Archive for July, 2011
Booster Shots…. For Homeschooling Parents.
No, we’re not talking about immunizations. We are talking about booster shots for those families that have homeschooled for so long, or so in depth that they have lost the joy of why they started this journey in the first place.
You may be one of those families that has been homeschooling for 9 years or so and now are on the home stretch, or you may be new to the journey and have gotten in over your head and wondered if this is the right choice. Any and all of us could use a Booster Shot at some point.
Here my top 10 ideas:
10. Field Trip! Just a short one or maybe even a day long adventure – your choice, but there is nothing like a field trip to break up the week and breath life into a student’s schedule.
9. Read Aloud! If you don’t already do this, it’s a good time to start when your battery is low. You can read to them, or they can take turns reading to you and each other. It’s a great way to bond and relax. Yes, even high school kids like this still!
8. School Outside! The weather is turning warmer in most parts of the country! Take the books, the art, the portable CD player and learn outside. Even better, just walk and study what is about to bloom and discuss the science of this blessing!
7. Combining 8 & 9! One booster for us, all the way up until mid high school, was to take a huge blanket out under the sun or shade tree and read. We would watch clouds, pet new baby chicks or kitties and just enjoy hearing a good story in the fresh air.
Read the rest of this entry »
Americans Get Serious About Recycling
At home, at work and at school, Americans have successfully engaged in recycling programs–and one of the best success stories is paper.
In 2005, a record-high 51.5 percent (51.3 million tons) of all paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) hopes to increase that number and has set an ambitious goal of 55 percent recovery by 2012.
Every American can do his or her part. Although each community’s recycling programs may be different, you can generally recycle newspapers, corrugated containers (cardboard), direct mail, magazines and catalogs. Check with your local municipality to find out what you can and cannot recycle.
The AF&PA Recycling Awards were created to recognize outstanding individual, business community and school paper recycling efforts. In 2006, the program was expanded to include a category for schools.
Read the rest of this entry »
A Fun College Application Essay Will Be Remembered
There are lots of mind-boggling questions swirling around students’ minds, as they hold their pen and wonder what to write for a piece of paper called College Admission Essay. Some of the questions that bother them are the following: what is the style of writing they should adopt for this specific kind of essay, what is the tone to use, and what topic to talk about. The students are really interested in knowing what the admission officers would like to read in a College Application Essay. For them, hitting the bull’s eye with their College Application Essay will definitely increase their chances of admission to their desired university. Entrance to a top university is a tough competition that one has to outwit, outplay, and outlast everybody with their creatively written essay.
Writing one’s College Admission Essay is not the same as writing a research paper. This means that one’s essay should not be formulaic as though one is just stating facts about oneself. There’s a tendency for most admission essays to be boring and lifeless if one writes it in the form of research paper. The moment that the admission officers discover that one’s writing and essay is a complete drag, they are likely to miss the important details contained in the essay even though the credentials are excellent. The first thing an applicant has to remember is that Admission officers want the essay to be personal and imaginative. The next thing they have to take note of is how to write something personal without making it appear as a lifeless paper. The trick for this is to make the tone of the essay a conversational one. Since one is talking about his life, narrate it in a light humorous tone as though one is talking to another person like a friend. In this way, one will definitely get the focus and the hearts of the admission officers. People should freely express themselves. It is observed that the grammar is not given so much concern because the Admission officers are not reading an essay to find out if the applicant knows about subject-verb agreement. The application essays were created so that the Admission officers will know the applicant’s attitude and outlook in life.
Read the rest of this entry »
5 Advantages Of Getting Your Health Care Degree Online
Ten years ago, who would have thought you could get an education without attending classes? The Internet has made wonderful things possible, though, among them the ability to get your health care degree online. An online education carries with it a unique set of advantages, including:
You can continue working while you go to school.
Realistically, you don’t have to actually “go” anywhere. You can keep working the same job with the same hours, because taking online classes gives you the flexibility to plan your education around your job, rather than the other way around.
Doing what’s best for you without neglecting what’s best for your family.
Your family needs you; there’s no doubt about that. Online classes allow you to be there for them, both as an income provider and as their emotional support. And because you are getting your health care degree online, you’ll be able to look forward to a time when you can advance your career and substantially improve the quality of your family’s life.
Getting an education without sacrificing your social life.
For returning students at a traditional job, sometimes it is all they can do to work and go to school full time. Just those two things take up so much time that their social life is non-existent. For you, however, things can be different. If you get your health care degree online, you will be able to plan your schooling around the other obligations you have in your life, enabling you to maintain your friends as well.
Read the rest of this entry »