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Hear my interview with Ashley Ortega on
Wednesday, September 1, from 3:00-5:00 PM PM  EDT
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Have you heard about these FREE homeschool interviews?   Kerry Beck is hosting interviews with some of the top experts in the homeschool community – to get your homeschool year off to the right start! 

Why? She knows what it is like to be in the trenches as a homeschool mom.  So, she is  hosting interviews of 14 experts in thehomeschooling community who have practical advice for you to get started on the right foot this year.

–>> It’s called Homeschool Super Heroes Week!

Actually, it’s the next 2 weeks of August and you can listen to the interviews each day for Free.

All you have to do is register for Homeschool Super Heroes Week and you will have access each day to practical tips & tricks for you to start your year right.

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I just got a look at the new preschool curriculum from Sonbeams. There are several positives to this product. [Disclaimer: This is not a paid review, nor is the link an affiliate link.]

First, it was obviously written by someone with experience with preschoolers. The lessons are focused–you work on one concept for five days. The lessons are reinforced in a variety of ways using the five senses and different learning modalities.

Second, it was obviously written by someone who homeschools. The lessons are laid out in an easy-to-follow format. All the planning is done for you. You just need to check each week to see what supplies you will need. You can easily skip activities or a whole day if needed.

Third, if you have a learning disabled child or one who struggles with academic learning, this curriculum provides a gentle introduction to letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and other preschool concepts. The author incorporates sign language as part of each lesson, allowing a child with speech issues to communicate his understanding of the topic.

A Note: this curriculum is Christian. Whenever possible, the author ties the lesson to a Bible verse, story, or principle. Great if you are looking for something specifcally Christian that is not preachy.

Sonbeams is having a 50% off sale on this curriculum Friday, August 20, 2010. After that, the discount goes down 10% each day so if you know you want it, be ready to order on Friday. Here is the link to the product information page:

http://sonbeams.com/homeschool-preschool-curriculum.html

The sales info info on this and other products is on the Back-to-School Sale page.

 

 
 

 

 

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The Kinesthetic Learner

August 20, 2010

If you have one, I won’t have to explain the term but for those who don’t (or who do and don’t know it has a name): a kinesthetic learner is one who learns best while moving. This movement can be acting out the topic at hand or seemingly random movement.
What can, or should, be done [...]

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5 Insights from High School Grads Who Have Learning Disabilities

August 20, 2010

On vacation this summer, I had the opportunity to interview two young people who attend one of the Winston Schools. The insights they provided into teaching a struggling learner were fascinating. One of them graduated this year, and the other graduated the year before. Here are some of their insights:

The best thing about the [Winston] [...]

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The Big Secret: Forget About Grade Levels

August 1, 2010

When you have a struggling learner, especially if there is no obvious underlying medical or genetic issue, there is a lot of pressure on you to help your child get “caught up” to his peers in school. This pressure may come for others or from yourself. You know that if you can just do X, [...]

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Teaching: Art or Science?

August 1, 2010

As you reflect on your role as teacher, how do you approach the job of education? Is it more like an art, where the student is your medium in which you work and the curriculum is your tool? Or is it a science where step A leads to step B, then step C and so [...]

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“Do Scorpions Get in Your House?”

August 1, 2010

Ahhh, there’s nothing like visiting relatives in Texas to get a new perspective on life. I grew up in Texas, but I had forgotten how dangerous it really is. [smile]  I have four boys and a little girl who love to explore. Here’s a little sampling of the instructions my kids got at the first three [...]

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How to Make Any Curriculum Right Brain Friendly

June 17, 2010

I spoke on this topic at Cindy Rushton’s Ultimate Homeschool Expo. I will have the audio available for sale some time this summer.
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TOPIC: How to Make Any Curriculum Right Brain Friendly
DATE: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
TIME: 10 AM Central Time
WHERE: Join Us Live Online (On Cindy’s website!!): http://talk-a-latte.com/chat/ (The room is closed until the chat-the room will [...]

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The Hero’s Journey

May 26, 2010

One of my favorite tools for teaching literature is the model of the hero’s journey. The 12 stages of the hero’s journey are extrapolated from the writings of Joseph Campbell in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. For a simple overview, you can read through this PDF document written by Christopher Vogler. Teaching [...]

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Grieving Over Your Special Needs Child/Struggling Learner

May 19, 2010

Do you ever grieve over your special needs child? Do you grieve the losses when her peers move ahead? Or when other kids shun him because he’s different? I’m in that mode right now, for both of those reasons.
My daughter is nonverbal and a little behind so once other kids begin to interact with her, they [...]

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