The school year is winding down…do you have your annual assessment done yet?

Yearly assessments that don't cause stress.

The secret’s out! We’ve got the easiest annual assessment in Washington to fulfill your state requirement!

Here are 3 reasons you need to avoid stress while fulfilling this state requirement this year: First, when your kids are not in a mental breakdown with test anxiety, your last months of homeschooling will definitely be more carefree. Also, we are passionate about helping you determine if your children are making progress. That is really the goal of learning! Plus, our annual testing is more affordable than you may think!

We can’t wait to give you peace of mind as you check this yearly requirement off of your to-do list!

Let's Play a Game...

Let’s play a game: “2 Truths and 1 Lie.” (Although we do have a caveat before we start, it is never ok to actually lie. ;))

Here’s how it works... we’ll share two surprising facts and one lie about homeschooling, and then you have to decide which “fact” is actually a lie. Ready? Put your game face on!

Fact: Homeschooling is fun. Growing in your relationships and being able to positively influence your children in every aspect of their development really is enjoyable. Sure, there will be hard seasons throughout your time together but the overall experience is well worth the effort.

Fact: It is easiest to walk your homeschooling journey alone so you don’t have to conform to any schedule or routine.

Fact: Perfectionism can hinder your homeschooling. Expecting and waiting for the perfect curriculum, for your house to be spotless and for your kids to always want to do their assigned work without complaints, all while telling yourself if your life isn’t IG perfect, you are a failure will kill the joy and love in your home.

Ready to learn which “fact” was actually a lie? *Drumroll please!*If you guessed that it is easiest to homeschool alone was a lie, you win this round! While we think going with the flow can be good, we’ve yet to experience one homeschooling family that didn’t benefit from having a routine that brings them out of the home to interact with friends and take a load off a parent for at least one subject as a welcomed part of the week. We are so thankful that we can help provide these homeschooling benefits to our families. Your turn! What’s a fact about you that people often think is a lie?

Can you take a break for afternoon tea?

Mondays are a fresh start to a new week. If life has been going smoothly with your children loving to learn and you are able to take a short break for an afternoon tea, keep up the good work!

Now, if the picture of your day includes more tantrums and whining than learning, maybe it is time to take a deep breath and reevaluate your plan. Rest assured, there will be a transition time as this year's routines are established, but if you know the adjustment time has passed and things are still very challenging, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. Are your expectations realistic?

If you have a 4-year old that won't sit still while you are trying to do hour lessons full of lecture-type teaching.....you might need to reevaluate. Studies have shown that children have the attention span in minutes their age plus one minute. Although this isn't a hard rule, we have found it to be pretty accurate!

2. Does your teaching style match the learning needs of your children?

"If you’ve told a child a thousand times, and the child still has not learned, then it is not the child who is the slow learner." This quote can seem a bit harsh but really think about the meaning. What can you do to refresh how you approach teaching your children in a way that helps them feel the spark of excitement as they explore new topics?

3. Are you trying to be an IG or Pinterest homeschool mom?

Don't get us wrong, we love a good IG feed and Pinterest is a wonderful resource, but trying to live up to the "perfect" homeschool pictures with a school space Joanna worthy, a clean house 24-7, always obedient children that love to read and will be working with NASA at age 10….just isn't reality. Homeschooling is different for each family. Experience tells us that you will find your kids learning in all sorts of unique places (usually not the space you so painstakingly set up). Upside down reading on the couch? Yep! Making a mess on your kitchen table day after day with supplies, books, and snack wrappers? Yes to that too! And guess what, that is ok! When life is messy it usually means your kids are thriving. Here’s a quick tip, if you can't stand the chaos on your table, call a five-minute break, turn the music on and for one song, clean as fast as everyone can just to keep the avalanche at bay. You will all learn teamwork and you will be amazed just how much you can get done in those few short minutes a couple of times a day. Most of all, answer all of their questions, smile, pray, and enjoy this fleeting time. You’ve got this!

Am I Qualified to Teach My Children?

You have been your child’s teacher since the day they were born. The foundations for language, math, writing, social relationships, love, and most importantly your moral code, among thousands of other skills, have been established by you. Although parents have proven that they are fully capable of teaching their children for some reason we get nervous as our children age that we won’t be able to measure up. As our confidence wanes, we feel the only option is to let our children go to public school for a “proper” education. For some families, that is the best choice and that is ok but that isn’t the only choice (or right choice) for every child or family.

Any homeschool parent will tell you that they are not a rocket scientist, a math whiz, or a prolific Newbury award-winning author (well unless they really are). The beauty and exciting thing about being a homeschool parent is that you get to learn or relearn so many amazing things right alongside your child! Thankfully, if you do have a child that surpasses you in a subject, there are so many resources, like our Academy, that you can participate in to take the pressure off yourself.

So now that you KNOW you are qualified, how do you abide by the HBI* laws of Washington to become qualified to be able to legally homeschool? Rest as ease, they are all pretty easy and you might even already have one of the qualifications met! You only need to qualify in ONE of the four ways. The different options that Washington State has established to fulfill this portion of the law are:

• Either parent has earned 45 quarter units of college-level credits

• Attend a Parent Qualifying Course

• Work with a certificated teacher who meets with your student on the average of an hour a week

• Be deemed sufficiently qualified to provide home-based instruction by the superintendent of your local school district

There are some questions that usually come up with the qualifications so let’s do a little FAQ here. If we don’t answer something that you have a question about, please leave a comment and we will do our best to quickly reply!

QUALIFICATION FAQ

Q: Does the parent with the college-level credits have to be the primary teacher?

A: No, either parent can be the primary teacher as long as one of the parents has 45 quarter units of credit. This is equivalent to about half of a AA degree.

Q: Where can I attend a qualifying parent course?

A: The WHO offers parent qualifying courses along with a list of other classes offered throughout Washington.

Q: Is there a test that parents must take after the qualifying course?

A: No, there is not usually a test for parents with the exception of the online course offered. There are a few easy questions at the end of the online class just to make sure you watched. :)

Q: Do I have to take the parent qualifying course each year?

A: No, once you have the certification, it is good for life.

Q: How do I contact a teacher to supervise my children’s learning plan?

A: Any teacher working in the field of education can be your point of contact each week. The teacher must spend at least one hour a week with your child. All students that are enrolled and regularly attend classes at Cedar Hil Academy meet this qualification.

Q: Who do I turn my parent qualifications into?

A: No one, with one exception! You just need to make sure one of the 4 methods is completed. If you do choose to use a certified teacher as your qualifying method, there is one box on the WHO’s DOI form that you turn into your local school district that you need to check. This does go to OSPI so technically they will be informed of your choice but you don’t have to turn in any extra paperwork, just check the box.

Q: Does the teacher have to dictate what I teach?

A: Absolutely not! The teacher must meet with your student for at least an hour each week to qualify but they do not have to provide the materials you teach.

Q: How do I get the superintendent to deem me qualified?

A: In our experience, this is the least common method for parent qualification. We suggest to make an appointment with the superintendent of your local school district and ask how he/she completes the process. If could be different for each district.

Remember, you only need to qualify using ONE of these methods. Although it can seem daunting at first, we are here to support you because together is always better. Do you have any specific questions about parent qualifications for homeschooling in Washington?

HBI = Home-based instruction

DOI=Declaration of Intent (to homeschool)

OSPI=Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

So You’ve Decided to Homeschool....Now What?

Imagine yourself sitting at your kitchen table, sipping on your caffeinated beverage of choice, looking forward to the day because you felt at ease with the decisions you have made regarding your children’s education. This scene might feel like an impossibility but take a deep breath because we are here to walk you through the process of legally homeschooling in Washington State.

Before we begin with the legalese, let’s take a moment to remember life changes that are meaningful can feel a bit challenging at the beginning because it is new but it is always worth the extra effort. A new exercise program, clean eating, even marriage is work but the benefits always outweigh any obstacles you might face. Ok, are you ready to get your ducks in a row so you can sigh a bit of relief and really focus on making your daily homeschool journey a success?

First and foremost, Why do we even have to report to the state about our educational choices? It is actually very simple, the compulsory education law states that all children ages 8-18 must attend school with some exceptions. Thankfully, homeschooling is one of those exceptions but the state wants to account for each child to make sure the laws are being upheld. Along with our green landscape, majestic mountains and interesting coastlines our nonevasive homeschool laws are another blessing about living in Washington. Compared to other areas in the US and the world, our laws are very reasonable and easy to follow. Generations before us fought valiantly to secure our right to choose to homeschool our children so if everyone tries to abide by the laws set before us, it benefits not only our generation, but the generations to come.

Let’s get to the details! Below are the first steps you need to take based on the age of your children and their previous educational experience:

-If your child is less than 8 years old and has never been formally enrolled in school, you are considered educationally free and you can and should file nothing with the local school district.

-If your child is less than 8 years old and has attended public school, you will need to communicate in writing your wish to formally withdrawal to the principal of your child’s school. Do not turn in a Declaration of Intent to the school district until your child’s 8th birthday. Don’t overthink this, simply say, Dear (principal), I wish to withdraw (students names) from (school) starting (date you wish to withdraw). Sincerely, (your name)

-For children 8-18 that have never entered the public school system, you will need to turn in a Declaration of Intent to Homeschool each school year by September 15th.

-If your child 8-18 years old and is currently enrolled in a public school program, you will need to send a formal withdraw letter to your principal AND submit a DOI to your local school district. For an iron clad paper trail, send your DOI registered mail with a return receipt. File the receipt away when you get it back with your other homeschool paperwork. You can also go to the district to turn in your form and ask for a photocopy of the signed form or date stamp that you turned it in. Most districts will also send a follow up email confirming the DOI has been processed. Always keep a copy of your DOI on file.

It is always best practice to use the Washington Homeschool Organization DOI form as it releases only the information dictated necessary by law to your local district. The WHO is a wonderful resource for the homeschoolers of Washington State.

We love checklists here at Cedar Hill Academy so we created a quick and easy one for you to use to make sure you have all of your t’s crossed and your i’s dotted! Please do not hesitate to reach out for clarification or ask any questions you might have. You’ve got this!

In this post we talked in detail about two of the five points on our checklist. Coming up next is all about the parent qualification options so stay tuned! If you want to make sure to stay up to date and get the upcoming articles delivered to your inbox, sign up below. Happy learning!

5 Easy Lunches for Busy Families

Everyone knows that today is National Pi Day because who doesn’t want a good excuse to eat pie but did you know that it is also National Potato Chip Day? Yep, that is a thing! If your house is anything like ours, chips are the main staple, albeit not a healthy one! We do try to stick with the brands and flavors that have ingredients that are easily pronounced.

As a homeschool mom, one of the most challenging times each day is lunchtime. Everyone is ready for a break including you but everyone also needs food! Leftovers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the go-to meals in most homeschooling families, but sometimes everyone is craving a change. Change doesn’t have to be hard! Planning is sometimes the roadblock so we have created 5 days worth of easy or prep ahead lunches. You can right-click the image and save it and we have also linked recipes and made you a grocery list. Enjoy and let us know which your favorite new lunch item is!

Weekly prep::

• Make a pound of bacon, divide into two different portions

• Make one dessert to divide for the week (see TREATS above)

• Wash grapes

• Freeze grapes and M&M’s if using

Monday: Turkey Ranch Tortilla Roll-ups, carrot and red pepper stripes and apple slices

Use large flour or GF tortillas and layer ranch, turkey, cheese (any kind you have will do), bacon and avocado and roll. You can cut them in half, in rounds or leave them whole. Slice red peppers (They are also a great addition in the wrap too) and carrots. If you want, buying baby carrots will speed up the process. Slice apples.

Tuesday: Crockpot Baked Potatoes and frozen grapes

Follow instructions in the link for baked potatoes. At lunchtime add sour cream, bacon crumbles, butter, cheese and salt and pepper. to potatoes. Serve with frozen grapes (these will become a summertime favorite)

Wednesday: Croissant with Chicken Salad, orange slices and chips

To make the chicken salad I use either leftover rotisserie chicken or canned chicken from Costco. You need about 4 cups. I add in 1 cup each of celery and red grape halves, 1/2 cup pecans or cashews and diced red onion. To taste add salt, pepper and a pinch of onion and garlic powder. Pile some on a pre-made croissant and enjoy!

Thursday: Frito Pies, blueberries and strawberries

Layer Fritos in a bowl and top with heated chili and cheese. If you want to get fancy you can add sour cream and chopped green onions.

Friday: Ham and Cheese Refrigerated Crescent Rolls, yogurt with banana slices and snap peas

*Desserts: Ree’s Strawberry Jam Bars (These are easy and oh so yummy), Three Ingredient PB Cookies, and/or M & M Rice Krispie Treats (Use the traditional recipe and add frozen bag of M&M’s, we like mini M&M’s the best)

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Grocery list or items needed:

flour or GF tortillas

croissants (Costco’s are yummy but any prepared will do)

refrigerated crescent rolls

Fritos

potato chips

cans of chili

turkey and ham lunch meat

bacon

chicken (see suggestions above)

pecans or cashews

sour cream

butter

cheese

ranch

yogurt

red pepper

carrots

celery

snap peas

red onions

potatoes

avocado

apples

banana

blueberries

strawberries

oranges

red grapes

*add dessert ingredients

Enrollment is Open for the 2020-21 School Year at Cedar Hill Academy!

We are so excited to have enrollment open for the 2020-21 school year at Cedar Hill Academy! Class sizes will be small so don’t delay in reserving your spot. The classes that will be offered in 2020-21 are:

-Seedlings (6 students)

-Saplings (6 students)

- Biology (8 students)

-Middle School Math/Pre-Algebra (10 students)

-Algebra 1 (10 students)

For class descriptions and tuition please click here.

If you would like to have more information about our program please contact us or join us for our open house on March 20th, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM. We can’t wait to meet your family!

Establishing 2020 Goals

In our last blog post we were talking all about the stages of homeschooling and how to meet your homeschool goals.  If you have never written out goals with your  children, it is always a great way to start the new year!  2020 not only brings a new year but a new decade. Sit and think for just a moment how much life will change in 10 years. Will your children still be at home or off to college? They might even be married with children by then! Now is the time to make a fresh start and build your hope for the future.  The only limitations are your own thoughts and breaking those barriers might just be the key to having the best year yet with your children! 

We have a beautiful older woman in our church congregation that is full of wisdom that she has gained over the years.  She has taught many women in her time and one thing that she always emphasizes is how to set goals based on the scripture in Luke 2:52.  That verse says,

"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." 

Although God’s Word is complete, she did add one thing to her goal list that isn't listed in this specific verse, financial. We feel like that is fitting because the bible does talk alot about our financial lives as well.  (Dave Ramsey is the expert here!)

If this method of living was good enough for Jesus, it is definitely good enough for us!  Keeping Jesus in our mind as we set goals for the new year gives us a sense of purpose and power to accomplish great things with the days He has given us!  We want to give you a head start to easily create goals with your children based on this verse so please feel free to download this pdf and print one for each of your children.

As you can see, this goal setting outline doesn’t just want you to blindly write your goal and then file it away to never be thought of again. Take the goal and break it down into actionable steps. This helps fit the overwhelm and gives your children the confidence that they need to actually accomplish their dreams! Don’t forget to add their reason why. On the days that we don’t want to work on our goals, because lets face it, it isn’t always fun to grow when we are smack dab in the process, they will keep working at it because they can look up and think to themselves, “Oh yeah, that is WHY I want to accomplish this goal.” Now, let’s get going and make this year spectacular!

Our next post will be all about making goal setting fun….stay tuned for that! If you don’t want to miss out on any blog posts, Cedar Hill news or upcoming events, click here to join our email list.

Homeschool Goals and Routines

As we start to settle in for the winter, it is a good time to take a few quiet moments to sit down and really look at our homeschool routines, ideas, and accomplishments for the first part of this school year. It is always best to focus on the positives but as you look back, we also need to take the time to review the things that might not be working the way you had planned. 

Now, before we get much deeper, know that there are going to be periods, hopefully just a day or two but they can last longer, where your child (or yourself) are disgruntled or overwhelmed about learning in general.  Take these times to either push them beyond their comfort zone to growth in a fun way or let them just sit on cruise control for a short time to help them rejuvenate.  We all need brain breaks every once in a while! 

One word of caution , there is so much chatter about the “kind” of homeschooler we identify with.  Are you involved in CC (Classical Conversations), unchoolers, part of the wild and free movement, school at home, ect.?  As you sit back at ponder (hopefully with a steaming cup of coffee or tea),  all that really matters is if you and your children love the way YOUR family is choosing to learn.  Are you satisfied with their growth?  Are you encouraged by the way they are excited to learn?  If the answer to these questions is a resounding yes, keep up the good work mama! If not, then it might be time to take a look at how you are choosing to go about your days. 

Traditionally, homeschooling goes through stages along with your children's development.  In the early years we get to play with lots of paint, sounds, construction paper, glue, and glitter.  The laminator is your best friend during this period but the pieces of cut laminate sheets are more like your worst enemy. Then you transition into the upper elementary age to middle school.  Your kids still want to paint and do art but the projects get more involved and the mess is a little more manageable because hopefully, they are learning to clean up after themselves just a bit.  It is during this stage that you may start to question, as your child's primary educator, if you have what it takes to finish out the next stage.. high school. As you transition into high school age, you move into transcripts, testing, upper-level math, and lab sciences.  Some families will choose to completely stay their own course for all of the high school learning and might even decide to never take the SAT or pursue higher formal education in the form of college.  That is totally ok!  Trades are on a comeback and our children will be able to support themselves just as well, if not better, by learning a trade than if they become a degreed professional.  For those families that do decide that college is the best path for their child/ren, the reality is that they will need to know how to take notes, study for tests, handle the nerves of testing, write formal essays, do higher-level math and so on.

You can be prepared for both high school options at any age by asking yourself these questions:

Are the decisions I am making today helping or hindering our goals for our homeschool journey?

Are we growing closer as a family and to God through our homeschool journey?

Can I see growth, even incremental, in my children’s abilities mentally, spiritually and physically?

There are undoubtedly many more questions you can ask yourself but these will give you a good indicator as to what path you are currently on and if you need to just stay the course or look to alter your direction.

Just as you are looking at your family’s routines, priorities, strengths and weaknesses, we are also looking at ours at Cedar Hill Academy.  We feel like our true gift to our families is having learning options for upper elementary to high school students that engage, teach and encourage them to love learning. Yes, even what some feel are harder subjects like math and science.  Experiment days are definitely a favorite with the students and who knew a game of faction spoons could draw so many laughs! We are loving our Saplings class and feel like it is going beyond the classroom teaching skills and abilities that you can only get with a personalized education. During our first semester, the sapling students have built life-size teepees, a longhouse for the winter, fires (with of course s’mores), dioramas, scale models of the early Lewis and Clark forts, gone on nature hikes collect local plants, identifying and drying them and so much more.  The students are also loving the read alouds and outside free time that we take each learning period. Growing a family or a business are both works in progress, but if we keep our ultimate goal in mind, we know we will succeed together in both. 

Over the next few weeks, we want to give you tools to help set your homeschool goals that are based on scripture that really work! We have said it before and will say it again, progress over perfection conquers the homeschool day. We would love to hear from you. What are some struggles and some wins you have had this year?

A day in Seattle a holiday tradition

Can you believe it is almost Christmas? Each year during the holiday season my daughter, her family and I all head to Seattle for a festive day on the town!  I want to share our day with you to inspire you to add a new holiday tradition for your family too.  Traditions are what create the nostalgia that we all love and crave.  They set our family apart and forever imprint our uniqueness on the hearts of our children. Traditions don't have to cost a lot, be extravagant or take days to plan or implement.  They just have to be meaningful and repeat over time so that when you and your children look back, you all can say...remember when?  The traditions you set will be the ones your children try to replicate in their families as time passes. 

 Our expedition usually starts at the Act Theater to watch the live production of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  Wonder Excursions is a local homeschool organization run by a wonderful local homeschool mom, that coordinates group ticket sales for fine art productions.  She does a fabulous job making performing arts accessible to all.  We have gotten our tickets with her group for many years and love that they help so many families make a holiday day in Seattle possible, although we almost missed the window of opportunity this year! 

ADAM'S PEANUT BUTTER CUP FUDGE RIPPLE CHEESECAKE…rich but delicious!

After the 90 minute show, we head on over to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  It is a little pricey but since we only go here once a year, we feel the splurge is worth it!  We try to share cheesecake pieces after lunch so we can sample as many different delectable flavors as possible!

 Did you know there is a gingerbread village each year in downtown Seattle at the Grand Sheraton Hotel that is sponsored by JDRF?  JDRF is an organization that is on the quest to help cure Type 1 diabetes.  This event is free to the public but a $5 donation is gladly accepted to help support research.  We have seen some fantastic creations over the years with themes ranging from Harry Potter and Star Wars to the Grinch.  The creative spirit of the artists is awe-inspiring and we always go home wanting to try their techniques in our own creations. This year the theme was “Elf Life” and the creators did not disappoint. The attention to detail is outstanding!

 As we wrap up our downtown tour, we head home with smiles talking about how the play was different than last year.  What actors were the same or different, and if they were different it brings up a conversation of who played the part better. Each year without fail, someone asks, did you jump when the ghost of Marley came out?  The answer is still yes.  

Holidays are for making memories that fill your heart with love.  Traditions help you to feel like you are a part of something and have a special belonging.  Do you have a tradition that has been handed down in your family that the holiday season wouldn't be complete without?

All of us at Cedar Hill Academy wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and happy, happy New Year!

Adventure Series Book List for Tweens and Teens

One of our very favorite quotes is "Reading is the magic key to take you where you want to be."  We have seen the wonder and excitement as children devour a book that they just can't put down.  We have felt right alongside our children the thrill of a captivating storyline, the dread of certain characters appearing in a tale, the love felt between friends as a plot unfolds.  Untold millions of books have been written and it can be difficult to uncover literary treasures that are just waiting for your family to discover.  We want to share a few of our favorite stories with you, in hopes that you will fall in love with them too! This compilation of novels is not in any certain order of how much we enjoyed them because, how can we rank greatness? These are all stories that charmed our hearts and thoroughly entertained our family.

We want to start our “library shelf of favorites” with these stories that will leave you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. You can click on the book title to take you to the goodreads description of the titles but take our word for it, they are well worth the read!

The Hound of Rowan (The Tapestry)

Greenglass House #1

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Emerald Atlas (The Book of Beginning #1)

Gregor The Overlander (Underland Chronicles)

The Door Within (The Door Within Series)

The Leviathan (Trilogy)

The Curse of the Spider King (Berinfell Prophecies)

We would love to hear if your family reads any of these books or if they are already a favorite. Leave us a comment and let us know!

10 Christmas Gifts For The Hard to Buy For Tween and Teen

Are you ready for the holidays to come?  We love this time of year but sometimes we get gift giving paralysis when it comes to the tweens, teens and kids on our list.  Are you in the same boat?  We want to help you a bit with a quick and easy gift guide for that hard to buy for tween to teen!  This age group is notorious for being difficult to purchase useful and fun gifts for but we think we have you covered with some great options. Let the roundup begin!

1. Colorful Blessings: Cards to Color and Share & Stabilo Pen Set

These cards are the perfect size to take a quick brain break and complete in less than an hour. The cards are fun to share to encourage others too. These pens will get a swoon from any office supply junky. We have never met a homeschool mom that wasn’t so make sure to get a set for yourself too!

Coloring cards available HERE and Pen Set available HERE

2. iTunes Gift Card

Do you love to get the biggest bang for your buck? We do to! Did you know the best ongoing deal for gift cards are usually found at your local grocery store? Our local Fred Meyer has a 4x monetary value in reward points and that adds up quickly during the holiday season when buying these and other gift cards. Your points can get you a hefty discount on gas! Score!

3.Bookends Planning: Embroidered Bookmarks, Keychains & Pouches

We are always looking for ways to help motivate our children to be more organized and there is no better way to encourage them to do that that with Jamie’s adorable handmade items! There are over 150 different options of items made in organizational heaven ranging from bookmarks, keychains and pouches listed in her shop to choose from. You will be sure to find the perfect stocking stuffer this year!

Washington Key Chains HERE and Click HERE to visit see her whole line of products

4. Betsy Farmer Jewelry

We have purchased many pieces from local artist, Betsy Farmer, over the years and we are always 100% ecstatic when we get them in the mail. Her attention to detail and craftsmanship is superior to any other stamped jewelry we have seen. This mother and daughter heart set is a perfect, meaningful set for you and your girls. It will instantly become a favorite accessory for you both.

Mom and Me Necklace is HERE and Click HERE to visit her Etsy shop

If you have a male in your house, the personalized guitar pick keychains will definitely bring a smile to his face!

Click HERE to personalize and order the keychain

Betsy is so sweet that she offered to give you a coupon code for anything in her shop! Use the code CEDARHILL to get 10% off of your order. Thank you Betsy!

5. Audible Subscription

Most of our students LOVE to listen to audio books. Relaxing and being immersed in the stories helps create a rich imagination. Listening to one of the thousand of options on Audible will quickly become the favorite time of their day!

Click HERE for a link to Audible on Amazon

6. Bamboo iPad/phone Holder

Like it or not, our world is surrounded with electric devices and they are here to stay. This portable bamboo holder can easily cradle phones or small tablets while your children enjoy face timing with grandma, watching YouTube or doing research for a project. It can easily be taken apart and stowed in their bag for holiday traveling as well!

Grab the holder HERE

7. String Art created by Made By The Needle

Sarah ,at Made By The Needle, has such a selection of string art options that you will be able to find a piece for any personality or passion! She has a range of ready to ship pieces and also does custom orders. If you hurry over to her shop, she has a 20% off sale going this weekend plus free shipping! The only way her shop would be better is with a little purple and gold. Go Huskies! ;)

Click HERE to visit her shop

8. Gift Certificate for a 4- day summer camp at Cedar Hill Academy

Give the gift of experience this holiday season! We have developed some fantastic hands-on fun for summer 2020. There will be many themes of camps and weeks to choose from next summer.

Contact us HERE and we will have your experience packaged up and ready to gift for Christmas!

8. Burrito Blanket

Seriously though, what kid could resist wrapping up in a giant tortilla?

Roll on over to Amazon to get your blanket HERE

9. Lego Architecture Skyline Collection

Would a gift guide be complete without at least one set of Legos? We don’t think so either! All of the Architecture Lego sets are a delight for the imagination and will be perfect for the budding engineers, travel enthusiast or geography lovers. There are many skylines to choose. Which set do you think your designer would choose?

San Francisco Architecture Set HERE

10. Difficult Riddles For Smart Kids:300 Difficult Riddles Brain Teasers Families Will Love

Create some new family memories as you sit around trying to stump each other with this book of riddles. We can already hear the stories….”Do you remember when we…..”

Grab this book HERE

The spirit of Christmas is not all about the gifts, but the gift givers in us all, love to find unique and thoughtful presents for all of our special people. There are a sea of items to choose from, but we hope that this list will help you narrow down the search just a little bit! Happy Holidays to your family from all of us at Cedar Hill Academy!

Christmas Four Gift Challenge

A few years ago during the holiday season,  I sat wrapped up in my heated blanket sipping my coffee trying to decide what I was going buy for my family as gifts that year.  I couldn’t help but think of all of the excess that we have here in America.  Our children and grandchildren, in reality...all of us,  have so much that sometimes new items don’t even get played with and complacency in gratitude arises, even in wonderful families with really good kids.  As I looked online at gift ideas, I started seeing a new movement emerge that made me stop and ponder.  It was a simple guide for gift giving.

This rule of four is intended for children but it is a great example to use for all of your loved ones that you want to spoil over the holiday season.  As you choose gifts, keep it straightforward and follow the simple guide:

-Something they want

-Something they need

-Something to read

-Something to wear

Over the next couple of weeks we will be helping you choose special gifts in a few of these categories!  We will be posting a tween/teen gift guide (with links and discounts, yeah!) and some of our top picks for great books on following Fridays. But for now, here is a printable wish list to use with your children as they think about all of the possibilities of gifts that could be waiting under the twinkling tree!  

Right click to save file to your computer and print. Hope you enjoy!

Seattle History Field Trip

We are blessed to live in a region brimming with educational adventures that are rich in history, art and wonder.  The City of Seattle has so many diverse neighborhoods and places to explore that you could create a month worth of field trips!  We know that most people do not have that long to spend adventuring,  so we want to help narrow down the choices so you can easily pack a picnic and plan a day trip to Seattle full of fun learning experiences.

We are going to call this adventure “A Mini Seattle History Tour”.  Now, please note that this is only the very tip of the iceberg, there are many other opportunities to be had in Seattle!

It is always helpful to have a goal for any trip you plan.  The main objective for this field trip day is to visit places that are rich in history that really teach you and your children about how and why Seattle is what it is today (no not FREATTLE).  

First up on our list is the Klondike Gold Rush Museum!  Right in the heart of the city, next to Pioneer Square, this National Park has so much to offer!  Did you know that Seattle flourished due to the Gold Rush? It became a gateway city and was one of the last pit spots before the prospectors headed up to the rugged north.  The Klondike Museum is full of artifacts, interactive exhibits, and movies to really bring to life what it was like in early Seattle.  Make sure to have your children sign up for the Junior Ranger program to earn a badge!

Another not to miss Seattle quest is the Underground tour!  The 75-minute tour takes you to the original parts of Seattle and tells some pretty funny tales.  Some of our crew still talk about a specific part of the guided tour….a little hint….there is just a tad bit of bathroom humor (but acceptable for all ages.)

If you are not too tired, head on up toward Lake Union for your next dose of Seattle history.  The final three spots of our mini-history tour are all right together.  By this time, you and your children are probably needing a rest and sustenance!  The perfect place to stop for a bit to pull out that picnic you packed is the Lake Union Park.  It is right across the street from the next two stops on our tour.  After you get out the wiggles and are ready for the next leg of your exploration day, head on over to the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI).  This hands-on museum will explore the early beginnings of Seattle with the Native Americans and walk the journey to our modern-day city.  They have permanent exhibits and also roving installments that will make you want to keep coming back over and over again.  They are open daily from 10 am – 5 pm and the first Thursday of the month 1- am – 8 pm. The summer hours do vary slightly so please check that on their website before your visit.

One last stop of this whirlwind of a day is The Center for Wooden Boats.  Sundays would be our choice to visit this enjoyable Seattle jewel with their free boat rides from 10 am – 3:00 pm They sail rain or shine all year long!  This is a museum that brings to life the abundant early wooden boat history of our town. 

When you are overflowing with the  vivid scenes of Seattle past and present, you and your children are sufficiently tired (let’s hope for a full nights sleep!) and you have an understanding and appreciation for all that have come before us, make a pit stop at Top Pot Donuts and head for home being thankful that you had this opportunity to experience this day and make incredible memories that create your own history with your family. We would love to hear about your Seattle adventures!  Please tag us with #cedarhillacademy so we can experience your adventure right along with you!

Would you like a  custom map to use and have as a memento for all of this adventure?  Head on over here to sign up for our mailing list and we will email you the full pdf map!

Using Science to Teach Life Lessons

Wonder and science are all around us and can help us vividly demonstrate and teach so many life lessons.  Last Friday, we finished up our yearly vacation Bible school at our local church.  I usually try to do an object lesson each day demonstrating the thought that we are trying to teach the children to help them really “see” what they are learning.  Our theme this year was the Armor of God found in Ephesians 6:11-18.  Friday’s object lesson had the kids on the edge of their seats, anticipating what would happen next so I wanted to share it with you too!  I wish I would have thought to take more pictures but let's use our imagination for a minute, shall we? I used a regular orange and drew on the peel with a black sharpie and divided it into 6 sections.  (Think beach ball type stripes) In each section, I wrote one of the armor pieces talked about in the Bible.  On the table in front of the children, I placed a tall, clear glass cylinder of water.  I showed the kids that with the peel on, the orange was buoyant and easily floated.  I gently cut one of the sections of peel off that was labeled with a specific armor piece.  Do you think it still floated?  Yes, but just a tad bit lower into the vessel.  I progressed cutting each piece of "armor" away from the orange.  Each cut brought the orange a little lower under the surface of the water.  Finally, once all of the peel was removed, the orange sunk to the bottom!  The analogy was that if you keep your armor of God on, you will be able to be protected but without your protective armor, you are bound to sink. 

Scientifically, what makes the orange float with the peel on even though it is heavier?  Density is the key here!  Tiny air pockets are all throughout the orange peel making the orange seem weightless in the water.  As the peel is removed, so is the air which leads to the orange untimely sinking to the bottom of the container!  Science is a wonderful tool to teach many life lessons! 

What is your reason WHY?

As we scroll through FB or IG, we are usually seeing the highlight reels of peoples lives. We are seeing the smiling faces, the perfectly cleaned homes and wet, sloppy kisses of cute puppies and loving brothers and sisters. This isn’t always the reality of life though.

As moms, we have the days of self-doubt, “Should I really be homeschooling my kids, are they getting what they need?” “Am I smart enough to do this?” “Am I screwing them up for the rest of their life and they will need to live with me because they can’t get a job to support themselves?” (ok maybe the last one is just us…)

We want to put your mind at ease. Your children will learn and grow under your guidance and it will be fulfilling for you and them because you have chosen this lifestyle out of zeal and diligence. There is not a homeschool mom out there that is homeschooling for purely selfish reasons. We do it because we have a true passion to better our children’s lives, to spend more time with them and to give them a specialized education that we know will benefit them.

There is another side of the story that most people do not like to talk about. Those stories where mothers neglect their children, the children are subjected to scenes that are unimaginable but you know what? Some of those children rise through the ashes and become wonderful and productive adults too. We do not wish this path on anyone else but share this to show that not all the glory or blame will forever be set on your shoulders.

You are a good mama. Do you make mistakes? Yes, because you are human. Each day or even each moment, you try to put the right foot forward. You say, "I'm sorry." Ask for a do-over. Hug and kiss your children. You can have a read-in or just smile and say, "I love you." That is the true beginning of a good day and a life worth living together. What is your go-to way to help remind yourself of WHY you choose to homeschool?

It is Not to Late to Change

When we read this quote from C.S. Lewis, it made us stop and pause in our busy day. We pondered the thought over and over for the rest of the day and it really made us consider the truth behind the statement.

There are times in our lives that we need to re-evaluate the needs of our families. We crave to make a slight change or even feel it in the pit of our stomach.

That change can look like leaving the public school system because their learning style doesn’t fit the “system”, you can see how the influences your children are encountering on a daily basis is changing them into being someone you know isn’t their best, or even that you are realizing your family values don’t a line with what is being taught day in and day out by people you don’t know or trust.

Change can also look like this, your children are happy to be homeschooling but they do crave a little more social interaction. You love being their mom, but sometimes you think they might benefit from being taught by someone that has another method that would connect with your child and enhance their love of learning but you are not willing to put them in public school.

Ultimately, when we read this insightful quote I reminded us it is not to late to make a change. Change can sometimes be filled with unknowns but thankfully you don’t have to do it alone. The Cedar Hill Academy family is rich with wisdom, enthusiastic people and love. Are you ready to love the path you have chosen for children?

5 Must Have Items for the Washington State Homeschool Conference

All across America Homeschool conventions happen each spring as homeschooling families wrap up this year and gear up for next. Conventions are uplifting, full of ideas, and also a bit exhausting but you leave with a head and notebook full is new ideas! We are headed to the Heritage Christian Homeschool Convention this week and as we prepare, we thought it would be helpful to share our 5 must haves when you go to conventions:

-A favorite pen/blank notebook: I know it seems silly but if you are anything like us, you will come home with many, many notes! It is always more fun to write with a pen that you love in a notebook that you can easily access all the information you learned. A quick tip: bring a few colored pens to mark the corners of the pages to keep track of categories of information.  For example, color a pink corner for family, marriage and relationships, green for math, red for reading, ect.  Color as you go so you don’t run out of room as you write. The color coding will make it easy to flip through at a glance to find the tips and tricks you need. Can you tell we love our office supplies around here?

 -Comfortable shoes: Although you will be sitting alot, the venues are usually large and the parking can be difficult so you end up walking quite a bit and it is not fun to have hurting feet on these long days.

-Wear layers: While we are on the topic of clothing and comfort, the venues are nice but the temperatures can fluctuate greatly from room to room, so dress in layers or bring a light sweater. Better to be prepared than freeze in our book!

-Water & a light snack: Lines are usually long for refreshments during the breaks and it is always nice to make sure your sweet tooth can be satisfied.  Bonus….bring your favorite because you don’t have to share with any littles!

-An open heart:  The speakers are usually very powerful and have inspirational ideas that if you choose to take and use them, will help you create lifelong learners and truly exceptional people.

It isn’t too late to attend the Christian Heritage Conference but if you are busy this weekend, the WHO conference is June 21 & 22. One of the benefits of attending the conferences are the curriculum sales! They always have a vendor section and many of the publishers have discounted convention prices. You can view many different curriculum which can help you decide if a specific program will work well for your family.

Are you planning on attending any home school conferences this year? If so, tag us with #cedarhillacademy so we can say hi!

Using Children's Books With Students of All Ages

Many homeschooling families have multiple ages that you teach each day. That can be trying when there is a large gap between ages and abilities in your children. Did you know that you can incorporate Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See , which is often seen as a toddler book used for teaching colors, to simply teach multi age lessons? It is written for our littles but It is so very much more than a simple book! This and many other children's books can be a jumping off point to teach a multitude of skills for students of any age.

Level 1

Reading and writing often go hand in hand and using a engaging story to excite your children to write is a great benefit of sharing these books with all of your children. If your student knows their colors but doesn’t yet know how to write and spell the color words, take this opportunity to help them create their own book where they write in the color words. Here is a tip, If they do not yet have the writing skill to form letters easily, you can quickly download a free trace font and it will give them a guide to have the confidence to write the color words themselves. To take learning up another notch, embrace Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See to model how to write in rhythm and cadence. Just as Brown Bear, Brown Bear starts with one character and follows a path of discovery, you can suggest your child start with a hard working ranger and explore the forest through the eyes of the animals living there. Don’t forget, as they write make sure that the pattern in rhythm is the same as found in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See. A straightforward way to ensure they are staying in rhythm, rhyme and cadence , which is the goal, is to use a simple song with a 4/4 time signature as their guide. Row, Row, Row Your Boat is the perfect example of a song that will make it easier to check the rhyme. Try it out for yourself and see what cool stories you can create right along side your children!

Level 2

Using children’s books like, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See, to learn about other areas of study can enrich the literary experience of your homeschool. Studying about the animals that live in Washington state, the tundra, the rain forest or any other biosphere would be a natural extension of interest led study for this classic book. An effortless way to make learning about animal groupings that you choose to study, be it class, habitat, or other distinguishing features, would be to provide pictures of a variety of animals and have your student group them in like classifications. This activity could be a simple as grouping them into farm animals, jungle animals, ect. or you could really challenge older students with having them sort the pictures into major and minor classifications. As you study and explore various types of animals, don’t forget to add in the sounds they make! This will not only be fun, but also be a vocabulary building activity as they use words such as snarling, growling, bugling etc. The downside is you will most likely be hearing a bit of a zoo chorus at your home as the excited minds have fun soaking in all of this new knowledge.

Level 3

Children’s literature is so rich so please don’t limit the uses of “toddler” books to just toddlers! They can be a starting point for many and varied reading, writing, art and, most importantly, learning activities.

In the fall, we will be doing many of these activities and more with our classes. Our goal is to truly instill the love of learning in your children, right along side you. We want them to be excited to discover new things and have the desire to continue to grow in knowledge. We can’t wait to walk the journey together as we partner with your family to create an educational experience that surpasses all the rest!

We would love to hear about some of your favorite children’s books! We have never met a homeschool mama that didn’t have a few cherished books! Comment below to share yours!

Abeka Homeschool Curriculum Chat

As we continue on our exploration of curriculums, we hope that you will find something that peaks your interest and helps you on your homeschool journey.  We are always available to support you if you have any questions on how to plan or implement curriculum into your week as you participate in our homeschool support classes. 

Without further ado, today we will be talking to Sarah C. about her experience with Abeka.  Sarah has two early elementary aged children that are flourishing under her loving guidance.

CHA: Why did you initially choose this curriculum?  

Sarah: We use Abeka's homeschool curriculum for language arts and math.  Because I used Abeka when I was homeschooling in the 90s, I was confident in the material and believed it would give my kids the foundational knowledge they need to succeed as students.  I was also looking for a straightforward curriculum that did not require a lot of preparation from me and material that embraced a Christian worldview.  After looking at a number of other options, I decided to try Abeka for our first year. I liked it so much that we have continued using it from kindergarten until now (my oldest is in third grade).  

Abeka's language curriculum includes reading, writing, and spelling.  Abeka's teaching approach is traditional and emphasizes mastery through drill, repetition, and memorization.  Every week I introduce a few new concepts, phonics rules, and writing skills and then we practice those new skills and review ones we are already familiar with.  I also give weekly tests in each subject.  I thrive with a routine, so this approach works especially well for me, but I believe it is also important to adjust the routine and material to fit my kids' different learning styles and needs.  Once you understand Abeka's routine (I suggest following its suggested schedule for at least a month to get the full picture), it is easy to adopt and modify.   

CHA: Are you still using it for the same reasons or have your reasons changed? 

Sarah: While I initially chose Abeka because I was familiar with the material and it required minimal prep work for me, I did have reservations.  I have heard many complaints about the curriculum being too rigid, and I was skeptical about Abeka's decision to start teaching cursive writing in kindergarten.  (I initially opted out of the cursive instruction and purchased the traditional print writing the company still offered.  I did start teaching cursive in first grade.)  Now that I have used the curriculum with my kids and seen the results, I love Abeka's language arts and math curriculum for many reasons.  I appreciate its methodical and thorough approach to teaching new skills and reviewing past skills.  It keeps me on pace to make sure we cover what my kids need to cover in their respective grades (paced over 170 lessons in each subject for the year), and it helps me challenge my kids to try new concepts that I would not have independently believed they could handle yet.  I highly value its test material -- both so that I can evaluate where my kids need work and because it gives them an opportunity to get comfortable with test taking.  In short, I believe Abeka lays a strong foundation for lifelong success by teaching my kids how to study while also teaching the appropriate substantive knowledge.  

Notably, Abeka does offer full grade kits to cover every traditional subject (language arts, arithmetic, history, science, art, health & safety, etc.).  We used the full grade kits in first grade, but I did not care for Abeka's approach to science, history, or health & safety.  I believe these subjects lend themselves to a more interactive and hands-on approach, and I thought Abeka presented an overly simplified summary of history and scientific principles.  Language Arts, on the other hand and in my opinion, is exceptional in its phonetic approaching to reading and spelling.  It teaches grammar skills especially well.   

CHA: Was there any cost involved in purchasing the materials? 

Sarah: Abeka sells its material individually and in single-subject kits.  The language arts child kit and parent kit combined costs approximately $300-350 for each grade (kindergarten is much less).  The child and parent kits for arithmetic costs approximately $170.  Much of the material is reusable (readers, teacher lesson plans, teaching charts/aids, answer keys, etc.), so the more kids you use it for, the more cost effective it becomes.  (The consumable student workbooks costs about $65 for language arts and $30 for arithmetic.)  

CHA: Are there any supplementary materials that you used that were helpful? 

Sarah: At the elementary level, teacher manuals are necessary because the curriculum works best if you introduce new concepts before practicing them in the workbooks.  The language and math teaching charts are very useful aids that I have used again and again (even in later grades).  Abeka offers a lot more teaching helps (flash cards, prerecorded classroom instruction, and other online options), but I did not find these helpful or necessary at the early elementary age.

CHA: How did your family use this curriculum?  

Sarah: I sit with my kids at our kitchen table while they complete their workbooks each school day.  The lower elementary grades require significant teacher instruction (these are clearly laid out in the teacher's manuals), but with more than one student, I quickly learn to adapt how much I am reviewing each day with the kids and how much work the kids need to do in each book.  (Starting in third grade, students can work more independently.)  Math can get especially repetitive, and I normally cross off a number of review problems (e.g., I choose one or two addition and subtraction problems to practice while crossing off at least five or six other similar problems).  I also do not require my kids to complete all the student "seatwork" (basically a lengthy rewrite of what they learned that day) scheduled in the teacher manual, and I sometimes skip or combine lessons to keep us on pace to complete the 170 lessons for the year.   I appreciate having the core material there so that I can pick and choose where more practice is needed, but sticking too rigidly to the curriculum would make the work tedious and uninteresting.   

CHA: What are some of the best attributes of this curriculum? 

Sarah: I greatly appreciate Abeka's Christian worldview and comprehensive language arts and math programs.  Incidentally, it develops good study skills and helps students get comfortable taking tests.

CHA: What are some of the drawbacks of using this curriculum? 

Sarah: Abeka is expensive and does require modification to avoid students burning out.  

CHA: How was this curriculum a good fit for your family? How would you recommend it to be used? 

Sarah: I whole-heartedly endorse Abeka and frequently recommend its language arts and math subjects.  It fits my teaching style quite well, and I have learned how to adapt it to my kids' learning styles.  

Thank you so much for your input and information Sarah! We have a lineup of other wonderful curriculums to highlight so make sure you sign up on our mailing list so you don't miss one! 

 What curriculums are you pondering for next school year? Leave a comment and let us know!