Busy Busy

So I haven't gotten around to making updates lately. We have been busy here at home! R's 5th birthday is coming up soon and it's the first "big one" that I'm planning. (5 years old!!) We're doing a general outer space theme, with some Star Trek references, where I will be making most of the party games and decorations myself. I love using my crafty side, and Pinterest provides the inspiration. :)
As a homeschooling parent who also works part time and attends college part time, my schedule is pretty full. However, I have planned out a list of topics to write about and will be creating those updates soon!

Upcoming posts will include:
- R's 5th birthday with links to DIY ideas we used and photos of how they turned out.
- Top Educational Websites for young children.
- How we use Meetup.com to socialize.

10 Educational Apps for Children

As I've browsed through homeschooling groups on various forum-style websites, I've come across one frequently asked question that I feel I can now answer.

"What are your favorite educational Apps and websites for children?"

I've narrowed the suggestions I've gathered as well as some that I've stumbled across at random down to a handful that we really enjoy and still have bookmarked on our computers or downloaded to our devices.

Today I'll be focusing on 10 of our favorite free cellphone apps.

 Soon I will write one about websites, and when that one is published I will add a link at the bottom of this post.

These free apps are mostly geared towards pre-k to kindergarten ages that we use on my Iphone 3G. As far as I know these work for android phones and tablets as well. If I ever invest in a tablet, I'll make a new post about the more detailed tablet-only apps you can try.

1. Endless Reader

(Seriously the cutest phonics, sight word, spelling, and early reading app I have ever laid eyes on! It has amazing sound effects and adorable graphics.)

2. Funbrain Jr.

(Multiple fun games)

3. Reading Egg's "Eggy 100" 

(Great sight word practice!)

4. Alligator App's "Little Writer" 

(I love this app and attribute R's correct writing form to this handy dandy app that makes writing practice fun!)

 5. Phonogram Sounds

 (Not a game, but useful for introducing and practicing phonics.)

6. Time Teacher Lite

(Simple way to learn about the clock and test your knowledge.)

7. Talking Numbers
(See numbers in visual form for a teaching tool, upgrade for $1.99 to test knowledge.)

8. ABCmouse.com's MANY Storybooks in app form. 

(Great for keeping a child entertained on long road trips or in waiting rooms.)

9. ABCmouse.com's "Visit the Zoo" 

10. ABCmouse.com's "A-Z Videos" 

(Free for ABCmouse.com members, free limted version for non-members with the ability to earn more videos through collecting points.)

My New Obsession with Pocket Charts

Well it's about time that I made a new update. I wanted to wait until I had something fantastic to write about, but having an idea at all will just have to work if I plan to keep this thing going.

R has just over 6 months left until he will be "officially" beginning his year of kindergarten. I decided it would be best for us to stick to the public school calendar year for the most part so that he will have more opportunities to socialize with his public schooled friends.

For now, we have been practicing what I expect things may be like when we get started. I'm trying to find out what kind of learner R is. I have no idea what type of purchased curriculum we will be using, if anything for kindergarten. There are so many options that I definitely feel a bit overwhelmed.

One thing I have found that I will probably stick with for a while is beginning the school day with observing the calendar. I purchased a Pocket Chart Calendar by Learning Resources off Amazon.com.

This nifty pocket chart is so useful! I love that I will never have to buy a wall calendar again for our "School Room." It comes with very durable cards that I feel will last a long time, it has a huge selection of weather cards, seasons, holidays, and extras such as field trips and birthdays. We use it every morning and R has already gained much better knowledge of how the calendar works.

So every morning we begin by setting the weekdays for "Today", "Yesterday", and ""Tomorrow." We go over what month and year we are at, and look for any holidays or events that are coming up. It makes things exciting for R now that he is able to visually see how far away a fun event is when I say "Three more days!" About half way through the day we will change out the weather cards to show what today's weather has been like and how it was different from the day before.

So all in all, that is one thing down! Two actually, now that I have made a blog post about it. We still have a lot to figure out in what seems to be a quickly shortening time frame, but I feel confident that everything will fall into place somehow as long as we both have the desire to learn about ourselves, each other, and what the world has to offer us with education at home.

Hello Fellow Parents and Homeschoolers!

Hello world! For my first update on Home Sweet Homeschooling, I’d like to welcome visitors and thank you all for taking the time to check out this brand new blog. I am a mother of one amazing four year old little boy, who I’ll refer to as "R." We are new to the homeschooling world and ready for the adventures to come. I started this blog as a storage for all that we will experience as well as a place to share ideas and discuss homeschooling topics. Check back in to have a view in the life of a homeschooling family from the very beginning.