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Lorraine Curry's
Easy Homeschooling Eletter
Issue #83 April 2007

See the NEW books, NEW ebooks, NEW combo offers ($19.88 off the library of Easy Homeschooling books!) and NEW conference schedule with FREE Artes Latinae demo link! http://www.easyhomeschooling.com


    
In
    this issue and next we feature some of our 16 guest authors from
    our newest title, Easy Homeschooling Curriculum. To read more buy the book or ebook, and visit
    their sites!

    
 







 



 




  

    

    
Reading
    Aloud! by Jean Hall

    
Does it paint a cozy picture of parents
    and kids snuggling before the hearth, a cheery fire crackling,
    mugs of hot cider and cocoa at hand, sharing a classic story?
    (Or with warm weather arriving, the scene might be the front
    porch, with glasses of icy-cold lemonade or tea.)

    
Or is it something you've never done
    before?

    
I don't know about you, but I've always
    enjoyed listening to stories. Even now, we get books on tape
    or CD from the library, and listen while folding laundry or eating
    lunch or washing dishes.

    
I've learned a lot of good techniques
    from listening to great readers. Though I felt silly when I first
    started reading aloud, it wasn't long before I got used to giving
    each character a unique voice, trying my hand at dialect and
    accents, varying speed and pitch (highness or lowness). As a
    matter of fact, I got great feedback from the little ones, the
    sillier I made some of the picture-book characters sound.

    
You have a built-in, appreciative audience,
    did you know? Children love read-aloud time! Why, when
    we do our summer reading on a blanket on the lawn, the neighbor
    children creep ever closer until they are sharing the blanket,
    and they join in the begging for "just another chapter!"

    
What if the children just won't sit still?
    Choose interesting books. One month we read every picture book
    our library had about reptiles. We've also read lots of "classics."
    Ask other homeschoolers for a list of their favorites. Let wiggly
    little ones draw or play quietly with building toys while you
    read. Stop to talk about the pictures. Let the children guess
    what'll happen next. Don't be afraid to read a story over again.
    And again. And again, if requested. It's part of the learning
    process, and reinforces language development.

    
Try reading aloud today. It's a good
    habit to build on.

    
Jean Hall is a homeschooling mom of three, and also an
    author of fiction and non-fiction, editor, and composer. You
    can find examples of her music, aimed at teaching the tenets
    of the Christian faith, at http://www.singingthecatechism.com.

    

    
Build
    a Home Library-- Without Spending a Fortune! by Janice
    Campbell

    www.EverydayEducation.com

    
I love libraries. When I was young, and
    people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said
    that I would be an author and a librarian. Many years later,
    I've written two books (Transcripts Made Easy and
    Get a Jump Start on College), countless articles,
    and am working on many more. But I'm not a "real" librarian
    yet. Like many other booklovers, though, I've found ways to fill
    my craving for books, without spending a fortune.

    
A home library can serve as the information
    center of your home, as a source of entertainment when the power
    goes out, and as a source of lifelong pleasure and learning.
    Studies have consistently shown that children who grow up in
    homes with many books do much better in school than those whose
    minds have been starved. If you're looking for ways to fill your
    library shelves, and feed hungry minds, I suggest starting with
    used books. You can find them at library book sales, thrift shops,
    online swap sites such as PaperbackSwap.com, and many more places.

    
 

    
Before You Go Shopping

    
For best results when shopping for used
    books, know what you want. My personal library numbers in the
    thousands, so I have to make sure I don't duplicate what I already
    own. I keep a list of authors I am looking for, as well as specific
    books I'd like to replace with a better copy. If you are new
    to library-building, you may want to read some of the following
    books to help you get started (your local library should have
    copies of at least a few of these guides, as well as others):

    
    
 

    
After You Go Shopping

    


    Once you've begun to collect books,
    it's a good idea to catalog them. I catalog my books on LibraryThing.com, and in an off-line program
    called Readerware. Readerware is available for PC, Macintosh,
    and Palm, and is very user-friendly. LibraryThing has the virtue
    of being accessible online, so that when you're at the bookstore
    and find a pristine copy of a book you may already own, you can
    go to LIbraryThing on your internet-enabled cell phone and look
    it up! Both cataloging systems allow you to scan in book barcodes,
    so that information can be filled in from the service's database.
    This saves countless hours of tedious typing, and is a lot of
    fun. Readerware even offers CueCat barcode scanner very cheaply
    (it was free when I ordered my copy of the software).

    
If you begin building a serious library,
    you'll soon find that you need bookshelves. Lots of bookshelves.
    I've found that sheets of particleboard can be sawed into 6"
    strips at a pretty reasonable cost per shelf. A 4' x 8' sheet
    of particleboard can yield a pretty decent ceiling height bookcase.
    First, saw off two 6" by 8' strips, then saw the remainder
    of the board into 6" x 32" strips. Screw it all together,
    and it's pretty sturdy, Be sure to leave space at the top to
    run a strip of trim around it to connect it to the wall. Never
    leave it unanchored, or it may fall over. For added sturdiness,
    you can cut three long 2" wide strips before cutting the
    shelves. Screw these to the edges and center of the back, and
    screw them into the wall, and the bookcase should be very secure.
    With a little imagination, you can customize these simple shelves
    to march up a flight of stairs, or wrap around a room. Your library
    will soon be looking good!

    
The bottom line is, you can have a great
    home library without paying anywhere near new book prices. As
    your collection starts to grow, people will often offer you their
    unwanted books. Take them! If you don't need them, you can share
    them with others, swap them, or even sell them and buy books
    you need. Someone somewhere is probably looking for a book you
    want to give away. Take care of your books by protecting them
    from moisture and insects, and they will repay you with hours
    of pleasure.

    
Janice Campbell is an alternative education specialist, writer,
    and conference speaker, and the author of Transcripts Made Easy:
    Your Friendly Guide to High School Paperwork, Get a Jump Start
    on College! A Practical Guide for Teens, and the forthcoming
    Zeitgeist Literature: Self-Directed, College-Preparatory, Literature-Based
    English for Homeschoolers. She homeschooled her four boys K-12,
    and into college, and she takes joy in sharing what she's learned
    with others. Be sure to visit her blog at www.janice-campbell.com and sign up for her
    free e-newsletter at www.EverydayEducation.com.

    


    © 2007 by Janice Campbell

    

    

    
Quick
    Tips for Review by Wendy Toy





    Review can be a fun part of your homeschooling process. Here
    are a few tips before you begin.



    1. Be sure you've covered the lesson first through reading a
    book, watching a program, going on a field trip, listening to
    a lecture, or creating a project.

    

    
2. Choose a game (ideas in Easy
    Homeschooling Curriculum!)your child enjoys playing or a
    new one that will work in your homeschool.

    

    
3. Prepare the review questions ahead
    of time so you're not searching for questions to ask during the
    game.

    

    
Go over the rules of the game, including
    when you will ask the questions and when the game will be over,
    before you start to play. Decide if you will reward your child
    after the game, if he or she has done well. Enjoy the learning
    process along with your student. Both you and your child will
    reap the benefits of review and will add to your already expanding
    memories of home school.



    Wendy Toy is a 14 yr. homeschooler with five
    boys, three of whom are almost out of the homeschool nest. Her
    ebook, Creative Review Games, is filled with the nuts
    and bolts of review including how to prepare for games and how
    to create questions, plus directions and patterns for review
    games. She maintains a website with free worksheets for
    homeschoolers and other helpful homeschool ebooks. www.ToytownTreasures.com

    

    


    

    
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