Lisa Russell's Blog
Posted by Lisa Russell
Hello, I just wanted to wish you all happy holidays. I hope everyone has taken to heart the community service articles I published in November.
Finding Community Service Projects and Homeshool Community Service Ideas.
We've been doing a mitzvah each day, and it's been really nice, bringing dinner to other families, baking cookies and putting them on platters for the neighbors, and the kids have been delivering them with Christmas carols to the neighbors. We also wrapped presents for a domestic violence shelter in town, and delivered stuffed animals to Toys 4 Tots. What kind of service projects have you done this season? There are so many ways to give.
Posted by Lisa Russell
It's called Building Blocks and they have readers for preschoolers, plus activity books, music CD's and parent's guides, teacher's guides and just plain lots of resources. Check them out, great for homeschoolers, playgroups, homeschool co-ops, and anywhere else where you might want to get kids busy with character activities. I think learning through positive examples is really the best thing, but I like activities like these because they can give a child a vocabulary for character traits and open up discussions. Have fun!
Posted by Lisa Russell
The Education Revolution is a great site Their goal is to help you find educational alternatives. They are a worldwide organization and their focus is to be the central clearing house for alternative educational resources. Check them out...
Posted by Lisa Russell
In her blog, Mixing Home Business and Home School, Susan Critelli shares her experiences with educational television. She shared some of the same resources that I listed in Homeschooling Videos On Demand, and so much more.
Her personal experience is refreshing to read, when so many so-called experts are claiming that television is the devil. It's just another form of media, and one that kids happen to love. I love reading more than most people, but there's something passive and relaxing about watching television with the kids. I've never understood how people can snuggle up with a book for hours because after reading out loud for 20 minutes or so, my throat dries out and it's difficult to reposition myself while holding a and snuggling with 3 or 4 kids at a time. We read bedtime stories and we usually have a mid-day read-along that we're working on, but I have never been able to read for as long as we've been able to watch TV. Call us lazy, but educational TV exists, and it's a lot of fun to learn and veg at the same time.
Posted by Lisa Russell
It was very inspiring to read the stories of these families who are living on one income. The one that impressed upon me the most was the family with no mortgage payments. They paid off their 30 year mortgage in only 15 years, even though they had unexpected emergencies along the way. I learned a lot of helpful tips for saving money . I can't think of anyone who doesn't have a bit an extra financial burden these days. Anyways, the e-book is a very good read, the writers listed several resources, I almost want to print it out (does that defeat the purpose of an e-book) and hit it with a highlighter so I can look up a few things.
The families are diverse, both in their learning styles (Yes, there was an unschooling family) and in their financial situations. I was pleased to see a family that traveled frequently (that matters to me!) and the families were both large and small.
They did an excellent job of giving the reader the impression that "I can do this, too." And i hope that's what other readers take away from it.
