Disclosure: Affiliate link included. Extra-curricular activity choices for homeschool kids are increasing all the time. When I began homeschooling, living in a small town, there were very few group activities to join. Now, you don’t have to live in a big city to be overwhelmed with choices for your kids. Since sports for homeschoolers are well-known and promoted, I’m going to focus on non-athletic activities. I’m certainly not against playing sports, and my children played most of them. But, I would like to point out some other fun and educational opportunities. 1. Music Music includes: Singing, Choir, Band, Orchestra, Private Lessons, Group Lessons Music training/education is proven to benefit children in many ways, including intelligence. I’m partial to music, because my first degree is in music. At various times, my children enjoyed every one of these categories. 2. Drama Drama can include: Co-Op Drama groups, Community theater classes and productions, and more advanced training/acting. My child enjoyed acting in a local Co-Op play. It turned out to be a very positive experience and she made many new friends. 3. Art Art can include: Art classes, Arts and Crafts groups/classes, Community Art classes, and private study. You might find classes in your Park & Rec. department, Fine Arts organizations, Summer Camps, Art Gallery classes/exhibits, and Private Pottery stores. 4. Cook Cooking is a wonderful skill that is important for children to learn. Many times, Co-Ops will have a cooking class or group. Cooking clubs or classes can be found at your local Park and Rec. and online. You could even start one for your homeschool group. 5. Sew Sewing can include: Basic-Advanced sewing, knitting, and other creative pursuits. Sewing is a skill that isn’t used as much as it was in the past. Fabric stores, quilting stores, and private teachers offer sewing lessons. 6. Photography Photography is a fun and creative activity. Photography classes can sometimes be found at your local Park and Rec. Dept. Private photography classes can be found through Art foundations or with private instructors. 7. Dance Dance can include any style of dance instruction. Many children study: ballet, tap, jazz, modern, Irish Step, country, ballroom, and others. My child took dance lessons for many years. Her favorites were ballet and Irish Step. This is a very physical activity and provides many physical benefits. It also helps with creativity, good behavior, and self-esteem. 8. Clubs Clubs can include: Book clubs, Debate, Chess, 4H, Scouts, Nature, Religious, Academic teams, and Service clubs. My children participated in: book, debate, chess, and religious clubs. Religious clubs, such as Awana, offered wonderful chances to memorize Scripture. Chess clubs made playing chess fun and competitive. Book clubs offered great social experiences as well as improvement in their reading comprehension abilities. Debate club provided a huge boost in academic preparation for college, working in groups, competition and social fun. The focus on research and presentations really helped the child be ready for college classes. I love all of these ideas and you may have some awesome ones that worked great in your homeschool family. What were your favorites? If you live in an area that doesn’t offer an activity that your child is interested in, create it yourself. Many homeschool parents create a group, because it will be helpful to their child. It’s easy to do that, too. Advertise it through your local groups and have a blast! Here are some of our family’s favorite Homeschool Resources! @2018, copyright Lisa Ehrman
Disclosure: Affiliate link included A universal problem for homeschoolers is the shortage of home book shelves. Another problem we all face is budgeting for all the books we want to purchase. The solution can be found at your public library. Like you, I love the library! Homeschoolers spend time there for many reasons. I’ve found 50 great reasons you should spend time in your local library. What is your favorite library feature? 1. Check out books 2. Find discounts or free passes for local museums 3. Check out microscope 4. Check out Toy Kits 5. Story times 6. STEAM or STEM classes 7. Book clubs – age or genre divisions 8. Film series 9. Good place for older children to volunteer 10. Meeting rooms to use 11. Check out Nature Kits 12. Used-Book Sales 13. Check out Music 14. Check out Videos 15. Check out Audio Books 16. Resource Books 17. Moms can read books on “How to Homeschool” or research educational topics 18. Check out Computer games 19. MANGO foreign language 20. Musical performances 21. Dramas 22. Cliff Notes 23. E Books 24. Inter-Library Loan 25. Place Books on hold 26. Check out cameras 27. Bulletin Boards: find information about local plays, art, music, book signings, lectures, tutors, testing information, co-op group info 28. Computer classes 29. Test Prep books or classes 30. Summer Reading Program 31. Playroom or Play Area for little ones 32. Free WiFi 33. Arts and Crafts Classes 34. Chess club 35. Career Day 36. Sign Language classes 37. Magazines/Journals 38. Maps 39. Elementary Database 40. Check out Curriculum 41.Check out Money Kit 42. Little Pim foreign language 43. Newspapers for current event reports and more 44. Classes: taxes, finance, budgeting, etc 45. Photography Classes 46. Writing workshops 47. Print/Copy 48. 3-D Printer 49. Classes: Genealogy 50. Check out iPads or other tablets Here are some Homeschooling favorites! @2018, copyright Lisa Ehrman
Disclosure: Affiliate link included. Homeschooling is great! If I had to do it over again, I would. But, there is something that is never discussed at Homeschool Seminars or in books. The financial situation of a family is an important issue to consider when you decide to homeschool. As we decided to homeschool, we were a young family with a comfortable income. We felt that we really should homeschool our children, based on a number of factors. But, I feel we were naive in our ideas about future finances. It’s easy to say that everything will turn out fine. We said that we would make the sacrifice to homeschool, by keeping Mom at home. With a regular paycheck and good insurance it was easier to feel secure financially. Though we did make sacrifices, such as: less money for vacations, nicer clothes, better and safer cars, etc., we still were being naive. For us, the realization was much more harsh, when my husband retired. Although we had retirement funds saved, we didn’t foresee many problems. We didn’t plan on my health becoming horrible and all the bills that would bring. We didn’t plan on insurance becoming a huge expense (with higher premiums and bills on the horizon). Yes, we trust God and always have. God has never left us and never will. But, I think it’s important to be honest and plan carefully for the future. When the homeschool years are over, what will happen to you financially? While you are young, try to look ahead and ask yourselves these questions. Even though we were savers, we probably would have saved even more. Hindsight is truly 20/20, so I know we can’t prepare for everything. I would like you and your family to carefully look at the future, because it will get here much faster than you expect. Here are some of my family’s favorite homeschool resources! @2018, copyright Lisa Ehrman
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Emior Skin Care Excellence
Disclosure: I was provided skin care products from Emior in order to do this review. I was not compensated in any other way, and all opinions are 100% my own. Emior skin care products are so beautiful! You’ll feel extremely pampered when you open the gorgeous packaging. The lovely color and gold engraved lettering are just part of the elegant boxes that arrive in your package from Emior. I was anticipating the wonderful experience that I would have with these 4 lovely skin care products. This group is made for an easy to follow skin care regimen that is also anti-aging. Doesn’t that sound great? When I’m checking out beauty products, I look for many things. I love products that are beautiful and high quality. The Emior tubes and bottles are packaged with safe inner lids and high-tech packaging that prevents any leaks or safety problems. The Emior brand is Made in the USA, too! I first washed my face with the Emior Gel Cleanser. The clear gel lathered to produce a wonderful cleansing experience. I rinsed well, and then could see and feel a very clean face. My pores and skin felt very clean. The cleanser seemed gentle, which is important to me. I have extremely sensitive skin and suffer from MCAS and Sjogren’s Syndrome. Both of these cause my skin to be dry and over-react to many irritants. Next, I used the Emior Fruit Exfoliator. The creamy base contains little exfoliating beads that did a super job of exfoliating my skin. I rubbed in a circular motion to let those exfoliating beads do their job. After rinsing, my face felt cleaner and very smooth. I could feel and see a dramatic difference. Step 3 was the Emior Anti Aging Serum. This product has a pump to squirt out just the right amount of creamy serum. I gently applied the cream on my face and neck. It felt very smooth. When it dried, it felt like their was a coating of it on my face. After an hour, it felt much more silky. The last step is the Emior Eye Cream. Because the under-eye area is so delicate, I was happy to see the creamy eye cream. I gently applied it under my eye with my pinky-finger. It took a few minutes to completely soak in. I think it feels good for my mature under-eye skin. Check out the Emior website to see all of the ingredients. I always avoid any products with fragrance. Even though there was fragrance in some of these skin care items, I haven’t had any break-outs from use. You can follow Emior on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube. Thanks for checking out this beautiful skin care line! @2018, copyright Lisa Ehrman
Sponsored post: I was given these products to review, with no other compensation. All opinions are 100% my own. Do you want skin care products that are natural and organic? Do you have blemishes or dry skin? Check out the Tea Tree Face & Body Wash. You have probably heard of Tea Tree oil. Let’s look at how this skin care cleanser and cream combine Tea Tree Oil with other great ingredients. When you want to cleanse and improve your skin, there are 4 key factors to consider: Balance – You want to have a correct PH Balance, so that your skin isn’t too oily or too dry. This cleanser has a perfect 5.5 pH Keep Skin Clean – You don’t want overly oily skin, because the oil clogs the pores. And, you want the dead skin on the surface to be removed to keep your skin smooth. Help It Heal – For skin to repair itself, important nutrients are needed. Stop Irritation – This Cleansing Set won’t irritate your skin, because the toxic ingredients are left out. There is no alcohol or parabens. To repair damaged skin, the Tea Tree Face & Body Wash uses these 8 ingredients: Tea Tree Oil St John’s Wort Pomegranate Seed Oil Burdock Root Aloe Vera Salicylic Acid Dandelion Rot GoldenSeal These ingredients have anti-inflammatory components and antimicrobial properties. Of course, the proof comes when you test it for yourself. That’s why I was excited to be offered the chance to try ERA Organics products myself. My skin is very dry; made worse by Sjogren’s Syndrome. I really enjoyed using both of these products! I not only washed my face with this gentle formula, but I showered with it, too. It was very silky and gentle. Even though I break out in rashes from many products, the Tea Tree Face & Body Wash caused no itching, drying, or rashes. It was wonderful! The cream is very silky, too! I used it all over for my severely dry skin. I liked that my skin felt very moisturized and the feeling lasted for hours! I think it’s a cream that you’ll also love. @2018, copyright Lisa Ehrman