Herp Society’s Day on the Lawn is Tomorrow – Thursday – Athens
UGA Day on the Lawn – Thursday, April 24th – is Warnell’s Herping Society Outreach program. All manner of amphibians and reptiles will be on display. While many parents may shrill at the sight of reptiles, students who love wildlife will touch many slithering skinks and lizards and much more. It’s all day and all hands-on. This event is held on the front lawn at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. The address is 180 E Green Street • Athens, GA 30602-2152 • 706.542.2686. Event is 9-3 p.m.

FREE Fri. Night Family Fun in Downtown Duluth – Intl Dance and Jugglers Day

Events and Adventures Update from Georgia Homeschooler

Below are tempting new Georgia Homeschooler events and adventures to complement your homeschooling journey.

Our May 16 Behind the Scenes Tour of Lockheed Martin is full with a wait list. Email me at robin@rsgfundraising.com if you have trouble downloading any of the registration forms or have additional questions.

Thurs., Apr 24 – Herp Day at UGA – Athens – FREE – No need to register

Thurs., May 1 – May Day at Suwanee Library – FREE

Thursday, May 8th Behind the Scenes – Lunchtime in the Studio – 3 spaces left – Decatur

Mon., May 12 – Tree Top Quest, Buford

Tues., May 20 – Secluded Sapelo Island, Great Barrier Island off coast of GA – limited access island

Fri., June 27 – June on Lake Jocassee, 3 hrs northeast of Atlanta in S.C.

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly publication from GA Homeschooler. Free or cheap events of interest to the Georgia homeschooling community are included. Please email robin@rsgfundraising.com by Monday (before noon) of each week if you want to post. All information must include contact info. I do not post open houses for programs, classes (unless free), or ads for organizations.Businesses or organizations desiring to advertise in What’s Up Wednesday may contact me at robin@rsgfundraising.com.

My Favorite Homeschool Items

March 24, 2014 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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My Favorite Homeschool Curriculum, Links, and More

This time of year, reality hits for many parents.  Their precious little ones will be starting Kindergarten soon.  I typically get a ton of emails asking about my favorite homeschool items or curriculum.  I figured it would be best to go ahead and do a post to show you my favorite items.  Feel free to comment and tell me what you use or any tips that you have.

  • For the majority of our schoolwork, we use Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool.  Ya’ll will love this!  It’s completely free and is a curriculum for Preschool all the way through high school!  We’ve been using it for a year now and not only am I super impressed with it, the kids are learning much more than they have in years past!  And YES, it’s FREE!
  • If I have a child that is struggling in a certain area or needs a little reinforcement of a subject, I turn to Spectrum Workbooks.  There are lots of workbooks for subject like math, test prep, writing, reading, and more.
  • For math, we have been using Horizons Math the past few years.  I like it ok, but we may switch in the near future.  If you have recommendations, I’d love to hear them!
  • We also use XtraMath.org daily with the kids.  It’s a great way to reinforce math facts with your children.  It’s a huge help since I’m homeschooling multiple children and it can offer the math flash cards that the kids need.  Multiplication.com is another great website when your child is old enough for multiplication.  CardDroid Math is also a favorite of mine.
  • We reinforce handwriting with copy work and A Reason for Handwriting.
  • During the summer, we use Summer Bridge Workbooks just to keep their little minds thinking.
  • You can also check out this post Top Educational Links For Kids for some more of my favorite sites to enhance learning.

What do you use in your homeschool program?  I’d love to hear about the curriculum you love!  Leave a comment and tell me about it.

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