CAST Resources

SBAC Resources

You're in luck! It was recorded! Here is the information below...

Tonight I hosted my LAST live, online event for the Test Prep for Writing Success 2019 parent webinar. And, what a special and wonderful group we had. THANK YOU to all who gave of their time and energy.

If you missed it, no worries! We remembered to record it. And, as promised, before my head hits the pillow, here is all you requested.

TEST PREP for WRITING SUCCESS WEBINAR - VIDEO RECORDING (90 Minutes)

Also, when you are done watching the video, no doubt you'll be ready to dive into the FREE sets of lessons I have created for you. To access those:

==> Go to writeonwebb.teachable.com

==> Choose the Test Prep for Writing Success Course toward the bottom of the page

==> Click on "Enroll in Course for $39"

==> On the Order Summary page, enter TP2019where you see "Add Coupon"

==> Complete the registration

==> Access the three courses. Feel free to start with any of the three bundled options. My recommendation is to start with your child's "weakest link."

Finally, some of you shared an interest in having me save you a spot for my ONLINE WRITING PROGRAM for the FALL of 2019. I would LOVE to have you and your kiddo join our community. Sign up if you are interested.

Fall 2019 Writing Course Registration Form

Did you want to join our PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP? It may offer a little extra support and we'd love to have you connect with us. Homeschooling is a journey to share with like-minded, positive, family-first kind of friends. That's us!

And, of course, if you have any questions, please let me know. I'm here to support you.

Have a lovely weekend.

Melissa

Write on!

Brave Writer’s Julie Bogart followed up her in person Inspiring Talks with part one of a three-part webinar series The Writer's Jungle: A Survivor's Guide to Writing with Kids.

http://bit.ly/BraveWriterSurviorGuideWritingWithKids_RecordingLink

Copy and paste the link into your web browser or click on the link above to access the recording.

Want to Join a Brave Learner Book Club?

Many of you were inspired by Julie Bogart's online, or in person Inspiring Talks and asked about forming a The Brave Learner Book Club. We want to help facilitate bringing Brave Writer fans together. If you're interested, please take a minute to let us know what works best for you by clicking on the link below.

https://tinyurl.com/BraveLearnerBookClub-Interest

Coming soon! Part two of our three-part Brave Writer webinar series: Writing Across the Curriculum on Wednesday, May 1st at 1 p.m.

Session recordings include:

• The College Application Process
• UC/CSU Application Process
• Common Application Info Session

Make sure you head over to Inspire High School Resource Site for all things High School.

Happy Planning!

To help engage and create our next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates, Federal Land Management agencies, launched the Every Kid in a Park initiative. The immediate goal is to provide an opportunity for each and every 4th-grade student across the country to experience their federal public lands and waters in person throughout the school year.

Every year, beginning September 1, all kids in the fourth grade have access to their own Every Kid in a Park pass at www.everykidinapark.gov. This pass provides free access to national parks across the country.

The Every Kid in a Park pass is good for the 4th grade school year, until August 31, 2019. Information on obtaining the pass is available by visiting www.everykidinapark.gov.

Head over to http://rivlib.info/website/events

This week we are spotlighting a vendor that services all of Southern California! It's Tinker The Robot and here is what Kay has to say:

Are you and your child always looking for fun and adventure? Does the idea of going on a time-traveling quest intrigue you? Is your eyebrow raised? ;)

Then come by and check out Tinker the Robot! Not totally convinced yet? Well, Tinker the Robot was created by two engineers who love tinkering, hacking and dreaming up crazy inventions. Yes, we've built a remote control cookie oven. And now we want to share that love with you and your kids! We’ve created an Adventure in a Box where you and your kids will join Tinker on a journey while building prototypes and learning science and engineering!

You'll be able to connect with the engineers on Facebook, Online Website, or by email!

Find Tinker The Robot on the Vendor List as "Tinker The Robot - Kay Yang"

This week we look at MobyMax! This is geared towards TK through 8 and is an online curriculum used to find and fix learning gaps in students grades K through 8th. Subjects include math, reading/language, social studies, and science. It includes Moby Learning and Assessments which both work to catch students up to grade level.

You will receive access to the full Moby Suite for each student who opts-in for the 2019-2020 school year, along with a teacher account to view and customize your student's learning experience. To be clear - although the parent will receive a teacher account, the parent will not be able to add their own students, so only students who opt-in will receive a student account.

If you used MobyMax through the 2018-2019 OSP and choose it again for 2019-2020, your student's account information will roll over.

For more details on this OSP option and all the other OSP subscriptions, head over to the OSP Handbook.

Have a question regarding the Online Subscription Package? Email osp@inspireschools.org

First of all, don't try three, four, or more separate curriculums. That is way too much to focus on and will leave everyone feeling burnt out. Spend your time getting creative for science and history and any electives you'd like to introduce.

To study one topic altogether think along the lines of a unit study system. Let's look at the example of volcanoes, specifically, Mount St. Helens.

For a unit study on volcanoes and Mount St. Helens, you would head to the library and gather as many books as you can find in all age ranges. All of the kids can devour each of the books. Don't worry if the middle schooler is checking out the picture books that the kindergartener is as well. All is valuable information and will help lock in facts and info as you go along. Use this study time to read to the kids, have them read to you, have them read to each other and watch videos and documentaries about Mount St. Helens. Head to YouTube and type in Mount St. Helens eruptions; you will see many videos to view the actual footage of the eruptions happening. Also, check out this volcano facts video. https://youtu.be/x-6bGUffwtA

After you have done all of your studying, practice fun and creative ways to showcase what you've learned, build salt dough maps, work on colorful worksheets, let the kids explode many volcanoes on their own out in the backyard. Create and build dioramas. You can even allow the kids to make their own videos based on your topic. Collectively, you will have learned and explored together, each at their own pace and age level — each equally gaining knowledge and growing together as an intellectual family unit.

Going about your day with little ones underfoot and homeschooling can be challenging at times. The best advice I have for young homeschool families is to keep the little ones with you and include them in any way possible. I like to grab a snack, a blanket, some water and head outside with young learners and the little siblings.

Making the environment safe and fun for babies and toddlers frees up more time for you to spend reading on a picnic blanket to your homeschooler, or going on a bug hunt. Use the time you have outside to explore the world around you and discuss it: collect sticks, rocks, and leaves. Count and sort them. You can work on grouping with things in nature. Sitting outside and merely discussing your observations of the plants, animals, and insects around you can lead to lengthy and fulfilling instruction time. Often, the babies and toddlers are entirely content to snuggle with and play with you all as you're enjoying the outdoors. Sometimes it's as simple as realizing that incredible amounts of school-like experiences happen all day long. Seeing them and taking the time to utilize your opportunities, can bring forth a very rich and vibrant education with very little work and with very unsuspecting kiddos. Head outside and give it a shot!

Additionally, when you have older kids that are nearing high school or in high school, most often the goal is to create an independent learner at this stage. Think of ways to help your older junior high student or high-schooler. Allow them to branch off on their own and take responsibility and ownership over their education. Maybe that's an online course, or perhaps that is a dual-enrolled college course. At this stage in life with a homeschooler who is older, my goal is to get them as independent as possible, so they are college and career-ready. I want them to have confidence and ability going into a more adult-like situation, practicing that now as a homeschooler gives them more freedom and opportunities to explore educating themselves and taking ownership. I also believe that allowing your high school student to take on a small portion of teaching younger ones can be very beneficial for the older and younger kids. Allowing the high school homeschoolers to create a class for the younger ones or teach a unit study builds confidence into your high schooler and requires them to practice more study skills in preparation for teaching younger kids. Allowing your younger kids to be taught by someone else opens up their homeschool experiences and makes for a very fun, out of the box homeschool day.

This entire experience is continuously a work in progress. Don't get down on yourself when things seem rough or you feel like you can't find your way. Get creative, get outside, surround yourself with other homeschool families who know what it's like to walk the road you do and who can encourage you along that path. It's a long and hard journey, but it is a journey worth taking.

~ Candice

Hi everyone! I am a mom of 3 awesome kids ranging in age from 10 to 6 years old. My husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been married for 16 years. Having homeschooled our children over the last 6 years in 3 different states, I've found homeschooling here in California, especially with Inspire Charter, has been a great fit for our homeschool journey. I am grateful for our ability to homeschool so freely and I aspire to assist other families with their own homeschool adventures!