Homeschooling Newsletter from BellaOnline.com
Meg Grooms, Editor
November 26, 2007

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CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Featured Articles
3. Advertisement
4. Quick Project & Links You Will Love
5. Forum Activity
6. Closing
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INTRODUCTION

Greetings! It seems that just last week I was writing about the arrival of fall weather and here we are, Thanksgiving is over and the rainy cold of winter is blowing into northwest Georgia. It’s quite dreary here but there is something comforting in being able to hole away in the house, with the smell of soup on the stove and bread in the oven! It’s a welcome break from the daily bustle of my life, anyhow.

I have a secret. My favorite years of homeschooling thus far have been with my preschool-aged children. They are, quite simply put, so eager to learn. They are perfectly happy to cuddle up on the couch with a book, color their favorite characters and learn by just being with the rest of us. They don’t have the constant slew of outside activities my older children have and they don’t mind sitting down for a break to just be!

Are you homeschooling a preschooler, or are you about to? Have you often wondered what method works the best? I firmly believe that a child’s main job is to play and everything else will follow suit. So many homeschoolers I talk to believe that school rips a child away from childhood to soon, our kids need time to just be kids. In Homeschooling the Preschool Years I address the issue of using play as an education in the early years.

Other articles this week include an updated list of retailers that offer discounts to homeschoolers, very handy this time of year! I also posted a review of the book Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, a book for middle school ages that puts a whole new spin on the term “living history”. The mini lesson plan about healthy eating is also quite handy this busy time of year. How to Create a Unit Study is also featured this week, the title explains it all.
Be sure to visit the homeschooling site and links below for more information about homeschooling!

HAPPY HOMESCHOOLING!

Warmly,
Meg

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FEATURED ARTICLES

Homeschooling the Preschool Years
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art53970.asp
What is necessary when it comes to teaching a preschooler? The answer isn’t boxed curriculum and school schedules, it’s open-ended toys, natural socialization and conversation

Retailers the Offer Homeschool Discounts
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art18048.asp
Many retailers are happy to extend educator discounts to homeschooling families. Here is the info you need to know and where to get your discounts!

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame Book Review
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art54003.asp
Relating modern-era history to children can often prove to be a challenge. Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, written by Michael S. Class, attempts to fill this void by bringing the child into history, literally

Mini Lesson Plan : Healthy Eating
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art42915.asp
This easy lesson plans gives you a starting point for talking about health, exercise and nutrition with your children.

How to Create a Unit Study
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30820.asp
Unit studies are fantastic methods of instruction. The premise of a unit study is to incorporate one theme or idea throughout all instruction for a certain period of time. Unit studies are popular in families with multiple children as they allow the parent to teach to the entire brood of children at once while still providing individual instruction as needed.

Archive of previous features
http://www.bellaonline.com/archive/Homeschooling

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ADVERTISEMENT

Are you looking for just the right homeschooling advocacy item?
Look no further than our CafePress Shop!

Featuring our newly redesigned “Caution: Homeschooled Child” design and “Bored of Education?” designs!

http://www.cafepress.com/homeschool

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QUICK PROJECT & LINKS YOU WILL LOVE

Have you ever wanted to travel the world? Live vicariously through a Flat Traveler!

There are several popular Yahoo!Groups that serve to introduce homeschooling families around the world to each other through the use of Flat Traveling. A Flat Traveler is a paper version of your child who is sent to far away places to live for a few weeks, sending back trinkets, postcards and a lot of information about how other people live.

LINKS YOU WILL LOVE:

Homeschool Exchange - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homeschool-Exchange/

The Flat Stanley Project - http://www.flatstanley.com/

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FORUMS

Have you visited our forum lately?

Here’s what we’re talking about:

Homeschool Freebies
Tax Credit for Homeschoolers
Autism

Join in and share your opinions, ask questions, offer advice & support!

Click here: http://tinyurl.com/2skp6r or visit

http://homeschooling.bellaonline.com and click on the forum link.

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CLOSING

Thanks for reading this far ;) Please feel free to forward this newsletter in it’s entirety.

Do you have a question, comment, idea? Let me know!

Contact me: http://www.bellaonline.com/about/Homeschooling

Happy Homeschooling!

Meg