We’ve had some great treasure hunts with teenagers. At the most recent one, I was told I should make an ebook of all that is involved in making a great hunt. I had been thinking the same thing, wondering if it would be a good idea or not, so with that encouragement I proceeded.

The new freebie ebook is 22 pages in length, and discusses in detail all the steps involved in coming up with locations, how to place items, what kinds of items you can use, how to approach businesses, creating a master list and doing the clue layout so you know which team should be at which location next. I even included several pages of poem clues that can be adapted to your particular area. I hope a lot of people give it a try!

Treasure hunts aren’t just for teenagers. They can be used with homeschool groups and coops, adult Sunday school activities, young couple activities, and even for family reunion activities. Some reunions last for a couple days – this is a great way to spend a few hours in a car, driving around solving riddles and finding clues, and getting to know some of your more distant relatives, or relatives you’d like to spend a little more time with outside of just eating burgers and fries together!

I’d love to have comments posted on here after you have tried your hand at having a treasure hunt and let everyone know how it went!

Amy Blevins is the creative author of a fantastic ebook called Listening to Learn! Using Audio Files in Your Homeschool.

Due to a breathing disorder, this homeschooling mom was forced to find a way to teach her children in a wide variety of subjects without having to do a lot of reading out loud. She discovered the wonderful world of audio files!

Listening to Learn! is written in a simple, “coffee table” format which is easy to understand. The author begins with an introduction of what audio files are and how they can be used. She also provides detailed graphics and information for using a wide variety of electronic devices, such as mp3 players, speakers, car audio cassette adaptors, and FM transmitters. Amy provides charts and logs for keeping track of files which a family desires to listen to.

One of the things I liked best was that she includes actual graphics of computer screens when explaining how to download items. The colors are great and the clarity is quite good.

She explains how to use your local library’s audio files and lending procedures, including information on Overdrive – a great way to download files in your own home.

Probably the most outstanding feature of the book is the extensive list of resources which Amy provides. Each resource is listed with a brief description. She also describes the benefits of podcasts for homeschoolers, explains how to use them, and lists 16 of her recommendations.

Listening to Learn! covers free music files, poetry files, Scripture memory, math memory, several pages of history files, holiday files, speech and communication files, children’s books, and classical books. She also has a section devoted to encouraging homeschooling moms. This sections lists several on-line places moms can go for help and tips, listen to homeschool conferences, and more.

To summarize: If you have been wondering how to get more school time into your busy day, you should really consider audio learning. Amy brings out how to jam-pack your children’s lives with interesting stories, facts, history, music, great literature, and more – all while doing chores or driving to appointments. “Down” time can be learning time – and it’s fun! Children won’t even realize they’re learning, it’ll be so much fun!

To order a copy of her book, go to:
http://bowofbronze.com/listeningtolearn.html

This was good. Got it today in an email:

From Lori Hayward:
Need a new Turkey recipe??
The turkey shot out of the oven
and rocketed into the air,
it knocked every plate off the table
and partly demolished a chair.
It ricocheted into a corner
and burst with a deafening boom,
then splattered all over the kitchen,
completely obscuring the room.
It stuck to the walls and the windows,
it totally coated the floor,
there was turkey attached to the ceiling,
where there’d never been turkey before.
It blanketed every appliance,
It smeared every saucer and bowl,
there wasn’t a way I could stop it,
that turkey was out of control.
I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,
and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
that I’d never again stuff a turkey
with popcorn that hadn’t been popped.

This was a very well presented article. It states both sides of the vaccine issue, yet stresses the point that deciding whether or not to vaccinate should be a PARENTAL choice not a governmental mandate.

Here’s the link: http://www.parentalrights.org/blog/parents/vaccines-autism-and-parents#comment-39749

If you want to take about 6 mintues of your day to read this, it’s a good article.

I’m a firm believer that this is a choice issue. If you feel, (after doing research – not just blindly following what we’ve all been told for 30 years), that vaccinating is a safe and protective procedure for your child, then go for it! If, after doing research, you feel your child may be put at greater risk by receiving the vaccines offered, then you should have the right to decline. It’s as simple as that.

After reading this article, if I lived in NJ and had to use public day cares…I’d move out of state.

Here’s one I believe is rooted in pronunciation. Writers often use “then” when they mean “than.” I think this is because people do not pronounce words clearly. The two sound similar, though they mean different things.

For example:
He was happier then he had been in a long time.
The writer means “than.” However, when speaking, it often sounds like someone is saying “then” – and they very well may be, if they don’t know any better. “Than” is a comparative idea – in comparison to how happy he had been up until this point in time, he was now happier.

“Then” is a time word, used when showing a sequence of events. For example:
First we went shopping, then we went to the salon, and finally we arrived home.

Make sure you are using the correct word!

Okay, some have suggested blogging about specific topics, especially as they pertain to a home business. Well, my home businesses are editing and publishing. It dawned on me I had information which would profit not only my writers, but also fellow homeschoolers. So, I will endeavor to make several posts a week pertaining to writing, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.

This is the first!

We are going to discuss the complete and total overuse of the word “that.” This word, far above all others, is used as a “filler” in sentences, similar to speakers who use “um” or “like” because they can’t think of the next real word.

For example:
The next day that came around, I found myslef wishing that I had an apple tree. That would be so convenient. That I could go right outside my door and pick apples would be great! I hope that I will be able to plant an apple tree that will grow lots of apples that can be turned into pies.

Obviously, you are reading the above, thinking, “Okay – who would write a paragraph in such a manner?” Well, my friends, you would be surprised! Read the following and see if it doesn’t sound much better:

The next day, I found myself wishing I had an apple tree. It would be so convenient. I could go right outside my door and pick apples! I hope I will be able to plant an apple tree capable of growing many apples; then I could bake apple pies.

You see, you can rewrite a sentence to make it clear without using “that” at all. Now, sometimes it is appropriate to use it, and it can add clarity to a sentence. However, the vast majority of folks tend to use it entirely too often. Look over the next letter you write or the next report your child writes for school. If you come across the word “that” determine if it is truly needed for the sentence to make sense. If not, remove it!