Archive by Author | Lisa McAfee

Cafe Co-op

May19

classroom-pupil-image-1-150x150Here is information for a co-op in the Mt. Healthy/Springfield Township area. They would love to have high school students be a part, so if you have an older student consider joining them this fall. They have a great schedule lined up for the fall and registration is going on right now.

CAFE Christian Co-op
Just like a cafe is a place to relax, fellowship and enjoy the company of friends, CAFE Christian Co-op is a place for homeschool families to find help, support and encouragement. CAFE stands for a Community of Academics, Fine arts and Encouragement.
We are a medium-sized group of families meeting in the Mt. Healthy area. The co-op has both paid tutors and mom-taught classes, ranging from biology to ballet, art to American history, flute ensemble to First Lego League teams. Our Fine Arts Recital at the end of the year showcases the more performance-oriented classes and we finish the evening with a reception and art gallery. Classes are “a la carte”– some families stay all day and some just come for a class or two. Teachers set their own prices, and are paid directly, although there is a family fee to offset administrative costs. We do ask that families join with us and help in some capacity–teaching, being a classroom helper, taking charge of a cleaning job.
 
This year we have expanded to include full high school level classes, as well as additional junior high classes. We are excited to be able to offer a program to help families find the upper level classes that they need, and we are thrilled with the level of knowledge, passion and experience that God has provided in our upper level tutors. We look forward to watching our upper form students grow and blossom! 
 
Please check out our website for the specific list of classes, policies and schedule (http://www.cafecoop.weebly.com/) and feel free to contact me with any additional questions. Several of our elementary classes are nearing capacity, but we do not have a waiting list. 
Join us at the CAFE!

Me Time

May12

Yes, you read that right! Take some time for you, as homeschooling can drain you faster than a cold glass of lemonade on a sultry summer evening. Finding something that will recharge you may seem like another thing to put on your “To Do” list, but if you need a reason, count it as a Teacher Professional Day or a homeschool requirement. 🙂 Now that I have you thinking about it, what are some ideas? I have some here and they cost practically nothing, and I think that is always a good thing, don’t you?

  • Take a  bubble bath.  Nothing beats a long day of activity like a warm bubble bath! No kids allowed in, this is time for you.
  • Read a good book.  goodreads has books that have been recommended by others and I have found it to be helpful when looking for a certain genre.
  • Go for a walk or a bike ride. Having some alone time and getting exercise is a great combination to renew your mind and body.
  • Call a friend. Yes, actually have a conversation with a friend instead of a quick text will help after a difficult week.
  • Have a date night with your hubby. You don’t have to go anywhere since that requires preparation and oftentimes cash. Dale and I had what we called “couch time” where we would set aside time once a week or every other week in the evening to talk.
  • Work on a project or a hobby. If you can find something that doesn’t take too long it is so rewarding to accomplish something. This can be painting your nails, making a card, working on a crossword puzzle, or going out in your garden.
  • Break out the chocolate! Yes, I know you have a stash somewhere. Reward yourself with one or two pieces of antioxidant yumminess. After my mom passed away and my dad had to clean out the house to sell it, he said he found several  of my mom’s chocolate stashes. I remember that from time to time when I am putting a candy bar in a “secret place”.  It isn’t so much to hide from anyone else, but from me so I don’t eat it all at once!
  • Watch a favorite movie. I don’t know how many times I have watched Price and Prejudice starring Kiera Knightly, but I love everything about that movie.
  • Sit and do nothing. I threw that out there because I think we take so little time to just be still and quiet our minds. Keep a piece of paper and a pencil next to your chair. If you start to think of something you need to do, write it down, but don’t get up. Eventually, all of the things you thought you had to do will stop clamoring for your attention since you have written them down. If that is just too quiet, have some music playing quietly while you are resting. Pray and give all of the things that are wearing you down or are making you tired to Him. This works wonders for me and I don’t do it nearly as much as I should.

So… take time for yourself. You will have more energy and a better perspective about things when you do it. Have a great week!

~Lisa

 

First Aid, Safety and Fire Safety: Requirements in Ohio

May5

We are headed toward the end of the year and portfolio reviews have begun for many families.  Each year I have someone who asks me about the First Aid, Safety and Fire Safety portion on the notification  form. Yes, we are required to teach this in one form or fashion.  You don’t need to have a textbook to study these topics so I am including some ideas for you to consider.

First Aid

Prepare a first aid kit to put in your car. Include the following items: various sizes of  band aids, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream, sunscreen, Q-tips, and cotton swabs. Keep an extra set of clothes in the car for each member of the family. You never know when you might need them! Maybe someone will ask your kids to spend the night on the spur of the moment… Keep trail mix and bottles of water for those days when the kids and you are famished after swimming or hiking or need a quick burst of energy.

Safety There are so many different ways to meet this requirement! Some topics to discuss with your children are:

Household– hot stoves, knives, curling irons, kitchen cleaners, electrical outlets, not leaving things on the floor or the steps, etc. are all important topics to include.

Stranger safety– Discuss having a family code in case someone would need to pick up your children in an emergency. Discuss who is a stranger and when can you talk to them (or not).

Internet Safety– Consider investing in a family internet blocking software. There are quite a number to choose from and each one is a little different. There will be times, however, when your children are away from the house and may be on a computer. Review sites they are allowed to visit and ones they are not.

Bicycle and Road Safety– This is an opportune time to discuss the rules for bike riding since the weather is getting nice. Discuss wearing helmets; what side of the road to ride your bike if there are no sidewalks; and rules for being on the street if you are biking (hand signals, stopping at stop signs, being a defensive driver). Have your children try on their helmets to see if they still fit and check to see if there are any cracks in the helmets. One time the boys and I went for a bike ride and my oldest son was always one to go as fast as he could and put as much distance as he possibly could between him and us. Where we live is hilly and so you are either going up a hill or coming down one to get to our street. Ian tore down the hill with Malcolm pedaling as fast as his little legs could go. Malcolm was out of control as he tried to catch up to his big brother. and all I could “Watch out!” I screamed as I saw Malcolm head straight for the metal transformer box cover.

Boom! Malcolm went flying off the bike and his head hit the big green box. Malcolm was lying in the grass and not moving as I skidded to halt and looked down at him. All I could think of was a brain or neck injury because there is no give with those covers. The good news is that he was wearing his helmet and he was okay after lying still for a minute. That helmet really did protect Malcolm from serious head trauma because when I looked at the helmet, it had split in half!  I am so glad I had insisted that everyone wear their helmets.

Fire Safety I have covered this before, but just a quick reminder to have a home fire drill. Talk about different ways to escape, where to meet in case there would be a fire, and no going back in the house- no matter what! Practice stop, drop, and roll, and how to dial 9-1-1 and what to say to the dispatcher.

Be safe!
~Lisa

 

 

 

Family Nights

Apr28

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We had Family Nights at our house when the boys were growing up. These were one night a week (or every few weeks).  I think our boys enjoyed these events and they were something to look forward to throughout the week. I tried to look for activities that wouldn’t require a lot of money as that was always a consideration with a single income.

Some of the things we did were:

Short devotions We used a book that was called, Devotions for Families that Can’t Sit Still and it was fantastic! I just checked Amazon and saw you can get the book for a penny! (plus s&h) There is not only a devotion, but a scripture reading and then a fun activity to follow, such as Bible charades, darts, playdoh, and games.

Game Night Board Games, cards, checkers, and Twister were some things we enjoyed. The kids especially liked to see us get all twisted around like a pretzel. We nearly always lost to them since they were more limber than us!

Wii Sports  Some of our favorites were bowling, ping-pong, and sword fighting. (touché)

Movies We took turns on who got to pick the movie and Dad made the best popcorn ever. This is a tradition we still carry on when the family comes to visit.

Dessert Night We would either go out for ice cream or have a create your own sundae bar at the house. You can make your own ice cream, or you can buy your favorite flavor and add a variety of toppings. If you make your own ice cream, it would be a great science experiment to discuss and observe the changes that occur when a liquid becomes a solid. I found a recipe for you to use from How things Work . I added some additional comments and details that I discovered worked well when we have made it.

Home Made Ice Cream

Items Needed:

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup heavy whipping cream or half and half

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (or other flavoring)

6 tablespoons salt (kosher or rock salt if possible)

Enough crushed ice to fill the gallon-sized bag halfway

1 glass mixing cup or a bowl

Duct tape (optional)

1 gallon-sized Ziploc bag

1 pint-sized Ziploc bag

 Fill the gallon-sized bag halfway with crushed ice. Add the salt.

Ordinary table salt will work, but salt that has larger crystals, such as kosher salt or rock salt, will work with better results. Mix the salt in with the ice and set aside.

Meanwhile, pour the milk, sugar, and vanilla extract into a glass mixing cup or bowl and stir.
Carefully pour the mixture into the pint sized bag.

Close the bag, making sure it is completely sealed. Seal with duct tape for reinforcement.

Put the pint bag into the gallon bag. 

Make sure the pint sized bag gets buried in the ice. Seal the gallon bag. (Get out as much of the air as possible before closing the bag.)  Seal this bag with duct tape as well. Shake the bags vigorously or roll them on the counter for five minutes. Be sure that the liquid is being surrounded with the salt/ice mixture since this is needed in order for the fat in the cream to solidify. You will want to use a towel and/or gloves to hold them, since they will be very cold and slippery from condensation. If you have several family members who will be joining in this activity, take turns as it is more fun and “many hands make light the work.”

Remove the pint sized bag, open it up, grab a spoon, divide the yummy treat between two bowls and enjoy!  

You can add your favorite toppings to your ice cream. Eat it quickly as it isn’t as hard as the ice cream purchased in stores.

 

 

 

Teacher Resources: Electronic Lessons and More!

Apr21

womanEDSITEment! 

edsitement.neh.gov—This site is so much fun to visit! A project of the National Endowment for the Humanities,  also funded in part by Verizon’s Thinkfinity, I recommend this resource for developing a social studies curriculum. The topics seem virtually limitless, and each lesson plan includes guiding questions, learning objectives, instructions for how to prepare to teach the topic, assessments of student progress, and even tips on how to expand the lesson with additional reading or activities. Everything you need is contained in one clear, concise package of information. This is a tremendous resource, whether for school or simply for personal enrichment.

 Discovery Education 

www.discoveryeducation.com—With the same quality and commitment to respecting the wonder of nature as other Discovery mediums, Discovery Education has to be experienced to be believed. Their website explains their offerings as “award-winning digital content, interactive lessons, real-time assessment, virtual experiences with some of Discovery’s greatest talent, classroom contests & challenges, professional development and more.” And indeed it is so much more! There is an opportunity to subscribe to unlock additional resources, but with such an incredible amount of information available for free, I don’t feel like I’ve missed a thing by not being a subscriber.

Find access on the go to all of Discovery’s fantastic resources at www.discovery.com/mobile. Apps, games, mobile video, mobile web, and more can be accessed at this page.

 FREE 

free.ed.gov—Not only is it the name of the website, but it’s also the price tag on more than 1,500 learning resources from dozens of federal agencies all brought together in one easy to navigate website. FREE is actually the acronym for Federal Resources for Educational Excellence. The homepage is far less flashy than the other websites featured here, but don’t let its simplicity fool you. It is a straightforward portal into a vast array of information broken down by subject. It gives you a brief synopsis of the resource itself before you click through to the next website. This feature is particularly beneficial if you are exploring or brainstorming lesson plan topics.

 

 The Old Schoolhouse® Magazinetechnology resources 

www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com—If you are reading this article, chances are you are already a fan of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine and its auxiliary products. Their former online resource, Teacher’s Toolbox, has recently undergone a transformation. It has blossomed intowww.SchoolhouseTeachers.com, one of the most comprehensive web-based resources for homeschoolers available. As part of your subscription to the now completely digital monthly magazine (an extremely valuable resource in itself), you also will have access to the website and all its content, including printables, website links, devotions, a free E-Book each month, access to back issues of the magazine, webquests, units of study, and more. The site even has recipes! Plan dinner while delivering a quality education to your children, or incorporate cooking into your lesson plans and address math, science, international culture, and more (yes, there are suggestions for this too!).

The Old Schoolhouse® also has an app for Android, Apple, and Kindle Fire devices so that you can access the support and encouragement of their publication from anywhere.

These resources put a world of information right at your fingertips. There is no reason to feel overwhelmed or alone in the homeschooling experience. The numbers are growing quickly, as are the resources to support you and your children in your quest for a world-class education delivered on your terms. I encourage you to explore, enjoy, and utilize these tools. I am confident that they will enrich your homeschooling experience and demonstrate the role that technology can play in the quality education of our students.