Oooops! Wrong Book.

In my last post about homeschooling resources I suggested a book by Linda Dobson entitled, “Homeschooling: The Early Years”. I said that this book has a great appendix of resources. It turns out I listed the wrong book. I have several of Linda Dobson’s books out from the library right now, and while I think “The Early Years” book has a lot of good information, it does not have an Appendix. Check out “The Homeschooling Book of Answers” by Linda Dobson instead.

Resources for Teaching Kids

I have begun to explore the option of homeschooling my children and I am finding that there are some wonderful resources created for the homeschooling community that are terrific for encouraging children’s natural love of learning whether or not you plan to homeschool. Many of the web sites and books have great ideas for projects you can do at home, suggestions for excellent books on all kinds of subjects, and even reviews and recommendations for suppliers of educational toys and products for kids of all ages.

Here are a few I have found to be very helpful so far. All of the books , except the one of science experiments, have been readily available at my local library:

“The Homeschooling Book of Answers” by Linda Dobson – This book has a great appendix of resources in the back.

“The Complete Home Learning Sourcebook” by Rebecca Rupp – This book is a catalog (with helpful reviews) of educational products, books, toys and games for subjects ranging from Arithmetic to Zoology.

“Home Learning Year by Year” by Rebecca Rupp – Written to help homeschoolers design a curriculum, this book walks through each grade, from kindergarten through high school offering suggestions for subject matter, questions to investigate, resource material, and books to read.

“730 Easy Science Experiments with Everyday Materials” by E. Richard Churchill, Louis V. Loeschnig, and Muriel Mandell – I just purchase this book at BN.com for less that $10 hardback, but I saw it at Borders for $25 for a paperback, comb-binded version. Go figure. It pays to shop around. Anyway, this book is great for my 4-year old who is very interested in why things happen. The experiments are easy, short, and most aren’t too messy (a plus for me). I think this one will keep us busy for many years.

A friend also recently sent me links to these interesting sites:

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/by-title.shtml

From the University of Missouri, collections of resource links for hundreds of different topics, ranging from Adinkra cloth to Yellowstone National park. Intended for educators but you can access and use the links for free.

http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/

Has study-based recommendations for teaching kids to read at all levels. Some interesting articles.

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

print out your own free handwriting worksheets

(This site is lots of fun as you can print out directions for your child’s name, or other phrases that would get your child’s attention.)

Enjoy and I will add other great resources as I find them. If anyone has some to add, or useful homeschooling advice for me, please let me know!

Borders Coupon

If you receive Borders emails, you will often find a coupon for 20-30% off of one item each week.  This week, the coupon is for 10% a total purchase.  Here’s the link: http://f.chtah.com/i/9/276579820/coupon0824.htm

Source for Books

For our family, the fall leading into winter is jam packed with birthdays followed by the holidays. I am trying to get a head start on gift buying this year. One internet source I have found particularly great for kids books is Bookcloseouts.com. I just bought a stash of great kids book for some of the upcoming birthdays. For instance, my son loves the book, “Little Quack’s Hide and Seek”. A nice hardcover version is $5.99 marked down from a list price of $14.95 (and $10.17 at Amazon). They also have a good selection of softcover books, board books, and coloring/activity books for even less. I bought a box of various books for gifts and got 17 great kids books for $74.83 plus $6.95 shipping. You can also pick up inexpensive books or coloring books here to use in lieu of goody bags at kids parties.

Any other great gift resources in the local area or on-line? I could really use some new suggestions!

Community

Morning everyone. I am proud to report that Stone Soup DC now gets around 150-200 hits a day. Very cool.

I am glad people are finding the information useful, at least I hope you are. I believe one of the best resources anywhere and anytime, is community. We can make this resource so much more powerful if we pull together our information and ideas. Anything from what’s on sale this week, to a great store you’ve found, to free/cheap community events, to how to make something yourself that you would have previously purchased. That’s what we all want to hear. I am sure each one of you has ideas to add. Please consider joining the Yahoo discussion group, posting a comment on the blog, or even sending me an email at stonesoupdc@gmail.com. I want to hear from you!

Have you all heard the story of Stone Soup? I’ve added some stones. Anyone out there have some cabbage or carrots or an onion?

Saving Dinner

Saving Dinner is a meal plan for getting you through the week with as little hassle as possible. The website offers a weekly email service that sends you a week’s worth of recipes featuring foods fresh at the time, and an organized shopping list for getting everything you need.

When you sign up, you choose from several different menu plans including: Regular, Low-Carb, Body Clutter, Frgual, Crock Cooker, and Heart Healthy. They also have menus for the southern hemisphere if you are ever down that direction. There are several free recipes and examples to check out on the web site. If you decide to try the menu-mailer feature, they charge $9.95 for a three month trial, $17.95 for 6 months or $29.95 for a year.

In all honesty, I have not tried the service yet, but I have used the Saving Dinner books which I’ve really liked. The original Saving Dinner one has a year’s worth of menus organzed by season with the shopping lists included. The recipes are pretty fast and easy, and most have been very tasty. I checked the book out from the library until I’d tried out a few menus and was sure I liked them. Eventually, I did buy one of the books and there are several recipes I use regularly. One nice thing is that all of the shopping lists from the books are on the web site, so when heading to the store, you can print out that week’s list instead of lugging the book. I have been toying with signing up for the mailer when I get a little more organized (maybe the mailer would help with that).

There is also another similar service called the Six O’Clock Scramble I have heard people like. This one I have not tried out personally, yet. They also have sample menus on-line, so you can decide which one is more to your taste. This service is slightly more expensive.

Washingtonian Shopping Guides

Although their target audience is not usually living on an ultra-cheap budget, Washingtonian Magazine still puts out some very useful shopping guides for everything from furniture to clothing. Many of the stores are not bargain basement, but some offer surprisingly good deals, and the guides can be helpful if you are making a particularly important, larger purchase and you want to read up on options.

Thrifty Thrifts

I love to hunt around in thrift stores. The bargains seem endless and I rarely come away empty-handed. Actually, I try to stay out of them for exactly that reason. At least they are a very inexpensive way to fufill a craving for a shopping binge. The last time I headed to one, I bought two pairs of shorts, a set of kids horseshoes, a Melissa & Doug puzzle, and a plastic bowling set for my son for $7. This was at Value Village in Hyattsville (2277 University Blvd E Hyattsville, MD). This store is huge and crammed full of bargains, but it is busy, so act fast when you see something you like (you can always put it back later!).

If you are clearing out the clutter at home, take a load of things to donate when you go. They have a drive-up area at the back of the store where you can easily drop off donations.

If you don't get your thrifting fix satisified here, pick up a copy of "Dirt Cheap, Real Good: A Highway Guide to Thrift Stores in the Washington, D.C. Area", by Chriss Slevin and Leah Smith. They cover hundreds of thrift stores both locally and on extended day trips out into WV, PA, NC, and DE. I know the book is available at Montgomery County libraries.

Check it Out: Public Libraries

I know many of you will find this tip a bit too obvious, but I think it is worth explicitly stating: our local public libraries are a tremendous resource for free information and entertainment. Here are some of the fantastic resources:

• Books – Obviously. Getting into the habit of searching for books at the library before running to the bookstore or Amazon can save big bucks if you are a bookworm like me. The major area library systems have web sites where you can search for materials at your leisure and even reserve books on-line. This makes for easy shopping. Make a list of holds on-line (even if they are not available at your local branch, they will be transferred there) then you can run in and pick up a stack of reading without even stepping into the stacks.

• Reciprocity – Most jurisdictions in the DC area have reciprocity, meaning you can get a library card and check out books from other area library systems.

• Inter-library Loan – If local jurisdictions do not have the book or item you are looking for many jurisdictions participate in Inter-library Loan where items can be borrowed from many other library systems across the country.

• Magazines – I love to read magazines, but had the newsstand prices. Many magazines are available from the local libraries and issue, except the most current, can be checked out. Plus when you are done reading them, they go back to the library and you don't have all of those coffee table stacks!

• Movies – Why pay Blockbuster when many local libraries have movies you can borrow? Collections very from library to library and system to system, but classics and foreign films are often good bets.

• CDs – We make very good use of the kids collection of music CDs from the Montgomery County libraries. My son loves bringing home new music each week and he can try out new ones before we invest in buying them.

• Books on Tape – Great for those long vacation trips or long commutes.

• Grandparent Bags – I know Noyes Library for Children in Kensington has these and I have seen them at the Tysons-Pimmet library as well. They are great for when young children come for a visit. They are bags stuffed with books (and sometimes other items) that all relate to a theme like dinosaurs or trucks. It makes it easy for relatives to have a stash of entertainment on hand for little visitors.

• Access to newspapers, journals and magazines on-line – Don't overlook the power of your library card for access to archives you would otherwise have to pay for such as the Washington Post. With your card number you can access many databases from the comfort of your couch. (Though one great resource, Washington Consumer Checkbook, is not on-line, you can search back issues at the library itself. Consumer Reports is available on-line.)

• Book sales – Though you might have to part with a little cash, some of the Friends of the Library book sales have a great selection of books for dirt cheap prices. Fairfax County sales were always a favorite of mine when I lived in Virginia. Though be sure to go early and have at least an idea of your most desirable categories. People move quickly and grab up bargains very fast. But be sure to linger a while after the initial frenzy. Many times people grab everything they can and then put back what they don't want after they have a chance to look through their pile.

• Lectures, Story Times and Other Activities – Local libraries offer a whole host of lectures and activities for both adults and children. They are definitely worth checking out.

• Summer Reading Clubs – Montgomery County is offering Summer Reading Clubs for both children and adults this year. Kids earn prizes that can include a free book from Barnes and Noble. Adults have a chance to $25 bookstore gift certificate. Check out your own library's program.

If others out there have great tips and ideas for using the local libraries, please share!