The Problems and Solutions of Delving Further Into a Topic

One of the great things about homeschooling, unit studies and lapbooks in particular, is the fact that when we are learning about something, we can delve off and explore one part of the topic. If we want to we can even make a separate unit or lapbook on the things we want to explore more. The “problem” comes in when there are so many parts of a topic that we want to learn more about. For instance Jonathan’s all about me lapbook lead to a my body lap book, which in turn is looking like it is going to lead … Continue reading

Sex Education is a Heated Topic for Romney and Obama

I for one do not follow the politicians or political news. My husband remains much more interested in campaigns and elections than I do. However, the battle over sex education between Romney and Obama has enticed me to take on a more active political role. Senator Obama has suggested that all grade school children (beginning in kindergarten) be instructed through a science-based sex education program. He suggests that each grade have an age appropriate sex education program. Romney, on the other hand, feels that there is no age appropriate program when it comes to young children learning about sex. Obama … Continue reading

Tagging: What are tags?

Have you heard of tagging? Not the type of tagging where cans of spray paint are used to create letters, symbols, and pictures on public walls and fences. I am talking about tagging on the Internet using Web sites that have tagging features included. You may have noticed on the Families.com homepage one of the four tabs at the top of page is entitled, “Tags.” It looks something like this: Have you ever clicked on the “Tags” tab? If so, you may have discovered the Families.com tag page, but been at a loss as to what this page is about … Continue reading

Downtown Disney to Expand into Disney Springs

A few years after it announced and then scrapped plans to reformat Pleasure Island, the official Disney Parks blog has revealed that Downtown Disney is getting an upgrade.  A years-long project will transform Downtown Disney into Disney Springs, an even larger shopping and entertainment district. Downtown Disney is so popular with Florida residents and Disney World guests alike that it was time to expand.  Don’t worry about suddenly needing a ticket to get into the area: just like before, Disney Springs will be open to the public (though individual entertainment venues still might require tickets for entrance). Tom Staggs, the … Continue reading

Toddlers and Early Learning

One thing that all parents of toddlers know is that the toddler stage of development involves a lot of learning. Toddlers are learning to walk, learning to talk, and learning all about the people, places, and things in their world. Learning is sometimes a tricky topic to think about when it comes to toddlers, though. It is natural for parents to wonder about what types of things their toddlers should be learning and how they can ensure that their toddlers will be ready for school when the time comes. There are many, many DVDs, flash cards, and other products that … Continue reading

Benefits of Bartering

My 8-year-old cries poor like the Pentagon before commencing a $10 billion nuclear weapon upgrade. Granted, she doesn’t get a regular allowance, but with grandparents like these, she wants for very little. Actually, she wants a lot, but as the only granddaughter, she typically gets it all, which is why I don’t give her an allowance. This, of course, has led to many heated discussions on money, spending habits and budgeting.  However, thanks to a recently covered Social Studies unit on our country’s earliest settlers, we’ve added a new topic to our financial discussions:  bartering. Bartering is the exchange of … Continue reading

Success Literature Is Good Inspiration

When you own and operate your own home – based business, you will quickly discover that you are in charge of many things. If your home – based business is a one person operation, than you are actually in charge of everything. This may be quite a departure from whatever your responsibilities were at the jobs that you had before you made the switch to working for yourself and working from home. Depending upon what jobs you had, you may have occasionally been involved in workplace activities that were designed to inspire or motivate you and your coworkers to do … Continue reading

Family Tree University Has a Virtual Genealogy Conference

Typically, a genealogy conference will take place in a building, hotel, or conference center that is large enough to accommodate the crowds. If you cannot travel out to where it is taking place, then you will miss it. It’s nice that Family Tree University is having a Virtual Genealogy Conference. This could make it much easier for people to check it out. Family Tree University is not an accredited college. It is the name of the “learning center” (for lack of a better term) for Family Tree Magazine. It is a great resource for genealogists who want to learn more … Continue reading

Does Elizabeth Warren Really Have Cherokee Ancestry?

The ancestry of Democrat Elizabeth Warren is still a topic that is raising questions. A few months ago, a genealogist determined that Warren did, really, have Cherokee ancestry. Shortly after that, there were blogs that stated that there wasn’t any credible evidence that this was so. Now, another genealogist says that Elizabeth Warren really doesn’t have Cherokee ancestry. In Massachusetts, the current Senator is Scott Brown, who is a Republican. Elizabeth Warren, who is a Democrat, is running against him for the Senate seat he currently holds. The winner will be decided in the 2012 election. It has become common … Continue reading

Deals on Last Minute Stocking Stuffers

Christmas is just a few days away. Have you finished all your shopping? There will always be some people who choose to wait until “the last minute” before heading to the stores. Many of the rest of us will be looking for just a few more stocking stuffers to add to the gifts that have already been purchased. Here are some excellent deals on last minute stocking stuffers. Staples has a printable coupon that will save you 50% off all Crayola products. This coupon is valid through December 24, 2011. What little kid wouldn’t love a fresh, new, box of … Continue reading