One of the biggest adventures we set out on this year was homeschooling. In reality, it was a continuation of the enrichment activities we have been doing since my oldest son was small, but at the same time it was a significant shift in our intensity and focus. In other words, it was time for us to up our game, but looking back it’s easy to see how much fun we had doing it. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished this year but look forward to what we’ll do in 2016 now that we’ve got some experience. Here are highlights from our homeschooling adventure this past year:
Top Homeschooling Posts of 2015
Creating a World Cultures Homeschool Curriculum:
This post for me captures the essence of what we tried to accomplish this year. A world cultures focus underlay almost all of our activities, whether in science or language arts.
I’m excited to be taking part in a blog hop that is showcasing the very best craft, education, and parenting posts from 2015. You can see them all on our group Pinterest board or in the linkys below!
But a real highlight for me was organizing the 31 days of ABC project in October for the second year in a row. There were so many fun crafts and activities shared, all aimed to teach children the alphabet. For example, my contribution for the letter “C” was all about carnivorous plants!
We are so excited to be taking part in a series about the BEST parenting blog posts of 2014, brought to you by the bloggers of Kid Blogger Network, and organized by MaryAnne of Mama Smiles.
I was fortunate enough to meet Jaime through blogging, and she included us in All Things Kids, a wonderful group of creative moms who also happen to be bloggers. You may remember our series last month on Winter Books and Crafts. Each month Jaime is featured one of the bloggers on her website, and I’m so excited to be the first! While you are over there, be sure to check out all the fun stuff Jaime is doing with her kids!
I am so excited to be participating in a blog hop with other members of the amazing Kid Blogger Network. This blog hop is designed to give you a sampling of the very best kids activities from 2013. Each participating blogger picks just one post to highlight, showcasing the very best they have to offer.
I am highlighting one of my favorite posts from the past year, the ABCs of Raising a World Citizen. This series is a comprehensive overview of what is needed to raise a child at home in the world, from Attitude to amaZing adventures! It includes the best of the best posts on multicultural parenting from myself and other globally minded bloggers, including many from Kid Blogger Network and Multicultural Kid Blogs.
(Shh! Don’t tell! We’re only supposed to share one post, but just between you and me, my second favorite – and my most popular – was the collaborative series 31 Days of ABCs. It may just become an annual event!)
And now on to the blog hop —
Below you’ll find over 50 Kid Blogger Network members coming together for The KBN Best Of 2013 Blog Hop. We know you’ll find tons of wonderful ideas to browse, pin and share. We’d love for you to join the blog hop and share your favorite activity of 2013 too, and make sure you’re following the Kid Blogger Network on Pinterest.
Happy New Year from the KBN Best of 2013 Blog Hop Co-Hosts!
– A wonderful opportunity to read books related to multicultural topics and discuss them with Multicultural Kid Bloggers, their readers, and the authors themselves
– Weekly posts with reflections on the chapter of the week, and thought-provoking questions
– Read along and join the conversation as we talk about topics shaping the future of our families and our world
– This parenting memoir includes practical tips and resources to help parents from all backgrounds give their children the benefits of bilingualism. Bilingual Is Better also addresses topics such as bilingual education and cultural heritage.
– Authors Roxana A. Soto and Ana L. Flores co-founded the popular parenting blog SpanglishBaby. Both are award-winning bilingual journalists.
The Conversation
– Starting Oct. 3, we will be posting once a week on a new chapter of the book.
– Join in the discussion by following the participating blogs and leaving comments with your thoughts and questions.
Read more about the Multicultural Kid Blogs Book Club on our main page.
Multicultural Kid Blogs are dedicated to raising world citizens, through arts, activities, crafts, food, language, and love. You can follow Multicultural Kid Blogs on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google+. You can also subscribe to a feed of all of posts from the Facebook pages of all member blogs.
To help introduce you to the wonderful blogs that make up this group, we have created a Pinterest Scavenger Hunt, which will run from July 15 to July 28. You will have until July 31 to submit your entry, and the drawing will take place on August 1. You could win one of four fabulous prize packages!
Here’s how it works:
Create a Pinterest board specifically for the contest and name the board “Multicultural Kid Blogs Pinterest Scavenger Hunt.”
Each day a new clue (or two!) will be revealed. Follow the clue to the blog of the day and pin the post described in the clue. (Any image from the post is fine).
In the Rafflecopter below, enter the link to the Pinterest board you created for this contest. The Rafflecopter will also have lots of other ways to earn extra entries. The only required entry is the link to your Pinterest board.
Please note: You can enter the Rafflecopter at any point during the contest. Obviously your board won’t be complete until the end of the contest, but you can enter the link in the Rafflecopter before then. If your name is drawn at the end of the contest, we will check your board at that time.
The final clue will be given July 28. Participants will have until midnight Pacific time on July 31 to finalize their boards. The drawing will take place on August 1.
Winners must have pinned all of the correct posts to their board. Winners will be notified via email and must respond within 48 hours or another name will be drawn.
December 18, 2012adminComments Off on Support and Silence for Sandy Hook: A Blogger Day of Silence
Today we take time to honor the victims of the tragedy in Sandy Hook, as well as the victims of violent crimes everywhere and all those children who leave this world before their time, whether from violence, disease, or poverty.
Let us join together to pray for a world where the innocence and joy of childhood is honored and protected and that the families and communities affected will be healed and comforted.
Want to Help?
Here are two ideas to honor the victims and families of the Sandy Hook shooting:
26 Acts of Kindness: Tens of thousands of people from around the world have joined in the spontaneous movement to commit acts of kindness in the name of the shooting victims. The bad guys may get the headlines, but the good guys can make a difference that is just as lasting. Kindness is contagious: spread some today.
This holiday season, let us remember those families who are suffering, whether from this tragedy or the many tragedies around the world that claim innocent lives. Please spread the word and prove through our actions and prayers that this world can be a better place.
You can find out more about these wonderful bloggers by visiting our Facebook page, subscribing to our Facebook feed, following us on Twitter, or following our group Pinterest board! On Twitter, you can also find us by using the hashtag #multiculturalkids
This week we continue to share the answers to our question:
How do you keep holidays and family get-togethers from being stressful?
Frances of Discovering The World Through My Son’s Eyes: Back home in Puerto Rico we start our holiday/family gatherings on December 24 “Noche Buena”. Christmas eve celebration is a big deal, food, music, party, and gift exchange. :)To make it less stressful, everyone would meet at Mom’s house, and bring a dish, dessert, and/or beverages. At midnight we would all exchange gifts, the kiddos will go back home to sleep (and wait for Santa). Same goes for New Year’s Eve except there is no gift exchange. For Three Kings Day it’s more low-key, kiddos get the grass for the camels on the eve of Three Kings Day then off to bed, and wake up to treats and gifts! The day is spent visiting family members.
Jennifer of Spanish Playground: We try to be as flexible as possible and not worry too much about “the details” even when the detail is the date. Because of my husband’s work schedule, we have always had to move holidays (even Christmas). This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving on Friday. We keep the traditions simple – the food, favorite games, saying what we are thankful for at the table.
Varya of Little Artists: We don’t have family get-togethers! haha And holidays… well, we don’t have that many and we are just happy when we get some.
Jill of Moms Gone Global: Our family celebrates two birthdays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. So, with all of the other holiday festivities, it can be a bit hectic this time of year! For the past three years, we have hit the road to celebrate Thanksgiving in another city. It cuts down on the stress of having to juggle too many extended family gatherings. More importantly, kicking off the holiday season with this new family tradition allows us to make wonderful and peaceful memories with our boys. Then, for the rest of the season we are happy to jump into the chaos and celebrate with friends and extended family.
Leanna of All Done Monkey: One practical tip that has helped me is to create to-do lists that I can pull out each year. That way when a holiday approaches, I can just refer to my checklist without having to reinvent the wheel every time.
I wanted to end on this response from Jennifer of The Good Long Road. She says: I wrote about this recently and a fellow blogger pulled this quote out to from my post in her comment – “A gratitude focus engages me in the Holiday season in a different way — it helps me to be stress free as I focus on the reality that being together as a family is an abundant gift, the rest of it will sort itself out.”
Thanks to all the bloggers who shared their answers here! We will continue to share answers to this question next week. You can also read answers to earlier questions in our previous installments of World Citizen Wednesday!
I am currently in the process of transferring this site to a new host, so I apologize for any blips or glitches along the way. We should be up and running, better than ever, very soon!
Thank you for your patience!
It’s almost here!! Our Random Acts of Kindness series begins on November 5, and we couldn’t be more excited!
My little Monkey and I just completed our day recently, and I can’t wait to share it all with you! In addition, we will be sharing posts from a group of AMAZING bloggers who have also committed to doing similar days with their little ones!
