June 01, 2009
Homeschool
Seeker
Volume #005
May 2009
In
this issue
- Introduction
- Sponsor ad
- Website updates
- Mini Lapbook
- Tip of the month
- Sponsor ad
- Homeschool Picture of the month
- Homeschool Question/Answer
- Wishlist
- Closing Comments
Introduction
Welcome to the
current issue of
The Homeschool Seeker.
I’d like to extend a welcome to all new subscribers.
Thanks for joining.
What a month! My original idea was to discuss “end of year duldroms and issues” in this newsletter. Indeed that is how the month started for me. I was feeling stressed about my children’s progress and I really wanted school to be over for the year. Then something happened that changed everything.
Southern Illinois and Missouri were hit by an inland hurricane. We were without power for a week and this gave us a lot of time to adjust our perspective. A week later I left on a trip up north for a family event. When calculating the school year end I had forgotten to figure in the days my daughter and I would be gone. I also find that taking long trips also has a way of bringing things into perspective. I suppose that is what I needed to lift me out of those duldrums .
This issue will therefore not dwell on a difficult end of a school year but instead will focus on something more proactive…Emergency Preparedness.
>
I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter.
JulieD
Sponsor Ad
Website
Updates
This month there was very little progress or work or change to the website. I haven’t even had a chance to update the journal much…I do apologize for that. I have been focusing my energy in the last couple of weeks on my writing and trying to earn some money. We will have to deal with the storm damage eventually.
I am working on developing a new concept for the website and hopefully in the next issue this concept will be in place…we shall see.
For now, if there is anything you would love to see on the site, please let me know and I will make it a top priority. You can contact me via the Homeschool Mom page at https://www.resources4homeschoolers.com/Homeschool_Mom.html
Feature
Mini Lapbook
This month's
feature mini lapbook is on Emergency Preparedness.
After our recent local disaster, I realized how important it was that we had been prepared for just such an emergency. Of course, we didn’t suffer much damage compared to others but being prepared certainly helped us with our situation. Our children took the whole event in a stride and managed the stress well.
Two things that helped were that we had an emergency box and all three of my children are scouts-therefore we had on hand many handy things they regularly use while camping or in scouts.
This mini lapbook will give you a chance to discuss emergency situations and help your children think about what they might need in a disaster or do when a big disaster hits or even perhaps just when the power goes out during a storm.
Here's how I created this mini
lapbook.
1. Gather supplies
Supplies you will need for this mini lapbook:
- 3 brown paper lunch bag
- hole punch
- yarn or string or other material to finish
construction of lapbook
- markers, coloring crayons, pencils,
pens
Optional Supplies:
- Stencils
- Art supplies
- stickers
- glitter
- glue
- scissors
- magazines or camera
2. Once you have all your supplies, fold the 3 paper
bags in 1/2 and hole punch the edges.
For more pictures on how this will look and basic
assembly you can visit Mini Lapbooks
Mini Lapbooks
3. Begin by decorating cover. Give the mini lapbook
a title. I will use EMERGENCY!
for my title.
4. Choose concepts:
Some concepts you might wish to consider depending on the age of your children would be
Types of Emegencies
Home/school plans
What not to do
Emergency kits
What you might need in an emergency
Meeting place or staying put
Contact information
5. Delegate pages for each concept
Cover
Page 1 and 2: Types of Emergencies
Page 3 and 4: Emergency Supply Kit
Page 5 and 6: Things Not to do in an Emergency Situation
Page 7 and 8: Things to do in an Emergency Situation
Page 9 and 10: House plan/escape route
Back Cover: Blank or decorate similar to front cover or add own ideas
Page 9 and 10: Finishing Touches
Back Cover:
6. Label pages
In reality, it is not really necessary to label every page.
If you want to label every page go right ahead and do so
If you don’t
want to label every page-don’t.
7. Add information
This lapbook can be geared to any age level. For younger children have them cut out pictures from magazines while older children can actually make an emergency kit and draw items needed and discuss key items to include and why.
Other ideas:
Other ideas
Actually collect items for an emergency kit. Please make a kit. At least make a first aid type of kit including band aids, antiseptic, bandages, scissors, tape and hydrogen peroxide and alcohol pads.
8. Review information
In relation to emergency preparedness, you might remember having fire drills if you went to a public or private school. This is also something you should discuss with your children...if the house is on fire, where do they go, what should they do or not do (don't hide).
Review what to do with your children in case of an earthquake, tornado, hurricane (didn't think it would happen in the Midwest but it did), fire, blizzard (not the DQ kind) etc. Giving your children this type of information prepares them and gives them a positive way to handle scary situations.
9. Add finishing details and final assembly
Tip of
the Month
Emergency Preparedness Tip of the Month: Talk about what to do in case of a tornado, hurricane, wind storm, fire, earthquake with your children.
Sometimes we just forget they haven’t experienced these things and tend to assume they will know what to do. The reality is that every house/family/home situation is different and there will be things that just your family needs to address.
An example would be the location of the electrical box or what to do with the water heaters or where the safest spot to go in your home during a tornado.
When the inland hurricane hit, I wasn’t home but my two youngest children were. Even though they were home alone and we couldn’t reach them, I was able to not stress to much because I knew our house was protected by design and that my children knew what not to do as well as what to do.
Just the same, I was tremendously relieved when I finally was able to hear my daughter’s voice on the cell phone. The damage didn’t matter as much as having my children safe.
Just a short note from me about SBI-this is what I use to build
my website for homeschoolers. SBI helps you create more than
just a website. They offer tools and keep giving you
more with advice and helpful information and products
(often included in price.) Now for those who are thinking that
this is too much to take on or overwhelming they now offer
E-learning classes for SBI.
Sponsor ad
*************
*************
Homeschool
Picture of the Month
Baby guinea hens hatching!
- L. Durr
This was another amazing event that happened on our farm this May. Our guinea hens hatched 12 babies!
I love that my children have the opportunity to witness on a regular basis the beauty of new life and the natural cycle of things.
If you would like to send a picture to be considered
for use in The Homeschool Seeker there are several
places on the website where you can submit the image.
However, the best place to submit an image for the newsletter would be at
Kid's Create
Just please add title HOMESCHOOL SEEKER PICTURE so
that I know it is not a Kid's creation submission.
Thanks.
Homeschool
Question/Answer
Question: My children are young, how much should I discuss emergency preparedness with them?
Answer: You certainly don’t want to scare them so much that whenever a storm approaches they get freaked out but even a small child can feel empowered if given a small task to be responsible for and to help out.
Examples might be to have them find the candles or flashlights or in the winter to gather the blankets.
Ultimately, you know your child and how much they can understand so discuss the possibilities but focus strongly on the proactive measures they need to take to keep themselves safe.
Homeschool
Wishlist
I really want
to make this a newsletter
you enjoy reading. So if you have ideas,
comments
or suggestions please visit
Closing
Comments
I hope you
enjoyed this issue of
The Homeschool Seeker.
Until next time, happy
homeschooling!
JulieD
May 2009
- Introduction
- Sponsor ad
- Website updates
- Mini Lapbook
- Tip of the month
- Sponsor ad
- Homeschool Picture of the month
- Homeschool Question/Answer
- Wishlist
- Closing Comments
Introduction
The Homeschool Seeker.
I’d like to extend a welcome to all new subscribers.
Thanks for joining.
What a month! My original idea was to discuss “end of year duldroms and issues” in this newsletter. Indeed that is how the month started for me. I was feeling stressed about my children’s progress and I really wanted school to be over for the year. Then something happened that changed everything. Southern Illinois and Missouri were hit by an inland hurricane. We were without power for a week and this gave us a lot of time to adjust our perspective. A week later I left on a trip up north for a family event. When calculating the school year end I had forgotten to figure in the days my daughter and I would be gone. I also find that taking long trips also has a way of bringing things into perspective. I suppose that is what I needed to lift me out of those duldrums . This issue will therefore not dwell on a difficult end of a school year but instead will focus on something more proactive…Emergency Preparedness.
>
I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter.
JulieD
Sponsor Ad
Website Updates
Feature Mini Lapbook
After our recent local disaster, I realized how important it was that we had been prepared for just such an emergency. Of course, we didn’t suffer much damage compared to others but being prepared certainly helped us with our situation. Our children took the whole event in a stride and managed the stress well.
Two things that helped were that we had an emergency box and all three of my children are scouts-therefore we had on hand many handy things they regularly use while camping or in scouts.
This mini lapbook will give you a chance to discuss emergency situations and help your children think about what they might need in a disaster or do when a big disaster hits or even perhaps just when the power goes out during a storm.
Here's how I created this mini lapbook.
1. Gather supplies
Supplies you will need for this mini lapbook:
- 3 brown paper lunch bag
- hole punch
- yarn or string or other material to finish construction of lapbook
- markers, coloring crayons, pencils,
pens
Optional Supplies:
- Stencils
- Art supplies
- stickers
- glitter
- glue
- scissors
- magazines or camera
2. Once you have all your supplies, fold the 3 paper
bags in 1/2 and hole punch the edges.
For more pictures on how this will look and basic
assembly you can visit Mini Lapbooks
Mini Lapbooks
3. Begin by decorating cover. Give the mini lapbook
a title. I will use EMERGENCY!
for my title.
4. Choose concepts:
Some concepts you might wish to consider depending on the age of your children would be
Types of Emegencies
Home/school plans
What not to do
Emergency kits
What you might need in an emergency
Meeting place or staying put
Contact information
5. Delegate pages for each concept
Cover
Page 1 and 2: Types of Emergencies
Page 3 and 4: Emergency Supply Kit
Page 5 and 6: Things Not to do in an Emergency Situation
Page 7 and 8: Things to do in an Emergency Situation
Page 9 and 10: House plan/escape route
Back Cover: Blank or decorate similar to front cover or add own ideas
Page 9 and 10: Finishing Touches
Back Cover:
6. Label pages
In reality, it is not really necessary to label every page.
If you want to label every page go right ahead and do so
If you don’t
want to label every page-don’t.
7. Add information
This lapbook can be geared to any age level. For younger children have them cut out pictures from magazines while older children can actually make an emergency kit and draw items needed and discuss key items to include and why.
Other ideas:
Other ideas
Actually collect items for an emergency kit. Please make a kit. At least make a first aid type of kit including band aids, antiseptic, bandages, scissors, tape and hydrogen peroxide and alcohol pads.
8. Review information
In relation to emergency preparedness, you might remember having fire drills if you went to a public or private school. This is also something you should discuss with your children...if the house is on fire, where do they go, what should they do or not do (don't hide).
Review what to do with your children in case of an earthquake, tornado, hurricane (didn't think it would happen in the Midwest but it did), fire, blizzard (not the DQ kind) etc. Giving your children this type of information prepares them and gives them a positive way to handle scary situations.
9. Add finishing details and final assembly
Tip of the Month
Sometimes we just forget they haven’t experienced these things and tend to assume they will know what to do. The reality is that every house/family/home situation is different and there will be things that just your family needs to address.
An example would be the location of the electrical box or what to do with the water heaters or where the safest spot to go in your home during a tornado.
When the inland hurricane hit, I wasn’t home but my two youngest children were. Even though they were home alone and we couldn’t reach them, I was able to not stress to much because I knew our house was protected by design and that my children knew what not to do as well as what to do.
Just the same, I was tremendously relieved when I finally was able to hear my daughter’s voice on the cell phone. The damage didn’t matter as much as having my children safe.
Just a short note from me about SBI-this is what I use to build
my website for homeschoolers. SBI helps you create more than
just a website. They offer tools and keep giving you
more with advice and helpful information and products
(often included in price.) Now for those who are thinking that
this is too much to take on or overwhelming they now offer
E-learning classes for SBI.
Sponsor ad
*************
*************
Homeschool Picture of the Month
Baby guinea hens hatching!
- L. Durr
This was another amazing event that happened on our farm this May. Our guinea hens hatched 12 babies!
I love that my children have the opportunity to witness on a regular basis the beauty of new life and the natural cycle of things.
If you would like to send a picture to be considered
for use in The Homeschool Seeker there are several
places on the website where you can submit the image.
However, the best place to submit an image for the newsletter would be at
Kid's Create
Just please add title HOMESCHOOL SEEKER PICTURE so
that I know it is not a Kid's creation submission.
Thanks.
Homeschool Question/Answer
Answer: You certainly don’t want to scare them so much that whenever a storm approaches they get freaked out but even a small child can feel empowered if given a small task to be responsible for and to help out.
Examples might be to have them find the candles or flashlights or in the winter to gather the blankets.
Ultimately, you know your child and how much they can understand so discuss the possibilities but focus strongly on the proactive measures they need to take to keep themselves safe.
Homeschool Wishlist
you enjoy reading. So if you have ideas, comments
or suggestions please visit
Closing Comments
The Homeschool Seeker.
Until next time, happy homeschooling!
JulieD