Pat Hutchins Author for October.

Our author of the month is Pat Hutchins!  She is written many lovely books including The Wind Blew.  I have enjoyed learning about Ms. Hutchins.  She does not have a web site, but her publisher Harper Collins  has a lovely biography about her. 

I have set up a Pinterest board with a few activities I have found using her books.  Her books are just so sweet and to be savored.  I enjoy reading them to my kids and love how  she uses beautifully simple language. 

Hopefully you will grab some copies of her books this month and enjoy reading them at your house.

Happy Reading!  

You might be a homeschooler if. . .

...you get really excited when your mom tells you can do the dishes and solve Two Minute Mysteries at the same time. 

...you find a moth in the backyard and insist that your brother look up on Wikipedia to find the exact species, and

...then see if that same brother will read you a story. 

...you get really excited to observe the 4 inch wide root that is running down the middle of the old drain pipe that is being replaced.  

...you think that your older brother's and sister's math manipulatives are blocks to play with. 

Teaching High School: 5 Things to Remember Guest post by Lisa McAfee

Teaching High School: 5 Things to Remember

Time flies rather quickly and before you know it, you have a high school student! Don't panic, because in many ways teaching high school is easier than elementary school. With high school students they are able to be given an assignment and complete it without much intervention, if any at all.

Many thoughts were going through my head when I was thinking of the most important things to remember when teaching high school so I asked for help from some home school graduates, my sons. After much discussion, we narrowed it down to five areas that are important when teaching high school students.

Respect is one of the most important aspects of teaching a teen. If you show your student respect by treating them as a responsible young man or young woman you will see your child flourish. Speak to them as you would like them to speak to you; respect their privacy; respect their time; and respect them as young adults.

Expect your children to do what you have asked. Set realistic goals for your scholar and then help them to achieve that goal. If you are not sure what those academic goals are to be you can look at  websites such as the Ohio Department of Education. If your child is not sure if they are wanting to go on to college, prepare them as though they were going because it is easier to study a foreign language now then when they decide to go to college when they are in their twenties and one of the admission requirements is two years of a foreign language. Hold the academic standard bar high for your student, they will achieve those standards with your guidance.

Deadlines are one of the hardest things for us as a homeschool parent to hold our students to because we know what their schedules look  like; we know if they have had to work or had an illness. But, when your graduate goes off to college or enters the workforce, no one is taking into any of that into consideration. You are given a deadline and are expected to meet it. So, make that transition  for your high school student by setting deadlines.

Consequences should be in place and discussed in the event that your student does not meet the academic deadline or doesn't do the assignment that was given to them.  Discuss with them work that has to be completed and what will happen if they fail to meet the deadline.

Independence is what we want for our children. I know it was hard for me to think of my sons not living with us anymore, but I also knew that it was necessary for them in order to become adults. Was it easy? Not at first, but my sons are doing well and are happy living on their own. My youngest son told me the other day, "Thanks for not always checking up on me, Mom." I guess that's a compliment? :)

Wishing you well,

~Lisa McAfee

Lisa McAfee has graduated two boys in home education.  She tutors and teaches in Cincinnati.  She blogs at  at Schoolmarm Ohio.  She is also a dear friend.  The opinions she has expressed are entirely her own.

The Mess Dectives and The Case of the Lost Temper by Karen Poth

A Lesson in Self-Control
In this Level One VeggieTales I Can Read, The Mess Detectives and the Case of the Lost Temper, Bob and Larry have another important case … track down the Masked Door Slammer. But when the investigation doesn’t go the way Bob wants, and things go wrong, he begins to lose his temper.
Will a gentle reminder from Larry help Bob get his temper under control?


 The Mess Detectives and the Case of the Lost Temper is an I Can Read book by Karen Poth. This Level One book is around 32 pages and each page has around three to five lines on each page.  The story is the adventure of Bob and Larry as detectives who investigate the case of a door slammer.  The book follows Bob and Larry as they solve the problem of being annoyed with each other.

As a homeschool mom of seven and a former reading teacher I can say I have sat through hundreds of beginning reader books.  The story did not seem as contrived to me as other beginning reader books I have read over the years.  The story successfully solved a problem in a natural way with limited vocabulary and sentence length.  The pictures are delightful and engaging.  I can recommend this book for beginning readers. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”