Getting Ready to Homeschool

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

With everything that is going on in the world and our wake up call when the kids went remote that the school was not doing them justice. I won't go on about how far behind they are from other students or that they are were being asked to do work when they couldn't do the work leading up to that work, so they felt  defeated everyday because they just didn't understand how to do the work. Yes my oldest child graduated by the skin of her teeth but that is a whole other story for another time. 

Right now is where we are at. My now 13 year old daughter Dorothy has been asking to be homeschooled for a few years now and after what we have seen, we decided to take our cue from her seriously and take the plunge again. We have homeschooled before and enjoyed it. Looking back I wish we had homeschooled all six of our children right from the get go. With that being said he we beginning our journey into Homeschooling once more this coming fall. 

We ordered our learning curriculum which has arrived (our state has strict guidelines to follow) and now we are looking at school supplies that will work with our families needs. We know we didn't really need a lot so we are just filling in around what we already have available in our home. 

Since my daughter is entering 9th grade and with my health some of the days will be spent traveling or even at her sister's house we went with a system that would allow her to take her basic school needs with her where ever she might be learning on any particular day. 

One of the big items we provided for her was a computer for home use, a microscope which will be coming in soon, and this ZIPIT'N'GO Organizer which will hold all of her books she is working on. We went with a system that has smaller workbooks that can be changed out as the year progresses, so they fit perfectly into the acordain file system that is built into this binder. 

What I love most about this case is that once closed it zips up so nothing will be lost when in transit from place to place. There is a front pouch for holding pens, pencils, calculator, etc. A 3 ring spot for regular folders, dividers, paper, etc. A nice flap on the back where you can keep a flat pad of paper or store other projects. It has lots of different pockets built in to store pretty much everything you would need for a day of learning. 

There is also a detachable strap for the binder so you can carry it with you and have your hands free for
other tasks. You can also use the handle to carry it, or use the the tried and true in your the crook of your arm hold. Either way you are sure to be organized and ready for the day. What I love most is that it has a lifetime warranty which means they really stand behind their products. 

We have had many ZIPIT products over the years and we have yet to have one fail us, now it is our turn to try out this and put it the test. Make sure to check back with us at the end of the school year to see how it held up. Find the ZIPIT'N'GO Organizer at Walmart. 

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Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

The Ultimate Laptop Bag

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We are forever trying to find the perfect bag to suit everyone's needs and this one is pretty high on our list. This is a great backpack for toting your computer or computers around with you. Think remote learner, distance learner, college, work, home. It needs to make transporting your computer equipment easy while keeping high priced items safe. 

In reality I could transport my full size laptop computer, my daughters smaller school notebook computer, and both of our tablets safely all in this one bag and still have room for books, pens, pencils, and notebooks. If you hook up a power bank to the included built in USB port you have charging ability for tablets and cell phones which is nice to have on hand as well. 

This bag from Insavant is also water resistant and considered Anti Theft. It has so many extras side pockets for water bottles, a hidden anti theft area, key ring, sunglass holder, card compartment, luggage strap, etc. I love that the bag is padded so that you don't have a hard computer jutting into your back, which protects both wearer and items inside. This bag has just about everything you need to get your computer and other items from point A to point B safely. Check out all of my pictures below.

I really could go on and on about this bag. One of the other things I love about this bag is the padded handle, this is very important to me so that I can grab and go. Even though I love this bag dearly my daughter has called this for her own unless my husband takes it first. I guess we might need to get a few more to make everyone happy. Like I said there is a lot to love with this bag. 

 

2020-2021 Books read by my daughter

 With many other parents, we had to make a choice to home school, send our children to school, or to join a host of others in distance learning. We chose distance learning. Even though my daughter is in 8th grade her reading level is far behind those of her peers. A whole different realization about how the education system let not only me down but most importantly my daughter down. 

So we are reading as much as we can across a wide span of  reading levels. Some she can read with ease then we  move up in reading level, some are much to hard for her so I read those to her, while I try to keep the books a little above her reading level to give her a bit of a challenge, I don't want her to give up on reading all together. Reading should be enjoyed, and even though she is interested in books, she gets discouraged just trying to keep up with her school work and most days it is a struggle to get her to read. All in a days work for this mom who wants to see her daughter succeed. 

Below you will find the books she has read or I have read to her. 

Amazon Affiliate links below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Learning while playing Games

There is no secret our family loves to play games. As a parent I also like learning games, and games that can be played in different ways like this Magnetic fishing game. I absolutely love that it comes in a package that can house the whole game in between play. First of all it is a fishing game where you can fish for numbered magnetic fish. This can be changed up many ways, as well as a set of alphabet magnetic letters. Use them in the game on a magnetic board etc. 

Then you have the card set which teaches animals, the alphabet, and matching. I love the simple design and how much I can see this being played with by my grand children. 

Check them out at my affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Family Wall Art

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We have had this idea forever and it seems like others had the same idea as well. We wanted something for our walls that was personal and customized to just our family. What I wanted was to make our family names into a Scrabble like look on our walls. We couldn't find anything at the time to do this. My husband didn't want anything too heavy for the walls, and wanted to be able to re- position if ever we had to add a name in the future. He did a layout on Graph paper years ago, of course we had added quite a few names (we are now grand parents) since then so we are still a work in progress.

A company asked me if I wanted to review their product and I took one look and knew this is exactly what we need to do our project. I went with rounded corners as you can see above but they do have square corners and they have completely round tiles to choose from.  Each tile is 4 by 4 inches which is the right size we were looking for. They come with a sanding block and you can stain or paint them which ever way you would like too. These tiles are versatile, think coaster, art projects, ect. We are currently looking for the templates for the letters and numbers and we found a few options for hanging them on the wall. I have links to the tiles which will take you to all and to the options we came up for hanging tiles. 

We decided on 3 inch letters and 1/2 inch numbers, found them while putting this blog together for you. We have to order more tiles to  get all of our names done and work it out on our walls. We went from smooth walls to wood paneling. We rent so we have to deal with the walls we have at the moment. We live on a small income so we are still getting the supplies together to complete this but hope to get it up soon. Until then there are some inspirational pictures below to see just about how we would like to do ours. I hope you like this and hope to show you ours as we get it up. I am sure it will be years in the making for all of the extra bits around the letters but I am so excited we can finally make this happen.

Time is coming to a close

Only 4 more days for Dorothy to reach her  goal of 88.00  she is currently at 60.00 please help her reach her goal before March 30th. Thank you for those who have already supported her, her class, or her school.

They get to have a Glow in the dark run at the end for all of the hard work they have put in for raising money for school activities. The whole School Goal is 10,000 please join in and help us reach our goal. 

Charge and Organize

I like to multi task as much as possible, and if I an find a product that can do two things at once I am super happy. Our family misses our old house with large rooms and plenty of space for everything including a room of our very own for a home office. Gone are those days. We have gone from a 6 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment. We are making due, but many of our things are still in storage while we are still finding how to put things in the space we have in our new home. We have donated many items as well having to throw out items due to mice getting into storage unit and ruining items. 

So with having said that we are still trying to come up with a working plan for a home office that can handle a place for both my husband and myself to be able to have room to do our thing on the internet. While still having space to have items available for the kids crafting as well as our own do-it-yourself projects. We really are a family that needs just a bit more space maybe a home with a garage and one extra room but that is for another conversation. Back to the task on hand. 

First and foremost. A spot for everyone to charge their devices where we can find them and charge them without having to hunt down a cord and if people come to visit they can hook up as well. This charger from Mstjry was just what we needed to really get us started on organizing in a smaller space. I am so excited by this and it fits everything we have in our home.  

I love that if someone visits we now have a dedicated spot where they can charge so there is no chance of missing cords or electronics. Everything is super easy to find and ready to use. Comes with three IOS or apple cords and two android cords. You can also change out your own cords for the cords needed as long as it starts with the USB connector. 

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Keep those points sharp

As parents soon as the kids started school we like to have a pencil sharpener available at home. Early on we decided on electric pencil sharpeners. This year we have one from Vic Tagen. Not that we needed a new one we just can't find out old one from when we moved. We know it is somewhere but no where it should have been so far so we picked this one up.

I like that it can be used in three different ways. One with 4 AA batteries, through USB, or with the included AC cord. Makes having it portable and ready great for our family.

This pencil sharpener also is safer since it will not turn on when the pencil shaving cover is not in place. Gives me a little piece of mind for when my grand daughter is over that she won't get hurt while using it.


The pencil shaving cover held about 12 pencils worth of shavings without binding up the sharpening area before having to empty. Great for home or school use. Has strongest sharpening when used with AC cord.

Now that we have all of our pencils sharpened it is homework time here in Marksville. What items do you like to have on hand for your children during school time?

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Sketching

I am blessed to have children who like to create things. Some of my children take after their father for creating art so we are always buying paper, pads, pens, markers, paints, etc.

My daughter who is entering 10th grade this year needed not for school but her creative side at home some sketch pads.

Thankfully Lasten has some great products like this double pack of pads. My oldest took the large one as I had bought her a small one to take to school for her ideas, and her younger sister took the smaller for her art projects.

I love that both of these are made from quality paper with 48 sheets in each as well as double spiral bound and carry handles on each for portability. The 2 pack of Lasten Pads can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Organizing Tiny Messes

Having a family means organizing lots of things big and small. My husband used to have a really nice way to store his tools but now that we have moved it is a whole new ball game.

Recently while unpacking. Yes 4 months later we are still making a dent into unpacking and found this bucket of mixed screws, nuts, nails, washers, and other doodads.

Having little totes like this one from Lasten on hand really helps make sense of tiny messes. These storage boxes are also great for use in tiny toy collections, hair beads, jewelry making, etc.

As you can see the after is looking a whole lot more neater and there is plenty of room for more items to be sorted. My husband is happy he doesn't have to dig anymore for what he needs and I am happy not to have to worry about the bucket tipping over and having to clean it up. What is great about this particular one is that you can change the sizes of the areas to accommodate different items.

This Storage box from Lasten can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Stamp Markers for Rainy Days

Having art supplies readily available is very important to me. I grew up in house where I was well loved, but we didn't have extra money for things like art supplies. When we started to have children I wanted to make sure to have lots of things on hand to keep their growing minds busy. Some of those things include paints, construction paper, glue, magazines, crayons, and markers like these from Hapree. These markers are great because they have two purposes. One for drawing the other for stamping. 

My children have enjoyed making different projects over the years like homemade greeting cards, celebration banners, mosaics, etc. Seeing their art grow over the years has brought me many happy memories. These markers come in a nice box to keep your markers neat and tidy. They are also washable which I am sure most moms are thankful for. They write smoothly and are great for small hands.

Hapree markers can be found at my link below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

DIY Bun

I love to style my daughter's hair. Believe me with having 6 girls and 2 grand daughters I have done lots of hair. Even with that many I am still learning hair styles or easier ways of doing a style. Take buns for one. They are hard to do if you have a little one who wants one but doesn't want to stay still long enough to get one. I really believe this is where the messy bun came to be formed from. 

With bun makers like this one from Skinosm I am able to put up buns in a matter of seconds. Yes seconds and they look great. I love this set because you get 6 different colored bun makers. Think slap bracelet meets hair band. They are colored but I have found each color works well if you cover all of the edges evenly which is quite easy. 

Each one come with directions to either make a bun or a french twist. I love to put two of these in the girls hair. I start with a part and two ponytails to keep my place then I take one elastic out and follow directions for a regular but placing it where I would have one ponytail instead when I am down my girls have two cute buns on their heads. One of the favorite styles my 15 year old likes to wear.

This 6 piece set can be found at my affiliate link below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and SKINOSM. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Reading Kingdom

* Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  

I have a daughter who even though in the fall of 2017 she will enter 5th grade she only just reads at the 1st grade level. Does it make me mad? It sure does. For me the education system has totally let her down. They change programs so often for reading that by the time a child catches on they change it or for those who struggle they totally get left behind.

I have been searching for a program that would help my daughter to learn to read, not memorize but truly learn to read. The Reading Kingdom came up for a review and I just had to reach out to the owner and let them know what is going on with my daughter and countless other children out there. I let them know where she was in her reading level as well as other information to help them help me pick out the right reading system for my daughter.







Even though the Reading Kingdom will only take her as far as third grade reading level it is a lot better then being stuck at beginning first grade level entering 5th grade. It is just unfair to those who are struggling.

So I started my daughter almost a month ago using the system and even though we would like to do it everyday, the lessons are really short, school and appointment were getting in the way, so we averaged about 3-4 days a week. Now that summer is here we are using it every day.

Like I said the sessions are pretty short so they don't get overloaded and as they learn sentences get longer, and harder. This system lets them learn at their speed.  Reading Kingdom isn't just about phonics it is so much more. The best part is that the sentences they do read are real sentences that make sense not sentences that just rhyme. Just take a look at the site and read for yourself or watch the video here.

When you first start your child takes a test to see where they are for their reading level. The system encourages you to not help. Believe me this is hard but I have found it works well. Every now and then I give my daughter high fives when she is doing great.

After the initial testing your child is ready to start at the level they are or should be ready for. The system is always reevaluating your child's learning so that things progress along well. My daughter after testing started at level 1. So we have a long way to go.

Once she used this I asked my daughter what she thought about it. She said it was way different then she learns at school, she likes it, it is fun, and she already feels like she is reading better. I know she is my daughter but I have even seen a difference in her reading.






Finally my daughter isn't struggling anymore. Matter of fact when she saw her therapist she actually wanted to read a book to her and me instead of us reading to her. She needed help with a few words but just weeks ago she didn't want to pick up a book at all unless someone else was reading it to her. This is already making a difference in her life. Both my husband, myself, and several of my children are avid book readers and with this program we might just have another one soon enough.

Key Benefits:

- The only program that uses the Six Skill Integrated Method developed by Dr. Marion Blank from Columbia University
- Program is adaptive and is personalized for each child
- Children can use the program on their own
- Teaches children to read and write with comprehension at a 3rd grade reading level in only 12-18 months
- Works on any device with an Internet connection (including Windows, Mac, iPad, Android, Chromebooks, etc.)

Everyone who tries this out will get a 30 day trial to see if it works for you and your child.  This system is great for schools, classrooms, home schoolers, and parents like myself who have found their child struggling. 

You can find out more about Reading Kingdom on:

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Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and Reading Kingdom. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Muster bag for Kids

* Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  

This Muster bag Kids Backpack is my daughters favorite new bag, which surprised me because I was only sent a traditional black camo  instead of the pink that I thought she would like more. She takes this to school, wears it while riding her bike and even when we go on appointments.  This bag is a hit with all of the possibilities from everything above to hiking, camping, scouts, etc. Lots of pockets, zip out padded seat, clasp close arm straps, and extra bag which my daughter uses for her swimming clothes or library books depending on day of week. Very versatile a bag to use for years to come. I am very happy with the quality and even with everyday use everywhere we go this bag still looks like new. 

The Muster bag Kids BackPack can be found in 6 colors on Amazon. 

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and Muster bag. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Match It! Trilingual Colors and Shapes

This is a great learning toy/puzzle for those who would like their child to learn new languages. Each piece matches up with the words in English, Spanish, and French. A great way to give your child a heads up on learning languages early in life.

The Learning Journey International Match It! Trilingual Colors and Shapes teaches shapes, colors, English, Spanish and French. Great for both home and school use. Colorful, fun, and easy to put together.


Match It! Trilingual Colors and Shapes can be found on Amazon or at the website near the bottom of this post.



What the The Learning Journey International has to say about their product.

This colorful set of 30 Match It puzzle cards will provide children with a great introduction to Colors & Shapes – and three languages! Match It! Trilingual Colors & Shapes cards feature a color or shape and the corresponding matching card show the word in English, Spanish and French. Simply match the two pieces together to complete the puzzle and start learning some new words! Each puzzle is self-correcting as no two puzzle cuts are the same. This is a fun way to learn about colors and shapes.  Contains 30 two-piece puzzles cards. Ages 3 + years.

You can find out more about The Learning Journey International on:

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#learningjourneytoys

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and The Learning Journey International. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.