educating joy.

we've been busy. busy organizing curriculum. busy planning informational meetings. busy coordinating women events. busy scheduling get-togethers. busy throwing parties. busy going to doctor appointments. busy finishing summer semesters. busy being rained upon by the goodness of God.
i'm excited to host my first homeschool meeting tomorrow evening with the other ladies of the building who are choosing this journey with their kiddos this fall. i'm so excited to find out what curriculum others are using, what works best for them, and what doesn't. i'm really looking forward to my friend who is going to speak on the techniques and tools to help educate our children, no matter where we are in the process. she is an awesome educator and used to be a homeschool tutor for families. i'm so thankful for her willingness to possibly do this once a month or twice per semester. this is the kind of stuff that just makes me oh-so-happy!
i thought i'd post the same information that i'll be passing out tomorrow. i spent some time finding some of my favorite websites for curriculum choices, free games/activities, many free printables {coloring pages, math puzzles, reading/writing practice}, book choices, and a great reading list complied by reading level.
there are so, so many more, but there are a few in this list that i keep going back to because of their ease of use or simply because i know jess loves them! have fun browsing...whether you homeschool or not, they are great resources to keep your little minds busy growing!

general curriculum:

christian book {sing, spell, read, and write}

lamp post publishing

classical homeschooling {check out their 1000 good books list by reading level}

my father’s world

sonlight

abeka

the mailbox books

calvert homeschool

k12 online education

resources/supplies:

discount school supply

ziggity zoom

parents{dot}com

holiday smart

simply charlotte mason

lakeshore learning {sign up for their teacher discounts – school sale now through Sept. 5th}

half price books {teachers/homeschool moms gets 10% discount card for all purchases}

mardel {stock up during their educational sale/coupons/bargain book deals}

free printables/games/activities:

star fall

super teacher worksheets

www{dot}dltk-kids{dot}com

www{dot}dltk-bible{dot}com

math/counting games

brain pop {30 day trial}

science/history:

nourish interactive

apologia educational ministries

reading/writing/spelling:

handwriting without tears

rod and staff books {spelling by sound and structure}

"teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" by siegfried engelmann and phyllis haddox and elaine bruner

easy grammar

"primary language lessons" by emma serl

math:

math-u-see

singapore math

i should be in bed, but...

-i can't even tell you how much i want to open my window and blast my voice through the courtyard about how much i love 'half price books'. you heard me...i love them! the best way i can explain it is they are the thrift store version of barnes and noble. plus {!}, they offer a clearance section of many popular books for one dollar. $1!! eek! it's my new happy place in my new town. if you can't find me, i will be in the back corner of the kid's section, sitting on the floor, coffee in hand, flipping through one adventure after another. while the girls happily play in the adorable little playhouse sitting in the middle of, what's better known as, 'half pint books'. it's too cute for words really. and it's all within reach...this could get ugly *wink.

-it was a little strange to see a "follow us on facebook and twitter" sign on the side of a gas station car wash...and why would i want to 'follow' you? that may be taking the whole internet networking a bit far, huh?

-one of the stop signs in our local target parking lot read, "STOP circumcising babies!" umm...k? weird? yeah, just a little bit.

-i just had one of the most carefree days in a long {very long} time. i adore hanging out with my girls - like, a lot. i also enjoy hanging out with...well, me. i also find a huge amount of comfort in not being sick {funny, right?}. and a girl's night is like rejuvenating my adult soul, reminding me i can have intellectual conversations with people my age. mix all of that together - no wee ones all morning for 4 hours, me time {may or may not have included shopping}, being germ free, and smartical {it's a 'me' word} convo with friends {a.k.a. girl's night; a.k.a. more me time} - you get a pretty rockin' day. oh, and in the middle of one pretty sweet day, you throw in a couple hours of family time at the zoo = complete. and though these kind of days are rare, i am thankful they are just that...rare. because truth be told, my average kind of days filled with family tend to be the happiest ones of all {and i know for a fact i don't want to hang out with just me on a regular basis - kinda boring}.

-i'm reminding myself to carry my simple blessings of today with me throughout our weekend. because our weekends? aren't so 'typical'...friday is like our monday with a one-day-sort-of-weekend thrown in the middle of a mushed together week. here's to living joyfully in the midst of this season!