make your own play-dough

The best and easiest play-dough recipe I've found:

1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup salt
3/4 cup water (with food coloring)

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Add more water if needed or flour - you want a very stiff dough. With oiled hands, knead into soft dough.

The Mother at Home

Perhaps no book has been more encouraging, convicting and inspiring to me as a mother as John S. C. Abbott's book The Mother at Home. Read it online or buy it from Amazon. It will be time and money well spent.

what we're eating this summer

Making meals for the freezer has been such a HUGE help and blessing since we started homeschooling. Click the log to see what we're eating this summer and into the fall...

our journey with My Father's World

I've started a website where I'm organizing all my thoughts and resources for MFW Kindergarten and 1st grade this year. You can visit it at
https://sites.google.com/site/journeywithmfw/home

update for 2010-2011

This updates the post 2010 codeword: simplify

We be using the following materials for this year:

6y-son: My Father's World 1st Grade
4y-daughter: My Father's World Kindergarten

(We'll do the science from the K program together instead of doing 1st grade science.)

I decided not to purchase the Little Pim DVD's because I want the kids to learn Spanish verbally before trying to read the words. (Little Pim shows the word as it is being said.) I think that showing the kids the words can really throw a kink in their pronunciation. I found and like Professor Parrot. The kids just get to practice saying the words and singing in Spanish.

I also decided to wait on implementing the Five-in-a-Row program. If we see that we need something more, I will add it in later. Instead of buying the FIAR books, I will probably use the resources at Homeschool Share. I have already sketched out a few weeks of activities and I really like the free lapbook materials provided at HSS. I think this would be very helpful in teaching some history and geography.

I attended the local homeschool expo last weekend and it was VERY helpful to talk to the representatives from My Father's World and sit in on their classes. I'm excited about using their curriculum this year and for year's to come. So much of their philosophy of education completely meshes with mine. It's nice to find something already put together that is really something I want to use as-is. Just click the checkbox and a nice box of everything arrives at your door. Very cool indeed.

kindergarten graduation

We had a fun time at my 6yo's kindergarten graduation. We threw a party at home and invited those families that really played a key role in his life this year. He was so excited to have both sets of grandparents in for the occasion as well. I made a video presentation highlighting his accomplishments in each area.

His dad and I presented him with a diploma and a Bible for which he had been asking.

Lots of fun! I can't believe that our first year in official homeschool is over!

a few blogs I'm enjoying at the moment

Confessions of a Homeschooler - good info about workboxes, preschool and a very cool "Letter of the Week" preschool curriculum

1+1+1=1 - lots of good stuff about Tot Trays, Preschool and elementary homeschool.

I really like her hands-on approach and her recommendations for good toys. Plus, the graphic design and layout is excellent!