Archive for the ‘Carnivals’ Category

Carnival of Homeschooling: Winter in Idaho Edition

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling! If you are unfamiliar with this weekly event, let me introduce you.

Carnival of Homeschooling

A carnival sounds fun, right? It is! Each week homeschool bloggers are asked to submit a post to share. Then the host reads, organizes, and presents them to the community.

I offered to do this in August, but we were in the middle of selling our house in Texas and moving back to Southern Idaho. This carnival features a few of our adventures since we arrived.

Remodeling- Sometimes we make changes

Sweet Pea watches Grandpa install a subfloor

Sweet Pea watches Grandpa install a subfloor

The New Year lends itself to reflection and plans to be better organized.

Hiking- Sometimes we need new perspective

Bug hiking in the Snake River Canyon

Bug hikes in the Snake River Canyon

Laughing- Sometimes we simply enjoy family life

Sunshine smiles behind my gift

Sunshine smiles behind my gift

Conversing- Sometimes we defend our crazy ways

"Are you sure the bookshelf is a good bed?"

"Are you sure the bookshelf is a good bed?"

Learning- And now it’s time to curl up with the books

The view out our back window

The view out my back window

Thank you for visiting! I hope you enjoyed your tour through these homeschool blogs and perhaps found a new favorite or two.

The next edition will be published at the carnival founders’ Why Homeschool. Consider submitting a post at Blog Carnival.

Request for Submissions to the Carnival of Homeschooling

I hope your Christmas was full of wonder and hope. The first Christmas in our new home was blessed by family and friends.

Two People on Sled at Top of Run with People Below
Sled at Top of Run

When my sister walked in with sleds on Christmas Eve, my little girls’ eyes furrowed in confusion. Their older brother announced the welcomed gift, but my Texas girls still don’t get it. I can’t wait to see their faces when we finally get to the sledding hill.

In the midst of Christmas clean up and New Year’s preparations, I’m honored to be hosting the next Carnival of Homeschooling.

I’ve neglected blog reading lately, so please submit a post for me to read and share here on December 29th. Anything related to homeschooling and family life is welcome.

Carnival of Homeschooling

It’s simple to participate, just fill in the form located at Blog Carnival. If that doesn’t work for some reason, you may use my contact form.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

photo: Tanya Ryno

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

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.

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.

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?

The Simple Pleasures of Homeschooling

I tried to pick my favorite quote from the Carnival of Homeschooling to share with you, but they are all so poignant. I encourage you to read them yourself.

The Simple Pleasures of Homeschooling

And while you’re at Simple Pleasures, enjoy a post or two or more.


Linking Encouragement

Reading blogs throughout the week, I find many encouraging articles and creative ideas. I often think of sharing them with you, but, unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, thoughts can’t be published without clicking a keyboard.

Organizing is therapy to me, so my bookmarks are sorted by subject. I will share them the same way. Today I’m digging in my encouragement folder, because I’ve been teetering along a dry ditch recently.

Autumn in Kensington Gardens by James Wallace

Encouragement from real homeschoolers

Since our goal is to reach the heart of our children, I also wanted to share this monthly prayer guide Anna-Marie sent me: Praying for our Children.

I hope you enjoy these articles. Some of them are from last year, but true words don’t fade with time.

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For more encouraging articles, visit the Carnival of Homeschooling hosted by the Nerd Family, and The Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival at Simply Charlotte Mason.