Free Karaoke Player for Homeschool and Special Needs

Download a fully functional, free karaoke player for your PC from http://vanbasco.com/. They also let you search for free karaoke songs to use on your player. You may enjoy using the karaoke player for homeschool music lessons.

We're using ours as music therapy with our youngest, who is medically fragile. Her biggest challenge is speech, as she struggles with articulation issues. Music and singing helps her to speak more clearly.

Homeschooling with Special Needs, Choices, Turn-Taking, Writing, and eBay

Do you homeschool a child with special needs? (Yes, I know, all kids have special needs--that's the beauty of homeschooling--everyone can have an individualized education!) I'd like to share one way that helps me find a balance with teaching our littlest homeschooler, age 6. She is a "late talker" with medical and visual challenges. It may not work well for all families, but it is working well for us.

We use turn-taking with first grade workbooks. Susie picks from several workbooks. I read the directions, and then we take turns doing whatever the directions say. We also pick whatever color we want for the pens or pencils we use. Offering choices and taking turns with school sounds like it would take longer than a more directive approach, but trust me, it doesn't. It takes far less time, and is much more fun. Also, I find that my child imitates me more, and her speech continues to improve. For more information, see Dr. MacDonald Communicating Partners Website:http://www.jamesdmacdonald.org/

My oldest daughter has been working hard, helping me set up our eBay business. She is getting valuable real world business, writing and editing experience, and I sure appreciate her help. I couldn't have gotten it all done without her. We finally got our listings up this weekend, and now the truth is out--yes, we are closet Star Trek fans! You'll also find homeschool, educational, travel, and collectible items. Check out all my new stuff on eBay-- http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZwisestew . All sales help support our educational blog, website and homeschool.

Okay, fellow writers, here's a useful freebie: Find fantastic information about writing and the law at Susan Spann's great blog, http://www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/SusanSpann.

That Preschooler Just Wants to "Do School!"

Is your little learner begging to “do school” like his older siblings or friends? If so, you can find printable worksheets for preschoolers that cost little or nothing. Your little one can happily match, trace, and find hidden pictures while older siblings work in their textbooks.

Find 400 free printable and age appropriate worksheets for math, english, geography, science, etc., at http://www.preschoollearners.com/. Preschoolers do activities such as matching flags in one column to matching flags in an opposite column. Find lots more free preschool resources, lesson plans, and printable preschool worksheets at http://www.tlsbooks.com/edulinks.htm .

Thankful for Freedom; Remembering Those in Chains

As we thankfully enter the Thanksgiving holiday season, we can reflect on the great blessings, and responsibility, of living in a free country. Sure, maybe Christian parents and students have to put up with occasional anti-Christian sneers and innuendo. Once in a while, if we do something that the world considers really radical (such as mentioning what the Bible says about sin) we might acually find ourselves feeling a bit threatened. However, few American families experience the level of persecution that occurs daily throughout the world.

Here's one story, that you probably won't hear about on the mainstream news:
Radical, Militant Iraqi Resistance Group Attacks Christian Freedom International and Others for Attempting to Christianize Iraq, http://www.christianfreedom.org/messages.aspx?id=588 .

Find out about what our brothers and sisters in Christ experience. Learn more about history, geography and social studies. Sharpen your child's writing skills, and write to a Christian in prison. Receive a free monthly newsletter from:
Christian Freedom, http://www.christianfreedom.org
The Voice of the Martyrs, http://www.persecution.com

The Voice of the Martyrs also offers a free Christian Witness Under Fire map. We placed ours on our dining table, under a piece of clear plastic.

Pray for the prisoners in Christ.