Blog Carnival Spring Edition

Spring Edition Blog Carnival is Here!

WELCOME!

Grab a cup of tea, pull up a chair, and get ready for some funtastic links to other great homeschooling sites and articles.  I promise to set up all links in "open in new window" format so you won't loose your way!

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

- Thessalonians 5:11

Spring is a great many things to a great many people around this great big world.  It can be a time to plant in northern regions, a time to open windows in southern ones... and 'down under', fall is setting in.

As homeschoolers we may be feeling the lag of a long school year at this time... or ready to hit curriculum fairs with a list in mind.  Whatever spring is to you and wherever you are, this Carnival is sure to fulfill your needs right from the start!  Oh, did I mention...

April is National Poetry Month

To kick off our spring bash, Jacqueline at Nerd Family Things reminds us that April is National Poetry Month!  Check out her article and links to FREE Poetry Month Resources!

To look at poetry from a biblical perspective, Nebby has put together a great family study on Psalm 3 at her website, Letters from Nebby.

Spring Up for Some Outdoor Fun

If the climate where you are is offering an array of buds... now is a good time for a nature walk!  The new life is a reminder of the new life Christ gave on the cross.

Are spring showers keeping you in?   Are you looking for some rainy-day fun? Try Drew's recommendations for great learning games in his article, Money Can Be Fun: Games That Teach About Money.

It may not be warm enough for a dip in the lake or a lap around the community pool yet.  But all that sunshine can inspire the young ones to begin thinking about learning how to swim so they might be ready when summer arrives.  See how one mom is doing just that.  Visit Homeschooling in Buffalo and read how Liz is using what she knows Insourcing: Teaching Your Strong Areas Yourself.

Would a friendly face help out right about now?

Is it that time of year where you seem to ask yourself, "How many more days until vacation?"  Do you hear the nay-sayers scoff more often lately, telling you how inefficient homeschooling is?  There are some parents here who have a few things to say that just may perk you up...

For instance, Annie, at Tea Time with Annie Kate, shares a wonderful story and great chart with some hard-core facts sure to boost your confidence.  You might want to have the printer ready for Statistics and Homeschoolers: A Helpful Summary!

A great case-in-point is highlighted over at Notes From A Homeschool Mom where Andrea shares some great insight in Words and Phrases Your Kids May Not Learn in NYC Public Schools.

Then, be inspired by Jamie by visiting Momschool and reading What are your kids missing?

Rest For Where You Are

Hopefully this spring time carny has you breathing deep of fresh fragrant air... if not, here is a bit more of a boost.  Draw up a soft blanket and settle under a shady tree budding brilliantly and read on...

Pamela's rest came at a campground (yes, in spring!) and a Spring Extravaganza which she merrily blogs about where Escape is Possible!

As we fold our blankets, stand up and get ready to step back into the swing of things, Barbara Frank has some encouraging words for us all as she writes Knowing When To Back Off.

Are Your Daily To-Dos Feeling like Droopy Blooms?

Are you feeling it is time for a change? Has your schedule or your curriculum kind of lost its punch?  Before you do anything, visit Lisa at Golden Grasses and hear her experienced advice in Homeschooling High School (don't be fooled, even preschoolers can learn a lot from her experience!)

Or see how Liz keeps track at How Do I Homeschool as she shares her Homeschool Day.

What's Blooming In the Garden?

My hope and prayer is that you are now rested and inspired to spring into the remainder of the school year.  You may be ready to go with all your work in order... or you may be looking for just the right supplement to what you feel is a lacking curriculum... still, you may be thinking ahead to next school year and pondering what to keep an eye out for as you hit the curriculum fairs this spring.

Well, visit the garden and see what other homeschools are doing...

Math

Need to save money on math manipulatives?  Come make your own with Nissa At Home With the Gadbois Family as she provides details on a {Made for Learning} Short Bead Stair.

Reading

Nestle down with some good books.  See what Courtney of Well Wise Happy has on the list for her preschooler as she explores a Preschool Homeschooling Book List, For Now.

Or see what is budding by Elena who is Teaching her Right Brained Homeschooler to Read over at My Domestic Church.

History and Geography

Here we catch all the blooms where History grows and Geography branches out.  Like Gidget, who has found a great way to keep her children learning just by strolling down the hall!  At Homeschooling Unscripted she asks an important question, Are you neglecting a valuable resource?

Equally resourceful, Dee is learning that some things don't change... even internationally.  She writes on Time for Learning how Kids Will Be Kids.

Learning Titus 2Trip Around The World (USA) - Day 2.

Speaking of trips, Amanda McCarthy shares some great must-sees in 7 Places Every Amateur Presidential Historian Should Visit.  Road trip anyone?  (I wonder how the flowers are around Rushmore this time of year?!)

Tiger's Mom is a more international in her explorations as she takes The Tiger Chronicles East of China: Korea.

Science

We can't forget science... spring is one of the best times of year to explore and see God's creation come alive.  Mindy, for instance, doesn't miss a beat at Den School.  When caterpillars come out to play... so do her and her children!  She does wonder, though, Butterfly or Moth?

Extra-Curricular

While many public schools take their budget cuts in programs like Arts and P.E., homeschoolers can still go strong.  Take the Cates for example; Henry shares how The Show Must Go On and the great quality found in homeschool productions.

And Chris reminds us of the importance in taking time to Prepare Your School Children For an Emergency.

 Standing On A Rock

  

Look at the nations and watch—
   and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
   that you would not believe,
   even if you were told. 

- Habakkuk 1:5

Let us not laze in the garden too long though.  We must remember the gift our blessing to homeschool is... how our freedom to homeschool is not always free.  Rights are won by those who stand and speak up.  God says it simply through Isaiah:

If you do not stand firm in your faith,
   you will not stand at all

- Isaiah 7:9b

As it is with our faith, it is with our homeschooling rights.  To see what one dad is doing about these rights, visit Dave, the Home School Dad, and read his Home School Fragments (and a Puppyism).

I hope you have enjoyed a carnival in the garden!  With spring in the air... I just had to celebrate among the flowers!

Be blessed this spring and beyond!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of homeschooling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.  Bugs, Knights, and Turkeys in the Yard will be springing up for adventures in the Homeschool Carnival garden next week!