Reading in Your Home School

What are you reading today?

Do you read aloud daily?  Even in high school- spending the time in an adventure together unites you in a common bond.

Are you excited about what you are reading or is it a task that must be accomplished?  If you are not excited about the story, will your children be excited?

Do you model reading in your personal life?

C.S. Lewis wrote, “no book is really worth reading at the age of 10 which is not equally ( and often for more) worth reading at the age of 50 and beyond”.
But what are the parameters for identifying great literature?
This is a really good question. Great literature books are how we challenge our children to become more thoughtful, discerning, and equipped for whatever God’s purpose for their life is.
Great literature lays the foundation of education that is full. It connects us with individuals that have great minds, great thoughts, great souls, and to people both past and present.

Here are a few quick tips for choosing great literature:
1.Choose authors who have not lost their childhood.
2.Find books where the characters are memorable
3.Find books that offer examples that we can follow
4.Find books that become our passion
5.Books that give purpose to life
6.Books that are capable of inspiring our children toward greatness.

If you need help, Gladys Hunt wrote a few resources – “ Honey for a child’s heart “ and “ Honey for teens heart”. They are both full of examples, critiques, and suggestions. There are many others who have made book lists and critiques if you prefer a different author or you can use one that goes with your Curriculum.

Make sure reading time and read aloud time is a priority. Are they important in your daily activities? Should we free up time to read more? Reading and listening to a story can open up a plethora of possibilities for discussions at the dinner table about your child’s character, their decision-making, historical time periods and even the creative ability to imagine alternate endings.

When your children read aloud, you know whether they understand punctuation, whether they understand the vocabulary that is in the book. By listening you can hear whether they understand inflection of voices that occurs when the author is using quotation marks. Great quotes in your reading can become today’s copy work.

Great literature has tremendous power. The moments we have to pour into the lives of our children are a very few in view of their lifetime. Each moment must be guarded and is priceless.

A quote from Glaspey, author of “Great Books of the Christian Tradition” :
“God Himself chose the medium of a book as HIs primary way to communicate the truth of His love and Grace.”

Happy Reading !

Annual post about DO’S and DO NOT’S for the book sale

Annual post about DO’S and DO NOT’s  for the book sale

over the years- 16 in business, more than that attending fairs, I have learned a little about book sales 🙂
This is not criticism, just helpful hints

1. if you want it to sell, price it well – Abeka, BJU etc are very prevalent in the resale market. 1/2 retail is about what you will get.
people always ask me what I would sell it for, if you price it too high, you will take it home with you.

2. if you are buying- know your prices and editions or take catalogs with you . If you buy a previous edition and cannot get the consumables (and want them), its pretty useless..

3. DO NOT use permanent stickers on the covers of your books- they never come off and if they do they take half the cover with them. I have to remove them or cover them up if you bring your books here. Packages of stickers  all say either permanent or removable on the front. File folder labels are not removable

4. If I come to the sale and offer you less than you are asking it is because I am going to re sell it in the shop. I cannot pay you more than I can sell it for. Then it is up to you to accept it. It’s okay to say no. This has caused contention in the past and I wish to avoid that in the future.  I am not insulting you or your book, I just know what that particular book will sell for in the shop- sorry, but I would prefer not to take a loss.

5. if you sell things online- please make sure you know how much it will cost you to ship it before you price it. You do not want to sell something for $5 then pay $4 to ship it meaning you made a dollar. If you need to purchase an envelope, it is more and your time to the post office is valuable.

6. take lots of change and $1 bills to the sale. you cannot expect someone selling to give change for a dollar book from a $20 or $50- it will wipe them out and may cause them to lose another sale if they have no change left

7. if someone wants something you already sold, please forward them to the Kurriculum Korner- I have a lot of the things that have been showing up on the loops in stock. They all belong to other local home school families .

IMPORTANT
I do not want all the rejects- I want the good stuff too. If you would not come here to buy it, why would someone else? If you sell all the teaching textbooks, apologia and rod and staff english, etc you did great. Do not bring me all the 1/2 missing workbooks, the older edition teacher manuals and all the books that your teacher friend or relative took from her stash and gave you because she thought you needed them to be able to successfully teach your child. (we all have one of those -LOL)

I will be OPEN that afternoon if you want to shop here too..I will NOT be accepting consignment items that day- please read the policies and use the scheduling app to make an appointment.

Karen at the Kurriculum Korner
Wed & Thurs 1-5pm
502-241-7264
6400 Clore Lane, Crestwood, KY 40014
www.kurriculumkorner.com

Thanksgiving Weekend Sale -25% off site wide

“Our Journey Westward” is having a SALE

Cindy West over at “ Our Journey Westward” is having a site wide sale over  Thanksgiving weekend.  If you have never tried adding Unit Studies to your day, this is the perfect time to try one.

Unit studies are great ways to infuse topics your children are totally fascinated with into your homeschool day.

Unit studies can be literature based, research based, nature based,  journaling based or just ways to include whatever your student is interested in primarily in the field of science.  We used Unit Studies especially in the winter, when things are cold, getting a little routine and we all need a boost.  I usually let my children pick the topics and find a study that helps them learn about that topic. Check out the website  and see what is there!  Our Journey Westward

There  are studies specifically designed for winter such as “Constant Conifers”, “Coping with Cold” and a few others.  Check them out, your kids will love them !

 

aff links are included

 

Annual Book Sale Tips

Annual Book Sale Tips,  post about DO’S and DONT’S for the book sale

over the years- 13 in business, more than that attending fairs, I have learned a little about book sales 🙂
This is not criticism, just helpful hints

1. if you want it to sell, price it well – Abeka, BJU etc are very prevalent in the resale market. 1/2 retail is about what you will get.
people always ask me what I would sell it for.

2. if you are buying- know your prices and editions or take catalogs with you . If you buy a previous edition and cannot get the consumables (and want them), its pretty useless..

3. DO NOT use permanent stickers on the covers of your books- they never come off and if they do they take half the cover with them. I have to remove them or cover them up if you bring your books here. packages of stickers which I buy buy the 1000’s all say either permanent or removable on the front. File folder labels are not removable

4. If I come to the sale and offer you less than you are asking it is because I am going to re sell it in the shop. I cannot pay you more than I can sell it for. Then it is up to you to accept it. It’s okay to say no. This has caused contention in the past and I wish to avoid that in the future.  I am not insulting you or your book, I just know what that particular book will sell for in the shop- sorry, but I would prefer not to take a loss.

5. if you sell things online- please make sure you know how much it will cost you to ship it before you price it. You do not want to sell something for $5 then pay $4 to ship it meaning you made a dollar. If you need to purchase an envelope, it is more and your time to the post office is valuable.

6. take lots of change and $1 bills to the sale. you cannot expect someone selling to give change for a dollar book from a $20 or $50- it will wipe them out and may cause them to lose another sale if they have no change left

7. if someone wants something you already sold, please forward them to the Kurriculum Korner- I have a lot of the things that have been showing up on the loops in stock. They all belong to other local home school families .

IMPORTANT
I do not want all the rejects- I want the good stuff too. If you would not come here to buy it, why would someone else? If you sell all the teaching textbooks, apologia and rod and staff english, etc you did great. Do not bring me all the 1/2 missing workbooks, the older edition teacher manuals and all the books that your teacher friend or relative took from her stash and gave you because she thought you needed them to be able to successfully teach your child. (we all have one of those -LOL)

Karen at the Kurriculum Korner
Wed & Thurs 1-5pm
502-241-7264
6400 Clore Lane, Crestwood, KY 40014
www.kurriculumkorner.com

It’s Convention Season Again-Some Motherly Advice?

It's Convention Season Again-Some Motherly Advice?

It’s Convention Season – Some Motherly Advice?

It is Convention season again and time for me to pass on a little motherly, old sage advice. Conventions are a wonderful time away for renewal and refreshment.  Often you come away with a strong sense of purpose and renewed appreciation of all the options and freedoms you have in this country.

Often you come away with all kinds of curriculum you never thought you needed.  Salesman are really good at their job, that’s why they have them and why they send them to conventions.  No doubt about it, new things are wonderful!  Someone created something you have dreamed about as the healer of all the problems, the resolver of differences, the stopper of tears, the be all end all.  Well, hopefully, whatever you purchase meets those expectations. If not, don’t be too disappointed. One thing will not work for every child.

Every child is unique, your family is unique, your situation is unique, your homeschool is unique.  Embrace it and press onward.  You may need to tweak the curriculum a little to fit your needs. Or, you may need to replace it.  Chalk it up to taking a chance and move on without regret.

I will share with you the best advice I ever received.

Ready?

1.Go to Convention with friends or acquaintances that will become friends.

2. Divide up the sessions, take notes, collect giveaways

3. Have a “show and tell” at dinner over a glass of wine or coffee.

That way, everyone hears all the news, the pitches and gets to feel like they really learned a lot by being there.

Convention can be a really wonderful bonding time.  We as home school families are perpetual learners, always searching for optimum things for our families.  Every attending is there because they love their children and they love the learning process.

Have fun, be careful, pray over choices before making an impulse purchase and enjoy the camaraderie of like minded people.

Probably see you there..

Karen at the Kurriculum Korner

 

 

Answering the homeschool critics

IMG_2946How do you respond to friends, relatives, neighbors when they question you about your homeschool?

How do you answer the homeschool critics in your life?

Critics will question your choice to homeschool. After all, we have one of the best schools in town right here. They will question your ability to teach your child. “Do you have a teaching degree or are you smart enough?” They will question your child being out with you in the middle of the day. Homeschool children do not go to school for 6 hours so if you need groceries, they go with you. They will question your choice of curriculum. “Why are you not using …. it’s the best?” They will question all the little details of your day. They question your choices because your choices cause them to question their own choices and more importantly their own answers. Sometimes it is as simple as “friendly conversation”, sometimes it is way more than that.
So how are you going to answer the “nosey” cashier? How are you going to answer your neighbors bragging about winning the school science fair? How will your child answer “what grade are you in?”
Everyone will have a different answer. Talk with your family and come up with some answers so that you are prepared for that day- it will happen one of these days.

You are the Principal

You are the Principal and Lead Teacher, your husband is the Superintendent of Schools. You decide what time of the day you homeschool, what materials you will use, whether you have a designated school space. You even decide if you are going to do every single redundant grammar sentence or just some because you know the child knows the answers and does not need to beat it into the ground. It is something to think about ahead of time. Someone at some point, is going to question you about little or big things.  Be prepared.

Love,

Karen

P.S.

Here are a few books to encourage you in your  homeschool journey

1. Things We Wish We’d Known 

2. But What About Socialization? Answering the Perpetual Home Schooling Question

3. the Homeschooling Father 

affiliate links are enclosed and help keep the lights on

The Build Your Bundle Sale is almost OVER

By now you have probably  heard about the “Build Your Bundle” sale. If you are curious and have not taken the time to look yet, here is a link to take you to the sale.

https://www.buildyourbundle.net/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=601

I am excited by this sale because there are a huge number of contributors at really great prices. I wish they had done this when I was buying curriculum. Back then, almost thirty years ago, there were not as many great options and what choices there were, very rarely were on sale.

The bottom line is that if you are interested, I want to make sure that you are aware of what is in the bundles and that you have the opportunity to purchase them and don’t miss the deadlines.

The sale is actually over on May 23rd (tomorrow- Monday) at 11:59pm so time is running out. I am told by the organizers that there are shopping carts with over six figures worth of inventory in them awaiting payment. That is a lot of choices and a lot of great items !

Please be careful and read the contents of the bundles, some of the things are ebooks and downloadable items, not physical books. There are pre made bundles including Charlotte Mason, Homeschool Helps, Homemaking, Early Childhood, Fine Arts, Elementary and Middle school, Character Building, Brothers and Sisters. Etc.  Or, you can make your own !

All have wonderful resources in them or you can bundle your own from the many choices and options. All the details and options are on the website, and the link was above.

There is even a bonus bundle worth over $250 that comes with every purchase…those details are here:

Free Bundle of Bonuses with ANY purchase at the Build Your Bundle Sale ~ over $250 in FREEBIES! Copy and paste the following link

www.buildyourbundle.net/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=601_85_3_84 #homeschool #curriculum #BYB2016 (aff)

Check it out, see what all the options are..
Karen at the Kurriculum Korner

Kurriculum Korner is having a Giant SALE

The Kurriculum Korner is planning a Giant SALE!!! . It is almost the end of the really busy season and the shelves are just overflowing. The shop has been very busy and more successful than ever. A great deal of material has been sold but more arrives every week.
Planning for the week of September 8th — 11 am – 7 pm every day Monday thru Friday. A different subject will be on sale every day. I am still working on the details but stay posted for more information. Mark your calendars, planners and cell phone to do lists to make sure you do not miss it!
Stay tuned!!

Annual Book Sale Tips— re posted May 1, 2018

Annual post about DO’S and DONT’S for the book sale

over the years- 15 in business, more than that attending fairs, I have learned a little about book sales 🙂
This is not criticism, just helpful hints

1. if you want it to sell, price it well – Abeka, BJU etc are very prevalent in the resale market. 1/2 retail is about what you will get.
people always ask me what I would sell it for, if you price it too high, you will take it home with you.

2. if you are buying- know your prices and editions or take catalogs with you . If you buy a previous edition and cannot get the consumables (and want them), its pretty useless..

3. DO NOT use permanent stickers on the covers of your books- they never come off and if they do they take half the cover with them. I have to remove them or cover them up if you bring your books here. packages of stickers which I buy buy the 1000’s all say either permanent or removable on the front. File folder labels are not removable

4. If I come to the sale and offer you less than you are asking it is because I am going to re sell it in the shop. I cannot pay you more than I can sell it for. Then it is up to you to accept it. It’s okay to say no. This has caused contention in the past and I wish to avoid that in the future.  I am not insulting you or your book, I just know what that particular book will sell for in the shop- sorry, but I would prefer not to take a loss.

5. if you sell things online- please make sure you know how much it will cost you to ship it before you price it. You do not want to sell something for $5 then pay $4 to ship it meaning you made a dollar. If you need to purchase an envelope, it is more and your time to the post office is valuable.

6. take lots of change and $1 bills to the sale. you cannot expect someone selling to give change for a dollar book from a $20 or $50- it will wipe them out and may cause them to lose another sale if they have no change left

7. if someone wants something you already sold, please forward them to the Kurriculum Korner- I have a lot of the things that have been showing up on the loops in stock. They all belong to other local home school families .

IMPORTANT
I do not want all the rejects- I want the good stuff too. If you would not come here to buy it, why would someone else? If you sell all the teaching textbooks, apologia and rod and staff english, etc you did great. Do not bring me all the 1/2 missing workbooks, the older edition teacher manuals and all the books that your teacher friend or relative took from her stash and gave you because she thought you needed them to be able to successfully teach your child. (we all have one of those -LOL)

I will be OPEN that afternoon if you want to shop here too..I will NOT be accepting consignment items that day- please read the policies and use the scheduling app to make an appointment.

Karen at the Kurriculum Korner
Wed & Thurs 1-5pm
502-241-7264
6400 Clore Lane, Crestwood, KY 40014
www.kurriculumkorner.com

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Starting November 14th until after the first of the year I will be open by appointment only.
Please pass this on to those that are not on the loops, facebook etc.
I have done VERY little business over the last two weeks so I would like to go to appts for now. I am NOT closing– this rumor gets started every year. I know that everyone is busy over the holidays and I can do clean up, finish painting windows and trim, sort through the full shelves etc. without keeping regular hours for the shop.
I will keep messaging when appts come up so that if you want to tag along you are welcome. I am not planning on being gone for extended periods of time so call, message or email if you need something and we can work out a time.

Karen at the Kurriculum Korner
502-241-7264
Regular hours Wed & Thurs 1-5 By Appointment only from 11-14 until January 2014