Happy Fathers Day!

I just wanted to give thanks to my childrens daddy! He has 4 children, 2 are biological, one is adopted and one is step. You cant tell can you? Take your best guess!! This man has been dad to my son since he was 7 months old! He is my sons best friend! <3 Happy Fathers day Lee!! We love you!
He is my best friend, my lover and my childrens father. There is no one id rather be with & I am so happy that we got together, i feel like the luckiest woman in the world!!! Thanks for all you do!!

Fathers day craft/idea

Fathers day is Sunday!! Here are some easy and cheap ideas!!

• Card of course a homemade card!! Print off some free ones online, have your little ones color it and there ya go!
• Handprint card- This is what we are doing for my father in law/my dad and my husband..I am going to use paint to make their handprints on a piece of paper then for the little ones I will add a piece of cut poster board around it in the shape of their hand and make it big enough for them to make a picture..ill make sure they write their names and let them color a picture of their daddy and them doing their favorite thing and I will use clear packing tape all over it to make sure that it stays in good condition (-= - for my father im doing it with my hand print and ill add the kids in there also & ill write a poem, for my father in the ill do the kids and hubbys and have him write a little note (-=
• You can make his fav dinner and then u can give him some love/sex coupons (-=

Homeschool money saving tip

Homeschool doesn't have to be expensive! Join swap groups on facebook for homeschooling materials, check the dollar tree where everything really is $1 or LESS!! Use EBay and craigslist~ And always take advantage of your local library!!

Fun lunch and snack ideas for children

Do you have a problem with your children eating good? You can always just hold them down and force them to eat...OR you can try these ideas (-=

• Kabobs- Get the little wooden sticks and put grapes/pineapple pieces/watermelon/peaches etc.. on them or let them create their own fruit kabobs (-=
• Lets face it, kids like to dip~ try carrots and ranch, celery & peanut butter, toast and jelly (make your own! (-=) Yogurt and fruit is nice also!!
• Make it into a freeze! Get frozen fruits and blend it w/ice- added bonus since its summer here is the extra water from the ice!
• Alphabet soup- Try to have them "eat" their name or certain letters
• Use cucumbers/celery or other fresh fruits/veges to make pictures like flowers/grass and houses etc..
• Pizza rolls- they are EASY throw in the microwave or oven and also good after cooked to put in a bowl or baggie to take with you in the car if your in a hurry!!
• Spray cheese and crackers! You can make shapes/letters etc !!
• Build your own taco/sandwich! If kids can cook it or make it they are more likely to eat it in our house!
• Pizzas you can use whole wheat crust & add tomatoes on top with lowfat cheeses (-=
• Spaghetti is always a hit in our house!
• Hamburgers and fries & fish sticks and fries are fun!
• Try the vege chips w/ ranch dip...yummy! 

Free printables/online games/curriculum building

I am all for making my own curriculum to benefit my financial budget and to get my children what they need
Here are a few sites to get some printables from that i like (-=

This is a great site with LOTS of different things you can search by grade level or subject.

NickJr has some awesome printables that will keep your little one entertained I use these printables for when we go to dr appointments (-=

TSLbooks has different grade levels or subjects also to choose from, even printable flashcards (-=

EdHelper This is the math link and even goes up to highschool!!

I will be posting more as i come across some more really great ones (-=

Homeschool on a budget-ways to cut costs/save money

Don't let lack of money be a reason not to homeschool your child!

There are so many resources out there for that excuse-

• You can use the internet to research find and print many things out that your child needs, of course its not really free because you might have to invest in a computer/printer/paper/ink but ill bet you its a heck of a lot cheaper then buying curriculums because A/your probably not going to drop $500 or more at once and you generally use everything that you print. When you buy a curriculum your child may have already mastered some of the thiwithngs in it and other parts could be way to advanced and your stuck with something that is only 1/2 useable or even less!

• Check with friends or family that may have homeschooling books (make sure its not to old in terms of like the history books because times have changed but older history books could be helpful still) 

• Craigslist has tons of ads out and you can even post "wanted" ads or find stuff for a discount. Just be safe when meeting people you don't know meet in daylight hours in public preferably somewhere with cameras and always let someone know you are going and try to get another adult with you to go!

• Facebook groups-So where I live I can type in "Homeschool Indianapolis" and find quite a few groups where people either give tips/share thoughts and reviews and sell/trade homeschool items! Also you can probably type in "Indianapolis buy" "Indianapolis Sale" Indianapolis garage" or other buy/sale/trade groups from your area and of course substitute Indianapolis with your city/county/state and find tons of sites.

• I hear a lot of good about homeschool conventions, I have never been and don't really plan to because I make my own curriculum due to im homeschooling an autistic child and I cant really get much use out of a true curriculum because it would be a waste like her writing is about average for kindergarten but her math skills are at a 1st grade level, her reading skills are around a 2nd grader etc.. so its difficult to buy because she can read but cant write. But, from what I have heard they have other things besides curriculums and maybe even a table to rent so you can sell your homeschool things.

• Some sites like the Sonlight curriculum site has a classifieds section where you can resell their curriculum therefore saving money by purchasing from individuals.

• I just recently came acrossed a site called Book Moooch and you offer books (not just for homeschooling so its great for everyone) and you receive books for free. I haven't tried it and I probably will get more information but its seems to be a awesome process.

• For the little ones like kindergarteners and 1st grade there are sites like ABC Mouse that offer free trials to their online curriculum.

• There is lots and I just want to express how much you can get for FREE online! There are worksheets that are printable, coloring pages, arts and crafts ideas from sites like Facebook & Pinterest. I run Facebook  Blessed Mamas & there are freebies, mommy talk and usually we post art projects, lots of contests and fun stuff.

The post after this one I am posting some sites that offer free games and printable pages so be sure to look for it titled "Free Printables List"

An AMAZING site! Montessori Mom~

I do not use Montessori methods because that is simply not in my childs best interests but there are ALOT of people using it and it works out GREAT!! I think the whole concept is amazing but with my kids its just not for us. There are lots of different ways to homeschool and you should research and see what works for your family and children!! (-= I usually create all of my children's worksheets and I do all my own lesson plans, I have been pretty busy lately and I have discovered the Montessori Mom website while I was trying to find stuff for our "Solar System" and this just proves how no matter what kind of homeschooling or teaching you do there's always common grounds. 

She has a great reading list ~~here~~ which I will be using as a guide for spelling words and reading practice. The solar system cards which are right ~~here~~ and just so many amazing things for Montessori teachers and general homeschool families!!

Go ahead and check it out and let her know who sent you! There is also newsletters to subsribe to her. You can subscribe to my RSS feed to get all my updates Have a safe and happy long weekend!!! <3 

Find me on facebook- www.facebook.com/DanforthAcademy

Reward/Incentive Chart

Here is an incentive chart/homework chart or you can use as a behavior or brushing teeth/taking bath or chore chart!! The first row is for their checkbox for completed assingments 2nd is for what they need to do third is the date and the last box is their reward, we are doing stickers but you could even put like tv or computer time (-= I hope you enjoy!!!

Danforth Academy Incentives Chart

Free Printable 10 Commandments book

Simple print the book off by clicking the link..then on the right side of the site youll see a download link..click to download when the box pops up asking what to do with it you need to click "OPEN" once it is opened then print it off, let your kids color it then cut it out and tape or staple it, staples work a lot better but bad if little ones get a hold of them. That's up to you what you use (-=

Danforth Academy 10 Commandments Book by Amy N Lee Danforth

Adding with kitties worksheet by Danforth Academy (-=

 

Okay so here is my first Printable worksheet that I am uploading for yall, it takes a lot of time and effort put in transferring everything and saving in different programs and uploading on sites to be able to share with you, please don't edit these in ways to make Danforht Academy look bad or take my copyrights off. Thank you and enjoy!!

Danforth Academy Adding Cat Worksheet by Amy N Lee Danforth

Our discipline summed up

You must have persistence. And an ABSOLUTE refusal to do the work for her.

One thing we parents tend to screw up, is thinking that consequences have to be painful (of heart or physical body). But the truth is, a good consequence is one that is **inconvenient** and that **naturally relates** to the offence.

This is because both inconvenient and natural/relatable consequences will be remembered the next time they are in the same situation. Inconvenience works because we are creatures who strive for the path of least resistance and don't like to be inconvenienced. Natural consequences work because when our consequence directly relates to the offence, the child can easily make the connection between cause and effect. EXAMPLE: Taking a toy away from a child who misbehaved in the grocery store does nothing for changing that child's behavior -- there was no direct correlation between cause and effect and they were left feeling punished for being a failure. Instead, a natural consequence would be that when they misbehave in the grocery store, Mom puts back their favorite snack that they were going to get that week. The consequence is closely linked to the ACTUAL point of offence (the grocery store) so the child will surely remember it the next time you're in the store and they're hoping for their favorite snack to end up in the cart!

So anyway -- what about some practical examples of this for your situation?

In this case, every time you find the toilet unflushed, you can provide her with both an INCONVENIENT consequence and a RELATABLE consequence -- and you need to REFUSE to do the work for her! These next few steps might take a lot of time for you to implement, but it will only happen a few times and she'll be trained. It pays off in the long run!

1. Make her stop whatever she's doing to come back into the bathroom. (Inconvenient consequence)

2. Have her flush the toilet. (Inconvenient consequence)

3. Explain to her that since her waste wasn't flushed immediately, she now needs to use the toilet brush to clean the bowl. (Relatable consequence)

4. Once that's all done, explain that she needs to wash her hands (even if she just did a few minutes prior) because she has touched the toilet again. (Inconvenient consequence)

Sick Day..

There will be no updating today, sorry everyone I see how many views I got and I love it!! Not expecting that many so quickly!! Love you all! Let me know what kinds of things you would love to see!! Have a beautiful day and I will try to recover quickly!

Freebie!!- Sonlight Curriculum 3 weeks!

Here is a free sample I just came across I have never used it so I can't say its great or endorse it BUT, I this link here and get 3 weeks to look over the Sonlight curriculum for FREE (-=
You can decide for yourself. (-=

Who am I?

I am 24 years old, I have 4 beautiful children. Thru

adoption & marriage & biological. I am so blessed with the

 most amazing hubby that works so hard to provide for us.

 My God is amazing! I love doing crafts alone, with my

hubby and with my kids. I make TuTus, Bows, hairclips,

bow holders & more at

www.facebook.com/TuTusBowsBlankets (official AmyD Boutique)

I’ve just started to crochet again and I had cancer in 2011,

 I had 6 weeks of intense chemo and radiation I just got my

insurance back and will be getting more scans! I am praying

hard that I don’t have cancer, but if i do that God give me

the strength to fight it again and get rid of it for good! I love

my mother she is my best friend and i will always be a

daddys girl! My oldest daughter is Elysia she is 6 but she

thinks she is 18 (= She is our drama queen and very picky.

She is in kindergarten and this summer we will be working

on manners! She is a very good reader! Shanna is our

autistic beauty and we call her our crazy girl because you

never know what she is going to say or do, she will be 6 in

July. She is doing homeschool kindergarten. She is great at

fractions and she is doing GREAT at learning about habitats

and continents! This summer she will be working on her

social skills and daily living skills. LaBelle is our 4 year old,

she is our princess. She is going thru a stubborn phase right

now but we are working thru it (= this summer we will be

working on letters. Weston is our youngest at age 2 he is a

little genius! He knows the sight of all his letters knows the

sight of numbers up to 20, can count to 20 he knows

Spanish and is starting to read! he knows all his shapes

even a crescent! This summer we will be working more on

his reading!! He had seizures when he was younger and he

is lactose intolerant my hubby just found out his is also

lactose intolerant.. like father like son! But, Bubby also has

severe asthma and is allergic to tomatoes/wheat/red

dye/shellfish and since he is allergic to shellfish he cannot

have catscan dye, Belle also has asthma <3 I love my

children and husband with all my heart they are the most

important things in my life!!!

I am a pretty open person so if you have any questions just

 comment on one of my blog posts or email me at

DanforthLearningAcademy@gmail.com

ALSO LET ME KNOW WHAT KIND OF TEACHING TIPS/PARENT TIPS OR WORKSHEETS YOU WOULD LIKE!

WHAT AGE FOR LESSONS PLANS AND SUCH!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

CHECK OUT ALL MY PAGES ON FACEBOOK!

www.facebook.com/DanforthAcademy

(The facebook page for this website, also has teaching tips and links)

www.facebook.com/BlessedMamasPage

(a page for mothers/aunts/grandmas and TTC and everywhere in between! Parenting tips and advice, you can submit fan questions or share advice/products we place games and a place to brag about your little ones!)

www.facebook.com/IndulgeQuotes

(The best place to see awesome quotes about mothers, school, love, life, celebrities, funny, sad, pretty much anything you can think of!)

www.facebook.com/TuTusBowsBlankets

(Official AmyD Boutique! I make bows, hairclips, headbans, bow holders, TuTus, blankets, baby wipe cases, and lots of other cute little crafts and I will start putting some crocheted stuff up soon! I have frequent specials (-= )

FREEBIE- Free Junie B Book when you sing up for the newsletter

http://juniebjones.com/parent-newsletter-signup/

Sign up for the newsletter and get a free book mailed to you from Junie B. Jones (-=

Homeschool tip- Schedule

When scheduling your homeschool times you need to think about what works for you, does a strict time work with each lesson at certain times? Is it more of a whenever you feel like it thing?
Some families have it a set time each day, they may do religious studies at 8am, math at 9am, science at 9:45am etc..
Some children are "unschooled" which in a nutshell means parents don't tell their kids what they need, to me it feels wrong like its not "teaching" but a lot of families do it and it works for them, basically they wait for their children to either give signs or tell them what they want to learn about and then the parents and children figure out the answers together, some parents may be better at this and I just could not understand it completely, (ill do more research and get back to you on that one) but I went to a homeschool blog on a unschooling family and she was talking about how the teenager wanted to learn to build, they made a garage well then she goes on to tell about what they learned from the experience, well that's a good example of using life as a teacher but I was in total disgust when she says he learned how to add! Your probably thinking...adding? Did I read that right..YES you did, the teenage did not know how to add! That is why unschooling doesn't work for us.

Personally, our schedule is that we do 1-3 things in each subject 5 days per week, no certain times whenever the kids are ready and I am ready, usually after lunch we have a snack and get started, it helps with her autism to start out each session with the same..we start with computer time so anything we do on computer comes first then move on to science and spelling and take a break then finish up what needs to be done then its art & gym is last..

Our school week starts on Thursdays and ends on Mondays and it works for us..What works for you?

Just a vent..

I think I need to vent a little bit on this, my four year old step daughter whom we get every other weekend and school breaks cant tell you what any letters are besides the ones in her name, like that just makes me irate! What kind of mother is not going to teach their child? SMH. I have tried telling her and so has my husband. I have told her I would give her resources to teach her. Its not like they are broke and cant afford it, they get almost half my husbands check each which yet she has so many hobbies she would rather do then actually be a mother. Yet, she hates me..she claims apostolic and calls names and she doesn’t even know me. Claims we are bad parents yet I get her daughters in mini-skirts and they are so rude and have no manners. That’s okay as you can tell from my about me page that will be changing this summer. I will do her “job” and teach them poor little girls! They are going to grow up and have no friends with the way they act. My kids aren’t perfect but my two year old is starting to read which I know is uncommon but a four year old should know the letters..My 5 year old is learning continents and last summer they didn’t even know anything about scenes I mean as far as when we were studying them they couldn’t tell me what they smelled with, see with, touched with etc..that’s okay I taught them. Maybe if she would stop taking pictures and making cards she would have time to be a mother…or maybe its all the mcdonalds grease going into her giant calfs and traveling up and killing her braincells.. either way I will stand up and do whats right for the girls. <3   

Reasons to homeschool and benefits of homeschooling

Reasons & Benefits of homeschooling

||some are kinda repeated but there are new thoughts from me in each one||

comment with your thoughts/adds

• Don’t have to wake your kids up super early every morning to stand outside and freeze all bundled up to wait for a bus and they have to go to school with 100s of other children and you sit at home with an anxious heart waiting for their return..or wondering IF they will even return in the same mindset as they went.

• They wont be influenced by peer pressure

• They don’t have you, the principal, the teachers, the assistant teacher, the cafeteria staff, the librarian, the music teacher, the art teacher, the bus driver and many more adults and teachers telling them what to do

• They have less adults around them so less chance they will be physically or sexual abused.

• They cant skip or cut classes

• I am sure under your watch they wont be smoking or doing drugs

• Homeschooling gives you more control over the influences that affect your child, the growth and developmental of your child is removed from the realm of the unknown. You and you alone can decided what your child needs to do or learn.

• You can make the curriculum work for THEM not “the average” child, your child can learn at their own pace, think about it say your kid has 19 other children in the class and 15 pick up adding fractions…well the teacher will move once that goal of 15 is reached or by standard curriculum set by a school district for the normal, well say your child is one of the 5 that didn’t catch it, or was sick that day, well they are moving on to subtracting and multiplying and theres little Taylor left with not knowing what to do, and she flunks math all because she couldn’t do it. All of it could have been prevented, and with a classroom of majority of kids knowing it she will probably be embarrassed to ask for help, and its just sad.   In homeschooling if Taylor needs the extra time on math you can do it no problem! because obviously if a skill hasn’t been mastered you wont move on.

• It gives you a chance to review or learn new things!

• There is NO PRESSURE unless its set by you and you can put the right amount of pressure on your child to succeed!

• Homeschooling provides LOTS of family time and one on one time. The child knows that you are there to help them and knows that you will be there anytime needed! From that the child gains confidence knowing that they are important to you!

• It teaches responsibility! You can easily create chore charts for them by them helping with their laundry and cooking, they have more time to focus on becoming mature and still having free time to be a child!

• You don’t have to worry about them missing school for doctor appointments!

• Field trips become family activities! Going to the zoo on a study of animals or habitats and again more bonding and great family pictures and memories!!

• You can take vacations ANYTIME! If a out of town relative gets sick theres no makeup work or any trouble with taking time off school because you can A. create the time needed as a break or B. take school with you!

• They can take a day off if they are having a “bad” day, lets face it everyone has bad days, if you are superbusy that day with errands and such or there is a great deal on veges, you don’t have to wait around for a child to be out of school so you can go or if your child just woke up with a fever or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed they can do their work after dinner or just do it tomorrow.

• Pimples/Puberty/Voice changes wont be made fun of because well there isn’t anyone to make fun of them!

• Bullying has become a MAJOR problem these days..even leading to suicide! When your child is with you They cant be bullied!

• Competition is limited when it comes to homeschooling, the child is not having to prove his abilities with regards to other children therefore his confidence remains intact.

• A tough hour with Algebra can be followed by a trip to the museum learning becomes fun, the curriculum can be tailored to the learning style of the child, does your child learn thru play? seeing in action? reading? writing it out? Well you can figure out what type of learning style fits them and go with it!

• Homeschooling allows the parents to take control over the moral and religious teachings of the children-Parents have the flexibility to incorporate their beliefs and ideologies into the childs curriculum there is no confusion in the childs mind because there is no variations from what is being taught in school or from peers to what is being practiced at home.

• You tell your child about sex/marriage beliefs and everything else your way!

• Other worrying issues pertaining to the public school systems about ethics also make it less welcoming to parents and children.—Many repudiate the educational philosophy of grouping children solely on the basis of their age. Some parents have their own unpleasant memories about public schools which motivate them to homeschool.

• Homeschooling is the best way to teach a child how much you value them and their education and success in life!!

Id just like to note that I wrote this on may 11th 2013, I just was able to transfer it to this blog-The other blog only works when it wants so I am transferring everything to this blog.

Today we.. May 11/2013

We went to my uncles house for a “cook in” and had a great time, all fun and games right? WRONG! On our way we practiced our spelling words, counted street lights, saw tons of animals, played iSpy, measured ingredients and cooked BBQ chicken, did dishes, worked on social behaviors, paid for items at a store and counted out money, practiced our sharing and made memories of a great family time day! Did she do worksheets? No. Did he say his ABCs? No. But they learned and it was great (-= if she was in public school she could have been hit/ridiculed and her confidence could have been harmed. But instead she gained memories and confidence and became closer to family. I thank God for the amazing day with our amazing children in this amazing world.

Working Teens/Responsibility and Interview Tips!

A way to teach a teen about the value of money is having him get a job!Its a thing that probably will be needed as an adult (unless your like Britney Spears child...) So, getting a first job can be scary! Do you remember yours? Ughh.. I was SO nervous but some things to help your teen to ease the fears and interviewing tips to follow....

So to ease the fears of your teenagers first job, calm yourself! Yes, you have been with her and taught her everything you could, tried for the best books and resources or wrote the lesson plan yourself. Our babies have to grow up and learn the first lessons about becoming adults sometime! Plus, it gives you some well deserved "me" time (-=

To help them stay from having a total freakout moment (like you are secretly inside..keyword SECRETLY try not to let is show) is to help them relax about it, yes its a big jump and its scary and can be stressful on the whole family, but ultimately they will gain the confidence and the fear will ease.. I think alot of fear associated with working/interviews is not having the confidence but why should they, if they have never waited a table or ran a cash register they don't know how, they need a big confidence boost so, tell them about your first experiences, let them know that their employer will more than likely has had other first timers. Tell them relateable things that they have done and why you believe in them. Make sure your teen knows that everyone gets nervous before interviews and first jobs! Let em know that once they get in and start working that all their fears will come to an end! After a couple weeks they will be doing it like a pro! (-=

Make sure if they have to provide their own uniforms that it is well obviously the right colors and everything but make sure they feel comfortable and they like the type..I know alot of places like black pants..make sure it fits, hem it up if needed. Dressing beautifully/handsome gives alot of confidence also!

Interview Tips for adults and teens!

• Dress appropriately~ If you have an interview at McDonalds probably better not to show up in a full on suit and tie. Generally you can't go wrong with a pair of black pants/slacks and a buttoned up shirt.
• Colors-I believe that the colors say alot about you, all in black means that your sad/depressed etc.. So in my interviews I have had i try to do bright colors not like red shoes/neon shirt but for women maybe a flowered shirt or something with patterns, not to bold as to draw attention away from yourself but something maybe towards springish. 
• Do not show up in booty shorts/tatas hanging out/pants saggin all the way down to your knees etc..don't look like you just walked off the stage for a rap video.
• Try to be calm- if its a job where you are around people you don't want to be shaky or have a cracky voice, you want to show them that you are a "people person"
• Do not lie- that should be a given.
• Remember, you are interviewing them also! It has to be a mutual choice to work there! Make sure the people you see are nice and managers seem nice, be sure to make sure employees look happy...not stressed out that could signal that they are having to do alot more and get paid poorly
• Make sure that the environment is clean and everything looks safe. In most states it is illegal for people under 18 years old to run possibly harmful machines or work with harmful chemicals. They cannot run a fryer/grill. 
• Make sure that you listen to the questions closely and if you don't understand a question then ask them to repeat or rephrase in a different way so you can understand, its better to do that then answer something and give a "bad" answer
• If they are busy they may offer you a drink and ask you to sit, then listen and follow the directions during the interview and this time don't play with your phone, you need to have phone on silent, not vibrate but silent as to not to distract you during the interview. Make sure that your full attention is on the person interviewing you.
• When you first go in walk up to the counter/information desk etc.. and say My name is _______, I have an interview with ___________.
• Give a smile and reach out to introduce yourself and give a firm handshake and look them directly in the eyes while talking (of course dont be so crazy about it and look like an insane stalker lol)
• During the interview you will more than likely be asked many questions..every interview is different but  the one i know i have been asked 99% of the time is the hardest and the first.. Tell me about yourself..oh how I dreaded that question! It is so hard to figure out WHAT exactly they want to know..so kinda sum up your life in about what would be a paragraph or two..make sure you include volunteer service/a few of your likes and dislikes/prior experience that is relevant to the work you will possible be doing.
• If they ask what are your strengths tell them stuff that is again relevant to the job you will be preforming, if you are interviewing for a fast food position you might say that your strengths are-communication you love making a little small talk with people/you are good at making sure your environment is clean and you are good helping people solve problems/you have alot of energy/ you are good at getting people to buy things ((and I can't think of the stupid word for that, but I think you know what I am saying??))
• Weaknesses...so you could say that you have a weakness as being a clean freak!! You have to have a good. Also saying that you tend to let people slide when voices are raised at you and that you put up with alot. That signals that you could be yelled at by customers and not retaliate! 
• Be sure to mention during your interview that you are a clean person, you are on time and a people person if it applies at the job your applying for!

How to get the interview-

First off you will fill out an application- fill out as much as you can make sure to read directions carefully! Some want references that are NOT family! Some want you to use a certain color ink (usually blue or black) , For homeschools this might be hard but think of family friends and people in your church or your friends parents. Now you need to personally hand your application in unless its submitted online, try to do it in person and when you do some places will do an interview on the spot! So that means be prepared! Make sure you reherse some typical questions with a friend or parent. Then make sure your clothes are appropriate and when you turn in an application try to do it at a time they aren't busy, if you are going for fast food do it between 9am-11am/2pm-4pm or whatver time they aren't bust, then ask for the hiring manager, some places managers do not do hiring so specifically ask for the HIRING MANAGER hand the application with a smile and say, My name is ____ this is my application (try to shake hands if possible) and say "I was just wondering if you were doing any hiring?" if they say yes get details on what hours/positions etc..Let them know that you are flexible because you are a homeschooler. Go from there...Lets say you do app online or they arent hiring..give it a few days call during non-busy hours and tell them that you were wondering if they had time to review your app..do this once per week untill you have an interview or they tell you stop calling/coming in lol.. 

Places for teens to work--

Babysitting/House sitting/Pet sitting/ Planting or gardening/Fast food places/ little cafes and resturants/ WalMart, Target or other "supercenters" and department stores/Grocery stores/Skating rinks and movie theaters

This plan has NEVER failed me. Good Luck..need anymore suggestions or tips on specific things just ask!!

Physical Education

Ways to get homeschool kids moving!!

So, homeschool being different from mainstream has no running around switching classes its all right there at your house, everything you need to teach your children, but what about exercise? That may be a hard question for some parents and I am here today to help you!

The younger children are generally easier to get them to exercise. The older they get it may be harder, there are always sports teams to get them motivated to get up and get moving but if your like me I can't afford to put my daughter in cheerleading or another sports thing. There may be a YMCA or Boys and Girls Club that they can go to, I know when I did homeschool I got ALOT of socialization/art/sports and many other things thru the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis. I thought it was great and it gave my mother a good break and it was only $8 per year!! I am sure it has gone up a little bit but we never could afford an $80 per month YMCA membership so the Boys and Girls Club worked out great for us, and its a safe place to drop off children after 3pm. The YMCAs are ususally bigger and with adults attending also its not safe unless there is a specific program. The Boys and Girls club had a pool, computer lab and lots of programs from Girls Inc. to Drama and Jr. Staff. I'd love to be a child again if that meant i could go there again!! 

So, as I have been raving about the Boys and Girls Club and YMCA could be an option for you as can a sports team. 

Now, usually homeschooling a child means that there is only one income coming in and usually only one vehicle, if you don't have an extra vehicle where are you supposed to go? Then what? 

Well some great ideas for you to do at home are:

Organize a weekly kickball/softball/baseball game with the neighborhood children, possibly providing snacks and drinks or the kids can take turns.

You get some exercise, bonding time and help your child start to LOVE fitness by YOU playing with them...Freeze Tag/Tag/Dodgeball/Kickball/Soccer/Roller skating/Hide and seek etc..

Taking a walk, a bike ride, or running is great for you and them also. Start out easy, use your phone and download iHeart Radio and go for 1 song..turn around when the song ends and that can be gym.

You may wonder well is swimming/hopscotch and that sort of thing actually gym? Well YES it is! Anything to get them up and moving working their muscles and trying to get their heartrate up a little bit can count, get creative!! 

Workout videos things like xBox 360 Kinect and the wii game systems can get their blood flowing and great for older kids and teens! A scavenger hunt could be fun have a younger child find the "Animal Treats/Crackers" Make a list and help them reading or show pictures of it, such as "hop ten times like a bunny to the carrot colored flowers...move like a snake along the green grass untill you get to Spots doghouse, bark as you run like a dog to the "dog bowl/kids bowl" and get your treats" something like that will help get them moving/work on reading/colors/numbers etc.. 

Race to the grocery store doors/take elevators instead of stairs/park further away from the doors at the gas station try to sneak it in and try to make games out of it. 

Have a contest with your teen who can do the most situps/jumping jacks and push ups. Another contest could be who can do the most exercise in a week (-= 

HAVE FUN WITH IT!! 

Its a beautiful day in Indiana today and we have already been inside, I saw a bee and I am terrified of bees because im severely allergic to them...so we came in. After dinner we will probably go out back and let them run around.

 Let me know what you would like to see on here please!! Feedback is always welcome!! Thinking of doing a YouTube channel also, what would you like to see? comment or email me DanforthAcademy@Gmail.com

Happy Mothers Day!!

Just wanted to tell all the mothers out there to have a great and happy Mother's Day! (-=

Ideas for crafts-
Handprints are always great and even better if your husband does it so you don't have to clean up the kids or mess!

Take equal amounts of flour and salt add enough water to get a playdough type consistency and do handprints in them, bake on 450 for about an hour take out let cool then paint them (-=

Search on Yahoo for "Mothers Day color" and then print off images and have your little ones cut them out color them and glue on on construction paper for cards!

Hope you have a great and happy day! I am personally thanking God for being able to be alive today, I had cancer in 2011 it was very hard on me and my family. I am really lucky and glad to be here!

Awesome site-

We LOVE BrainPopJr.com in this house! Why? it is absolutely ahhhmazing! You can check out free videos as a starting point there is also BrainPop.com for the older children. So, the site has lots of videos on science/nature/reading/math/geography/literature/math..yes--MATH! They are GREAT, very very interesting to your little ones also! Keeps me entertained also LOL. So anyways with each video you get an awesome lesson plan, game, coloring activity, reading activity, writing activity a easy and a hard quiz , a comic strip and a joke. I am not talking about a 2 day lesson plan either.. they go ABOVE and BEYOND! They can pretty much map out a weeks worth of work for you! There is lots of printables also even definitions and a basic story line to print out on each videos subject! I remember 10 years ago sitting in the chair at my moms computer doing MY homeschooling on BrainPop! We just cant say enough about how awesome it is! It is $80 per year but you get so much more then just the videos! They have free weekly videos to try out also!! It is sooooo worth it though! I think there are cheaper plans possibly? But, I knew exactly what I wanted. It works great on their iPads and our phones too! So it goes anywhere you go (-= 

&I am not grammatically correct but it is 1am and my son is on the Xbox 360...I HATE late naps!!

Trying again..

I had a blog at www.DanforthAcademy.Blog.com but every other day it says the web address is wrong and wont let me access it so I will see how this goes.. I am trying to give out information on freebies for teachers/give anyone free access to my worksheets I have created and help homeschoolers and teachers with lesson plans and give parents teaching and parenting tips.. I guess we will see how this goes!