Kon-Tiki {rafting adventure across the Pacific}

My husband read this book review on Kon-Tiki then reserved a copy of it from the library.

It's a true story of how six men traveled 2,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean in 1947 on a raft made of balsa wood to prove a theory that Polynesians migrated from Peru.

I was hooked after reading this paragraph from the reviewer:

Kon-Tiki is not a monotonous log or diary of a voyage; it is an amazing adventure. It is not a typical living geography book, though it does describe in vivid detail the people and terrain of Peru, the ocean currents, the South Pacific islands and their respective inhabitants and culture. It encompasses a vast array of other subjects: history for one, with its interesting description of the world after World War II, the technology, industry, and interests of the young men who survived the brutal realities of that war; worthy literature, as Heyerdahl masterfully employs excellent language to tell his tale with admirable literary flair; anthropology, as he enthusiastically justifies his pet project to prove a theory about the relationship of the Peruvian Indians to the Polynesians is contagious enough to awaken interest in that field; even government as he negotiates and pulls strings to get the project underway.

Because I am a mother of two boys, I'm thinking of buying a copy of this book for them to read again and again.  You can buy a mass-market paperback for $5.  I'm not an expert at gauging reading levels, but I would put this one on a high-school level.  For my fourth-grader, I will pick passages for him to read - specifically surrounding the crew's observations of marine life.  Already I have read several passages to him aloud.  It's not that the story line or words would be too hard for him to read, I think he would be lost on some of the details (that I find engaging!)

If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can watch a one-hour documentary [from 1950] free. In 2013, Hollywood made another version.  I've not seen either because I want to finish the book first.

What books are you reading?
-Julie

Lego Robotics 6 week course

*If interested, contact Heather, ASAP*

Engineering for Kids Homeschool Class
Ages 8-14
Fridays 8-9:30 at The Bible Church of Little Rock October 4, 11, 18 and November 1, 8, 15
Cost is $125 per student with small discount for additional siblings.

This is a 6 week course in Robotics using Lego robots and learning how to design, construct and program the robots.

www.engineeringforkids.net/centralar

Cash or check due at first class. Please sign up by calling Heather Muckleroy at 817-694-2828 or email her at muckleroyfamily@gmail.com

Deadline to sign up is Monday, September 30, 2013.  Hurry!

Vocabulary Words

A friend gave us this set of wooden Montessori letters {awesome}.  But this activity could be used with the fridge magnets that most of us have.  Using manipulatives help us be excited about learning to spell, rather than just copying long lists of words.

The list above is from the Wordly Wise workbook, recommended to me by homeschooling guru Tamara Sims.  You can buy it on Amazon or check it out at Mardel.  Flipping through the books, trying to decide which level was best for us, I hardly recognized any of the words for level 12.  Here's hoping his vocabulary is strengthened beyond Momma's before he graduates Majors Academy.

-Julie

Frontier Days for Homeschoolers

The Historic Washington State Park interpretive staff will provide a special experience for homeschool groups on October 4. Students will experience Frontier Days as the 19th century pioneers would have experienced it. Programming will be designed to correlate with state curriculum requirements. Sign up early for this hands-on adventure! Contact the park for further details and reservations.

Date: October 4, 2013

Time: 9 am - 4 pm

Admission: $5.50 plus tax

Phone: (870) 983-2684

Email: HistoricWashington@arkansas.com

Website: www.HistoricWashingtonStatePark.com

Baby During School Hours

You'll often find him contained here.
-Julie

Letters from Egypt & other Charlotte Mason Recommendations

This morning we started reading aloud Letters from Egypt.  In 1879, Mary Whately wrote to friends and family in England about her experiences in Egypt.  She ties in Scripture references as well as Egyptian culture and customs.  After reading the first letter, I'm hooked!  And thinking that it would be a fill the "family read-aloud-before-bed" criteria.

If Letters from Egypt interests you, another from the Charlotte Mason website that we ordered for this year's enjoyment was Ancient Egypt and her Neighbors.

 From the website: A fascinating narrative of life in Ancient Egypt intertwined with captivating stories of the other civilizations that existed alongside her—neighbors far and near. Makes the ancient world come alive! (Grades 1–6)

Lastly, for grades 1-3, Boy of the Pyramids might grab your attention.

  -Julie

Does Your Child Struggle?

If you read one article this week, this one will encourage your struggling learner.  Or, cause you to view struggling differntly.

Struggle Means Learning: Difference in Eastern and Western Cultures.

-Julie

10 Favorite Books About Ancient Egypt, Greece & Rome

Many of these 10 Favorite Books About Ancient Egypt, Greece & Rome you can find at the library.

-Julie

Homeschooling Struggling Learners

You are invited you to join me (Lisa Lipe) for "Homeschooling Struggling Learners" at the Home Ed Kick-Off this Tues. night, August 13th at 5:30 at Second Presbyterian Church located at 600 Pleasant Valley Drive (near Cantrell and I-430).

Please come if you are homeschooling a struggling learner (or beginning to suspect that you might be).  Please also invite anyone you know who is thinking about homeschooling a child who is struggling to learn in a regular school setting. 

In this session you will learn the importance of foundational sensory-motor skills for academic learning and for attention.  Receive an overview of interventions including cognitive training, nutrition, & specific teaching methods for reading, writing & math difficulties.   Get information on resources to help plan a successful homeschooling year for your child.  I will be taking questions and will stick around after the session to talk with parents.

All parents who attend will receive a coupon for a free developmental vision screening for their child to help determine if difficulty with visual skills may be contributing to problems with reading and/or attention.

I have been working with struggling learners for over 20 years and have experience with various types of learning issues.  I have spent many years homeschooling my own children and the last 5 years helping other people home school theirs.  I am excited to have this opportunity to speak with you!

Lisa Lipe, M.Ed.
Integrated Learning Connections
www.integratedlearner.com
501-227-437

Aromatherapy - Perky Sunshine

As the school year starts, we begin to think about what worked last year and things we want to try differently this year.

Over the summer some friends introduced me to the healing power of essential oils and I've been learning more about how to incorporate oils in our everyday life.  Last week I listened to a talk by a naturopath Mary Ward, who says she never gives a talk without spraying something in the air.  That day she used a blend she called "perky sunshine" (10 drops pink grapefruit, 10 drops lemon, and 5 drops of peppermint in a 2 oz spray bottle of water.)  Lemon is said to increase concentration and memory building.

I can't speak to it's effectiveness yet.  It's a nice room spray if nothing else.

-Julie

FYI - my essential oils come from Nature's Sunshine.  They have extreme purity standards and are a fraction of the cost of some multi-level marketing companies.