Easiest DIY Batman Cape

Check out this happy little Bat Man!!!

I made the cape using my husband's too-small, 20-year-old Bat Man shirt. I never understood why he didn't get rid of it, since it's too small. But apparently it was meant for the greatness of a certain four-year-old Bat Man fan! 

Visualize World Geography Review

Over the school last year, we've been using Visualize World Geography, which is really unique program that utilizes pictography to help you mentally map and memorize all the countries in the world. You know how you can always find Italy because it looks like a boot? Well, this program has pictographs for every country in the world, and you learn them by watching a video for about 10 minutes per lesson. The official site has more info, video samples and testimonials for you to get a better grasp of the program. We saw it at our home school convention and loved it. Kindergarteners have used it. College students have used it. It is for anyone of any age who wants to memorize every country's location. Older students may take the entire course (learning every country in the world) in a year, but since we are using it at elementary level we only did the 20 lessons over Africa this year, with review days in-between. Another year we'll use it to learn countries in the Middle East. It's flexible like that. I will warn you that it is not cheap. But... we will be using this for all our kids over the course of many years.

So after using it this year, here's my take on it...

The good:

• The kids like it!
• It works! 
• It's doable.
• You can use it with all your kids together, regardless of age.

The not-as-good:

• The DVD's are not professionally made. The actors are high schoolers and the video quality is, well, not exactly fabulous. 
• I think it is considerably over-priced, considering the video quality. If the videos were professional then their price point may be more appropriate.  You're basically paying for the concept of it more than the actual execution. 

The way we've used it so far is learning the countries in one continent, over the course of a year. To turn it into a social studies course, I added in the appropriate chapters (about whichever country we were learning) from Material World and What the World Eats by Peter Menzel. (I highly recommend using these two books along with ANY geography program! Read more about them in this post!) The combination of Visualize and the two Peter Menzel books made for a really great Geography and Social Studies course.

My only beef with this program is the price but since we've already purchased it then that is behind us. I'm glad we purchased this program because my kids are learning to locate the countries. Just from casually joining in when he feels like it, my three year old can locate more countries now than I could locate in college! That says a lot. My kids aren't old enough to be horrified by the video quality (or lack thereof), but they ARE learning their countries happily and painlessly and that is worth a LOT!

Glass Etching

Have you ever tried glass etching? It's a super easy way to add a touch of cuteness to any glass or mirror, and it's a great way to personalize cheap, plain glass. Think drinking glasses, vases, serving bowls, candle holders, mirrors, even pyrex dishes! 

Here's a candles & mirror set I made my mom:

My Favorite Resources for Learning About Africa

We are studying Africa this year, and loving it! Here are a few of my favorite resources... 

 
Wonderful Books

A really neat book recommended from SCM (Simply Charlotte Mason) is Material World by Peter Menzel. It's a unique project from a talented photographer who traveled the world to put a face on the human condition from all around the planet. He features a statistically average family from a variety of countries all over the world, and includes large portraits of their family, home life, and all their material possessions. (See in the photo below the entirety of this family's earthly possessions.) It's eye-opening to see just how much and how little people have from different parts of the world, and interesting to get a glance into their daily life. We'll be using this book for the African families it features this year, and families from other countries in our geography studies in the years to come.

Home Schooling in the News

Home schooling seems to be a very misunderstood phenomenon. It's an amazing journey, a hard-to-beat academic choice, and a rewarding family lifestyle. It ISN'T school-at-home minus the peers, a cop-out, or a bunch of awkward weirdo's.  After viewing a recent news report and reading more articles about today's home schoolers, I've updated my "Why Homeschool?" page to include the links below. Enjoy! 

Many Tulsans Choose Home School Over Public... Here's a recent news story and video about home schoolers in Tulsa. 

15 Key Facts about Home Schoolers Home schoolers are everywhere! Did you know home schoolers do better on the ACT, they're more likely to attend college and consistently have better college performance? Read what college is typically like for today's home school students. 

Home School Teens Ripe for College "Myths about home schoolers are false, and most are well-prepped for college, experts say." Check out this article from U.S. News & World Report. 

Home Schooling Makes Me Happy  Check out this video of a thirteen year old boy's lecture at a global conference! He was taken out of the education system to be home schooled and shares how he's been able to tailor his education to his interests and style of learning, and a few of the amazing opportunities he's been able to seize as a result of it.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?  In one of the most famous TED talks ever given, Sir Ken Robinson suggests that creativity is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status. His engaging speech will leave you with plenty to think about.

(For my other favorite articles about why on earth anyone would WANT to homeschool, click HERE!)

My Marvelous Map Box!!!!!

I love when something nice to look at doubles as a smart solution of some sort, like hidden storage or dual-purpose use. You know, like most everything at Ikea. Well, today I'm going to show you what I consider the most exciting addition to our home school room that I can possibly think of.

Drum roll please................

I present to you, our window cornice....

Oh but wait, you haven't seen the best part!!

This isn't an ordinary window treatment my friends..... for inside this cheery yellow chevron covered box you'll find THIS.....

Only the BEST set of pull-down maps EVER made! (Notice my enthusiastic map pointers!)

The Cutest Little Baby Food I Ever Saw!!!

After making my own fresh baby food purees for three babies, I think I may have it figured out.  Just as I'm about finished... isn't that how it usually goes?