Collecting Resources

Throughout the year I hunt around looking for resources. Especially if I find things for cheap or even better if I can find resources for free. Today I scored two A3 cutting mats for free from a friend at church. I have been looking for these but everywhere I looked they were expensive, Miss E has been wanting to use a cutting blade for cutting out fine pictures.

About $10 each if brought new in a shop

Near where we live there is an ALDI supermarket, about this time of year they sell art products, so I stocked up on some paint and I found these water colour pencils. We have never used them before so I thought I would buy them to try and for only $10.00, I thought they were quite cheap as well. I will have to research the technique on how to use them but I know Miss E will enjoy these.


Cheap shops have many art and craft products, paints and brushes and glue can be purchased inexpensively along with many other products. Recently I found glitter paint at our local $2 shop, I also saw they had air dried clay and utensils for a really good price, so you can guess what my next purchase will be.

Bargain at Aldi

Collecting resources throughout the year, I think eases the burden placed on my budget. I could save up all year and go shopping when the back to school sales are on at the beginning of the year but I like searching for bargains and for free resources. Also Miss E's interests change all the time so I can look for items that she would like instead of buying materials that might not be used.

What are some of the best resource bargains you have found recently?

iPhone

For the last few years I have had an android phone, but recently it decided to die. So when I rang my phone company they offered me an iPhone 5c. I think I'm in love.

Love my pink phone

I was originally put off an iPhone due to the extra cost add to my bill, but I was surprised that it was now quite affordable. Miss E has an iPod that she uses and has numerous songs so when I log into my iTunes account I could download the songs I liked without purchasing them again, Score.

Miss E watching a movie with her best friend

        The feature I am most
excited about is the podcast app. I can listen to varies talks on a wide range of subjects. From parenting to science and everything in between, they are great to listen to while I'm walking or while I'm doing housework. Currently I am listening to a learn to speak Italian podcast, I find it fascinating because it also talks about the culture too. Using technology has really advanced every ones learning, I have wanted to learn Italian and now I can learn it while going for a walk.
 
Today was cold and wet compared to yesterday so we decided it was a movie morning. In the afternoon we caught up with the homeschooling sports group in our area and went for an almost 5km walk, its going to take a few days for my feet to recover.

Getting Together

Checking out the water

Today was a day of getting together with other people. It was a wonderful warm day today, so it mad for a perfect day to get out of the house and meet up with other homeschooling children. I just love these warm days as they seems to encourage people to want to be in the sunshine. Today's get together was planned to be at the park which we began with, but being so close to the water, the outdoor public pool seemed like a better idea to the kids.



The weather was getting close to 30 degrees, so it was voted to head to the pool. The children had an absolute blast, we arrived at the pool at about 3pm where we bumped into another homeschooler that had brought her children for a swim. It was great fun for the children to catch up with each other, but it's equally as important for the mums to connect and share experiences.

Looking cool!!!

I have been concerned about Miss E's reading, so I asked some of the other mums about what I should do. It was so reassuring to hear that I was actually do a great job with her and it might take some more time for her to understand. It really is wonderful to have the support of other homeschooling mum, especially mums who have been in the same position and to hear their stories of when their kids started to read.

Diving into the pool

Today I also meet up with another lovely single homeschooling mother. It was so wonderful to talk with her and catch up. It really was funny how we have similar problems in our lives and how we can support  and encourage each other  because it is a job like no other, so to share and laugh really does help ease the burdens we face.

Learning to Cook

Miss E loves to cook but she has to instigate it. Asking her to help with cooking she doesn't hesitate to say no.

Someone couldn't wait!!!

Last night Miss E wanted to make carrot cake. So I pulled down my old school cookbook, we found the recipe and then I stepped back and supervised. Miss E struggles with reading, so I left her to read the recipe.

I only had to help once, which such a huge achievement, the result was a very yummy cake. Tonight we were at the supermarket, Miss E spotted a gingerbread house kit. 

We have never made gingerbread before so we thought a kit might me a good first step, we want to try to make gingerbread but I think we will start with gingerbread men.

It even came with the lollies

Cooking covers many areas of schooling, reading, maths and science are only to name a few. If your child is struggling with learning cooking is a great activity to start with and it does not even look like schoolwork. 

For children who refuse to read or find maths hard, cooking will be a fun way to incorporate learning. Miss E refuses to read a book but she showed me that she can read a recipe. 

Who knew that learning could be so much fun and in the end you get to eat your schoolwork instead of the dog.

Vegetable Gardening

At my parent's house, we have a vegetable garden. We have grown the vegetable garden bigger this year and will hopefully supply 3 households with at least some veges. This is one of those home school projects that many try. Knowing where food comes from is a huge lesson, but also all the effort it takes just to grow something is vital.

Strawberries and a few herbs

Some children still think that all food comes from the supermarket. Supermarket shopping opens up many lessons that can be taught about vegetables and fruit. Asking children whether it is grown is a cool region or a tropical region, or above ground or under ground, what part of the world it is grown or even comparing prices of fresh, frozen or canned.

Beans and Tomatoes

We have had the opportunity to visit some farms that grow vegetables and meat. Looking at it from a farmers point of view opens up discussions about hard work, lessons in perseverance when you rely on seasons and the weather. What happens to livestock and vegetables in drought, and how the farmers try to survive during these hard times.

Carrots, corn and broad beans

Growing vegetables helps children to try new foods and inspires them to help prepare the vegetables in the kitchen, many schools have incorporated gardens into their schools. Everyone should have a go at growing vegetables even if its just a few tomato plants among the flowers. They are guaranteed to taste better than supermarket tomatoes, try them for yourself.

Ferret

Meet Hairy the Ferret. Friendly little fellow but he smells really bad at the moment because he needs a bath. Around my parents house, they live on 4 acres, there are rabbits everywhere. My brother has been talking about getting a ferret for a long time.

 Then he found Hairy 3 days ago wandering around the street. He has put up posters and asked people around where he was found but no one has claimed him yet. We decided yesterday to take him rabbiting to see if he could help control the rabbit population. They keep invading Dad's vege garden.

They caught one rabbit which will be Hairy's dinner for the coming days and a baby rabbit. The girls each had a cuddle of the baby rabbit and Mister T, my nephew had a little hold as well before we released it back to its mother.

It was very cute

My brother had ferrets as we were growing up, so to be able to share this experience with our children was fun, its fun to catch a rabbit but its exciting waiting and watching for the action to happen as well.

Socialisation

The age old question that is asked to all homeschoolers and that homeschoolers grow tired of is the question about socialisation.

Waiting for the rabbits

I'm sorry to say that Miss E doesn't always hang out with people her own age very often, but I find that she is well socialised with other children as well as adults. Being an only child, when I first thought about homeschooling it was probably the number one worry. As time has gone on though, I really wonder what the whole fuzz was about.


This weekend so far has consisted of youth group each Friday night of the term, Miss E friend next door stayed over last night and they socialised well into the night, until I told them to be quiet :-) cheeky monkeys.
Today I took the girls to my parents place where my brother was rabbiting with his young son.

Miss E and Mister T looking for rabbits

I have to admit that some days we don't meet up with any other children but I have to meet up with other adults. I see this as socialisation too because she practises talking respectfully to adults. Other times with meet up with friends who have younger children as Miss E plays with them and interacts with them.

Baby rabbit receiving hugs before release

Socialisation happens in many ways and I think we can limit our children if we think that it only occurs at school, each time we step outside our homes and into our community, we can find ourselves in some wonderful situations where we can be social not your with people our own age.