tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59219010525752917322024-03-16T14:52:59.632-04:00Chocolate Covered Boy JoyRaising and Educating African American BoysUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-80374221898016587112018-12-17T17:44:00.000-05:002019-02-14T07:53:28.620-05:00Egypt on the Potomac - Explore the History of Your City
Boys Like Adventure
I like to appeal to the natural sense of adventure male children have. When my sons were younger, we went on field trips several times a week. They learned so much being out and about. Whether it was the grocery store or the post office, they never chose curriculum over an adventure.
Sadly, as children get older in homeschooling, we fall into the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-25402291413723303542018-10-21T08:57:00.000-04:002018-10-21T10:48:26.242-04:00Moja Box - A Custom Learning Profile for Your Child
www.mojabox.com
Have you ever had a tailor made suit or custom outfit of any kind? Wasn't the fit perfect, with all of the tucks and cinches in the right places. Now think about how you felt when you wore the custom made outfit. That's exactly how a child feels when the teaching methodology fits his learning style.
What is a Learning Style?
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<![endifUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-42349311638426743902018-07-09T14:32:00.000-04:002018-07-09T14:40:43.744-04:00MEL Science - Chemistry Experiments Delivered to Your Door
I won't lie, when I opened the box I was a bit intimidated. All those unfamiliar chemicals looked quite "official" and a little scary. But I am an adventurer and LionHeart looked too excited for me to let him down. Besides, sometimes text books can suck the fun out of learning. These kits definitely looked like they were about to kick the fun factor up Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-72652864216070986872018-06-18T22:21:00.002-04:002018-06-18T22:21:32.968-04:00Why I Love myON ~ Independent Summer Reading
I found a wonderful way to keep LionHeart engaged with reading and to ensure that Fortnite doesn't take over his life this summer. myON is a digital book library, containing thousands of enhanced and age-appropriate titles for PreK-12. I like that it suggests books based on his interest. He chooses what he wants to read and the placement test determines the appropriate Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-7790717327630802182018-05-22T11:37:00.000-04:002018-08-29T09:52:27.711-04:00I Don't Want A Woman Teacher
Pan African History teacher, Obi Egbuna, Jr., and LionHeart at the first Sankofa Homeschool Graduation.
"I don't want a woman for my teacher," LionHeart said to me. It stopped me in my tracks. I'm a homeschool parent, his first teacher, but you don't want a woman for a teacher! When I turned around he could see the emotions in my eyes. So he started trying to explain Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-68436015309234163252018-05-07T11:29:00.000-04:002018-05-08T11:23:44.389-04:00Normal Isn't Real
"The best part of school for me was being done with it." That quote from the film Normal Isn't Real really stuck with me. Imagine if you are a child and five days a week for seven hours a day you have to go to a place that makes you feel like crap and no one gets you. Imagine what that does to a child's self-esteem and mental health. According to Normal Isn't Real,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-90465722763434486322018-04-11T07:02:00.001-04:002018-04-11T07:02:50.728-04:00No You Can't Have a Tattoo!
His father's name in Adinkra symbols that personify his essence.
He knew I was opposed to tattoos and so was his father. Where was this coming from? I know, those darn rappers, basketball players and football players. Peer pressure too, that's it. Why in the world do you need a tattoo, I asked over and over again? I want something to represent my father, he replied Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-64551742825122640462018-01-27T15:35:00.000-05:002018-01-27T15:35:35.289-05:00Olokun of the Galaxy - A Book Review
Olokun of the Galaxy is a poetry and visual arts book written by award-winning author Esther Iverem. The book centers around an African spirit of the ocean who protects the ocean and honors the Maafa (middle passage) and all those millions who died during the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade.
When I initially picked up the book and started reading, I had no idea what was going on and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-82108770238196601362017-12-24T17:46:00.001-05:002017-12-24T20:19:54.785-05:00Mindshift - Dr. Barbara Oakley
As the mother of a Right-brain, non-traditional learner, I knew that I had to see Dr. Barbara Oakley lecture. She flunked out of math in elementary school. In fact, she said in third grade that she just gave up on trying to learn multiplication tables. But here's the twist, despite her late arrival to the mathematical scene (she enrolled in remedial Algebra at age 26) she now Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-77077483426437530312017-12-13T12:37:00.000-05:002017-12-13T12:37:03.412-05:00The Trouble With Travel Sports
KingMan at sports camp in Massachusetts
When I fall asleep early, I wake up early. Way too early. So on this morning I decided to watch an
episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumble. One of the topics was Kids Travel Tourism. Whoa! After watching the segment, my mouth dropped open. I wonder if the family featured in the segment will look back at the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-20251259567567312152017-08-22T11:29:00.000-04:002017-08-22T11:32:30.402-04:00Curriculum Plans for LionHeart 2017-2018
LionHeart and Ronnie Sidney, author of Nelson Beats the Odds
I can't believe its been almost two years since I did a curriculum share. It's amazing to look back and see what you said you were going to use and compare it with what you actually used. That's the beauty of homeschooling, the ability to change gears in mid-stream and do what's best. This year I am trying Unknownnoreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-2323268489867240542017-08-05T19:38:00.001-04:002017-08-21T14:13:28.343-04:00Liberated Minds Black Homeschool & Education Expo 2017
Yours Truly, Queen Taese, and Dr. Camara
This year I was honored at the Liberated Minds Black Homeschool & Education Expo along with Dr. Samori Camara, founder of Kamali Academy, for my service to the homeschool community. I don't talk about this much in my blog, but I am the Co-Founder of the Sankofa Homeschool Community & Collective, a support system for homeschoolers of the AfricanUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-41775302964094876232017-04-21T14:10:00.000-04:002017-04-21T14:10:05.550-04:00The Power of Black Super Heroes
When KingMan was younger we always had the same debate in the toy aisle. He wanted the white super hero, but I wanted him to have the Black super hero. I understood why he wanted Goku - it was what he saw on television. I also understood why he wanted John Cena, instead of Kofi Kingston. But for me it was the principle. So the compromise was I bought both.&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-62439563397788766412017-04-16T15:42:00.001-04:002017-04-17T23:46:15.471-04:00Clever Dragons ~ Online Learning for Boys
As a working, single-parent homeschool mom I am busy. Busy, beyond busy! There are times when our day moves like a bullet train. If we don't get as much done as I would like, my homeschool guilt surfaces. We homeschoolers bear a heavy responsibility and we want to make sure we get it right. When I had the opportunity to review Clever Dragons, an online curriculum Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-87445009063661485322017-04-09T10:39:00.002-04:002017-04-09T10:40:45.986-04:00Word Root 4 - The Critical Thinking Company
The Critical Thinking Company's Word Root Level 4 teaches vocabulary by first dissecting the words and defining each part - the root, prefix and suffix. Once the student learns these parts of the words, this knowledge is used to decode unfamiliar words. There is a pre-test included to get you started and a post-test to use once the text is completed to see how much has been retained.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-6302437269127246382017-03-22T14:16:00.000-04:002017-03-22T14:37:38.672-04:00How to Recognize Bad Reasoning - The Fallacy Detective
I jumped at the chance to review the Fallacy Detective because I live with the Great Debators, otherwise known as my two sons. All of a sudden, I have gone from knowing everything to not very much. Well, we may as well put that faulty reasoning to the test.
The easy-to read Fallacy Detective is 38 lessons on how to recognize bad reasoning. It was written by Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-74517197648962262652017-03-11T12:15:00.002-05:002017-03-11T12:15:08.388-05:00My First Bank Account
LionHeart's first savings account.
I'm pretty sure I was well past the age of 18 when I opened my first bank account. But planting the seeds of saving, delaying gratification and setting achievable goals starts early. It's even more important when you have a skill that earns you money. Lionheart is a part of the Farafina Kan West African Drum Ensemble. He's been Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-21712198036581832472017-02-21T16:37:00.000-05:002017-02-21T18:48:33.880-05:00Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: 180 Daily Teaching Lessons
Oddly enough, my oldest son loved grammar. In fact, it was one of his favorite subjects. We used Rod and Staff to lay the foundation. It was a thorough program, but not always easy to finish in a year. The Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: 180 Daily Teaching Lessons seemed like a good substitute. We examined the grade 11 text. After a couple of lessons, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-57817346928564430612017-02-14T22:36:00.002-05:002017-02-21T19:19:16.255-05:00Pairing Audio Books with the Hard Copy Book To Get Children Reading
Kwame Alexander, the award-winning author of Lionheart's favorite book
In a rush to get Lionheart ready for his Creative Writing class last fall, I checked out the required book from the library. Because Lionheart started late and had to cover a lot of chapters in a short amount of time, I checked out the audio book too. He loves stories, but doesn't always like to sit down with Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-56705728141682448432017-02-09T13:18:00.000-05:002017-02-12T23:53:12.274-05:00Beginning Word Roots: A Review
Everything has a beginning. This is how we began our study of root words. Trees have roots and so do words, I explained to Lionheart, who wondered aloud, "why do I have to do this!?" I wanted him to understand that the key to unlocking the meaning of new and unfamiliar words is understanding their roots. Sharing this tidbit made teaching this abstract concept a bit moreUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-34051975147598355062017-01-30T15:18:00.000-05:002017-06-24T22:19:08.517-04:00Advocating for Your Child v. Letting Him Have His Way
Advocating for your child doesn't mean you are always rallying for him to have his way. I am the type of parent who will usually need to hear complaints from my children several times before I begin to investigate. Recently, LionHeart came home complaining about tennis and being moved to what he considered a "lower group." I learned there were other children in the "lower Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-11746561055230672722017-01-22T13:18:00.000-05:002017-01-22T13:18:00.533-05:00College Tour Transformations with We Just Imagine
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-3802751256083858182017-01-08T10:51:00.001-05:002017-01-08T10:51:12.674-05:00African-Centered Reading Comprehension - A Treasure Within
As a literacy teacher and homeschool parent, I am big on reading comprehension - do you understand what you are reading and what does it mean to you. I am testing out a few programs, because for some reason, I can't just use one. LionHeart's reading didn't blossom until he was about 8 years old, which is considered "late" by left brain learning style benchmarks, but right on Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-26427222542192714832016-12-17T21:33:00.001-05:002016-12-18T17:20:56.174-05:00Bloxels - Make Your Own Computer Game - A Timberdoodle Review
Bloxels - Make Your On Computer Game
I started out reading the manual and watching the very helpful instructional videos, while Lionheart dived right in. I couldn't convince him to watch the videos, which we later referenced. Instead, he wanted to tinker and figure it out on his own. The beauty of Bloxels is that it allowed him to do just that. While I was Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921901052575291732.post-3290200106615387062016-08-30T20:11:00.000-04:002016-08-30T20:11:07.006-04:00Getting Organized: Dry Erase Boards and Floating Walls
During my homeschool nesting period, right before the new year begins, I pull out all of my resources and discover things that I didn't know I had - like two "How to Draw Manga" books. I also pulled out the posters I have collected over the years wondering when I'd ever use them? Then I got an idea. Create some floating walls with panel board!
I first discovered this Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6