School Matters

Using Facebook for Elmer's Science Fair            01/31/2012 03:22 PM
Growing, studying, testing, measuring, hypothesizing, thinking, writing, presenting, concluding, and researching are all things that were happening all over right now as the Science Fair season has just concluded here in Corpus Christi! Already children participated in the annual Coastal Bend Science Competition which was put on in Mid-January and regardless of whether or not your children placed, why not enter the Elmer's Science Fair Contest 2012? It's going on right now...

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Math Mammoth Sale            01/22/2012 10:59 PM
For my homeschooling friends, Math Mammoth is having a sale the January 23rd-January 25th. They are offering 23% off on downloads and CD's at their Kagi store. Enter Coupon Code:

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Columbus Replica Ships are Coming to Corpus Christi            01/22/2012 04:50 PM
Having just had a lesson on Columbus this past friday, imagine my surprise when I saw that the Columbus Replica Ships are coming to Corpus Christi in March! Beginning March 9th, the ships, replicas of the "Nina" and "Pinta," will be docked at the Corpus Christi Municipal Maria until their departure on March 19th. Now's a great time to schedule a group educational tour with them.

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Homeschool Humor - The School Board            09/07/2011 03:28 PM
As the new school year is already underway for most everyone, including our homeschooling family, I thought I'd share with you the following homeschool humor courtesy of our youngest. She wasn't really trying to make us laugh, but she had a point to prove against her dad and it was great! It gave us quite a chuckle and gave my sister, a public school Guidance Counselor, quite a laugh! So without delaying too much, here it is... The School Board.

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Giotto inspired paint equals fun for kids            02/02/2011 10:12 AM
Scraping chalk with rocks and adding an egg yolk wash to create paint? Never heard of it! That is, until yesterday afternoon when the kids and I decided to study Art. It was messy, it was fun, and the paints came out great. Oh Giotto, thank you for the inspiration!

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Our Field Trips in the last two months            10/13/2010 12:45 PM
Both here in Corpus Christi and also in Houston, we've been sandy, sunburned, bitten by mosquitos, almost hit by hawk wings, wandered into space, and taken in bricks as art. That's the description of the field trips we've been doing this year with school. They have been educational, some have been more fun than others, but most importantly they've been great family fun.

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Spring cleaning because of IKEA            07/14/2010 10:32 PM
Spring cleaning in summer? When you say those words, you can hardly believe it. After all, the season of summer doesn't necessarily bring thoughts of moving out your furniture, going through your stuff, dusting, throwing out or donating the old, possibly painting, and simplifying your cluttered life does it? Well, surprisingly enough, for us, it kind of does. Why would we forgo the swimming, the basking in the sun (or as we say in Texas, 'baking in the sun', beach visits, or just enjoying our nice air conditioned home to sweat, dust, and work so hard?

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Leave the environment better than how you found it            04/13/2010 02:44 PM
My kids are naturally inquisitive, aren't yours? Kids will be kids afterall. They love the dirt, mud, puddles of water, insects and bugs of all kind. You can say that they are naturally attracted. I'm guessing my kids are not alone! Do any of these statements sound familiar. . .

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Science Fair is in the air            02/03/2010 01:36 AM
Science Fair is in the air! It's that time of year again where kids are speculating, testing, and concluding anything and everything! Yes, the Science Fair. All around Corpus Christi the library branches are displaying their Science Fair book collections, teachers are sending home paperwork, and kids are busy thinking up or working on science experiments. Whether in private or public school, there is no denying that it is in the air and what a great way for students to really get a chance to be their naturally inquisitive selves! By the way, did you know the Science Fair is not just for public and private school kids? That's right, even homeschoolers can participate!

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Reading on schedule            01/26/2010 06:25 PM
When we started homeschooling, I thought it would be easier for the kids to pick up a book and read or practice reading whenever they felt like it. I mean, after all, the kids weren't on a set schedule to read, unlike at school where reading is 'on demand' and for homework. As I quickly found out, I was wrong. That's when I knew something needed to change.

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Substitute in Homeschooling?            11/02/2009 08:43 PM
When the teacher is sick? Who teaches? Regular schools have a list of substitutes or administrators if need be who can step in and try to take over a class. When you homeschool, that option is not always available. So what do you do when you, the parent and the teacher, are the same and are sick?

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Dyslexia signs to look for when homeschooling            10/19/2009 09:40 AM
Homeschooling parents know their children’s abilities better than anyone. Thus, they can pretty much identify difficulties their children might be experiencing. This is especially true throughout the elementary years when children are exposed to more formal instruction in subjects such as reading, writing, math, and spelling.

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Homeschooling through Halloween - Lesson Ideas            10/09/2009 11:24 PM
Every year around Halloween, pumpkin patches emerge around town, decorations go up at homes across the city, and parents everywhere start thinking about costume ideas. If you're a homeschooling family, it's also a great time to incorporate lessons related to the season into your homeschool plans.

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Half Price Books            10/09/2009 09:39 PM
Unlike regular school teachers, homeschoolers don't always have the luxury of getting discounts at stores that offer teacher or school discounts. There are some places that make you prove you use an accredited program to be able to qualify for the discounts. Half priced books on the other hand doesn't.

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The benefits of homeschooling the beginning reader            09/22/2009 04:18 PM
The process of becoming a good reader is one that is nurtured over several years, but most especially during the 'critical stages' of a child's development. A dedicated, loving, and supportive parent will begin that nurturing at birth.

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Texas Maritime Museum Field Trip            09/13/2009 11:30 PM
The Texas Maritime Museum, located close to Corpus Christi in nearby Rockport, is a good place to get a glimpse of what life was like for explorers in 1684.

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Homeschool Aquarium Days            09/13/2009 01:09 AM
Yeah for Homeschool Days! Nowadays, there are many museums and places that offer programs specifically geared for homeschoolers. History Museums, Science Museums, or Children's Museums are all examples of places that offer Homeschool Days. Here in Corpus Christi, one such place is the Texas State Aquarium.

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An Intro to Nature Studies            09/02/2009 10:54 AM
If you've been homeschooling a while now or are new to homeschooling, you are probably familiar with the terms 'Nature Studies'. It is a topic that is clearly recommended for homeschoolers and is something that you can find in many homeschooling guides, methods, sites, and forums. Yet, what tends to be a little unclear is how to conduct a Nature Study.

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Homeschool Groups: Social or Educational            08/27/2009 11:14 PM
Homeschooling Groups can be a wonderful asset to many homeschooling families. For a newbie homeschooler, a homeschooling group can be one of your best resources for a variety of reasons. If you're out there trying to determine whether a homeschool group is right for you, consider this: Do you want it for socialization purposes or for educational purposes?

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Making Homeschooling Fun            08/17/2009 02:33 PM
If your kids have been in a public or regular private school prior to homeschooling, then there's a chance that they may be complaining that homeschooling is boring. Then again, maybe they're not, but you can't help but feeling as they might at some point. Well then, you're probably like me and trying your best to find ways to enhance your studies with fun stuff to do. Some say the 'fun' factor teaches kids nothing and you should stick to your books and paper. I don't feel that way.

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Mainstream Homeschooling?            08/14/2009 11:06 PM
With the Fall Semester about to kick off at local public schools and probably most schools across the country, the question about whether your kids are at the right educational institution crosses the minds of concerned parents everywhere, so I guess it is no surprise that in the past two days, I have been asked by a sister and a friend about homeschooling. They want information about where to start, what to do, and whats it all about. Seeing as they are asking me, someone new on the homeschooling scene, It makes me ask the question is homeschooling really going mainstream as all the latest research suggest and isn't it interesting that one sends her kids to public school and the other to private school? I think so.

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Where to start in Art for kids?            08/11/2009 11:18 PM
I know my kids were exposed to Art in their classrooms and certainly at home in the form of crafts and drawings, but we weren't sure where to start when it came to actually teaching them about the basics of Art, colors, lines, textures, etc....you get the point. What we found was a good introduction to Art for children online called KinderArt. It's a great website.

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TouchMath Program Review            08/10/2009 09:15 PM
Seeing as we were not confident in what our son was taught in the classroom in the way of Math and understanding that our children would learn best using a Multisensory approach, we thought it best to introduce the TouchMath Program to them. Although the program is not cheap compared to most Math homeschool curriculum offered, we do support and utilize the program for various reasons.

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Decision to Homeschool            08/09/2009 02:27 PM
As more and more individuals find out we made the decision to homeschool, many are very surprised. After all, I was a volunteer at the school; a school that is highly regarded in this town, a private catholic school, and montessori for that matter. So, why in the world would we consider homeschooling?

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