Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Homeschool Registration and Communication with the Schools.

I just registered my kids with the 2012/2013 school year. I have always been very leery on doing that due to my upbringing, but I came to realize that when the children are registered with the province you get a lot of free resources and help in all kinds of areas such as, used loaner or cheap textbooks for sale.

Also if you are brave enough and get in contact with the schools they are more then willing to help in so many different areas. This will be my first year in communicating with the schools in my district and to work with them. I will keep you all posted in how it works for me. All the benefits or setbacks that I will encounter.

We will be doing a lot more hands on learning this year. A new thing for us, when we were on the road we did a lot of book learning and now that we will be at home we are going to try more hands on learning with only some textbook learning. I feel that the children will have a lot more fun in doing so. I will keep you all posted on our weekly journey. I am also planning a lot more outings for extra learning. To mention a couple; meet with local Artists, and Science Museum.

If anything this will at least be an exciting adventure to go on. :)
Hope you all enjoy. I wish you all the best in this years homeschooling year.
Wish all of you lots of fun with your kids!

Monday, August 6, 2012

Annual August Scramble

Well August has arrived again, and after a fun filled busy summer, we mothers go on our annual book ordering and schedule making scramble. If you are like me then your having the time of your life! Deciding what I will teach and getting it all organized is what I wait for all summer long. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not more excited with that then my kids are with starting school. This year I am planning on doing a few things different as to we won't be on the road all school year again, so there will be a year of more hands on activities and going out to meet other homeschoolers. Yay! I am starting a new job also, so our school hours will very day by day but more then likely it will keep things exciting. The kids are getting really pumped about pen-pals and outings this year. Haven't seen them this excited about school in awhile now. So that is a really good change.
Who's with me?
Ready for that Annual August Scramble?
Maybe your dining/living room or office already look like mine too. With all the catalogs, printables and so forth scattered around desperately trying to find a place for them?

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Pretty Basil Pots

A good project for all ages.

Container Herbs
 Many herbs grow well in containers, both indoors and out, making it possible for people without gardening space to grow herbs and to extend the growing season for tender herbs in cold climates. Herbs that grow well in containers:

*Basil
*Bay
*Borage
*Catmint
*Catnip
*Chervil
*Chives
*Greek Oregano
*Hyssop
*Lavender
*Lemon Balm
*Marjoram
*Mint
*Mint Marigold
*Parsley
*Rosemary
*Sage
*Savory
*Scented Geraniums
*Sorrel
*Tarragon
*Thyme

 Garden herbs of any sort are right at home in these glimmering pots decorated with painted clay leaves.

What You Need:
Wax Paper
Red bakeable Clay
Rolling Bin
Tiny Leaf Cookie Cutter about 1" long
4" Terra-cotta Pot  with Saucer
Knife
Cookie Sheet
Acrylic Paints in Metallic Copper, Green, Purple, and Blue
Paintbrush
Foam Plate
Natural Painting Sponge
Waterproof Adhesive, such as Liquid Nails

Time To Make Project 2 hours

Cost To Make Project about $2.00 Pot with Plant

What To Do:
If you are doing this with younger children you may want to prepare the leaf shapes beforehand. 
Also may want to consider doing just a step or two at a time.
 
1. Place a piece of wax paper on work area. On wax paper, roll out clay to about 3/16" thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out leaf shapes. It works to use a knife to cut out leaf shapes also if you don't have a cookie cutter.
2. Carefully pick up leaf shapes and press onto the pot, gently shaping to the curve on the pot. While leaf is on the pot, press in lines for detailing using a knife. Carefully remove the leaf shapes from the pot and gently lay onto cookie sheet, maintaining the leaf shape so it will fit the pot later. Let the clay dry at least one day, until it does not feel cool.
3. Bake the clay leaves in the oven according to instructions on clay label. Let the leaf shapes cool before handling.
4. Paint the leaves green and the saucer a solid color, such as metallic green or copper. Let the paint dry.
5. To paint the pots, place the desired colors of paint on a foam plate. Soak sponge in water and squeeze out excess. Dip sponge in paint and dab onto the pot surface. Alternate with different colors, rinsing paint from sponge each time you change colors. Dab the clean sponge onto the wet paint until the colors are blended. Let the paint dry.
6. Place a small dab of adhesive onto the back side of the leaves and glue onto the painted pot as desired. Let it dry.
 7. Fill with potting soil and place in the desired herb.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Continued From Clutter/Lived-In-Look

Well organizing the shelves didn't take as long as I thought that they would BUT I did run into a problem, lol. What to do with all the extra stuff that doesn't fit on the shelves? Well for now until I am finished organizing my house it is in a few boxes and extra homeschool books are in the bedroom closets for now, not the way I want it or will keep it. But my shelves do look so very nice and I will keep them the way they are.
This will be quite a lengthy post so now on to the next section that I need to tackle...

2. Electronics  takes about 1 hour to do also. If you are like me then you don't have a huge flat screen TV or even a fancy , multi speaker audio system, but chances are your electronics are the heart of your family or living room. The collection of media and equipment- whether large or small is usually anchored by the TV. But you probably do have a number of peripheral devices that work with the TV, including the cable or satellite box, a DVD and/or video player, a video game system, the home stereo system, and most likely the family's computer. Add to all this the cords, cables, and bits and pieces that naturally go with them - CDs, DVDs, remote controls, video games - and the potential for massive clutter is obvious. All this often starts our disorder. Because we buy it with little thought about how it will fit into the space that we have available, or when we move sometimes we don't consider if the space is large enough. That's why TVs often wind up unsafe, rickety side tables or inexpensive TV stands that leave little room for other components. Bringing order to this often chaotic area will go a long way toward keeping the whole room tidy, and will make watching TV and listening to music much more enjoyable.
You need to start by looking at the equipment and media you own now, and think about what you are likely to add in the short term. Then it is just a matter of measuring and matching to find the furniture and solutions to contain your entertainment gear and to keep the room neat.

Entertainment Center: A key piece of furniture for organizing electronic media, an entertainment center must adequately meet your needs if it it to prevent clutter. The right entertainment center can range from the modest television stand to a wall-filling, adjustable shelf system with custom conduits for cords and wires. You'll find a mind-boggling array of options in stores, or you may decide to to adapt an existing piece of furniture (as long as it it stable and durable). Either way the first step in finding the right entertainment center is to measure your electronics - depth, width, and height. Next figure out what you want to store in the media center and what you don't see. This should give you need, which will lead you to the right choice of entertainment center.
Adapted centers can be almost any large standing cabinet or shelf unit. You can use an old armoire to an unused dining room hutch. That is not specifically designed as an entertainment center. If all you're looking to do is to stack a couple of components underneath the TV. A sturdy table with a lower shelf may be all you need. The main requirement in this is that the piece be deep enough to center your TV, with a shelf or support strong enough to hold the weight. Adapted entertainment centers should comfortably hold the electronics that work with the TV, an attached back must always allow for holes through which cords can be run, and the center must permit proper component spacing and air circulation to cool the equipment. If you are storing CDs and such you will need room either inside the unit or someplace on the outside for hanging storage. If you have a small house like me with the living and dining rooms in one, the CDs and such could be placed on your other shelves that you may have. But remember the closer the CDs and such are to your entertainment center the better. The common drawback is the positioning.
Store-bought stands and racks are excellent choices if you simply want something to put your TV, cable box, DVD player, and VCR on. Stands and racks are sold by the size of the TV. If choosing a stand you will also want to look at containers for storing CDs and such. Do not put a TV on a wall-mounted shelf. Not only are the regular cathode-ray TVs to heavy, they also are off-center balanced and it makes them prone to tipping when they are not properly supported. Flat screen TVs are also prone to tipping, but they can be mounted to the wall with special hardware.
Complete entertainment centers are a better choice if you want to store your stereo with your TV and include other components such as a video game console. These are only limited to space and budget. Now if you are on a budget like me you are going to make do with what you currently have. Rule of thumb though is to always look for slightly more shelf space than you need: Shelf space rarely goes to waste in the living room.
Separate Stereo: Sometimes it makes more sense to keep the stereo separate from the TV. The acoustics may be better in a different part of the room. Perhaps the electrical outlet near the TV can handle only the TV and video components. Or maybe you just prefer to listen to music in a different part of the house. Whatever the reason, if it is separate the unit should have enough room for all the parts of your stereo. A mini or shelf stereo systems can simply be placed on a sturdy shelf. Component stereo systems those in which you have an amplifier, tuner, receiver, and CD player are separate units and require a more complex storage structure. Stereo racks come with adjustable clips or special shelves and many have doors. Use speaker stands if at all possible to keep speakers off the floor (vibration through a floor can diminish sound quality) or you could mount them on walls with speaker brackets.
Video Game Systems: The new video game consoles do more than just play games. Most also function as DVD players, and low prices make them attractive even if you use them only for that purpose. You will also need to find a place for the video games themselves. Some have different shapes. There are special cases and containers for these games, which are a very nice option because a child can move the entire set of games instead of just one or two, but it's often cheaper and easier to just set aside a portion of shelf space like I did or even a drawer space near the game unit. The controllers require their own storage. If you have enough space in the entertainment center they can simply be put alongside the game console. If space is tight, buy bracket to hold the controllers on the side or front of the entertainment center. You can find appropriate brackets at large home centers. When controllers have a place to go, they are less likely to end up on the floor, causing problems underfoot.
CDs, DVDs, and Movies: Music and movie collections can build up quickly to a substantial number of CDs or DVDs. You may also have a collection VHS tapes. Stored in loose piles these become the worst kind of clutter. You need to organize your media to keep it from overtaking a room. Many entertainment centers include shelves specially designed to store the unusual dimensions of jewel and DVD cases. You can also buy custom boxes designed to hold CDs, DVDs, or VHS tapes , and store the boxes on available shelf space. Often though there is no built-in capacity to efficiently store music and movies. In this case you will nee to use special racks or holders for your loose media. There are two basic types of holders: standing and wall-mounted. If you are storing CDs and DVDs in the entertainment center, look for one that has adjustable shelves. Swivel console towers offer abundant storage in a small space and are easily accessible. You can choose from a small unit for on a shelf or in the entertainment center, or a larger unit that stands on its own near the stereo or TV. Select according to your budget and space that you need.
Vinyl Records and Cassettes: If you like the older stuff you probably have a collection of these. Keep your cassettes in special cassette organizers, or stack them on a narrow ledge shelves. Deep shelves provide to much space and then cassettes become a loose jumble. Vinyl records need to be stored correctly to prevent damage. Don't store them near a heat source. Don't stack vinyl records; stand them on edge wherever you store them. You can put them on shelves, but the best place is in a cabinet with a door that will keep the records away from dust, dirt, and moisture. If your record collection is to much of a hassle you can convert them to CDs for a moderate expense.

STORAGE IN STYLE
Binders, Keepers: Cd and DVD collections can grow surprisingly large in a short time. It's not uncommon to have a hundred or more CDs. In a house full of listeners, that number can grow almost exponentially. All those jewel cases will take up a vast amount of shelf space. But you don't have to be a prisoner to the jewel case. You can store your entire CD collection in a small, well-organized space by using a CD/DVD binder. These range from functional canvas or fabrics to sleek leather or funky colored versions. All come with pages that have pockets for CDs or DVDs, with enough room for liner notes or box covers, and they all zip up to keep dust away from the disks.

THE INSIDE SCOOP
Converting Memories:  You may be reluctant to part with VHS tapes you've shot. But you can reduce clutter and preserve precious images for decades to come by transferring home movies to DVD format. DVDs take up less room than the VHS tapes do, and if properly recorded and cared for, don't deteriorate as quickly as tapes do. The conversion process is relatively inexpensive. Contact your local photo lab or camera store. If you have a lot of tapes to convert, you might consider a home conversion unit that allows you to transfer images yourself..

Friday, July 20, 2012

Secular Groups

 I will add more as I come across them. The first one is my own that I just started recently.

Canadian Secular Homeschoolers

Secular Home School

Struggling To Enroll Your Children In Sports?

If you are wanting your children enrolled in any sport even something as simple as swimming lessons. But do not have the extra funds to do so, I have a few phone numbers here for you to call. Currently these places are taking Fall/Winter registrations.

Jump Start    1-877-616-6600

For registration the Winkler, Manitoba area contact:

Parks & Recreation
Rick Denison
1-204-325-8333 ext.27
e-mail: winklerrec@mts.net


Kid Sport     1-866-774-2220
This one may only be available in Manitoba I will edit this post as soon as I know.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Clutter/Lived-In-Look

As homeschoolers I'm sure you all know what I mean by the title. Especially if you live in a small home that does not have a room that can be dedicated to either a school room or even for just the storage of all the homeschool supplies. When this happens the normal spot for all that, is normally in the dining room or the living room, both which create a well lived-in-look, lol. If you have a small home such as I do.... Maybe these tips will help - I am currently working on putting some of these tips in affect in my home, and will share more as time goes on.

Best thing to do is conquer clutter/lived-in-look one zone at a time.
I am beginning in my dining/living-room area as to these two are connected and look like one room.

1. Shelves - Takes about 1 hour as I understand. Lol guess that would mean if you have everything you need on hand or can afford to go and buy what you need all at once.
Commonly these are dedicated to books, they represent wonderful, flexible storage options for things that don't fit in the entertainment center or other locations in the room. From display pictures to boxes and photo albums to candles and candle-holders, shelves can keep a variety of items in order and in view. Now if your homeschooling these shelves will more then likely consist of mainly textbooks, dictionaries, DVDs, and maybe even some science or other school supplies depending on the size of your home. The key to displaying these supplies in an orderly fashion is to go to a Bargain Shop, Dollarama or any other discount store and purchase some of their nice gift boxes or wicker baskets as to they come in a variety of sizes.
To make the most of this storage, shelf placement needs to be well thought out. Obviously, shelves can only be placed where they will fit, but they should also be placed as close as possible to where they will be used. For instance, a bookshelf will ideally be placed close to a reading chair and reading lamp. Available space and storage needs are the key determinants in what type of family- or living-room shelving you use.
  Wall-mounted shelves fit in odd spaces, such as over sofas or above wainscoting
They are especially handy for keeping breakables, such as a collection of glass vases or figurines, out of the reach of young children or out of the general traffic flow. You have more latitude in choosing the style of wall-mounted shelves because they are such small decorative elements. Don't use wall-mounted shelves for heavy objects, such as a row of coffee-table books. The chances of the shelf falling are just to great. These with bookends or a boxed wall-mounted shelf are great alternatives to CD or DVD holders. They can be positioned to leave just the right amount of room for your music or movies, and they are often less expensive than buying a CD tower.
  Stand-alone shelves provide more substantial support and far more storage space than wall-mounted units. They also offer more design options. You can choose from enclosed to box frame and back piece, shelves with an outside frame but no backing, and shelves supported by a base and vertical braces. When you need enclosed or hidden storage, pick shelving units that incorporate cabinets. In some cases, the floor or wall space where you want to locate the shelves are so awkward and oddly sized that finding shelving is quite difficult. You can deal with this by using tension-pole shelving systems The shelves themselves are sold in different widths and depths, so you determine how wide a given column of shelves will be and how many columns you'll use. The shelf positions in these systems are completely movable. If you're comfortable with a more permanent solution and have the money, you could also have custom bookshelves built or build them yourself to your specifications.
  Regardless of what type of shelves that you use, organize books with the largest on the bottom shelves, and smaller ones on top. This keeps it from tipping and is a lot more pleasing to the eye also. To optimize shelf space, stack same-sized books vertically. They take up less shelf space this way. You should review your collection either every semester or every school year to make sure you aren't dedicating space on your shelves to books you won't need.

THE SHELF RULES
1. Have a purpose. Individual items must have a reason for being on the shelf. A picture is there to be displayed, and a candle is there to be lit on a special occasion. Your reading glasses shouldn't be there, nor should a pile of mail, notepads with a letter you've been working on or a tool.

2.Collect to declutter. Individual items that are part of a collection, such as figurines or a trio of decorative vases, should be grouped together in their own section of shelf. Alone they can become a part of shel clutter.

3.Contain when possible. Some items you might like to put on a shelf are best kept within a box or other container. Perhaps you use a group of votives for parties, or pencils and erasers. Rather than stack them loose, put them in a decorative wire basket or a handsome box at the end of a row of books.

THE INSIDE SCOOP
CD ABCs: Shelved CD collections can be vast, making it difficult to quickly find the right CD. Make it easier with alphabetic markers. You can use tabs or marked dividers and then alphabetize the CDs. You could make your own collection of dividers with thick poster board painted in an attractive way and printed letters, makes a good project with the older children.

STORAGE IN STYLE
Literary Divisions: Sturdy, freestanding bookshelves supply a lot of storage space, but they can also serve as room dividers. This is helpful in a large, long room. You could even use box-frame bookshelves with backing. Simply attach two units back to back. This creates a wealth of storage.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Canadian Homeschool Laws Province By Province

The Canadian Homeschool Society has very informative homeschool laws per province it is well worth taking a look at before you begin homeschooling.
I haven't found anything for New Foundland, New Brunswick, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, or Nunavut Territory. I will post these as soon as I am able to find information on them.

Just click on the link that's for your province.

http://www.canadianhomeschoolsociety.com/2012/04/canada-homeschool-laws-british-columbia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=canada-homeschool-laws-british-columbia

http://www.canadianhomeschoolsociety.com/2012/04/homeschool-laws-alberta/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=homeschool-laws-alberta

http://www.canadianhomeschoolsociety.com/2012/04/homeschool-laws-saskatchewan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=homeschool-laws-saskatchewan

http://www.canadianhomeschoolsociety.com/2012/04/canada-homeschool-laws-manitoba/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=canada-homeschool-laws-manitoba

http://www.canadianhomeschoolsociety.com/2012/04/canada-homeschool-laws-ontario/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=canada-homeschool-laws-ontario

http://www.canadianhomeschoolsociety.com/2012/04/homeschool-laws-quebec/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=homeschool-laws-quebec

http://www.canadianhomeschoolsociety.com/2012/04/canada-homeschool-laws-nova-scotia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=canada-homeschool-laws-nova-scotia

http://www.canadianhomeschoolsociety.com/2012/04/canada-homeschool-laws-prince-edward-island/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=canada-homeschool-laws-prince-edward-island


Here is a little bit of information on the provinces that are missing, from above.

Nunavut
http://www.education.gov.yk.ca/psb/home_education.html

Yukon Territory
http://www.education.gov.yk.ca/psb/home_education.html

Newfoundland - Labrador
http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/homeschooling.html

New Brunswick
http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/curric/hsib.pdf

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A Three-Stick Kite

When the fresh spring winds begin to blow, you and your friends want to get out to an open field and fly your kites. Part of the fun of kite flying is making ones own kite. A standard three-stick kite is easy to build. It is also a good flyer.

How to do it: You need three 1/2" dowels or thin wood sticks, newsprint or some other thin paper for covering, string, scraps of cloth, and white glue. Cross two 36" long dowels and a third one 30" long (see A, B, and C in the drawing below). Tie them together at the center joint. Cut a notch in both ends of each stick and stretch string between the notches to outline the shape of the kite. Wrap string around the ends of the sticks to keep them from splitting (see drawing). Lay the frame on the paper and draw an outline 2" bigger than the frame. then fold the paper over the string and glue it in place. Fasten a length of string from one end of stick A to the other end. Fasten two other strings between the ends of sticks B and C. At the point where these three strings cross, fasten a ball of string for flying the kite. For a tail, tie a length of string between the ends of sticks A and B and at the center point fasten a 36" string to which cloth strips have been tied.


Decorated Paper Pinwheels

Here is an awesome summer art project for younger children.

Pinwheels are happy things. They are bright and whirl gaily in a breeze or when you blow on them. Another nice thing is that they are really easy to make. Even children who haven't started school yet can make them with a little help.

What you need: Stiff poster paper is best to use because it doesn't tear easily, but you can also use heavy construction paper. Decorate your pinwheel with a crayon, poster paint, or felt pen designs. You will need scissors, a straight pin, scotch tape, a small cardboard circle about a half inch wide, and a stick for a handle.

How to do it: Draw a square 6" by 6", cut this square from a piece of stiff paper. Make sure to mark the letters B on the upper left corner, A on the upper right corner, C on the lower left corner, and D on the lower right corner. Mark a dot in the middle of the square. Also, draw the lines that go almost to the middle, then cut along these lines with your scissors. Now bend (DON'T FOLD) the points marked A,B,C, and D to the middle dot and tape them together. Push a straight pin through the center of the small cardboard 1" - 2" circle, then through the taped points, and into a stick (an eraser of an unsharpened pencil, or a straw). Then blow and watch it spin!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Dyslexia

Are you finding some difficulty in teaching your child with dyslexia how to read and spell? Need some advice form other parents on what helped them achieve a good balance for their child? If you have some concerns on this subject please post your comments here to share. Maybe you have taught a child how to read that had dyslexia. Please post your comments here also on what worked for you and what didn't work for you. All children are so different and learn in so many different ways, maybe what someone else has to share will help you in your journey to success. I found a website on this topic that some of you might find helpful. http://www.dyslexia-teacher.com/t6.html
Here is another website that you may find helpful also. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002379/
I had a brother that had lots of difficulty learning to read, as far as I know he was never diagnosed with dyslexia. I recall how angry and upset he became with the "SPECIAL" classes and "SPECIAL" teachers having to be in a "SPECIAL" room with only one other child. Teachers sometimes make the mistake of separating children with dyslexia from the rest of the class. It might be for reasons of less distractions or some other reason I'm not sure. If you are a teacher in a school system could you please clarify this for the rest of us? I believe that a child with dyslexia would greatly benefit from being home schooled. For one thing the child wouldn't feel quite so pointed out, so to speak, because the child's day would not differ from his/her siblings.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Home Schooling Provincial Support

Home Schooling Provincial Support Contacts

Manitoba Education Home Schooling

www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/sdds/indsch/home_sch.html


John Shaw, Liaison for Home Schooling
Southern and Western Manitoba

Rivers Office:

Box 250
Rivers, MB R0K 1X0

Telephone: 1(204)328-5408
Toll-Free: 1-866-550-4818
Fax: 1(204)328-5404

E-mail: homeschooling@gov.mb.ca



Debra Parker, Liaison for Home Schooling
Winnipeg, Northern and Eastern Manitoba

Winnipeg Office:

507-1181 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3G 0T3

Telephone: 1(204)945-8138
Toll-Free: 1-800-282-8069 ext. 8138
Fax: 1(204)948-2154

E-mail: homeschooling@gov.mb.ca


Other Provincial Support Contacts

Manitoba Text Book Bureau

Box 910, 130-1st Avenue West
Souris MB R0K 2C0

Telephone: 1(204)483-5040
Toll-Free: 1-866-771-6822
Fax: 1(204)483-5041

Website: http://www.mtbb.mb.ca/


Independent Study Program (ISP) - Grade 9-12 curriculum based courses

555 Main Street
Winkler, MB R6W 1C4

Telephone: 1(204)325-1700
Toll-Free: 1-800-465-9915
Fax: 1(204)325-1719

E-mail: distance.learning@gov.mb.ca
Website: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/dl/iso/index.html


French Support Services
Huguette Dandeneau, directrice,
Direction des ressources educatives fracaises

Education, Citoyennete et Jeunesse Manitoba
200, avenue de la Cathedrale, local 0140
Winnipeg (MB) R2H 0H7

Tel.: 1-204-945-1342/8594
Telec.: 1-204-945-0092

Courriel: dref@gov.mb.ca
Site web: http//dref.mb.ca

Instructional Resources Unit
    Library

Main Floor - 1181 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3G 0T3

Telephone: 1(204)945-7830
Toll-Free: 1-800-282-8069 ext. 7830
Fax: 1(204)945-8756

Website: http://libinfo.merlin.mb.ca


Manitoba Association of Christian Home Schools Inc. (MACHS)

P.O. Box 283
St. Vital. MB R2N 3X9

Telephone: 1(204) 256-5675

E-mail: info@machs.mb.ca
Website: http://www.machs.mb.ca


Hearth Families Incorporated
Box 1555
Winkler, MB R6W 4V4

Telephone: 1(204) 362-2455
Fax:1(204) 331-3297

E-mail: hearthfamilies@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.hearthfamilies.com


Manitoba Association for Schooling at Home (MASH)

P.O. Box 48022 RPO Lakewood
Winnipeg, MB R2J 4A3

Telephone: 1(204) 255-4712

E-mail: mashmichelle@gmail.com
Website: http://www.theworldismyschool.com


Alberta Learning Resource Centre - Grade 1-8 curriculum based courses

Product and ordering information is available at:
Website: http://www.Irc.education.gov.ab.ca
Ordering: www.Irc.education.gov.ab.ca/pro/gen/

E-mail: Irccustserv@gov.ab.ca

Phone: 1(780) 427-5775 (selection Option 1)


Manitoba Home Educator's Association (MHEA)

P.O. Box 427
Kleefeld, MB R0A 0V0

Telephone: 1(204) 377-4808

E-mail: peladeau@mts.net


Event Horizon Planning Inc.

E-mail: eventhorizonplanning@gmail.com

Telephone: 1(204) 255-4712

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Used Textbooks Available

 I do have some used Textbooks, Teacher Manuals and Answer Keys available. If anyone is interested please let me know. I am only willing to ship textbooks out if all the shipping and handling charges are also paid, otherwise we would have to make arrangements on them being pick up. I have them periodically advertised on http://www.pembinavalleyonline.com/ and http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/ both are Canadian sites. I will be posting which ones are available on here also. Just to help you all out.

Here are some Curriculums

Here are some Curriculums that you might find that you like;

Core Curriculum of America they are mainly textbook based and looks like they are a Secular Curriculum both of which I prefer. And they have some of the textbooks that I am currently using. Prices look like the are a little more affordable.
  • Very easy to use,
  • For grades K-12,
  • Includes all materials for every subject plus they offer hundreds of other electives,
  • Includes schedules and record-keeping,
  • Materials selected from over 180 of the finest publishers and manufacturers,
  • Includes computer software and CD-ROMs for students,
  • Associate accredited private school available.
 Calvert Home School also looks to me like they are a Secular Curriculum seems to require an enrollment and prices are a bit higher, but also seems to offer instructional support. They offer a variety of enrichment courses including audio-visual courses in art and music. You may also be interested in their curriculum for students with language-based learning differences (like dyslexia, dysgraphia and other differences) and an online middle school. I find I really like both of these, the matter of price would win in the end for me.

  • Easy to use,
  • For grades Preschool-8,
  • Includes all materials for every subject,
  • Offer a Textbook Exchange,
  • Verticy for struggling readers,
  • Offer virtual Public and Academy School.

Sonlight is a Christian Curriculum, and looks to be reader based also price seems to be a little higher than the Core Curriculum, and they also have some of the textbooks that I am currently using. A Canadian website is being set up by the looks of things. There are many other awesome home school curriculums that could very well fit your style and your child's learning style that aren't specifically thought of as a secular home school curriculum. We found that we could tailor the existing curriculums we were using, some by Christian publishers to suit our own values. I would encourage you to find out what your style is and what your core values are.


  • Look to be easy to use,
  • For grades Preschool-12,
  • Includes all materials for every subject plus they offer other electives, 
  • Include Instr. Guides,
  • Single age or multi-age cycle styles of studies by the looks of things,

BJU Press Homeschool Curriculum are a Christian Curriculum and seem to be textbook based also. They have some textbooks that we are currently using also. BJU Press Homeschool Curriculum seems to stand for the “old-time religion”, Bob Jones University Press has a commitment to traditional Christian beliefs and strong academic standards. Textbooks contain a lots of colorful photographs, illustrations, graphs and content that fully integrates a biblical worldview with academic life.


  • Very easy to use,
  • For grades Preschool-College,
  • Includes all materials for every subject plus they offer other electives, 
  • Include Teacher Manuals that have a lot of additional information and some include CD-ROMs and tips that are very helpful,
  • Student Log Book and Daily Record Keeping are available,
  • Associate accredited private school available. As far as I can tell, don't quote me on that one though.

My Fathers World Curriculum is a Christian Curriculum and also seem to be textbook based. Prices seem to be on the lower side also. As I have just found this curriculum I do not know much about it.

  • Look to be easy to use,
  • For grades Preschool-12,
  • Includes all materials for every subject
  • Include Teacher Manual,
  • Single age or multi-age cycle styles of studies,
  • Offer Workshops on CDs
  • Offering a Work and Training Internship in 2012
 A Beka Book are Christian Curriculum and seem to be textbook based. Prices seem to be the lowest that I have found so far. As I have just found this curriculum I do not know much about it.

  • Look to be easy to use,
  • For grades Preschool-12,
  • Includes all materials for every subject
  • Include Teacher Manual,
  • Associate accredited private school available. As far as I can tell, don't quote me on that one though.


There are many more curriculums available. I will try and add as many as I come across. If you would like to see certain curriculums posted that I have not posted please let me know, and I will do some research on them also. And get them posted asap, or post a comment with the curriculum name and all the information of the curriculum. Thank you.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Beginning

When we started homeschooling we had a very difficult time finding the right resources to help us
in deciding which curriculum to use. It took us two years to find an acceptable curriculum for us.
We have been homeschooling now for five years. There have been many challenges along the way.
I recently found the curriculum that would of best suited us to begin with, but find that we are better
off staying with what we have now. As time goes on I will be adding more information on where to
find new or used textbooks, certain subjects and/or full grades. Please feel free to add information
that you may find useful.