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New Homeschool Co-ops in Greater Cincinnati

Apr26

I just received word that there are going to be two new co-ops this fall on the north side of Cincinnati. Here is some information for you to consider if you are interested. Sign up now as classes fill up early and it may be difficult to get in later.

Kingdom Builders Homeschool Co-op was established in February 2012 with a desire to provide enrichment and fellowship for homeschool families in the northeast Cincinnati area.  Our first year will begin next fall with the 2012-2013 school year.

We meet at Grace Bible Presbyterian Church, 12060 Lebanon Road (Rt.42) Cincinnati, OH 45241, on Wednesdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  Kingdom Builders Co-op provides homeschooling families an opportunity to extend their children’s learning experience one day a week.  We are an enrichment co-op, providing small classes and fellowship in a fun group environment.  The co-op is designed to compliment the instruction you provide at home.

We believe that being involved in the education of our children is a unique ministry.  In keeping with this, Kingdom Builders families sign a Statement of Faith covering the basic tenets of Biblical Christianity.

Family Christian Homeschool Co-op, Formerly Mason Co-op, will meet on Friday mornings starting Fall 2012 at North Fairfield Baptist Church, located near the Bridgewater Falls shopping area near Hwy 129.

We are primarily an enrichment co-op, and rely on our members to share their gifts, teaching subjects they are interested in and have a passion for. Class offerings will supplement what the student is learning at home, either as a new “elective” or to support “core” subjects, with a once-a-week opportunity to gain a fresh perspective from the teacher and from positive interaction with fellow Christian homeschoolers.

Members must agree with our Statement of Faith and agree to follow the Policies established by the Board.

If you are looking for other local co-ops I have a list of them that you can click here.

Wondering what the benefits are to being in a co-op or if you should join? Here is a post that I have written that will help with your decision. Educational Co-ops: Do I Join?

Dirty Hands, Mud-Covered Toes: Gardening with Kids

Apr23

Isn’t it funny how as a kid there are certain things you hate and as an adult you find joy in doing those very things? That’s how it is for me and gardening. My mom was a member of the National Herb Society and had her own shop that sold live plants. She also taught classes, made dried floral arrangements, and gave tours of her gardens. My sisters and I were relegated to various gardening duties, almost all which I detested.

Now that I am all grown up 🙂 I have my own floral and vegetable gardens and find pleasure in the process. I still hate weeding, but I love the colors, flowers, and produce that are a result of what I have helped cultivate.

As an educator I am always looking for opportunities to teach from real life experiences and this is a fun way to do it. Little ones can learn their colors, and counting, older children learn responsibility, patience, life cycles, parts of plants, cooperation, harvesting, food preparation, and so much more!

If you haven’t tried gardening, why not begin this year? I will post pictures of my gardens once there is something to show you. Whether you are a veteran or a novice, send a picture to me of your garden and I’ll have a gallery for all to enjoy.

I have listed some books about gardening that you can use with your children. While these books are geared toward younger students, I find those to be the best when just starting out as they provide simple instructions and pictures.

The Ultimate Step-by Step Kids’ First Gardening Book: Fantastic Gardening Ideas  This is a book for beginning gardeners ages 5-12 that will help you get started. It has 120 projects that you can do with your children so you will never be wondering what you can do with that patch of plants you have growing.

Kids Garden! The Anytime, Anyplace Guide to Sowing & Growing Fun This book for ages 9-12 provides you with basic  gardening tips as well as vegetable plant that grow well together. Yes, plants can benefit being near each other, as is the case with corn and beans. Some vegetables can be grown together  in a small area if placement is an issue (corn, pole beans, and squash). If you have never seen the Kids Can series before they are fun and easy to understand with practical suggestions.

Green Thumbs: A Kid’s Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening, Laurie Carlson I used this book with my  children when we planted a small vegetable garden when they were young. It has great tips on how to plant your seeds, make homemade bug spray, and how to use items milk jugs to make plant markers, watering cans, and plant tents. It also has projects and a list of seed companies to help you get started.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening with Children, Sharon Lovejoy This is one of my favorites because I love the way Ms. Lovejoy writes and her illustrations are whimsical. This book reminds me of the peacefulness that I find when I am in my gardens. It is different from others in that each garden is thematic with one being a pizza patch, another a medicinal garden, and yet another being a garden for birds to enjoy. There are several more types of gardens that you can plant, but the theme for the book is that you and your child(ren) will garden together.

If you are interested in pursuing gardening with your children and want to start out small, I found an internet site that has several kits for you to purchase. No need to get the seeds, buy the soil, they have it all there for you! Gardening With Kids

If you are interested in purchasing heirloom seeds (non-GMO), here is a company that has been recommended. Baker Creek Seeds

For whatever reason you may decide not to have a garden of your own. If you live in the Cincinnati area and still want to be involved in gardening you can participate in this program.

 

Granny’s Garden School in Loveland is a wonderful resource for families, Boy/Cub Scout groups, AHG groups, volunteering, gardening (including shared harvesting), and they have a nice nature trail too.  She is planning another Homeschool series this summer (4 weekly sessions on weekday mornings) – let me know if you are interested in more details! Margaret.Burgdorf@grannysgardenschool.org  It was a great success last year for ages 3-15!Roberta (Granny) is very homeschool friendly and always welcomes parent/child groups to come together to learn in the gardens. Here is a schedule of events: http://grannysgardenschool.org/100-1-00-a-year-in-grannys-garden-school.htmlCurrent Fundraisers:$25 Family Garden Kit: http://www.grannysgardenschool.org/418-0-00-family-garden-project.htmlHUGE plant sale coming May 5-6, click here for details:http://grannysgardenschool.org/403-00-0-plant-sale-webpage.htmlCheck out the website at: www.grannysgardenschool.org – there is always something going on that you could be involved with.  The gardens are conveniently located on Loveland-Madiera Road just a couple minutes from I-275.

Fiction: Junior, Senior High

Apr16

It is difficult at times to find books that are appropriate for junior high students since adult themes are introduced earlier and earlier. Here are some titles that I have read that are “good stories” and I think your student(s) will enjoy. There are also senior high titles listed below them.

** JH  junior high  SH senior high

My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George  JH A story of a young man living by himself in the wilderness and the adventures he has while there.

Artemis Fowl, Eion Colfer  JH Artemis is a boy genius who is spoiled and doesn’t always do the right thing. It is fantasy with fairies, but I thought it was a good adventure book for my early teen sons and led to many discussions concerning consequences and honesty. There are several in this series, all of which we enjoyed.

Redwall, Brain Jacques JH A great tale of good versus evil, with good triumphing. Junior high students will enjoy reading them on their own. If you can find this on CD, listen to it to get the full effect of the text. I love how the author narrates his own book and has other actors as well. They are well done and make the book come alive. If you like this book you will be pleased to know there are many more titles to choose from as Mr. Jacques was a prolific writer. There is also an animated series you can purchase based upon the books.

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis JH, SH  This is a seven book series of the adventures of children who were sent away to the country during World War II.  I am recommending these for junior and senior high because of the symbolism that is in each of these books.

The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien SH  This is the first book in the series, Lord of the Rings, and my favorite one of the epic struggle between good and evil. This is wonderful on CD and the whole family will enjoy it.

Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle SH I never tire of reading about Sherlock Holmes. His power of observations and deduction have made these stories a favorite since they were first written in the 19th century. If you own a kindle, any of the books can be downloaded for free.

A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens SH  John 15: 13 states, “Greater man has no man, than he lay his life down for a friend” is true in this story set during the French Revolution. I have read this book a half-dozen times and it never fails to move me to tears, it is that powerful. This is another book that is free for your kindle.

The Robe, Lloyd C. Douglas SH A fictionalized account of the Roman guard who won Jesus’ robe. This book was made into a movie so you can have your student write a comparison/contrast paper between the book and movie.

Happy Reading! 🙂

Good Reads: Middle School, Junior High

Apr2

I haven’t had a lot of time recently to read many books, but I wanted to pass along a few great titles of books that I have had an opportunity to read. These titles are sure to not only interest middle school and junior high students, but they can be read aloud in the evenings to the entire family.

If you haven’t heard of this series I think you are going to love reading them. It is called the Wilderking Trilogy, which is set in the Middle Ages period. It is a terrific retelling of the story of David, the biblical character. The story of David and Goliath is one that children are told repeatedly in Sunday School, but do they know what happened before or after he fights the giant?  This series is a wonderful compliment to the bible and will lend itself to discussion about being faithful and loyal against all odds. I have just found out that there is a prequel that will be released soon and I am looking forward to reading more about Aidan and the kingdom of Corenwald.

The Bark of the Bog Owl, Jonathan Rogers

The Secret of the Swamp King, Jonathan Rogers

The Way of the Wilderking, Jonathan Rogers

As a follow-up to the books, you will want to check out Jonathan Rogers’ Feechie Film Festival. Funny tales are found here of whether people believe in these wild creatures [or not].

Strange Journey Back, Paul McCusker [Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey].  If you are familiar with the  audio series of the Adventures in Odyssey, this is the printed format. My sons loved the audio series that Focus on the Family produced and listened to them daily on the radio.

Happy reading! 🙂

Homeschool Product Catalogs

Mar26

As home school conventions approach and school is starting to wrap you, one’s mind tends to go toward the products you’d like to read about in order to make decisions for next year. I like to look at catalogs and read the reviews of products from a few trusted sources. Where do you start? Here are the companies that I rely on to help me with my decisions.

Rainbow Resource Catalog The granddaddy of them all, this catalog gives a description about each curriculum product they sell. I appreciate that and refer many home school families to them for that very reason. If you would get a paper catalog it 3 inches thick and has over 1,300 pages! I just looked! Click here for their website.

Christian Book Distributors sells individual products as well as packaged curriculum.

I realize that some of you are not interested in or comfortable with putting all of your own curriculum together and want a package instead.  Here is a list  of companies who offer just that!

Sonlight offers a literature-based, Christ-centered curriculum from preschool through high school. I used their American History program with some modifications and read many of their read-aloud books to my sons.

Timberdoodle has been in business for 25 years and has first-hand experience with nearly all of the products they recommend.

Do you have a favorite company that offers homeschool products and curriculum that I haven’t mentioned? Feel free to add to the list.