Spring Cleaning Blog-Style

I know it looks almost exactly the same on the outside, but Life Nurturing Education has moved. Months ago I helped some friends set up a blog, then another friend, and another…all the while planning for this place to join them.

Woman Cleaning Alley, Sibenik, Croatia

After procrastinating longer than I care to admit, I finally switched everything over. I’m still scrubbing cupboards and straightening pictures. Literally, the pictures.

My images were not imported on my first attempt. Deckards absent from their own chronicle. Two years worth of pictures vanished, and by their absence I sensed how much this blog contains. I don’t write every day, but life is made of moments. If I capture a few here and there, doesn’t it give more meaning to the others?

Looking back I see with different eyes, a different heart. The moments of frustration give way to a smile. I see where we are now, the progress made. I see how quickly my children are growing. I remember starts and sputters, dreams and goals.

And it pulls me back to writing some more.

Meeting A Few Imaginary Friends

I left a bit later than planned. Before I rushed out the door, I dropped Amanda, Mandigirl Muses, an email asking her to send her phone number. Her reply saved me.

I arrived in Arlington right on time. Then Google maps failed me. The prescribed exit was closed. Construction zones surrounded me. I circled the convention center and found the road blocked. Signs directed me veering to the left and right. A frantic call to my husband. A string of numbers brought hope, and still I missed the turn.

Amanda called while I backtracked, and I finally saw the sign. Felt so foolish and humble. She waited for over half an hour. Glances from the servers. Stood up in a quiet restaurant waiting and waiting. Her graciousness blessed me and her story embedded itself on my soul.

Full of good food and sweet fellowship, we tromped to the convention center. I was late to meet April, Question the Culture, because I was late to meet Amanda. More circles, up and down the maze of vendors looking for a lady with crooked glasses. Little did I know, she got contacts.

Thankfully I heard my name and immediately recognized her from the photo she sent months ago. More grace for my tardiness. We got to chat a bit before empty stomachs and the Scholastic warehouse sale pulled her and her friend out the door.

While saying good-bye to April, I realized the lady I thought was Connie really was Connie.

The next meeting was the 2:30 announcement made on Twitter. We gathered in the back of an auditorium while Hank the Cowdog prepared to perform. A hello, a hug, a quick, blurry snapshot.

Connie ~Smockity Frocks, Dana ~Are We There Yet? , Heather ~Sprittibee, me, Amanda ~MandiGirl Muses

Promises to meet after the performance never materialized. Lost again, but the invitation remains. Next time let’s all chat over some Tex-Mex!

For other perspectives on this meeting of imaginary friends, use the links above. And if you are ever in Texas, please let us know. Maybe we can plan a party just for you!

Colored Pencils in Homeschooling

Today’s post is from Maddie Kertay. This preview of her upcoming book The Crafty Homeschooler (available Fall 2009) adds another dimension to my enjoyment of colored pencils. Visit her blog, Homeschool Confidential, for tips to enhance your homeschool.

While nice beeswax crayons are great for the 5 and under set as soon as some serious homeschooling is going on I suggest colored pencils. But before you run out to the dollar store let me take a bit of time to convince you to shell out a bit more money for a better quality pencil that in the end will make your homeschooling arts, maps and miscellaneous drawings better and brighter.

photo credit: Shahrokh Dabiri

Like most things colored pencils come in a range of prices and while you don’t need a set made (and priced) for a commercial artist you cannot go wrong with a basic set of Prisma Color pencils. There are more expensive brands but this one is many rungs up the ladder from what you will find marketed for children without making you kack over from the cost. Thick creamy leads with good color and smooth application are the key points of this brand.

As to care of your pencils, the people at Prisma Color advise:

When first getting your colored pencil set, it is best to sharpen all of your pencils and from then on, keep them sharpened. Since the “leads” are colored pigment in a wax base, care should be taken and one should not use excessive pressure or “force” when sharpening. Some members of the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) suggest keeping your pencils extremely sharp. Using an electric sharpener quite frequently shaves off only a bit of wood each time (as compared to letting the pencil get extremely dull and then grinding it down about a half an inch).

photo credit: guillermopdc

Another suggestion is to use an electric sharpener initially and then afterward, sharpen your pencil manually with a hand-held sharpener. Cosmetic sharpeners (the kind used for pencil eyeliner, for example) can also be effective. If you decide to use a hand sharpener, it is less stressful on the pencil to hold it vertically in the hand sharpener. Please note that the more common method of holding it horizontally with a natural wrist action causes stress on the colored core and thinner wood near the top.

If your pencil splinters when sharpening, evaluate the force you are using, how you are holding the pencil when sharpening and check that you are using a sharp sharpener. If a particular pencil is breaking, you may want to try a larger opening sharpener, which can be a little gentler.  Also make sure that your child is not using the pencils to bang out a drum solo on this desk top since even light tapping of colored pencils can shatter the inner lead.

I grew up with a father who was a commercial artist and access to many wonderful art products that were suppose to be “hands-off” and yet my dad turned a happy blind eye to my fooling around with his very precious artists markers and drawing tools in pursuit of my own artistic muse. All of those years paid off in cultivating my personal love of arts and crafts that carries over to my life has a homeschooling mom and consultant. I approach most subjects that I teach my children by looking at how we can expand our learning with cool, quality projects that highlight the subject we are talking about. This adds a tactile experience to learning that can be lacking for children who need more than just words on a page for facts to stick in their heads. I stress the need to be flexible in homeschooling as well as art and think the quality of the products you use make a direct difference in the outcome of the project.

Keep the Memories, Get Rid of the Stuff

One computer failed to revive even after the skillful hands of my husband tried to resuscitate it. Another wants to read and type, so I wait.

A week goes by and this place is silent. Words begin to trip over themselves trying to escape. Perhaps it’s good to let them crash around once in awhile. They bounce and the momentum slows. Words pile up in my mind, but other piles come into view. The piles stored in dark corners.

I yank stuff out of my dingy, crammed closet. Clothes that don’t fit. Mounds of mending. Broken toys. Unfinished projects. The pile of castoffs grows to a dangerous height.

I pull out the cabinet that hides fabric, scissors, patterns, and thread to reach the shelf above. Memories are stashed in boxes there.

A ratty, rotten cuddly. Teeny, tiny preemie clothes. Handmade wooden horses missing their legs.

Then I see the broken snow globe pushed to the back of the shelf with intentions to restore it. Jagged glass surrounds a angel with a misplaced hand. Baby Jesus reaches for the missing shimmers. This shattered token of love reminds me of my first days as Mrs. Renae Deckard.

It is broken. It hasn’t been fixed in five years. Did I keep it for fear I’d forget?

As a young mother, I stumbled across my mother’s journal. My giggle was not because her notes were funny, but because I was delighted. She planted a garden. She made a birthday cake. She sewed a dress for me while she waited for my dad to come home from work. The common every day jotted in a plain writing tablet. A few pages of tasks she’d accomplished. And it was a treasure to me.

My childhood toys are gone. I do have a baby blanket and two little dresses my grandfather picked out before he died. They don’t take up much room. However, the memories of a childhood full of wonder fill my heart.

Won’t my children desire the same? A few glimpses stored on a page or a blog, in a scrapbook or a box mean more than a closet full of stuff.

Inspired by Dana’s post “Can blogging get in the way of living?”

Carnival of Homeschooling: Top 10 School Supplies Edition

Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling! This edition of the carnival is dedicated to one of my favorite things: school supplies.

Narrowing down my top ten favorites required some thought. What does my family use frequently? What do I wish I purchased earlier? What would I miss the most? Items we take for granted have probably been skipped, so consider this a sample.

I hope you find helpful ideas and inspiration in the articles submitted this week. If you enjoy a post, please leave a comment and let the blogger know.

Renae’s Top 10 School Supplies

photo: Stewart

Bookshelves- I haven’t heard of a homeschooler who doesn’t need a few bookshelves. We have a total of ten scattered throughout the house, and I still dream of a room full of shelves.

• Percival Blakeney Academy alerts us to Books Under Seige.
• Home is where you start from shares The Odyssey of Homer- several different approaches.
• Recession Depression Therapy lists Essential Cookbooks for Kids.
• The Expanding Life reminds us reading to our children is important, but we also need to Talk to Them.

photo: MGShelton

Library Card- Even with ten bookshelves we don’t have material for every subject and lesson. One card equals books galore. The library is also the perfect place to find picture books and fiction I don’t necessarily want to buy.

• Homeschool Confidential shares her opinion of Discovering Great Artists in her March is for Art, Giveaway.
• Ramblings from the Crazy House announces I’m Running a New Contest! Win the E-book Turning Points!
• A Pondering Heart presents a review and giveaway of The Auto Upkeep Kit. (Giveaway ends March 10th at 11:59 p.m. PST)
• Homeschool Bytes has helpful ideas for Teaching On a Budget: For Teachers, Homeschoolers, and Moms with Kids.

photo: Orin Optiglot

Craft Table- For years, we did our crafts on the kitchen table. That works, but I enjoy having a place we can leave works in progress. Creative pursuits glittered with paint and glue.

• Fine Craft Guild presents Free St Patricks Day Crafts Templates: Prancing Leprechauns.
• A High and Noble Calling has Resources for Celebrating Purim.
• Teaching Your Children is teaching her family about Pi Day.
• Once Upon a Family shares Salt Dough and Creations.
• Song in My Heart encourages us to make stuff even if it’s messy in Colonial Life/American Revolution Part 3: Candles and No Running Water.

photo: BeccaG

Electric Pencil Sharpener- I wish I had purchased this sooner. Now it only takes seconds to sharpen pencils, and we get to the business of writing.

• Inklings shares a simple tip to impact your children’s writing in There Is Always a Better Verb.
• Adventures on Beck’s Bounty wonders where this unique homeschool lesson fits in For The Record.
• The Reluctant Homeschooler shares how her children take notes and give Oral reports.
• New Beginnings explains Toastmasters is a Great Speaking Group for Graduated Homeschoolers.

photo: Luza

Colored Pencils- Crayons end up in pieces. We still have a box or two, but colored pencils last longer. Some of our pencils were mine from childhood. (Yes, they are ancient.) Amazing things happen when we let our children color what interests them.

• The Thinking Mother makes a good point about trying to turn everything into a lesson in A Self-Directed Learning Moment.
• Barbara Frank used her daughter’s interest in paychecks to discuss The IRS and the Tax Project from Life Prep
• Sometimes I’m Actually Coherent says By All Means, Leave Your Books Out In The Open.
• Reading Circle Books shares how to open the door for our children to learn in Teach Them to Read and Let Them Go!

photo: niseago03

Hole Punch- Before we started homeschooling, I asked my dad for his old paper punch. I planned to fill binders with paintings, timelines, and notes. We use our 3-hole-punch almost every day.

• The Creative Homeschool presents 25 Creative Notebooking Ideas.
• Virtuous Children teaches children about percentages in the article Coupons and Math.
• The Tie that Binds Us enjoyed a week of school with her little ones. She shares it in Limbourg Brothers or the Limburger Cheese Touch?
• Ms. Julie’s Place explains a unit study about knights and castles based on an art lesson in And the Winner Is…

photo: DRB62

Storage Containers- My favorite containers are plastic bins with drawers and square baskets. We store stamps and craft supplies in the drawers and files and math manipulatives in the baskets. Since I enjoy organizing, it’s just another good reason to homeschool.

• Why Homeschool shares Some of the Things I Love about Homeschooling.
• Learning at Home reminds us that we don’t have to face The worst day ever to be a teacher.
• On Wisdom’s Path discusses Qualifications For The Parent-Teacher.
• Home Spun Juggling answers the question, “What about college?” in Home Spun comic strip #328.

photo: Tanya Ryno

Computer and Internet- Lesson plans, educational videos, audio adventures, printable crafts, important ideas discovered. Friendships made.

• Dad’s Homeschool Blog found a tool with a plethora of resources Find Home School Info on the Web You Never Even Knew To Look For- Use StumbleUpon!
• Petticoat Government wonders if Teaching to the Middle = Discrimination Against Boys.
• Corn and Oil wonders What do Illinois Education Lawyers do?
• Principled Discovery discusses An undergraduate research group’s report to lawmakers on homeschooling.

photo: timsamoff

Digital Camera- A camera isn’t something I purchased for school, but we use it to photograph all our adventures. In school they are called field trips. We call them memories.

• Our Curious Home had a wonderful trip to the Boston Children’s Museum.
• Carolina Mama ponders the joy and challenge of the The Homeschool Hustle and a Winner.
• This Side of Eternity shares what her children learn when they don’t sit at a desk in her post Heart of the Matter.
• PrincipledMom looks at all the plans and decides Finishing Is Where It’s At.

photo: anselm

Tent- An item from my first years of marriage finds new life in our backyard. My children haul stacks of books outside and read all afternoon pretending they are in the forest listening to the wolves. Nature gives flight to their imaginations.

• Hayes Happenings takes lessons outside in Spelling Hopscotch.
• HowToMe presents How To Make Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starter Pots.
• Wonderland Academy shares a craft and project in Lenten Ember Days~Trees.

Thank you for visiting the Top 10 School Supplies Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. Next week’s carnival will be hosted at The Homeschool Cafe. Here is how you can submit a post.

What are your favorite school supplies?