By Lynn, on October 26th, 2010%
How I love finding something exciting for school! You know how we struggle in math around here. It’s not that we cannot do math. It’s just that we tend to be artsy and spontaneous and math seems like a big scary monster that one must approach with black robes and thick glasses and a very serious demeanor. We hide from it. Put it off. Worry about it. Wonder about the magic of math that seems hidden behind a veil that we can’t seem to get through.
I sat on the floor in Barnes and Noble over the weekend, looking at math workbooks. I’d pick one up, look through it, read a bit and not feel very happy about it. Over and over again. I knew that when the right book was in my hand, I’d just know.
It turned out to be Challenge Math by Edward Zaccaro. (You can search for the book at Barnes and Noble — my affiliate link, in case you’re interested.) 
We are still doing our Saxon 7/6, but I wanted math to feel more familiar, more fun. This book is the type of book that you can read, much of it with little side notes and a couple of little cartoony figures that talk to each other throughout the book. The book tells you something, then asks you a challenging question, and then tells you how to get to the answer.
We read the first few pages together, Michaela and I, yesterday, and we learned about how math changed astronomy. How trigonometry was used to calculate the distance from the earth to the sun. It made trigonometry not seem so scary.
Anyway, it’s just one of the tools we’ll be using to make math a better subject this year. This book feels Charlotte Mason-y to me in that we are talking so much about math and talking about how to use it in real life to solve problems.
By the way, the box you see is Michaela’s portable sort-of desk, made from a sturdy grape box picked up free at Sam’s, with another sturdy little box hot-glued inside that holds pencils and a large eraser and a pencil sharpener. Fun!
The other new tool is this amazing xylophone I found at Goodwill for 20.00! It went into our little music nook right away, and it has been played almost constantly by someone in the house since it came home! It is so much fun. You know, it was one of those instruments when I was in school that you barely got to touch, but always wanted to be let loose on!
No problem. I now have my own. And mallets? So what that it came with zero mallets. We made some with tinker toys and they work great!
Enjoy this day! Look for the fun in math and in music!
By admin, on September 7th, 2009%
Homeschooling is a Labor of Love, and the Old Schoolhouse™ Magazine is celebrating your hard work as a parent by putting their one-year print subscriptions on sale! For a very limited time, you can subscribe or renew for $7.95! (US only)
You can buy a gift sub for friends too! To gift a subscription:
1. Go to the one-year subscription page (US only)
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
3. Enter the name, address, email, and phone information for each recipient
4. Click “Add this to my cart”.
5. The information will display in your cart and simply proceed to check out.
There are only 2000 of these available, and they are going quickly! Your subscription begins with their Fall Issue.
If you live in an international location, you can subscribe to their digital edition for only $7.95! It’s the same great content as their print magazine, except it is instant and interactive!
If there has been one fabulous source of inspiraiton to me personally in my homeschool this year, it has been The Old Schoolhouse magazine. The magazine is packed so full of articles, it seems to me more like a book. I refer to it over and over and take time to savor the many articles there.
As you can see the magazine is currently on sale at an amazing price and there are only 2000 of these subscriptions! Just wanted to share.
Subscribe or renew to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for only 7.95!
Subscribe to the digital edition of TOS Magazine for only $7.95.
By Lynn, on April 21st, 2008%
I woke up this morning realizing that life has changed — again. Yesterday was my last day at Whole Foods. I have the next couple of weeks to do some old-fashioned spring cleaning and to finish up the office and then I will start my new job at home. 
It’s a wonderful feeling and it feels like the timing is right. I will miss my coworkers at WF, especially the beautiful friend who bestowed upon me this delectable cake!
I understand now why someone would eat three pieces of this cake.
She and I were the “dream team” and I was told again last night how much we were appreciated there together as “the dream team.” (It’s a long story.)
I wanted to share something we are doing for school right now. Anyone who reads my blog or knows me at all knows that I am a very eclectic homeschooler, and I do see benefits of all the various homeschooling philosophies: unschooling, classical, unit study, boxed curriculum, Charlotte Mason…
We have never chosen to fully adhere to a classical education, but I love the depth of history that’s taught with a classical education. The last time I was at The Homeschool Gathering Place, I purchased this:
Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times Audiobook CD: From the Earliest Nomads to the Late Roman Empire, Revised Edition (7 CDs)
It flows. Jim Weiss has a voice like silk — though it’s a deep voice, it’s smooth, clear and engaging. I love the way he reads. We’ve been listening to this as a family while we drive. I can tell you that it’s engaging enough that my youngest remembers it’s in the van and says “put in The Story of the World.” That’s saying something. And it’s not just Jim Weiss’s voice. It’s Susan Wise Bauer’s writing — how she has taken history and created characters that my children can relate to, even though they lived 5000 years ago.
We plan to listen to all the volumes in this fashion, at least once, if not several times. I will be providing cut-outs for our timeline notebook to paste in as we hear the story of historical events.
On a gardening note, I pulled the first radish from my little container garden on the front porch.
It was very good. Yes ma’am.
Lynn
By Lynn, on April 23rd, 2007%
As promised, I have written a review of Homeschoolopoly, the new game we ordered just last week. We are a homeschooling family that plays a lot of games, so I was really looking forward to gettting this Monopoly-type game with a homeschool twist! I was not disappointed!
The game pieces are really cute. My children determined that I should be the “rocking chair.” Okay.
I ended up owning some familiar pieces of property such as Systematic Mathematics and Homeschooling Parent Magazine. No one got sent to court during our one and only game so far, but HSLDA was there had that been the case! I loved the “stack of books” and “key to knowledge” theme. Overall, the game is extremely colorful and fun.
The price might be a little higher than a regular Monopoly game, but I did not mind paying the amount asked. I received many “freebies” with the game, which was fun. I understand from talking with the creators of the game that a lot of care and effort went into making this game something special for the homeschooling community. I love that the game is made in the USA!
I can say that the shipping time was just fantastic. I ordered on a Wednesday and had received the game by Friday! If that’s an indication of their customer service, then it looks good.
In closing, if you homeschool and enjoy playing board games, I would like to highly recommend Homeschoolopoly!
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About Lynn
I am the mother of four delightful children: a 23-year-old son, a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old son, and a bright and bubbly 13-year-old daughter. I share an apartment home with my 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. My little home on the internet is called Rose Cottage because of my love for gardening, roses, and all things romantic and Victorian. Welcome.
I'm a North Carolina girl and I love sharing North Carolina links and information. I do medical transcription from home. My hobbies include making sweet little dolls from clay who are named and have their own stories to tell. I also make old-fashioned brooches. These are for sale in my Etsy shop.
For 13 years continuously, I homeschooled some or all of our four children, but the time came that our homeschool had to be closed. It was the end of a beautiful chapter in my life. I will always be a strong supporter of homeschooling and I will continue to review books and maintain my homeschool website, The Healthy Homeschool. The Players
Lil Ol' Me
Son Daniel, 23
Son, Big Joe, 20
Son, John, 17
Daughter, Michaela, 13
Annie Fatso Beagle
My Symphony
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
What You Do Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Contact Me 
I would  for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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