The Carnival of Homeschooling: It's the Journey Edition

Some of my favorite moments spent learning with my kids have been during walks at parks and nature preserves. There is something about walking under the trees and along the trails that brings out the best in us. I think it's the fact that every step is important. Even if you run, you need to run carefully to avoid stumbling. You need to pay attention so you don't walk off the trail and get lost. You need to be present to each moment. You need to appreciate the journey.

Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling: 

It's the Journey edition!

Getting Started

You need to make sure you are prepared for your hike. Essentials like proper attire, insect repellent, water, snacks, and a charged phone help you enjoy the journey and anything that comes your way. Just like Fried Clams and Sweet Tea prepared their children to be good readers with 5 Tips for Raising Readers. 

I used to keep a supply of snacks handy in the car, since I never knew when we might walk and buying food on the run can be more expensive than planning ahead and buying on sale. The Open Window - An Autism Blog knows that this is a good time of year to buy School Supplies.

When you start homeschooling, you also need essentials, and a great place to start is free resources. Every Bed of Roses shares Homeschool 4 FREE Resource Lists (Homeschooling Essentials).

Here are more essentials for your journey. Homemaking Organized offers some free Long Division Math Help Printables. 

And more. Embark on the Journey offers a FREE Frozen Printable and Activities and Wizard of Oz Read Aloud Activities and FREE Printable.

Do you see a pattern here? I go to parks that don't cost money. Just because I can't afford the extra expense doesn't mean we have to stay away from an activity we love. This Sweet Life of Mine believes that no matter your homeschool budget, homeschooling does not have to be expensive.You don't have to think I Can't Homeschool Because...I Can't Afford It. This Sweet Life of Mine also offers Ten Free Sites I Use in My Homeschool and 50+ Upper Elementary Writing Prompts for your favorite young writer.

And for more on the subject, Raventhreads writes about Keeping Your Homeschool Budget in Check.

When you are ready for anything, you can enjoy the journey no matter what happens along the way. Counting Our Blessings shares How to Homeschool when Life Happens.

Grab a Map

Maps help you plan out your trip. Good planning makes for a smoother journey with less surprises. Online resource lists help you navigate through the sea of websites available. Let's Play Math! offers New Internet Math Reference Pages.
 

We once got lost on the trails because I didn't stop to take a map on the way in. Luckily, I had my phone. Being able to reach support is important. Every Bed of Roses knows how important a Support Network can be and what to do in an emergency: Day 4 - Homeschooling in a Crisis. 

Walking the Trail
There are so many paths to take. It seems impossible to choose. I can honestly say that no matter which way we go, we will see something interesting. It is impossible to waste your time if you decide you will benefit from the journey. As He Leads is Joy decides I Am Willing to Waste my Time teaching things that might be considered a waste of time. 

Every path is different. Some are winding, some straight, some challenging and steep. Finding the best route for you is important. Gypsy Road gives and overview of different homeschooling styles in A Homeschool Story -- Stylistic Approaches.

My two oldest have walked in other countries. What if you hiked a trail in another country?  Use your imagination. Or a unit study! Petticoat Government discusses Learning about Lithuania.

Always remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You have to start somewhere. ElCloud Homeschool offers help to beginners in I'm Thinking About Homeschooling. Where Do I Start?

How long should your hike be? You might want to figure that out based on who's taking the journey. Embark on the Journey answers the question How Long is a Typical Homeschool Day?

Watch out for Hazards!

In our favorite preserve, there are fens, poison ivy, brambles, and fallen trees; there are mosquitoes and ticks; there have been sightings of coyotes, bobcats, and rattlesnakes. You need to be aware of your surroundings.Sometimes awareness comes in seeing yourself in your children. MathFour discusses Smurfy Student Traits You See in Yourself.

Our park rangers are awesome. They have taught us everything from how to do a tick check to identifying poison ivy. It helps to get tips from someone with more experience in navigating the hazards. Gypsy Road offers tips & tricks for Getting Started with Road Schooling. Gypsy Road also provides a master list of all the Unit Studies, many travel & geography-based, created for their home school.

Being able to communicate clearly helps improve our safety along the trail. Gypsy Road offers this third part in a series of Speech Therapy Resources for Homeschoolers.

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Discoveries along the Way

One of the nice things about hiking together is that you also notice things together, like dragonflies along the boardwalk. In nature class walks, we learned things like mushroom identification together. Fried Clams and Sweet Tea learns algebra together with her kids in Algebra 1/2...Or How I do Middle School Math.

It's always exciting when a child makes a discovery. You can see their eyes light up with wonder! Our Curious Home share their daughter's excitement when making An Arithmetic Breakthrough.

While we're making discoveries, it might be time for a snack! Let's Play Math discusses 

Infinite Cake: Don Cohen’s Infinite Series for Kids.

My kids used to pick up rocks whenever we went for a walk. Rocks are great for science activities. They can be identified, sorted, cracked open, and tested for hardness. Years later they can still identify many rocks. Hands-on learning stays with you longer. Some Call it Natural shares her children's learning in an office environment in 5 Days of Office Schooling-Day 5-Life Skills are Important.

When my oldest was 8, she compared a hike to the dwarves crossing the Misty Mountains. Don't you love it when they can relate to something they read? Reading aloud is a great way to ignite that love of reading. The Arrowood Zoo shares Our Read Aloud Favorites.

You can never have enough to read! Here are more book favorites from Solagratiamom's post Summer Tea and Books. Solagratiamom also offers Tea for Tuesdays! and Three Keys to Tutoring Success.

Just as a love of nature can expand into a love of the natural sciences, a love of reading can expand into a love of history using historical fiction. Embark on the Journey offers a list of suggestions for Historical Fiction for Elementary Ages.

Pacing Yourself

If the trail you pick isn't working, It's perfectly OK turn off onto a path that is gentler or more challenging. Journey-and-Destination writes about their experience  with Ambleside Online and how they adjusted it for their children's needs when Coming Late to Ambleside Online - some thoughts on the high school years.

It's also OK to take a break. When everyone is burnt out, you need time to recharge, before things get overwhelming (that's what the snacks are for). Then you take things one step at a time. The Arrowood Zoo wonders about the Homeschool Battle, "Surely I can't be the only one who seems to have these situations and moods come up that hurt my homeschooling soul."

This Sweet Life of Mine is also battle scarred, and shares some advice in Don't Give Up On Homeschooling, Mama.  

Children may also lead us in directions we didn't expect. Why Homeschool's youngest daughter shares A homeschooler trying out a private school.

Sometimes our favorite trail gets flooded and we need to go a different way. Your walk will not always be how you envision it. Being flexible and willing to change your path can help you enjoy the journey. Counting Our Blessings shares Why We Choose Year-Round Homeschooling.

Enjoying the View

If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you miss a lot. When we reach the top of the old quarry we look back to see how far we've come. Fried Clams and Sweet Tea looks back on a very full Day in the Life of Middle School.

Stopping for a moment gives me the chance to reflect on what I accomplished.  Our Journey reflects on her first three years of homeschooling and ponders If I Could Tell My Beginning Homeschooler Self Something...

How I see the view will be different from someone else's view. Another reflection on the journey from Faith Hope and Homeschool offers What I Have Learned: Homeschool Edition. 

Stopping every now and then also allows you to catch your breath. Every Bed of Roses discusses homeschool burnout in this important post: Mother Culture - Time Out (Homeschooling Essentials). 

Family, Faith, and Fridays found a different way to take a break, using Sabbath Week Schooling. 

On a clear day, the view is breathtaking. I like bringing our camera to capture it, but sometimes I forget. On those days, I describe the view for my friends. ElCloud Homeschool describes What does homeschooling look like? Then and now.

I love it when I see my kids enjoy the natural world as much as I do. Nature inspires us all and reflects in our art and crafts. The Arrowood Zoo shares the results of her family's  Beautiful Sunburst Art Project. They also did this Line Art Project - Easy & Fun.

Finishing the Journey

As you reach the last part of your hike, you may feel unsure of yourself. Perhaps you took an unknown trail and don't know when it will reach the end. All you can do is hold tight to your map and phone and trust that the end is almost in sight. Likewise for the home educator, the high school years can seem intimidating and impossible to finish. ElCloud Homeschool offers her experiences with Homeschooling High School: Planning for High School.

You may reach the end of the trail tired, dirty, and sweaty, but you are always energized by the experience. You've come a long way, and you did it! ElCloud Homeschool celebrates ElCloud Graduation 2015: Take Two!

This concludes the Carnival of Homeschooling for July! Thank you to Why Homeschool for continuing it and to all of the bloggers who submitted posts this month. You are all awesome! If you want to join in the fun, consider submitting a post in next month's carnival. 

Homeschooling Bloggers: I'm hosting the next Carnival of Homeschooling!

This is a note that I am hosting the next Carnival of Homeschooling here on Home Spun Juggling. Please help me make the July Carnival a successful one!

You can send in up to three posts about homeschooling via either of these methods:

 1) You can send an email to: CarnivalOfHomeschooling@gmail.com
 Please include:

  Title of Post(s)
  URL of Post(s)
  Name of Blog
  URL of Blog
  Brief summary of the post(s)

 2) Or use this Google Doc:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VYudiwzyVp4rtQsbiPJn7FwuiqvRMKSXRZrHT-OelXc/viewform?c=0&w=1

 Please send in the entries by July 13th, at 6:00 PM PST.

Homeschooling Blog Carnival at Dewey's Treehouse

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: The Retirement Edition is now up at Dewey's Treehouse. Please click over to the carnival and read some interesting submissions from homeschooling bloggers around the world!

Carnival of Homeschooling at Why Homeschool

The Carnival of Homeschooling: Change edition is now up at Why Homeschool. Please take a moment to visit the carnival, especially those of you who are reaching the end of your homeschooling journey. There are several posts on that topic!

Carnival at Why Homeschool

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: Introduction to programming concepts edition is now online at Why Homeschool. Please support this carnival by the founders of the Carnival of Homeschooling and visit some of this week's contributors!

Carnival of Homeschooling: Songs Stuck in my Head edition

Ever get a song lyric stuck in your head? That is my life. Songs spin around my brain like a soundtrack accompanying my life. Situations are set to music, or a song springs unbidden to mind and stays there until I stop and listen or look up the lyrics to figure out why my subconscious wants me to hear this right now. I always learn something from the experience. And so I invite you to join me for a lyric-inspired  

Carnival of Homeschooling: 

Songs Stuck in my Head edition!

My girls, baking cookies without me!

"To everything (turn, turn, turn)/ There is a season (turn, turn, turn)/ And a time to every purpose, under heaven." ~ Turn, Turn, Turn adapted for song by Pete Seeger from Ecclesiastes, chapter 3

This spent a lot of time in my head over the past few months. Change seems to be the rule around here for the last year, starting with my daughter's first year away from home at a university, continuing to my husband's job loss and then my own change of taking on a part-time position at the library. Now he has temporary work he does from home and gets to be the stay-at-home parent. Life is about change and transition and seasons.  

~Dewey's Treehouse sees transitions in their house as well. Mama Squirrel thinks "I seem to have worked myself out of a job" in Old Homeschool Moms. 

A unicorn I made from old CDs

"Starry, starry night/ Sketch the trees and daffodils/ Catch the breeze and winter chills/ In colors on the snowy linen land" ~ Vincent by Don McLean

I always loved this song. I introduced it to my kids when I taught them art, as I think it does a good job of capturing the spirit of what it means to be an artist, that relentless need to create.

~It's never too soon to develop a love of art and crafts in your child. Journey-and-Destination offers instructions for your child to make a needlebook in Handicrafts: A Simple 15 Minute Sewing Project.

My kids enjoying a day at the Renaissance fest

"Just do what you love/ Do it for you/ Smile every day..." ~ Do What You Love by Ryan Huston

I read the book "Do What You Love, the Money will Follow" when I was a teen. It guided my life to where I am today. I have taught the principles of this advice to my own kids, and was happy to find Sir Ken Robinson backing me up with talks and books about finding your passion. I do my best to help my children find their passions and facilitate their learning according to those passions.

~ Project-Based Homeschooling was surprised to read an article about why one artist thought "do what you love" is terrible advice, mainly because the article seems to contradict the author's own message. See if you agree in Why Do What You Love is Not Terrible Advice.

A Blue Jay in our yard with its fledgeling

"You who are on the road/ Must have a code/ That you can live by" ~ Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, & Nash

I was a little lost when I first started homeschooling 15+ years ago, classical education became my first method of choice. The logic of it appealed to me, and it taught me to love learning as much as my kids did, if not more.  

~Sandbox to Socrates offers a video interview with Dr. Christopher Perrin, publisher of the Classical Academic Press. This is well worth the time. The interview covers a wide variety of topics, including an introduction to Classical Education, the Common Core, and much more in Great Conversations: A Podcast With Dr. Christopher Perrin.

Marking the years in birthday celebrations

"Life is what happens to you/ While you're busy making other plans." ~ Beautiful Boy by John Lennon

 It's interesting watching the back-to-school frenzy from my new position in the library children's room. The library was busy this weekend. Teachers looked for books for their lessons, parents brought children to work on homework, and many seemed to be scrambling to find particular books needed as part of the Core Curriculum. Their days are so full of plans and rushing to get to the next activity. I'm glad I have time to enjoy life with my kids, even with the part time job. The time we have with them as children is very short in the grand scheme of things. We would miss so many wonderful, spontaneous learning experiences if we had to fit our life into a school schedule.

~ Susan at Don't Worry About the Flies doesn't have posed school photos of her daughter. She looks back on her daughter's childhood, a life full of love, adventure, and relaxed learning, in Unschool Pictures.

My daughter with one of her lizards

"I hear babies cryin'/ I watch them grow/ They learn much more/ Than I'll ever know" ~ What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

It's hard for me to answer the question, "Why do you homeschool?" The short answer is that I love being around my kids and I can't think of a better way to spend my days, but there are so many more reasons I do it. That's why I continue with it, no matter what challenges come up in our lives. 
~ Why Homeschool? shares their reasons for homeschooling in The PEPSI reasons for homeschooling.

I hope this week's Carnival leaves you with a spring in your step and a song in your heart. I want to thank all of the bloggers who contributed posts this week. The Carnival is nothing without the contributions of bloggers like you!

If you would like to join the next Carnival, consider submitting an article to the next Carnival of Homeschooling. 

Carnival at momSCHOOL

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: The Ages and Stages edition is now up at momSCHOOL. Please take a moment to read some of this week's submissions.

Next week, I will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling right here on Home Spun Juggling. I can't do it without my fellow bloggers! Please consider submitting a post about your homeschooling experiences or ideas. I would love to hear from you. Just

e-mail CarnivalOfHomeschooling (at) gmail.com and put Carnival or submission on the subject line and include the following information:

 

Title of Post
URL of Post
Name of Blog
URL of Blog
Brief summary of the post

Carnival at Homeschoolbuzz.com

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: Back to School edition is now up at homeschoolbuzz.com! Please take some recess to enjoy some of this week's submissions!

Carnivalat Alasandra's Homeschool Blog

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: Robert E. Lee edition is now up at Alasandra's Homeschool Blog! Please head over and read some of this week's submissions of helpful homeschooling articles!

Carnival of Homeschooling: The Model Homes edition

Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling: The Model Homes edition!

 By "model," I mean "miniature reproductions." Last week, my family went to the Holiday Train Show at the NY Botanical Garden. It's become a tradition for us to visit and see what's new. Each year, designer Paul Busse and his team add to the collection of historical buildings and homes in this display.  There is always a surprise. Just like our journey as homeschoolers, following the model trains always leads to unexpected discoveries, giggles and wonder. Come along for the ride.

~Every journey needs to begin somewhere, why not start at the station, like Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan?  We all began our own journey as homeschoolers somewhere. Usually it starts with someone planting the seed of an idea in our mind.

Fearless Homeschooling offers advice to those who are considering homeschooling and shows that you can successfully face the challenges and homeschool in You MUST Homeschool, And This is Why.

 

~Aside from the traditional model trains, there were some designed by the artist. I can imagine homeschoolers piling into a contraption like this one, laughing and going on adventures together. That togetherness is important. We all need community, especially when we start something so completely against the mainstream as homeschooling.  

Web-Home-School.com reminds us to pay it forward by Helping the New Homeschooler.

 ~One of the more whimsical designs in the artist's collection is the possum house (note the baby possum homes hanging nearby). It's amazing how simply flipping something upside down can change our perspective about it. 

Laura Grace Weldon offers ways to flip our thinking about the parts of the educational model that aren't working with Five Ways to Transcend the School Mindset.

 

~Sunnyside, Washington Irving's home, is a house my youngest and I visited with a homeschooling group. It is as cozy inside as it looks outside, the perfect place to nurture a creative mind. A comfortable environment helps our children be themselves.

Project-Based Homeschooling explains how we give our children Permission to be yourself by being their first audience and showing them we care about what they think and make and do.
  

~Here are airplanes and a helicopter at the airport. Flying to new places can be a life changing experience, opening your eyes to different cultures. Homeschooling, or even changing methods of homeschooling is like that. As you adapt to new ideas, you open your mind to new ways of teaching and learning.

There's No Place Like Home shares excitement and fears as they take the plunge into unschooling in the post, Changes in the Air.

 

~These little book cottages were in the same section with the possum house. Books are so integral to what we do, aren't they. Not only do we use books, we keep books, as in watching over the finances and looking for ways to get the most out of every dollar.

Online Education for Kids knows how expensive it can be to find the right homeschooling curriculum, especially for high schoolers. Here are her 3 Tips for finding the right Homeschool HighSchool Curriculum.

 ~Along with book-keeping, we are record-keepers for our children's education. Whether you live in an area that is highly regulated or not, keeping track of what we are doing is important.

Art's Chili Pepper offers advice about Home School Record Keeping.

~Poe Cottage is a tiny little house in the Bronx where writer Edgar Allen Poe lived during his time in New York. I like Poe. I was familiar with his poetry before his stories. Poetry can be simple to read, and yet more complex than a novel.
Harvest Moon by Hand has her daughters reading and reacting to poetry by William Wordsworth - Poet/Poetry Study.

~The New York Public Library is a incredible place. We only see a small portion of it when we climb the steps past the lions and enter its marbled halls. Beneath the library are the Stacks, a vast labyrinth that houses the library's research collections.  

As We Walk Along the Road is studying Viking history. Find some interesting links about Vikings. Blogging Through the Alphabet: N is for Norway (Resources for studying the Vikings).

~For a DIY person like me, the library is one of the best places to start when pulling together curriculum. Of course, if you've been doing this for a while, you might know what to do already.

Why Homeschool's Janine lays out her son's schedule in My 1st Grade Curriculum.

~The Brooklyn Bridge is a beautiful span of stone and cable. We used to spend a lot of time on this bridge, traveling between our apartment and my parents house. A lot of time. One thing you can't see in this model of the bridge is the traffic.

MathFour.com explains a strategy used for playing the Rush Hour Traffic Jam Game - Low & High Tech. This game has tons of math in it!

~I always enjoy the behind-the-scenes exhibits. This one shows how the artist builds one of his models from start to finish. The architecture of buildings past and present, nature, and natural materials are his inspiration. We get to enjoy the results of his creative imaginings.

You never know where inspiration can take you. A Net in Time Schooling's son learned the overcast stitch in Today he's a tailor, because he wanted to make cuddly buddies based on his mom's favorite game.

~How about you? Need some inspiration? 
Surviving a Teacher's Salary offers an idea for building an Igloo Made out of Gallon Jugs.

I hope you enjoyed this walk around the train show exhibit. I want to thank all of the bloggers who contributed posts this week. If you would like to join the next carnival, consider submitting an article to the next Carnival of Homeschooling. 

Carnival at WhyHomeschool and next week...Here!

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: The 8th Anniversary - The New Year edition is now happening at Why Homeschool! Please take some time to head over to the carnival and check out some of this week's articles!

Next week the carnival will be right here! If you would like to submit a homeschooling-related article to the carnival, please head over here for instructions. I look forward to reading your submissions!

Carnival at Our Curious Home

This week's Carnival of Homeschooling: No kitchen table lessons this week edition is at Our Curious Home! Please stop in and visit some of this week's links, especially if you are stuck at home anyway waiting for a snowstorm to go through!

Carnival at Home School Dad

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling, #399 is up at Home School Dad in Transition! Please head over and wish Dave well as he reflects on his life as a home school dad. Dave, we are definitely going to miss your homeschool musings and hope this is only a temporary detour in your family's homeschooling journey!

Carnival of Homeschooling: Amazing Superpowers edition!

Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling:

Amazing Superpowers edition!

Mutant and meta-human. Born with it or developed special skills through some accidental event or sheer force of will. Superheroes have this in common: Superpowers. 

  

I've loved comics and cartoon heroes since I was a kid. I always imagined what it would be like to have superhuman skills. Would I fly? Walk through walls? Turn invisible? Becoming a mom and home educator didn't end these flights of fancy. If anything, superpowers are more appealing to a busy homeschooling parent like me. What superpowers would you have?

 Holy Uncanny Photographic Mental Processes! ~Robin the Boy Wonder

~Amazing Analytic Aptitude
The great thing about Batman is that he shows we all have the ability to become superheroes. He developed his physical and mental abilities. His analytic abilities helped him burst from the pages of Detective Comics and into his own comics, TV shows and movies. Adam West's 60's version of Batman was a fantastic homeschooling role model, tutoring his ward Dick Grayson in various subjects, including math. 

Let's Play Math has a great math video demonstration for you. Mike and son show why multiplying two negative numbers will equal a positive number. Watch what happens when Multiplying Negative Numbers with Rectangles.


~Contagious Curiosity
 Bruce Banner was searching for a way to harness the power of adrenaline when he exposed himself to gamma radiation and became the Incredible Hulk. The Hulk's uncontrollable power was coupled with Banner's subconscious desire to do good. In other words, he may have caused a lot of damage along the way, but he always saved the day and defeated the bad guys. While I'm not suggesting homeschoolers experiment on themselves in such an extreme way, we do tend to enjoy a good experiment. Or an experiment gone wrong.

Laura Grace Weldon knows how important it is to allow toddlers to explore their interests, no matter how scary or messy. This encourages kids to keep exploring in fascinating and odd directions and helps them develop a lifelong love of science. Read about some of the interesting things they did Getting Science on Everything.

~Sensational Scientific Segue Spotting
When I was a teenager, one of my favorite X-Men is Storm. Her power is weather manipulation. I don't know how she is currently represented, but when I read the X-Men, she had a beautiful penthouse room in Professor X's mansion, full of plants. I happen to love gardening, inside and out, and I find it's one of the best activities you can do with children. The scientific possibilities are endless. 

Joyous Lessons also enjoys her yard and garden. Check out the gorgeous blooms in her yard read about her Almost-Summer Sights at Home.Always be prepared. Just as superheroes never know when they are going to come across a villain or a cry for help, homeschoolers never know when they may come across a learning moment.

Magical Mouse Schoolhouse uses Melt-Away Bay at Disney's Blizzard Beach as a scientific segue into a cool experiment with water. Find information on how to make a water wheel at Blizzard Beach: Melt-Away Bay.

~Creative Cleverness
Dr. Ray Palmer fashions a lens from white dwarf star matter and discovers it can compress objects, shrinking them. The unfortunate side effect is that they explode when they return to normal size. Sounds like the perfect object to bring along on your spelunking trip. During a cave in, Dr. Palmer uses the lens on himself to rescue his companions and turns himself into The Atom, an incredible shrinking superhero that--equally incredible--doesn't explode!

Balderdash and Blokus knows that family camping trips can bring out the superheroes in your family. Read about her hair-raising experience when she breaks her ankle during her family's Epic Camping Trip in BWCA. (This is long, but well worth the read.)

Wonder Twin powers....Activate! ~Super Friends' Wonder Twins

~Captivating Cooperative Collaboration

Face it. It's lonely being a superhero. You spend a lot of time protecting yourself and your loved ones from villains. And sometimes you simply can't defeat the bad guys alone. That's why we have superhero teams. Working with the strength of your teammates makes everyone more powerful. Homeschoolers do this when they form groups and co-ops.

Professor Charles Xavier started his School for Gifted Youngsters so he could give teens a well-rounded education as well as training them in the use of their mutant powers. They hone their skills in the Danger Room and learn to work together, finding their weaknesses and building on their strengths.

Our Journey Westward knows homeschooling high school science can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. See how Cindy tackled the subject with success in Homeschooling High School Science.

~Tremendous Temporal Intelligence

When to duck, when to attack, when to catch the love-interest who is falling from a height (that seems to happen a lot). It's all about timing for the superhero.  Homeschoolers are no different. Whether we are planning our schedule or the perfect moment to introduce a new topic, timing is everything.

DenSchool knows there is a time to celebrate and offers a list of holidays and celebrations to liven up your summer. Find out what is happening in Holidays June 24th - June 30th.

Tea Time with Annie Kate discusses her summer plans for relaxation and learning in Our Summer Theme and Goals.

 Good timing requires a certain amount of flexibility. I think Mrs. Incredible defines what it is  to try to keep track of a family, as she stretches herself to her limits. Literally. Homeschoolers also go to great lengths for the sake of their children.

As For My House explores the varying levels of readiness in her children, and the flexibility that keeps their homeschool running. Read about how their family takes the time to do things right and has No Child Left Behind.

No matter the super powers, heroes are only as good as their training. They might try different techniques along the way, or change those techniques as they grow into their skills. Similarly, our children grow and change and their learning adjusts as they mature and their skills improve.

 

Why Homeschool's eldest daughter talks about how she learned over the years. Enjoy these Thoughts about various curriculums, from a student's perspective.

~Great Grammatical Gumption

Never underestimate the power of a good vocabulary. One of our favorite PBS superheroes is Word Girl. "Crime doesn't pay, but knowing the right word for the right moment is priceless." Building a good vocabulary begins with reading.

Sharon Stanfield knows that to "learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark."~Victor Hugo. She  offers a list of Novel Ideas for Parents and Teachers to Encourage Reading.

~Instant Idea Inducer

Don't you just love utility belts? Who wouldn't want a belt full of toys at your fingertips, ready for any incidence? Batman's is the most famous, but many superheroes carry handy devices or have these devices built into their costumes. Green Arrow had a quiver of special arrows. The Green Hornet had his car. Green Lantern had his ring. Iron Man--who is not green--had his fancy suit. Homeschoolers have computers at our fingertips and libraries full of ideas, making it easy to customize each child's learning experience.

NannyPro.com has list of ideas and links for various subjects in 18 Blogs with the Best Tips for Practicing School Year Learning During the Summer Months.

~Humble Healing Homecoming

At the end of the day, superheroes just want to live a normal life surrounded by people they love. What good is saving the world if you can't kick back and enjoy it? Whether you live in a mansion like Bruce Wayne or prefer heading back to your parents' farmhouse in Smallville like Clark Kent, everyone needs a place where they feel secure and loved. As homeschoolers, we are lucky to be able to emphasize that special place where our heart is.

The Legacy of Home offers a beautiful picture of one of those early homeschooling moments and the comfort of home. Mrs. White shares Singing Comfort to Baby.

Sadly, most superheroes are all too human, and some have passed on in their comics, leaving a legacy to be carried on by the next generation. There are times when our own homeschooling heroes must also be mourned. I've lost some of my own heroes over the years, friends and family whose commitment to homeschooling was an inspiration to me.

Barbara Frank Online shares her own loss in Sad News About a Homeschool Vendor.

That's it for this week's Carnival of Homeschooling. I hope you enjoyed it and discovered some interesting superpowers along the way. I want to thank all of the bloggers who contributed articles this week. You are all superheroes in my book! If you would like to join the fun, consider submitting an article to the next Carnival of Homeschooling. 

Artwork by Marina and me. Part of the Alternet art project.

Carnival at Our Curious Home and Next Week, Here!

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: Floods and Picnics edition is now up at Our Curious Home! Pull on your hip waders, spread your blanket, and spend some time reading some of this week's submissions.

Next week the Carnival of Homeschooling will be right here! Remember, a carnival is not the work of one person, but a collaboration of the community. I need your articles to make it happen! Never participated before? Find directions here.

Or you can send an email  to CarnivalOfHomeschooling(at)gmail.com along with the title and URL of the Post, and the name and URL of your blog. Please include a few words about your article and write carnival submission on the subject line.

Remember, this is a homeschooling carnival. I would really like to see articles from homeschoolers and all the interesting things you are up to. Don't worry about a theme. I don't have one. At least, none yet! I'll figure it out before Tuesday.

That's it. Enjoy this week's article and please send me articles for next week!

Carnival at Corn and Oil

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: "First Teacher" Appreciation edition is now up at Corn and Oil. Please take a moment out of your busy day to read through some of this week's submissions!

Carnival at Why Homeschool

The seventh anniversary of the Carnival of Homeschooling: The Hope edition is happening at Why Homeschool. Please visit the carnival and read some of this week's submissions. Thank you, Cates, for all your years of organizing the carnival and connecting the online homeschooling community!

Carnival at Our Curious Home

The Carnival of Homeschooling: How'd it get to be December? edition is now up at Our Curious Home. Head on over, enjoy some musings about the passage of time and take a look at this week's submissions.

Carnival of Homeschooling: Gratitude after Stormy Weather edition

The little things I'm thankful for after going through two storms, Hurricane Sandy and Nor'easter Athena....

I'm thankful for light.

Power outages this time of year bring the complication of less daylight to work with. I found myself scrambling to get as much done as possible before the sun set. After two nights, three of our flashlights had lights dimming from overuse. Halloween night was lit with candles and Jack o'lanterns to save bulb life. I'm thankful we had light after the third day.

Some waited even longer for light. Many of my neighbors and relatives spent at least a week in the dark. But good things can come from that, too. Many shared electricity with those who needed to charge their gadgets or opened their doors to those who needed a warm place to stay. That's a good example to set for our children. Kathi describes her experiences in Hurricane Sandy.

There are reasons to be thankful for the dark as well. It's amazing how quickly our bodies adapt without our technology and artificial lights to keep us up all night. We all went to bed earlier and I began to wake with the sun shining through my east-facing window. It's important to help our children learn to be thankful even for the dark moments in our lives. Laura Grace Weldon offers a different perspective on gratitude in Grateful for the Dark Stuff Too.

I'm thankful for batteries.

I try to always keep a stock of batteries in the house. Useful tip: buy your batteries before you actually need them, because the days before the storm, everyone panics and buys batteries. The store shelves were empty of batteries two days before Hurricane Sandy hit.

Living on batteries is a good way to learn energy conservation. You are much more aware of how quickly that energy is eaten up. And as the homeschooling parent, I know what it's like to feel my own batteries running low. When that happens, it's nice to find an alternative energy source. Mrs. White has a creative way to take advantage of your children's energy as she shares Free Presents for Mother.

In an emergency, take care of yourself and your family first.  Remember, batteries can be replaced. Proclaiming God's Faithfulness reminds us there are even blessings in a dead car battery in her post, Some Things Aren't Broken -- Really!


I'm thankful for books and libraries.

I had said before the storm hit that it would be nice to have some unplugged time, should our power go out, since I could catch up on some reading. Not only did reading aloud help us ride out the storm (our read aloud was the latest in Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant series), it helped fill the quiet dark hours between dinner and bedtime. Our library had became very popular as the days grew colder. Over a thousand people filled the library each day following the storm. Many of them simply wanted a warm place with an outlet to plug in their electronic gadgets, but it showed how important libraries are to the community in a time when they are usually the first to suffer budget cuts.

Homeschoolers have innovative ideas for supporting their favorite libraries. I help sort donations for our library's book store. Other families might read. A lot. Tea Time with Annie Kate shares Our Annual Reading Week.

Reading to each other is such a wonderful way to help our children develop a love of books. Eclectic Momma reminds us Don't Give Up on the Read Aloud!

Reading can help our children learn to see things in their own unique way. It's nice that homeschooling can accommodate them instead of forcing them to choose a "right" answer. "Homeschool" is Not a Typo shares Thinking Outside of the Box.


Good reading skills can lead to good writing skills. Letters from Nebby discusses Some Research on Writing.

Writing skills will help when putting together a child's high school transcript. 7 Sisters Homeschool answers the question, What Good are Transcripts, Anyway?

I'm thankful for ice and snow.

The Nor'easter Athena hit us hard about a week after the hurricane. Lucky me, I was driving during the heaviest snowfall, picking up my daughter at the college. The college is about two miles from us, typically a five minute drive. Getting home that evening took an hour and fifteen minutes. I turned it into a lesson for my student driver, explaining how I put the car into low gear and took my time driving along the narrow, snow and ice covered road that curves steeply down toward our house. It's an exercise in patience. We passed many cars that took the hill too fast and skidded into the side of the road where they ended up stuck.

There are great lessons to be learned from the real world. My daughter learned about safety in hazardous road conditions. Barbara Frank's daughter learned lessons on the basics for independent living in Preparing for Adulthood Without College.

Happiness is a good thing to learn, as well. Being able to stay upbeat and optimistic helps us overcome life's challenges. Homeschooling in Buffalo shares an interesting review in Happiness as an Educational Goal.

I'm thankful for homeschooling/unschooling

There are many reasons for my gratitude for our life without formal education. When storms blow through or tragedy strikes, I'm simply thankful I do not have to worry about things like "make-up days" Schools in our area are already taking vacation days away for the week--or more--of missed time. I don't worry about how to keep them occupied and out of my hair. Whenever kids are out of school, our newspaper prints ideas for activities and places to go. I'm glad we are able to simply be with each other.

And anyway, homeschooling is awesome. Home School Dad agrees as he addresses a question, Should Homeschoolers keep a low profile?--A response.

It's good to take the time to remember what we are thankful for. I've found it helps me get through the little inconveniences a storm can cause.  Golden Grasses took the time to make her own list in I am a Grateful Homeschooler.

I'm so thankful that Janine and Henry Cate decided to start blogging seven years ago. Through their leadership, the Carnival of Homeschooling became a forum for sharing a multitude of views on home education. Why Homeschool shares Thoughts about homeschooling and blogging.

Just a note, some lost so much in this storm. My heart breaks for the people who lost their property and especially those who lost their lives. If you haven't done so, consider donating to the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Go to http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy.

Thank you for reading this edition of the carnival! And thanks to all who sent in submissions, there would be no carnival without your support. If you would like to participate in next week's Carnival of Homeschooling, hosted by Notes from a Homeschooled Mom, send your submission by 6pm PST Monday to CarnivalOfHomeschooling@gmail.com. (Check submission requirements here.)