Homeschool Showcase #28

Welcome to the July 27, 2009 edition of Homeschool Showcase, the carnival the seeks to spotlight all the the encouraging, inspiring, hands-on, and just plain fun ways that homeschooling families live, learn and enjoy life together.


First up, Brenda Sain presents Homeschool Gadget Toolbar posted at The Curriculum Choice, saying, "A gadget for new and veteran homeschoolers that helps you find the best homeschool sites and blogs on the Internet." Have you seen this thing? It's really awesome! It comes "pre-loaded" with tons of great homeschool sites and blogs, as well as a lot of fun gadgets such as a music player and a weather forecast button.

Once again, I'm a little jealous of you iPhone users since Allison Johanson has collected some really nifty apps in her post, 25 Essential Free iPhone Apps for Lifelong Learners, found at Top Online University Reviews.

I can't recall if I've ever had fried zucchini. I love zucchini, though, and I love fried squash, so I'm definitely going to try Belle's recipe. Be sure to check out How to make Fried Zucchini - with pictures posted at Homesteaderbelle's Blog.

Do you have any math lovers at your house? Emma Taylor presents 100 Best Websites for Mathletes posted at Online Universities.com.

I just loved Erin's fun, hands-on ideas for Summer review - Parts of Speech posted at Delighting in His Richness. I know that, for my kids, just being able to put their hands on the parts of speech cards and manipulate them would go a long way in helping to cement this abstract idea in their minds.

Anne Simone presents 100 Free College Courses To Develop Your Artistic Eye posted at Learn-gasm.

If you're like me, you have lots of books you don't need and lots more you'd love to buy. If so, be sure to check out the list of 100 Awesome Sites for Buying, Trading, and Selling All Your Books compiled by Emma Taylor of MasterDegreeOnline. The only one of my favorites that I didn't see listed is Vegsource's homeschool buy-and-sell board.

Speaking of book, have you got unused homeschool curriculum sitting around on your bookshelves gathering dust? You know, the stuff you thought you'd use, but, for whatever reason, haven't. Jolanthe, of Homeschool Creations, has the perfect solution: The Curriculum Clean-Out! Dust off that like-new curriculum and visit Jolanthe for all the details.

Margaret Garcia presents Sarah Palin’s Stand on Special Education posted at Nurse Practitioner Schools.

Jimmie recently had a great post on her blog, Jimmie's Collage, about Sneaking in Some School with Dinosaurs with a glue resist fossil craft. I thought this was such a neat craft and the finished products were some really authentic-looking fossil pictures. I'm going to keep this one in mind for future reference.

photo by jmmie

Also posting now for Heart of the Matter Online, Jimmie a fun idea for incorporating mapping, nature study, and math with a great summertime activity, Mapping Your Backyard. All you need is some graph paper and, well, a backyard.

Patricia Turner share her list of 50 Reasons to Love Your Local Library posted at Online University Lowdown. I bet many of these won't be a surprise to most homeschooling moms. ;-)

If you're still using Internet Explorer, I highly recommend that you check out Firefox, a free browser download that is reported to be free of many of the security issues IE users face and offering many great, user-friendly add-ons that make your web browsing experience easier and more fun (like TwitterBar and Morning Coffee!). If you are using Firefox, you might be interested in Kate Hopkins's list of 100 Awesome Firefox Add-Ons for Back to School posted at Online College Degree.org.

Julie Moses shares her students' wonderful art creations in her yummy-looking post, Thiebaud's Tempting Treats posted at Ms. Julie's Place. Julie says, "Summer is the season for ice cream, but instead of just eating it, how about letting it inspire you the way it did Wayne Thiebaud."

photo by julie

If you're looking for some great back-to-school deals, Stingy Student says you can "get up to 90% off at Amazon.com for back to school shopping." See if you can find any deals at Best Amazon.com Discount Sale - 90% off for Back To School Shopping posted at Stingy Students.

Is your family getting ready to head "back-to-school"? According to my poll, we're not alone in our plans to start in August. Forty-five percent of you will be joining us, so be sure to check out my favorite back-to-school tips.

amida, of Our Journey Into Unschooling, has found a great way to let her kids expend some energy and get some exercise with an Indoor Obstacle Course. What a fun rainy day (or hot day or boring day or any day!) activity for the whole family!

Amanda Keovongsa shares some tips for Simplifying Tapestry Of Grace posted at Encouragement Along The Way.

Thanks for joining us for this week's Homeschool Showcase! Mark your calendars for August 9, the submission deadline date for the August 10th edition. You can submit your blog article for the next edition by using our carnival submission form. Be sure to read the guidelines if you've never joined us before. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Don't forget to enter to win a 3-month membership to JumpStart.com!