Resource Reviews Archives - Page 3 of 3

Free Pocket Constitution Available

December 21, 2009 by natalie

I recently came across a link to TheCapitol.Net website with information on how to request a free copy of the Pocket Constitution, which includes The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and the Amendments to the Constitution. My Mom got similar guides for each of us kids years ago that we were able to reference in our studies. As a family we also went through the wonderful Institute on the Constitution lecture series, which helped give us a better understanding of the structure of our government and the intentions of our Founding Fathers.

Here are the instructions from the site about how to obtain your free pocket guide:

Single copies of this Pocket Constitution are available at no charge by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with first class postage for two (2) ounces to: TheCapitol.Net, Pocket Constitution, PO Box 25706, Alexandria, VA 22313-5706. Requests with insufficient postage will be returned or destroyed. Only 1 copy per request. Available while supply lasts. No phone, fax, or email requests will be accepted for complimentary copies.

Be sure to visit the website, though, for the most current information and to check out other related resources.

Calling All Homeschool Grad Authors!

November 16, 2009 by natalie

Inspired and assisted by Lisa Barber, newsletter editor for MHEA, I’ve compiled a list of books by authors who are homeschool graduates. It’s already quite an extensive list, but I’m sure that there are plenty of others that I don’t know about or am forgetting! If you are, or know of, a homeschool graduate who has published a book (printed books only; no ebooks please), send me an e-mail with the information and I’ll add it to the list!

3 Homeschool Resources You Should Keep Your Eye (or Ear) On

July 20, 2009 by natalie

The Homeschool FREEBIE of the Day!

I’ve been following this site for several months now and can’t believe all the great resources that they make available for free. Unit Studies, Ebooks, Audio Programs, Games, and more. Way more than you’ll ever be able to use (or fit on your hard drive!). Just check out the How it Works page of the website for details.

You can check the website for the daily freebie, or you can subscribe to the RSS feed (which is what I do) and just click over if a particular resource appeals to you.

The Homeschool Channel

This is a new endeavor that is still in the works, but check out the mission statement for this up-and-coming site:

“Our mission is to help re-establish the home as the center of instruction and discipleship by providing high-quality, biblically-based resources. We are committed to assisting fathers as family leaders and encouraging mothers as caretakers of the home. In short, our vision is to bring glory to God by equipping families to change the world.”

Pretty exciting, huh?! I’ve subscribed to the updates and blog, and look forward to following the development of this promising new resource for homeschool families.

Generations Radio

Kevin Swanson is the former Executive Director of the Christian Home Educators of Colorado. He began airing this Generations with Vision radio show almost six years ago, but I just came across it last year. I haven’t heard very many of the shows, but I’ve really enjoyed the few that I have been able to catch.

Listen to New Lamplighter Theatre Episode for Free!

July 6, 2009 by natalie

One of our family’s favorite things to do while traveling is listen to audio drama adventures. We really like a lot of the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre productions. Joey’s favorite radio drama, by far, is the Jonathan Park Adventure Audio Series. He listens to these all the time and loves all the creation scientific data that he learns and can share with others.

I’m excited to see that Lamplighter Publishing has just launched their new Radio Theatre as well! In fact, right now you can listen to Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince for free on-line. I’ve listened to part of it already, and it sounds like a great story, along with great music and sound effects!

Great Resource for Educational Travel Experiences!

April 7, 2009 by natalie

One of our family’s favorite things to do is travel to new places and experience new things. We love pulling out our big road atlas, dreaming of the trips we’d like to take, discussing the things we’d like to do along the way, etc. For this reason, I was thrilled to discover the relatively new Travel 2 Educate website that has been co-founded by Rachel Kokosenski to help families incorporate educational activities into their travels! I’ve already been enjoying perusing the website, and today I am excited to welcome Rachel here to the Pajama School blog for an insightful interview. Enjoy!

Pajama School: What inspired you to start Travel2Educate.com?
Rachel: I grew up in a family that always did educational activities and trips with us. We frequented museums and cultural events from a very young age and this became a natural source of fun for us. I can remember being asked what amusement parks I’d been to when I was a child and saying that I’d been to Disney World once, then excitedly added, “But, I’ve been to the MOMA, the Guggenheim, the Field Museum of Natural History, etc.!”

Recently, when I researched “family travel ideas,” I was disappointed to see that the majority of them focus on going to the beach, camping, or amusement parks. It was possible to find information on educational ideas for family travel, but it took a great deal of research all over the Internet. It seemed logical to me to create a “one-stop shop” for like-minded parents to find information for creating educational travel opportunities for their children. We chose to focus on homeschool families in particular because they tend to naturally seek out non-traditional learning opportunities for their children as well as have the flexibility in their schedules to travel to more destinations.

Pajama School: What makes Travel 2 Educate different from other travel information websites?
Rachel: Our information is geared specifically to family-friendly, educational information about different destinations. You can research ideas and book your travel all in one place. We go beyond the typical tourist offerings and seek out learning activities for children of all ages. In addition, we provide information on how to plan your vacation, save money, and get the best value for your dollar. Our Google Group – Travel 2 Educate – offers the opportunity for visitors to our site to share their own travel experiences, photographs, and travel tips.

Pajama School: How can homeschool families best utilize the resources you offer through Travel 2 Educate?
Rachel: Visit the site often and sign up for our free e-newsletter to get additional information, win prizes, and stay on top of hot educational travel ideas. By joining our Google Group – Travel 2 Educate – you can contribute your own ideas, experiences, and photographs or ask questions about activities, destinations, or how to develop educational components to your travel experiences.

Pajama School: Can you tell us a little about your family and your own travel experiences?
Rachel: My husband, who is the co-owner of Travel 2 Educate, is a corporate pilot and travels a lot more exotically than I am able to at the moment! He often contributes photographs for our website articles and does research “on the road” for the website. He enjoys traveling more with us than for work, but admits he has been fortunate to get to travel to some pretty amazing destinations.

We are adopting our 4-year-old son at the moment and have done some traveling with him; we are currently restricted to domestic travel, but look forward to getting him his first passport! He has a definite sense of adventure and loves to learn, so it will be fun to begin showing him the world as soon as we can.

I enjoy traveling, immersing myself in different cultures, and learning new things. I love the freedom of getting out of the ordinary. I’ve planned trips to popular destinations, such as Ireland, but try to always seek out unusual experiences in those destinations. For example, while I was in Ireland, I swam with wild dolphins in a little town in southwest Ireland, called Dingle. For the record, it was an amazing experience and very inexpensive – much better than swimming with them in a pool in the U.S.

Pajama School: Do you have any favorite travel destinations?
Rachel: Ireland, Hawaii, New York City, and Montana are my top choices at the moment. But, I am hoping to plan a lot more travel in the coming years and will certainly add to my list of favorites, I’m sure!

Pajama School: Do you have any plans in the works for further developing Travel 2 Educate?
Rachel: Yes, I have a Masters of Education and I am working on developing a new section of our site that will focus on curriculum ideas that can be created based on travel experiences. These will be segmented by age/grade level and available as E-books for a nominal fee. I hope to have the beginning lessons available by the fall of 2009 and will continue to produce more in the future.

I’m sure we will be adding some additional information and sections to the website, but they have not been firmed up at this time. The best thing to do is to “stay tuned” by subscribing to our e-newsletter!

Pajama School: Any additional comments or information you’d like to share?
Rachel: I really appreciate the opportunity to be interviewed by you on Pajama School blog and I invite your readers to start planning their educational travel through Travel 2 Educate!

Free HSLDA Membership!

March 25, 2009 by natalie

If you are a homeschool family and are not currently a member of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), you have the incredible opportunity to become a member for free! Just fill out the on-line application by April 30 and your trial membership will be good through July 31. HSLDA is a tremendous resource for families. They are daily fighting battles on our behalf to secure and preserve our freedoms.

They also publish a bi-monthly magazine called the Court Report and offer lots of additional homeschool-related information on their website. There are numerous other little perks of membership, and HSLDA supports many good causes, so the membership is well worth the regular annual fee of $115. Our family became an HSLDA member as soon as we started homeschooling and it has been an incredible blessing to us ever since!

Travel A Million Miles with the Pent Family!

March 13, 2009 by natalie

Ten P's in a Pod Some friends gave me the book Ten P’s in a Pod for Christmas several years ago. I’ve been wanting to read it ever since, and finally pulled it off the shelf to read last year. The Pent family has been described as the “first modern home school family.” I could definitely relate to certain stories shared by the author!

More than anything, I was inspired by the large amount of Scripture reading that was required in the Pent family – several hours a day for most of the family members. Because of such consistency in God’s Word, many of the children, by default, had memorized large portions of Scripture, which they regularly recited during their family programs. This book challenged me to make a more conscientious effort to spend time reading Scripture.

Through the month of March, you can download the entire audio version of Ten P’s in a Pod from Behemoth.com for free! Also, the author – Mr. Arnold Pent has this to say, “To encourage you, we are offering this book at basically cost, to encourage your family in your faith, and your walk with Jesus.” Through the month of March, you can also purchase a hard copy of Ten P’s in a Pod through Vision Forum at 60% off the retail price. A great deal on an entertaining and inspiring read!

Stories for the Whole Family

March 10, 2009 by natalie

Lamplighter Publishing has just launched a new, beautiful website!

If you are looking for inspiring, captivating stories to read with your family, I highly recommend the Lamplighter books. Years ago, I read Titus: A Comrade of the Cross, and absolutely loved it. So about a year and a half ago, I started reading it to my three youngest siblings. They were likewise riveted to every word of the story, and found their hearts drawn closer to Jesus through it.

Our family also loves listening to radio dramas, so I’m especially excited about the new Audio Drama, Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince, that is in the works. You can sign up for the Lamplighter E-Newsletter on their home page to keep up with the latest developments on this project, and on new releases that become available.

History of the World Review

March 5, 2009 by natalie

History of the World DVD Set One of the things I’m hoping to do here on the Pajama School Blog is post reviews of some of the items I have listed under the Recommended Resources in the sidebar. This morning I came across an excellently written overview of one of the History of the World messages. Fellow homeschooler Nathan Hayden recently watched this series and has posted a comprehensive overview of The Message of the Mayas and the Correlation to America.

Our family watched this set of 10 DVDs last year and found them to be very interesting. Nathan’s post will give you a taste of some of the insights you can gain if you watch these lectures.