Happy Easter

Writing Links

This is a very rough draft of a project I just started working on. I haven't even linked for all my topics yet. Aim is for my son or 4th-6th grade. I will be revising this list often.

SENTENCE WRITING

http://www.tustin.k12.ca.us/cyberseminar/paragraph.htm

http://www.stackthedeck.com/tips-getting.html

PARAGRAPH WRITING

Topic Sentences:

http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/partopic.html

http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/paragrap/index.htm

http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/paragrph.html

http://www.gigglepotz.com/para.htm

http://www.english-zone.com/writing/para-strctr.html

http://www.swc.utexas.edu/highschool/hsopenpara.shtml

BASIC WRITING SKILLS

Outlining

http://www.albany.edu/eas/170/outline.htm

http://www.pb5th.com/outline1.htm

http://killeenroos.com/adm/essayo.htm#Criteria

http://www.adellshay.com/domain%20site/BUS%2032outlineformat.htm

http://www.cmsnet.org/stdlife/Summer%20ESS%20Website/outlinefacts.html

Prewriting:

http://www.studygs.net/roughdrafts.htm

Rough Draft

http://www.swc.utexas.edu/highschool/hswritedraft.shtml

http://www.cc.utexas.edu/student/utlc/lrnres/handouts/1234.html

http://www.arc.sbc.edu/roughdraft.html

Revising: Improving

http://personal.ashland.edu/~cdawkins/Student%20Tools/Revise%20a%20Rough%20Draft.htm

Final Copy

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

• describing a person
• describing an event
• describing a thing

NARRATIVE WRITING

EXPOSITORY WRITING

PERSUASIVE WRITING

BOOK REVIEW OR REPORT

http://www.caledonia.k12.mi.us/kettle/otherpages/k-5pages/bookreportform.htm (book report outline)

http://hewitthomeschooling.com/pdfs/spnbkrpt.pdf (excellent outline and sample book report)

CREATIVE WRITING

POEMS

RESEARCH REPORT

FIVE PARAGRAPH ESSAY

http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/EssayWritingBody.html

http://www.geocities.com/fifth_grade_tpes/Handyguide.html

http://www.geocities.com/fifth_grade_tpes/five.html

http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/English/essay/index.html

http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/handouts/paragraph.html (monster diagram)

http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/acen/writerslab/handouts/organization.htm (wizard theme)

MISC.

http://www.geocities.com/fifth_grade_tpes/five.html

http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/HowtoBegin.html

HANDOUTS: (MAPPING, GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS)

http://www.cusd.com/calonline/englishlab/module03/03image/0303mapping.gif (mapping)

Tax Time, Homeschooling Expenses and Planning

This week I finally got my taxes done. In my state, we get to claim the cost of the majority of homeschooling expenses. It can’t be religious stuff though. So the only thing I couldn’t claim was my Rod and Staff English program.

I spent over a $1000 on homeschooling last year, which was up a few hundred from the year before. This year I bought tons of books because I hate relying on the library. I guess in reality I can’t compare 2005’s expenses with 2004 because ’04 was the first year we homeschooled and only covered Sept – Dec.

I noticed a pattern starting. It seems in the spring, when spring fever was high and I felt like climbing the walls last year my spending went way up. I started ordering this spring as well. So I’ll be prepared next spring to not spend so much money.

I will continue to use Rebecca Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year and Doc’s secular resources as my guide. Kixque shared an email from Doc with some additional links. I hope that Doc comes back to blogland because I miss her terribly.

Doc wrote an entry about goal planning versus scheduling that I printed and have read many times. What a great resource that is. Doc also wrote a big list of what should be studied. I can’t find a link to it on her site or else I’d place it here. I printed that out as well. Finally, she had a link to a high school 9^th-12^th grade planning sheet. I adapted that and made my 5^th-8^th grade plan. Well, I’m still working on it, but I have the outline and am happily filling it in. What a valuable resource that is. I had never thought to do that before and it has helped me tremendously.

Thank you, Doc, my son’s education has been touched by you. You’ve helped me tremendously.

As for upcoming expenses, I have decided to set a $1000 budget for the next year. I will continue to buy used, haunt Ebay and half.com. This summer I will again go to garage sales and make a bee line toward the books. I’m learning a lot about smart choices and spur of the moment mistakes. An ink cartridge for my laser printer is $90 and will print thousands of pages. Last cartridge lasted about two years. I can buy a ream of paper for $2.99 at Kmart or splurge and buy pretty pastel paper at Office Max for $5.99 a ream. The internet has tons of free teacher’s guides and lesson plans on almost every subject imaginable. Unless I buy a lot of reading material again, or go hog wild at Carolina Botanical’s website, I can’t foresee spending $1000 next year. For that, my husband will be thankful.

If I were really good, I'd take this year's tax refund and put it in a separate account for our homeschooling expenses. I'm not that good, though, and would rather play with that money now.

Fun on the net

I needed to clean my basement today, desperately. So while my I was doing tasks that my son could not help with, he needed something to divert his attention besides the Sims, Puzzle Pirates, or Runescape.

I found a fun website. It has simple machines, virtual knee surgery and a weather unit. My son is playing online and having fun. There are teacher's plans at the site as well.

Just thought I'd share.

edheads

I made him do it

I made him do it, I made him...

CUT MY HAIR.

My ten year old son. He cut my hair.

Long story short, I've been growing my bangs out for a year. They're below my chin and just so out of sync with the back of my hair that was to the bottom of my shoulder blades. It's getting hot and I don't want so much hair when it's hot.

So why don't I go get a professional haircut like most normal people? Because I'm not normal. The urge to cut usually strikes me at night. And when it strikes, I want it NOW not tomorrow or later in the week.

My husband was passed out on the couch and I turned to poor Tommy and said, "It's time. Come into the bathroom with me."

Poor child was shaking like a leaf. "Mom, I'm nervous!" I said you can't mess it up, just cut straight across here and pointed to where I wanted him to start.

"Now I know what you feel like when you cut my hair" he almost cried.

I'm such a mean mom.

He did it. He did a fine job, too. It's perfectly straight. Should I pay him $20 that I would have paid a pro? Nah. I'll count it as school. Cosmetology 101.

I cut his hair half the time. He likes buzz cuts so I bought clippers a long time ago. Saves a lot of money. My husband has *never* had a professional hair cut since I've known him. He used to cut it but I could stand it no longer so got books from the library and a few videos and learned how to cut his. I've also picked up a few cosmetology textbooks from garage sales and book sales through the years. His is difficult because he's naturally curly. But I use the clippers on him now, too, because he likes it super short.

Ah, we're a weird family. I just cannot ever be normal. Making my 10-year-old son cut my hair is strange, but he lived. And I'm happy.

Gotta love instant gratification.

A different carnival this week

Because the Carnival of Homeschooling is being hosted by someone who blogs at homeschoolblogger, and because I boycott homeschoolblogger, I was thrilled to find that Becky at Farm School made up her own substitute carnival for the week! Take a peak!

Thank you, Becky!!!