Search Results for: blog homeschooling and scouting using scouting to fulfill academic requirements

Scouting and the homeschool portfolio

Some time back, Julie Gentry wrote about using scouting to fulfill homeschool requirements. She described what she called scout school and how easy it was to integrate it into homeschool academics. As scouts get older, and parents and kids get more serious about crossing all of the t’s and dotting all of the i’s, some homeschoolers may be tempted to put the homeschool badges aside in exchange for a real education. In my estimation this is a bad idea. Not only can scouting be used to motivate young students to learn social studies, science, and health, but it can also … Continue reading →

The Most Talked About Homeschooling Blogs in 2007

This is my annual list of the most talked about blogs in 2007. We love comments, and the more the better! If you have been wanting to peruse the homeschooling blog but weren’t sure where to start. . .this is the place to be! My Top 5 Math Curriculum Picks In Defense of Teaching Creation Too Much Information Homeschooling or Housekeeping? Why We Are Not Testing Our Gifted Son Reason #2 Why Tax Credits Are Wrong for Homeschoolers You Call That Homeschooling? The National Lunch Association Takes Aim at Those Who Dare to Eat at Home It Has Been a … Continue reading →

Other Creative Activities That ‘Count’ as Homeschooling

The other day, I wrote some articles on how to keep track of hours and attendance for your home school records. If you live in a state that doesn’t require this then you’re lucky! Several states do require some type of log, including New York. I also wrote an article about what I considered as counting for school (lunch for example) and what I wouldn’t count in my hours. Here are a few more creative activities that are slightly outside the norm, but count towards schooling. Cooking and Entertaining Often, people are at a loss for what to do for … Continue reading →

Boys’ Life Magazine

Boys’ Life Magazine is specifically published for the Boy Scouts of America, but you don’t have to be a Boy Scout to receive it. You can subscribe for a year (12 issues) for the price of $24.00. However, if you are a Scout, you get a discounted subscription rate through your local chapter. This magazine is a lot of fun. Using the February 2007 issue as a model, let’s take a look at what features you can expect to receive. The first thing that catches my eye is a sidebar recommending different books to supplement Black History Month, as well … Continue reading →

Free College Level Classes

With two kids in high school in the fall, I’m starting to think about college credits. We’re probably going to be in that middle area when it comes to loans and grants. Too poor to pay their tuition outright, too wealthy (ha!) to quality for financial aid. Of course I have hopes that there will be scholarships, but since I don’t really want my daughters leaving home to go away to college, the opportunities will be a little more limited. Our state has a program for high schoolers to take community college classes in their junior and senior years. That’s … Continue reading →

Homeschooling and Scouting: An Unfair Advantage?

At the Eagle Ceremony we recently attended, I got into a discussion with another parent about the merit badges my boys are working on. One of them is Citizenship in the Nation. It’s a fairly involved badge with a lot of requirements. I’m blessed that my mom has agreed to be their merit badge counselor and is giving them a weekly class that incorporates the BSA required study. The other parent, whom I’ll call Michael, gave me a lecture on how that was unfair to the boys in the troop who were government-schooled. His main point was that to use … Continue reading →

Portland, OR: Places You’ll Need a Car

Portland is a great place to visit on foot or by bicycle. But unless you bring your vehicle, you’ll miss some of it. Split your trip if you can, doing a day or more by car and another day or two (or four) on foot. Traffic can be horrendous in the downtown area or on any freeway during commute hours. Try to plan your vehicle trips between nine and four, or after 7 pm. Here are some places to visit by car: Lloyd Center – This is a huge shopping mall with an ice skating rink and a movie theater. … Continue reading →

The Sunday Evening Review: January 21, 2007

We saw many changes in the homeschool blog this week. We said see ya’ round to Valorie, who is writing for another families.com blog, and hello to a brand new blogger, Karen. Keep an eye out for guest blogs from Valorie. We also spent some time visiting with bloggers from other categories. Our blogs meandered through different topics and issues in the homeschooling world, but for the most part, one good blog led to another. We started the week with a guest blog by Julie Gentry entitled Trusting Your Instincts: Know When to Say No in which Julie discussed how … Continue reading →

How to Align Hobbies and Curriculum

A cool byproduct of homeschooling is the elimination of educational redundancies. What I mean by this is that if the child has a hobby or activity that fulfills a homeschool requirement, then it can serve as part of the child’s curriculum, instead of having to spend ”schooling time” repeating what they have already learned. Julie Gentry, a guest blogger on homeschooling, explains how she does this with scouting. Here is how you can align your child’s hobbies and curriculum. Step 1: Observe: Look at your children’s activities and take note of them, especially the activities they do “just for fun”. … Continue reading →

Fulfilling Homeschool Requirements through Hobbies

Today, guest homeschool blogger Julie Gentry wrote about homeschooling and scouting. She described how scouting fulfills many academic requirements. Not only can your child fulfill homeschool requirements through scouting, but also through just about any hobby. My daughter, for instance, competes in pageants and is on a step team. (Step is the dance competitions in which African American fraternities and sororities participate.) Pageant activities eliminate any question of socialization. It also forces her to develop her musical talents. She is learning how to write and recite speeches as well. (Language Arts). While all of these are not standard core curriculum, … Continue reading →