Gilbert Gottfried, Myotonic Dystrophy and the Unplanned Homeschooler

Gilbert Gottfried, well-known comedian and actor with the unmistakable voice, died from complications of myotonic dystrophy type 2. According to his publicist, his death was caused by ventricular tachycardia, an arrhythmia associated with myotonic dystrophy. This rare disease, which affects only about 1 in 10,000 people, is a form of muscular dystrophy which, according to the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation causes a host of "varied and complex symptoms, including skeletal muscle problems, excessive daytime sleepiness, early cataracts and heart, breathing, digestive, hormonal, speech, swallowing, diabetic, immune, vision, and cognitive difficulties." 

This week may be the first time you've heard of myotonic dystrophy. To my knowledge, no other celebrity or well-known person has been diagnosed with the disease. Because it is so rare, you may never even meet anyone who has it. But I know it well, because my husband and at least two of our three kids are afflicted. 

I first learned about myotonic dystrophy a few years ago, when my husband's brother called to let him know he had been diagnosed. My husband had been showing symptoms for some time, too, but we didn't know what was going on. Both of my husband's parents died relatively young, but we're pretty sure that the disease came from his mother, who had mobility issues and a lot of other health problems in the decade before she passed. 

My kids tested positive

Around this same time my older daughter was going through a barrage of medical tests, because of pain, fatigue, hypermobility and a myriad of other symptoms she had been dealing with practically since birth. She had already been diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, but that didn't explain all her symptoms, so we were traveling the state visiting specialists in genetics, neurology, rheumatology, cardiology and more. I mentioned to the geneticist that her uncle had tested positive for myotonic dystrophy, so they ran another test looking specifically for the mutation. Just before she turned 18, my daughter was officially diagnosed with the same disease.

The geneticist suggested we test my son, even though he did not have all the same symptoms as his twin sister. We knew that because myotonic dystrophy is caused by what is called an autosomal dominant mutation, there was a 50 percent chance of him having the disease, too, but we were hopeful. A week later his test came back positive, too.

My youngest has not yet been tested, as the geneticist insists it is better to wait until she is close to 18 and can decide for herself if she wants to know. But she and her brother were both also diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, so it is impossible to tell if her pain and fatigue are due to that or if she is also showing early signs of myotonic dystrophy. She, too, has a 50 percent chance of having myotonic dystrophy so it is just a matter of waiting to see how the test turns out. 

There is no treatment for this disease. There is no cure. It is a chronic disease that slowly robs you of your mobility and puts you at high risk for many other complications, some of which can be life threatening and many of which contribute to daily pain. There is some new hope in the form of CRISPR gene editing trials which have shown some promise with similar disease, at least in mice. 

Homeschooling with myotonic dystrophy

My twins are 20 now, and are finishing their first year as full-time college students. They've been living with their diagnoses for a couple of years. It hasn't been easy. Myotonic dystrophy wuld be tricky enough on its own, but combining a muscular disorder with a hypermobile connective tissue disorder in the form of Ehlers Danlos syndrome is just awful. Faulty muscles and faulty joints combine to cause tremendous pain and require enormous energy. 

Living with this pair of rare diseases means looking at life differently. As we wrapped up the twins' final year of high school, we worked closely with the Disability Services office on the university campus to make sure they were able to succeed in their concurrent classes. We spent a considerable amount of time considering potential majors and what sort of careers they could maintain long term, even if they are in a wheelchair full time well before retirement age. 

My twins can't party like average college students. They've been warned not to drink alcohol or even consume energy drinks because elevated liver enzymes can be a problem with myotonic dystophy. They've had to be extra careful during the pandemic because their disease can cause respiratory and cardiac complications. And they have to work extra hard to maintain good grades because they are on scholarships, they both intend to pursue graduate school and if they blow their academic standing they would have an extremely hard time finding work they could physically do while trying to finish school.

I may not be homeschooling my twins anymore, but supporting them through college is still important. They decided to stay home and attend the local state university because the campus is smaller and easier to navigate, and because they would not have to live in the dorms. Parking is still an issue sometimes, though, especially when the weather is bad, and their schedules don't always match up so I spend a lot of time helping one or both of them get to class. 

Looking to the future

The cardiac complication that Gilbert Gottfried died from can often be addressed with a pacemaker. It is recommended that people with mytonic dystrophy get evaluated regularly for complications with their hearts. They also have to stay on top of other health issues. Young adults can be resistant to making their own appointments and taking care of their medical needs, but the only way to live a full life with myotonic dystrophy is to be very proactive in your care. I am working to encourage this with my twins, and even with their dad. 

I am scared of what the future holds for my kids, but I am oddly encouraged by the life of Gilbert Gottfried. His career evolved as he got older, and presumably lost a lot of his strength and mobility. He pivoted to more voice work and less stand up, but he lived his whole life as an entertainer, doing what he loved in one way or another. 

I am still doing everything I can to help all three of my kids open doors to opportunities to pursue what they love. Their paths may be limited due to their disabilities, but there are always ways to find what you want and need in life if you stay open to the possibilities.  

How is virtual school going?

 Hey there! I see you, parents of newly virtual schooling kids. I know a whole lot of you, maybe most of you, would have never chosen this option for your children's education if not for the pandemic. Maybe you are doing virtual school because that is all that is offered right now in your district, or maybe because your family has one or more high risk members you want to protect. Perhaps you are out of work, or working from home, and you just wanted to give this whole school-at-home thing a try. Or maybe you've been toying with the idea of homeschooling for a while, and this seemed like a good way to see if it might be a fit for you and your kids without committing to doing everything on your own.

Whatever the reason you've chosen virtual school, I hope you and your kids have a fantastic school year!

Our family has never done virtual school, although believe me, I was tempted by the idea of it when we first decided to homeschool. One of the main reasons I decided to do traditional homeschooling instead of virtual public school was that my older two kids were still quite young. I didn't think teaching first grade to my twins would be so tough, and at that time I really only expected to homeschool for a couple of years, until my youngest could start pre-K. 

Another factor was our slow and unreliable internet at that time. Rural areas and small towns really are so far behind when it comes to internet service, and that is a huge hurdle, I think, to providing a quality virtual school experience to students across the board. 

Anyway, we made the decision to homeschool instead, so I have never actually had the experience of virtual school. I have a good friend who is an experienced virtual school teacher, and know many families who have been happily virtual schooling for years, so I know it can work well. I've also known families who had poor experiences with different virtual school platforms, so I realize it doesn't always work well for every student.

If you have chosen virtual school for your kids, I really do hope that you have a great experience. If it is not what you had hoped, I do have a couple of suggestions, having worked with hundreds of homeschooling and virtual schooling families over the years. 

Communicate

It is extremely important that you communicate regularly with your virtual instructors, and that you communicate well. Be specific about issues you are having, and don't wait until the last minte to reach out. If you are not able to form a cooperative relationship with your child's instructor, and you feel that your child's education is at risk, please reach out to someone higher up the chain. You may be able to switch instructors, or even enroll in a different virtual school or switch to homeschooling if problems cannot be resolved.

Define your goals

It is important, when deciding which path to take, that you carefully define your goals. I am, obviously, very much in favor of homeschooling. But it is not the right path for every family. If your goal is to get back into the neighborhood school classroom as soon as possible, particularly if your child will be in high school in the coming year, homeschooling may actually throw them behind, because many high schools refuse to accept homeschool credits from students who are transferring.

If your goal is to preserve your child's eligibility to participate in their local school's extracurricular activities, you may want to carefully look at whether switching to a different virtual school would take away those opportunities. Be aware, though, that there are often homeschool sports, music and other extracurricular options available if you should decide to leave the virtual school, and in some states, homeschooled kids must still be allowed to participate in extracurriculars at their local public school. 

Your goal may be to simply provide the best education possible for your child, regardless of the format. In this case, homeschooling may be an awesome option for your family if you find that virtual school is too limited or too demanding of screen time, or just isn't a good fit for whatever reason.

Virtual school isn't homeschool

Be aware that in most cases, virtual public school is not considered homeschool, even though it is done in the same place and may use many of the same resources. This is true regardless of whether you are doing virtual school through your local school district or through an online public charter school. Both virtual public school and homeschool are valid educational alternatives, but families have very different rights and responsibilities depending on which they choose.

For those who are embarking on your first semester of virtual school, I wish you the best. I hope your children have skilled teachers who are able to adapt to the format easily, and that they are able to enjoy each and every one of their classes. 

If that is not the case, and you do find yourself considering homeschooling, either for the year or forever, please reach out to experienced homeschoolers online or in your community for support. And check out my book, The Unplanned Homeschooler: My Disorganized Path to Homeschooling Success, available free for a limited time on Amazon. You do not have to take on this venture alone.   

Learning Tangent Homeschool Magazine named one of education's top 15 publications worldwide!

Four years ago, I submitted a pitch to write for a relatively new magazine in the homeschool market. It was an inclusive magazine, open to homeschoolers of all types, and completely free of advertising  connected to the Common Core. I'd read some of the back issues, and was excited to join the team of writers, but little did I know how far Learning Tangent Homeschool Magazine would come in such a short time.

Today, Learning Tangent was named one of the top 15 education magazines in the world. Not just homeschool magazines, mind you. The top 15 of all education magazines worldwide, thousands of them!

I'm so proud to have spent the last four years with Learning Tangent Homeschool Magazine! It feels great to be part of such a great group of writers, and of course, kudos to our editor and the founder of the magazine, the talented Gail Nelson. She's given us the opportunity to reach out to so many readers and make a difference in the lives of homeschoolers around the world. 

Don't overload yourself this year

In the weeks leading up to a new school year, many homeschooling parents become anxious about how much their kids will accomplish. Will their little ones learn enough to stay on track with their peers? Will their teens earn enough credits to graduate as planned?

It's so easy to get overwhelmed, not just in the planning of it all, but in the day to day execution of the school year itself. How can you keep from getting buried under a stressful mountain of schoolwork and administration this year?

Believe me, this is something you'll want to avoid, not just this year, but in the years to come, as subjects get tougher and the lessons get longer. I've seen what homeschool burnout can do to a mom, I've even felt it a time or two, and it's no good for you or any of your family.

How to turn being ghosted into a positive experience

If you or your kids have not yet been ghosted, I'm sorry to say it is likely to happen. Life is a series of relationships, some lasting forever and others ending, in partings both good and bad. Ghosting is one of the most cowardly and disgusting ways a person can end a relationship, and it is a growing problem in today's society.

Ghosting is one of the more painful experiences a person can endure, whether in a dating relationship or a friendship. I think it can be even more painful when it happens to homeschoolers, because our social circles are often smaller and more closely intertwined. So if it happens to you or your child, how can you possibly turn being ghosted into a positive experience?

As I am sure most of you already know, ghosting is the act of pretending someone you had a relationship with no longer exists. Texts and messages are left unanswered, calls are ignored, and the rudest of ghosters may even turn their back and pretend not to see their former companion when they run into each other in public. 

All of this happens with no explanation, too often leaving the ghosted party feeling confused, insecure and betrayed. It's okay. Those are pretty normal reactions to being ghosted. It's what you do after the shock wears off that determines whether the whole situation will turn out to be a positive experience for you.

You can't prevent someone from ghosting you or your kids, but you can grow, you can become a stronger person and you can use what you learn to form better relationships with others in the future. Here are some ways you can turn being ghosted into a positive experience after it is all said and done.

What to take with you to the PSAT

Is your child taking the PSAT this year? You'd better double check the list of required items, so they will be prepared. Here's what to take with you on testing day.

The proper photo ID

Last year, as my twins were getting ready to take their practice run at the PSAT, I suddenly realized they did not have the proper ID as required by the College Board. Since they were taking the test early, ahead of their junior year, neither of them had a driver's license or learner's permit yet, and we'd never had an occasion to get them a passport.

The College Board requires a government-issued photo ID in order to take the test. The homeschool identification cards many families use will not work, nor will their Social Security cards or even their birth certificates. There is a form on the site you can use in lieu of the required ID, but it must be notarized, so plan ahead.

Number 2 pencils

Bring two sharpened number 2 pencils with good erasers. Don't bring pens, colored pencils, or any other types of writing devices.

The right calculator

The College Board has a list of approved calculators. On the list are several graphing calculators and scientific calculators. If your student does not already have a graphing calculator, and will not need one in the near future, you may opt for a scientific calculator instead. These are a small fraction of the price of the approved graphing calculators, and will be adequate for most problems on the test.

If you are getting your child a new calculator, particularly a graphing calculator, for the test, make sure they know how to use it. Don't wait until a couple of days before the test to have them try it out. Graphing calculators are complicated, and it takes time to learn all the functions.

Social Security number

If your child has not memorized their own Social Security number, make sure it is written down for them. I suggest writing it in Sharpie on the back of their calculator. You can remove the ink with rubbing alcohol after the test is over, and your child won't have to keep up with a piece of paper with their sensitive information on it.

Comfortable clothing

Your child should wear comfy clothes on the day of the test, because they will be sitting in the testing room for up to four hours with minimal breaks. Because you have no way to know how warm or cold the room will be, layers are a good idea, with a sweater that they can take off or slip back on as needed.

EpiPen 

According to the College Board site, students do not need special permission to bring their EpiPen into the testing area, but it may be a good idea to inform the test coordinator or proctor if you have one, in case they need to administer it to you in an emergency.

Nothing else unless approved

Anything else you might bring into the testing area, including other medications, food or drink, or anything not on this list would have to be approved with special accommodations by the College Board. You need to contact them as early as possible to request accomodations if needed.

Don't forget, the PSAT is administered in October each year. If your student will be a junior this fall, this is the year that it counts. If they miss the exam date, they will not be able to make it up later. Younger students can take a practice run at the PSAT ahead of their junior year, but all students who wish to take the test should register early at a nearby school.

How to sign up for the PSAT

If you are a homeschooler, signing up for the PSAT is more complicated than if you were enrolled in public school. According to the College Board website, homeschooled students need to reach out to a local school to register to take the PSAT in the fall, and the recommend doing so four months in advance.

The PSAT is administered at many public and private schools, and you can do a search on the College Board site to find locations near you. Not every site listed will have space available to take homeschooled students, especially as the testing date in early October draws near, so make contact as early as you can. Do not wait until the end of September and expect to secure a spot, as test coordinators have to order their materials in advance.

The PSAT is an important test for college bound students to take, and unlike other exams such as the SAT and ACT, it is only given in October each year. The PSAT is used to determine eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship, and a good score can also open the door to hundreds of other scholarships associated with the test.

The only time the PSAT actually counts is when taken during a student's junior year, and if they miss that date, they won't be able to make it up later. Students can take a practice run at the PSAT ahead of their junior year, though, and since they have nothing to lose by doing so, I would definitely recommend it.

Coming up next on the blog... what to take with you to the PSAT. There's one item lots of parents forget, and you can't take the test without it! Do you know what's on the list?

Homeschool hints for huge savings on school supplies

Some people think homeschooling has to be expensive, but one of the best parts about homeschooling is that you can save tons of money on back to school. I didn't even have a clue how much I could really save until I'd been homeschooling for a few years. Now I know!

Having grown up going to public school, I was really trapped in the mindset that I needed to buy all the supplies on the back to school list to have a successful year. It's just not true. Homeschoolers aren't likely to need new scissors, rulers, school boxes and backpacks each year. Markers and colored pencils can last longer than a year if they are cared for well.

Experienced homeschoolers know it is easy to whittle down that list, saving big time on the supplies we need - and only the supplies we need - while skipping the superfluous purchases that might otherwise drain our wallets. Here are a bunch of my favorite money-saving tips, along with a few splurges you might want to consider.

On the renaming of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award

This week brought the greatest controversy I have witnessed in the homeschool community since I started homeschooling nearly a decade ago. I am talking about the renaming of the Laura Ingalls Wilder award by the Association for Library Service to Children. The award is now named the Children's Literature Legacy Award, a title that the association feels better represents "its core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect."

There was a lot of hysteria following the ALSC's announcement, including outrage that libraries would be pulling Wilder's books off the shelves, or that the edtions would be edited, or even that all books with a historical point of view that did not fit with today's values would be destroyed. While we should indeed resist a Fahrenheit 451-style world, I don't think that the renaming of this award merited so much panic.

 To be clear, I DO NOT believe in editing the work of historic authors to fit modern sensibilities - which is not what happened here. I believe that an author's work should stand as written unless they edit it themselves, on their own, before they die. We cannot and should not change the authentic voices of those who came before us, even if we disagree with what they had to say.

But I DO believe that when you know better, you should do better. And today, we know it is NOT okay to characterize Native Americans as non-people, for example. So maybe continuing to glorify an author who did so, by handing out annual awards named in her honor, is not the best example we can set for future generations. I agree with the decision to rename the award.

Our public libraries are, and should be, among the most inclusive and accessible entities in our society, and this award given to authors who have made "a significant and lasting contribution to children's literature" should reflect the values of inclusivity and respect.

 The decision to change the name of the award was respectful and inclusive to many, many readers, like my own kids who are Native American children and were uncomfortable and confused by Wilder's characterizations of minorities. It leaves her work and the honor she received by being the first recipient of the award intact, but changes the award to be better for the future. It was a positive step for all.

How is THAT element used?

We all know oxygen is essential for respiration for most of the animal kingdom, and carbon is the essential building block of all living things. We know mercury is commonly used in thermometers, and calcium is responsible for strong bones. But did you know that your car might not start if not for antimony? Or that Rubidium is essential in the functioning of the GPS system so many of us rely on today?

The more you know about the elements of the periodic table, and how they relate to YOU, the better they will stick in your long term memory. A while back, I shared a favorite book, The Periodic Table: Elements with Style, that personifies the elements in ways that can help students get to know them better.

This week, I want to share another resource, the Periodic Table Matching Game by The Unplanned Homeschooler, currently on sale through the Learning Tangent marketplace for just $2.99.

This fun game is reminiscent of the classic Memory games we all played as kids, but uses real world enformation and colorful illustrations by Keith Enevoldson, an engineer who had me swooning at the concise and colorful way he made the periodic table so relatable.

Using the Periodic Table Matching Game, your students can learn each element's name, symbol, atomic number and even how each element is used in the real world. The game is available in a convenient download. Just print the pages on cardstock and cut out the cards, then play with as many or as few cards as you like.

Study by groups or periods, study just the nonmetals, the transition metals, the noble gases, etc. There are so many ways to study the periodic table using this exciting game. Make chemistry more fun and memorable by adding the Periodic Table Matching Game to your collection of resources.

The Unplanner, 2018-2019 is available now!

Are you still searching for the perfect homeschool organizer for your family? Well, great news! This year's edition of The Unplanner is now available on Amazon for just $7.99.

If you are looking for a professionally bound homeschool organizer that is affordable, easy-to-use, and has attendance sheets for up to six students, you'll want to check out The Unplanner. There are lots of homeschool planners on the market, but The Unplanner is different, because it has just the pages you need, and none of the ones you don't, so you won't feel pressured by an overwhelming amount of blanks. And best of all, you won't have to print and bind your own pages to get the organizer you want!

 Here's a sample pic of pages from The Unplanner. Printed in a 6 by 9 inch format, with a beautiful, glossy cover, this organizer is easy to carry with you wherever you go, or tuck in a cubby or on a shelf with your other homeschooling materials.

 Make sure to check out my store to see my other books. Thank you!

Making your wellness a priority

In my last post, I mentioned that I had been doing all sorts of things that made me happy this spring. Most of them involved dirty and exhausting work, like rebuilding a deck, cleaning up flower beds, planting flowers and power washing just about everything my hose could reach.

I literally ruined clothes over the past few weeks with layers of sweat, grime, grease, deck stain and even blood, but the work was so fulfilling, because I was doing things I couldn't physically do a year ago, before I made my own wellness a priority.

What I didn't tell you in my last post was that for the last several years I have been dealing with excruciating pain on an almost daily basis. Last spring, it got so bad that I couldn't even pick up a textbook with one hand, or drive an hour from home without pillows propped under my elbows. I was suffering from psoriatic arthritis and even teaching was a challenge because of all the pain in my joints.

Like so many homeschooling moms, I wasn't doing a very good job of taking care of my own needs. My focus was on my family, but my pain was making it impossible to do my daily chores, teach lessons or even have fun with my kids. I couldn't put it off any longer. I had to find a doctor who was able to help me. 

Now, thanks to some pretty effective medication and months of physical training, I am stronger than I have been since my youngest was born, and that was ten years ago. Even better, with proper treatment, I am probably preventing additional damage to my joints and helping to preserve my future health the best way I can. 

Don't wait like I did

I am embarrassed that I let things get so bad before I got help for my arthritis pain. I knew, though, that this message was one of the first things I wanted to share once I got back online. We absolutely have to take care of ourselves and make our own wellness a priority.

Homeschooling takes so much dedication, it is easy to lose yourself as you tend to the tasks of planning and executing your children's education all while managing everything else that typical parents do. But the ten, fifteen, twenty or more years that a homeschooling mom might devote is too long to spend ignoring our health and well-being.

I have to say, I am so much happier and healthier than I was last year. I wish I had not waited so long to see a new doctor, or to try medication that I had honestly been afraid to take. It's been a game changer, with, thnkfully, little to nothing in the way of side effects. 

If you are feeling tired, worn down or in physical or emotional pain, please consider taking some time to address your health. The time you spend focusing on your own well-being is so well spent. You may think you are too busy, with your school schedule and taking care of your kids and your home, but a healthier you can accomplish so much more. Invest your time in feeling better, and make yourself a priority today!

The most important things your middle schooler needs to know

This month, my post, 6 Important Things Your Middle Schooler Needs to Know was featured on Year Round Homeschooling by Misty Leask. I was excited to help her kick off a month of insightful posts aimed at families who are homeschooling middle school kids.

There are so many lessons for middle schoolers to learn, and during this month-long series parents will receive a wealth of knowledge from many homeschool bloggers. You may find advice to help with teaching math, or science, or foreign languages. You may learn more about strengthening your child's faith.

But as I thought about what I would choose to share, I kept coming back to the realization that middle schoolers are at perhaps the most vulnerable age, in the middle of some of their toughest growing-up years, and what they need, more than anything, is connection; to know without a doubt that they are loved.

Hop over to Year Round Homeschooling to read my post, and read more about how you can shore up your middle school kids and give them the strong emotional foundation they will need as they move oh so rapidly toward adulthood.

The responsibilities of the homeschooled student

Over the years, I have had more heart-to-heart conversations with my kids than I can count, and many of those have been about our roles as homeschoolers. So many of us tend to focus on our own responsibilities, as educators, and largely forget to teach our kids about their own responsibilities, as students.

Don't fall into that trap!

When our kids grow up, they will face expectations both in their family life and in the workplace. We have to train them to accept their responsibilities as students with diligence and grace, to treat others - including us - with respect, and to focus on their goals.

In essence, a homeschooled student's responsibilities come down to five points, illustrated in this infographic. If they can successfully manage these five skills, they'll be better equipped to learn any subject and take on any adventures that life sends their way.

Love this infographic? Please feel free to share or embed it straight from Visual.ly!

Taking a practice run at the PSAT

Did you know students can take the PSAT for practice, without it counting against them, as long as they take it before their junior year? That's what my twins are doing, and frankly, I'm a little jealous.

Knowing that students often raise their scores on the SAT and the ACT when they take it more than once, I can't believe more of them don't take advantage of the opportunity to take a practice run at the PSAT in their sophomore or even freshman years of high school. But they probably don't know that they can, or they think that it will count against them.

Getting to know the elements of the periodic table

*This page may contain affiliate links. Please read the Privacy Policy for more details. Purchasing products or services through these links does not affect your price in any way, but may help support the site, and for this we thank you!

Are you raising a child who tends to personify everything? I was one of those kids. I remember with almost embarrassing clarity one boring afternoon in my preteen years when I determined the gender of the numbers 0 - 9. For whatever reason, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 0 were boys, and 1, 4, 6, and 9 were girls.

I'd like to say with authority that there is strong scientific evidence that associates this sort of behavior with creative genius, but that would require scouring psychological journals. Speaking simply from experience though, I can say that my own tendency to personify things helped me to learn, especially when it came to science.

I assigned personalities to everything from different species of animals to various types of bacteria and even the elements of the periodic table in my mind. I think that's why I was so excited to find a complete set of the Basher Science books at a secondhand store a few years ago.

One of the Basher books is called The Periodic Table: Elements with Style, and it allows readers to meet and get to know the personified elements, complete with characteristics you would expect based on how they appear and react in nature. Sodium, for instance, gets along with everyone but is really high strung, sulfur is a prankster dressed sweetly in yellow, and iron is "at the center of everything."

Imagine my excitement when I realized, after recommending the book to our local co-op class, that there is a newer version, with more elements, each with its own descriptive page! It's titled, The Complete Periodic Table: More Elements with Style.

If you have a child who is interested in learning more about chemistry, you need to check out this book, currently on sale for 45 percent off the list price, but I don't know how long that will last.

Associating human characteristics with inanimate objects really has been a good way for me to learn and retain information over time. I believe the Basher Science books about the periodic table can help cement this information in your child's long term memory, too!
   

Spark a positive change in the world

For all the negative imagery we see on the news and in social media, I really don't believe the world is falling apart. I don't believe we're on the brink of a race war, or that most men are out to victimize women, or much of anything the media might have us believe about our fellow human beings for the sake of ratings. I believe that at the heart of it, there is more that unites people than divides them, and if we could all just try to treat each other the way we'd want our kids, or our grandmothers to be treated, the world would be a much better place. 

But it's hard to get away from those constant messages of division and hate. 

Homeschoolers can live somewhat sheltered lives, it's true. Their circle of interaction is typically smaller than the hundreds of peers other kids pass in the halls of a public school And in many families, their exposure to social media is more closely monitored. We can choose to minimize their exposure to the constant stream of negativity, and instead emphasize the good in the world.

That's why I think homeschoolers, in particular, have a tremendous opportunity to change the world. All it takes is a little spark.

One of the lessons I am working hard to teach my kids is kindness. I've noticed that they go out of their way to hold doors for others. They offer to carry things for people, or pick up dropped objects. These little things may seem ordinary, and used to be thought of as just good manners, but consideration for others is a learned behavior. 

I've been working to teach my kids, both through discussion and example, what a difference a kind word can make. Yesterday, while my mom and I were sitting in a waiting room at the cancer treatment center, I noticed the elderly black man with the furrowed brow sitting across from me. He had taken three or four deep breaths in a row, letting each one out in a slow sigh. I didn't know if he was worried or just uncomfortable. Then I noticed his shoes.

It's been 10 years since the scariest day of my life

Take a five pound bag of sugar and dump out about 1/4 of it. That's how much my youngest baby weighed when she was born. She was so tiny and more than a month early. I knew she was coming the day before. My doctor told me they had to take her by C-section the next morning, or risk her dying in the womb. I had less than 24 hours to process the fact that my baby was in imminent danger, and the only way to save her was a serious risk in itself.

That was ten years ago today. It's almost impossible to believe that my little preemie has grown into such a rambunctious, sassy, preteen girl.

The scariest thing I'd ever faced

Ten years ago, as I lay in the hospital waiting to be taken back to surgery, I could not stop the tears. The previous afternoon, the doctors had done the most advanced ultrasound workup they could do. They had estimated her weight at around three pounds, but said that her best, and likely her only chance to survive was if they could get her out of my womb quickly. My placenta was breaking down and leaving her there was sentencing her to starvation.

My youngest was supposed to be my easy baby. My healthy singleton. I'd already been through a high risk pregnancy, premature birth and NICU stay with my twins. But things don't always go according to plan. My twins were both born bigger than her and a week further along, and their first few months had been arduous. I was so scared. Would she survive the birth? If so, would she make it through the challenges that surely awaited? There were no guarantees.

My secret weapon for teaching Spanish

I have a new secret weapon for teaching Spanish, and it is muy efectivo!

Your kids may already be familiar with this powerful tool, and think that it is just a fun game they stumbled upon online. But they do not know the whole truth.

Akinator, the Web Genie, is a popular game, wherein the user chooses a character and the Akinator attempts to guess the character's identity using yes/no questions. My kids introduced me to the game last year, and we have been playing ever since, trying to stump the Akinator with characters we hope he will not be able to guess.

The character you choose can be a real person, like a celebrity or historical figure, or you can choose fictitious characters from books, television, movies, or video games.

The Akinator has successfully guessed all sorts of characters, from Thomas the Tank Engine to George Washington, and just about everyone in between. In fact, one of the only characters I have been able to stump him with was Phronsie from the classic book, The Five Little Peppers. The Akinator seems to know just about everyone in this universe and beyond.

How the Akinator helps us learn Spanish

There is no better tool for helping a student learn than one they love to use. When my kids started taking Spanish this fall, I found a few resources I thought they might like. I even ordered a subsciption to People en Español. But when I remembered that the Akinator game was available in several different languages, including Spanish, I knew I was on to something awesome.

Being new to Spanish myself, I was excited to play a familiar game and help my kids and I build our vocabulary at the same time. We gave the Akinator a trial run, using a character we knew he was sure to get. It only took him 14 questions to get to this one: "¿A su personaje le picó una araña radiactiva?" (I'm pretty sure he meant radioactiva.)

Si! Si! And now, thanks to Google Translate, we know that una araña radioactiva means a radioactive spider. We have new words!

Let's play again!

We decided to try another character, this time a real person chosen by 9-year-old daughter. Within just a few questions, the Akinator was on the right track.

¿Su personaje está relacionado con el mundo de la música?

¿Su personaje es un cantante?

¿Su personaje tiene pelo rubio?

¿Su personaje suelen llevar los labios rojos?

Is my character related the world of music? Is she a singer? Does she have blonde hair? Red lips? Oh my gosh!

Yep, the Akinator got me. My character was Taylor Swift. I'm going to have to think a lot harder if I want to stump him next time, but look at all the new vocabulary words we've picked up just playing a couple of times. Check it out. It's free to play, and a whole lot of fun!

How we learn for free with Universal Class

I am always on the lookout for a great deal. Cheap curriculum is good, free is even better, but only if the resources are high quality and serve my purpose. I don't have time to waste on lousy resources, even if they don't cost me a dime.

That's why I decided to do a test run when I learned that Universal Class offered free classes through my local public library. I've been burned by free classes and extraordinarily cheap offerings on sites like Groupon before. Never again. This time, before adding anything to our fall semester, I spent a few weeks trying out one of the free classes as an enrolled student, just to see how effective the course would be.

Choosing a course wasn't easy. Universal Class has more than 500 classes in their course catalog, on everything from aromatherapy to precalculus. And although individual courses can cost more than $100 if you pay for them yourself, I had access to the whole smorgasbord for free if I logged in through my library portal. Which one would I choose?