I learned how to touch-type in highschool and it was the easiest computer/technology credit I ever earned that was actually useful. The Spawn already started tying lessons using the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing for Kids program at his old school. He said he enjoyed that program and he would proudly report to me every day [...]
This morning, the Spawn and I headed to Payatas with other Manikako volunteers to participate in a doll-making workshop with some kids who live in the slum area there. Payatas, in Quezon City, is infamously known for being Manila’s waste dump site. Literally, mountains of garbage surround the area and almost every bit of land [...]
I bought the book Word Works: Making the Most of Microsoft Word from a Book Sale thinking it would be useful for the Spawn’s computer lessons. Although we use Open Office for our word processing, I figured the functions of the program were similar enough to it’s Microsoft counterpart to still be usable. The parts [...]
The Spawn and I started tackling some lessons from the Grade 2 reading list of Global Village School. I suggested we read Hour of the Olympics, Magic Tree House #16 by Mary Pope Osborne because the movie, Percy Jackson was a huge hit earlier this year which the Spawn loved. The Percy Jackson series is [...]
The Robinson Curriculum was designed by a single homeschooling dad for his kids. When Dr. Robinson tragically lost his wife, he was left to continue homeschooling their 6 children without their mother/teacher and provide for his family financially. Over the next two years, he created the Robinson Curriculum, a Self-Teaching homeschooling program wherein the students [...]
While searching for a place to eat a few nights ago, the Spawn and I browsed through the stalls of the weekend gourmet market. There were cookies, cakes, hydrophonic veggies, and other yummy eatables. The stall of Mrs. Q Cakes and Pastries caught my eye because they were selling vegan baked goods and were offering [...]
The Spawns ninang (godmother) gave him this book last year to encourage his artistic pursuits and sense of wonder and imagination. Scranimals, by Jack Prelutsky, contains poems and illustrations of the fantastic animals who live on Scranimal Island… It reminds me of another book, also written by Jack Prelutsky, which we used in the art [...]
When I finally decided that we would homeschool, there was no question in my mind which program we would use… It would have to be the curriculum of Global Village School. When I was researching different homeschooling programs, GVS struck a chord with me because they are a secular school but they stress the importance [...]
The Spawn and I have been trying to tackle more lessons from his Grade 2 Filipino book for the past few days. I have to admit I am very worried. We are barely managing. The Filipino Animals Flashcards we made last week worked well but I’m running out of ideas on how to teach him [...]
Although it is still summer here in the Philippines, the Spawn and i have already started some of his homeschooling lessons. I ask him which lessons he would like to do and those are the subjects he takes up for the day. Sometimes he chooses a drawing or Art activity, sometimes he asks to do [...]
